Part IV: Revolution
Chapter XX: In Which the Battle of Hogwarts Begins
Corinna had not been back in Hogwarts proper in many months. She expected things to be very different as she felt like a different person from then, but it all seemed to be the same to her. The same stone walls and enchanted portraits greeting her as she walked with Harry down the corridor. The ancient pieces of armor stood stoic and the classrooms sat, ready and eager to impart knowledge onto future witches and wizards.
"Are you sure you don't know where they went?" asked Harry.
They were the only ones in the corridor, falling behind the group that they left the Room of Requirement with. It seemed that the Weasleys set aside years of resentment and greeted Percy back as if he had just come back from popping over to a corner shop. Although Fred and George took every ample opportunity to remind him how much of a git he was.
"I'm sure they're fine," said Corinna, trying to help reassure Harry when it felt as if everything was crumbling down around them. "I mean, Hermione's there. She wouldn't do anything too stupid."
"But stupid enough."
They skirted around the corner and quickly took the stairs. Corinna's heart seemed to pound with each step, lodging itself further and further in her throat. There were so many things she wanted to say at that moment, but she was at a loss for words. Instead, she reached over and took Harry's hand in his. The gesture seemed to surprise him, but he squeezed her hand in response and they continued at a brisk pace down to the Great Hall.
The Great Hall was already packed with students but instead of the usual black work robes that were standard for their uniform, most were in dressing gowns and traveling cloaks. They all sat in the usual long tables, many looking scared and confused by the turn of events. Corinna had to remember that most of these students were dragged out of bed at the late hour. She wasn't even certain of the time. She glanced at her wrist, but she never got a replacement watch for the one that was taken from her.
The enchanted sky above them reflected the great expanse of the starry sky. It seemed much too peaceful for the chaos that ensued underneath. McGonagall stood at the raised platform that usually held the staff table but was now holding the members of the Order of the Phoenix and the staff members that remained. She was barking out orders to the students to follow their prefects to the evacuation point.
Harry and Corinna stuck close to the wall, walking along the Gryffindor table to try and spot Ron and Hermione. She only glanced away when Ernie stood up at the Hufflepuff table and shouted, "And what if we want to stay and fight?"
That seemed to get everyone's attention as now many people were clapping and whooping. So much for the kid who only joined Dumbledore's Army to pass his OWLs.
"If you are of age, you may stay," said McGonagall. Corinna was certain some people wouldn't be listening to that, notably the Creevey brothers who were talking lowly.
There were some, albeit stupid, questions like people's possessions and where Snape was. Although Corinna thought it was worth it just to hear McGonagall say the phrase Done a bunk.
"We have already placed protection around the castle," said McGonagall once the cheering of Snape's exit died down, "but it is unlikely to hold for very long unless we reinforce it. I must ask you, therefore, to move quickly and calmly, and do as your prefects—"
Whatever she was going to say died on her lips as a new voice echoed in the Hall. It was high, cold, and clear—and something about it made Harry crush Corinna's hand. She winced but did not say anything. The voice itself seemed to come from nowhere and everywhere at once.
"I know that you are preparing to fight." The voice was met with screams from many of the students, and some of the older ones had jumped up with their wands trained out at nothing, looking around wildly for the source. "Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood."
Corinna's eardrums seemed to ring from the sudden silence, something that she hadn't dealt with in a long time and it made her ears ache in response.
"Give me Harry Potter and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded.
"You have until midnight."
The silence rang again as it seemed that the students were coming out of a trance. Every eye in the hall seemed to zero in on Harry and Corinna could not help but move to stand in front of him. She did not even think about how all the eyes would be on her now.
"He's right there!" shouted Parkinson as she stood up from the Slytherin table, a cruel voice that Corinna did not miss in her absence from the school. "Someone grab him!"
Before Corinna could say or do anything, the Gryffindor table stood up in front of them, their backs to Harry and Corinna as they had their wands out towards the Slytherin table. Although Corinna could not see much past the Creevey brothers, the noise in the hall indicated that Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw had also joined in to protect Harry.
"Thank you, Miss Parkinson," said McGonagall shortly. "You will leave the Hall first with Mr. Filch. If the rest of your House could follow."
There was the grinding of benches as the Slytherins filed out of the Hall. Corinna could not see what was going on as everyone was still standing.
McGonagall then called for the Ravenclaws to leave next, followed by the Hufflepuffs, and the Gryffindors being the last to lead as they were furthest from the doors. Now that the Hall was mostly cleared out, she could see how quite a few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had stuck around, but half the Gryffindor table seemed to remain, which prompted McGonagall to step down from her platform to tell off people she knew were underage, like the youngest Creevey brother and one of the beaters from last year.
Harry quickly walked over to the group of Weasleys sitting at the Gryffindor table, and Corinna followed after, keeping her wand out.
