::27::

As Harry looked around at the crowd of faces before him, it was like he had travelled back in time to a few years ago. Things had been simpler then; Harry wished it could be as simple now. There were some new faces, but the faces that were familiar to Harry looked as if they hadn't had an easier time over the past year than he had.

Neville in particular looked as if he had allowed his face to be used as a punching bag recently as he pushed his way through the screaming crowd toward Harry. "I knew it! I knew you would come, Harry!" He cried, pulling Harry into an embrace. Harry awkwardly patted his back, not knowing what to say.

Neville pulled away from Harry to scoop Hermione into a hug. She looked surprised, but embraced him warmly. "I knew you guys would come back! I kept telling them it was only a matter of time!" Neville kept saying.

Harry looked around the room in wonder as people continued to touch him and pat him on the back. It was a huge place that was stuffed with huge armchairs and big fluffy pillows. There were hammocks from the ceiling as if people had been camping out here. Huge tapestries depicting the Gryffindor lion, the Hufflepuff badger and the Ravenclaw raven decorated the walls. A Common Room that wasn't segregated by House…Harry couldn't ever recall there being one in the castle. "What is this place?"

"Naruto!" Neville shouted upon seeing the blond haired ninja. Naruto grinned as Neville reached up and ruffled his hair. "Blimey it's good to see your face! It's the Room of Requirement, Harry! I found it myself when we needed a place to hide. Those Death Eaters, the Carrows can't find us here."

"Neville really gets this place." Said another voice and Harry found himself looking into the face of Seamus Finnigan…or at least what was left of Seamus. His face was so swollen and bruised he was barely recognizable except for his voice. "He knows how to make it give us exactly what we need, it's great!"

"Yeah…" Said Ron, furrowing his eyebrows. "What happened to you lot?"

Neville led the group over to a large accommodating couch, allowing them to sit while the rest of the room crowded around them, some sitting on the floor and others in the surrounding armchairs as if it was story time.

"You've heard about the Carrows?" Neville asked.

"The Death Eaters." Said Harry. "They teach here now."

"They do more than teach." Seamus scoffed.

"More like Hogwarts is a prison and they are the wardens." Added Lavender Brown who Harry was surprised to see. She sent Ron a shy look.

"That's how most of us got this way." Said Neville, pointing to his face. "Small acts of defiance…we did everything we could to keep the hope alive. But it became harder…Luna was taken off the train at Christmas and Ginny never came back after Easter so it sort of all fell on me."

"They tried going after Gram, after I became too unbearable," Neville continued. Hermione let out a gasp and even Ron's eyes widened. "But they bit off more than they could chew with her. She's on the run now, said she's proud of me." Grinned Neville.

"So that's why you went into hiding then." Said Naruto, looking around the room.

"Yeah." Said Neville. "They sort of decided I was disposable after that. But enough about us! What about you guys?"

Harry and the others exchanged glances. Where to begin?

"There have been so many rumors!" Said Parvati Patil. Her twin nodded eagerly in agreement.

"We've been trying to keep up on Potterwatch!" Neville explained, pointing to a wireless device sitting in the corner. "But sometimes it's hard to get through."

"Is it…is it true that you're really ninja?" Cho Chang's voice was quiet as she looked at Naruto and Sai. There were murmurs through the crowd as everyone turned to stare at them.

"We heard Professor Hatake on Potterwatch! giving advice about how to deal with ninja." Seamus explained. "We sort of put two and two together after that."

"Ninjas were the ones who tortured my neighbors." Said another voice from the crowd.

"And they are guarding the entrances to Hogsmeade with the Dementors." Muttered Michael Corner. "Found that one out the hard way."

"And you remember that pink haired girl, don't you?" Said Lavender Brown. "She was the one who grabbed Luna Lovegood off the Hogwarts Express at Christmas! I saw her!"

"Hey now!" Shouted Neville, standing up as the crowd behind him started getting restless with remembering occurrences they had with ninja. "That's got nothing to do with Naruto and Sai!"

"What?" Shouted Naruto, bolting to his feet. "What was that about Sakura-chan?"

