Hope you all enjoyed my last chapters! And I know these ones just keep coming, but I can't help it! I'm so excited to finish it!
Anyways, this one is a bit longer than the rest, but...R&R! Pretty please with Ronald on top? Lol!
-LovelyAlice831-
"Neville!" Harry cried, shocked.
Neville? What? How? Did he just come through a painting? I stared, dumbfounded, as Neville came out of the painting and took Harry in a tight embrace.
"I knew you'd come back!" Neville said, beaming. He looked at each one of us. His face was badly bruised, numerous cuts over his face and neck.
"Neville, what happened to you?" I asked him.
He shrugged, unconcered. "New discipline." Then he turned to Aberforth and said, "More people will be coming, Ab. Might wanna stay awake."
Aberforth grunted as Neville motioned for us to follow us.
I waved farewell to Aberforth, who merely grunted, nodding to me.
We climbed through the portrait and found ourselves in a dark tunnel. Neville lit his wand and we did the same. This was completely insane. We were really going to just waltz right back into Hogwarts, three of the most wanted wizards with the most wanted wizard. Besides Voldemort. But at that moment, I didn't really think he mattered, seeing as how the Ministry went over. Bloody insane, they were, letting Thicknesse be Minister. Morons. Idiots. Complete –
"So what have you been up to?" Neville asked as we made our way to…who knew where.
"We've been on an extended holiday," Ron joked. I cracked a smile while Harry's face was grim.
"What were you doing?" The incline of the path began to rise slightly.
"Never mind us," Harry said. "What's been happening here, Neville? And why are you covered in bruises?"
"You've heard of the Carrows, right?" Neville asked. We nodded. "Right, well, they've been in the charge of punishment. And they've stopped the detentions altogether. There's no more Muggle Studies. The girl, she teaches why we should be afraid of Muggles and how we should destroy them, blah, blah. But the brother teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts, only now it's just Dark Arts. Crabbe and Goyle are excelling there. They got all excited when they found out we had to do the Cruciatus curse on anyone who didn't listen. That's how I got this one," Neville added, pointed to a deep gash on his forehead.
"Blimey, Neville," Ron said, staring at his face.
"Yeah. And I got this," Neville said, pointing to an ugly bruise on the left side of his face, "for asking Alecto, the girl, how much Muggle blood she had in her. They don't like me much," he added with chagrin.
"Neville, there is a time to stand up for," Ron said, "and I think you chose the worst times."
Neville shrugged. "It's worth it."
He began to puff as the incline got really steep. And then we were suddenly in a crowded room with red, yellow, and blue hangings on almost every inch of the walls.
"Harry!"
"Harry!"
"It's HARRY!"
"Ron!"
"Hermione!"
"Is this the Room of Requirement?" Ron asked, looking around the room.
Neville nodded and said, "Yeah. When it got really bad for me, I came here and just hid. There was a hammock and a bathroom, and it was really small. But then more of the guys started showing up and more hammocks appeared and the room got bigger."
"And when the girls came, there was a decent bathroom," Lavender Brown put in. My eyes swiveled to her and they narrowed. But she wasn't looking at Ron. She was looking at me, her face apologetic. My face was impassive as I turned my attention back to Neville.
"Yeah. We were all getting pretty fed up with the Carrows," Seamus said. "But tell us what you've been up to!"
I looked at Harry, who shrugged.
"We've been doing some stuff," Harry said vaguely.
Just as Seamus opened his mouth to ask what, someone else came through the portrait.
It was Dean, Luna, Ginny, Fred and George, Cho, and many, many other old D.A. people. I think I even saw Oliver Wood along with Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet. Wow. Word travels fast.
Seamus roared when he saw Dean.
"What? How?" Harry asked.
Luna held up a fake galleon. "Neville told us."
I gaped. I completely forgot about those things! They'll come in handy!
"So…what's the plan, Harry?" Neville asked expectantly. All eyes turned to Harry and us. I felt uncomfortable. We weren't here to take the school back. We were here to find a Horcrux!
"Look, guys, we can't stay," Harry said anxiously.
"But…then why are you back?" someone asked. Terry Boot.
"Aren't we going to take down Snape and the Carrows?" Neville asked.
Harry shook his head then beckoned Neville forward and told him something that Ron and I couldn't hear over the noise. Neville paled and nodded, swallowing.
"Go, Harry," Neville said.
"What?" Terry asked. "What're you talking about?"
"Harry has something else to take care of," Neville said. "In the meantime, lets get ready to take our school back!"
"Listen, I need to get into Ravenclaw's tower," Harry said, looking around at all the people staring back at him.
"I can take you," Cho offered eagerly.
Ginny instantly shot that down. "Luna can take you, right Luna?"
