Thank you for the favourites, follow and reviews! I'm glad people liked the last chapter. I remember once reading that you rarely saw Fudge portrayed in a heroic manner in fan fiction, and the way the story was progressing it felt like I had the ideal opportunity to give him his moment in the sun.

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

Ginny crawled down the tunnel until she emerged into a large open space. Dumbledore and Sirius had gone first, with Harry, Hermione and Neville following Ginny, and Remus bringing up the rear. Waiting for them were Luna and Cedric, along with Seamus Finnegan, Dean Thomas, Lavendar Brown, Colin Creevey, the Patil twins, Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbott and, somewhat to Ginny's surprise, Daphne Greengrass and Blaise Zabini.

"Welcome back, Ginny,"Luna greeted her politely.

"Welcome back, Professor,"Cedric echoed to Dumbledore.

"Is this it?"Harry asked cautiously.

"Of course not, silly,"Luna replied about as bluntly as she ever got. "This is just the welcoming committee. Nearly everyone in both our years are on our side."

"We spread the word among them,"Colin added. "Well, the others did. Dean and I've been hiding in here since Luna sent out the call. They're ready to act when we do."

"The staff know as well,"Cedric confirmed. "At least, the ones that are still on our side."

"Snape brought in a bunch of Death Eaters to fill positions,"Seamus noted. "Couple of siblings called the Carrows, Walden Macnair and Narcissa Malfoy."

"And all the Death Eater children are back here as well,"Daphne revealed. "Pansy Parkinson's practically ruling the Slytherin common room. Snape made her Head Girl and Theodore Nott Head Boy."

"Where exactly are we?"Hermione asked.

"It's the Room of Requirement,"Parvati told her, as though that explained everything.

Hermione wasn't won over. "And what's that?"

Parvati shrugged. "Whatever you need it to be."

"I think I should have a word with our new staff,"Dumbledore decided. "Ginny, perhaps you could make sure the student body is under control."

Ginny thought about this. "If we go to the Slytherin common room, what about any Death Eater supporters in the other houses?"

"They're outnumbered in the other houses,"Ernie pointed out. "We've got people ready to subdue them when they get the signal."

"Then give the signal now,"Ginny concluded. "Then the rest of us can get to Slytherin."

Luna took out a mirror and tapped it. "Demelza, Anthony and Susan. Now."

"And keep the tunnel open,"Dumbledore added. "I'm expecting some reinforcements."

Ginny led the students from the Room of Requirement down the corridors towards the Slytherin dungeon. Cedric had accompanied them as well, which no-one saw fit to query since it was obvious he wasn't going to leave Luna's side. They saw surprisingly few people out in the corridors. A few prefects seemed to be on patrol but it had obviously been arranged that none of those on the Death Eaters' side would be out and about tonight, because all of them simply gave the interlopers nods of greeting and let them carry on without a word.

Finally, they reached the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Ginny nodded to Daphne and Blaise. "You're the ones with local knowledge."

Blaise stepped forward. "Salazar,"he intoned. The entrance slid back and Blaise quickly stepped out of the way, letting others take the lead.

Ginny led the group through the opening. There they found a large group of Slytherins with wands drawn, Pansy Parkinson at their head. "Thought you were being clever, didn't you, Weasley?"she asked. "Well, when we stopped hearing from our friends in the other houses, we knew you were coming."

Ginny looked over the group. There were hardcore members there, like Crabbe, Goyle, Nott and Bulstrode, but quite a few looked less certain. "Anyone who doesn't like Voldemort or Pansy enough to get their asses kicked on their behalf, now's the time to say so."

Several of the Slytherins put their wands away and stepped aside.

"Attack!"Ginny shouted before the Death Eater supporters had a chance to recover from the shock. Her group unleashed a barage of spells, some of which their opponents managed to dodge or block but quite a few made their way through.

Ginny had no time to organise any sort of strategy. She saw Harry and Neville taking on Crabbe and Goyle, she saw Luna duelling with Theodore Nott, she saw Hermione blasting a whimpering Millicent Bulstrode around the common room. She saw Colin take down Harper with a whoop of triumph, and Cedric taking care of a burly seventh year boy. And she saw her own target: Pansy Parkinson, the girl who had made her life a misery for three years.

"Guess the school's standards for Head Girl have gone down,"she noted.

Pansy snarled at her in anger. "Crucio!"

Ginny had heard of the Cruciatus Curse, every student in Hogwarts had. It was considered one of the nastiest pieces of magic ever devised and the fact Pansy was attempting to use it on her dispelled any sense of playing fair. She dodged the spell and fired off one of her own. "Diffindo!"

Ginny moved her wand in a slashing movement across Pansy's shoulder. Pansy dodged aside but the spell took a large chunk of her flesh out anyway and she whimpered in pain. But she still had enough concentration to fire off an Impediment Jinx that knocked Ginny off her feet.

