Chapter 15
"Hogwarts is under siege."
"Can we get in?"
"This is Padfoot you're talking to. Of course, I can get you in."
"Wait. Padfoot? As in Padfoot, Moony, Prongs and Wormtail?"
They both turned and looked at Ginny.
"How did you-"
"I have a map you made."
Sirius grinned and threw his arm around Ginny's shoulders. "I knew I liked you."
"So we can get in."
"Yes. There are several hidden passages-"
"The one behind the mirror on the fourth floor is collapsed in."
"Damn. Well, okay. One down, but there are more. There's one that connects the Shrieking Shack to the Whomping Willow. A bit dangerous, but I think we can make it. There's a knot at the bottom that freezes the tree."
"If it's a siege, then that leaves us open to attack while on the grounds."
They both looked at Ginny again. "Us? Oh, no!" Blackheart shook his head firmly. "You're not-"
"Try to stop me." Ginny crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.
"There's the one through Honeydukes," Sirius said, trying to override the battle of wills going on in front of them. Blackheart and Ginny were staring at each other, both stubbornly crossing their arms.
"Have you even been inside the castle?" Ginny asked.
Blackheart's face flushed and he adjusted his spare glasses. "No. Definitely not."
Sirius smirked at the lie.
"Besides Fred and George," she continued, "there's not another person who knows it better than I do. And, I still have the map."
"But not with you."
"No, of course not, but I could get it there."
"We don't need the map." Sirius pointed to himself. "Padfoot, remember?"
"We still don't know what we're walking into, or how we're going to get in."
"Dobby could take you."
They all froze and looked down at Dobby, whom they had forgotten was even present in their haste to plan.
"Brilliant idea," Blackheart said.
"It worked last time," Sirius agreed.
"Dobby would be happy to do it, Masters and Miss. Dobby will take Master and Miss, then come back for Master Black."
Ginny looked a little worried at the prospect, so Sirius leaned over. "No need to worry. House elf magic isn't like regular magic."
"As long as we don't splinch."
"It's fine," Blackheart said. "I've done it before." Sirius noticed that he'd stopped arguing with her about going. At least he'd learned that lesson early. It had taken James many times before he stopped trying to get Lily to listen to his demands.
"Well, what are we waiting for?"
A heavy moment passed between them and Blackheart looked at him, determination and fear warring for dominance. This was an entirely different game than the spying and keeping to the shadows he'd been doing for years. This was a possible confrontation with a madman.
Dobby stepped between Blackheart-Harry. Sirius decided that if there was any moment that he needed to remember to call Harry by his name, this was it. There would be no more hiding after tonight. They stood across from Sirius, Dobby holding each of their hands and disappeared.
Before Dobby could return, Sirius slipped a dark cloak around his shoulders and made sure his wand was in place. He gave one last look around the kitchen and thought about this house that he had hated for so long. He was no longer a prisoner, and yet...he felt anxiety about leaving, also. Thankfully, he didn't have to ponder it long. Dobby appeared and took his hand.
"Ready, Master Sirius?"
"Let's go."
They appeared in the kitchen and Sirius laughed as the house elves were greeting Ginny fondly while peering with wide eyes and awed expressions at Harry. Dobby had obviously been telling stories.
"Let's go find the old...er...Headmaster," Sirius said, quickly correcting himself. No need to ruffle any feathers right at first.
The hallways were bedlam as students were being hustled along the passages by frantic prefects and professors. Over it all, they could hear the commands of Professor McGonagall, magically amplified, telling them to proceed with caution and haste to the dungeons.
"Why aren't they evacuating?" Ginny asked. She was clinging to Harry's hand, her eyes wide.
"Not enough time," Harry said. "They should be fine down there."
The scowl on her face said that she didn't agree, but they had bigger problems right now than hundreds of kids. There was a horcrux to find hidden somewhere in the castle. And after that, a great bloody snake to kill.
Sirius had called dibs on the snake, but Harry had made no promises.
"Where do we even begin to look?"
"Sirius Black!"
They came face to face with Minerva McGonagall, who had her wand pulled and stuck right in Sirius' face.