"Where are Ron and Hermione?"
"Haven't you found—" Mr. Weasley was about to ask in a worried tone, but Kingsley had stepped forward to address those who remained.
"We've only got half an hour until midnight, so we need to act fast! A battle plan has been agreed between the teachers of Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix. Professors Flitwick, Sprout, and McGonagall are going to take groups of fighters up to the three highest towers—Ravenclaw, Astronomy, and Gryffindor—where they'll have a good overview, excellent positions from which to work spells. Meanwhile Remus, Arthur, and I will take groups into the grounds. We'll need somebody to organize defense of the entrances of the passageways into the school—"
"Sounds like a job for us," called Fred, and he indicated to himself and George.
Kingsley nodded. "All right, leaders, up here and we'll divide up the troops!"
"Potter," said McGonagall, hurrying over to him and Corinna while the others went up to the platform to get their assignments. "Aren't you supposed to be looking for something?"
"What?" Corinna elbowed Harry. "Oh! Oh, yeah!'
"Come on!" urged Corinna as she took Harry's hand and dragged him out of the hall. They followed the last of the students who were evacuating up the stairs, but then Harry dragged her off to a deserted corridor and into one of the abandoned classrooms.
He slammed the door shut behind them and then leaned heavily against it. "Harry…" she said cautiously, standing by one of the tables, giving him some space since he was very pale and shaken. "Harry, are you alright?"
"Of course I'm not fucking alright!" he said, nearly shouting in the process. It caused Corinna to step back, not wanting to push him when he was in this state. She watched as he collapsed onto the ground, his knees drawn up to his chest. She kept her distance, but she sat down on the stone floor to be level with him.
"Look, if you're worried about Voldemort's threat—"
"It's not that," he said quickly, obviously trying to calm down. That was when she noticed that the look on his face wasn't anger. He was terrified. His green eyes were as wide as saucers and he looked more like the kid who was called at fourteen to be a Hogwarts Triwizard Champion then the man who broke into Gringotts sixteen hours ago.
He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes and pressed down. It caused his glasses to rise into his hair. "I can't…I can't think…"
Corinna moved closer to Harry, but still kept a notable distance between them. She sat cross-legged in front of him. "That's fine. It's what I'm here for. We can talk this out."
"How?"
"Okay, well, talk me through what happened when you went to Ravenclaw Tower. We'll start there."
He talked about how he and Luna had gotten into their Common Room, explained what the diadem looked like on Rowena Ravenclaw's statue, but the female Carrow was waiting for them. "It was as if Voldemort knew that I would go to Ravenclaw Tower," he said softly.
"Okay, that's good," said Corinna, but Harry looked confused. "It means we're on the right track to finding the Horcrux that's hidden here. Why else would Voldemort send her there?"
The words did not seem to bring much comfort to Harry, but he slowly nodded. "Right, right," he said. "But the only object anyone has associated with Ravenclaw is her lost diadem." He swallowed thickly, his Adam's apple bobbing as he did so. "Voldemort was in Slytherin. How could he have found the diadem that has eluded generations of Ravenclaws? Who could have told him where to look, when nobody had seen the diadem in living memory…"
Harry locked eyes with Corinna as an idea seemed to spark within him. "That's it!" He was immediately up, faster than Corinna expected as she scrambled to follow after him out of the classroom.
"Harry!" she shouted as he broke out into a run, weaving through the students who were trying to get into the Room of Requirement. There was a lot of pushing and shoving to get to the front of the queue. At any other time, she might have made fun of Zacharias Smith's cowardice for trying to get through even before the first years, but she had a hard enough time trying to keep up with Harry, especially since she had no clue where he was going or what they were going to do once they get there.
Harry momentarily stopped, causing Corinna to crash into his back. She stepped to the side to see that they were back in the entrance hall. There were still plenty of people, but his eyes were focused on one of the pearly white ghosts drifting about.
"NICK!" he shouted and ran down the stairs. "I need to talk to you!"
They had to scramble around students, but they seem to let them part easily. They made it to the bottom where the ghost of Gryffindor Tower greeted them. "Harry! My dear boy!" Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington went for a handshake, but it merely passed through Harry's outstretched hand as he shuddered in response. "And Corinna Crouch! It's never too late to make an acquaintance."
"Hello, Sir Nicholas," she said, feeling like someone had plunged her hand in ice water when he went to shake hers.
"Nick, you've got to help us," said Harry quickly, having no patience for pleasantries. "Who's the ghost of Ravenclaw Tower?"
Nearly Headless Nick looked offended that he was only being used to convey information rather than…whatever it might have been he expected to help them with.
"The Grey Lady, of course; but if it is ghostly services you require—"
"It's got to be her—d'you know where she is?"
Corinna thought he could have a little more tact, but then she remembered who she was dating.
