InsaneJournal

"The Picture of a Hero"

The first explosions of the battle had already faded into the cacophony as war descended on Hogwarts.  It was horrible, but Luna knew it was okay.  This was supposed to happen.  She couldn’t have known, but she’d always suspected.  People were going to die.  Oh, her father would not be pleased if that were to happen to her, but there were fates worse than death.  Death itself couldn’t be so bad.  After all, her mother would be there, and she’d probably be waiting with a fresh batch of Plimpy and Snorgash pasties. 

There was no time to think on that now.  Luna was chasing after Neville and Ernie towards the Great Hall.  The boys had longer legs, but she’d catch up with them there.  It was as she tore past the tapestry of Gorben the Grim that she heard a sound.  Curious, she slid to a stop, turned back, and pulled the tapestry aside.

“Colin, why are you here?  I didn’t think you were seventeen.”

“I… I’m not."  His voice was quiet but rough, undercutting the screaming and muffled explosions in the background.  "I'm sixteen."

“Oh.”  She tipped her head to the side, considering him.  “You really should leave soon, if you’re going to.”

“I can't leave," he said thickly.  Tears were starting to well up again, and Luna wondered why he would stay if the battle was making him so upset.

"You can.  If you go up the staircase at that end of the hall, you can get to the sixth floor the back way.  We just came that way, and it's not blocked yet.  Some of the professors are still there, and they can get you out –"

I won’t."  His posture turned defensive as he set his jaw and wiped his eyes.  “You don't understand – I snuck back in.  They already tried to send me out with the kids, but I had to come back!  I need to help.  I want to be here."  He looked up at her, his face screwed up in an attempt at fierce determination.  "Harry’s going to fight You-Know-Who, and he needs us… all of us.  He needs his friends to be here.  I thought… I mean… I’d like to think I’m a friend of his.”

Luna almost automatically said “you are,” but she stopped herself and considered him for a moment.  Harry had never been close to Colin.  For herself, she reserved the term “friends” for only a select few.  But then, Harry had always been one of those select few for Colin, and Colin had possibly been the most loyal supported Harry’d ever had.  Luna smiled.  “You’re as great a friend as Harry could ever want, and you’re more important to him than anyone knows.”

Colin started to crack a smile, but it quickly faded into a frown.  “But I can’t help him.  If the professors see me, they’ll send me away.  I ran into Professor Sprout just a few minutes ago, and tried to help, but she yelled at me to get out of the castle.  They won't let me help.  And then… I just saw Harry run past with Ron and Hermione.  He has all the help he needs.  He doesn’t need me.”

Despite the fact that Colin was less than a year younger than herself, he seemed so young just then.  Luna knelt down in front of Colin and looked directly into his puffy bloodshot eyes.  “Harry needs all of us.  If one person – just one of us – were to be in a different place at just the right or wrong time, it could change everything.  You’re needed, too.  We all are.  And you might just be the one who changes everything... but you’ll never know unless you try.”

Finally, Colin’s face lit up again.  “You’re right, Luna.”

“Yes, I am, but you can’t do much from behind the tapestry.”

Colin nodded and got to his feet.  Luna stood in one smooth movement.  They stood there, facing each other for a moment; Luna calmly, Colin awkwardly.

“But…” he started, “what should I do?  I mean, I can't fight with one of the groups being led by the adults.  They'll just try to send me out again.  And I can't fight alone - there are so many better fighters than me.  I was never really good at dueling.”

Still smiling softly, Luna reached out and touched him on the shoulder.  “Do what you do best.”

After a moment, his eyes widened and he looked down at his camera.  A second later, his head shot up, and the determination on his face was genuine.  “I’ll make sure nobody ever forgets what happens here today.”

“That’s good. Maybe I can print the story on my father’s old press. It would be brilliant.”

With one last grin and a nod, Colin clutched his camera and took off down the corridor, purpose and determination evident in every stride.  Luna watched him go for a moment, satisfied, then turned and ran off towards the Great Hall.

*********

Colin found himself in a corridor on the second floor, not far from the main staircase. A group of Death Eaters had fought their way through, and several students, being led by Neville Longbottom, were holding even with them. Curse for curse, jinx for jinx, the old Dumbledore’s Army held them back, and Colin was catching it all on film. These were the new heroes of the wizarding world, and no matter what happened, Colin would make sure the world knew their story.

Then an explosion ripped through the corridor, scattering everyone. Curses were firing again before the dust even began to clear, and Colin strained to recognize the voices that were screaming and hollering.

“Ernie! Where’s Padma?” Neville yelled over the melee. “Watch your back!”

“Thanks for that!” That must have been Ernie.

“We need to get to the front doors and pinch off the bottleneck,” came another voice.  Seamus.

“I know!” Neville again.  He kept shouting directions, and even through the aftermath of the explosion, the old DA's efforts reorganized. 

All this time, Colin was crawling through the dust and smoke towards Neville’s voice. He was still some distance away when he saw the dark silhouettes of two Death Eaters through the choking white haze.  His breath caught, but he couldn't stop now.  He moved a few more feet forward and strained to hear the conversation.

“… girl doesn’t matter. That boy there is the leader. If we take him out, the others will scatter. Then we can clear the path to the front doors. The rest will be able to take the building once that falls.” 

Colin froze.  They were going to take out Neville.  That couldn't happen.  Neville was their leader. With Harry gone off on his mission, Neville had held them together. They needed him.

The Death Eaters were creeping forward. Colin could see movement further through the smoke.  The shadow solidified into the shape of a young man, casting spells and shouting, and it was Neville’s voice that broke through the din.  Colin didn’t hear what he said; he was still watching the Death Eaters, one of whom was now raising his wand.  He was going to kill Neville. 

“NO!”

The Death Eaters spun around, plainly furious that their ambush had been ruined.  Colin didn’t even think of his own wand; in the space of a heartbeat, he raised his camera, and the flash went off in the Death Eater’s faces.

For an instant, they were blinded, reeling, and Colin gave a tiny inwards cry of victory. But they were recovering just as quickly and Colin knew immediately that he’d made a mistake.

Neville was turning towards him, eyes wide with shock, wand at the ready. “COLIN! NO!” He whipped his wand at the first Death Eater with a cry of “STUPEFY!” and the first Death Eater fell over, but the second was too fast.

Colin didn’t even hear the curse the Death Eater used.  There was a rush of green light and the darkness took him.

*********

Neville didn’t even know what curse he used to take out the second Death Eater.  He jumped over the Death Eater's body and fell to his knees beside Colin’s prone form.  The small boy had crumpled onto his side, hands still clutching his beloved camera. His eyes were open but blank.

"Colin… no…"  Neville's voice failed him.  He looked up and saw Seamus and Ernie approaching, slowly, their faces etched with shock, and the unspoken question.  Neville couldn't say anything; he simply shook his head.  Seamus made a small choked noise.

They knew this could happen; they knew it would happen.  But that didn't make it any easier to take.  Neville's head fell forward, and he reached down and gently closed Colin’s eyes.  The boy had always wanted to help, to be part of something bigger.  He'd been the most loyal supportive person, and now, he was undeniably one of the bravest.  Had been one of the bravest.

Neville grit his teeth, squared his shoulders, and got to his feet.  He would have to come back for the body later.  Colin deserved better than to be left there, but they had no choice.  There was a battle raging all around the castle.  Harry was still out there, doing his job, and they all had a job to do.  If one person wasn't in the right place at the right time, they could lose everything.  

Colin had saved his life.  Now he had to make sure he lived up to that gift.

He wiped away a tear that had run down his left cheek to his chin, clutched his wand, then ran off to join the fight.