Neville's Sacrifice

Chapter one

Ron scrambled up from where he had fallen when Ginny had pushed him and then, slipping and sliding, rushed to his sister's side. When he saw her lying there, partially buried underneath the cold, grey stone wall, he collapsed on his knees beside her. He had clenched his hands in his hair, and he was shrieking in anguish. It was a horrible, heartbroken sound.

Neville couldn't breathe, he couldn't move.

He could see Ginny pinned underneath a large part of the heavy stone wall. She had passed out from the pain and was now lying there, completely helpless.

He screamed, "Oh Merlin! Please no! Not Ginny, not Ginny!"

Bellatrix Lestrange was standing over Ginny's broken body, laughing insanely.

She slowly and deliberately raised her wand, intent on finishing her off.

Hatred boiled up within Neville's chest, bringing with it a rush of adrenaline. He had never hated anyone as much as he hated Bellatrix. This was the person that had tortured his parents until they went insane, unable to even remember who he was. She had taken his parents away from him, and now she was about to kill the only person he had ever loved.

He focused all the hate he felt for her and pushed it into the spell, the Unforgivable Curse, the Killing Curse.

He pointed his wand and yelled, "Avada Kedavra!" A green light shot out of his wand and hit Bellatrix squarely in the back, killing her instantly.

Neville stumbled on the mossy rocks, tears blinding him as he raced to Ginny's side, kicking Bellatrix's now dead body roughly out of his way.

He knelt beside Ron, putting his arm around him to comfort him. Feeling more scared then he had ever felt in his life, he bent over Ginny's unconscious form. He was shaking from trepidation and fear. At first, he thought that she had to be dead, that she couldn't have survived the wall falling on her. His mind kept tormenting him with thoughts of her dying. If she did, what would he do? They had been together for a year now, and she was his whole life. They had planned to get married after leaving Hogwarts, but the war had come and the wedding had just been pushed to the side.

He turned sideways so that he could use his uninjured arm to check to see if Ginny were still breathing. He placed his hand on her chest, feeling, even through her clothes, how cold her body had become. As his hands touched the rough texture of her robes, he hoped against hope that she was still alive.

He concentrated on the hand that lay on top of Ginny's chest, and he could feel it shallowly moving up and down with the intake and exhale of her breath. Relief flowed through his body like a river breaking out of a dam. He cried harder, thankful that she wasn't dead.

"Ron, she's alive!" he choked out.

At first, Ron didn't seem to take in what he had said, then he began to laugh and cry both. He reached forward, trying to hug Ginny, but Neville pushed him roughly away, afraid that he would inadvertently hurt her.

Neville turned to Ron and said urgently, "You'd better go try to find a mediwizard right away. I don't think we should try to move the wall off her until one comes, in case it causes more damage."

Ron reached out and gently stroked Ginny's soft ember coloured hair. He leaned close to her, kissing her softly on her forehead. Then he got up from the cold, mud-covered ground and ran off into the thick smoke and dust of the ongoing battle.

Neville watched him disappear into the heaving, chaotic throng.

Then he sat there, waiting amidst the mud and blood. He reached towards Ginny, taking her cold hand into his warm one. He gently rubbed it, trying to warm it up, then he suddenly felt something rough. He turned her hand over and could see the calluses on her palms, left over from the Quidditch match she had played with her brothers, just a few days ago.

Neville stared at her hand in stunned disbelief. Had it only been a few days ago that they had all been gathered around the Weasleys' table? Laughing and joking, and being teased by Fred and George? It seemed a lifetime ago, ten lifetimes ago.

He stroked Ginny's hand, thinking about the future they had planned together. She just couldn't die, she couldn't! He prayed that Ron would be able to find a mediwizard in time.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ron and Neville had Apparated to St Mungo's right behind the mediwizards, who had used Mobilicorpus to lift Ginny's broken body up from the cold muddy earth and onto the canvas stretcher.

Once they arrived, they looked around, trying to spot the stretcher where Ginny lay. They searched anxiously, but it was hard to see anything. The main lobby of the hospital was teaming with people injured in battle.

Ron finally caught a glimpse of Ginny; she was being taken towards two large double doors.