"Let's see…" He turned quickly as he looked about the hall. Once or twice, Corinna thought his head was going to fall to the side. "That's her over there, Harry, the young woman with the long hair."
Harry and Corinna looked over to where Nearly Headless Nick was pointing, and saw a tall woman drifting about. She was of course transparent and grey like any other ghost that inhabited Hogwarts, but her beauty was evident with her heart-shaped face and billowing hair that was probably black in life. She caught sight of them looking at her, and she raised her eyebrows. She silently drifted into the nearby wall, disappearing from sight.
Not even bothering to say anything to Nearly Headless Nick, they ran for the door attached to the wall she had disappeared from. They ran into the passageway to see her on the other end, quickly floating away.
"Hey—wait—come back!"
She paused and turned back towards her. Closer up, her beauty was still evident, but she also looked haughty and proud. Corinna recognized her as many of the ghosts that they passed by on a daily basis whenever going about their life at Hogwarts. The novelty of ghosts faded a few weeks into their first year, but they were always present. Especially Peeves.
"You're the Grey Lady?"
She nodded.
"The ghost of Ravenclaw Tower?"
"That is correct."
"Please, I need some help. I need to know anything you can tell me about the lost diadem."
"I am afraid that I cannot help you."
She turned to leave.
"Wait!"
Harry stepped forward, anger intermingling with the evident panic in his voice. Corinna could understand why as they were so close to midnight. They did not have a minute to spare.
"This is urgent. If that diadem's at Hogwarts, we've got to find it, fast."
"You are hardly the first student to covet the diadem," she said, a sneer on her face. "Generations of students have badgered me—"
"This isn't about trying to get better marks! It's about Voldemort—defeating Voldemort—or aren't you interested in that?"
Her jaw clenched and she puffed out her chest slightly. If she had blood coursing through her, her cheeks might have risen in color. "Of course I—how dare you suggest—"
"Well, help me, then!"
"It is not a question of—" She turned away, but remained where she was. "My mother's diadem—"
"Your mother's?"
"When I lived, I was Helena Ravenclaw."
"You're her daughter? But then, you must know what happened to it!"
"While the diadem bestows wisdom, I doubt that it would greatly increase your chances of defeating the wizard who calls himself Lord—"
"Haven't I just told you, I'm not interested in wearing it! There's no time to explain—but if you care about Hogwarts, if you want to see Voldemort finished, you've got to tell me anything you know about the diadem!"
Helena fell silent. She floated in midair, looking down at us. The icy feeling came back, but this time settling in Corinna's chest. She wasn't going to say anything to them. What made them so different from generations of students before?
Corinna tried to remember back from History of Magic, a class she never thought would be relevant. They covered the founding of Hogwarts, but did not delve too deeply in the personal affairs of the founders, unless it was relevant to the formation of Hogwarts, like with the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin.
Except she did remember something, but it wasn't from class. It was from Hermione. She was probably the only student ever to read Hogwarts: A History. But Hermione would normally interject with some fact or anecdote while they sat in their dorms their first year.
"You and your mother never got along," said Corinna slowly, carefully choosing her words. When Helena gave her a sharp look, she continued, as hitting a nerve meant she was on the right track. "Don't worry. I know a thing or two of not living up to familial expectations. No matter how many languages I learned or how solid my grades were, it was never enough for my father. He never even cared about my accomplishments. He didn't care that I flew on a broomstick despite my being terrified, or how I was one of two students to get a perfect grade on the potions final. Only my failures. 'Why did it take so long to get up in the air?' he had asked me. Or 'Why weren't your other tests Outstanding?'"
Corinna could see Helena boring her eyes into her, but she could also feel Harry's on her as well. It was, honestly, the most she ever talked about the man she thought was her father to him. She would rather talk about her time with Aunt Andromeda and Uncle Ted.
But it seemed to help. Helena lowered herself so she was closer to the ground, and more eyelevel with Harry and Corinna.
"She was exactly the same way," she said coolly. "Why wasn't I as clever or as wise as her? So, I did it…I stole the diadem! I sought to make myself cleverer, more important than my mother. I ran away with it.
"My mother, they say, never admitted that the diadem was gone, but pretended that she had it still. She concealed her loss, my dreadful betrayal, even from the other founders of Hogwarts.
"Then my mother fell ill—fatally ill. In spite of my perfidy, she was desperate to see me one more time. She sent a man who had long loved me, though I spurned his advances, to find me. She knew that he would not rest until he had done so.
"He tracked me to the forest where I was hiding. When I refused to return with him, he became violent. The Baron was always a hot-tempered man. Furious at my refusal, jealous of my freedom, he stabbed me."
"The Baron? You mean—" Harry began to say.