Sakura. Harry hadn't told Naruto what he had seen when he had been inside Voldermort's head but the thought was lost to him now as pain flared up in his scar. Harry doubled over on the couch, holding his head. Voldermort was in the Gaunt shack. He knew…he knew it was gone…

Everyone was still arguing when Harry came to. Naruto was still demanding that someone give him answers concerning Sakura and even Hermione was urging them all to calm down. Harry gripped the armrests and willed himself to stand up. "There's no time for this." He said weakly. "We need to get moving."

The room fell silent at Harry's word. Harry had been addressing Ron and Hermione, but it was Neville who answered him. "What's the plan then? What are we going to do?"

"Plan?" Said Harry, distracted. Voldermort was so angry…he had realized the ring was gone. He would be going to the lake next and when he realized the locket was gone, he would be coming to Hogwarts. They didn't have much time…

"There is no plan." Said Naruto. "Sorry guys, but this is between us." He told them.

The faces on everyone in the Room of Requirement fell once they heard that. "What is he talking about, Harry?" Asked Ernie Macmillan.

"He's saying that they're involved and were not." Replied Seamus. "These…ninja…are trusted more than we are." There was a bitter edge in his voice.

"That's not what this is about!" Ron snapped to the crowd. "We were all given a mission from Dumbledore. And we appreciate what you guys are doing here, we really do, but this is something only we can finish."

The room was silent after Ron's speech. Naruto clapped him on the back and gave him an appreciate smile. Even Hermione smiled at him gratefully.

"So…" Said Michael Corner, "You didn't come back here so we could retake the school?"

"No." Said Harry, feeling more miserable than he already did. "We just need to find something and then we'll be leaving." Before Voldermort could come but Harry wasn't going to mention that part out loud.

"Leaving us in this mess?" Seamus asked hotly.

"Hey!" Ron shouted, his face getting red, "What we're doing is beneficial to everyone! We're the ones that are going to end this war!"

"What will it matter if we are dead already?" Said Lavender loudly. There were murmurs of agreement around her. "It was just this morning that Teddy Boot got a dose of the Cruciatus Curse just for yelling too loudly in the Great Hall!" Someone else added to which Teddy emphatically nodded.

"Don't you care, Harry?" Someone else shouted to which more yells were issued as people began begging for Harry to help them while Ron and Naruto argued their case more heatedly.

It was beginning to be too much for Harry. His head was swimming, the pain and the screaming making his brain pound. He sank back onto the couch, holding his head in his hands. Sai watched the whole thing with a concerned expression, knowing that they needed to find the last Horcrux before Voldermort came and they really were in deep shit, but not knowing how. It wasn't until Hermione stood up and let out a scream that the room finally stopped shouting.

"Just stop it!" Hermione said shrilly. "Just stop it, all of you!" Her hands had balled themselves into fists and she took a deep breath before continuing on in a shaky voice. "We aren't going to get anywhere by ripping each other to shreds!"

"We understand that you must be going through hell." Hermione continued, in a softer voice this time. "And I know it must feel like…like Harry, Ron and I have abandoned you this year. But you have to understand the past year hasn't been any easier for us. We all want the same thing. An end to this horrible, horrible war."

"Why can't we just help you, Hermione?" Said Neville. "We're part of Dumbledore's Army too. You can trust us."

Hermione licked her lips and looked at Harry briefly before answering. "Maybe you can."

"Hermione?" Said Ron uncertainly as Harry looked up at Hermione, a surprised expression on his face. He furrowed his eyebrows, silently trying to ask her what she was doing.

"There's a lot of ground to cover." Said Hermione. "And…and we don't know what we are looking for. Maybe it couldn't hurt to have a few extra hands." Then she bent toward Harry and whispered in his ear "We don't have to tell them it's a Horcrux."

Harry sighed and then nodded. Slowly, he stood up, a hand on his head as he got his bearings before he pulled it away. "Okay." He said loudly enough to get everyone's attention. "There's something in the school that we need to find. Something that can help us defeat You Know Who. It was something of Ravenclaw's, so it's probably got her eagle or something on it. Anyone know of anything like that?"

The room was silent until Padma Patil cleared her throat. Her dark skin turned red as everyone turned to look at her.

