A/N: Well… I think this will most likely be the last chapter for a few days. I need to recharge my batteries and decide if I want to keep this story light and fun or have it start taking a darker turn. Thoughts on the direction will be considered, but the story's final outcome will not change.

Hope this one tides you over till I get up and moving again.

Keep those reviews coming…

O X O X O X O X O X O

BEGINNING OF THE END

Hannah brushed back her blonde hair, her eyes alive with anticipation as she picked up her satchel and hurried towards the door leaving the Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Professor Ku'une had complimented her on her shield spells, earning her another twenty House points for Hufflepuff.

Stepping out into the hallway, she caught sight of Jay Flemming retreating in the opposite direction. If she remembered correctly, he was free for the rest of the day and often spent his afternoons in the library… typical of Ravenclaw.

Sucking up her courage, she picked up her steps and made up next to the boy. "Hey there… fancy meeting you here."

Jay glanced down at her before rolling his eyes, although there was a quirk of his lips that hinted at a smile. "Abbott."

"You know, we've talked enough times… you can call me by my first name."

He paused momentarily before nodding, his gaze kept straight ahead. "Okay… Hannah."

She smiled at having finally succeeded in getting him to call her by her first name. Phase two of her master plan finally kicking in. "So… Jay. Of to the library again?"

He smiled slightly. "Yes. NEWT's, you know. Never to early to get a jump on having all of your homework done."

Hannah hid a giggle behind her hand. "You sound like Hermione Granger. Always worrying about homework. Don't you ever relax?"

Jay rolled his eyes. "I suppose… though I never really paid too much attention to… other things."

"Well." She took a deep breath. "Tomorrow is a Hogsmeade weekend. I could show you around since you're new… and I know that you've not been out of the castle since you got here."

"You know?"

She blushed prettily. "Yeah, well… I'm sure lots of people noticed, you being new and all." He nodded, his steps leading them closer to his destination.

"And I was thinking… we could meet in front of the Great Hall after breakfast… if you want." She rushed the words out, hoping she wasn't as red as she thought she would be. "We could go together."

At her offer, Jay turned to look at her. Shyly, Hannah looked up at the tall boy… young man, his dark brown hair and dark eyes catching her breath in her throat. He watched her carefully, before he slowly nodded.

"Sure. I can do that… if I can get everything done tonight."

She couldn't help the smile that blossomed over her face. "Great. Listen… I can help you with any homework tonight, you know, if you'd like… study together. And then maybe plan what we'll do tomorrow."

"Okay." Jay answered slowly. "Now?" At her look, he smiled… almost making her weak in the knees. "Study, I mean. Since we're here at the library."

"All right."

They walked together into the library, several tables already full of other students with several books and parchments open, tables covered with students studying for OWL's and NEWT's. Hannah couldn't help but smile over at her friends who saw her walking next to Jay. At Susan's look of surprise, Hannah covertly shot her a thumb's up sign and got a wink back in return.

They soon sat at a table and started pulling books out, readying them for getting their class work out of the way. Hannah chewed at her lip, the silence drawing out.

"So… what do you think about the headmistress taking over transfiguration from Professor Tonks?"

At her question, Jay looked up startled. He watched her warily for a moment, before finally relaxing just a bit and shrugging. "Not sure. Maybe Professor Tonks had a family emergency or something."

Remembering the juicy bit of gossip that he had helped her come up with a few weeks ago, Hannah sat and playfully brushed her hair back, rewarding Jay with what she hoped was her best smile. "Yeah… or maybe she and Harry had a lover's spat. He's definitely been in a foul mood since she vanished at the beginning of the week."

Jay nodded noncommittally. "Maybe. I don't hang out with Harry Potter. I think I've spoken to him all of twice since I got to Hogwarts… and whether he and some professor are playing house or having a fight is nothing to do with me."

"Aren't you curious, though?" She absently leafed through one of her school books, never noticing that it was turned upside down. "I mean… take this year. He's been so… well, distant since he broke up with Hermione, but since Professor Tonks has been gone, he's been downright... well, rude."

"Not the golden boy of Hogwarts anymore, huh?"

Hannah shot Jay a look. "Wow. Golden boy. I haven't heard Harry Potter called that since Draco Malfoy was a student here."

