As the room emptied of students Luna hurried up to them, clutching a pile of robes tightly. "Ravenclaw's Diadem!" she said excitedly. "It could be what you're looking for. It's supposed to enhance the wisdom of the one wearing it."

"A diadem, like a tiara?" Draco asked. He lifted his hand to run it through his hair but quickly lowered it again as he caught a glimpse of the burning Mark on his arm. He tugged his sleeve down to cover it. "I remember hearing about that. It's the one she's wearing in her statue, right?" Luna nodded.

Harry glanced at Hermione and Ron. "That sounds like just the kind of thing we're looking for! Does anyone know where it is?"

Luna shook her head. "No. It's been lost for centuries. Daddy's trying to recreate it though."

Harry sighed. "Is there anything else it could be?" He looked around the group. If the last Horcrux wasn't at Hogwarts…

"I don't know about anything else,' Luna mused. "But the Grey Lady might."

"Who's the Grey Lady?" Ron asked. Hermione sighed.

"You went to this school for six years, Ron. How do you not know the name of the Ravenclaw house ghost?"

'Where can we find her?" Harry asked, turning his back on Ron and Hermione.

"I would think with the students. The ghosts usually stay close by if there's an emergency," Luna answered.

Harry glanced at Draco. "Maybe we should go with the Order then."

Draco nodded. "We're going to need people to defend the school. There'll probably be more volunteers if they see that you're here." He grabbed a robe from Luna's arms and tossed another at Harry. "Besides, I really want to see McGonagall get rid of Snape." He smirked.

Hermione cleared her throat. Harry looked at her for the first time in several minutes and noticed that her face had gone rather red. Ron's face was an even more vibrant shade of scarlet. "There's something we have to do," she declared, "Before You-Know-Who gets here." She glanced at Ron.

Draco gave them a sly grin. ""Why don't you take Luna with you? Harry and I will be fine on our own."

Hermione nodded, her face darkening even more. "Yes, Luna would be quite helpful. Will you come with us?"

Harry and Draco scurried out with the last of the students, their borrowed robes branding them as Hufflepuffs. As they stepped through the door Draco strode across the hall and kicked out at what was seemingly an empty space. He was grinning when he turned back to Harry. "Alecto was always so annoying," he declared. Harry laughed.

Outside the Great Hall the students were marching, arranged into neat rows by their houses. Harry barely had time to consider how odd it was before he felt a tug on his arm, pulling him into line with the Gryffindors. Slowly his housemates shifted around him, so that quite quickly he was in the center of the crowd. Draco was next to him on one side, and with a thrill of delight he saw that Ginny was marching next to him on the other. He smiled as they stepped through the wide doors into the Great Hall.

Harry nearly bumped into Lavender in front of him as she came to a stop suddenly. He looked up and saw that they were standing directly behind the Ravenclaws, the lines of students nearly perfectly straight despite it being nearly midnight. At the front of the hall stood Amycus Carrow, his back ramrod straight as he stared forward with a concerned expression. Snape stood just in front of him, surveying the crowd of students. Harry furtively glanced around, searching for the Grey Lady, before hanging his head to avoid being noticed.

Snape stepped forward, his eyes sweeping over the students from beneath his greasy black hair.

"I'm sure that many of you are wondering why I have summoned you here at this hour," he drawled. "In fact, the reason is twofold. Professor Alecto Carrow has disappeared." Murmuring erupted wildly through the crowd. Across from Harry one of the Hufflepuffs gave a small cheer. The sounds died quickly as Amycus pulled his wand from his sleeve, angry eyes sweeping over the students.

"However, before her disappearance, Professor Carrow informed us that Harry Potter has foolishly chosen to return to school grounds," Snape continued. His eyes rolled over the assembled students. "Anyone who has information about either of these occurrences, now is your chance to step forward." He paused. "Anyone who is found to have information and who does not provide it, student or staff," he glanced menacingly towards the Gryffindors, "Will be treated equally harshly as Potter and his friends."

There was a flurry of movement as Professor McGonagall stepped forward. "I'm afraid that Alecto is rather indisposed at the moment." She pulled her wand from her sleeve. "Some of our more resourceful students have seen to it that she will not be bothering us again this evening."

Snape opened his mouth to speak, but before he could utter a sound Amycus charged towards McGonagall.

"Tell me where she is!" He spat in her face as he reached for his own wand. "Tell me where she is or I'll kill you!"

"Crucio!" A voice rang out through the hall. All eyes turned towards the Gryffindor students as Amycus rose into the air, screaming in pain. A great cheer arose from the crowd as they saw Harry stepping forward.

"Potter! Stop that this instant!" Professor McGonagall commanded. She spun around to face Snape. "As for you-"

But her words were cut off as Snape spun, his robes swirling around him. He rose into the air and flew- actually flew- through a large window.

Harry was still staring at the Snape-shaped hole in the window when the pain hit him. His scar seared as if it were on fire, his knees buckled and he fell to the ground. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Draco clutch his left arm, his mouth open in a scream. But he couldn't hear anything, not above the cold voice echoing through the room.

