Chapter Text
Neville looked around him, at the bloody sword still in his hands, at the mess that Hogwarts had become. And he wasn’t sure if he would ever look at his school the same way. He didn’t even recognise where he was anymore. Everything was crumbling around him. Statues. Pillars. Walls. Books. Windows. Paintings. All gone.
Blood was pooled and mixed with dust all around him. Neville wasn’t sure what he was looking for, why he had left the Great Hall, where it was safe and warm. Where there was tea, biscuits, bandages and potions.
And then he realised he was not the only one. Oliver Wood was walking across the hall in his direction, looking defeated. And just as he was about to call for him, he saw a pair of sneakers. No. No. Not just someone. He knew those shoes. He hadn’t seen them in months. But. “Colin…”
Nev wasn’t sure if he had murmured or cried the name, but Oliver was beside him a second later, kneeling beside their former Gryffindor’s body. “Fuck, Merlin, Godric. He’s a babe.”
“He wasn’t of age. He wasn’t supposed to be here…” Neville cried. They were adults. They had all made their choice, but the younger ones were supposed to be safe.
“Let’s bring him to the Great Hall, Neville,” the older Gryffindor said.
He nodded, carrying Colin’s feet as Oliver took his shoulders. They walked slowly, and Neville wasn’t sure he was ready to see another covered body in the row of heroes they had lost. Professor Lupin and his wife, Fred, Lavender. And so many others.
“You know what? I can manage him alone, Neville,” said Oliver Wood, and he heaved Colin over his shoulder in a fireman’s lift and carried him into the Great Hall.
Nev watched them go with a guilty heart, but if he was being honest. He wasn’t sure how much longer he would be able to walk without falling. The Gryffindor could feel his whole body trembling. He needed some fresh air. He needed to see the sun. So he ran as fast as he could until he found his way outside.
The sight in front of him wasn’t much better. The grounds were destroyed, burned to ash. So many plants had been lost. But at least he could feel the first rays of sun on his skin, and the wind blowing against his hair.
Neville kept walking until he reached the edge of the Black Lake. It looked the same, but Neville knew the merfolk and the Giant Squid had helped during the fight. They had protected Hogwarts. They had protected their home. And he didn’t even want to think about the number of bodies that could be under those waters.
But sitting on the grass, watching the still waters, it was like Neville could forget the chaos, the mess inside.
If he didn’t look back, if he just focused on the waters, everything was alright. He hadn’t lost any friends. He hadn’t been tortured. He hadn’t watched his friends being hunted and hurt.
And even those who weren’t his friends. Neville’s mind flew that night back in November in the Greenhouse.
Pansy.
Oh, Merlin. The Slytherins were still locked in their common room.
Fuck.