SEPTEMBER 20th, 1997
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Kathleen landed on the back side of the Hog's Head, breathing hard. They all unconsciously looked to Harry, waiting for him to tell them what to do. His insides squirmed at the sight of their anxious, expectant faces. Were they really about to break into Hogwarts?
They had no other choice. The image of Ginny with a glowing sword in her hand haunted his vision. Malfoy was telling the truth... he had to be.
"Okay," he said, taking a deep breath. "The castle's going to be warded, obviously, but we should be able to get in through the Shrieking Shack—"
At that moment, the back door to the pub opened, and a grizzled, surly-looking old man dumped a bucket of dirty water out onto the alleyway, splashing the group's feet. Upon catching sight of them, he froze, and so did they, before Harry pulled out his wand and pointed it right at the man's face.
The man scoffed. "You mean to curse me, do you?"
"Not if you keep your mouth shut," Ron said, stepping up next to Harry and pointing his wand in the man's direction. "You didn't see anything, understand?"
The man spat on the ground but said nothing further.
"That's not an answer," Harry said after a long moment, adjusting his grip on his wand. "We don't want to hurt you, but—"
"Bah. Where have I heard those words before?"
Hermione frowned, pointing her own wand at him. "If you're talking about the Death Eaters—"
"I'm talking about my fool of my brother, Ms. Granger." He rolled his eyes and spat on the floor again.
"How do you know her name?" Ron demanded.
"I know all yer names... 'cept you," he said, nodding in Kathleen's direction. "My brother said you'd come, sooner or later. Guess my Galleons should have been on sooner."
"Your brother..." Harry said slowly, and then looked at the man, really looked him. His eyes widened. "You're Dumbledore! Aberforth Dumbledore."
"The very same."
The other three gaped.
"Your... your brother said we would come here?" Harry managed, baffled.
"Aye. And if you're here now, that means trouble can't be far behind. Get inside, all of yeh."
He stepped out of the way, and after the briefest moment, the four of them scrambled inside the dingy back hallway. Aberforth shut the door behind them and started stomping upstairs.
"Come on, then, can't have you down here where customers could see yeh."
Harry privately thought that it was very unlikely that there were any customers inside the pub at all, but he didn't argue as he followed Aberforth up a pair of rickety wooden stairs, the others close behind. The old man led them to a small, dilapidated sitting room. Despite the pleasant weather outside, a roaring fire was going in the grate, casting odd shadows about the room.
"We appreciate you helping us, but we're in a bit of a rush—" Harry started.
"Off on some foolish mission, no doubt."
"Er. Well, it's not foolish—"
"According to who?"
"According to morals!" Hermione piped up, outraged. "Your brother told you about it, apparently. We're trying to stop You-Know-Who—"
"Aye, and the world would be better off if that bastard was gone. But you ever think it was odd that the wise, great wizard Albus Dumbledore left three teenagers behind to finish his work? Not a whole lot to go on, eh? Not a whole lot of support."
"He didn't leave it to us on purpose," Harry said angrily. "He was murdered. And before then—"
"And before then, he was groomin' yeh to take on his mission," Aberforth interrupted, a steely glint in his familiar blue eyes. "I don't know the details, mind, only that it was critically important that I allow you passage into the school should you ever show up here, on a missionlike you are." He scoffed.
"It iscritically important," Ron insisted.
"Of course it is. My brother tell you that?"
"No, he didn't tell us anything about going back to Hogwarts! But we need to get there now, before You-Know-Who does." Harry was breathing hard, his hands curled into fists. He had never spoken to Aberforth before— never even heard Professor Dumbledore say much about him— but he was rapidly forming a very bad opinion of him.
"You—"
"I know what it's like," Kathleen interrupted, taking a step forward. "To have a strained relationship with a family member. I don't know what all happened between you and your brother—"
Harry watched Aberforth's eyes glance toward a painting of a young girl on the wall.
"— but this is bigger than any personal feelings you might have about him, or he might have had about you. You're right— it shouldn't have been up to us to do this. But it's us who are here now, and if we don't do what we've set out to do, today,there won't be another chance. Take all the time you want to tell us about why your brother is so horrible— but tell us tomorrow. If there is a tomorrow."
Aberforth stared at her for a long moment. "You remind me of her, a bit. She always was the peacekeeper between us."
"Who was?" Kathleen asked.
"Ariana. My little sister." He nodded toward the painting, where the young girl smiled sadly.
"What happened to her?" Hermione asked softly.
Aberforth's face grew stony. "She died. Was murdered, more like."
Harry's insides turned icy. A murdered younger sister? Dumbledore had never mentioned anything about this, not even once.
"That sounds like a terrible tragedy," Kathleen said, taking another step closer. "Tomorrow, when we come back here, I want to hear all about her— about what happened. She deserves time to have her story told. But for today… we need your help. You said you could get us into the castle?"
Aberforth was silent for a very long moment, long enough that Harry almost spoke, but then he turned to Ariana's portrait and said, "You know what to do."
The girl started walking away from them, down the dirt path in the portrait, and as she grew smaller and smaller, Harry squinted, trying to understand what Aberforth meant. Once she grew so small that she disappeared from view, there was a loud clickand the edge of the portrait detached itself from the wall, revealing a stone passageway.
"This'll take you into the castle," Aberforth said.
"Do you know where it leads?" Hermione asked, peering inside, dodging cobwebs.