"Professor!" Ginny threw herself between them. "It's okay, Professor. This has all been a big mistake. Sirius is...well, he's not who you think he is."
"Miss Weasley, have you been hexed?! This man is…"
"Not a fugitive," Harry said. The professor glanced at him and then paled.
"Oh, dear me."
"Uncanny, isn't it?" Sirius said.
"I would have sworn it was James," she muttered. "But...but the eyes."
"Yes. He has Lily's eyes."
"Professor, we're here to help," Ginny said. "We need to speak with Professor Dumbledore.
"And we need to find something," Harry said. "A crown, or a...what do you call it? A woman wears it?"
"A tiara?" Ginny asked.
"A diadem," Professor McGonagall said. "Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem?"
Harry clapped his hands together. "Yes! That's it. Do you know where it is?"
"Well, it hasn't been seen in ages," she trailed off and growled at several young boys who were holding up the procession through the hallway. "Ralphs and Stevens, move along now before I report you to your Head of House." Her gimlet glare got them moving along quicker and she turned back.
"Would anyone know?" Ginny asked.
"Perhaps the Grey Lady," McGonagall said helplessly. "But I couldn't say-"
"Thank you!" Harry said quickly. He took Ginny's hand and tried to force his way along the passage, going against the flow of bodies.
"Thanks," Sirius said.
Her mouth pursed into a tight expression. "Mr. Black. I didn't want to believe it, when I'd heard."
He didn't know what to say, so he just nodded. There would be time to deal with all of this later.
"Oh, and Sirius...do be prepared…"
He blinked at her, but she spun and began herding more students along. He found Harry and Ginny standing before the tall gargoyle.
"What are we waiting for?"
Harry looked rather abashed. "We don't know the password."
An unearthly glow from across the hall startled them. Several of the ghosts were standing near the tall, thin windows, looking out over the grounds.
Sirius rushed over and pressed his face to the glass to be able to see the front of the grounds where spell fire was coming from. He could only see a part, as it was facing the wrong direction, but the idea that Voldemort and his followers had breached the gate sunk something horrible deep inside him. A golden-orange glow grew and flickered long shadows on the grounds. It had to be Hagrid's hut on fire.
"We're out of time. You two find the diadem. I'll talk to Dumbledore."
The ghosts were watching them, floating just above the stones with forlorn faces.
"Won't you help us, please?" Ginny begged. "Please, Grey Lady!"
Sirius turned to Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor Ghost. "Wouldn't happen to know the password, would you?"
Nick glanced at the gargoyle and made a face. "For you, scalawag?!"
"Of course," Sirius said. "Remember when we made you an honorary Marauder? And James used to save you bits of rotting meat?"
The ghost seemed to shift uncomfortably before he melted into the passage wall. Sirius swore to himself, wondering what he'd done to piss off a ghost, but then the gargoyle began to slide.
Harry turned to him. "We know where it is. Well, Ginny does!"
Ginny grinned up at both of them. "As soon as she described the room, I knew right where she meant. Fred and George stored loads of their contraband in there. It may take us a bit once we're in there, but we'll manage."
"Harry, if you weren't standing right there, I would kiss your girlfriend." Sirius leaned down and kissed her forehead anyway, earning a laugh from Harry. "Meet back here when you've taken care of it. I'll try to smooth things over with…" He gestured toward the open passageway and grimaced. "Want to trade?"
But Harry and Ginny were already gone, racing off down the deserted hallway.
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Sirius took a deep breath and bounded up the stairs. When he entered the Headmaster's office, he found three men with their backs toward him, watching the scene unfold outside the window.
"It would seem, Headmaster," Severus Snape's voice said, "that your faith in the Boy Who Lived was misplaced."
SIrius didn't say anything, but came up to stand next to Dumbledore, watching as someone who looked an awful lot like Harry was struck down by a flash of green light by Voldemort himself.
"Was that…"
"I'm afraid…"
"That's not Harry."
All three of them turned to look at him and startled as they realized who he was.
"Sirius?!"
"Black."
"That's not Harry," Sirius said, pointing down at the body lying on the grass not far from Hagrid's burning hut.
