Hey guys! As always, I am sorry for the horribly long waiting times before updates. College has kept me super busy and there is just honestly no time to write. I probably only get a paragraph or two done every couple of days. So, I know it is really slow go and I appreciate your patience.

Without any further delay, here we go.

"Hey, guys." Neville said, stepping out from the tunnel and standing in the portrait hole. His eyes went from each of my friends and then to me; he did a double take when he realized who I was. "Allie! You-you"

"Are alive?" I questioned, looking down at my arms and patting my legs. "Huh? Well, what do you know? I am alive!" I smiled up at Neville and walked over to the mantel where he was holding his hand out to help me up.

The boy pulled me into the portrait hole and I couldn't help but give him a hug; this was the first person outside of the Order that really cared that I was alive and well. It was nice to see Neville again after such a long time.

I let go of him to see that he was blushing. "It-it is nice to see you, Allie."

"You too, Neville."

We then helped up Hermione, Red, and then Harry before Neville closed the portrait hole and led us down a tunnel back toward the place where he came from…speaking of which…

"Neville, were does this tunnel lead?" I asked from my spot next to Harry and behind Neville.

"Oh, to the room of requirement." He said, lighting up his wand. "It's where we have been hiding out since the start of term when the Carrow's arrived."

"The Carrow's? Who are they?" Red asked.

"The Carrow's are Death Eaters. Alecto is the new Muggle Studies teacher-she completely twists the subject to make it seem like muggles are wild animals or something. And then there is her brother, Amycus, who has taken over Defense Against the Dark Arts and made it into just Dark Arts. Voldemort-via Snape, of course-appointed them as Deputy Headmasters. Both of them are vile, cruel, and like to torture kids for no reason; they are the reason we are hiding out in the Room of Requirement."

"And they can't get in?" I asked.

"No. As long as one of us stays in here they cannot get in. Most of us don't even go to class anymore, just out to get food and such. That is why we have this passage to Hogshead. Aberforth has been really great, getting us supplies and all." He explained.

"Wow, so things have really changed since we have left." Harry's brow furrowed as he realized just how bad things were. People were hurting and our school was under attack from within it's own walls; nowhere was safe anymore.

"Well, see for yourself." Neville said as he paused in the back of another portrait and pushed it open. He stood in front of us, as if to keep us a surprise, while he stepped out onto a little landing above the fireplace in the Room of Requirement.

"Hey everyone, look who I found!" He exclaimed before moving to the side to reveal Harry, Red, Hermione, and me as we climbed out of the portrait hole.

"Hey, look! It's Harry!"

"Is that Allie Cullen! I thought she was dead?"

"-dead."

"-not dead."

"What are they doing here?"

"How is she alive?"

"Where have they been?"

And the comments went on and on. I held onto Harry's hand tightly, feeling the weight of the attention push down upon me. The boy smiled down at me and rubbed my arm gently with his free one. Neville led us down a little rickety staircase and into the fray of applauding students.

As I emerged into the crowd, all the students backed up a step and fell silent; they now realized that I truly was their fallen classmate and that I was not, in fact, dead.

"Hey," I said under all their stares, earning only a gasp from a small first year in the front of the mob. Jeez, I was dead, people, not a monster.

"Allie…" A voice from within the crowd called. A second later, a boy I recognized very well came forward. "How-you were-?"

"Dead? Yeah, I was for a bit, Seamus." I repeated the same words that I had said when Neville tried to understand how and why I was alive.

The students continued to stare and try to process what was going on. How was I supposed to explain that I died but came back to life for some weird, freaky vampire reason? I scratched my forehead, racking my brain for some sort of explanation, when it hit me.

I pulled my bangs back and spun around the circle, revealing the angry lightening bolt scar that my vampire skin was still trying to heal. Gasps and various 'oh's' and 'ahh's' erupted around the room and I think that is when it actually clicked to them that I was alive, that I had survived.

