Everyone in the Hall stood up, even the injured. The words 'Harry Potter is dead' seemed to resonate around them, bouncing off the fighters' solid disbelief. And Neville was frozen in shock and fear, because there no way that Harry could be dead, it wasn't possible ...
Professor McGonagall, her face set and white, was the first to jog out the Great Hall doors and in groups the rest followed, many of them with blood and tear stains on their scared faces. Ron, Hermione and Ginny ran ahead of Neville and Luna.
'NO!'
Professor McGonagall's shout was ear-splitting. As Neville and the others entered the frame of the front doors, with the Death Eaters and Voldemort lined up thirty feet away, the huge figure of Hagrid in the middle, crying and clutching a body, the same word was echoed by the students, and Ron, Hermione and Ginny's voices were just as disbelieving, just as desperate.
'No!'
'NO!'
'Harry! HARRY!'
Then all of them were shouting Harry's name, or cursing and insulting the jeering Death Eaters; Bellatrix stood by her master's side, laughing madly and sneering; the snake Nagini slithered down from Voldemort's shoulders and onto the grass, hissing at the uproar of noise. Neville could hear Seamus behind him, swearing and cursing, until -
'SILENCE!' screamed Voldemort and a loud bang and flash filled the air, and Neville felt his own mouth clamp shut as though someone had glued his lips together. 'It is over! Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs!'
Hagrid, sobbing uncontrollably, lowered Harry to the grass.
'You see?' continued Voldemort, now striding back and forth in front of Harry's corpse. 'Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!'
'He beat you!' bellowed Ron, and the glue-like feeling in Neville's mouth vanished, and the Hogwartians were all shouting again, but a louder bang and brighter flash silenced them again.
'He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds, killed while trying to save himself -'
It was this lie alone that stimulated Neville into action. He shunted past Ernie and Anthony ('Neville, no!') until he was in clear vision of both armies and drew his wand, fury at Voldemort rising -
There was a third bang and white flash and Neville stumbled and fell. He felt as though he'd been winded, barely noticing that his wand had flown out his hand, now in Voldemort's possession. He hit the floor on his front, so that he was level with the snake. His eyes found those of Nagini, who wasn't ten feet away. She hissed at him but he barely heard it as Harry's last order returned to him ... 'Kill the snake' ... but he had no wand -
'And who is this?' Voldemort was saying. 'Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?'
Bellatrix laughed again gleefully.
'It is Neville Longbottom, my Lord! The boy who has been giving the Carrows so much trouble! The son of the Aurors, remember?'
'Ah, yes, I remember,' said Voldemort, as Neville pushed himself from the grass, catching his breath. 'But you are a pure-blood, aren't you, my brave boy?'
'So what if I am?' Neville shouted, straightening up, and Voldemort's mouth curled into a smile.
'You show spirit, and bravery, and you come of noble stock. You will make a very valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom.'
This suggestion boiled more anger in him and he was shaking with it as he next spoke.
'I'll join you when hell freezes over,' he spat. 'Dumbledore's Army!' he shouted over his shoulder, and he heard Ernie and Seamus and Lavender with many others yell their approval.
'Very well,' said Voldemort dangerously. 'If that is your choice, Longbottom, we revert to the original plan. On your head - be it.'
Voldemort flicked his wand and a crash of shattering glass sounded from behind Neville, in the castle. Voldemort had Summoned the Sorting Hat and he shook it down after he caught it.
'There will be no more Sorting at Hogwarts School. There will be no more houses. The emblem, shield and colours of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice for everyone, won't they, Neville Longbottom?'
And without further warning, he flicked his wand at Neville and his legs and arms snapped together and he couldn't move a muscle. He watched as the Hat, as though in slow motion, soared across the air and landed on his head. The brim fell over his eyes, but he could still see Nagini slithering on the grass close in front of him.
'Neville here is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me,' came Voldemort's slick voice and the Hat on Neville's head burst into flames.
And he was rooted to the spot, hands uselessly at his sides with no wand as the flames licked his whole head ... his very brain was on fire and he was surely going to die ...