"Albus called it the Come and Go Room."
"The Room of Requirement!" Harry and Ron exclaimed, looking at each other in surprise and delight.
"I take it you know it, then?"
"It's an old friend," Harry said with a smile, and, after a moment of hesitation, he extended his hand to Aberforth. "Thank you. Kathleen's right— we'll be back tomorrow."
Aberforth shook his hand, a scowl on his face. "I hope this is worth it for you, kid."
Harry nodded, slightly unnerved to be referred to as kid, given the gravity of the situation. Without another word, the four of them piled into the dark tunnel, Hermione's Lumosguiding the way, and they ran towards Hogwarts.
"That was brilliant, Kathleen," Harry panted, jogging alongside her.
Kathleen smiled. "Thanks. He just didn't want to feel ignored— didn't want his sister's story to be ignored."
What story that would be, Harry couldn't fathom. His mind wanted to return to conversations with Dumbledore, to try to remember if he had ever hinted at a family, at a past tragedy, but the problems of the present left very little room for reminiscing.
He had told Aberforth they would be back tomorrow… but would Harry even still be alive by tomorrow? Malfoy's face floated in his mind's eye, his drawling voice telling him that he could see a piece of Voldemort's soul inside his chest.
What on earth were they going to do about that? They hadn't even had time to really discuss it as a group— they had avoided it for the last few days, assuming they would have more time. But if Voldemort was on his way to Hogwarts right now, with the other Horcruxes in hand… it would end today, one way or another.
After all this time, would Harry really not be the one to kill him? Would it be Ginny, with this otherworldly light? The prophecy had certainly not said anything about that, but then, Trelawney had issued more than one prophecy…
His chest was tight both from exertion and from fear when they reached the other end of the tunnel and the cobweb-covered doorway that, in theory, led in to the Room of Requirement.
"Any chance this door works the same as the one in the castle?" Ron asked. "Would be nice to walk in to a fully-stocked armory."
"Armory? Don't be ridiculous, Ron—"
"You heard Malfoy, Hermione. You-Know-Who's on his way here. It's going to be a fight."
Tense, horrible silence hung between them before, with a sigh, Harry stepped forward.
"We don't know who or what is on the other side of this door," he said, looking at each of them in turn, "but this is our best shot. We have to find the diadem, and destroy it, but first, we need to make it into the castle undetected."
The group nodded, grips tight on their wands.
"Disillusionment Charms, maybe?" Hermione asked. "Although I suppose they'll see the door opening if anyone is inside..."
"I'll go under the cloak, just in case, but you're right— if someone's on the other side of this door, they'll see us one way or the other."
He strained his ears, trying to hear any signs of life beyond the doorway, but there was nothing. He grabbed the replacement invisibility cloak out of his robe pocket and threw it over himself, wishing, as he so often did, that it was he and not Voldemort who held the real one.
"Alright, on my signal. Three... two... one... go!"
Ron yanked open the door, wand pointed straight ahead, and let out a startled yelp as he found himself face to face with Neville Longbottom.
"R-Ron?" Neville stuttered, his eyes wide in disbelief. "Is that really you?"
"Neville?" Ron asked, thunderstruck as he lowered his wand. "What are the odds? What are you doing in here?"
"What are youdoing in here? Is Harry with you?"
"Tell us something only Neville would know first," Hermione said, eyes glinting as she stepped forward. "We can't take any chances."
"I tried to stop you from sneaking out of bed our first year and you Petrified me outside the Gryffindor common room," he said.
Hermione blushed but lowered her wand. "Sorry about that. Hi Neville."
"Hi," he said, his eyes still wide. "Guys, come look— Ron and Hermione are here!"
"Guys? Who's guys?"
Neville stepped aside to reveal that the Room of Requirement had changed itself into a sort of hideout, complete with hammocks and sofas, and on those sofas were Luna Lovegood, Seamus Finnegan, Dean Thomas, and, shockingly, Blaise Zabini.
"Zabini?" Harry said, pulling off the invisibility cloak.
"Harry!" Seamus cried.
"Cheers, Potter," Zabini said from his reclined position on the sofa, nodding casually in Harry's direction. "I was hoping you'd show up here one of these days."
"What are you all doing in here?" Kathleen asked as the four of them stepped into the room. She kept her eyes carefully away from Blaise.
"Avoiding the Carrows," Dean said. "Right tyrants they are. Are you here to help us kick the Death Eaters out of Hogwarts?"
"Oh that would be so lovely," Luna said, bouncing to her feet and hurrying over to the group. "Hogwarts isn't the same without you. The punishments are awful—"
"Punishments?" Harry said sharply. "What punishments?"
"The Cruciatus," Seamus said in a dark tone, making Hermione gasp. "We just made this hideout last week, and Luna convinced us to let this git in—" he nodded in Zabini's direction, who gave him a cheeky salute, "—and we've been trying to think of ways to help the other students. Even first years aren't exempt, mate... it's awful."
Harry's hands tightened into fists as his insides boiled with anger, but before he could say anything, Kathleen stepped forward and put her hand on his shoulder.
He took a deep breath.
"We're not here to get rid of the Carrows."
Neville, Seamus, Dean, and Luna's faces fell.
"We're here because You-Know-Who is on his way here, and we have to stop him. He's looking for something, something critically important to him and his power. I have to find it first and destroy it."