Silently, Draco cursed at his falling into old habits. "Malfoy? He used to go here?" He tried to cover his mistake. Luckily, the Hufflepuff seventh year seemed to fall for it.

Hannah visibly shuddered. "Eww. Yeah. He was absolutely dreamy to look at, but he was Slytherin…. Completely. Turned to You-Know-Who. He and Professor Snape, the old potions teacher before Professor Slughorn let Deatheaters into the school last year. Killed Headmaster Dumbledore."

Dreamy? "What happened to him?"

She shrugged. "Don't know. Don't want to know. All I do know is that it took the headmistress coming to my home and talking to my dad before he'd agree to let me come back this year."

At her forlorn look, Draco/Jay nodded silently. "How about we hit these books before dinner?"

After she nodded, he reached over and turned the book sitting in front of her around. "And I bet," He smiled. "That we'll get so much more accomplished when you can read the words written on the page."

O X O X O X O X O X O

"What are you going to do?"

Hermione sipped at her butter beer, trying to ignore all of the other people packed into the Three Broomsticks. She'd been mostly successful, only having to glare a few times at various careless passersby that had jostled her, causing her to almost spill her drink.

Sighing, she kept both hands around the base of the bottle, setting it back on the table in front of her, as she considered Ginny's question.

"I don't think it's a good idea."

Lavender set her own drink down hard, causing all of the other students crowded around the booth they had managed to snag to jump back in surprise. "Not a good idea? Are you crazy? He's ripe for the picking, girl… now is the time to strike."

She shook her head, ignoring the looks that passed between Dean and Seamus, both having already voiced their dislike for conspiring against Harry… even for possibly helping him and Hermione get back together. She shook her head. "Trying to… how did you put it earlier? Oh. Right. Beat the bitch at her own game… she's off doing something important… fighting the good fight for all of us. And I should steal Harry away while she's gone?"

Ignoring the looks of the others at the table, Lavender grimaced at having her words thrown back in her face. "Steal him? How can you consider it stealing when she stole him from you?"

"Lavender…" Ginny tried to talk, but she was shot down by a glare from the older girl.

Hermione kept her gaze at her half empty bottle. "She didn't steal him… you know that. Everything just…"

How could you finish that thought?

"No. All's fair in love and war. Isn't that the saying?" Lavender sipped at her drink. "Are you willing to do what is necessary to get the proclaimed 'love of your life' back or not?"

Hermione shook her head. "I can't." From the corner of her eye, she watched as Hannah Abbott and the strange Ravenclaw, Jay Flemming moved into the room and sat down at a table currently occupied by Hufflepuffs. Turning her attention back to the girls around her, she sighed. "No."

Both Padma and Pavarti stared openmouthed. Ginny nodded, though almost too briefly for anyone to catch it. Lavender slumped her shoulders, defeated.

"I love Harry. I do." Hermione finished off her drink. "But I want him to come back to me… no tricks. Because he wants me."

Ginny opened her mouth and closed it several times before she took a breath. "Then you need to be his friend, Hermione… not an ex-girlfriend, but a friend. You need to be what Harry needs." At Hermione's look, Ginny's ears blushed red. "You know that's the way to his heart."

Hermione shrugged. "I thought I did… it just seems too unreal sometimes."

"What does?" Pavarti asked as she started eating from the bowl of crisps at the center of the table.

"Harry with Tonks." She took a breath. "Sure, they were all chummy last year, but that was because of those death threats… the new Minister wanting some good P.R. by a show of protection for the Chosen One."

Dean leaned forward, his eyes darting around the assembled young women. "Are you just pretending to not get it… or what?"

"Huh?" Several pairs of eyes turned to look at him.

"I guess without Harry or Ron, you don't have a guy's view of it… of what happened." He paused while he snagged the attention of a passing waitress and ordered another butter beer. "It's not really all that deep… especially for Harry."

"Well?" Lavender sighed. "Dazzle us with your brilliance."

Ignoring her sarcasm, Dean looked at Seamus. The other boy sighed as he leaned forward. "You drove him into the arms of another woman. Everything that belonged to him some other guy got to take… therefore, he had to get it from someone that wouldn't give it to someone else."

