'helged lu nissano'

Harry's eyes rested on Snape for the first time in months and a swooping feeling filled his gut. He was right. He just knew he was right. The man's eyes were exhausted, his features long and worn, and there was a fidgety tension in every movement of his body. Harry was frozen, quite forgot what he was doing, who was helping him, that McGonagall was standing only a couple feet away holding up a conversation with the current headmaster. All he could see was Snape's concern, his clear desire to find Harry and tell him something...and it had to be important, whatever it was.

He never got the chance. McGonagall attacked Snape and then Flitwick and Sprout arrived and Luna had pulled Harry away from the fight before he could reveal himself and discover the truth. Snape dove out a window and Harry rushed to it without thinking to stare at the gliding shadow disappearing into the night.

Once Slughorn had arrived, Harry told the Heads of Houses that Voldemort was coming. They needed to get the younger students out while they barricaded the castle long enough for Harry to finish up a task set to him by Dumbledore. He informed them of the passage in the Room of Requirement, asked Flitwick information regarding the lost Diadem, and then sent Luna to go warn those within said room while he searched for the ghost of Ravenclaw House. Sir Nick pointed him in the right direction and after speaking with her, figured where the diadem had been stored. Finally, he rushed to the Great Hall, knowing Theodore would meet him there. He was surprised to see that the Order of the Phoenix had gathered as well. McGonagall was organizing everything, acting as Headmistress.

"What took you so long?" Theodore asked as he quickly came to Harry's side.

"I know where the diadem is." Harry told him and saw that Draco, who stood nearby, perked. His voice dropped. "It's in the Room of Requirement. Trelawney told me about it once. There's a place where everything is hidden and it's the Room of Requirement. I need to get the diadem. You need to go to the headmaster's office and get the Sorting Hat. I'm sure the sword will be in it."

"You shouldn't go alone." Theo mumbled.

"He won't." Draco suddenly said. "I'll go with him."

Eying the other Slytherin with suspicion and surprise, Harry asked, "What?"

"I'll help you." Draco stated and then added in a low voice. "My family is through if he wins this war."

Abruptly, Voldemort's voice echoed through the school, making several jump and scream. He wanted them to hand over Harry Potter and he wouldn't hurt anyone. They had until midnight.

Pansy Parkinson suddenly pointed at him. "But he's there! Potter's there! Someone grab him!"

In a single motion, the rest of Slytherin House stood and surrounded Harry as Theodore took a long stride forward and backhanded Parkinson.

"How dare you break Slytherin code!" He snarled at her, anger like blue fire in his eyes.

McGonagall had Filch begin leading the students away and Harry was surprised when a few of the Slytherin seventh years actually stuck around. It was only Draco, Blaise, and Tracey, but it still made Harry grin like a little kid getting a Firebolt for Christmas. Once the younger students had cleared out, Harry turned to Draco.

"You can come with me." He told him and then faced Blaise and Tracey. "If you could help Professor McGonagall organize defenses and...don't get yourself killed, please?"

"Definitely." Blaise said arrogantly and Tracey gave a serious nod.

"Get to the headmaster's office." Harry told Theodore as they started out of the hall.

"Send Draco." He snapped irritably.

"I trust you more." He stated and then tossed to Draco, "No offense."

Draco just shrugged.

Finally, they parted ways and Harry checked to make sure that no more people were coming through the Room of Requirement. He had to order Ginny Weasley out, not that she didn't sound like she wanted to leave, and could only give a tiny bit of information to Tonks about the location of Sirius.

Then they entered the place where everything is hidden.

"Let's split up." Harry told Draco. "Look for a stone bust of an old man wearing a wig and a tiara! It's standing on a cupboard and it's definitely somewhere near here..."

"Sounds familiar." Draco admitted and then took off into the mess of junk.

After what felt like forever, he finally spotted the diadem and rushed towards it, shouting out, "I've found it, Draco! It's over here!"

"Hold it, Potter."

Harry spun and shock washed over his face at the sight of Crabbe and Goyle, both with their wands pointed at him, though the latter looked uncertain. His breath was heavy and he contemplated how quickly he could cast a spell at them.

"So how come you two aren't with Voldemort?" He asked.

"We're going to be rewarded," said Crabbe. "We 'ung back, Potter. We decided not to go. Decided to bring you to 'im."

"To who?" Goyle questioned, looking at Crabbe, but his companion ignored him.

"Good plan." Harry could not believe how close he was to the diadem and yet he was about to be thwarted by Crabbe and Goyle of all people, though it didn't seem Goyle quite understood the plan. "So how did you get in here?"

"Malfoy told us 'ow last year." Crabbe snorted. "So we could get in if 'e needed us to. We 'eard what you were planning in the Great 'all. You're after something in 'ere and we're going to stop you."

"What's a die-dum, Harry?" Goyle asked and it looked like he was about to lower his wand, but Crabbe elbowed him.