"You-Know-Who's on his way here? Now?" Seamus demanded, his voice rising a bit in pitch. "Do the Death Eaters know?"
"I don't know," Harry said, his throat dry. "At least one of them does."
Blaise chuckled, making the group look at him.
"Do you know anything about this?" Harry asked.
"No, but I'm assuming Draco does."
"What is it you have to look for?" Luna asked, ignoring Zabini. "Can we help?"
Harry squirmed, his instinct for secrecy screaming to keep the information to himself, but they were going to run out of time... They had wasted too much time already.
"Yes. It belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw. It's called a diadem."
"Oh, but Ravenclaw's Diadem has been lost for centuries," Luna said, making Ron groan. "Everyone knows that."
"Lost?" Harry said, his heart pounding.
"Yes. Many have searched for it, but no one's ever been able to find it."
He swallowed. "Well. I know for sure it's here at Hogwarts... or at least Vol— You-Know-Who thinks it is. We'll have to look. Maybe Ravenclaw Tower?"
"If You-Know-Who is on his way here, we have to secure the castle first," Neville said firmly. "We have to tell McGonagall, maybe see if the teachers can knock out the Carrows. And someone will have to deal with Snape."
"Leave him to me," Harry said viciously, making Hermione frown.
"This isn't the time for grudges—"
"It isn't a grudge—"
"It isn't the time for fighting either," Luna said sternly. "I can get into Ravenclaw Tower, of course, but it's Saturday— there will be a lot of students in the common room now that we're not supposed to be wandering the halls. If one of you Disillusions yourself, then I can sneak you in to look."
Harry grimaced. That sounded time-consuming and not very promising.
"If I alert McGonagall, you two can go get Flitwick and Sprout," Neville said, nodding at Seamus and Dean. "Stay out of the way of the Carrows."
"On it," they said with a firm nod.
"Look at you, Neville," Ron said in amazement. "You're a real leader now."
"Somebody had to step up once you guys left," Neville said with a nod of his own. "It's not right, what's happening here. We've got to stop it."
"We do," Harry agreed. "Quickly."
"Alright— we'll meet back here if nothing else, yeah?" Neville said before hurrying toward the opposite wall, where the door appeared. Seamus and Dean followed quickly behind him.
"Splitting up is going to be a problem," Harry said with a grimace once the door shut. "Any of us could find it, and then how will the others know to come find Hermione with the—"
"Wait a minute!" Ron's eyes widened. "I have an idea." He whispered something in Hermione's ear, whose eyes similarly widened.
"We'll be right back," she said to the group before grabbing Ron's hand and hurrying for the door.
"What? Wait!" Harry demanded.
"Look for the diadem! Stick with Luna!" Hermione called before casting Disillusionment Charms on herself and Ron and hurrying out the door, leaving Harry dumbfounded.
"What on earth are they—"
"Never mind that now," Kathleen said quickly. "We have to focus. So... Ravenclaw Tower, and if not there, then where?"
Then absolutely anywhere. Harry grimaced. Voldemort would be on top of them before they had even finished the top two floors.
"Hold on a minute," Zabini said, finally rising to his feet. "I think we're getting ahead of ourselves."
"What do you mean, Blaise?" Luna asked, turning to him.
"The diadem's lost, right?"
"Right."
"So where do lost things go?"
"Ooh, a riddle!" Luna began to ponder, but Harry didn't have the patience for it.
"We don't have time for this—"
"Really, Potter, you lack a stunning amount of imagination. Everyone go back in the tunnel for a moment."
"What? Why—"
"Oh," Kathleen said, interrupting Harry. "You really think that'll work?"
Blaise shrugged. "No idea, but figure it's worth a shot before we go gallivanting all over the castle. It's helped us before."
"What are you—"
"Come on," Kathleen said softly, grabbing Harry by the hand and gently pulling him toward the door, Luna following dutifully behind. "He's going to summon the Room of Hidden Things."
Oh. "Will that work?" Harry asked, incredulous.
"No idea, but like he said, it's worth a shot, right? If it can't show us the diadem, maybe it can give us a clue."
"Hmm. Alright."
He piled into the tunnel with Kathleen and Luna, his heart pounding, painfully aware that every second that passed was one less second before Voldemort arrived at the castle. Once they were safely inside, Zabini turned to the room and cleared his throat.
"Alright, Room, this is a big one. We're looking for Ravenclaw's lost diadem. Can you please become the Room of Hidden Things?"
Magic filled the air as the room twisted its shape, gradually taking form into the same crowded room Harry had seen once before, back when he had hidden his Potions book last year.
"Okay, you can come out now."
The three of them entered the room again; Kathleen's face was pale, and, on instinct, Harry grabbed her hand. Zabini eyed them for a brief moment but otherwise paid them no mind.
"Thank you, Room," Zabini said, like he was talking to an old friend. "Now— do you happen to have any clues or any information about Ravenclaw's diadem? It's a type of tiara— probably in Ravenclaw colors."
Nothing happened.
"Too bad. Guess the Room can't know everything," he said with another shrug, turning to face the others again.
"Wait," Harry said, his heart racing. The memory of hiding his Potions book in here filled his mind, how he had run down the crowded rows, looking for a good hiding place, and how he had passed a cracked marble bust wearing—
"It's in here!" he cried, making Zabini's eyebrows shoot up.