"Okay, guys." I spoke up rather reluctantly. "I realize that this is a bit of a shock and I'm sorry I do not have time to explain what happened to me but there are more pressing things that we need to discuss and get done." I looked around at my friends: Seamus, Dean, Luna, they were all here.

Speaking of friends…

Ginny appeared out of the crowd then and pushed past to get a good look at us. She stared at her brother and then laid her eyes on Harry before smiling. It just occurred to me then that Harry and I never did discuss what happened between him and Ginny in her room on the day of his birthday. I was an idiot, wasn't I? I was pretty sure I was.

I dropped his hand and resorted to crossing both my arms across my chest.

The gesture caught Harry off guard; the boy looked over at me with hurt green eyes, knowing full well what was going through my head, as he always did. I hated the fact that he could read my mind without the power of telekinesis.

"Okay, we need to find something in the castle and we do not have much time to do it." Harry announced to the group.

"You got that right." Cormac McLaggen said. "I just got back in here, and Snape was alerted that Harry was in Hogsmeade. Nothing was said about Allie though so I think she's in the clear for now."

"But how?" I whispered to Harry. "They know I'm alive, Harry."

The boy looked over and me and shrugged.

"Maybe it's like we thought," Hermione interjected. "They want to keep you a secret so there isn't a revolt."

I nodded, thinking she was more than likely right, as always.

"We don't have time for these kinds of questions." Harry said. "We are looking for something hidden in the castle."

"Where is it?" Dean asked.

I looked over at Harry. "We don't know."

"What is it?" Someone else asked.

"We don't know that either." Harry said honestly. "But we think it is something that had to do with Ravenclaw house."

Just then, the portrait opened up behind us, revealing two red headed knuckleheads that I thought I would never have the pleasure of seeing. "No way." I breathed out with a smile on my face.

"We heard there was some kind of party going on up here, didn't we Freddy?"

"That's right, George." Said his twin as he came to stand on the landing and look down at me, Hermione, Harry, and Ron.

"Oh, look, isn't that our little brother down there?" George asked.

Fred squinted as if he was having a hard time recognizing Red. "I dunno, I honestly thought our brother was more handsome than this."

"Really?" George asked. "I thought he was more ugly."

"Maybe we should ask, Mum."

"I agree wholeheartedly, Freddy." George said before looking back down the portrait hole. "Hey, Mum? How ugly was that Ronald chap who used to live in the attic?"

The twins stepped down and then outstepped Mrs. Weasley, followed by her husband, and two other sons, Bill and Charlie, along with Fleur. When she saw us, the poor woman burst into tears and ran down the stairs to engulf Red in one of her bone crushing hugs that even hurt my ribs. "Oh, there's my Ron!" She cried.

I smiled at the two and watched as the rest of her family descended the stairs to come greet their lost family member. One by one, they hugged Ron and then each of us, asking if we are all right.

"Allie, oh Allie, you are too thin! Poor, sweet girl!" Mrs. Weasley cried as she crushed me to her chest.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley, I promise." I patted the woman's back before she let me go and moved on to Harry.

Several moments later, Kingsley appeared through the portrait.

"Jeez, did Aberforth call the entire Order?" I asked.

After Kingsley, Tonks and Lupin came through, holding hands and looked semi-happy-something that was not common on either of their faces. Lupin's eyes met mine and he smiled down at me, almost as if he were thinking I would have been dead by now. I had warned him that I could be but I wasn't sure of the exact time of my demise. He was just supposed to tell Jake…

Jake…

I started walking over to staircase, almost hoping but not allowing myself much of it. The likelihood that Jake would have got the message was slim to none. After all, he-

Jake came crashing through portrait hole, as if he had run all the way from the Hog's Head. He looked the same as always-tall, muscular, tanned skin, black hair, young face. But something seemed different. He seemed to be older despite the fact that his appearance hasn't changed since I was born; he still looked seventeen but wise and aged, if that made sense.

