I followed Draco and Neville as, between them, they carefully carried Colin's body; the three of us keeping a respectful silence whilst we made our way down through the castle.

Voldemort had spoken and declared the battle to be on hiatus whilst he gave Harry a chance to hand himself in; so we had made the unanimous decision to leave our hideout and take Colin to the Great Hall to join the 'others'.

But the second we reached the bottom of the marble staircase into the Entrance Hall, we were approached by Harry Potter, who was looking very much the worse for wear and rivalling Draco in the pale stakes.

"Neville, a word if you please," he said brusquely, not even acknowledging the fact that we were carrying the body of a boy who had once worshipped him.

"We're sort of busy, Potter," Draco drawled with evident disdain as he beckoned down to Colin's lifeless body. "If you couldn't tell."

"As am I!" Harry snarled angrily in Draco's face. "And I'm telling you right now that if you don't want anymore deaths on your conscience, Malfoy, then you'd better allow me a moment to speak with Neville."

Draco opened his mouth as if to argue further but was quickly interrupted.

"It's fine- it's fine," Neville mumbled quickly, beckoning over for me to take Colin's legs off his hands. "Come on, Harry, I'm all yours; whatever you need."

Draco and I watched as they sauntered off, their heads bowed together as they fell into immediate discussion.

"Come on," I said quietly to a pissed off looking Draco. "Let's take him in."

Draco blinked, looking down at the lifeless body in his arms as if only just realising what we were actually doing. 

"Of course," he said with a great heaviness; a look of sudden pain flitting across his face.

It was horrible. The weight in my stomach was almost unbearable as we laid Colin down, our eyes surveying the rest of the dead lain in rows across the floor of the Great Hall.

"I can't bear this," I choked as Draco's arms went around me, pulling me close to him.

"Shhh," he soothed, stroking my hair and back; the feel of the steady beat of his heart beneath his chest giving me the comfort I so desperately needed.

We stayed with Colin, somehow finding it unbearable to leave him knowing he never wanted to be alone.

"When this is over, Blaire," Draco murmured softly in my ear, holding me a fraction tighter. "I want you to come back with me."

I looked up at him, momentarily confused. It was hard to think of anything beyond this horrific battle, to think that life could ever return back to normal after the horror and pain  of what we had witnessed.

"To the Manor, you mean?" I asked, thinking that as much as I loved Draco, I couldn't imagine ever wanting to cohabit with Lucius; not after everything he put his own son through.

"I don't care where we go," Draco shrugged, trailing a single finger over the charm bracelet that still hung on my wrist, "just say we'll do it together."

"Of course," I whispered, lifting a hand to lightly touch my fingertips against his war torn face. "Together."

A soft sigh escaped his semi parted lips as he closed his eyes. He looked utterly pained and exhausted and I just wanted to take him away from all of this and help him heal.

But instead, we stayed, huddled together by Colin's body whilst the heartbreaking sounds of the bereaved pressed against our ears and broke our souls.

I looked up only when an ashen faced Neville approached and knelt down by my other side, not taking his mournful eyes off of Colin.

I took his hand in mine and gently squeezed it. Neville blinked down at me as if surprised that I was there. I wondered if he was in shock.

"What did Harry want?" I asked quietly, Draco immediately cocking his head in interest at my question.

But Neville just shrugged and slowly shook his head. "Nothing for you to worry about. We've just got to believe we're gonna win this, okay? Promise me we never give up fighting that evil bastard, B. Promise me we fight till the end."

"I promise, Nev," I said sincerely, giving his hand another squeeze. "I promise."

Draco immediately stiffened at my words and I glanced up at him to see his grey eyes fixed upon me with a mixture of panic and fear. I could read exactly what they were saying; exactly what was going through his mind.

He didn't want us to fight.

But Neville was right, how could we let Colin down like that after he'd literally just died in front of us.

"I can't let that happen to you," Draco said vehemently between pursed lips, the flicker of a snarl upon his features quickly turning to a look of desperation. "Please."

But before I could open my mouth to remind him that if we didn't fight then we had no future, that we needed to do it for each other so that we could love and be free together; a voice boomed all around us, causing the entire hall to fall into a horrified and fearful silence.

Harry Potter was dead.

*****

Draco felt his chest go tight as Voldemort's words reverberated against his skull.

It was over and they had lost. He'd be forever condemned to serving as a Death Eater and the girl he loved more than anything else in the world had just declared her intention to keep fighting to the death.

He thought he might just vomit everywhere.

Everyone started making their way to the exit, determined to see for themselves; to see with their own eyes that their one last remaining hope had really gone.

Draco found himself quite automatically joining them, clasping Blaire's hand tightly in his as they silently followed the mass out of the castle onto the stone steps.

And there indeed was Potter; dead in their gamekeeper's arms.

"No," Longbottom kept groaning on Blaire's other side. "No, no, no."