Padma bristled at the 'belonged to him' part, but kept nodded at the simplified explanation. "That could be it, Hermione."

"B-but… I didn't give anything." Her eyes went cold. "It was taken."

"By his best mate." Dean smiled sadly. "And while you say it wasn't your fault… or Ron's, for that matter… I bet Harry believes you with his head."

"But not with his heart." She whispered.

Both boys nodded. "And with his… well… heart broken and empty, he turned to a friend,"

Dean smiled. "Professor Tonks, in this case."

"And he used her as a surrogate for you." Seamus finished.

Susan's eyes were wide at the craziness of it all. "But… how could Harry do that to Professor Tonks? That's so…"

It was Ginny who answered. "He wouldn't. Didn't." She shook her head, red hair spreading across her shoulders. "You're acting like Harry is using her. Anyone that knows him knows that isn't the case."

Hermione nodded softly. "See, Lav… that's what I'm up against. If Harry was the type for a quick shag… and maybe that would have been all it was, but she stayed…"

"Got in under his wall…" Ginny interjected.

"He's in love with her now… though it'll take an act of the Goddess to get him to admit it." Hermione smiled ruefully. "It took him thinking he had lost me at the Department of Mysteries before he could find a way to tell me."

"You have to stop it." Lavender's eyes seemed to burn. "Don't you see? She got in… something I thought nobody but you… maybe Ginny… could have ever accomplished. You have to fight."

Pavarti looked at her empty bottle of butter beer. "Its not like you didn't throw the gauntlet down already."

"That was…" Hermione paused, her mouth open.

The whole table paused as Ron walked by, his eyes darting over the table before he nodded briefly and then moved over to catch up with Neville who was waiting for him at the door.

Lavender watched as Hermione followed Ron's movements. Leaning over the table, Lavender smiled sadly. "You miss him, too, don't you?"

"Yeah." Hermione smiled back. "Both of them… I wish we could go back to how things were… even as bad as thing were last year with Umbridge and Snape. All of it."

At the tears that finally threatened to fall, the table became quiet. Ginny finally reached over and placed her hand over Hermione's. "The cookies."

Hermione used her free hand to wipe at her eyes, refusing it let the tears fall. "I wish I could understand… those damned cookies."

"Still no idea?" Padma asked, her eyes wide. "It's not like you have that long of a list of likely suspects".

Ginny frowned, her eyes not meeting anyone else at the table. "We're talking about my family… this will be a blow. Mum will be devastated… Dad furious. And Ron…"

"So you do have an idea?" Susan asked.

"Nothing that make any sense… I just can't believe it. I keep looking for another answer… or a reason. Something that doesn't make me ashamed of being a Weasley."

Everyone at the table sat riveted. Finally, Lavender broke the silence. "Do you know?"

"I think it was a mistake." Ginny shrugged.

"A mistake?" Hermione shrieked.

She nodded sadly. "I think it was Fred and George… and I think the cookies were meant for you and Harry." Ginny took a deep breath. Here we go. "And I think it's all my fault."

O X O X O X O X O X O

"Achoo!"

Luna looked up from where she was sitting, the assorted boxes and packing materials all around her lending to the image of Christmas morning… without all of the pretty paper and bows Her pale eyes sparkled as she blew at her hair that refused to stayed tied back in a ponytail, and wiped away at the dust that seemed to fill the air all around her.

"You know… sneezing is an excellent repellant for…"

"Nevermind." Harry waved his hand, almost afraid to hear of what strange and hereto unseen magical creature was warded off by sneezes.

"Okay."

For a moment, he worried that he might have hurt her feelings, the abrupt manner in which she took his interrupting her explanation, but a quick look at the blonde Ravenclaw had him dismiss the idea since she was humming "Weasley is our King" under her breath, her gaze returning back to searching through many of the packed belongings to Dumbledore. So far, there had been no luck in finding anything.

Returning back to the trunk he had been searching through, Harry carefully set the offending old picture album that had led to his sneeze to the side, taking special precautions to not create another cloud of dust. His allergies just wouldn't be able to take too much more inhalation. Groaning, Harry pulled out what had to be the hundredth robe… this one set in electric blue with silver and gold stars.

He chuckled that at least it hadn't been as bad as the one that had green clovers, blue diamonds and purple horseshoes on it. That one had to have been a gag gift or something.