His dark eyes searched the room quickly, seeing if he could spot me, until finally his eyes came to catch a glimpse of me at the bottom of the stairs. The smirk that my guardian was known so well for appeared on his face, as he took in the sight of me, alive. Within seconds, he leaped down the stairs, only stepping on two of the ten on the way down, and scooped me up into his big arms.

"Allie, thank God!" He breathed out as he crushed me to his chest.

I returned the hug with the same fierceness. "I missed you, Jake." I started crying then, realizing that all those months of pent up thoughts and emotions about Jake were coming crashing down upon me. Jake was here. He was okay. Jake was here.

"Oh, kid, you have no idea." He repeated over and over as he smoothed my hair down. He kissed me on the top of the head before pulling me out at arm's length and giving me a once, twice, thrice look over. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? What are you doing here?"

His big hands were on my cheeks and I covered them with my small once as I just smiled up at him and cried tears of joy.

"I'm okay. We're all okay." I said, patting his hand to calm him. "We're all here, Jake, it's okay."

He smiled down at me one more time before pulling me into another hug. "It's been almost a year, kid."

"I know, I know." I said through my sobs. "But it's okay."

"I-I thought I would never-" Jake started but was unable to get the words all the way out. But I knew what he wanted to say; he wanted to say that he thought he would never see me again. And, honestly, I thought he never would have but by some miracle or grace of God or something I was still here, alive and kickin'.

"But you did, Jake. It's okay." I reassured him as I tightened my grasp on the back of his shirt. I smelt the wet dog smell that had always half comforted me and half nauseated me at the same time. Something inside me clicked, like I was put back together. It was because of our imprint, I knew.

Jake and I were a team, always had been, but the last year I had learned not to rely on him as much as I had in the past; I had become my own person despite the fact that I was connected to another.

"Jacob, good to see you." I untangled my arms from around my guardian's waist and looked over to see that Harry had come over to greet him. The boy held out his hand in welcome.

Jake kept a hand around my shoulders as he looked down at Harry's hand for a second; I knew he never really liked Harry but always hoped he would warm up to the idea of him. Finally, the werewolf clasped hands with the Boy Who Lived and shook in forcefully.

"Harry, good to see you too." He looked down at me for a second and winked. "Thanks for taking care of my girl."

"My pleasure, as always." Harry looked my way and smiled but I had to avert my gaze. The image of him and Ginny kissing struck again with full force. Was I really that much of an idiot? To forget that? He said it didn't mean anything but a kiss always means something. He told me that once, after I had kissed Draco.

But…

I felt Jake jab me in the ribs and tilt his head at me, as if asking what was going on. He widened his eyes and mouthed 'read my mind'. I furrowed my eyebrows at him-because he was acting damn nuts-but complied with his request anyway.

You're back with Harry?

I nodded to answer. My eyes went over to the boy, still standing in front of us with a knowing smile on his lips; Jacob was not pulling a fast one here and we all knew it, but, it seemed, Jake didn't care.

When did this happen?

I just shrugged.

Kid, are you sure? Last time it got really bad between the two of you. You were fighting like crazy. What makes you think you can do it now?

I stared up at my guardian again. He was making me retreat into a place that I had just crawled out of, a place completely void of all emotions to Harry. It was easier without Harry, that much is certain. I didn't have to worry about that damn Ginny or if what I was doing would upset him. I didn't have to be anyone else; I could be the reckless, stupid, suicidal, stubborn, swearin' like a sailor, clumsy, messy, werewolf imprinted, blood addicted martyr that I am.

But then I looked at Harry…

And I knew I could still be all those things. Because despite how easy it was to be without Harry, it was harder than hell to be without Harry. Does that make sense? I wasn't sure; nothing was certain right now. The world was on the brick of destruction and here I was thinking about love. But I guess that's the time to think about stuff like that because if you're about to die when else are you going to?

