I was only vaguely aware of arms going around me.

All I could see, all I could feel, was the lifeless body beneath me; refusing to believe life was no longer contained within it.

An empty shell.

"Neve," Draco said furiously in my ear. "There's nothing we can do. We've got to get you out of here."

"Colin," I cried, my voice choking in grief as I refused to move away from Lupin. "Tonks. I've got to find them."

"Okay, we'll do that." Draco said fervently in my ear. "I promise you, we'll do that."

"Shit!" Another voice sounded; one I only faintly recognised but couldn't place.

"We need to find the others," I heard Draco say to someone over his shoulder. "But I can't fight them off."

"I'll fight," said the other voice, "you search."

I was being pulled to my feet, panic tearing at me at the thought of leaving Lupin's side.

Draco was pulling me into his arms, furiously holding me against his chest. "Shhh, I'm so sorry, my love. Look, Wood here is going to help while we find the others, okay? We'll find them together."

He smelt of smoke; thick overwhelming smoke that choked the back of my throat.

"Draco," I gasped, looking up at him for the first time. His face was blackened in soot and cuts adorned his skin. "What happened to you?"

"Never mind me," he said, clearly trying not to wince. "Let's find Tonks and Colin, okay?"

And together we dug through the rubble as Oliver Wood stood by us, ready to ward off enemies.

When we found them, a wolf like howl escaped my lips, issuing from the depths of my entire being, my heart shredding in a way I didn't think was possible.

They looked so peaceful.

"Oh god," Draco choked as I collapsed wailing to the ground.

Tonks was strewn on top of Colin, almost as if her last act was to save him and protect his body from the collapsing building herself.

It was the saddest sight I had ever seen in my life.

"I want to go home," I sobbed. "I don't want to be here anymore."

It really was all I wanted in that moment; to be at home dancing with Trevor in my room and listening to the sounds of Gran cooking dinner downstairs in the kitchen.

I didn't want to be here. I didn't want to fight anymore. What was the point?

Lupin was gone.

Tonks was gone.

And my dear sweet Colin was... gone.

It should have been me, not them.

"Listen to me, Neve," Draco said fiercely, his fingers gripping my upper arms tightly as he forced me to look up at him. "You are strong! You can get through this. I know you, and I love you, and I know you wouldn't give up on Trevor!"

Trevor. Yes, I'd do this for Trevor.

And Teddy.

They needed me.

A new fierce power surged through me as I thought about everything I still had.

I nodded at Draco and relief flickered his features as he pressed his lips vehemently against my brow, bringing his arms tightly around me, giving me the strength that I needed.

It was at that point we heard Voldemort's voice reverberating across the grounds.

Dispose of your dead with dignity... You have one hour Harry Potter. One hour.

I felt numb as between Draco, Oliver and I, we carried Lupin, Tonks and Colin into the Great Hall.

And, as we laid him down, I knelt by Colin and pressed my lips against his forehead, whispering in his ear my promise that I'd get his brother back safely to his parents.

"You're the bravest wizard I've ever known," I breathed, reflecting his last words back to him as I gently moved my fingers over his eyes, closing them for the last time.

He looked as though he was simply sleeping.

*****

"Neve."

I almost jumped out of my skin as I came face to face with Harry, who had appeared out of nowhere.

We were in the Entrance Hall, where I'd gone to take a breather, needing to distance myself from the dead for just a bit whilst I regathered my strength.

"Where are you going, alone?" I asked, suddenly feeling scared. "You're not thinking of handing yourself over?"

No way did Lupin, Tonks and Colin just lose their lives for him to give up now.

"No," Harry assured me instantly. "Course not... this is something else. But I might be out of sight for a while. You know Voldemort's snake, Neve? He's got a huge snake... calls it Nagini..."

"I've heard, yeah..." I said, thinking sickeningly of what it did at Draco's dining table. "What about it?"

"It's got to be killed. Ron and Hermione know that, but just in case they-" he paused and seemed to wobble slightly.

I immediately held out a hand to steady him. I'd never seen him look like this before; stripped of all his usual cockiness and self assuredness.

"Just in case they're- busy," he continued, "and you get the chance-"

"Kill the snake?" I said, instantly understanding him.

"Kill the snake," Harry repeated.

"All right, Harry." I replied, feeling a strength burn in my stomach, concealing my fear. "You're okay, are you?"

"I'm fine. Thanks, Neve," he said. But his voice didn't disguise the evident cold ardent fear in his face.

He made to move but I seized his wrist.

"We're all going to keep fighting, Harry." I said fiercely, looking him intently in the eye. "You know that?"

"Yeah, I-" he stopped as the breath seemed to suffocate him.

I instantly pulled him into a hug, holding him close, trying to convey the unwavering support I had for him; that we all had for him.

But, as he walked slowly away, I couldn't help but observe that he looked liked a dead man walking.

*****