"Padma?" Harry asked, hopeful.

"Well…the only thing that comes to mind is the lost diadem." Said Padma as her eyes flickered over the group.

"Yeah, but the lost diadem is lost, Padma, that's the point." Said Michael.

"When was it lost?" Asked Harry.

Michael shrugged. "Centuries ago, they say."

"Professor Flitwick said that the diadem vanished with Ravenclaw herself and no one has seen it since." Cho Chang added.

Harry shook his head and exchanged glances with Ron, Hermione, Naruto and Sai. "Something that has been lost that long…do you think it's likely?" Ron asked, skeptically.

"It's the only lead we have." Said Sai. He turned to Harry. "How much time do we have?"

Harry closed his eyes. The sky was dark…he was gliding over water. Whether it was the lake right outside the castle walls or the rough waters leading up to the cave entrance, Harry did not know. Either situation didn't afford them much time. "Sai's right, it's the only lead we have." Harry turned to address the crowd once more. "Does anyone know what the diadem looks like?"

"There's a statue of Ravenclaw wearing it in our Common Room." Said Cho. "I can show you, if you'd like."

"Yeah, that sounds good. We can go check it out." Said Naruto looking at Harry.

Harry nodded and turned to Ron and Hermione. "You guys can wait here while we go see. Keep…keep each other and…it…safe." He said, referring to the Horcrux that was still in their protection.

"I'll go with you." Said Sai, stepping forward. "Naruto should stay here to assist Ron and Hermione."

"What?" Said Naruto, confused. "Assist them with what, exactly?"

Sai paused for a moment, phrasing the words in his head before he said them. It was then that he realized, for the first time ever that he didn't know how to say what he wanted to. "I think this will sound offensive," He said, "But if you accompany Harry and he finds himself in need of someone with a brain, you are not the best person to assist him."

The group was silent as Sai finished speaking. Ron was biting down on his lip, trying not to smile and Hermione covered her mouth with her hand, although her eyes still expressed how surprised she was by his words. Only Naruto had his eyes narrowed and his mouth scrunched into a scowl. But then after a few seconds, Naruto shrugged and his expression relaxed.

"You're right, Sai. That was offensive, but it was also slightly true. Happy diadem hunting. Try not to get Harry killed."

Harry rolled his eyes, but was grateful for the brief moment of levity. "Let's go then."

Sai and Harry left the Room of Requirement though a secret staircase located in a cupboard after assuring Cho Chang that she would be safer if she stayed behind. She had seemed disappointed, but didn't press the matter. Sai and Harry moved quickly through the halls of Hogwarts, the Invisibility Cloak obscuring them from view and the Marauders Map in hand.

The staircases seemed to be on their side that night as they reached the Ravenclaw Common Room in no time. Harry had never been here before and he was distinctly nervous as he looked up at the door. There was only a brass knocker in the shape of an eagle, so Harry quickly reached out and gave it a knock. Both he and Sai winced as the sound reverberated loudly down the empty hall.

Harry, expecting it to ask him for a password was utterly surprised when a voice asked, "Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?"

"What?" Said Harry dumbly.

Sai looked thoughtful. "Isn't the Ravenclaw house based on wit and intellect? We must have to answer its question before we are allowed entry." He paused for a moment as another thought struck him. "It really is a good thing we didn't bring Naruto."

"Well what if we get the question wrong?" Said Harry anxiously. They didn't have all night to spend in front of the door, attempting to answer a question.

Sai shrugged. "It can't hurt to answer. What do you think?"

"I don't know." Said Harry impatiently. "The flame?"

"No…" Said Sai shaking his head. "A phoenix is born from the ashes of another. A never ending cycle of death and rebirth. Like a circle. It has no beginning."

"Well-reasoned." The voice said before it swung open, revealing the Common Room to them.

Harry had no words. He simply gave Sai's shoulder a squeeze before he ushered them inside and the door swung shut behind them.

The Ravenclaw Common Room was a wide, circular room that was decorated in various shades of blue and furnished with a variety of tables, chairs and bookcases with quiet niches that would be perfect for studying. Most impressive was the domed ceiling that was painted with images of the night sky.

