Thanks once more to everyone who read, fav'd, alerted and most of all to my amazing reviewers!

Someone simply burst the door of the shack so that we could enter. Death Eaters pretty much poured into Hogsmeade and we needed to get the people off the street.

"I want everyone to check their wands again," I ordered loudly. "Bellatrix will be here any second to brief you. Avery, I need cots and medical supplies, better set that up now before anyone comes stumbling in here injured. Dolohov, I want you to gather a few people and send everyone over who arrives in the village. Rodolphus, if you were so kind as to check who is present, just so we know who's missing."

People started into action and I quickly pulled Yaxley aside to instruct him on some improvised protection for this shack.

Bellatrix joined me soon after, pushing through the bustling crowd. "Everything under control?"

"Yes," I said. "Ready to give your strategy speech?"

"Yes," she sneered, but soon dropped the sneer for a smug smile. "The Dark Lord asked for you. Now that we're done with the important things."

"Nice try, Bella," I said.

She pulled a face, but obviously there were important things than her attempt to make me jealous. I climbed the stairs for an upstairs room while the crowd fell silent after just a single shout by Bellatrix.

I had almost reached the top of the stairs when I heard hurried footsteps behind me. I looked over my shoulder to find Severus Snape hasting after me.

"Severus," I hissed. "What are you doing here?"

"Trouble," he said simply. "Where is the Dark Lord?"

"Was just on my way," I informed him and gestured towards the door just a few steps on top of me.

Without another word, the man pushed past me and rushed into the room. I raised my eyebrows and followed him. When I entered, Severus was already on his knees, speaking hurriedly to his master.

"He's there, milord, I'm sure and they know, too. They're arming themselves, setting up their protection."

Tom did not even bother to look at him. Instead, his eyes met with mine and I swallowed hard. Potter was already there. He had alerted the teachers and now, they were prepared. We had lost a considerable bit of our advantage.

"That's a pity," Tom said slowly.

"Milord, please, there was nothing I could have done-"

"I'm not angry with you," Tom replied and I saw the obvious relief passing over Severus' face.

Tom stepped past the kneeling form of his servant and strolled to the window, where I joined him.

"What now?" I inquired.

"They think they have an advantage," he said coldly. "They're wrong. All that's left to do is let them know."

He raised his wand and gently pressed his wand to his throat. He muttered an incantation, close to inaudibly and it was for that reason that I stumbled back when he next opened his mouth. His voice sounded from everywhere, loud, booming, echoing around the house and no doubt, the village and the grounds of the school.

"I know that you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not wish to spill magical blood. Give me Harry Potter and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."

The silence that followed this was eerie. Tom had removed his wand and slowly turned to face me again.

"Do you think they'll do it?"

"I do."

"I don't," I told him and watched as his expression fell.

"Why?"

"They love him. He's their last hope. They won't give him up so easily," I said.

"They will if they don't want to die," he snapped angrily.

It was pointless to tell him that maybe, some people would give their life to try and defeat him.

"Your decision, I guess," I relented. "Don't let me hold you back."

He huffed and strode past the still kneeling Snape. "I know what I'm doing."

"I have no doubt."

"It's almost midnight, milord," Severus whispered.

While Tom started giving more orders as to whom he wanted to stay back and to how he wanted them to attack, I stared out of the window at the dim lights of the castle. Up there, they were now frantically preparing for sure. While Potter was at least as frantically searching for the diadem. If he had not found it already. They would never hand him over, I knew it. Every minute he was up there and we let him live, was a minute he had the chance to destroy the diadem. Closer and closer to destroying Tom himself.
If only there was another way.

I froze and whirled around. From downstairs echoed the distinct sound of a voice barking orders and the shuffling of footsteps.

"Tom," I breathed. "I have a plan."

He frowned at me, eyes narrowing as I addressed him so privately. "What?"

"We need to get... it," I said with a swift glance to Severus.

Tom's eyes lit with understanding and he swiftly sent the other man out of the room. Severus hurried outside, closing the door behind him.