"The Bloody Baron, yes," said Helena. She carefully shifted the collar of her robes to reveal a dark wound on her otherwise pearly chest. "When he saw what he had done, he was overcome with remorse. He took the weapon that had claimed my life, and used it to kill himself. All these centuries later, he wears his chains as an act of penitence…as he should.
The last words came out like venom.
"And the diadem?" asked Corinna cautiously.
"It remained where I had hidden it when I heard the Baron blundering through the forest toward me. Concealed inside a hollow tree."
"A hollow tree?" Harry repeated. "What tree? Where was this?"
"A forest in Albania. A lonely place I thought was far beyond my mother's reach."
"Albania…You've already told someone this story, haven't you? Another student?"
She slowly nodded. "I had no idea…He was flattering. He seemed to understand, to sympathize…"
"Well, you weren't the first person Riddle wormed things out of," muttered Harry. "He could be charming when he wanted…"
Harry fell silent and watched as he seemed to think through what the Grey Lady had told them. He started to pace behind Corinna, as if they movement helped keep his mind going. He was probably thinking of possible locations for where Voldemort could have hidden the diademed.
"—the night he asked for a job!" said Harry, and he suddenly stopped pacing.
"Harry, what are you talking about?" asked Corinna, her hands on her hips.
"He hid the diadem in the castle, the night he asked Dumbledore to let him teach! He must've hidden the diadem on his way up to, or down from, Dumbledore's office. But it was still worth trying to get the job—then he might've got the chance to nick Gryffindor's sword as well—thank you, thanks!"
Helena Ravenclaw stared in bewilderment as Harry was now running back towards the way they had come. "Thanks again," Corinna shouted back as she then ran to catch up to Harry.
They rounded the corner back into the Entrance Hall, which was now empty from the students who were sent through to safety.
"So we know what the last Horcrux is," said Corinna as Harry got that panicked look in his eye again, "but we don't know where he would have hidden it."
"It can't be in Ravenclaw Tower," said Harry as he absently rubbed at his scar. She was almost afraid he would go into Voldemort's mind when they really did not have the time for that. "Generations of students would have looked there. Probably tore the place apart if they were desperate enough. It would have to be a place Tom Riddle had discovered that he would think would remain a secret forever."
"Which could be anything," said Corinna as they rounded the corner. "Wait, could it be—"
She was cut off by a shattering crash to their left. They swiftly moved out of a way as a gigantic body flew through the window and hit the opposite wall with a sickening thud. Corinna tried not to cry out when something large and furry detached itself from the giant and launched itself at Harry.
"Hagrid!" Harry bellowed, wrestling Fang off him as the dog tried to lick every part of his face.
The groundskeeper and Care of Magical Creatures professor slowly stood from the floor. He was always in rough shape given his status as a half-giant and his daily work for the school, but it seemed to be as bad as the time he had suddenly came back their fifth year.
He quickly went over to Harry and Corinna and swept them both into a rib-crushing hug before running back over to the broken window. "Good boy, Grawpy! I'll see yer in a moment, there's a good lad!"
Corinna tried to see passed Hagrid and through the window, but all she could make out where flashes of lights against the dark backdrop of the clouded-over night sky. Her heart sank when she realized it must have been midnight and the battle had already begun.
"Blimey, Harry," Hagrid said, wiping at his brow, "this is it, eh? Time ter fight?"
"Hagrid, where have you come from?"
"Heard You-Know-Who from up in our cave," said Hagrid, his usual jovial nature gone for something serious. "Voice carried, didn't it? 'Yeh got till midnight ter gimme Potter.' Knew yeh mus' be here, knew what mus' be happenin'. Get down, Fang. So we come ter join in, me an' Grawpy an' Fang. Smashed our way through the boundary by the forest, Grawpy was carryin' us. Fang an' me. Told him ter let me down at the castle, so he shoved me through the window, bless him. Not exac'ly what I meant bu'—where's Ron an' Hermione?"
"That," said Harry, "is a really good question. Come on."
"Wait, Harry!" said Corinna, grabbing his hand. "I think I might know where the diadem might be."
"What? Really?" Harry asked. "Where?"
"It is going to be a long-shot," said Corinna quickly. "But I think it might be in the Room of Requirement."
Harry's brows furrowed. "How?"
"More specifically, the room that I found when I was hiding Snape's book," Corinna quickly explained. "You don't understand. There is so much stuff in there, and you know Voldemort is going to think he's clever in finding it. If it is anything like how they described it, I think I might have found it."
"We can start the search there," said Harry, looking relieved. "Hagrid, do you mind going to look for Ron and Hermione? They said something about a bathroom, which could be any of them."
"Notta problem," Hagrid reassured. "Fang'll find 'em. Where is it I should send 'em?"
"The Room of Requirement, they'll know where it is," said Harry quickly.