"Is the Room telepathically communicating now? Because if so, that would be very cool—"
"No, no, no, I've been here before," Harry snapped, tired of Zabini's antics. "I just didn't remember." He hurried forward, letting go of Kathleen's hand as he went running off down one of the aisles.
"Do Gryffindors always do this much running, or is it just in a moment of crisis?" Zabini deadpanned.
"I did spend a lot of time running with them during the DA," Luna said blithely, making Zabini laugh.
Harry paid them no mind as he raced through the stacks of junk, piled so high he was amazed they were even able to stand upright. He had been in such a rush last time he was here, he barely remembered the path he took, but that suit of armor was familiar, and so was that grandfather clock...
Finally, he found it. Perched high up on a stack of books was a broken marble bust, on top of which sat a bronze diadem with a large sapphire in its front. He hadn't paid it any mind the last time he was here, but now that he was looking at it... he could feel its pull, just like he had with the locket, almost like they weighed more than they should.
"I found it!" he called, and soon the others came running.
"Accio diadem," Kathleen tried, but nothing happened.
"It'll be spelled against Summoning," Harry said. "I'll have to climb."
"Shouldn't you have someone smaller do it?" Zabini said, nodding in Luna's direction. "Less chance of knocking everything over."
Harry looked at Luna, who was clumsy on the best of days. "Er..."
"Or, better yet. Room, I need a big ladder."
The room supplied a ladder, and Harry gaped at Zabini, making him smirk.
"Just gotta know what to ask for," he said. "You want to do the honors, Chosen One?"
Harry grimaced. He was unlikely to ever be friends with Zabini, but he was certainly turning into a useful ally. Zabini and Kathleen held the ladder still as Harry climbed up, heart pounding. He reached for the diadem, ignoring the tightness in his chest, praying that it hadn't been enchanted in some way.
It came right off. He grabbed it, and nothing happened.
"Well that was anticlimactic," Zabini said as Harry climbed down.
"That was the easy part," Harry replied. He went to turn to Hermione to ask for the Sword of Gryffindor, and then remembered she had run off with Ron somewhere. "Damn it! I need Hermione's bag."
"We should go look for them," Kathleen said. "We got what we came for. You two should stay here, in case someone else comes back."
"I want to help," Luna insisted.
"They shouldn't stay," Harry said, shaking his head. "We need to get out of here, actually— if this is what Voldemort's looking for, he'll be headed right for this room."
"You said the name!" Kathleen blurted, face growing pale.
"It doesn't matter. He's on his way here anyway. Either he dies today, or I do."
Luna's eyes grew watery. "I'm going to help you fight."
"Godspeed, Potter," Zabini whispered.
He took a deep breath. "What we do need is to try to secure the castle. I know you said students aren't allowed to be wandering, but we really need everyoneback in their common rooms, out of the way."
"Okay," Luna said with a nod before grabbing Zabini's hand, making both men's eyebrows raise. "Let's go— we should stick together."
"Uh. Okay. Sure," Zabini said, nonplussed, but he allowed Luna to lead him out of the Room of Requirement.
"What about me?" Kathleen said, turning to Harry. "What can I do?"
"Stick with me," Harry said before tucking the diadem under his robe. "We need to find Ron and Hermione, but they could be anywhere—"
"And you can't be seen wandering around the castle."
"Right. So if you stick with me, I'll just..." He pulled out the cloak again and slipped it over himself, disappearing from Kathleen's sight.
"I guess I can open doors for you at least," she laughed, and Harry smiled, though he knew she couldn't see him.
"Okay. I'm not sure where they could have gone, but let's just get the lay of the land first."
Kathleen nodded and walked with him toward the door. Harry ignored his pounding heart— he couldn't allow himself to be discovered, to put the others in danger, at least not before Voldemort arrived. They needed to keep their presence here a secret until the last possible moment.
Kathleen opened the door and immediately froze as distant shouts filled the air.
"What do we—"
"Under here," Harry said sharply, lifting up the cloak and letting her scramble under it. "Wand at the ready, yeah?"
Kathleen nodded. Slowly, they walked forward together, taking care not to let the cloak reveal their feet. This corridor was empty— the fighting sounded like it might be one floor below.
It was odd to be so close to Kathleen in this moment, to be sharing her airspace. He had done this with Ron and Hermione a million times, but being here without them, and with Kathleen, felt markedly different.
"If it's Death Eaters, we'll surprise them," he whispered. "Don't react right away."
Kathleen nodded again, tightening her grip on her wand. They turned the corner, descending the stairs, and Harry's mouth fell open as the sixth floor corridor came into view. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick were locked in a duel with the Carrows; curses and hexes were flying left and right, bouncing off the stone walls and suits of armor.
"Crucio!" the man cried, but McGonagall expertly blocked it with a Shield Spell.
Harry narrowed his eyes. The Carrows were no match for McGonagall and Flitwick combined, but they were wasting valuable time, and every second that passed was another second for the Carrows to flee to Voldemort.
"We're going to Stun them," he breathed. "I'll get the man, you get the woman. On three. One... two... three... Stupefy!"
Twin beams of red light flared forward as Harry and Kathleen lifted their arms out from under the cloak, making Flitwick yelp and McGonagall fire a Stunning Spell of her own in their direction.
All their aims were true— Harry Stunned Amycus Carrow, Kathleen Stunned Alecto Carrow, and Professor McGonagall Stunned Kathleen.