"What's the plan?"

"Let me go in there," I urged. "I can go and get it, maybe I can find it before Potter does. He has no idea where it is, right?"

"You're not going in there," he said.

"Think about it! Who else could trust with this? If he finds it, Tom, he's so close-"

"I said you're not going in there!" he snapped.

"Tom," I said imploringly. "Be smart. We need to get it. You don't have to worry about me, I can defend myself."

He pondered on that for a moment and finally said, "All right. But you have to promise me that you'll be careful-"

"You like to forget it, but I'm actually a capable witch," I reminded him with a slight smile.

"There's a room on the seventh floor, right across a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy-"

"The one with the troll ballet?"

"The very one," he said hurriedly. "Listen, it becomes whatever you wish it to be, you just have to pass the wall three times wishing for the specific room – the room where I hid the diadem."

"Seventh floor, right across the tapestry, pass three times. Got it."

He watched me warily and I felt the sudden need to reassure him. "You don't have to worry, Tom."

He pulled a face but instead of answering me, he called Severus in again.

"You spoke of a secret passage to this... building?"

"Yes, milord, it leads right to the grounds and-"

"Excellent," Tom interrupted him. "I want you to take Lorraine right to the end of that passage and then return to me."

Severus' eyes ghosted from him to me and back before he nodded. "Whatever you wish-"

Tom turned to me. "Hurry."

I nodded and made to follow Severus who held the door open for me. I stopped abruptly in the doorway. There was no way I could go like this. Not if I was going into a fight. I whirled around and rushed back to Tom. I threw my arms around his neck and leant up to press my lips to his. He was obviously taken aback and it took him several moments before he finally kissed me back. One hand tangling in my hair, he pulled me even closer.

I pulled back slightly, still so close that our lips were almost touching.
"Just in case something does happen... I had to do this one last time."

Severus had reached out and touched a small knot at the base of the tree under which the tunnel emerged.

"Hurry," he advised. "You don't want to be caught in the cross-fire."

"I'll be fine," I said, watching warily as the first lights and sounds of jinxes and curses flew across the grounds.

"Good luck."

"Thank you."

I climbed out of the tunnel and after a careful look around, hurried across the grounds and towards the castle. The Death Eaters had entered the grounds and their tactic was logical and effective. They could not hope to enter the castle as of yet; so, instead, they shot their jinxes and curses at the windows, hoping to get someone behind them. The night was not dark; it was illuminated by dozens of jinxes flying through the air.

I had reached the castle walls, but I, too, had no way to get in. There was a horrible clash above me and I shrieked as splinters of glass rained down on me. The window three stores above me had shattered and I threw my arm above me to protect my face.

Carefully I looked up. My chance was right there, I figured. With a wave of my wand and a few whispered words, I conjured a ladder leaning on the wall. I tugged my wand back into my robes and started my climb. Halfway up, a jinx hit the wall right next to me and I shrieked, nearly losing my balance. I gripped the tightly on to the ladder and took a few steadying breaths before I could go on.

Finally, I managed to drag myself through the window and dropped onto the floor right beneath it. I winced as one of the fallen splinters cut into my palm. I held up my hand to find it bleeding profusely. But I had no time to heal it here and now. I had to get away before the wrong people found me sitting here.
I struggled to my feet and looked around. I was on the third floor if I was not mistaken. I had to get upstairs, and quickly. I obviously could not use the Grand Staircase, but if I was not mistaken, there was a rarely used staircase between the fourth and the seventh floor. I just had to get one floor up beforehand.

I gripped my wand tightly and set off towards a stairway that was overall well used but not as exposed as the Grand Staircase. Maybe, if I did not draw too much attention, no one would notice me.
I need not have worried. The corridors were almost deserted. Maybe they had centred everyone on the ground floor, I thought. Still, I had to duck again as another window shattered close to me and I decided to hurry even more. I hurried up the stairs to the fourth floor and contemplated remaining on this staircase, but abandoned the thought. Better safe than sorry. I hurried along the new corridor skittered around a corner when I heard equally hurried footsteps approaching. I practically jumped back behind the corner, the grip on my wand tightening dangerously.