"Tell them to think about a place to hide an object," Corinna added before her and Harry started running back towards the Room of Requirement.
They ran past Professor Sprout leading a few of the students, including Neville, with large potted plants. Neville shouted that they were mandrakes, and how they were going to throw them over the walls. It was a brilliant tactic, Corinna had to agree, but they did not have the time to stick around.
The portraits where in a frenzy as people in cloaks and armor invaded each other's portraits and brought news from other parts of the castle. As they reached the end of the corridor, the whole castle shook. Harry and Corinna ducked as a nearby vase exploded from a spell that was not in any of the teachers' or the Order's repertoires.
Once they straightened up and carefully walked through the debris, they made their way around a corner and nearly ran into Fred with a small group of students standing guard by one of the hidden passageways that Corinna remembered from the Marauder's Map. Fred, of course, made a cheeky observation, but Harry and Corinna continued down the passageway, ignoring Sir Cadogan and the owls that seemed to be flying around in a panic.
"Potter!" Harry and Corinna skidded to a halt as Aberforth stood blocking the next corridor. "I've had hundreds of kids thundering through my pub!"
"I know, we're evacuating," said Harry. "Voldemort's—"
"—attacking because they haven't handed you over, yeah, I'm not deaf, the whole of Hogsmeade heard him. And it never occurred to any of you to keep a few Slytherins hostage? There are kids of Death Eaters you've just sent to safety. Wouldn't it have been a bit smarter to keep 'em here?"
"It wouldn't stop Voldemort, and your brother would never have done it."
Aberforth did not like that answer, but started running down the opposite corridor with his wand out and ready. They continued around the corner and they finally made it to the concealed entrance to the Room of Requirement. It was empty except for three women: Ginny, an elderly witch she recognized as Neville's grandmother, and—
"DORA!" Corinna couldn't help but squeal for the second time that night as she launched herself at her pink-haired cousin.
"Merlin, Cor!" said Dora, laughing as she squeezed Corinna right back.
"What are you doing here?" Corinna demanded, stepping back to look at Dora. "What about Teddy?"
"He's going to sleep through the night and snore like his father," said Dora, but she still looked guilty. "My mum's got him. You lot need me more."
Corinna could not bring herself to disagree with that one, if the shaking castles and spells lighting up the grounds as if it were daytime were anything to go by. If she were in Dora's shoes, she would still want to be here as well, even if Corinna also wanted to argue with her about it.
"I'm just glad to see you're all right," said Dora. She was surprised at how little Dora seemed to have changed. She still had the same heart-shaped face and wide, dark brown eyes. The only thing that stood out to Corinna was how much darker her under-eyes were, something she probably could take care of with her abilities if she wanted to. Dora inspected Corinna as well, as if expecting her to look different. The things that were different couldn't be easily seen. "I was relieved that Remus was able to visit you, but seeing you in the flesh is much better."
"Same goes," she said.
"You can tell us what's going on," Mrs. Longbottom said to Harry and Corinna.
"Yeah, is everyone okay?" added Ginny.
"As far as we know," said Harry. "Are there still people in the passage to the Hog's Head?"
"I was the last to come through," said Mrs. Longbottom. "I sealed it, I think it unwise to leave it open now Aberforth has left his pub. Have you seen my grandson?"
"He's fighting," said Corinna.
"Naturally," she said proudly. "Excuse me, I must go and assist him."
She scurried off, faster than she expected the elderly witch to go. But Dora drew their attention back.
"Have you seen Remus?"
"He was planning to lead a group of fighters into the grounds—"
But Harry was cut off when Dora sped off as fast as Mrs. Longbottom had. A lump formed in Corinna's throat as she watched Dora disappear down the staircase, the moment of elation she felt upon seeing her falling quickly into panic. She did not realize how much she appreciated the fact that someone she cared about was still at home. Sure, Aunt Andromeda and Teddy were safe, but she would have preferred it if Dora, Remus, and Terry weren't here. It was bad enough Harry had to be involved.
"Ginny," said Harry, "I'm sorry, but we need you to leave too. Just for a bit. Then you can come back in."
Ginny did not take offense to that as she gladly bounded for the stairs, her wand at the ready.
"Nothing better happen to her," said Corinna as Harry and Corinna followed after her so they could change the Room. "The Weasleys will kill us. Well, maybe not you, but definitely me."
"I would help them," said Harry. "Kill me, I mean. I'd try to protect you."
"But how can you protect me if you are already dead?"
"We do not have time for our banter," said Harry quickly. "We need to find that diadem."
"Right, right," said Corinna. It seemed that the few minutes they had spent in the Room of Requirement, things have escalated quickly. The walls and ceiling were shaking worse, and dust filled the air. A glance out the nearest window showed flashing red and green lights, very close to the foot of the castle. The Death Eaters were gaining ground. It would only be a matter of time before the battle moved from the grounds into the castle itself.