"Ooh, yes, I'd love to!" Luna said. She took Harry's hand and began to tug him towards the door, Neville tagging along close behind.
"Be careful," I heard him warn Harry. "That door, well, it goes somewhere each time, so we never know where we are. Just…be careful."
Harry nodded and then he and Luna were gone.
Ron came over to my side and whispered, "I think I know what to do."
I turned to him, confused. "What?'
"We need something to destroy the Horcrux, right?" Ron asked me. I nodded. "The Chamber of Secrets."
I gasped. "Why didn't I think of that?"
Ron merely grinned and pulled me towards the door while shouting something about a bathroom over his shoulder.
As we neared Moaning Myrtles bathroom, I asked him, "So how do you plan on getting in? You don't know Parseltongue."
He shrugged as he pushed open the bathroom door. "I have an idea as to how to do it, Hermione."
I stood back and watched as he said something that sounded like strangling hissing. He looked up expectantly, but nothing happened. He frowned. Then he tried again. This time, it worked.
He stepped back to stand beside me and when the way was clear, he squeezed my hand and jumped down into the black hole. I followed quickly after.
We slid down a long tunnel. We fell for what seemed like hours, and then the tunnel bottomed out and shot out onto the ground.
I stood and brushed at my clothes.
"Well that was fun," I grimaced. Ron began to walk forward and we saw a crumbling snake skin.
"Bloody hell, it's still here!" Ron said, surprised.
This snake skin had been here for over five years now. Ew.
"Come on, this way," Ron murmured, trudging forward once more. But then we stopped when we came to a door that was slightly open. Ron tugged it open and watched it swing back on its own accord with a low groan. When it was fully open, Ron led the way into what I assumed was the Chamber of Secrets.
I am going to where the evil snake that petrified me once lived. I'm so smart.
I climbed down after Ron, and he caught me when I slipped on the last rung.
I thanked him and turned around, taking in the vast chamber.
Ahead of us was a large head with its mouth open. Lining the walls were numerous stone snakes, mouths open in a permanent hiss. A stone walkway lay ahead of us and it was that that we walked on, heading straight for the moldering body of the giant snake.
"Merlin's beard," Ron said lowly. "That's a huge snake!"
"And Harry killed that?" I asked, slightly awed.
"He would've died if it wasn't for Dumbledore's bird," Ron said as we drew closer to the giant snake.
"That is true," I conceded as we finally reached it.
Ron knelt down, his nose wrinkled. "Disgusting."
My face twisted in disgust as Ron began wrenching basilisk fangs from its mouth with a sickening crunch.
"Oh, that's so disgusting," I said, horrified. But I, too, knelt down and helped him.
"How many d'you reckon we need?" he asked me, pulling another out.
"How many do we have?" I asked.
"I think we have five or six."
"That'll do."
Ron tehn took my bag and started digging in it.
"What are you doing?" I asked him, curious.
He didn't answer, only pulled out the Hufflepuff cup. He handed it to me, his face serious.
"Your turn to kill one, Hermione," he said.
I took the cup in shaking hands and stared down at it. Ron handed me a fang.
Gripping it tightly, my arm went back and then I was stabbing the Horcrux.
An odd shriek made its way out as it sort of…died.
When the Horcrux was destroyed, I tossed the used fang aside and said, "Well…that was interesting."
Ron laughed and we both stood, and made our way to the door.
"How are we going to get out?" Ron asked as we made our way back to the tunnel.
"Fly out, I guess," I suggested.
"How?"
I rolled my eyes and said, "Hold on to the basilisk fangs, will you?"
I saw Ron's arms tighten around the fangs he carried as I put the Hover Charm on him.
"Oh, this is ridiculous," Ron muttered. Then he looked at me and said," And how do you plan to get out?"
"Go get a damned broom, Ronald," I said huffily. He grinned at me and when he was back in the bathroom, I heard him say, "Accio broom!"
I vaguely wondered where this broom might come from, but then I heard a noise and suddenly, Ron was diving down, back to me. He held his hand out and I climbed onto the broom behind him.
We zoomed out of the tunnel and back into the bathroom, where Moaning Myrtle was staring at us in shock.
"And what are you two doing back here?" she asked.
"Coming to save Hogwarts!" Ron teased. Myrtle narrowed her eyes suspiciously then she sighed.
"Well, I guess you're telling the truth," she said. "But you do know they know you're coming tonight, right?"
Ron and I exchanged startled looks.
"They do?" I asked her. She nodded.
"Being a ghost, I hear many things," she said importantly, puffing out her chest. "And Snape told some Carrow to go hide in the Ravenclaw tower for Harry Potter."