"Good heavens!" she cried when Harry yanked off the cloak and caught Kathleen as she fell. "Potter! You gave me quite a fright, I thought you might have been Snape—"
"Neville found you then, I take it?" Harry said, breathing hard as he knelt down to support Kathleen's weight.
"That he did," Flitwick replied, dusting himself off and hurrying forward. "And now we've taken care of the first part of the problem. Incarcerous."
He pointed his wand at Alecto Carrow's inert body, firmly tying her up, and then repeated the same process with her brother.
McGonagall stepped forward before kneeling down next to Harry and Kathleen.
"I'm... I'm very glad you're alright, Mr. Potter," she said before quickly embracing Harry, startling him.
"I am too, Professor," he joked as she pulled back. "But Hogwarts is about to be under attack. I've found what he's looking for, but when he discovers it missing, or that I'm here—"
"We're on it," McGonagall interrupted, a steely glint in her eye. "As Professor Dumbledore was fond of saying, Hogwarts holds many secrets. We are not defenseless, even against him."
"You're arming the castle?" Harry breathed, hardly daring to believe it.
"Certainly," Flitwick said from further away as he checked the bindings on the Death Eaters. "We cannot stop him indefinitely, but we can slow him down."
"That's exactly what I need," Harry said fervently. "But Kathleen—"
"Ennervate," McGonagall said, and Kathleen groaned, eyes fluttering. "Don't get up too quickly, Miss Barrows, you're probably light-headed. My mistake for hexing you."
Kathleen squinted. "Harry, you have to find the others. I'll stay here for now— it's gonna take me too long to be ready to run again. Find Ron and Hermione, and then come back to us, yeah? I'll help secure the castle if I can."
Harry looked over at the unconscious Carrows, knowing they would wake sooner rather than later, and nodded. "Alright— keep an eye out for Snape. We have to take him out as soon as we can."
"Oh, I'm well ahead of you, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, that steely glint growing brighter as she smiled grimly. "I've been waiting for that opportunity for months."
Harry smiled at her before rising to his feet. "Secure the castle, then— hopefully we can contain the damage. I have work to do, but I'll rejoin you soon."
Before his former professors could question him, he turned on his heel and hurried back to the staircase, intent on going further down. Where could Ron and Hermione have gone? The library, maybe? But it had been Ron's idea, not Hermione's... Still though, he couldn't think of a more likely destination.
He hurried down the stairs, unconcerned at this point about using the cloak. Now that the Carrows had been taken out and the professors were going to secure the perimeter, his only immediate threat was Snape, and he very much wanted to run into Snape.
No time to think about that now though. He did a cursory glance of the fifth floor, looking for any signs of Ron or Hermione, and did the same on the lower floors— nothing. He grimaced, irritated. Was he really going to have to start barging into empty classrooms looking for them? They hadn't gone back upstairs to the Room of Requirement, he was fairly certain— he would have seen them on the stairs.
His heartbeat felt like a ticking clock in his ears, the diadem pressed up against his side in his robe pocket, and he passingly wondered if it had a similar mood-altering effect as the locket had. Voldemort could be upon the castle at any moment, and Ginny with him. What could have gone wrong today that led to this?
He eventually reached the library, and, heart pounding, he pulled the door open. Madam Pince was not at her station; the place appeared to be empty. Further annoyed, he sighed and stepped into the room. It wouldn't be wise to call out for Ron and Hermione, on the off-chance that someone else was in here; he would have to walk through the aisles.
Moving quickly, he paced through the aisles, finding nothing, and when he finally reached the windows near the far wall, he stopped, momentarily defeated. Where could Ron and Hermione be? Could they possibly have gone down to the dungeons for some reasons? But what could be in the dungeons?
Brow furrowed, he went to take another step forward, but before he could, his wand whipped out of his hand, skittering across the library floor and rolling to a stop below the window.
He didn't think. He lunged for his wand, but before he could reach it, he found himself flipped upside down in the air, dangling by his ankles. Harry scowled, knowing whose spell this was.
"Accio-"
"Silencio," Snape drawled, removing his Disillusionment Charm and taking a step closer to a furious Harry. "I always knew you were sloppy, Potter, but really, running around the castle without even your hood drawn?"
I wanted you to find me,Harry thought furiously, pushing the thought in Snape's direction.
Snape was unmoved. "Just as I wanted to find you. We haven't much time. I know you have no reason to trust me, Potter, and even less reason to like me, but the fate of the world very well may rest on this moment." He brought his wand to his temple and summoned forth a large wisp of memory, which he then ushered into a small glass vial. Stoppering it, he continued, "If you value your mother's sacrifice at all, if you believe in Albus Dumbledore's legacy as you say you do, you will take these memories to the Pensieve in the Headmaster's study and watch them, do you understand? You will watch them, and then you will understand the truth— what this has all been leading toward. The password is cerva nunquam moritur.You must do this before the Dark Lord arrives— it is imperative." He walked forward, ignoring Harry's struggles, and slipped the vial into Harry's robe pocket at such at an angle that it wouldn't fall out.
The two men stared at each other for a long moment, green eyes meeting black. Snape's face was impassive.
"I pray we do not meet on the battlefield, Potter," Snape breathed. "Finite Incantatem." Then, in a great whirl, his body became a cloud of black smoke that flew past Harry's falling body and smashed through the windows behind him, flying away.
