Hey guys! I got a ton of requests for the next chapter, so I figured I would give it to you a day early. It is the least I can do, really. Hahaha. Anyways, enjoy! And thank you so much for the reviews!
"There is no other way." Harry's voice echoed around the silent room as he turned back to Dumbledore.

"Yes, there is. Please sit down."

"I don't have time for this." Harry said, his voice dangerously quiet as he turned to the door again.

"Harry, sit down at once!" It was the first time he had ever heard Dumbledore mad, and now he knew why he was the only wizard Voldemort ever feared.

Harry paused for a minute and then saw the look on Dumbledore's face and decided to comply for the time being.

"You are right to say that either of you must die because of the other, but you are wrong to say it is just you against him," Dumbledore said, sitting down across from Harry.

Harry thought he looked rather pleased with himself.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, "It's the same thing!"

"No, it's not," Dumbledore said impatiently, "Listen to what I am saying. You must kill him, or he must kill you, but it is not just you against him. This is a war we are fighting, Harry! All of us, not just you! You can't do everything on your own; sometimes you need help, and there are people outside of this office willing to help you if only you wouldn't be stubborn enough to refuse them."

"Sure," Harry said, shaking his head. "Sure, theywantto help; that isn't the problem. The problem is they have no clue what they are getting into. They don't know what it is like to fight. I have been trained for this; I have fought before, too many times. They don't know what it means for them to say they'll help me. It means death."

Dumbledore paused at this, looking at Harry with a mix of sympathy and concern, which drove him mad. "Harry, that's not your fault."

"Yes, it is," Harry said firmly, pushing his hair back off of his scar, which was still prickling slightly.

"No, it's not." Dumbledore said firmly.

"Your friends told me what happened, and from what I heard, there was nothing you could have done to stop it."

"First of all, they arenotmy friends." Harry started, getting mad again. It was a better emotion than grief. Anger was safer and easier to handle right now. "Second, of course it is my fault! I shouldn't have allowed him to come with me in the first place. It was much too dangerous, especially with me getting possessed. If he had never come, if I had protected him better…"

He did not want to talk about this. If he did for much longer, his heart would surely implode. If it did, he was positive he would not be able to piece it back together.

"Harry, there is nothing you could have done differently. Even if you had gone without him, he still would have ambushed you with the rest of your party when you reached Hogsmeade."

"You don't know that." Harry said stubbornly, "He was still in danger just being around me, though. Even if he hadn't been… I should have never let him come. I should have just done it on my own."

Harry knew it would have been impossible to do it on his own. He knew he would have died if he had tried, but he was sure anything was better than the nightmare in which he currently resided.

"Harry," Dumbledore said, "He was never in danger around you."

"Save it," Harry snapped, "I heard what you and Sirius said. I know what you think."

"I always thought," Dumbledore cut him off, "That there was a chance Voldemort would try and break into your mind and possess you ever since you first got that scar. However, now, I do not think he would have been able to do so."

"Why not?" Harry asked. "Because you have once again shown me your ability to love, which is something Voldemort has never been able to do. The great amounts of pain he must have experienced the day you left would have been far worse than the reward was worth. I also think he has realized this, which is why he has not done it again."

Harry nodded, thinking about his first night with Draco. It certainly had felt like Voldemort was trying to possess him again, though he had not tried again after that, so maybe Dumbledore was right.

"Still," Harry said at last, "Hunting Horcruxes is not an easy thing. We broke into Gringotts and rode away on a dragon! We found a lake filled with Inferi, and I had to drink this awful potion! Letting him come put him in danger. I don't want to do that with the others, too. At least Draco had a bit of an idea of what he was getting himself into. They have no idea, not even a clue."

"Nevertheless, they all know much more about Hogwarts than you do. You need their help. You have no other choice. You know what it would mean if you did not find the last Horcrux. Voldemort would live. You can't let him live, Harry, but the only way to stop him is to accept their help."

Harry sighed heavily. No matter how much he didn't want their help, he knew Dumbledore was right.

"Fine," He said coldly, "I'll ask for their help. Right now, though, do you need help preparing? The castle has to be evacuated and protected. We need more time to find the Horcrux."

Dumbledore looked like he did not believe Harry in the slightest, but he, too, realized there were other things they needed to discuss. Dumbledore rose and walked to the door.

"I will warn the castle and start to make preparations. I know that there is a chance I will die before the night is up, so let my final words to you be this. Trust your friends, Harry. They want to help, and they care about you. It is crucial you find the last Horcrux before he comes, and it is too late…

"Also, being brave and stupid are two different things; don't do anything rash that could cost you your victory. Be smart and focus on what needs to be done." Harry rose to his feet as Dumbledore opened the door.