Screams echoed close by, causing Corinna's ears to ring. This was not the time for her stupid ruptured ear drum to start bothering her again.
She glanced over as she heard a familiar voice shouting a jinx through the shattered window. Dora and Ginny were nearby, each of them had their wands trained out towards the grounds as they watched the battle below. Aberforth came running by, shouting encouragement at the two of them. "They look like they might be breaching the north battlements, they've brought giants of their own!"
"Have you seen Remus?" Dora called after him.
"He was dueling Dolohov. Haven't seen him since!"
"Tonks!" said Ginny. "I'm sure he's okay."
"He's a damn good fighter," Corinna added, but Dora did not seem to hear any of them as she ran down the corridor.
"They'll be all right," said Harry, and Corinna desperately wanted to find comfort in his words. Even the look he gave her made them seem like an empty promise. "Ginny, we'll be back in a moment, just keep out of the way, keep safe—come on!"
Harry and Corinna ran back to the blank wall where the Room of Requirement waited to hear their desires. Corinna tried to block out her worry for Dora and Remus as she paced in front of the stretch. I need the place where everything is hidden, she thought desperately.
As usual, the door appeared as they passed a third time.
The sounds of battled died as Corinna stepped into the familiar room. It was exactly the same as she had been in just months ago when curiosity got the best of her. It was built like a city with piles of vaguely organized stuff acting as buildings. They were all of various sizes and various states of stability.
Harry stared at the room, agape as his eyes were large to take in the cathedral-sized room with its piles of objects gathering dust, long forgotten by those that had put them there.
"Okay," said Harry, slowly bringing himself back to reality. This was Harry's first time in this particular room, so it was completely understandable that he would be overwhelmed. But even Corinna seemed lost all over again, only being dragged back to reality by his question. "Where have you seen this diadem?"
"Over here," she said as she picked the alleyway she had chosen when Harry asked her to hide the Prince's book. She retraced her steps. She found the stuffed troll and the vanishing cabinet. She rounded the corner, trying to bring herself back, but her mind kept wanting to go back to what was happening outside the room, outside to where Dora was being reunited with Remus…
"Corinna," said Harry slowly, his head turning to fully take in their location. "I think we've passed that vanishing cabinet twice now."
Corinna cursed loudly and stopped walking as she tried to reorient herself. It mostly involved trying to block out the outside sources from causing worry to flood her brain. "Okay, so we're at the vanishing cabinet. So that means, I…I would have turned left."
She walked down the alleyway, glad to see the pile of gold and jewels.
"Would it be in there?" asked Harry.
"No," said Corinna as she slowed down to look about, knowing the cabinet couldn't be far. "I remember grabbing the diadem from there to help identify which cabinet I put Snape's book in. It should be…ah-ha!"
They weren't even ten feet away from the cabinet when Corinna saw the tiara hanging off the knob. Its silver may have tarnished, but its sapphires spreading out from the eagle inlay seemed to glow. She was about to reach for it when she heard a voice behind them, "Hold it, Lestrange!"
They stopped and slowly turned around to come face-to-face with Crabbe and Goyle. In the middle stood Draco. His eyes did not betray anything as he stared at Corinna. Well, his face may have been neutral, but his eyes seemed to burn with anger. He had not easily forgotten the state that Corinna left him in just a few weeks ago.
"That's my wand you're holding, Carina," he spat, pointing a new one in between Crabbe's and Goyle's. "And that's my mother's, Potter. Hand them over."
"Not anymore," said Harry, and Corinna instinctively tightened her grip on the wand. "Winners, keepers, Malfoy. Whose wand you got, anyway?"
"What's it to you?" Draco sneered, his teeth grinding together.
"Just surprised is all," said Corinna coolly. "Didn't think Voldemort would let you have a wand after getting kneed in the junk."
"Expelliarmus!" It was hard to tell who had said it first, but Draco's wand was wrenched form her hand just a half second before Draco's new wand flew out of his hand. Harry caught Draco's new wand effortlessly while Draco's old one clanked on the ground. Crabbe and Goyle still had their wands trained on Harry and Corinna, so they dared not make a dive for it. Draco scowled as he bent down to pick up his wand.
"Here," said Harry, tossing the new wand to Corinna. It felt cold and lifeless in her hands, unlike her original or Draco's wand when she first held them. "So how come you three aren't with Voldemort?"
Corinna realized what Harry was trying to do as she took stock of where she was in regards to the diadem. It was right behind them, but too far out of their reach. They needed to grab the diadem without them realizing what they were doing, but how?
"We're gonna be rewarded," said Crabbe. "We 'ung back, Potter. We decided not to go. Decided to bring you to 'im."