Ron watched from the open doors of the castle, held back by Seamus and George. If they hadn't had such a grip on him, Ron knew he'd be dead also. He closed his eyes, seeing the green spell come toward Harry over and over again.
It had only been an hour since Harry had left the Ministry. Ron had caught up with him in Hogsmeade as he broke into Honeydukes to use the hidden passageway. They'd argued and fought the entire way as Ron begged Harry to reconsider facing Voldemort. But Harry was determined and adamant that the prophecy would protect him.
George and Seamus, along with a few others-Fred, Hermione, Bill, Neville, Luna, and even Percy-had followed the passageway, also, breaking into the castle.
Spellfire broke out near the castle gates and Ron had to turn his head rather than watch as Hagrid roared and took off toward the front of the charge.
"Come on," George said. "We can't do anything about it right now."
"But...Harry." Ron gestured to the black heap of robes laying all alone in the middle of the green grass.
"We can get him later," Hermione said. She laid her hand on Ron's shoulder and for the first time, Ron found he didn't want her to touch him.
"It's chaos out there, mate," Seamus said.
"I'll go out," Neville said quietly. "I can go through the greenhouse, slowly levitate him inside. He'll...he'll be safe in there. " Without waiting for an answer, Neville turned and stalked away. Ron wanted to follow, but George wouldn't let go of him.
"I'll go," Percy said.
"We need to tell Mum and Dad," Bill said, his voice breaking. "Let them know…"
"Some Chosen One." One of the Aurors that had come with them scoffed. Ron turned to hex her, but saw the tear tracks running down her face and couldn't lift his wand.
He understood the despair, and even disillusionment she felt. Harry was supposed to be the Chosen One. He was supposed…
A sob burst out of Ron and he leaned heavily on George.
"Come on. Let's go help fortify the castle."
Bill closed the doors and began charming them, layering spell after spell. Hermione joined him, listening to his patient instructions and following his lead. Ron shut his eyes and let George lead him away. Luna came up on his other side and slid her hand into his, clinging to him, resting her head on his arm as they walked.
"It will be alright, Ron," she whispered.
"How do you know?"
"I just do."
Harry felt like kissing Ginny, right in the middle of the chaos and stacks of junk they were surrounded by. Once he'd described the diadem he'd seen in Voldemort's vision, Ginny had led him straight to it.
"I allowed Sirius to kiss you earlier," he said, leaning down to press his lips to her ear. "But I hated every second of it, because it wasn't me doing it."
Ginny grinned up at him, hooking her arms around his middle. "What's stopping you now?"
"Maybe a war going on outside the castle?"
The reminder was like a bludger to the chest and Harry took a deep breath in before lowering his head. To hell with the war. Neither of them had a guarantee of coming out of this alive. Harry was going to take the moment.
Ginny melted into him and Harry pushed all of his responsibilities and worries to the back of his mind, allowing his emotions to rule. They broke apart, breathless, and watching each other with wide eyes.
"We'd better get back."
"Yeah."
"A part of me wants to just take you and disappear."
"We can't."
"I know. But I still want to."
"I know."
They turned, much more solemn now. Harry tucked the diadem into his robe pocket and intertwined their hands as they left the Room of Hidden Things. They walked, determined, but measured steps to the seventh floor corridor. Stopping just before the open gargoyle, Harry looked down at her once more.
"Last chance," he whispered.
She went up on her toes and kissed him again.
"See?" A voice said from behind them. "That's Harry. Getting his face sucked off."
They broke apart abruptly and turned to see Sirius, grinning, and pointing at them. Dumbledore, Remus Lupin, and Severus Snape were gaping.
"Ginny?"
From the other direction, another group were coming up the corridor, led by Bill and Percy Weasley.
"What're you doing here?"
"And who...?"
"Harry?!" Ron goggled at Harry before fainting completely to the floor.
Ginny pressed her face into his jumper and clung to him, whether in embarrassment or fear, he didn't know
"Guess it's time to explain," Harry mumbled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the horcrux, giving it a look before tossing it in Dumbledore's direction. The Headmaster caught it and stared at it. "Might want to take care of that."
"Good heavens."
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Note: Any guesses on what the title means yet?