"Severus," Dumbledore said to Snape, who was still waiting outside the office door.

"Yes?" Snape asked. His eyes met Harry's, and Harry saw him flinch slightly before looking away.

"Come back, and we can finish our discussion." Snape didn't hesitate but reentered Dumbledore's office at once.

Harry waited till the door had closed completely, then turned on his heels and ran back down the stone steps. Ron, Ginny, and Hermione were waiting for him right outside of the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Harry, what happened?" Ginny asked quickly. He didn't answer but looked around instead.

"Where did Fred and George go?"

"Not sure," Ron said, "They mentioned something about getting something, and then they ran off."

Harry nodded, but he didn't really care. His face was a mask again as he turned to face them.

"Listen, I need your help." He said grudgingly.

"Anything," Ginny replied at once.

"Do you remember what you learned about the Horcruxes?"

"Of course," Hermione said.

"Good, I need to find the last one. It is hidden somewhere in the castle, and it is the diadem of Ravenclaw. Voldemort himself hid it. Do you have any idea where it would be?"

Harry could see they were all thinking hard, but they didn't have time for thinking. He wanted action. He wanted to find the Horcrux.

"I have one place where I think it might be, but it is a stretch." Ron said.

"Let's go!" Harry said, "We don't have time to waste."

"Why?" Ginny asked sharply, but Harry brushed past her and followed Ron at a run down the corridor.

As they ran, Harry's scar started to prickle painfully again. If what Dumbledore had said was true, then Voldemort could not possess him.

If it was because of love, then all Harry would have to do to stop his scar from hurting would be to think about Draco. It hurt to think about Draco, but in this case, it hurt much more to not think about him.

It also would cost them their precious time, which was ticking away every moment they wasted.

Harry's heart ached with suppressed emotion as he forced himself to think about him. He had been Harry's only friend, the only one whom he could have ever trusted.

Now, he had no one left.

Harry was surrounded by people who would help him, yet he was more alone than ever. Even when he had left to search for the Horcruxes on his own had hurt less than this.

At least then, he had known there was a chance, however slim, that he may see Draco again. He might have returned, but he knew Draco would never.

A single tear slipped down his face, but he brushed it away quickly, returning his face to stone.

It had worked, though. The pain in his forehead was going away.

Now, he was just left with the gaping hole in his heart, the void which would never be filled. It was the thing that made it hurt to walk, hurt even to breathe.

All he wanted to do was lie down and not think remembered all of the times his scar had hurt in the past days. His pain then felt like nothing compared to what he felt now.

But he kept running, still forcing his feet to move and his body to function. Harry did not know where they were going as all of the hallways blurred into each other.

Soon, they started to fill with students, all of whom must have just returned from the village. Ron had to slow his pace, trying to push his way through the crowd the best he could. But there were so many of them. Harry wondered how Dumbledore was ever going to evacuate all of them in time.

Then he glanced out the window and reminded himself that they still had time. True, it was ticking away, but they would have enough of it to be able to get everyone out safely. They would have time to prepare before Voldemort struck.

Ron led them around another corner and stopped in his tracks. Standing framed in the front door was what must have been every member of the Order.

Sirius and Lupin were both there, and Lupin was holding hands with Tonks. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were there with Bill and Fleur. Moody was there, and behind him stood many more people, none of whom Harry knew.

Ron ran down the stairs, followed by Ginny and Hermione. Harry walked, in no rush to see any of them.

"What are you all doing here?" Ron asked as he reached them.

"There is going to be a fight tonight. Dumbledore sent word for us to come immediately." Tonks replied, much too happy for war.

"A fight?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, didn't you know?" A figure stepped out from behind Tonks, and Harry was surprised to see NevilleLongbottom. He was hand in hand with a girl who had dirty blond hair and a slightly dreamy look on her face. Next to them were a bunch of others who obviously knew Ron and Hermione.

"Dumbledore said he would evacuate the school and protect it. We are supposed to help." Mr. Weasley explained as they all hugged. "He is going to gather all of the students in the Great Hall so he can start the evacuation process."

Harry stood awkwardly off to the side. He didn't know most of these people, and he didn't like the rest of them very much.

"Harry," Sirius said, approaching him. "Listen, I'm sorry…"

But Harry cut him off quickly, "It's fine. I already talked with Dumbledore, and he reckons I'm not being possessed or anything."

