-I own none of this, that right and privilege lies with J.K. Rowling-

-I write because I enjoy it, please no nasty comments. Constructive criticism and random "hi"s are welcome-

Chapter 4: The Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw

Nearly four months passed uneventfully. Severs returned from every errand Dumbledore set him and every meeting with Voldemort. Lily enjoyed her work with the Charms Master. She divided her free time between tutoring OWL and NEWT students and helping Severus with his enormous work load. As a "double agent" a Head of House and the Potions Master, he had a great deal to do. Lily was always there for him with whatever he needed, be it a glass of gillywater, a stack of papers she'd graded for him or simply a hug.

Three days into the Christmas holiday Dumbledore called them into his office. "I believe I've found the next Horcrux." He said. Lily gasped, Severus was more in control.

"Where?" He asked

"Here, of coarse." Dumbledore replied "He's hidden it in the Come-and-Go-Room"

"On the seventh floor?" Asked Lily

"Yes" Dumbledore said smiling, "You know it?"

"We called it the room of requirement." Severus interjected smiling slightly at Lily's blush.

"Well if you've ever been to the room of hidden things you'll know it's no small task finding a specific object, especially one that may have been magically concealed."

"Thousands of years worth of students and teachers hiding things." Lily thought out-loud "Te=he room will have to be huge to hold all of that."

"That is precisely why I've enlisted your help in this matter." Dumbledore said calmly. "There is also the problem of magical concealment or obstacles, though Lord Voldemort may have been arrogant enough to think he was the only one who knew of the room. Not likely I'm afraid." "No it isn't." Said Severus now shooting apprehensive glances at Lily every few seconds, and this fact was not lost on her.

"Sev," she said with a meaningful look at him, "I'm a big girl I can look after myself."

"She's right Severus, besides if we want to find this horcrux before Christmas we need her help. And we need to get going." He said with a glance out of the window where dusk had fallen. "One more thing my dear," He said holding out the sorting hat, patched and frayed as ever. "Reach in here could you."

"What?" Lily gasped, alarmed as her hand closed on cold metal. She pulled her hand out of the hat, removing a sword.

"The sword of Godric Gryffindor, it may present itself to any worthy Gryffindor. This makes things much more straight forward, for now." He said ominously, taking the sword from her.

"Shall we?" asked Severus holding the door for them. The three of them set of through the castle to the seventh floor corridor.

"I trust you know how the room works?"

"Yes" Lily and Severus replied in unison.

"Well then we need to get into the room where everything is hidden, Severus could you do the honours?" Severus nodded then he paced back and forth in front of a large black stretch of well three times. Suddenly a door appeared. Lily glanced at Dumbledore who smiled, she opened the door and what she saw astonished her. It was longer than a football field inside with a ceiling so high it was indistinguishable. There were towers of things everywhere, broken furniture and bottles of things gone rancid stacks of empty cherry bottles near the entrance.

"The Slytherin Common room is in the southern dungeons isn't it? Lily asked glancing at Severus.

"Yes," he said grinning at her "you should know that."

"Well yes, but I had to make sure. I think we should check that corner first." She said

"Yes we should, also along the walls. It would be easier to find if that way." Severus put in "In case he ever decided to move it."

"I agree," Said Dumbledore "to speed things up, Lily you take the southern corner, Severus you take the North-West wall and I'll take the South-East wall. And if we don't find it we'll regroup at the door."

"But Sir what are we looking for?" Severus asked

"Oh, but I have gotten carried away haven't I? We are looking for the lost diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw. It's a simple silver circlet. It you do find it send out a patronus and if you're in trouble red sparks as well."

"Right" Lily affirmed and set off.

"I'm still not happy about this." Severus said watching Lily go, and then he strode away.

Lily seemed to be right, the closer to the corner she got the more indistinct the objects became, like they'd been blurred at the edges. But that could just be a trick of the light she told herself. Finally she arrived at the Southern corner; it was dominated by a large wardrobe, cracked down one side. It seemed to shimmer like a mirage, like it wasn't really there at all. She help her hand close to it feeling for magic. The air all around the wardrobe was ice cold. She quickly withdrew her hand and sent out patronuses to Dumbledore and Severus. "This is it," she thought "one seventh of Tom Riddle's soul." It seemed they were at her side in seconds. Severus took one look at the wardrobe and reached for Lily. He took her in his arms. "You're alright?" he asked checking her over as he did.

"I'm fine Sev." She replied shivering "Just cold."

"Do you see that Dumbledore? It's cursed." Severus gestured to the wardrobe. "I thank every god I can name that you didn't touch it Lily, or you wouldn't have ever been able to call for help, and we would have been to late to save you."

"I'm not stupid Severus." She said a little stung.

"I know that Lily." He said holding her closer. "But even the thought that you could have and I couldn't have saved you…" he broke off shuddering.

"To the task at hand." Said Dumbledore "We need to get inside it and," he flicked his wand "We can't do it by magic."

"Well the wardrobe is dark and cold, that's all we know at the moment." Severus said trying to examine it more closely while keeping Lily as far back as possible.

"How do you dispel dark and cold?" Lily said not really asking "With light and heat, it could be as simple as that. I think we should try fire first."

"Yes." Said Dumbledore and with a flick of his wand the wardrobe began to burn. "That's quite reminiscent, but the smell is really awful isn't it?" He asked as the smell of burning trash reached them. "You can tell the strength of the cure by it's smell you know. He continued.

"Yes," said Severus "the worse it smells the more dangerous it was."

The fire died down, the wardrobe was undamaged but no longer hazy or cold.

"Good job Lily," Dumbledore congratulated her. "I knew bringing you two along would be a good idea." With another flick of his wand the doors of the wardrobe flew open. A small silver circlet was the only thing inside of it. Laying dusty on the bottom it looked harmless. It seemed to Lily a shame to stab the thing; moreover it was Ravenclaw's, a priceless treasure.

"Lily, no." Severus said taking her hand, this is a horcrux now, it needs to be destroyed."

"Well I think Lily should do it," Dumbledore spoke up "It seems right."

Lily looked shocked, "How so?" she asked him timidly.

"My Dear, it was you who pulled the sword from the hat, who found it and you who are most tempted by this particular bit of history." He replied handing her the sword.

"Just stab it?" She clarified.

"That's all." Severus said with a reassuring squeeze of her hand. Lily held the sword ready and with a deep breath she cleaved the circlet in two. There was a distant scream of pain, like the wail of a mother who's lost a child, and the horcrux began to leak out what looked like memory, swirling and shimmering; only it was black as midnight. Lily shuddered and nearly dropped the sword. Severus saw this; he took the sword from her. He put his arm around her waist as she nearly lost balance.

"Lily?" He asked, worried.

"I'm fine, no really." She said in reply to the look on his face. "Just, I don't know, a little breathless all of a sudden."

"We're done here." Said Dumbledore "Let us have some supper."

"Yes, let's go." Said Severus, keeping his arm around Lily.

***

-Thank you all for reading this chapter of my story-

-Love Always-

-Lily-