Draco wished he'd shut up. It was making his chest grow tighter and he was starting to panic that he soon would not be able to breathe.

Blaire looked up at him, meeting his eyes as they exchanged fearful looks. He wanted to tell her that he loved her so much but his voice stuck in his throat and he found he couldn't speak.

Instead he let go of her hand and snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her to his side and finding some reassurance in having her body close to his.

The Weasley girl was sobbing hysterically in front of them as Voldemort laughed and goaded her for being so pathetic. No one was comforting her; everyone too shocked by their own tormented horror.

"Now is the time to declare yourself." Voldemort roared above the noise of the crowd as a sea of Death Eaters jeered and applauded behind him.

Including, Draco noticed to his dismay, his parents.

"Draco," Lucius summoned as soon as their eyes met. "Come."

The crowd went silent, all eyes on Draco, waiting to see what he'd do.

But Draco didn't know what to do; his heart in his throat as he held onto Blaire that little tighter.

"Draco, don't be stupid!" Lucius hissed angrily, furiously beckoning him over. "I said come!"

He could feel Voldemort's red eyes watching this exchange with interest. Draco knew there was a huge possibility that he was going to die if he didn't go over, but he didn't want to leave without Blaire.

He looked down at her imploring, begging with his eyes for her to understand his predicament.

She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Longbottom who suddenly staggered forwards towards Voldemort with a great big 'Oi!'.

"Neville, no!" Blaire whispered frantically, going to move as if to stop him; but Draco acted fast and clamped his arms around her; holding her firmly back.

"Well, I must say, I'd hoped for better." Voldemort said in an amused yet dangerous voice as he surveyed the hobbling figure before him. "Is this truly the best Hogwarts has to offer?"

Draco closed his eyes as the Death Eaters laughed in cruel amusement. What was the idiot thinking?

"I'd like to say something." Longbottom said, as he held in his hand what appeared to be the Sorting Hat.

"Very well... uh-?"

"Neville. Neville Longbottom."

The sound of his aunt's loud cackle filled the air. Voldemort lifted up a hand to silence her.

"Continue, Neville." Voldemort said in a way that made him sound as though he was apologising for an unruly child. "I'm sure we'd all be fascinated to hear what you have to say."

"It doesn't matter that Harry is gone." Longbottom shrugged, appearing quite remarkably unfazed by the deadly danger he was placing himself in.

A troubled murmur rippled through the crowd at Longbottom's words and suddenly Dean Thomas broke breathlessly from the crowd, his face frantic as he yelled out, "DON'T DO IT, NEV! I LOVE YOU!"

But it seemed that not even an unexpected declaration of love was enough to stop Longbottom from carrying out this suicide mission.

"People die every day." Longbottom continued loudly so all could hear. "Friends. Family. Yes, we lost Harry tonight. But he's still with us, here-" he paused to tap his heart. "And so is Fred and Remus and Tonks... all of them. They didn't die in vain. But you will."

Neville took a step forward, looked Voldemort in the eye and spat down at his feet. "This isn't over."

And to the gasp of the crowd, he reached into the Sorting Hat and pulled from it a mighty sword.

"That's what you think, Longbottom."

Draco, along with everyone else, turned towards the new voice.

A Death Eater stepped out into the arena, a Death Eater who had once been known as the most popular student in the school. He was beauty and the brains. Prefect; Quidditch Captain; Champion.

He had been the boy who everyone either wanted to be or be with. He had been the student every teacher wanted in their class. He had had it all and could have had so much more.

But the humiliation of losing the Triwizard Tournament to a fourteen year old boy had changed him. Destroyed him even.

And now here he stood, shrouded in darkness; a wasted life filled with nothing but anger and bitterness as he stood against the school that had once offered him everything.

And it seemed as though the entire world held its breath as Cedric Diggory raised his wand.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Draco would never forget the scream that left Blaire's lungs. Never forget the way she had keeled over and sank down to her knees; clutching her stomach as if she had been struck by the most unbearable pain possible.

He wanted to take away her suffering and heal her, and never let her experience anything like this ever again. But he couldn't, because the damage had already been done and the only way to fix things was to use a Time Turner but there weren't even any of them left in the world anymore.

He realised he couldn't help her, couldn't make things right for her ever again, and he blamed himself entirely; blamed himself for not having run away with her when they still had the chance; back in the days before he was marked and had been free.

Her life was now torn and broken and would never be the same again.

Because Neville Longbottom, the friend that had been there for her when Draco hadn't, the friend that had loved and supported her, and had adored her just as she adored him; was dead.

*****

A/N: Sorry guys, but this had always been the plan from the moment the idea of using this story came to me. I hadn't, however, originally intended to make Neville such a prominent character in this book, but all of a sudden, his and Blaire's friendship seemed to make so much sense, despite Neville's doomed fate.

Don't hate me too much, and I hope you still find it in your hearts to continue reading and give me a chance to show you where I will take this story next.

******