They ran frantically across the hallway, trying to catch up with the stretcher before it disappeared.

There was a huge amount of medical personnel swarming over and around Ginny. The mediwizards were urgently calling for nurses and equipment.

Irrationally, Neville thought, if she disappears behind those doors, she'll die. I just know it. She can't die. I can't let her die.

He sprinted up to the stretcher. He was so close. He could see Ginny's fiery hair spread out upon the pillow, like a flame amongst the snow. Her body lay small and fragile amid the mass of equipment that was hooked to her face, her chest, her arms. Seeing her lifeless-looking body only strengthened his resolve not to let her enter the white double doors...

He reached out and grabbed the rough edge of the stretcher. He dug his hand in, the coarse edge cutting painful grooves into his skin.

The mediwizards, unaware that Neville had grabbed a hold of the stretcher, continued towards the door.

The stretcher began to slip from Neville's grasp. She can't go in there, she can't go in there, she can't leave me, won't see her again, can't, can't .

He shouted, "No! You can't take her! No, you'll kill her!

In desperation, he yanked as hard as he could with the hand clutching the stretcher, frantically trying to keep them from taking Ginny away.

The mediwizards were unprepared for the sudden wrenching of the stretcher. The top left corner flew out of the mediwizard's hands, causing the stretcher to tilt dangerously. The sudden jarring caused Ginny's body to slide almost over the edge, and the weight distribution to change. As the mediwizards struggled to hold on to the stretcher, her arm and head dangled precariously in mid-air.

Ron grabbed Neville roughly by the arm, trying to pull him away. For Merlin's sake! He's going to kill Ginny! He's lost his mind! Neville clung with desperate strength to the rough corner of the canvas stretcher, sliding Ginny further off.

Ron brought his hands down, covered Neville's hand with his and brutally pried his fingers away from the stretcher.

The uproar had brought Healers and mediwitches coming from all sides to help. The Healers, not wanting to injure Ginny further by moving her manually, used Mobilicorpus to replace her on the stretcher.

When Ginny was once again safely on the stretcher, the rush of Healers, mediwitches and equipment disappeared behind the prohibitive looking double doors.

Neville collapsed to his knees in defeat, tears coming down like rain after a drought. He started crawling; dragging himself to the door Ginny had disappeared through. I have to get in, have to see Ginny, have to get in. He clawed at the door, begging someone to let him in, pleading, "Let me in, let me in. You'll kill her, you'll kill her. I'll never see her again. Gone, Ginny, gone."

Neville's cries had attracted the attention of everyone in the waiting room.

A brown, bushy-haired girl turned around in her chair to see what all the commotion was about.

"Neville?" she asked, shocked. She stood up; the glossy copy of Witch Weekly that she had been glancing through fell, crumpled, onto the ground.

She quickly crossed the white tiled floor to where Neville lay, clinging to the door in his grief.

Ron was kneeling next to him, clearly out of his depth. He had his arm awkwardly around Neville's shoulders and was trying to convince him to get up from the floor and onto one of the maroon and green striped chairs.

He heard the sound of feet coming towards him. He looked up and saw Hermione approaching him. Hermione? Hermione? What's she doing here? How did she hear about Ginny so fast? He couldn't believe what he was seeing. He thought stress might be causing him to hallucinate. Then he remembered. Harry, she came with Harry...oh Merlin, how could he have forgotten what had happened to Harry?

"Hermione! Thank Merlin you're here!" Ron gave Hermione a clumsy hug as she knelt down beside Neville.

She put her arm around Neville, pulling him close. She started stroking his hair, pushing the sweaty strands away from his face. At the feel of Hermione's gently hand, he began to calm down and stopped clawing at the door. His sobs lessened and he relaxed against Hermione, tiredness overwhelming him.

"Hermione, they're going to kill her," he said, defeated. "She won't come out. She won't!"

"Shhhh, Neville, just relax," she said, still stroking his hair gently.

Eventually, he calmed enough to be willing to be led to one of the cheap overstuffed chairs.

He sat down with a sigh, his eyes red and swollen. Never see her again, never see Ginny, never.