"Excrucio!"Ginny returned, hitting Pansy with a Stinging Jinx that caused her to cry out. Putting her out of her misery, Ginny hit the older girl with a stunner that took her out of the fight.

Looking around, Ginny saw that some of the Slytherins who had backed out of the fight had joined it again…on their side. She noticed a short dark-haired girl that she remembered was Daphne's sister tripping up one of the Death Eater supporters, who moments later was tied up by Seamus and Dean with an Incarcerous spell. Furthermore, battles elsewhere in the castle had obviously been won, since more students were rushing in to join their side. Soon all the Death Eater children were contained, some of them with painful injuries.

Susan Bones came over to Ginny. "We spoke to Dumbledore. He wants you to join him at the headmaster's office."

Ginny nodded. "Harry, Hermione, Neville, Luna, come with me. The rest of you, make sure they don't go anywhere."

The teens passed the staff room on their way to the headmaster's office. A man that Ginny thought was Amycus Carrow lay dead on the floor. The other Carrow, Macnair and Narcissa Malfoy were tied up together in the centre of the room.

Dumbledore was waiting outside the office. He gave Ginny a welcoming smile. "I thought we should go and see Headmaster Snape together. What do you think?"

Ginny nodded. "Yes, I think that's a good idea."

Dumbledore's gaze swept over her friends. "If you could stay out here for a moment..? I have some friends on the way, send them in when they get here, please."

Snape stood with wand ready as Ginny and Dumbledore entered. He sneered with contempt at them. "Dumbledore and Weasley. The two people that sum up everything that's wrong with the Wizarding World. Favouring Gryffindor exhibitionism over true skill, true mastery of magic. You are nothing."

"And Voldemort's better?"Ginny retorted. "He loves being the centre of attention just as much as Gryffindors do."

"Severus, you are the last supporter of Voldemort left free in this castle,"Dumbledore noted. "You will achieve nothing by fighting here."

Snape gave a thin smile. "Maybe there's something to be said for gestures after all." He paused as four more people entered the office. James and Lily Potter, and Frank and Alice Longbottom. But only one of them held his attention. "Lily."

Lily looked at him sadly. "Hello, Severus. Don't you think you should stop this now? All these years of making the wrong choice."

Snape nodded towards James scornfully. "And he was the right choice, I suppose? One who thinks might is right? I told the Weasley girl when I helped her that any debt I owed had been repaid."

"What about the debt to yourself, Severus? Do you want to throw away the rest of your life serving Voldemort? If you give yourself up now, if you don't hurt anyone else, then I'll speak up for you when they take you back to Azkaban. Maybe this doesn't have to be it."

Snape's expression never lost its lofty air. But carefully he laid his wand down on the desk. "Perhaps my first instinct about futile gestures was the correct one."

"See he's put somewhere safe, Lily,"Dumbledore instructed as the four new arrivals led Snape away. "Miss Lovegood!"

Luna entered, with Harry, Hermione and Neville following. "Yes, Professor?"

"That Room of Requirement, which is whatever anyone needs it to be. It has occurred to me that Voldemort was in need of a room on a previous visit to Hogwarts. A room in which to hide something. Do you think it may have helped him?"

"I think that's a very good idea, Professor."

"Show me somewhere to hide things,"Luna declared for the third time. A door appeared in the wall and she gestured to it with a smile.

Dumbledore led the way into a room piled high with items which had obviously been discarded over the years. "Yes, yes, this may be it. Everyone choose a section and search."

"Search for what?"Harry asked.

"The diadem,"Hermione replied, as though it were obvious.

Dumbledore nodded in confirmation. "Spread out, all of you."

Ginny, Harry, Hermione, Neville and Luna did as instructed. The task seemed hopeless to Ginny, given the amount there was in there. But after not too long, Neville appeared holding a crown. "Is this it?"

Dumbledore took it from him. "Yes, it could well be. Ginny, what do you think?"

Ginny nodded. "Yes, I can sense it. There's evil in there, corrupting it."

Dumbledore produced a sword from his robes. "The Sword of Gryffindor!"Hermione exclaimed.

"Quite right,"Dumbledore confirmed. "After Ginny's excellent deduction of what could destroy a horcrux, I had it infused with basilisk venom. Stand back everyone." He placed the diadem on top of the nearest surface and then brought the sword down, shattering it. There was an explosion of black mist and then it dissipated.

"So there's only one left now,"Ginny realised. "The snake Nagini. Right?"

"That is the seventh of the horcruxes Voldemort intended to create,"Dumbledore confirmed.

"So how do we find it?"Neville asked.

"That would be simple. Voldemort is coming here."

There were confused and apprehensive looks among the youngsters. "Why here?"Ginny asked. "Why not go for the ministry first?"

"Because Hogwarts has what Voldemort wants most,"Dumbledore told her. "You and me."