"No!" Harry yelled, scrambling for his wand, but it was too late— Snape was gone. Harry stood for a moment, breathing hard and staring out the broken window, dumbfounded. After a moment, he reached inside his pockets, assuring himself that the diadem was still there. He frowned. Snape had put the vial of memories in the same pocket as the diadem, but he hadn't taken it or even remarked on it at all. Perhaps Voldemort did not trust even Snape with this secret, but surely Snape would have questioned Harry carrying around a random tiara in his pocket…
He pulled out the vial of memories, turning it in his hand. He had to find Ron and Hermione. But he hadn't checked the Headmaster's tower… was it possible they had gone there for some reason? Maybe he could kill two birds with one stone.
SEPTEMBER 20th, 1997
They landed on the footpath leading toward Hogwarts' gates. After the shouts and echoes in the ballroom, the land seemed eerily quiet to Ginny as Voldemort approached, Bellatrix hurrying along beside him. Ginny held her breath, keeping her face as far away from Nagini as possible, but it was difficult; the snake seemed determined to rest her head on Ginny's shoulder, as though she knew her master's true purpose in bringing her along. She partially blocked Ginny's view, making her look toward Voldemort's chest instead, heart pounding.
The cup was very heavy in her hand. It was like the dreams but worse, somehow; the dark energy within it swirled as though taunting her. It was almost like smoke. She watched it swirl, noticing that her tattoo was somehow an even deeper shade of black. She couldn't be sure, but it felt like it didn't like the cup being so near it. She felt nauseous in the same way she had when Voldemort had touched the tattoo, like it recognized something wrongin the contact.
"What is this?" Voldemort said, his voice an icy whisper as he stopped walking.
Ginny turned to look, and her eyes widened. Hogwarts was under a dome— a bubble, not unlike the one the fake Burrow had been under, except she could see through this one. There Hogwarts stood, plain as day, but it was like it had become a giant snow globe.
"I can try the gate, my lord—"
"No. Stay here." He very carefully set Ginny down, keeping a grip on her upper arms, and then spoke in Parseltongue. Nagini slithered off of his shoulders and onto hers, making her whimper.
"Behave, little saint," he whispered before turning to look at Bellatrix. "Don't take your eyes off of her for a moment, do you understand? If she goes to run, Stun her."
Bellatrix pointed her wand at Ginny, glowering at her as Voldemort approached the dome. Ginny remained standing, wavering a bit on the spot. A hard truth hit her then— she couldn't run even if she wanted to. She couldn't let go of the cup, and Nagini wasn't going to let go of her. The energetic weight just from these two alone left her nearly paralyzed. If Voldemort managed to get his hands on the diadem, his plan to subdue her would absolutely work.
Her pulse raced, briefly remembering Mcnair and the tattoo, but she made herself take a deep breath. That wasn't happening right now, and Draco and Harry were both fighting with her to end things today— they were on her side.
"Amycus. Alecto."
Ginny glanced over and saw that Voldemort had pressed the tip of the Elder Wand to his forearm, apparently summoning the Carrows, but no one was responding. His frown deepened and he murmured, "Severus."
At first, nothing happened, and Ginny watched Voldemort's lip curl back in a snarl; his youthful, handsome face somehow lost none of the ferocity that his other form had held. She started to look away, but then a black cloud appeared in front of Voldemort and materialized into Snape.
"My lord," he gasped, immediately dropping to one knee and bowing his head. "Thank Merlin you have arrived—"
"Explain yourself," Voldemort said coldly, and when Snape looked up, he did a double take at his master's changed appearance.
"M-my lord—"
"It is you who owes me an explanation, Snape. What happened here?"
"Harry Potter has infiltrated the castle."
"What?" Voldemort shrieked, and in an instant Snape was dangling in the air just like Rowle had been months ago, gasping for air.
"I don't— know how— but he's— not alone—" Snape choked out, clawing at his neck. "The other teachers— turned on us— the Carrows— have fallen—"
"What is Harry Potter doing at Hogwarts?"
His whisper was scarier than his shout, and Snape seemed to agree, for he cringed. "I don't— know— I escaped— but you were— already summoning me—"
Snape's face was turning quite red. Voldemort's expression was cold as he stepped closer, his dark eyes locking onto Snape's. He held his gaze for several long moments before turning away and letting Snape collapse to the ground, gasping.
"You're not telling me everything, Severus."
"M-my lord, I promise you—"
"You do not know the boy's mission, but you have seen him, I can sense it. Why would you not capture him for me, Severus, and bring him to me?"
"I did not want to risk being overpowered, my lord, and then no one would have been able to alert you of his presence. I had no idea that you were already on your way here."
"Overpowered by a teenager? You, the great Severus Snape?" Voldemort asked, fiddling with the Elder Wand.
"By Harry Potter and the rest of the Hogwarts staff. Yes," Snape said slowly. "They captured Amycus and Alecto, and if they had captured me—"
"You're stronger than the Carrows, ten times stronger."
"I dared not risk it, given the stakes. I seek only to deliver what you desire, my lord. I escaped the castle and was in the process of escaping the barrier when I felt your call. I had no idea you were here, that you even intended to come here today. It is… fortuitous—"
"Fortuitous?" Voldemort's sharp voice was like a whip in the air. "Is that what you call it?"