As he pushed his hands further into the trunk, feeling around for anything that fit the description of his quest, he felt someone's gaze upon him. Turning carefully, he found Luna sitting there, staring.

"Luna?"

"Yes, Harry?"

"Do you need anything?"

He watched she scrunched her face. "Need? No."

Not need? "How about want."

"What about want?"

Closing his eyes, Harry felt a smile come to his face. Just how many conversations over the years had he experienced with her? Too many… and yet, he still fell for it every time, without fail. "Is there something that you want, Luna?"

"I want many things, Harry."

Mentally, he felt like screaming. "Luna… is there something, in particular, that you are thinking hard about, that you want?"

She nodded slowly. "I want you to be happy."

Well. Not exactly what I expected. Harry rose from where he was sitting and moved closer to Luna. She smiled as he took her hands in his, the green of his eyes unflinchingly meeting the pale blue of her own. "What makes you think I'm unhappy?"

"Tonks is gone. You don't talk to Ronald except when you have to… Order meetings or Quidditch. You still avoid Hermione…"

"Wait." Harry stopped her. "I do not avoid Hermione."

"You do. Your heart does. She loves you, you know."

Harry sighed. He considered pulling his hands away, but Luna held them tightly. "I love Dora now… I'm with Tonks."

Luna tilted her head to the left, her face unreadable. "Just because you love Tonks doesn't mean that you stopped loving Hermione. That's just silly, Harry."

He smiled. He didn't really want to, but he couldn't help it. "I just can't get past seeing her and Ron together… every time I look at her, that image just is suddenly there. I don't want to see it… can't stand to see it. But it won't go away."

Harry looked at her then. "You've gotten over it with Ron, haven't you?" At her nod, he leaned closer. "How?"

She shrugged. "Maybe because I only heard about it. I didn't see it. I wasn't forced to live with the memory of it… just the knowledge."

"And that's the problem…" Harry tried to smile, but failed miserably. "I'm in love with two women… one that's my best friend that slept with my best mate… and the other is gone off on a mission for the Order, gone for who knows how long. Not a lot to be happy about."

"Well," Luna spoke into the quiet that had fallen over them. "I guess it's up to me to make you happy."

Harry laughed, his eyes sparkling… something that warmed Luna. "Not that I don't appreciate the thought, Luna… but two is more than I can handle. Adding a third just seems…"

Luna blushed bright red at Harry's words. "Oh. No. Wait. You thought I meant…"

He looked at her, Luna's cheeks pink with embarrassment. "Sorry… I didn't mean to embarrass you… I just thought, well…" Now he was flushing. "The way you said that…"

"Make you happy?"

Harry nodded. Shaking her head, Luna smiled. "I just meant that we could stop looking through all these boxes."

"What?"

Releasing his hands, Luna reached into the box to the right of where they were sitting. Luna reached under some torn packing paper and pulled out something bundled up in a heavy white cloth. As it drew closer, Harry watched as the material fell away revealing a large amethyst crystal. Immediately upon setting eyes upon it, memories of the large stone in Dumbledore's office flooded into his mind's eye.

This is what they were looking for.

Harry felt his frustration fall away as his thoughts whirled into every direction. The fifth horocrux… after this, Nagini. And then… Voldemort.

The end was near.

O X O X O X O X O X O

In days long past, they would have sat in palaces… servants clamoring and fighting for the even just the honor to be in his presence, their every want and desire acted upon immediately, lest they feel the weight of their master's displeasure. Scraps from his table would have been regarded as higher than gold… more precious than diamonds. More necessary than food or water.

Looking about the dark, shadowed cavern located near the ancestral remains of Riddle Manor, Lord Voldemort was holding court over the sycophants and other dregs that had flocked to his banner, the promise of a place in his new order too strong a lure for the weak willed and criminally minded. From the vantage of his throne, a chair ripped from the home of a nameless victim, his crimson gaze crossed over the kneeling masses, finally settling upon those few remaining of his trusted servants.

"Wormtail." At the sound of his voice, the man in question flinched, his body shaking from being in the presence of such greatness. "You have word?"

