"Are you cheating?"
I gasped dramatically, leaning back to look at Seamus, "The cheek of it! Seamus, how dare you?"
He cocked an eyebrow, "But are you?"
I shook my head with a laugh, "Seriously, I'm not. But thanks for the vote of confidence. You're just sad because Dean used to help you out with this game, and now you're absolutely stumped."
It was Seamus' turn to gasp dramatically, "Me? Stumped? That's ridiculous, Ava. I know exactly how to play... this card game."
"I heard you tell Colin it was the most complicated card game you've ever played in your life!" I shot back with a grin. Colin, who was lying on a hammock nearby, nodded in agreement.
"He definitely did say that, Ava. And he's so stumped. I can see his cards and he has no idea what he's doing."
I laughed, leaning forwards and pointing at Seamus, "Ha! I knew Dean was helping you cheat before he left during Easter! It's only Rummy, Seamus."
"You're only so skilled at it because you've spent so many hours in the Room of Requirement, Ava," Seamus murmured bitterly, picking up a card from the pile between them, "That's cheating, surely? While we all get an education, you're sitting in here practising card games until you're a pro."
"Actually," I grinned as I picked up the card that he'd just swapped out, "I learnt how to play it in the care home when I was a kid. I was the champion in my care home. Everyone was jealous of my card skills. And I would hardly call what you're getting at Hogwarts now an education, would you?"
"No." Colin murmured from behind his book, "This is a bloody abomination."
I laid my cards out on the floor between us, and Seamus groaned when he'd realised that I'd won.
"Ava, when this war is over, give me a real education in how to play card games. You never know when you might need this kind of skill."
I scooped up the pile of Chocolate Frogs that I'd accumulated as my prizes for winning.
"Seamus... it just can't be taught!"
"What a load of-"
"Help!" Someone shouted from the door, "Someone's been attacked!"
I scrambled up, stepping on the cards as I stepped towards the door. Dennis was helping someone in through the door. Blood was dripping from the student's face, neck and chest. Their clothes were soaked.
"He... he was walking down the corridor," Dennis started to say as Seamus rushed forwards to help the student, "And some Slytherins stopped him and then he hexed them, and then the Carrows heard it and they appeared and they attacked him. I told him, I said "Neville, don't-'"
My heart stopped, and I looked at the student again, realising that beneath the blood, it was Neville. I swore loudly.
"Neville, can you hear me?" I asked as I rushed forwards and laid him down on the cushions on the floor, "Do you know where you are?"
He made a gurgling noise in response. I froze. I knew what I needed to do, but I couldn't do it because my whole body was frozen in place. This was Neville. And it was the worst injury I'd ever seen.
"Someone Scourgify him!" I managed to shout, We need to be able to see what we're dealing with!"
Seamus did it, but when I saw that fresh blood was already bubbling up from the wounds, I launched into action. I tore his shirt with my wand and stripped him quickly. The cushions beneath him were already soaked in blood. It didn't seem to be stopping.
I tried a healing spell, but the skin didn't knit together at all. It stayed open. I tried it again, but nothing happened.
It looked identical to the spell that had been used on Draco by Harry that time in the girls' bathroom, but it was worse. It looked like he'd been hit with twice as many of the curses.
"Do something!" Someone shouted, and I shouted.
"I don't know what to do! I don't know!"
Neville made another noise, and I realised that he was choking a moment before blood trickled out of his mouth. I rolled him onto his side, and Seamus rushed over with various potions.
"We can't give these to him without healing him first, can we?" He asked, and I shook my head.
"He's bleeding to quickly. I don't know how to stop it."
Blindly, Neville moved his hand around as if trying to grab onto something. I wrapped my hand around his quickly, squeezing it tightly.
"I've seen this before. Someone attacked Draco and used the same spell. Snape... he used a counter-curse, but I don't know if I can remember it..."
"Try and remember," Seamus murmured quietly, "Come on, you can remember this, Ava."
I nodded quickly while Seamus tried to use various other spells on Neville to heal him. None of them were working.
My thoughts flickered back to being in the bathroom, to crying on the floor beside Draco's body. What spell had Snape used? It had begun with a v...
It took me a moment to realise that I was crying. Tears were streaming down my face. I looked at Neville through the blur, and when he caught sight of my tears he tried to say something.
"Don't!" I whispered, my free hand reaching forwards and stroking his hair, "Don't strain yourself, Neville. Please."
I felt something wet against my leg, and realised that his blood was seeping into my trousers. Neville's blood. There was so much of it- scarlet against the grey of the stone floor.
Vulnera...