"Y-yes, my lord. In a way. Potter is now on the Hogwarts grounds, unable to Apparate. I know not what he seeks— perhaps to retake the school—"
"I know what he seeks," Voldemort snapped. "Though I do not know how he knows it."
He turned and stalked over to Ginny, grabbing her face in his hands.
"What luck that your former great love arrives at the castle mere moments before I do," he murmured, his long fingers digging into her jawline as he held eye contact with her.
"Please—"
Ginny's voice cut off as Voldemort plunged into her mind, ripping through memory after memory. Tears stung her eyes as he searched, pulling up Harry's smiling face again and again.
"Hmm. You truly do know nothing." He withdrew from her mind and dropped her face, leaving her gasping. Turning away, he continued, "Still, I can't help but suspect that there is a traitor in our midst. The timing is certainly peculiar—"
"Or fated," Ginny interrupted, making him pause. "Haven't you been saying that the whole time, that that's what all of this is about? Fate?"
He looked at her over his shoulder and smirked. "Are you saying you're fated to yield to me today, little saint?"
Ginny said nothing, and he laughed. "Very well. It appears time has run out for Harry Potter. I have everything I need to kill him right here." He looked back at Snape. "You said he wasn't alone?"
"No, he had his friends with him. They banded together with some of the other students and alerted the professors, who activated the castle's defensive magic."
"Then it is to be a fight," Voldemort said softly. He turned to Bellatrix. "It ends today, Bella. Summon my armies— all of them. Hogwarts will make its last stand against the might of Lord Voldemort, and we will see who Fate crowns the victor."
Bellatrix's eyes shone as she bowed. "Right away, my lord." She Disapparated, leaving Ginny alone with Voldemort and Snape.
"What would you have me do, my lord?"
"Stick with me," Voldemort said, looking toward the treeline. "If it's a war of attrition Hogwarts wants, we need to set up our base." Then, he pointed his wand at his throat, and in an impossibly magnified voice, he spoke to Hogwarts directly.
"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 want 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 one hour."
Ginny swallowed, her chest tight.
Draco. Get to Hogwarts as soon as you can— my family too. We have to fight.
SEPTEMBER 20th, 1997
The Dark Lord Disapparated with Ginny and Bellatrix, and Draco made himself take a deep breath. He didn't know how much time he would have, but Bellatrix leaving was a very good thing. Back to business.
Mrs. Weasley was crying, which made it very difficult to make eye contact with her. She wouldn't look at him. Doing his best to hide his frustration, he looked to Fleur instead, whose gaze was as fierce as he had ever seen as she nodded at him.
Good. That was good. Bill was stirring feebly, but Draco didn't dare reach for him when he didn't have his full faculties, in case he couldn't control his reactions. No, Bill would have to be last, if he got looped in at all–– Draco wasn't sure he could fight when he was still woozy from being Stunned, and with the likelihood of casualties... no, it might be better if he stayed on the ground if he wasn't at his full capacity.
Given Mrs. Weasley's state, that meant the twins were next. Draco grimaced and threw his consciousness toward George.
Don't react. We're going to overwhelm them–– take their wands–– but we'll only get one chance. Wait for my signal. Nod if you understand.
George snarled something unintelligible through his gag, causing Jugson to punch him in the stomach.
Please don't react, Draco urged, heart pounding. We don't have much time.
He then turned his attention to Fred, afraid to take too much longer. After hearing the same message, Fred looked to George, who was breathing hard after Jugson's punch, and then nodded at Draco. George raised his eyebrows, and Fred shrugged in a very devil-may-care way.
Anything's possible if you've got enough nerve,Draco pushed toward George, straining his Legilimency skills. His nose burned, and he had the horrible realization that he was going to get a nosebleed soon if he kept stretching his magic like this.
Charlie strained against his bonds–– not enough to upset the other Death Eaters, but enough to get Draco's attention. His question was clear: how are we going to get untied?
How werethey going to get untied?
Draco weighed his options, biting his lip. In a perfect world, he would maintain his cover here... But if Voldemort was going to fight Potter today, and all the remaining Horcruxes were at Hogwarts... His cover wouldn't matter either way after today, would it? Either Potter would win, and Draco would be packed off to Azkaban with the other Death Eaters, or Voldemort would win, and Draco would surely be tortured and killed... His parents would suffer too, but at this point that seemed likely to happen either way, and he had long since lost the illusion that he could meaningfully protect his mother from Voldemort's cruelty. There was no reason to pretend anymore.
The element of surprise was still important though, given the uneven match between the opponents. He couldn't trust Nott to help him here.
What had his mother said about playing pretend?
Draco walked right up to George, sneering as he looked him up and down. "Got any good jokes to tell, Weasley? That isall you're good for these days, isn't it?"
Jugson and Dolohov snickered, emboldening Draco.
"Suppose this isn't a laughing matter now, though," he continued, holding onto the sea in his mind, keeping his expression cold and mocking. "Still... I've seen the damage your stupid joke products can do. I don't trust you as far as I can throw you, you or your twin. Or any of you lot, really." He nodded at the other Weasleys. "In fact, I better check your bonds–– last thing we need is some Weasley creativitywhile the Dark Lord's away."
That was, in fact, exactly what they needed.
"Good idea, Malfoy," Dolohov said in a bored voice, fiddling with his wand in an apparent effort to emulate the Dark Lord. "Make sure they're nice and cozy."