There was a motion to their side that Harry hoped they hadn't noticed, but Crabbe had. The boy turned, aimed, and cried "Crucio!"

The scream that echoed through the Room of Requirement made Harry's skin prickle as memories flooded his mind.

"Stop!" Goyle shouted, shoving Crabbe and interrupting the boy's concentration. "Dat's Malfoy!"

"So?" Crabbe roared back. "'e's a traitor, just like Nott!"

"Nott's a traitor?"

"Just shut up!" Crabbe turned towards Harry again, wand raised. "Come quietly, Potter and we won't 'ave to use curses on you too."

"Impedimenta!" Draco hollered, but Crabbe ducked beneath the spell and turned his own wand towards the boy.

Harry made a dive for the tiara and heard Crabbe round on him with the Cruciatus, which hit the bust, sending it into the air and the diadem soared out of sight.

"Stop!" Goyle was yelling as Harry threw himself behind some rubble. "He's'a Slytherin!"

"It doesn't matter anymore, you idiot!" Crabbe roared. "'ouses don't matter now that the Dark Lord is in power!"

"But..."

"Just shut up and help me find him."

"Bombarda!" Draco shouted and Harry heard something explode. A moment later, he heard, "Finite!" to steady the teetering pile of things.

"Avada Kedavra!" Crabbe countered and Harry was grateful when he heard it miss.

"Don' kill'um!" Goyle pushed Crabbe hard, causing the other boy to topple into anther tower of discarded belongings.

"Finite!" Draco yelled again and the stack steadied.

While Goyle was distracting Crabbe, Harry dashed to where he thought he'd seen the diadem fall. Rummaging through the pile he could hear the two arguing.

"What do you think you're doing?" Crabbe was roaring. "We're going to turn Potter over and the Dark Lord will reward us!"

"Bu' don' kill'um!" Goyle argued. "He's'a Slytherin! Slytherin code!"

"The code is gone!" Crabbe bellowed and then, "Avada Kedavra!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Harry was rushing down the pile, forgetting all about the Horcrux, and saw, to his relief, Goyle had managed to evade the curse and was currently half-crawling, half-running on all fours behind a wardrobe. It had been Draco who had screamed, he realized, a moment later.

Suddenly, Crabbe had cast a spell and Harry saw enormous flames erupting from Crabbe's wand.

"RUN!" Draco was shouting and Harry didn't argue.

He took off through the maze as the giant flames began to consume everything around him. They chased him, as if alive, and soon he found he was trapped. Catching sight of a pile of brooms, he jumped on one and grabbed a second in case he needed it. As he flew over the inferno, he hoped against all hope that the three other Slytherins had managed to get out in time, but he was horrified to see Malfoy and Goyle trapped on top of a tower of charred desks. He swooped, dropped the broom, and then waited until they'd gotten on it before heading for the door. As he flew, he caught sight of the diadem falling through the air, and Harry dove, caught it, and burst through the doors, colliding into the wall on the other side. Goyle and Malfoy both lay on the ground, panting and sweating and looking grateful just to be alive.

"C-Crabbe?" Malfoy asked as soon as he could speak. "C-Crabbe..."

"I think he's dead..." Harry answered after a moment of staring at the blank wall.

"Harry!" Theo came running up to him, looking truly horrified by what he saw. "What happened?"

"Fiendfyre." Draco mumbled. "Crabbe...he tried to stop us...he tried to kill us..."

Theodore's eyes hardened into pure loathing. "Where is he?"

"He's dead." Harry whispered. "The fire...it killed him."

Theodore knelt beside Harry and gingerly took the diadem from him, showing that it was leaking a black blood-like substance before it crumpled in his hands. "Fiendfyre...one of the few substances to be able to destroy Horcruxes...would never dare cast it myself."

"This means," Harry gasped suddenly. "It's just the snake!"

"Harry," Theodore whispered, his eyes serious. "Harry, the...battle...is not going well. Will never get close enough to him...should stop. Should go..."

"Whose side are you on?" Harry asked accusingly.

Theodore swallowed and straightened. "Am on your side, Harry."

"Then stop trying to persuade me to give up." Harry growled. "We have to do this if we want to destroy him!"

A duel broke their conversation and Harry turned to see Fred and Percy fighting the Minister of Magic.

"Hello, Minister!" Percy yelled. "Did I mention I'm resigning!"

"You're joking, Perce!" Fred hollered with a smile. "You actually are joking, Perce...I don't think I've heard you joke since you were..."

There was an explosion and Theodore instinctively cast a Shield Charm and they watched smoke billow into the room as rubble flew everywhere. Finally, Theo lowered the spell and Harry heard the screaming.

"No! No! No!" They shouted and Harry rushed forward through the smoke. "No! Perce! No!"

And Harry caught sight of Fred shaking his brother, whose face seemed to be glowing with a smile still upon it.

Translation: 'City of the Fallen' one of my favorite musical groups.