"Damn," Ron muttered.
"But…that's where Harry's just gone!" I cried. I tugged Ron's arm and we raced out of the bathroom.
"Dammit, Hermione, where's the bloody Ravenclaw house?" Ron shouted.
"I don't know!" I shouted back, running up the marble staircase. We rounded a corner and saw Harry and Luna both walking back, Professor McGonagall was walking in the opposite direction, telling the suits of armor to stand and defend its school. They all jumped to life and took protective stances.
"Luna, go back to the Room of Requirement," Harry said to Luna, who happily skipped off.
"Harry!" we both shouted together.
"Where the bloody have you been?" Harry asked us, seeing the fangs in our hands.
"We went to the Chamber of Secrets," I said.
"Yeah. I copied what you said," Ron told Harry. Then he mimicked the noise and Harry flinched. "And we went and got the fangs."
"Right, well, he knows I'm here," Harry said almost wearily. "He's on his way. And so are Death Eaters."
"Bloody…." Ron nodded, his face fierce. "What do we do?"
"McGonagall is telling the other teachers and they're setting up protective enchantments now," Harry explained. "She's sending the younger students home. If any are seventeen or older, they can stay and fight."
"Well, what about the house-elves?" Ron said suddenly, looking from me to Harry and back again.
"What? You want them to fight?" I asked him, getting angry. See? Wizards always mistreat them! Always! And it will never –
"No. we should get them out of there," Ron said, determination in his voice. "We don't want any more Dobby's, do we?"
I didn't think.
The basilisk fangs clattering to the floor, I flung myself at Ron and kissed him full on the mouth.
Ron responded enthusiastically, the fangs dropping from his arms as well. He wrapped his now-empty arms around me and lifted me clean off the ground. I pressed myself closer to him.
I vaguely heard Harry saying something. And then –
"OI! THERE'S A WAR GOING ON HERE!" he shouted.
Ron and I pulled apart with some difficulty. We neither of us wanted that kiss to end.
I felt dazed and giddy and happy all at once.
Ron put me gently back on the floor and said, "Sorry, mate. But it's now or never, right?"
I blushed as I bent to pick up the fallen basilisk fangs. Ron knelt down too, his hands brushing mine every so often. I grinned.
When we stood, we made put the basilisk fangs into the bag and then made our way to the Great Hall where voices met us. And all eyes turned to us, and every mouth in that room dropped when they saw Harry walking in.
"That's Harry!"
"It's him! I swear it is!"
I started to grin. This was funny. No one knew about Harry being back except those in the Room of Requirement.
"Right," Professor McGonagall said over all the voices. The Hall immediately quieted. "Our headmaster has, to use the common term, done a bunk. I am now in charge. Now, all underage students, you will be escorted out of the school by your Heads of Houses. Gryffindor house, please go with-"
But just then, a voice, cold and menacing, rang through the Hall. Several students coward into each other.
"I know you are preparing to fight," he said, his voice reaching every corner of the room. "But I do not wish to spill magical blood. That is not my intention."
He paused for a moment.
"But if you had over Harry Potter, no will be killed," Voldemort said. "You have until midnight to present yourself, Potter. I will be waiting."
Silence.
And then someone screamed, "BUT HE'S THERE! POTTER'S THERE!"
It was Pansy Parkinson, pointing her shaking finger at Harry.
All at once, the Gryffindor house stood, wands raised, not at Harry, but at Pansy. Together, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw stood as well, their wands pointed at Pansy.
"Thank you, Miss Parkinson," Professor McGonagall said dryly. "You may lead the way out."
"Now, any student who is of age may stay," McGonagall continued while the whole Slytherin house trouped out. Then it was Ravenclaws turn. And the Hufflepuff and then, lastly, Gryffindor.
None was left of Slytherin, a few were left at both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff alike, but Gryffindor, almost ever seventh year stayed.
"Mr. Creevey, go, now!" McGonagall barked at the tiny sixth year. Collin unwillingly left with the rest of the Gryffindors, but something told me he was sneaking back to fight.
"Right. Hermione? Ron?" Harry said, pulling out his Invisibility Cloak. "Let's go get that Horcrux."
Right. Like I said. It's rather long. But I hoped you liked it.
Hey? Wanna review for meh? I'll love you FOREVAH! Bahaha! Sorry. What can I say? I'm in a good mood today, which is PROBABLY why I wrote this. Right after I wrote the epilogue! Baha! And you can't read it yet! Nee, nee, nee, nee!
Okay...I'll let you go now. BUT FIRST! Review? Eh? Eh? Wanna review yet? Heh? I will LOVE YOU! ^_^
Right. I'm done now. Promise. REVIEW!
-LovelyAlice831-