I knew deep down that I was going to die the castle perhaps tonight, tomorrow at the latest. We knew Voldemort was on the way, coming for his horocrux and he would be here soon; the only thing we could do before he gets here, before he tries to end us, is get to the thing that he wants so desperately.

I looked back at Harry. "We need to find the horocrux before he gets here."

Harry nodded at me and turned to try and find a Ravenclaw student.

"A what-? What's going on?" Jake asked.

I was just about to figure out a lie to tell him when another student ran into the Room of Requirement, looking completely out of breath. "Snape just called all the students to the Great Hall for an emergency assembly."

Harry's eyes met mine again and I nodded. It seemed we both knew that it was time to pay Ol' Snapey Poo a little surprise visit.

Harry was in the Great Hall, standing with the rest of the students who had been assembled there in the middle of the night. Snape, along with the Carrows, stood at the dais, looming over the students before them.

I was waiting in the room where they housed the first years who waited to be sorted during the first feast of the year and the Order was waiting in the foyer for our signal. My fingers tapped the door nervously as I waited for Harry to make his move. The horocrux was out of our minds for the moment; we were focused on taking back the school.

Snape's rein was over as far as I was concerned and I was gonna make sure the Carrows went down with him. Just looking at the brother/sister pair twisted my stomach into knots. They were just so…creepy and evil looking. By the way Neville mentioned them, it seemed they were even worse than they appeared.

Snape stepped down from the platform, leaving the Carrows to their looming, and began walking towards the students.

"It has come to my attention that earlier this evening, Harry Potter was spotted in Hogsmeade." He paused and I could see him through the crack in the door as he stood staring the students down. "Should anyone, student or staff, attempt to aid Harry Potter they will be punished."

I saw the students staring down at their feet under the gaze of their headmaster. He was getting under their skin, as Snape has always been able to do, and I was wondering if anyone who had been in the Room of Requirement would give us up.

"If anyone has any information about Mr. Potter's movements, I invite them to step forward now." His last word echoed through the Great Hall in a deafening way that created silence as it faded out. The students were still staring at the floor and the Carrows were still looming; everything was frozen under Snape's threat.

That is, until one solitary figured dressed in a Gryffindor cloak emerged from the group. I held my breath as Harry stepped forward and pulled the hood down to reveal his face. Gasps rang out through the Great Hall as students realized that Harry, Undesirable Number One, was actually here among them.

"How dare you," He said. "How dare you stand where he stood."

From the corner of my eye I saw both of the Carrows raise their wands in the boy's direction…and that is when I made my move.

I vampire ran out of my hiding spot and up to the dais. In a flash, I was behind Alecto with my hands around her neck; it only took me a fraction of a second to snap it and move onto her brother. They were both dead before Snape knew what happened.

And then I was standing there, up on the dais, by myself with the lifeless bodies of two Death Eaters at my flanks. I don't know why but as I stood there staring at Snape's back I did not feel any remorse for my actions, for taking the lives of two human beings.

What I felt was anger and a lot of it.

The Carrows had it coming and so did Snape.

Louder, more urgent gasps arose in the Great Hall as the students laid eyes on me, on the Girl Who Lived and who had already died. To them, I was a ghost who had risen from the dead.

"Allie-"

"Allie Cullen-"

"-alive."

The hushed words were much the same as they were in the Room of Requirement; only there were more of them now. But I didn't notice the attention that was on me. My eyes were for Snape and Snape alone.

Finally, the teacher spun to look at me. His gaze flinted from each of the Carrows' bodies before his dark eyes landed on me; his mouth fell open slightly at the sight of me.

"Hello, Headmaster. Kill anyone lately?" My words were hissed between my teeth in such a monstrous way that the first years in the front row backed up a step.

"Your days here are finished, Snape." Harry called back his attention. "You are not in control anymore."

Just then, the doors burst open to reveal the entirety of the Order standing there, looking like a badass army. They were standing there, behind Harry, and I was standing here, behind Snape and it is safe to say that we had the son of a bitch backed into a corner.