Ron and Hermione were sitting next to Neville. Hermione whispered to Ron, "Why are you guys here? Are you here to see Harry?"

Ron was startled by the question. He had forgotten that Hermione didn't know what had happened, that she didn't know about Ginny being...crushed.

Motioning with his head towards Neville, he said, "Ginny's been hurt. I can't say too much. I don't want to upset him again."

Hermione looked distraught. She genuinely loved Ginny, and looked forward to the day when she would be her sister-in-law.

Trying to put on a brave face, she turned to Neville. She noticed that he was holding his arm at a funny angle.

"What's happened to your arm?" she inquired.

Neville looked confusedly around the room; his mind had been a million miles away.

"Oh, umm, my arm? I think, ah, yeah, I think it happened when I was fighting one of the Death Eaters," Neville said, uninterestedly.

Hermione felt happier now that there was something she could do something about.

She called a Healer over, who was walking past.

"This man here," said Hermione, "I think his arm is broken."

The Healer looked Neville's arm over. "Come with me," he said. "You'll have to go in the back so we can do a thorough examination."

Neville heaved himself tiredly from the chair then, with heavy steps, followed the Healer through the double doors.

Ron and Hermione watched, relieved, as Neville disappeared from sight.

Hermione turned to Ron. "Okay, what happened to Ginny?"

Before Ron could respond, the door to the waiting room banged open. Molly and the rest of the Weasleys came bursting through the door.

"Mum! Mum!" Ron cried, running to Molly.

Seeing his mum, Ron lost what little control he had mustered for Neville's sake. He ran to her, burying his head against her soft, comforting chest, and began crying hysterically. The Weasleys all gathered around him, rubbing his back, trying to comfort him.

Hermione sat and watched the Weasleys comfort Ron. She felt a lump rising in her throat. I wish my parents were here. I feel so tired. I wish I could go and be comforted and not have to be strong.

The Weasleys' attention had been so focused on Ron that they hadn't noticed Hermione sitting dejectedly behind them, on the green and maroon striped couch.

Molly, her face wet with tears, turned to lead Ron to the couch, where they could sit and talk about what had happened. Turning, she finally spotted Hermione, alone, sitting hunched on the couch.

She released Ron from her tight embrace and hurried over to Hermione, crushing her against the warm, soft expanse of her chest.

"Hermione!" she cried. "What are you doing sitting here all by yourself? Come over here with the rest of the family."

With a sigh, Hermione began to rise when just then, the door swung open between the emergency room and the waiting room. A small dark-haired Healer came bustling out.

She stopped near the door leading from the hospital emergency room to the waiting room "Is anyone here for Miss Weasley?" she said, looking at the charts she was holding.

Molly said quickly, "Yes, we are. We've been waiting for some news."

"Are you her mother?" asked the Healer.

"Yes," said Molly, trembling so hard that the pins holding up her long red hair began to rain down with little ping, ping, ping, sounds all over the highly polished floor.

"Mrs Weasley, I'm afraid I have some bad news. I think you should sit down."

Molly felt her knees buckle. Bill grabbed one arm, Fred the other to prevent her from falling to the floor. They gently eased her down onto the worn waiting room sofa.

Once she was seated, Arthur came over and sat beside her on the couch. They clutched each other's hands, looking like two lost and frightened children.

Just as the Healer was about to continue, Neville pushed past the mediwitch and, at the sight of the Weasleys standing in the waiting room, began to run towards them.

Molly hugged him from her seat on the couch and then pulled him down, so that he was seated with Arthur and her.

Once everyone was seated, the Healer continued, "Miss Weasley has sustained a very serious injury. It was touch and go for a while, but now I'm happy to say that she is out of danger."

Molly buried her face against Arthur's chest and began to cry in relief. Bill went to his mum, put his arm around her and used the other hand to gently rub her back, trying to calm her.

"She'll be ok then?" asked Ron

The Healer said regretfully, "Miss Weasley will definitely live, but when the stone wall fell on her, it crushed her spinal cord. Even with all our experience and knowledge, there is little we can do. There is a chance, but from what all of our tests show, Miss Weasley is paralysed and will never walk again."