A/N: WOW! I took a much longer break from this story than anticipated. I had to reread my entire story to catch myself up on it, so I can write more. I've recently finished my pre-med bachelor degree, and I start my master degree in public health this fall! I'm going to try my best to finish this story once and for all before school starts again. This chapter will be much shorter than my liking, and I'm not super crazy about the plot, but it was harder than expected to get started, and I needed some filler before I can get around to the sixth year events! I just wanted to get something out here quickly if any of you need to reread like I did!
1.
She couldn't believe it, but the end of her fifth year had finally arrived. Liana was packing up her trunk in her dormitory then went across the hall to Ron and Neville's dormitory. Over the past few days, she had been pondering the idea of Voldemort having many souls—it began to make her feel hopeless. The struggle for good over evil grew exponentially.
She knew the diary was a horcrux, but she had no idea what the other six objects were, and it seemed like the battle was never ending now.
The death of Ginny Weasley in her fourth year greatly changed Liana, and then when Harry Potter was slaughtered before Liana a few months later she seemed destroyed. But very slowly she regained her spirit. Hogwart's Army greatly helped, but today she was feeling down after the new news of Voldemort.
Her night of sneaking off to the Ministry to save Remus did have its positive repercussions. The Ministry now knew the truth of Voldemort. Umbridge was gone from Hogwarts, and now Sirius was a free man!
Plopping onto Ron's bed, she had small talk with Ron and Neville while they packed their trunks. It was only the three of them in the boy's dormitory until Hermione came in, too.
"We should probably head down to the Great Hall." Neville remarked.
Hermione nodded in agreement.
"You guys go ahead… I'm not really hungry this morning." Liana added. She'd been slowly putting on a few pounds, but her emotions greatly influenced her appetite.
"I'm not that hungry either," Ron added.
Everyone looked at Ron astonished. They had never seen Ron not hungry before.
"Alright…" Hermione said suspiciously she left with Neville for the Great Hall.
When it was just Liana and Ron, alone in the boys dormitory, Ron sat on his bed next to Liana, who was sitting with her legs crossed, leaning against one of the posts on his four post bed. "You feeling alright?"
Sighing, Liana looked up at him. "It just seems like Voldemort is never going to lose his immortality. I mean there are six pieces of his soul in objects, any objects, anywhere in the world."
Ron was silent until, "But we have so many people working to stop him. And nothing gets past Dumbledore. He must have ideas of objects..."
Then he scooted a few inches closer to Liana. Liana was gazing out the window, so she didn't notice Ron was slowly reaching his hand closer to hers before she got off the bed and announced he was right, and now she was hungry.
"Right," Ron replied awkwardly. "Let's head downstairs."
2.
Since it was the last meal of the school year, Victor and Luna didn't want to sit with their Houses in the Great Hall. The whole group sat at Gryffindor's table. Hermione and Victor, hands intertwined under the table. Luna and Neville, Luna frequently putting a gentle hand on Neville's arm during their conversation. And Ron and Liana now joined them.
Severus watched his daughter and the Weasley boy arrive to lunch later than the rest of them. He noted the look of awkward longing on Ron's face. Severus, himself, was reminded of when he looked at Lily that way, before Lily had any realization of his feelings more serious than friendship.
Liana sat on the other side of Luna. "Liana…" Luna began dreamily but thoughtfully. "I was thinking last night, and I believe it is rumored that Ravenclaw's lost diadem was last seen around the time You-Know-Who was finishing school here."
Hermione interjected, "Luna, sorry, but that's totally false. It's a lost diadem. No one has seen it for centuries!"
"Correct, Hermione, it is only a rumor, but an interesting one that crossed my mind last night…" She replied calmly and sweetly. Neville gave her a reassuring smile for her idea, even if Hermione thought it was unrealistic.
"Maybe Ravenclaw's House ghost can be of some assistance in proving the rumor true or false." Victor added in his accented voice. Hermione gave him an exasperated look.
"Well, since we are all packed, maybe we can go look for the Grey Lady…" Hermione said, irritation in her voice.