The man looked from me to Harry and then back again. It seemed as if he were trying to think of what to do next, what would get him out of here.

Without a bit of warning, he raised his wand at Harry and got ready to fire a spell. I was just about to run to him when I saw McGonagall push the boy out of the way and raise her wand against Snape. The two stared at each other for a moment before Snape shot a silent spell at the graying woman. She easily blocked it and shot a spell of her own at him.

They were caught in sparing match, spells lighting up otherwise dark hall. They stayed evenly matched for a few seconds until the more experienced and more kickass Mcgonagall started to over take Snape; she shot a spell that nearly breezed past his defensive spell and hit him in the head. The man stared at her strangely for a second, as if he could not believe what had just transpired between the two coworkers, before he disapperated into a cloud of black smoke, stopping on either side of me to-not fully forming the whole while-to pick up the bodies of his fallen comrades.

The glass behind me shattered as he broke through to escape, causing me to turn my head away and shield my eyes. By the time I looked back he was out of sight and the room had gone silent. I turned back to gaze down at the students who stared at me with wide eyes and open mouths and I no longer felt secure and confident; I felt naked.

My eyes flinted to Harry and I instantly forgot about all the other kids. I ran down to him and through my arms around his neck. "Hey, you okay?" I asked him and he responded 'yes' by nodding against the top of my head.

He pulled me back and held my face in his hands. "Are you alright? The Carrow's-"

I smiled slightly. "They had it coming, Harry. I understand that…I think it's the vampire instinct that is making me okay with this right now."

He nodded and opened his mouth to say something else when he was cut off by a girl screaming from somewhere within the throngs of people. The lights in the Great Hall dimmed and cast eerie shadows throughout the entire room.

The girl's screech hit a pitch that made me cover my sensitive ears to try and stop it. Harry and I entered the crowd, searching for this girl, and saw that it was one of the Patil twins. She was standing there, much as I was, with her hands over her ears like she was in pain. I went over to her and put a hand on her shoulder just as another girl started screaming.

My eyes locked with Harry's and he instantly went over to a nearby corner to see that a small girl, probably only a first or second year, was crotched there with her hands glued to her ears.

Then I heard it, clear as day, a voice that had haunted our dreams for years. "Attention, inhabitants of Hogwarts," He hissed in a tone that hurt my ear drums. " I know that Harry Potter and Alice Cullen-yes, I know that the vampire lives-are inside the castle walls. If you hand them over to me now I none will be harmed. But, if you decide to try and save them, all that defied me will perish." My eyes went to Harry who will still over by the girl to see the worry etched in his face, I was sure it matched the expression on my face, as well. "Bring me Harry Potter and Alice Cullen. You have one hour to decide."

The candles flared up again as the room settled into another silence as all eyes settled on either Harry or myself. I looked around for a moment, wondering who would be the first to speak against us. Knowing our luck, there would be at least one person who-

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Ahh, there it is. I turned to see that the voice belonged to that bitch Pansy Perkins. "Someone, grab them!"

She pointed her boney finger and looked around to see who was going to come get me. In a second, Harry grabbed me and pulled me close to him, wondering himself if anyone was going to come for us.

Just then, the doors slammed open behind us to reveal Filtch running it. "Students out of bed! The students are out of bed!"

I furrowed my eyebrows at his rather strange outburst, clearly all of the students were called to the Great Hall, shouldn't he know that? Perhaps he was going crazy…or, crazier.

"The students are supposed to be out of bed, you fool!" Professor McGonagall shouted at him. She shook her head before going over to him. "But since you are here you can escort Miss Perkins and the rest of the Slytherins to the dungeons."

Instantly, the students in the other houses began to cheer as they had before when Snape was forced out of here. McGonagall had done it; she had finally taken back charge of Hogwarts. I couldn't help but smile at the teacher's badassness.

The Slytherins began to clear out and McGonagall came over to Harry and I. "Well, I suspect that the two of you are here for a reason."

