So basically this is me putting off writing my college application essay!!! ;)

Please read and review... tell me what you think! I'd love to hear it –good or bad-.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything to do with Harry Potter with the exception of any character that is not found in the Harry Potter books. JK Rowling owns all that... If I did I wouldn't even be bothered to go to college.

1. ***** Going back

Harry Potter coughed and sputtered, clinging blindly to the only lifeline he had, the broom he was now using. Smoke filled the air around him seeping into the space between his head and his glasses causing his eyes to water. He could feel the heat radiating up from the flames below as the fire grew rapidly, devouring the shelves of countless hidden items.

Squinting, Harry could just make out Ron and Hermione in front of him, pulling Malfoy and Goyle unto their own brooms. They turned their brooms toward Harry and he answered their unspoken question, pointing vaguely to his right, where he knew the door would be. Ron and Hermione moved in the direction he had pointed taking Malfoy and Goyle with them.

Just as Harry was about to follow, something on his left caught his eye and he quickly changed directions. Miraculously, through the thick smoke, Harry could make out the diadem, shining and sparkling, as it twirled through the air above the ravenous fire. Harry made a dive for it, catching it easily before it fell back into the fire. Pulling himself back up, out of the dive, he quickly tried to get his bearings about him.

The smoke was making breathing very difficult, not to mention seeing anything. He could, however, make out a small square of light straight ahead of him. Before he could think twice about his decision, Harry sped forward headed straight for that small square in front of him, praying that it was the same door Ron and Hermione had used.

*****

Harry flew through the square, relieved to finally breathe in fresh air. The feeling of relief, however, was only momentary, as only a split second later; he had crashed, headfirst into the wall. As he tumbled to the floor, he quickly took in his surroundings. The familiar Hogwarts walls were looking right back at him. But there was something different about it and, despite the peace; he couldn't quite place the unsettling feeling that was slowly forming in his stomach.

But that was just it. It was peaceful.

Harry strained his ears, but could only hear silence. He could hear no sign of the battle he had left. He looked as far as he possibly could to both his right and his left, but he did not see anyone. No one ran back and forth bellowing orders or warning others about what was happening on the grounds. As far as Harry could tell nothing at all was out of place. It was almost as if the battle hadn't even started yet, as if the Death Eaters hadn't even arrived.

But Harry knew that they had. When he had entering the room of requirement not too long ago the battle had been just starting and yet terrible damage had already been done. Not even Ron or Hermione were anywhere in sight. Nor could Harry see any sign of Malfoy or Goyle.

It was slightly unnerving, to say the least and Harry knew it couldn't be a good sign. He wondered vaguely if he was dead. After all Hogwarts was the only home, other than the burrow, Harry had ever had, so why couldn't he go there after he died? But that didn't make much sense…

Suddenly, Harry let out a shrill yell as pain shot up his left hand. He looked down abruptly letting go of the diadem, which he had forgotten he was even carrying until that very moment. The hallway was silent as the diadem screamed, echoing throughout the entire corridor, before bursting into dust at Harry's feet.

Taking a deep breath and trying to suppress the unwanted pain, Harry came to the conclusion that he was, in fact, not dead.

*****

Harry opened his eyes to a familiar all-white room. Harry had been in the Hogwarts hospital wing enough times to know what it looked like by now. Groaning he reached over to the bedside table searching blindly for his glasses. Placing them on his head he sat up and looked around.

His first thought was that maybe he had gotten hit during the battle. But as soon as the memories from last night started returning to him, he realized this couldn't have happened. Besides, as far as he could tell, there were no other patients in the room.

"Good evening, Poppy." A cheerful, familiar voice spoke from his right. Harry's heart leapt in his throat and he had to suppress the hope he felt at hearing that voice again. "May I see our young patient?"

"Well, alright." Madame Pomfrey responded tightly.

No, absolutely not. This could not be happening to him. Harry grabbed his wand from the table beside him, holding it up to his chest protectively, just in case. He felt a mixture of hope and fear as he turned his head slightly to the right, towards the sound of the approaching footsteps.

"Well, good evening." The man spoke directly to Harry, and Harry forced himself to look up. "I am Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster here, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Dumbledore continued, choosing to ignore Harry's wand, which was pointed directly at him. "How about we head to my office and talk things over?"

No, this could not be happening. Harry had seen many strange things in his life, had been the target of many of Lord Voldemort's absurd plots, but nothing he had ever seen could compare to this.

Unless he was very much mistaken, and he normally wasn't, Albus Dumbledore stood, alive and well, directly in front of him.

A/N: I hope you all liked it! Please, please, please review.