"Thanks, Luna." Liana replied, flashing a hopeful smile at Ron, and realizing maybe the situation isn't as hopeless as she thought it was.
3.
Hermione was in a slightly sour mood when she was saying goodbye to Liana, who was not boarding the Hogwarts Express with the group. The group found Helena Ravenclaw and the rumor was confirmed by her anger of the diadem being tainted with dark magic, and the location was even revealed.
"The Room of Requirements is going to be full of everything students have ever needed abandoned. Are you sure you want to go alone?"
"You guys need to get on the train! It's just going to be like looking through storage, and I'll have Demon with me."
At the sound of his name, Demon put his front paws on Ron's shoulders, he was nearly full grown already; they couldn't imagine him getting any larger. Ron almost couldn't stand up with the 200 pounds of dog resting on his shoulders. "I'm going to miss you." He said looking into Demon's piercing blue eyes. "Keep an eye on my girl, will you?" Ron said to Demon. Liana looked at Ron kind of funny when he said that. Ron's ears turned slightly red.
The whistle blew. "We'll see each other soon!" Liana called as they all gave her a hug and hopped onto the train. "I'll be sending Hedwig soon with a weekend for you all to come over!" She said as they waved to her from an open window of the train.
And with that the train started to pull away, and Liana was left with Demon, who was sitting down with one paw in the air as if he were waving goodbye, too.
4.
Liana paced The Room of Requirements until a door appeared. Demon went in first, and seemed to give a woof of approval; Liana followed.
"Accio diadem!"
Nothing happened.
"Well, Demon, I guess we search the muggle way. If only I had a scent for you to follow."
Demon was already working his way around the room, his nose to the ground. Looking at a watch on her wrist, Liana noted that she should be back in her dad's office by now; they were leaving for their summer home. Sirius was to be joining them in a few weeks, after he did some traveling as a free man.
Suddenly barking erupted from Demon. He moved toward her and motioned for her to follow. She ran behind him until he stopped in front of a giant pile of random objects. He put his front two paws on the pile and seemed to beckon upward.
"You did it!"
Quite a ways up on the pile, after hours of searching, she saw the tiara. Liana began maneuvering herself up the pile. After the couple hours of work, she was covered in dust and dirt, and had a few various scratches on her arms and face.
Finally, near the top, she reached for the diadem. Something sharp left a long, but not very deep, scrape down her forearm. But none of that mattered.
She found the lost diadem. An object that has been missing for thousands of years. "We did it!" She called down to Demon. As she slid down the mountain of objects, she got a few more cuts, and now had dust all through her hair, which took on a chalky grey color now. "Let's go tell Dad!"
Demon woofed in agreement, and they raced to the dungeons.
5.
Liana threw the door to Severus's office open. Without looking up from the essays he was grading, Severus asked, "And what have you been up to?"
"I found a horcrux."
Severus dropped his quill to look up. His expression was a combination of exasperation and pride. "Is that really the—"
"Ravenclaw's lost diadem. It was in The Room of Requirements."
"Along with what else?" Severus snickered sarcastically as he took in her appearance. "Come here, and take this potion, then go shower before we leave." He handed her a wound healing potion. When she reached for it and revealed the cut down the length of her arm, Severus sighed.
"What makes you think this is a, a horcrux?" Severus felt uncomfortable saying the word. It made him wince to hear his daughter say it without hesitation, much like how she calls Voldemort by his name.
Liana explained the events of this morning, and how Luna came up with the idea, and they found the Grey Lady, and she confirmed it and hinted towards its location.
"So what were you and Mr. Weasley up to before you two came down to eat?" Severus said silkily.
"Oh, just packing." Liana said, not thinking much about the scenario.
"Very well… Now go get cleaned up. I'll take that to Professor Dumbledore." Severus said as he took the precious object from his daughter's grubby hands and kissed her forehead.
A/N: Any requests for scenes you'd like to see between any characters? I'm always having writer's block when writing summer scenes since I don't have much from the books to give me ideas to follow along. Ideas are always welcomed!