Sai pointed Harry toward a marble statue of a woman next to the dormitory doors. They approached and Harry stared intently at it. There was a delicate circlet encircling the woman's head and there were words engraved on it. Stepping out of the protection of the Invisibility Cloak, Harry stepped closer to read the words.

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure."

"Which makes you pretty skint, witless."

Harry whipped around, stumbling as a short, stubby woman stepped from the shadows, her face ugly with glee. Then, before any of them could react, she pressed her finger on the Dark Mark. Harry's scar burst open in pain and he fell to the floor holding his scar. Sai threw a smoke pellet, hitting Alecto squarely in the face which stunned her before he emerged from underneath the Invisibility Cloak and knocked her out for good. He pulled her wand from her grasp and chucked it across the room before helping Harry to his feet.

"Thanks." Said Harry as he massaged his forehead with his hand. "It's too late though…he knows I'm here now…"

Sai didn't get a chance to respond as they heard the pounding of feet echoing down the staircase next to them.

"Quick!" Said Harry hissed as he picked the Invisibility Cloak off the ground. "Get underneath!"

Harry threw the cloak over him and Sai just as a dozen or so Ravenclaws poured into the Common Room, eyes still blurry with sleep. They gasped in shock when they found Alecto Carrow on the ground, still out cold. A few rushed over, one boy putting his fingers to her neck.

"Is she dead?" Asked one girl, cautiously.

"No." Said the boy who put his finger's to Alecto's neck. "Just unconscious."

"That's unfortunate…" Another boy muttered. "I'd thought she be done in for good."

Then there was a banging on the door to the Common Room, causing the students to jump. "Alecto?" Came a voice from the other side of the door, "Alecto?! Are you there? Have you got him? Open up!"

The Ravenclaws jumped when they heard the voice on the other side. Some backed away from Alecto, scared.

The pounding on the door continued, becoming harder with each blow. "ALECTO! If he comes and we don't have Potter…ANSWER ME!"

"What do we do?" A Ravenclaw girl whispered anxiously. "He'll think that we did it!"

"Let's go back to the dormitories!" Said a scared looking First Year boy. "Quick before he comes in!"

"He finds her in here like this, he'll only come after us anyways!" Said another, older girl.

Sai shook his head and made to leave the security of the Invisibility Cloak. "What are you doing?" Hissed Harry. Sai just shook his head and motioned for Harry to be quiet.

The Ravenclaws gasped when Sai materialized out of thin air, but Sai motioned with his hands for them to stay calm and be quiet. He urged them to return to their beds and they eventually did so, reluctantly. Sai quickly dragged Alecto's body of out sight and when the pounding on the door sounded like it was on the verge of splitting the wood, Sai transformed himself into Alecto Carrow. What could he say? He had gotten really good at impersonating Death Eaters over the past year.

"ALECTO! OPEN THIS..." The door swung open and the surprised Death Eater took a step back when Alecto greeted him with narrowed eyes.

"Are you trying to wake the entire castle, you daft idiot?"

Amycus Carrow's pudgy face was almost purple with range when he saw his sister's face. Sputtering, he pushed his way past Sai and entered the Common Room, wand brandished as he spun around, looking wildly for something. "What 'ave you been doing in here? Taking your sweet damn time…" He muttered. "Ave you got Potter? Where is he?"

"He's not here." Said Sai coolly.

Amycus turned to him, his tiny eyes wide. He held up his arm and bared the Dark Mark for Sai to see. "I felt me Dark Mark burn! If you've gone an' called him an' we don't have Potter…" He let out a shriek of desperation and began smacking himself in the forehead with a closed fist. "He'll kill us, you stupid wench!"

While Amycus busied himself with inflicting self-harm, Sai began to put the pieces together in his head. Why would Amycus think that Harry had been captured…how would Alecto have known to come here in the first place? Unless they were alerted by someone that Harry would try to come here? Someone who knew Harry would be looking for something of Ravenclaw's. If that was the case, there could only be one person…Voldermort. Harry had said he was checking his Horcruxes and perhaps he had sent the Carrows to stand guard until he could get here himself?