"Give me Potter," the voice said with a terrible screech. "Give me Potter and I will leave the castle. Give me Potter and you will be safe. Disobey, and you will die. You have until midnight."

Amycus Carrow was whimpering on the floor of the Great Hall. Draco's mouth was open, but no sound came out. Harry's lips were pressed tight together as he held his hand to his scar. There was a rustle as someone stepped forward across from him.

"Where do we take him?" a girl's panicked voice rang out. Harry raised his head to see Pansy Parkinson pointing her wand at him.

Ginny immediately stepped in front of him. "You won't be taking him anywhere."

The doors to the Great Hall opened with a bang to reveal the Order of the Phoenix. Kingsley Shacklebolt strode up to Amycus, who was still writhing on the floor, and bound him. Pansy lowered her wand.

Professor Mcgonagall cleared her throat. "There is a battle coming," she declared. "There is no point in mincing words. The events of the next few hours will be very unpleasant, and will likely involve a good deal of bloodshed. For this reason, as Headmistress, I have made the decision to evacuate all students from school grounds."

The low buzz of murmurs filled the hall. Neville stepped forward.

"What if we want to stay and fight?"

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips. "Those of you who are of age and who wish to stay and fight may. The rest will be evacuated." She turned towards Pansy, who was still clutching her wand tightly. "Beginning with Slytherin house."

"Wait!" Draco exclaimed, holding his hand in the air. He looked at Professor McGonagall. "Let me say something first.

McGonagall nodded her head. "Very well. Be quick about it, Mr. Malfoy."

Draco gave Harry a look that was somewhere between frightened and reckless and turned towards his former housemates. He took a deep breath.

"Listen," he said, "Listen to me. I know what a lot of you are thinking. I would've thought the same a couple of years ago. I would've taken any chance I could to capture Harry and take him to the Dark Lord. But I've seen so much these past two years. Muggles aren't evil and they aren't stupid. Mudbloods can be better than people with the purest bloodlines. And I don't live in fear anymore." He jerked his left sleeve up and held his arm high in the air. "I got this because I was afraid, just like so many of you are. But you don't have to be. You can change. You can be on the right side of things."

There were several loud scoffs from the Slytherins. One boy chuckled as he stepped forward.

"You always were a coward, Draco," the boy exclaimed. He stopped a few feet away from the blond. "A coward and a traitor. The Dark Lord will kill you along with Potter."

"At least my death will mean something, Theodore," Draco said, leaning forward menacingly. For a moment the room fell silent as each of the wizards grasped their wands.

Suddenly Draco turned away, letting his hand fall to his side. "Get them out of here," he spat out, "I tried to give them a chance."

Harry grabbed Draco's arm as Professor Slughorn led the Slytherins from the Great Hall. "The Grey Lady isn't here. We have to find her."

Draco nodded, his face set firmly. "We'll go to Ravenclaw Tower."

The Entrance Hall was crowded with students making their way up the stairs and towards the Room of Requirement. They would be evacuated through the passage to Hogsmeade. Harry glanced at the crowd hurrying up the grand staircase and turned to the side. There was a second set of stairs hidden behind a tapestry that they could use.

Suddenly the door at the end of the hall burst open. Hermione, Ron and Luna ran out, looking quite out of breath. Behind them was a seemingly never-ending stream of house elves.

Hermione spotted Harry and raced over, Ron hot on her heels. "The house elves," she blurted, "we had to warn them. It was all Ron's idea really, back in the Room of Requirement. We came down here to-"

"To warn them," Ron interrupted. "And to make sure they were ready. A lot of them want to fight. We heard the voice Harry. What are you going to do?"

"We have to find the last Horcrux," Harry said. "It's here somewhere, I'm sure of it. Professor McGonagall is organizing the Order and the older students to fight. Snape's gone, and the order has Amycus."

"We don't have much time," Draco growled impatiently. "This way.". He pulled aside the tapestry and raced up the stairs, Harry and the others hot on his heels. They ran up flight after flight of stairs until they reached the door to Ravenclaw Tower, panting and exhausted. Draco knocked once and the eagle's beak opened.

"Many have heard me, but no one has seen me; and I will not speak back until spoken to."

Harry stared at the door. He had never been good at riddles. Hermione puffed up beside him, a confused look on her face.

"Until spoken to," Draco muttered. "An echo!" The door swung slowly open and they pushed through.

Draco cast his eyes around the common room. "I don't think she's here," he mused. "Maybe-"

Ron interrupted him. "You said her statue's wearing the diadem, right?"

"That's it there," Draco acknowledged with a distracted wave of his hand. Ron moved around to the front of the statue and made a face.

"Looks awful," he remarked. "You'd think something like that wouldn't look so gaudy."
Harry walked around the statue to join Ron. He inhaled sharply as he caught sight of the diadem.

"I've seen that before!" Harry exclaimed. "In the Room of Requirement, when I hid my potions textbook last year. I used that to mark its place!"