I closed my eyes, trying to remember the rest of the spell. Two words. It had been two words.
"Is he going to die?" A first year sobbed from behind me. The thought made my throat close up, and I leant my head against his.
"Neville, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."
Seamus was trying every healing spell he knew. Some of them caused the skin of the wounds to move together as if they wanted to heal, but they didn't. He was still bleeding as much as before.
Vulnera Sanentur.
Vulnera Sanentur.
My eyes flew open.
"Vulnera Sanentur," I whispered, testing it out loud. I grabbed my wand and ran it over Neville's chest.
"Vulnera Sanentur." The blood flow slowed down slightly. My heart picked up, "Vulnera Sanentur." The skin began to close up. "Vulnera Sanentur."
There was a pause, and then the skin knitted together. The breath rushed out of me. Neville coughed again, and I felt his grip on my hand tighten.
Ignoring the fact that my hands were blood-soaked, I reached for a healing potion and put the bottle to Neville's lips. When it was empty, Seamus pressed a blood-replenishing potion into my hands. I held this against Neville's lips as well, emptying the bottle. Colour was returning to his face. I paused, and a moment later his gaze focused on my face. His lips twitched into a smile.
I fell backwards into Seamus' arms with relief. He held my tightly, and as I sobbed into his shoulder with relief, he gently began to clean my blood-soaked hands and arms.
"He's okay," Seamus whispered, "You saved him, Ava. He's okay."
* * *
The Room of Requirement was finally quiet. It had taken hours for everybody to fall asleep as they'd all been so shaken by the events they'd seen that day. I checked to see if Seamus was asleep, and when I was sure that he was, I stepped over the other students to the corner where Neville was laying down by the fire.
He caught sight of me and smiled weakly. I sat down beside him and sighed.
"Jesus Christ, Neville."
"I know what you're going to say. That I shouldn't get myself into trouble. That I should have just ignored the Slytherins rather than hexing them." He shook his head, "But Ava, I have to stand my ground. I have to fight for what I believe in."
"You almost died. I thought you were going to," I shook my head, my eyes stinging with tears, "You absolutely terrified me. Please don't do that again, Neville."
"You would do exactly the same and you know it." When I didn't say anything, he nodded, "I bet this is just the kind of conversation you used to have with Professor Lupin."
I surprised myself by laughing, "Yes. He worried about me all the time. At the beginning of summer last year, we had to transport Harry from Privet Drive to the Burrow. It was a full Order mission, and Remus didn't want me to help but I did. I bumped into Fenrir Greyback and he stunned me. Remus was so angry when he found out. He gave me a similar lecture."
Neville smirked, "You're very Gryffindor, you know. Despite the whole Slytherin thing."
I shrugged my shoulders, "Maybe I was supposed to be in Gryffindor... Draco told me that he somehow managed to charm the hat. So that it would put me in Slytherin. He played mind games with me from the beginning."
Neville reached out and squeezed my hand, "We could always try and find the hat. Re-sort you for fun."
I laughed tiredly, "To be honest... I don't really care. I believe I've got some Slytherin traits. Perhaps it would have put me in there anyway. I'm resourceful. And I can manipulate people if I need to..." My thoughts flickered to my words to Draco as I tried to make him hate me enough to torture me, "Either way, I don't think I really need to find out anymore. I'm happy the way I am."
"Never thought I'd hear you say that," Neville smirked at me, but after a moment, his smile slid away, "Will the scars last?"
"Draco's did," I murmured, "The dittany should be helpful though. I'm sorry, Neville. The worst scars are on your chest, same as Draco's. The ones on his face are gone. The cuts on your face were actually the first to heal."
A shadow passed over Neville's face, "Thank you for saving my life. I was in pain but I could see how terrified you were. You really did think I was going to die, didn't you?"
"Yes." I whispered softly, my eyes meeting his, "I did."
We sat in silence for a moment. I glanced around the Room to check that everyone was still asleep. We'd all become so close with each other since most of the students had started to sleep in the Room of Requirement each night, and although we would be comfortable to sleep in a smaller space, the Room just kept growing to accommodate us.
"You should become a Healer," Neville told me quietly.
"When?" I asked, and he shook his head with a sigh.
"You know what I mean," He tilted his head to the side, "If this war ever finishes. You should become a Healer. You love to help people, don't you?"
Another pause.
"Do you think this war will ever end?" I asked, my voice slightly quieter than before.
Neville leant his head against my shoulder and sighed, "I don't know. But what I do know is that I'm sick of seeing the effects of the war. I want the people I care about to be safe."
"So do I," I whispered quietly, "So do I."