Sai walked behind Amycus. Alecto was smaller than he was, so Sai kicked the back of his knees, bringing him down to height before he wrapped one arm around his neck and used the other to hold his head. Within seconds, Amycus was on the ground, unconscious before he even knew what hit him. Harry stepped out of the Invisibility Cloak as Sai released his disguise and looked around the room.

"You Know Who knew you would try to come here." Said Sai as he paced the room. "Could he have hidden the Horcrux here?"

"Perhaps a secret nook, hidden in the walls or floor then." Said Harry as he raced over to examine the walls.

"Or…" Said Sai, "He knew you would come here because he knew you knew the last Horcrux was something of Ravenclaws. This is the only logical place to look, but maybe the Horcrux isn't here at all."

Harry stopped looking for any sort of magical concealment or secret hiding place and ran his hand through his hair, making it stick up more than it already did. "At this rate, we'll never find the Horcrux before You Know Who comes."

Harry began pacing the room, running his hands through his hair. Voldermort would come, that much was for sure. He said he would check this one last, but now that Alecto had called him, would he come sooner? And Voldermort wouldn't be the type to quietly slip into the halls of Hogwarts. Even if the magical barriers surrounding the castle weren't an issue, Harry knew Voldermort would blow through this place like a Class 5 hurricane, leaving bodies in his wake.

Harry couldn't let that happen. Not here. He needed to somehow find the Horcrux before Voldermort could come. If he could find it and escape, maybe he could somehow alert Voldermort and draw him away from Hogwarts before anyone got hurt. It would ruin his attempts at slipping in under Voldermort's radar and getting to Nagini would be harder than ever, but Voldermort was already onto him in any case and at least it would spare Hogwarts.

He just needed more time.

"Let's think about this logically." Said Hermione, splaying her hands out on the table before her, Ron and Naruto.

The rest of the Room of Requirement was busy chattering away, speculating on possible hiding places for Ravenclaw's lost diadem while others pondered if there could be another item of Ravenclaw's Harry could be looking for. They seemed frustrated by the lack of information that Ron, Hermione and Naruto could provide them, but at least they were calmer now that Harry had let them into the fold.

They were at least granting the trio their privacy which allowed Hermione to discuss with the boys what was really bothering her. "If we can't find the Horcrux before You Know Who comes…what do we do?"

Ron's face was grim as he leaned back from where he was sitting on the table. "Blimey, if it comes to that I suppose we're all goners, aren't we?"

Hermione's mouth drew into a thin line. "Ronald Weasley don't joke about such a thing."

"We'll have to get Harry out." Said Naruto, his tone uncharacteristically serious. "He's the only thing stopping You Know Who from completely taking over. If it comes to it, we'll have to take Harry and run."

"He won't like that." Ron sighed.

"But…but what about everyone else?" Said Hermione, glancing back at the rest of Dumbledore's Army. They were completely oblivious to the coming threat…all because of them. "We can't just leave them here to face his wrath. That would be wrong!"

"It's not exactly ideal, Hermione…" Said Naruto. "But what other choice do we have?"

"A distraction…or a bluff." Said Hermione, thinking furiously now. Everyone called her the brightest witch of her age, but what good was she really if she could save her friends from impending danger? The more she thought at it, the more a plan formulated itself, becoming clearer in her mind. "Yes, that's it…a bluff." She said, jittering as her nerves got the better of her.

"Care to share with the class?" Ron asked.

Hermione shot him a glare. "Very funny, Ron. If it comes to it, we will have to lie to You Know Who."

"That sounds dangerous." Said Naruto.

"Yes," Agreed Hermione, "It will be very dangerous. But think about this…if it comes to the point where we don't have the Horcrux, Naruto is right, we will have to take Harry and escape Hogwarts. But we can do it while still sparing Hogwarts and everyone inside it the terror of You Know Who's wrath."

"Go on." Naruto encouraged.

"If You Know Who is coming because he fears for the safety of his Horcrux, all we will have to do to lure him away is claim that we have it. Offer him an ultimatum – the safety of Hogwarts for the safety of his Horcrux. Hopefully the lure of both the Horcrux and of dangling Harry within his reaches will be enough to make him consider."