Draco smirked back at him before stepping through the line of Weasleys, fiddling with George's bindings and loosening them. He did the same with the gag, pretending to tighten it but really loosening the knot so it would come free with a slight pull.
On my signal, get Dolohov,he pushed, ignoring his nose.
The process took forever, though it was likely barely over a minute. The twins would focus on Dolohov, while Charlie and Mr. Weasley would go for Greyback. Fleur would attack Avery, Percy would go after Mulciber, and Mrs. Weasley–– who was quicker on the uptake than he had expected–– would go after Jugson. Bill, who Draco would check last, would just have to help with whichever person he could, given that he was still lying on the ground. That would leave Draco to very quickly deal with Nott and then help whichever Weasley was in the worst state. There weren't quite enough Death Eaters for every Weasley to walk out of this situation with a wand, but it would be close.
Now... what would his signal be? Something to cause chaos, obviously, but that wouldn't give the Death Eaters time to react too quickly... His eyes drifted upward, toward the massive chandelier dangling from the ceiling.
His mind flashed on the night he had seen Ginny here for the first time, Bellatrix dragging her before the Dark Lord. Voldemort had cast the Killing Curse toward her, and her light had reflected back in each individual crystal, painting the room in a wash of golden sparkles. She had stared right at Voldemort, stony anger on her face, unwilling to be intimidated even after enduring three weeks of Rookwood.
That was who he was fighting for. Perhaps it was time for Voldemort's empire to come crashing down.
"Bombarda!" he bellowed, not giving himself time to think as he pointed his wand toward the chandelier, and it exploded into a million tiny shards of crystal and metal as it came tumbling downward.
The Weasleys wasted no time. As one, they lunged for their targets, breaking free of their wrist bindings. Avery and Jugson were on the floor before they could even scream, their wands wrenched from their hands. Dolohov, however, reacted quickly, and managed to fire a Crucioat Fred, which had him screaming in agony.
He's not using the Killing Curse because he's still afraid of what the Dark Lord will say, Draco realized, eyes widening, and then shouted, "Petrificus Totalus!"
That was enough to shock Dolohov, who tumbled over, Petrified.
Bill was on his feat by this point, and punched Mulciber straight in the face as Percy tackled him, making him yelp.
Greyback roared, an inhuman sound despite his current state, and yanked Charlie's arm back hard, hard enough that Charlie screamed. Draco heard a bone snap.
He didn't think. "Imperio," he called, focusing all of his intent on Greyback. He fought back harder than he had during Draco's training, the predatory rage shocking to Draco's consciousness, but Draco held firm.
You will let go of the two men attacking you. You will hand Arthur Weasley your wand. You will not fight back.
Greyback did as commanded, breathing hard.
"Back up," Draco said to the Weasley men, who did as he bade. Then, following orders, Greyback broke his own wand arm, snarling at Draco but making no other effort to fight back.
"Malfoy, what are you doing?"
Nott's trembling voice. In the chaos of helping Fred, Draco hadn't attacked Nott. He turned to face his old schoolmate, his chest heaving.
"The right thing, for once. I'm sorry, but I can't take any chances."
"Wait––"
"Petrificus Totalus."
Nott fell over, stiff as a board. Ignoring his twinge of unease, Draco turned back to the Weasleys. The other Death Eaters, even Greyback, had been knocked unconscious.
"They're all down, then?" he asked, keeping his grip on his wand tight. They shouldn't turn against him, they shouldn't, they shouldn't...
"Yes," Mr. Weasley said slowly, taking a cautious step toward Draco. "I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but... why are you helping us?"
"That's a very long story, one we don't have time for right now. We have to act quickly. Harry Potter is at Hogwarts, and the Dark Lord is on his way there now, with Ginny. You all need to get there as quick as you can and be prepared for a fight–– today's our last chance. You need to go now."
"How do you know––"
Draco. Get to Hogwarts as quick as you can–– my family too. We have to fight.
"Please, I don't have time to explain it to you! You have to go quickly. And so do I. Stay safe–– for Ginny's sake if nothing else."
"Malfoy––"
Draco Disapparated, heart pounding. He landed outside the gates of Malfoy Manor and, without stopping to catch his breath, ran through them.
They're free, he sent to Ginny, wiping his bloody nose. They should be on their way. I'll be there as soon as I can.
I love you,Ginny whispered, sounding weaker than Draco had ever heard her.
What is he doing to you?he demanded.
You have to hurry...
He snarled aloud in frustration as he sprinted up the front pathway, barreling for the front doors of Malfoy Manor.
"Mother!" he shouted. "Mother!"
Narcissa came racing down the stairs, clutching the front of her robes in one hand to free up her movement. "Draco, what's wrong? You're bleeding-"
"It's happening, Mother," he said, panting as he came to a halt at the base of the stairs. "At Hogwarts. It ends today."
Narcissa stopped a few steps up from the bottom, her face going pale. "Then praise be to the Dark Lord," she said cautiously.
Draco took a deep breath before shaking his head. "No, Mother."
Narcissa sucked in a breath. "What have you done?"
"Nothing I can come back from. But you and Father––"
"I will handle Lucius," she said in a decisive tone, coming down the rest of the stairs and resting her hands on Draco's shoulders. "The question is, what will you do, my son?"
"The right thing," he whispered, his lip suddenly quivering.
"Then go with my blessing," she responded softly before kissing his cheek. "Make your family proud, Draco Malfoy."