All Neville could do as the tatters of Hogwarts came crashing down before him was watch. His gut told him to do something. His gut told him to fight.

His gut told him to run.

He didn't look at the bodies lying in the great hall. He didn't look at the weeping and sobbing faces of broken families as they held their loved ones. The only thing he looked at was the deep feeling of self-resentment building up deep inside the pit of his stomach.

After everything, he couldn't do anything to save them.

The Boy Who Lived. Neville scoffed. He wished he was the boy who died. The boy who died along with his mum and dad and gran on that fateful day.

Why?

Why wasn't it him?

He could still help them, Neville realized. One final hurrah against evil and no one else would die for him. All he had to do was-

"Neville!"

A figure started running towards him but he didn't look up.

"Harry," Neville said lifelessly.

"Neville," Harry said again. "You aren't..." He trailed off. When Neville didn't answer, Harry gripped Neville's arms and said firmly, "You can't die today Harry. Not now, not ever. We need you."

"How many more will follow?" Neville asked angrily. "How can I wait for corpses to pile up and just stand there doing nothing!?" Neville got louder. "I took your mum and dad from you, Harry." His voice broke. "Do you want others to suffer the same fate? How many others have to die for all of you get it through your heads!?"

But one look at Harry's pale and ashen face told him that he had gone too far. He couldn't help himself from the words coming out.

"H-Harry, I'm sorry..." Neville started to say but Harry turned away sharply and started walking away.

"I'll see you when you get back," Harry said coldly as Neville looked on with a stricken face and just stood there.

He just had to open his big fat mouth. With all his self-righteous wisdom talk, Neville knew that it wouldn't save his friends. He quickly turned away and started staggering through a hallway. The torches lay crumpled on the floor, giving the whole room a kind of eerie blue glow. He pulled Malfoy's wand out of his pocket. He missed his old one but this would have to do.

Neville fully intended to let Voldemort kill him but that didn't mean he couldn't do it with dignity. He intended to go standing up, with a wand gripped tightly in his fist.

He broke into a run now. Faster...

Faster...

The cold stone walls were a blur now as he tuned out all the sounds other than the soft blow of the wind. His hour was almost up. He had to make it in time. He had to.

"Stop right there, Boy who Lived." Neville recognized the voice but was horrified by the cruel tone of it.

"Potter."

"I won't let you go any further than this."

"Harry, you don't understand..." Neville reasoned.

"I perfectly understand." Harry snapped angrily. His voice was laced with contempt. "How about we make a deal, Longbottom. How about you let me go and stop You-Know-Who and I let you live."

"You know I can't let you do that," Neville said nervously and pointed his wand at him.

Harry took one look at it and whispered. "You really don't have a choice."

Before Neville could do anything, Harry shouted "EXPELLIARMUS!" and Neville's wand flew into a dark corner.

Neville put his hands up. "Look, Harry. I don't want to hurt you but-"

"You don't want to hurt me?" Harry seethed and then suddenly, his face softened. "I have to get my revenge." His voice shattered. "He killed my family. My mum and dad. Do you think that just because people call you the chosen one that you alone have the right to do this? Voldemort may have killed your parents, but he also killed mine, just as he killed the hundreds of innocents today. How do you think we all felt when we saw Remus and Tonks lying dead on the ground? Fred? You aren't the only one who has lost something. Shouldn't we all have a fighting chance to face him? For them?" Harry finished weakly.

Neville placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry I-"

"I'm going to kill him. I'm going to kill him and he will suffer." Harry continued on. "I never wanted to hurt you. I'm sorry." He took a sad long look at Neville before picking up Neville's wand and handing it to him. "I have to go." And Harry started backing away, eventually picking up his pace, breaking into a run before disappearing from view.

Neville looked at the wand clutched in his fist and knew what he had to do.

At that moment, a piercing thunder-like sound crackled through the grounds and a hoarse voice hissed "Neville Longbottom, the Boy who Lived. Come out here and face me." Hundreds of terrible voices cackled at this as Neville started running towards the courtyard.

It was all over.

It was too late.

Voldemort was going to kill everyone.

"Wait."

Neville stopped in his tracks.

"My name is Harry Potter."

Voldemort raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"And this is for my parents. SECTUMSEMPRA!" But Voldemort deflected the curse with a simple flick of his wand. Neville couldn't let this charade go on any longer.

"I'm here." He said as hundreds of people turned their heads to get a good look at him.

"Ah, Longbottom." Voldemort drawled as his followers snickered. "I see your friend Potter and I haven't been properly acquainted. Maybe I should-"

"AVADA KEDAVA!" Harry screamed as loud as he could while pointing his wand at Nagini but it was still no use; The snake was wrapped in some kind of protective bubble and the spell bounced off.

"Stop this immediately!" Neville yelled at Harry and uttered, "Expelliarmus."

Voldemort and his followers looked upon the spectacle with a mixture of amusement and glee on their faces. "Longbottom and Potter, what a sight." Voldemort grinned terribly. "Harry?" He said with false sympathy. "I am terribly sorry about your parents. They were of course, exceptionally good at magic. It's too bad about your filthy muggle-born mother."

Harry clenched his fist but did not say anything.

"Don't take the bait, mate," Neville whispered as a put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

By now, the entire crowd had gathered in the courtyard. It was quite a sight. Students and teachers and Death Eaters, all packed into one area, watching the three of them.

"Very well, Longbottom, it's quite a pity that you didn't show up at my offer. You all know that I am a man that is true to his word. I have no other choice but to eradicate every one of your pathetic friends. But not before slowly torturing them and making you watch every minute of it." Voldemort laughed.

"No you won't," Harry said firmly as he stood side by side with Neville.

"Oh really?"

A moment of awkward silence filled the air and just when Neville was going to grab his wand and make a run for the snake, Harry crumpled to the floor in a shrieking mess of agony and everyone had no choice but to look in horror.

Stupid.

You're stupid, Neville told himself.

If you hadn't lingered in the great hall, Harry wouldn't currently be in the process of being tortured.

It's your fault.

It's your fault.

It's all your fault.

"You know what you have to do then?" Voldemort cackled. "You know where this will lead you. You know what you have to do to fulfill the prophecy."

"Yes."

He could do it. He could kill Harry. Then nothing would come between him and Voldemort. And if he was somehow able to vanquish Voldemort, he would be regarded as a hero. Anyone who ever doubted him, anyone who ever mocked him would answer to this day. The wizarding world would celebrate him more than he ever would. They would all be safe. Who cared about Harry anyway? Who was left-

Wait a second...

How could he ever think that? Neville shook his head. This whole... ordeal had unhinged him beyond recognition. He would defeat Voldemort, not because of the glory it would bring. No. Anything but the glory. He fully intended to live a peaceful quiet life if he ever made it out of here alive. No. This was for his parents. This was for Harry. This was for the innocents that died, not only on this day, but everyone that Voldemort ever killed.

"I know what I have to do... But I won't. I won't kill one more person for you."

"Then you will die just like all your friends gathered here today. You will suffer as they suffer. You had your time to come to me, Longbottom. Lord Voldemort is a man of mercy. I would have let you chosen your death. Now, you leave me no choice."

Voldemort waved a hand and Harry immediately stopped screaming. Neville took one look at Harry's limp body and said, "Not this time Tom."

Congratulations, and thank you for a great read thegalactic7