Chapter 1
She grabs on to Neville's arm, begging and pleading with him not to leave her, for him not to go.
"Neville, please. What if you get hurt?
What if you die?! You can't die, you can't. Promise me you won't."
She pulls weakly at his arm, her hands trembling as they grasped, slipping at the coarse fabric of his uniform, her hands slick with tears and fear.
"I have to. I have to take down Voldemort."
His voice wavered with indecision as he said this. He'd given up trying to avoid Voldemort's name long ago, he knew have to face the dark wizard at one point, so why cower whenever he think about him? But that never stopped his voice from cracking at every syllable of the cursed word. The name that would rip him from his love, and may never return him.
Someone at the far front of the line yelled for them to go, it was probably Snape. Neville had always hated and feared snape, but he decided in this moment that he'd never forgive him from taking him away, besides, it was easier to blame him, easier to hate snape than it was to fear for his life, to pray that he'd eventually get back to his girlfriend alive and sane.
"I have to go..."
The sentence was more of a question than a decision, they could both hear it in his voice, but neither of them chose to acknowledge it.
"If you won't stay, just... come back alive,
I need you."
She knows he won't stay, and it's tearing her apart, the tears running relentless down her face, dripping onto the hand the he delicately held her face with.
He kisses her on the forehead, his own cold tears streaming down his face in start contrast to the warm tears that gushed down her soft, pink cheeks, pooling at the bottom of her chin.
"I'll come back. I promise I will."
He was trying to convince himself as much as he was her.