"I know what it is," a male voice said. "I just don't know where it is."

"But the castle is huge," another voice said. "It could be anywhere."

"Oh, Ron," a girl's voice chastised. "He won't have hid it in a bathroom stall."

"Slytherin hid his monster in a bathroom," the second boy answered defiantly.

"Guys, that doesn't help us," the first voice said.

Potter, I thought. It was Potter. My eyes suddenly focused on the wand in my hand. I could off him, right here, right now. But there was no real need for it. He did not know where the diadem was, he had not found it yet. I still had time. Deep in thought, I noticed too late that they had rounded the corner. Luckily for me, they were just as frozen as I was as the found me there, staring incredulously. It was the girl who found her voice first.

"Harry," she whispered and it was enough to pull me out of my shock.

"Incarcerous!" I cried, causing ropes to wrap around the girl. The red-haired boy started towards her but with a flick of my wand, succumbed to the same fate.

Potter remained standing, his wand pointed straight at me. "You won't kill us," he said calmly.

"I thought I was."

"You didn't even let Hermione get tortured," he said.

"Well," I bit back. "Killing her would be a lot more merciful than handing her over to Greyback. I can still do that if you prefer."

"Harry, you've got to-"

"Silencio!" I snapped at the boy. His lips kept moving, but no sound emerged and I turned my attention back to Potter.

"I know about you," he said cautiously. "I saw you in memories. You went to school with Voldemort and-"

"That's no secret," I said.

"You know where it is, don't you?" he asked suddenly. "You came here to get it? To save him?"

"I thought you already found it. Fortunately for me, I was wrong."

"Lorraine," he implored, stepping towards me and I raised my wand so that it pointed straight between his eyes.

"Don't be fooled," I warned. "I killed before and I'll do it again if you don't back off."

The boy seemed unfazed. "You know that he has to die," he said. "You know we have to stop him, stop this." He gestured to the lights of the curses flying outside and the quivering walls of the castle. "You know it."

"You're demanding the impossible, Potter."

"Are you really willing to let everyone suffer for his benefit? You can't want that!"

"No," I said. "Stop it!"

"People are dying out there! People have died and they'll continue to die! Innocent people, children-"

"Stop it, Potter," I growled.

It was not that he was wrong. No, he was absolutely right. If I were a better, less sentimental person, I might even be able to do what he demanded – betray Tom and hand the diadem to him – but it was not that easy.

The boy was not discouraged though. "Please, you can help us. You have to help us! We know you warned Ron's parents – we know you traded them information for months! You've been helping us all along-"

"That's not at all the same," I snapped.

"Please," the boy said quietly. "He has a hold on you, on me, on everyone, he has for fifty years, we have to make it stop!"

I closed my eyes helplessly for a second. "I can't."

"He can never love you like this," the boy said abruptly. "All that he was when you met him is destroyed because of this."

And again, he was absolutely right. I knew it, had always known it, even though I did not want to see it. Tom was not really there, anymore. What was left was just a shell, holding all that was evil inside him. The castle shook again and from the nearest window, I saw the flames that had suddenly encased what I believed to be the owlery. It burned. Hogwarts was burning. In that moment, there was no doubt that the boy was undeniably correct. For the Tom I had loved so many years ago would have never destroyed Hogwarts. Our home.

"Please," the boy implored.

"On the seventh floor," I whispered. "There's that tapestry-"

"The Room of Requirement?" the girl asked suddenly, wide brown eyes focusing on Potter.

"Of course," he said. "In the room where I hid my potions book. People've been hiding stuff there for centuries."

"I bet he didn't know that," I said weakly.

"No, he probably didn't," Potter said. "Thank you."

I could not appreciate the sentiment. For in this moment, I felt like I had just committed the worst mistake of my whole life.

So... er... what do you say? Love it, hate it? Completely understandable or completely unforgivable? Tell me your thoughts ;)