"Yes, ma'am." I answered her.

"Well, make sure you get it done. And quick. I am not sure how long we have to hold them off." She nodded her head and made a motion for us to get the hell out of there. Harry grabbed my hand and we started moving, only to be stopped by the professor's voice again. "Oh, and it is good to see the two of you here again."

We smiled at her before forcing our way through a group of kids who were preparing themselves for what was going to happen next; they all knew what they were going to be doing but no one wanted to say it. This was it. The battle of Hogwarts. The battle for the Wizarding World.

Harry and I finally made it over to where Hermione and Red where standing out in the foyer of the castle. We all crunched together in the middle of the throngs of people running this way and that and began talking strategy.

"So, Hermione and I were thinking-"

"No, it was Ronald's idea and a great one at that. " Hermione nodded back to him to continue.

Red looked at Harry and I, kind of uncertain, before finally telling us what was going on in his mind. "Well, we lost the Sword of Gryffindor so we don't have anything to destroy the horocruxes with…which means we have to find something else." He paused. "The reason the sword worked was because it took in Basilisk venom, right? So, Hermione and I thought we could go down to the Chamber of Secrets and get the fangs…"

"That's a great idea." Harry said. "Do it, but take the map." He handed them the magical map that the twins had given him in his third map; it told where everyone was at all times within the castle.

"Okay, we'll find the two of you when we are done." Hermione told us before giving me a quick hug and the two of them were lost in the sea of people again.

"All right, now for us," Harry said. "We have to find something of Ravenclaw's…I think it's a good idea of we go up to the tower and then go from there."

I nodded. "Yeah, that's probably the best place to start…but-" I cut myself off, knowing he was probably not gonna like what I had to suggest.

"But what?" He asked.

"I think I should stay down here to secure the castle…It won't take two of us to go to Ravenclaw tower and…I think I could help more down here." I explained. It made sense to me that one of stay in the middle of the action, at least for a while, until he finds the horocrux.

He tilted his head to me, thinking for a moment, before nodding. "Okay, you go help the Order out and I'll find out what the horocrux is…I'll come get you when I know anything, alright?"

I nodded back to him and smiled. "Okay, we'll do that." I got up on my tiptoes and gave him a kiss on the lips. "You be careful."

It was his turn to kiss me. "You be careful. I love you."

"Love you, too." One more quick peck and I was off towards the front doors.

I find McGonagall standing on the top step, looking out at the courtyard in front of us, wondering how to defend it. I skid to a stop next to her and look in the direction that she is staring. "Put me to work, Professor, I'm here to help."

She looked over at me and then did a double take. "Potter-"

"He's doing what he needs to do and I'm doing what I need do to." I explained. "Now, what do I need to do?"

She pursed her lips, thinking for a moment. "Are you sure it is a good idea for you to be out here, Allie?"

I can't remember McGonagall ever using my first name before. She must have been serious, knowing that I was putting myself at risk. Being intelligent women, we both knew that Voldemort was not going to wait an hour before attacking the school; he was coming for us and I was going to be out in plain sight, alone.

"I'm sure, Minerva." I smiled and she returned the same gesture.

"Alright then, go find Mr. Longbottom and Mr. Finnegan, and see if you can blow up the bridge." She explained.

I nodded before I realized what she was even telling me to do. "Whoa, wait, you want us to…blow up the bridge? The one that leads to the forest?"

"Yes, Miss Cullen. I want you to blow it up."

I smiled. "Your words, not mine, Professor. I'll see what we can do." I started running off.

"Oh, and one more thing Miss Cullen," I turned around to see what the old woman wanted. "Never call me Minerva again."

I smiled again. "You got it, Minerva."

With those words, I was gone, throwing myself into a crowd of people as I try to find either Neville or Seamus.

Okay, so I hope you liked it! Once again, I'd like to thank you for your patience and I hope I'll be able to get another chapter out soon. Tell me what you think if you feel inspired to! Thanks for reading!