A/N: I hope to be posting this moments after chapter ten, but who knows. In any case, I'll keep 'er short. I hope this story wraps up soon, because I don't know about you but I'm starting to get a bit bored with it. Maybe I'm just not suited for writing longer fiction. I seem to do ok with the 100 word drabbles, but… oh well. Are you all enjoying this rag? Well it's been fun getting some feedback, and just writing is a bit liberating, though the comments of some who have read my work and know me in real life have been less than encouraging. My mind feels like a pressure cooker, I've got so many ideas swirling around in there that if I don't finish this one soon and let off a bit of the steam of a multi-chapter bit soon, my brain will likely explode. And with that, this is the end of my ramble.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters. I will never own the characters, in all likelihood. The signs seem to point that way. No biggie. I'm just playing with them; JKR won't even know they're missing.

XI

Ron sprawled across the floor of Headmistress McGonagall's floor and was just getting up as Harry came through the fireplace behind him, knocking him to the floor. Ron rolled away and Harry started to get up as Ginny fell through the fireplace onto Harry.

"Well, I seem to have landed on something soft. Could it be Harry's head?" Ginny teased. Harry stuck his tongue out at her as he playfully pushed her off of him.

"Why is it that you both got soft landings?" Ron complained.

"You went first!" Harry and Ginny said at once, and all three of them laughed.

Just then, the Headmistress stepped into her office, obviously wondering what all the noise was about.

"Alright, you three brush yourselves off and explain yourselves. It is generally considered good manners to owl before arriving through one's fireplace. I assume you have a good explanation for this?"

Ginny shoved Ron's shoulder and said, "It was all his idea. Act first, think later." What a prat!

"Thanks Gin, love you too. Actually Professor, I thought we could use the Mirror of Erised to locate Hermione. It shows you what you most desire right? Well, what I want the most is to see Hermione again. Do you know where Professor Dumbledore may have put it?"

There was silence in the office. Then:

"Mister and Miss Weasley, and Mister Potter, and of course Minerva, it is good to see you again."

They turned simultaneously to see Albus Dumbledore's portrait hanging on the wall, smiling benevolently.

"Ronald, your idea is an excellent one. The Mirror is where it has been for the past 6 years: under the trapdoor in the corridor on the third floor. You and Harry surely remember the way."

Harry spoke first:

"Of course we do, Professor, it would be a difficult thing to forget. Sir… do you remember… you died… Snape killed you!"

"Professor Snape, Harry. And I should hope so, because that's exactly what I told him to do. Minerva my dear, you may want to sit down with the children; I imagine this may take a few minutes to explain. I must ask you all to hold your questions until the end.

Severus is Draco's godfather, and Narcissa came with Bellatrix Lestrange to his home last summer to beg his aid in a task set for young Draco. His task was to kill me. Narcissa made him swear an Unbreakable Vow to help Draco in any way he could and protect him, as well as to complete his task should Draco falter. I believed that since I was already unwell because of the Horcrux I destroyed – it was cursed, and the curse would have killed me much sooner without Severus' help, but he couldn't stop the curse and not for lack of trying – I had decided that instead of both Severus and Draco dying for their failure, Severus because of the Vow, Draco because of Tom, it should be only me to die. After all, I have lived far longer than both of those lads put together, and what I left behind is in capable hands. It's all in my will, and the members of the Order are very competent. You all will inform me of how the war goes, yes?" He saw nodding heads. "Excellent! I shall miss eating lemon drops, though. Unless…" He left the portrait briefly, and returned with a bowl of candy.

"How did you… never mind. Albus, I… I don't know what…" The Headmistress trailed off. "I miss you so much, Albus. I lo–" She realized there were others still in the room, and she coughed then resumed her normal brisk manner. "What shall we do about Severus? He quite obviously cannot contact us directly, or he will risk ruining his dearly bought credibility with Voldemort. Did you have any idea as to how to deal with this?"

The three teenagers realized that they should get going and headed through the door. Harry turned at the last moment and asked nervously,

"Sir, are there still traps there, like the Devil's Snare?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, dear boy, since the Sorcerer's Stone is destroyed I decided that if anyone needed to get to the Mirror, it ought to be a bit easier to get to. Beware of the lure of the Mirror; it can be very tempting to simply gaze at what you want most. I'm sure that will be no problem for young Mister Weasley, as he's probably long gone. You might wish to remind him of the slight drop from the trapdoor, which will save a visit to the Hospital Wing."

Harry and Ginny said goodbye and exited the office, but Ginny pulled out a set of Extendable Ears.

"You go on ahead, I'm not too fussed about seeing a musty old corridor, and the idea of the Mirror of Erised frightens me a bit. I'm going to listen here till you two get back. Hurry!" she said, and kissed Harry swiftly.

Harry rushed down the stairs and Ginny put the Extendable Ear on the door and sat down on the top step to listen.

A/N: Everything from here till the part where Ginny leaves is going on inside the room, except things in italics, which are Ginny's thoughts about the conversation…

"Albus, how could you let yourself die? Severus could have saved you, but you let him kill you. I shouldn't have let how I feel slip in front of the children, but I wasn't thinking. Why were you away from your portrait all this time? I needed you." Ouch, not good. Maybe I shouldn't be listening to this, it seems pretty private… Maybe just a little more won't hurt.