"Good plan," said Harry, his voice dripping in sarcasm. With all three eyes on him, Corinna took a step back, pretending to adjust her footing. She was closer to the diadem than Harry was, so she had the best chance of getting it. All he needed to do was keep them distracted. Which, considering this was Crabbe and Goyle they were dealing with, that shouldn't be too difficult of a feat. "So how did you get in here?"
"I virtually lived in the Room of Hidden Things all last year," said Draco. "I know how to get in."
"We was hiding in the corridor outside," said Goyle. "We can do Diss-lusion Charms now! And then you turned up right in front of us and said you was looking for a die-dum! What's a die-dum?"
Corinna bit her tongue, wanting so desperately to say something at their expense, but she needed to pretend she did not exist in order to even have a remote chance of this working.
"Di-a-dem," Harry sounded out slowly. "It's like a crown, see. A crown is—"
"We know what a crown is!" Crabbe hissed, his arm straightening on Corinna. She froze after inching her way towards the cabinet. "An' what do you think you're doing, Lestrange? Thinking of running?"
"She knows where the diadem is," said Draco, his grey eyes narrowing into slits. "She was leading Potter around. So where is it?"
"What does it matter?" Crabbe demanded. "It's just Potter that the Dark Lord wants. Who cares about some dumb die-dem?"
"Potter came in here to get it," said Malfoy, impatience evident on his face and in his voice, "so that must mean—"
"'Must mean?'" Crabbe turned on Malfoy, his wand pointing at his friend. "Who cares what you think? I don't take your orders no more, Draco. You an' your dad are finished."
With Crabbe and Malfoy distracted and Goyle eying them more than Harry and Corinna, she took her chance and lunged for the diadem.
"What's going on?" said Crabbe, his head turning at the movement Corinna caused. "No, Lestrange! Avada Kedavra!"
The green curse hit the cabinet that held the diadem, causing it to explode and shatter into small splinters of wood. Corinna had ducked out of the way of the spell, so she did not see where the diadem had flown off to.
She had straightened up and turned to the four wizards just in time to see Harry, fury evident in his tense posture, shoot a stunner at Crabbe. Crabbe, to get away from the spell, had pushed into Draco and knocked his wand out of his hand. It rolled out of sight.
"Stop!" shouted Malfoy. "Don't kill him!"
"So?" Crabbe demanded. "I'm not killing him, am I? I was aiming for Lestrange. Or do you actually care about your blood traitor cousin?"
This time, Corinna shot a Stunner after Goyle at the same time Harry had shouted the disarming spell. Goyle's wand flew out of his hand and disappeared into the fray as well, just as he was thrown back into a large pile of broken furniture. However, the wand did not seem to have the power behind it Corinna normally would give it, as Goyle was pushing himself from the pile, trying to get his bearings.
"Avada Kedavra!" Crabbe shouted again, the spell going wild as Harry and Corinna ducked in opposite directions. Harry landed in the large pile of jewels that Corinna had originally grabbed the diadem from, while she had landed in the pile that was once the cabinet. Sharp splinters of wood dug into her flesh, causing her to cry out as many of them were lodged into her skin.
Ignoring the splinters, she quickly stood from the pile, many wooden shards sticking to her robes. She glanced at the pile of jewels and saw that Harry was scrambling to climb to the top of it to get away from the other three.
"I think it landed on the other side," Corinna shouted at Harry. He did not look over but he gave a quick nod, affirming that he heard her. She was about to face the other three, two of which were wandless, but she stumbled back as a great flame came barreling toward her.
"Like it hot, scum?" roared Crabbe.
She wove in between another cabinet and a pile of grimy books. Large flames were still pursuing Corinna, engulfing everything in its path. She could feel the intense heat, worse than even the cursed treasures from the Lestrange vault. Her skin seemed to boil and she wasn't even that close to the flames.
"Aguamenti!" she shouted, pointing the wand towards one of the flames that ate the pile of book in a matter of seconds. The water that should shoot out of the tip was only mist.
She turned the corner, hopping that the piles of twisted metal would protect her some, giving her time to think of a way to reunite with Harry, but the flames seemed to jump into the mound, the metal instantly melting into a pool of molten lava. As she could clearly see the flames from where she stood, she could see that they were not normal, shapeless flames. They seemed to take on forms of dangerous creatures: serpents, chimaeras, and dragons rose within the flames, and much like their physical counterparts yearned and craved for destruction, leaving nothing in its wake but smoke and ash. Water—enchanted or naturally-occurring—would not stop it; only the wielder of the fiendfyre could stop it.
Merlin and Morgana in Avalon, she could kill the male Carrow for teaching them that curse.
"HARRY!" she shouted as she continued to run away from the flames as fast as she could, but she could feel the heat growing in intensity. She dared not look back at the flames, afraid to find out how close they were to her.
