Me and my two accomplices, Darion and Harry, stumped through the corridor with Neville. We couldn't decide which recent event shocked us more. We barely noticed arriving at our destination, until the entirety of Dumbledore's Army cheered upon our arrival. I let Harry and Darion soak up the adulation, and spoke business with Neville.

"What are you guys expecting?"

"When you arrived, we would take it as proof that it was time to take Hogwarts back from the Carrows!"

"Sorry, Neville, but that's not what we're accomplishing…" I started, but Neville wouldn't accept a negative answer. Or at least, the Army wouldn't.

"I got your message!" Ginny called, holding out a familiar Galleon. Fred, George and Hermione followed behind her. Harry picked Ginny up in a tight embrace, and she responded with a very passionate kiss.

"That's a nice thing to do for her, Harry," Luna said, bringing Dean behind her. Darion put an arm around her, and Dean went to become reacquainted with Seamus.

"Is that everyone?" Parvati asked.

"I don't see Ron!" Lavender told her. Harry looked very uncomfortable. Ginny pulled Harry in closer.

"You see, Lavender… Ron didn't make it. He got killed off by Wormtail."

"I hope that son of a rat gets what's coming to him!"

"I turned him to ash…"

"Awesome."

"But enough about Ron's death. I'm sure we don't need to hear the details. We're looking for something that may have belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw. Anyone know?" I asked, not expecting an answer.

"There's Rowena's lost diadem…" Cho Chang suggested, walking into the room. Vaguely, there were shadows of people following her.

"Yes, but Cho… that's lost." Darion sighed. That explains why this suggestion never popped up.

"When was it lost?" I asked, my hopes slowly rising…

"Centuries ago." There go my hopes. "There isn't a person alive who's seen it."

I thought long and hard about it. There was no other likely candidate for the last Horcrux. It had to be the diadem. Which meant that Tom Riddle had to have discovered the lost item. Which meant there was a person in Hogwarts who must know about it…

No living person, but a soul who knows it… somehow, there was an obvious solution, but it wasn't coming to me.

All students are to report to the Great Hall at once.

"Students of Hogwarts. It has been brought to my attention that Harry Potter has been sighted in Hogsmeade, along with two accomplices. Should anyone withhold Harry Potter, or any evidence of his whereabouts, they will be punished to match the severity of their actions. Now… anyone possessing information on Mr Potter's movements this evening is now invited to step forward…" Snape said, in his silkiest voice. I decided to step forward.

"It seems that you have a security issue, Snape…" I told him. I snapped my fingers. The entire Order of the Phoenix, who had managed to come while we waited. Not only them, but the old Gryffindor Quidditch team and certain older students, mostly from Dumbledore's Army, showed up too. Ginny and Harry stepped out from the crowd, and we joined our normal formation.

"How dare you even think about standing where he stood, traitor. Tell them how it happened that night. Tell them how you looked him in the eye, the man who trusted you, and killed him!" Harry roared. Snape pulled out his wand, but Professor McGonagall was faster. With only one or two spells, McGonagall had driven Snape from Hogwarts, the Carrows having fallen to deflected and dodged magic.

"Attention, students of Hogwarts!" I turned and announced. But someone else was quicker.

I know you are preparing to fight… Some of you may even think that to fight is wise… but this is folly… me and my loyal Death Eater army are ready, at the stations of Hogwarts. Give me the Trio, and I shall leave you unharmed… I shall reward you. You have until midnight!

Silence… broken by Pansy Parkinson.

"All three of them are there! Grab them!" she called out. Every single Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor turned to them, and drew their collective wands. Even some Slytherins joined in.

"Thank you, Miss Parkinson. Anyone who is of age, you may stay and fight. If you are too young or unwilling to fight, follow Miss Parkinson from the Hall. Molly Weasley will escort you to a safe haven," Professor McGonagall told the hall. Everyone left, except a select few Ravenclaws (all of whom welcomed Darion in open arms to their area), a few more Hufflepuffs, and half of Gryffindor, requiring some of the Order to send out the underage students.

"Now, Tom Riddle has given us little over half an hour to prepare our defences. The Death Eaters have a variety of tactics they may use, and as many Dark Creatures at their disposal. Our attack must be as equally varied to roll back their attack. You must decide on how best you can form an offensive, and seek out an adult who may assist you. Professor Flitwick, if you may cast defensive spells on our stronghold? And Professor McGonagall, commence Operation Emergency. The rest of you, ATTEN-HUT!" I arranged.

"ATTEN-HUT!" the troopers echoed.

"At ease. Commence your strategies."