But then the flames cooled, and they were cooler than the fire experienced when using Floo Powder. He distinctly heard cries of giants, hooves of centaurs, screeches of Thestrals.
Help me! he thought desperately to the Hat - Help me!
Then the Body-Bind curse was lifted but he was nearly knocked out as something heavy thudded on the top of his head. He saw stars, feeling as though his skull had cracked in two ... the Hat fell from his head, but he drew Gryffindor's sword before it hit the floor.
He didn't think twice - perhaps he didn't even think once, acting upon gut instinct. Without caring that, despite the war had reignited, every eye, good and evil, had turned to him, that Voldemort's had opened wide in astonishment, Neville grabbed the sword by the hilt and lunged forward, eyes never leaving the snake, which reared up in surprise it seemed, and with a single swipe through the air, he beheaded Nagini. Her head soared in a huge arc, purple blood spinning from it, and landed before the defenders of Hogwarts.
But it wasn't over yet and Neville's burst of satisfaction was dispelled and replaced by pulsating fear. Voldemort screamed in fury and raised his wand again, red eyes flashing, and pointed it directly at Neville, who still had no wand to defend himself with. Yet the spell never arrived, and he and Voldemort stumbled away from each other by the force of a strong Shield Charm ...
'HARRY!' Hagrid was yelling at the top of his voice. 'HARRY - WHERE'S HARRY?'
Neville had no time to ponder the answer to that question as everyone was buffeted backwards through the front doors as the enemy and allies advanced once more. Fresh curses and jinxes crackled through the light of the Entrance Hall and someone grabbed Neville's forearm.
'Accio Neville's wand!'
The thin stick cartwheeled in from outside; Voldemort must have dropped it earlier. Luna caught it and pressed it into Neville's palm.
'Let's fight, Neville!' she called over the roars of everyone. It was hard to aim, however, especially as it was so cramped and they were being shunted in reverse the whole time, stumbling and tripping. Arrows continued to rain through the open doors, causing Death Eaters to cry out in pain and fall, desperately trying to yank out the shafts from their backs. Giants punched huge wholes through the walls, causing mounds of stone to tumble inwards, crushing many fighters. More defenders of Hogwarts had arrived to fight: Seamus's mother rushed past him, as did Madam Malkin, Ludo Bagman, Gilderoy Lockhart (looking completely lost, as though unaware of how he'd got here), Amos Diggory, Mundungus Fletcher ...
Voldemort stood in the very centre of the Great Hall, duelling McGonagall, Kingsley and Slughorn at the same time, and Bellatrix was fighting Ginny, Hermione and Luna, again. Neville found himself alongside Ron, who was grabbed around the neck by a man with a mane of hair and fangs for teeth and Neville recognised him.
'Stupefy!' cried Neville, and Greyback was knocked off Ron, who spun round with his wand raised. He and Neville began fighting the werewolf, who snarled and growled.
'Incarcarous!' Ron yelled and ropes flew from his wand and bounded Greyback head to toe, and he fell backwards with a thud, writhing hopelessly.
'Nice one, Ron!' Neville shouted, but both their attentions were caught as a flash of green whistled past Ginny.
'NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH! - OUT OF MY WAY!'
Mrs Weasley barged through a gap of students to face Bellatrix and both immediately began to flick and twirl their wands, the spells colliding like fireworks of every colour.
'No! Get back! Get back! She is mine!' Mrs Weasley shouted as Ernie and Hermione raised their wands to help again. Voldemort and his three opponents had hitherto noticed nothing of the new fight.
'What will happen to your children when I've killed you?' jeered Bellatrix, eyes wide with excitement, even enjoyment. 'When Mummy's gone the same way as Freddie?'
'You - will - never - touch - our - children - again!' Molly screamed, punctuating each word with a curse. On 'again!', a jet of red light shot from her wand as Bellatrix laughed ... the curse hit her in the middle of her chest and she dropped backwards, still laughing it seemed, as though in disbelief. Neville cheered with many of the others as Mrs Weasley grinned almost evilly, the body of Bellatrix Lestrange tumbling down, for once unable to fight.