"Severus could not have saved me. As for leaving… It seems like a harsh punishment, but it was for you that I did it. I know you are a very capable woman, and you do not need to consult me for everything. I suppose I was just making sure you started off on the right foot. And… I was afraid you would judge me harshly about my decision. It was very selfish of me, I know. We have had some spectacular arguments, and you seem to win them all." Sweet Merlin, what is going on here? More importantly, what went on here? I'm so not leaving until I get some answers.

"Just because you used to be a Transfiguration professor doesn't mean you could ever anticipate some of the things I put on you. Giving you that donkey's tail and ears was probably my favourite." Both laughed. "And you grovel so well, how could I resist you? But seriously Albus, what am I going to do without you? My best friend, my confidante, the love of my life…" Am I hearing correctly? Is she crying?

"There there, my dear. I will always be here, on the wall for you to talk to. It isn't much, but perhaps it will be enough. It is, after all, the only thing we have. Just know that I still care for you as much as I did in life, and will forever." Ok, now I'm going to cry. Time to go see to the boys, and make sure they're not in too much trouble. Wow… I think I should keep this one to myself.

Ginny took the Extendable Ear off the door and snuck silently out past the gargoyles.

• • •

Harry took several secret passages to the third floor, beating Ron there despite his head start. He sat in front of the door waiting for him, and he arrived with Ginny just behind him. Harry stared, and then shrugged. Who knew how Ginny got there at the same time as Ron? As if reading his mind Ginny called,

"Ron got his leg caught in Neville's usual trick stair in his hurry. I pulled him out." Harry nodded. Ron's ears were pink but otherwise he seemed fine.

A muttered unlocking charm later, the three were inside the corridor.

"Excellent, no Fluffy this time," Harry quipped. He opened the trap door, but had to hold Ron back from jumping down.

"Not only do we not know what's down there, there isn't a Devil's Snare to break our fall. Don't go just yet, I've got an idea." Harry went into the hall and Summoned three school brooms. He came back and gave Ron and Ginny the brooms he summoned.

"We should really keep our brooms in our pockets, shrunk down, just in case we ever need an escape route," Harry thought aloud.

"Too late for that, but nice thinking anyway Harry," said Ginny. They mounted their brooms, and Ron went first into the hole with his wand lit. While he was gone, Harry took the time to ask Ginny about what she'd eavesdropped on.

"Oh, just some strategy stuff, nothing really interesting," she said, but she didn't meet his eyes. That's weird. Oh well, can't be important, or she'd have told me.

Ron called back up the hole: "There's nothing down here, what are you two lovebirds waiting for? Quit snogging and let's get a move on."

They travelled underground on broomstick for quite a while. When they entered the room where the giant chess pieces were, Ron shuddered and zipped a little faster across the room. They finally reached the last room after what seemed like an eternity of flying underground. Dismounting from and shrinking their brooms, Ron again insisted on going first.

They entered and there it was: the Mirror of Erised. Harry saw Voldemort's lifeless body crumble into dust over and over, while he stood with an arm around Ginny, and Ron and Hermione were on his other side. I just want Voldemort gone, and them safe… and that's what I see. I just have to work to make it reality.

• • •

Ron stared at the mirror in horror. He was seeing Hermione, alright: she was with Snape! He was seeing her talk to him, and he yelled at her, and she hugged him, and suddenly they were crying! He couldn't tear his eyes away from the scene in front of him. They dried their tears, and Snape moved away for a minute, then Hermione fainted. Ron gasped, and almost fainted himself when he saw Snape pick her up and carry her somewhere. She's hurt, or something, and I'm not there to help her! All she has is the Greasy Git!

"Ron! RON!" Someone was shouting at him… He finally looked away from that horrible mirror to see Harry white as a sheet and Ginny shaking him and yelling at him.

"Oh, sorry," he said distantly, his mind unable to comprehend what he had just seen.

"Are you ok Ron?" "Has something happened to her?"

"She's… she's with Snape. I guess I should look again, only I should be more specific about my greatest desire. I could only see Hermione and a bit of stuff around her," he said, turning to the mirror again.

"No! Ron, don't do it now, you've obviously had a terrible shock. Let me," Ginny pleaded, but it was no use; he had already looked at the mirror.

At once he saw a moderately sized cottage in a forest clearing, and the words Malfoy Cottage, no Floo Connection at the bottom of the mirror. It faded to picture of a bit of forest with a path in it and the words Closest Apparition Point at the bottom of the mirror.

Ron stepped away from the mirror, determination evident in his stance.

"Ok, I've got it. Harry, you'll need to use Legilimency to get the exact location we have to Apparate to, and whoever's better at Apparating should take Ginny."

"Ron. We can't Apparate while inside of Hogwarts. And I'm not sure I can even get the memory from your mind. The Occulumency lessons went horribly and he didn't even try to teach me Legilimency," Harry pointed out.

Ron's shoulders slumped. Oh yeah. I hate it when I have a great plan that'll never work.

"Hey don't worry about it, maybe we can talk to Remus or McGonagall or someone. Maybe they know something about Legilimency, or can help us somehow. We'll find her, Ron." Ginny reassured him, and gave him a hug. Harry joined in, shouting "Group hug!" and they all laughed, took their brooms back out, and left for the Headmistress' office.

Yeah I know the Mirror of Erised is a common plot device. It fit well though, I'm not knocking it. I hope you enjoy the story, and feel free to review, or not, and tell your friends, or not. The AD/MM thing isn't really crucial to the story; I just like it, hehe. Well, I'm off, good morrow.