Ron frowned. "And when he realizes that we don't have the Horcrux?"

Hermione bit her lip and sighed. "I don't see any other options open to us. Perhaps the best we can hope for is that Harry manages to kill him and the snake. At least then he'll only have two Horcruxes to fall back on."

Ron buried his face in his hands. "That's a horrible plan, Hermione!" He moaned helplessly.

Naruto shook his head. "Even if we do find the last Horcrux before You Know Who comes, what are we supposed to do with it? That little back stabbing bastard took the only means of destroying them! We still won't be ready to kill him, not really."

Hermione gasped then, her hand squeezing Naruto's leg as he sat on the arm of her chair. "I can't believe I almost forgot!"

She turned to them, excitedly. "Basilisk fangs!"

"What?" Ron and Naruto asked in unison.

"Don't you see?" Asked Hermione, practically bouncing in her seat. "Basilisk fangs are another means by which we can destroy the Horcuxes! The venom coating them is lethal! It's how Harry destroyed Tom Riddle's diary, remember?"

"Well that's brilliant, Hermione." Said Ron, patting her hand, "But where exactly are we supposed to get one?"

"You forget where we are, Ron." Said Hermione, grinning. "The basilisk is still in the Chamber of Secrets. And lucky for us, it's already dead."

"Then let's go!" Said Naruto eagerly. "That will be one less problem for us to deal with later!"

Hermione stood up, but then she hesitated. "But what about Harry? If he does find the Horcux and returns and we aren't here…"

Ron shook his head. "Naruto was right. None of that matters if we can't destroy them. So let's go before we waste any more time."

Minerva McGonagall's living quarters in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry weren't very large and the stone floors and walls got quite drafty in the winter, but after the death of her late husband, it had become home. Her rooms were clean and orderly with everything in its precise place. Although Minerva wasn't one for decorating much, she had touches of home scattered throughout: her father's bagpipes sitting on a rocking chair near the fire, her mother's old Quidditch robes in a cedar chest near her bed and a single wild flower from Dougal pressed into one of the Transfiguration books in her bookcase.

Presently, however, Minerva was not in her rooms, although she very much would have liked to have been, enjoying a cup of tea. She was instead pacing her office, debating whether or not she should investigate the Ravenclaw Common Room. Filius Flitwick had come to her earlier in the evening expressing his concern over Alecto Carrow who had all but demanded that he allow her into the Common Room that night. Like Minerva, Flitwick had no love for the Carrows and trusted them as much as he did the Acromantulas living in the Forbidden Forest. But with Snape as current Headmaster, they had to tread lightly, especially where the Carrows were concerned. He gave them free reign of the school, turned his head the other way when complaints of abuse and mistreatment came his way and even went so far as to rebuke the other teachers when they didn't give the Carrows their way.

But Minerva was anxious. What did Alecto Carrow want in the Ravenclaw Common Room? Filius had said she seemed distraught and in a hurry. Minvera had the presence of mind to march straight there and see what was going on.

She had just set her mind to go over to the Common Room and see what was going on when her previously locked office door swung open mysteriously. Minerva already had her wand at the ready and a dozen curses ready to fly from her lips. These were dangerous times.

"Show yourself!" She snapped. "I'm not in the mood for games tonight!"

"Hi, Professor." Said Harry as he and Sai materialized in the room, their hands up in a show of surrender as the Invisibility Cloak slipped to the ground. "Too late for office hours?"

Bingo Book

Undesirable #18

William 'Bill' Weasley

Status: Pureblood, Known member of Order of the Phoenix

Family: Arthur Weasley (father) – Pureblood (see Undesirable #17), Molly Weasley (mother) - Pureblood (see Undesirable #20), Charles Weasley – brother (see Undesirable #19), Percy Weasley – brother (Accepted), Fred Weasley – brother, George Weasley – brother, Ronald Weasley – brother (see Undesirable #21), Ginerva Weasley – sister, Fleur Weasley nee Delacour (wife) – Quarter-Veela (Undesirable #40)

Security Status: MISSING – unable to locate since Ministry take-over.