"Y-yes… yes… M-master…. Th-the… the…"

If possible, Voldemort's features became even darker, a sure sign that his anger was rising, as he sneered down at the sniveling coward. For not the first time, he considered just ending its useful existence… but he had been loyal… true loyalty… and the silver hand at the end of his arm signified that he had been favored once, in the Dark Lord's eyes.

Moving his gaze to the left, Bellatrix bowed her head at finding his eyes upon her. There was still a challenge in her eyes… a dance of madness that brought a smile to his lips… his Bella, the beautiful death. She had been a masterpiece of creation, the time it had taken to break her will… the Black family had always been proud, their place had to be shown to them… before restoring her to the shape and mindset of his liking. She had fought until the very end… her final test the killing of her cousin, Regelus… the traitor.

It was only luck that allowed for her to destroy Sirius, as well. The line of Black was ended… it had made him smile.

"My Lord…" She spoke suddenly. At her words, he pulled from his memories and set his hard gaze upon her.

"Yes, child. Speak."

Bellatrix kept her head bowed as was respectful. "You will not like his answers, my Lord. He fears for his very life at being the messenger of such tidings."

Flicking a glance at Wormtail, he sighed. "And what could be so bad other than failure at having retrieved that which I asked for?"

"M-master… for… forgive me… but they were not there." The rat animagus cringed. "None. They-they were… all gone, sire… Master… they were gone!"

Voldemort had not even realized that he was standing, his wand in hand… as his eyes blazed over the assembled Deatheaters and hired mercenaries. "WHAT!"

Bellatrix had not moved from where she stood... a lone tree standing against the rush of the storm, the others falling away under the storm. "All of the… items you wished recovered, my Lord. All that we could reach were gone."

Turning suddenly, the long cloak that swirled around him in a motion that seemed to give life to the dark fabric, he slammed his hand along the armrest of his throne, his voice was like the promise of death. "We must retrieve at least one… one more…" Only two figures in the crowd before him caught Voldemort's glance at the snake curled at the base of his throne's raised platform.

"Wormtail!" The former Marauder jumped in fright. "You must enter Hogwarts. I must have it… I must make sure that all is well…"

"Y-yes, master…"

Along the second row of Deatheaters, Severus Snape closed his eyes and concentrated on keeping his mental shields up… the danger of his knowledge almost too much. He'd been removed from the inner row, those closest to the Dark Lord, for his failure to capture Draco Malfoy after he'd turned traitor and run. He smiled, thankful that his godson was safe… his promise to his mother intact.

Much further away from where the former potions and then DADA professor knelt, another figure considered the options available to her. Though not knelt, her eyes were carefully kept as far from looking at You-Know-Who as possible, the danger of what she contained inside a real threat to the Order and to Harry if it was ever let out.

Grimacing as she ran her hand over her bald head, the raised scars that marked her as a sword-sworn magi of the nineteenth level, she once again wondered at what Harry might be doing right now… her greatest wish to get out of this dungeon… to take a long, hot bath (with bubbles!) and to sleep for a week in the arms of her love.

"I want some action on that…" A gruff voice mumbled next to her.

Glancing with her one good eye at the mercenary that had recruited her three days ago… he'd told her to call him Spire… Tonks nodded her head as she grinned, a sight made even worse by the broken and filed teeth that filled her mouth… no male would ask for sexual favors from her. She was all for Harry.

"Tell me bout it." Her voice was heavy with scorn. "Thought we might seen some action by now… you said it was a good gig…"

The captain of her mercenary squad, the Blood Takers, Castor Troodmal chose that moment to walk up and look over the two of them. Though normally one to stand with the wizards and witches of his group, Tonks had been surprised when the elder Malfoy had approached him earlier to join one of the closer rows…at least to the third row from what she'd been able to spy.

"It is." Her captain barked. "Suit up and get ready. We're going to create a diversion so that the Dark Lord can get his people into Hogwarts."

"Right on!" Spire cheered, his eyes lighting up at the chance to kill.

Tonks just nodded. "When do we leave?"

Maybe there'd be a chance to contact the Order… to send out a warning that there was an imminent attack on Hogwarts coming.

It was not meant to be. Circe protect you Harry… be safe!

Troodmal smiled wickedly, his eyes holding the promise of pain. "We leave immediately."