She rounded another corner, hoping to bring herself closer to the exit, but all she could see was orange smoke around her. Since everything looked the same, she could not orient herself. There was nothing she could do. There wasn't anything that could stop it, and she had no means of getting away from the flames.
"CORINNA!"
She glanced up and saw Harry flying through the air on a broomstick that was in desperate need of a wax job. He dove low to land just in front of Corinna. She barely had clambered onto the broom behind Harry before he kicked off again, the flames dangerously close to the bottom of their shoes as a head of a dragon tried to bite at them.
Heights never really bothered Corinna. During Astronomy class, she loved looking down at the grounds, standing on her tiptoes to let her upper body completely lean over the platform. She even tried to sit on the edge of it during their first Astronomy class, but Professor Sinistra quickly put a stop to that.
She also had no problems with speed. She loved having a window open on the Hogwarts Express as it sped through the countryside, or even how fast the trains on the underground could get when they went under waterways or over bridges.
What she had a problem with was height and speed and the only thing between her and the ground was a skinny piece of wood, especially when there was fiendfyre below them.
She clung to Harry's waist as if it would protect her as he climbed higher and higher towards the vaulted ceiling. She had initially pressed her face to Harry's back, not liking the fact that it was still sweltering even as they got away from the flames. She carefully turned her head and opened her eyes. Once her eyes (and stomach) adjusted to the height and speed they were going at, she could see just how quickly the fiendfyre had spread. It was everywhere, eating away at the centuries and centuries worth of junk left behind by generations of students before them. Corinna could not help but feel like they were destroying history—how much knowledge was contained in those books, or what could have been discovered from experiments gone awry.
"Can you see them?" Harry shouted over his shoulder to Corinna.
She blinked, remembering that her cousin and his dumb cronies were down there among the destruction and flames. As much as they were arseholes, she did not want any of them to die; especially a death as horrible as being burned alive. She doubted an ice charm would protect them for long, if it even gave them a chance.
"No," she shouted back, forcing herself to not hide her face against Harry's back like she wanted to. "Can you move in closer?"
"Just not too close," said Harry and Corinna let out an involuntary scream as he dove down as close as he dared to the top of the flames.
"No shite!" she shouted to him once she regained control of her voice, but that did not last long as the beasts started jumping towards them and Harry had to dodge and weave.
Corinna's eyes stung and her breathing became more and more labored. "Let's get out of here," she shouted, guilt suffocating her more than the smoke ever could.
Even with the higher vantage point, Corinna couldn't figure out where they were in the black smoke. It was impossible to tell where the walls of the large room even were, let alone which one held the door that would bring them freedom. She thought she saw a darker blob against the smoke, but when she blinked, it was gone.
A scream tore through the air—keening and almost inhuman, barely heard over the sounds of burning destruction. It still rang and reverberated in her ear, making her heart seize with a fresh wave of guilt.
"THERE!" Corinna blinked through the smoke and was able to see a lone figure standing on a precarious pile of charred desks. Harry dove and it wasn't until they were nearer that they could see that it was Draco. He reached a hand out and Corinna managed to grab it, only for it to slide out of her hands. She wasn't sure if it was her sweat or his that made it impossible to latch on.
"I'm going to double back!" Harry warned as he did a quick turn, something that the old broom couldn't handle as well as his Firebolt or even his old Nimbus 2000. She held onto Harry as they took the wide turn, glad he was able to keep his balance in order to not fall into the flames.
She screamed as they took the sharp turn. "I will kill Draco if we get killed because of him!"
This time, Harry slowed so Draco could climb on behind Corinna. Harry had a much harder time now getting up into the air as the fire licked dangerously at their heels as he tried to gain altitude.
"The door!" Draco screamed he grudgingly put his arms around Corinna. "Get to the door!"
Whether it was because of the weight or because Harry wanted it to, the broom did not get much above the flames. The various beasts jumped up in triumph, sending various objects flying about. Corinna could not identify any of them through the smoke and tears, but she let out a yelp and Draco crushed her chest to the point she couldn't breathe as Harry did a hairpin turn and reached out for an object.
"What are you doing?" Corinna shouted to Harry, but that was a stupid move on her part as she could not draw in any more oxygen. "Draco, I can't—"
Harry swerved again as a serpent leapt up and tried to snatch them from midair. If he did not have the talent on a broom that he did, they would certainly be ash by now. They steadily grew in height and speed as they barreled toward the dark spot against the sea of orange. She hoped that the dark vignette encroaching on her vision was from the smoke and that she wasn't losing consciousness from the lack of air.
They barreled through the patch in the wall and Harry turned the broom sharply so they collided with the wall on their sides. They tumbled off onto the ground. Now without Draco's vice, Corinna was able to draw in clean air, but instead of exhaling she coughed loudly into her elbow as stomach acid burned her already injured throat.