The students began to mill around, and I beckoned my personal shock force, as Muggles call them. Harry, Ginny and Darion were ready.

"We have to find that tiara! Harry, Ginny, Operation Trauma. It's obvious what I want you to do. Darion, you come with me. I've figured out the riddle.

"Amber, it took you this long?"

"Darion, I'm not in Ravenclaw. Cut me a break here. Who's the Ravenclaw ghost?"

"Ravenclaw ghost?"

"You know, Nearly Headless Nick is the Gryffindor ghost? I need the 'Nearly Headless Nick' of Ravenclaw Tower."

"Oh, you want the Grey Lady." Darion took my hand, and led me to where she normally was.

"Excuse me… are you known as the Grey Lady?" I tentatively asked. She turned around in an almost eerie way, and looked down at me. Beautiful, yet slightly intimidating.

Young Gryffindor girl, you are correct. But perhaps you know more…

"Ravenclaw? You must be related to Rowena Ravenclaw, if not outright being her!"

You would have made an excellent Ravenclaw, girl. You are correct. I am Rowena's daughter, Helena.

"Well, Helena, I have one question I need answered. I know for a fact that several others have asked this exact question, though you only told one other… where is your mother's diadem?"

…I hid it in a forest in Albania. I had stolen it from my mother. I chose to hide it because I was being hunted… you would know the hunter as the Bloody Baron. Driven mad by a conflict of interests between courting and capturing me, he stabbed me. As penitence, he bears his chains in this afterlife.

"So, it's official. You told this story to Tom Riddle. He got the diadem, and brought it here… but where is it hidden?" I thought aloud.

Huh?

"Thank you for your time, Miss Ravenclaw."

I sat down by Darion, and opened a generic map of Hogwarts: Harry and Ginny had the Marauder's one. I traced along it the paths that Riddle may have taken to hide his newfound treasure. Inexplicably, I was drawn to one place in particular… the Room of Requirement.

"I think it's in the Room."

"It looks like it. We don't have any other leads…"

"Hi guys," Harry said, walking up. Ginny came up behind him, turning the Basilisk fangs to small cubes that could be placed in a box to be better stored.

"Hey Harry."

"Any leads on the Horcrux?"

"Rowena's diadem, Room of Requirement. Where everything is hidden," I said. Ginny gasped.

"Of course… how did I not see this before? I've been so stupid…"

"Ginny, you've known about the diadem for half an hour. I don't blame you for whatever you're kicking yourself over."

"I've seen the diadem! It's where I hid Snape's old Potions book! On top of an acid-attacked cupboard! Placed atop it were a plain warlock's bust and a golden wig!"

"Save the description for when we're there, Ginny!" Harry chuckled. Ginny blushed nervously.

We split up within the Room itself, comfortable knowing it was not needed. Split up as we were, it was still hard to find… but even harder to know if someone else had found it.

This was a bad idea, Amber.

No other way, Amber.

I was the one to find the cupboard. Atop the bust Ginny mentioned was, of course, the diadem. I went to grab it.

"Hold it right there, Mudblood scum." Malfoy. I turned to face him and his three cronies.

"The Dark Lord has told us to find and capture the Chosen Trio. Wellity wellity, it looks like they have cornered themselves for us!"

"We're gonna be rewarded… oh yes… maybe the Dark Lord can spare me a bit of you once he's done!"

"I'll look past your blood, girl… you and the other one… they'll make great prizes…"

"You doofuses sound too much like Greyback… Confringo!" I called out. The blast knocked all four of the Death Eater children backwards, and summoned Harry and Ginny towards the scrap. Crabbe and Goyle got up from the heap first.

"Beluaincendio!" they casted together. From their wands sprayed twin jets of living fire.

"Bring out the butter… we're gonna make TOAST!" Crabbe called out.

"Dark Lord wants you dead, he's just gonna have to not give a damn who kills ya!"

"You two are both complete and utter lunatics. Undatormento!" I casted the strongest water spell I could. A huge torrent shot from my wand. While it did, indeed, flood the room, the fire just kept on spreading. Worse still, like the Hyper Hex, this spell caused massive fatigue. I felt myself being pulled onto a broom, and nothing more.

The first part of three for the ending. And the last chapter from Amber's viewpoint.

Whatever confusion I had from the special updates, I've narrowed it down. The only thing that came to mind is getting tacked on at the end of the last part. So, after this, I can get started on something new.

Interesting fact: Malfoy's cronies were intended to speak in much harsher dialogue that what's here... but I couldn't bring myself to use those words. Luckily, I believe it gets my intentions across well enough.

Two must fall to the hand of one...