"I know; I talked with him too." Sirius said, "I'm really sorry, Harry."

"Forget it." Harry brushed him off, looking around the entrance hall.

He would never again trust Sirius or any of the others, but now was not the time to fight over things like that. He would reconsider if they all made it out of this alive. He had more important things to do right now. They all did.

"Hey, Harry," Lupin said, approaching them both. "I'm sorry, too."

"It doesn't matter anymore." Harry said truthfully.

He was still looking around the hall, waiting for Ron to be done. He would have to go get him soon.

"Yes, it does. I shouldn't have talked about you behind your back again. I'm sorry."

"Stop." Harry said coldly, getting frustrated at the distraction. "It's fine. I really don't care about that right now. I have more important things to do than worry about your consciences."

"What's wrong, Harry?" Sirius asked.

"Nothing." Harry said coldly, "Like I said, I have something I need to do." He needed to get away from them, away from this room. He had to look for the Horcrux.

"No, that's not it. You have your mask on again. What's bothering you, Harry?" Sirius and Lupin knew him too well. He had shown too much of himself to them.

"I do not have my 'mask' on, and there is nothing wrong!" Harry said a bit too loudly.

"Don't lie to us. We can tell." Lupin said, looking around the room too. He turned suddenly back to Harry, his face full of concern. "Harry, where's Draco?"

Just like that, Harry's heart was ripped out of his chest and crushed into a billion minuscule pieces. And with his heart came all of the emotions which he had been trying so desperately to hide. He couldn't do this, couldn't have this talk with them. Not now.

He turned quickly and walked away, trying to blend into the mass of students. He climbed the steps with them, trying to get far away from Lupin and Sirius and their questions.

As he went, a tear rolled down his cheek, but he didn't brush it away. He turned down an empty hall and started to run as another tear came, and another.

It was the first time in a while he had cried.

He turned down another hall and tried to calm down. He had to pull himself together. Now was not the time for this. Crying was a weakness, and he would not be weak, not right now. He took a deep breath, trying to regain control.

He heard footsteps coming and knew they must have followed him. He sank to his knees beside a suit of armor, wiping away the last of his tears. Sirius and Lupin rounded the corner a few moments later.

"Harry, what happened?" Sirius asked, sitting down next to Harry. "Why did you leave?"

"I told you," Harry said, trying hard to keep the pain out of his voice, "I have something to do and can't wait for everyone. I have to get this done before the war starts."

"Harry, while that may be true, that's not why you left." Lupin said gently.

Harry hated when they treated him like a child, but he could see why they would do so. He must look so childish, sitting on the floor crying. He didn't say anything and looked away as another tear slipped out. He quickly brushed at it, struggling to keep them inside where they should have been.

"Harry," Sirius said quietly, "Tell us what's wrong."

When Harry still said nothing, Lupin said, "Come on, maybe we can help."

"I wish you could." Harry said, his voice containing an unimaginable amount of misery.

Another tear slowly traced a line down his face. As much as he tried to prevent it, he could not stop them once they had started. He should not have been stupid enough to let them start in the first place.

Sirius and Lupin didn't say anything, and Harry knew they were watching him closely. He pushed his hair back off of his forehead again, still not looking at them or saying anything.

"Is your scar hurting?" Sirius finally suggested, though Harry suspected he knew that wasn't what was bothering him. Harry had never cried because of it before.

"No, I'm fine." Harry said, as yet another tear left its trail on his face. He brushed it away, even though he knew it was no use. They just kept coming, no matter how hard he tried to stop it.

"No, you're not." Sirius said. "You would never cry if you were fine. In fact, it would only be if something was very wrong. Harry, stop pretending everything is fine. Just tell us what happened to you."

They had to know already, or at least have guessed it had something to do with Draco. Lupin had asked him about Draco before, and he had left. Surely, they must suspect something happened to him.

Would they make Harry say it after he was so clearly upset? He suspected they would; they always did.

He wished his eyes would stop tearing up. He wished he could look stronger, not so cowardly in front of them, but he knew it was too late for that.

The longer he thought about Draco, the worse it got. Every breath hurt, even the slightest movements stung, till it felt like he could barely breathe.

Harry focused on clearing his mind as they examined him. He returned his face to stone and hid the sorrow in his eyes, but it didn't last long.

"Harry," Sirius said, shifting around so Harry would have no choice but to look at him. "What happened to Draco?"
-

Sorry about the cliffhanger again! Maybe I'll post tomorrow still...