(Y/N)'s POV

"Neville — what the — how — ?" exclaimed Harry as Neville pulled him into a hug. "Neville!" I shouted in pure elation, the second he released Harry from the hug I pulled him into another. His arms wrapped around mine joyously.

A second later Neville spotted Ron and Hermione, and with yells of delight began hugging them too. "You look... worn out" I said, trying to remain polite. "You're one to talk" he smiled back.

The longer I looked at Neville, the worse he appeared: One of his eyes was swollen yellow and purple, there were gouge marks on his face, and his general air of unkemptness suggested that he had been living rough.

Nevertheless, his battered visage shone with happiness as he let go of Hermione and said again, "I knew you'd come! Kept telling Seamus it was a matter of time!" "Neville, what's happened to you?" "What? This?" Neville dismissed his injuries with a shake of the head.

"This is nothing. Seamus is worse. You'll see. Shall we get going then? Oh," he turned to Aberforth, "Ab, there might be a couple more people on the way." "Couple more?" repeated Aberforth ominously.

"What d'you mean, a couple more, Longbottom? There's a curfew and a Caterwauling Charm on the whole village!" "I know, that's why they'll be Apparating directly into the bar," said Neville. "Just send them down the passage when they get here, will you? Thanks a lot."

Neville held out his hand to Hermione and helped her to climb up onto the mantelpiece and into the tunnel; Ron and I followed, then Neville. Harry addressed Aberforth. "I don't know how to thank you. You've saved our lives twice."

"Look after 'em, then," said Aberforth gruffly. "I might not be able to save 'em a third time." Harry clambered up onto the mantelpiece and through the hole behind Ariana's portrait. "See ya Ab!" I waved as he glowered at me.

I think I preferred him to his brother, there was something about Aberforth's brutal honesty that refreshed me, he was almost the exact inverse of Albus. But then again, maybe it was just because he gave us food.

I tried to make out our surroundings as Ariana's portrait closed, it looked as though the passageway had been here for years. Brass lamps hung from the walls and the earthy floor was worn and smooth; as we walked, our shadows rippled, across the wall.

"You have a secret tunnel to Hogsmeade. That's so cool! I've always wanted a secret tunnel" I said as I shuffled through it, head bowed slightly, "Impressive isn't it?" Neville said cheerily. "How long's this been here?" Ron asked as we walked deeper.

"It isn't on the Marauder's Map, is it, Harry? I thought there were only seven passages in and out of school?" "They sealed off all of those before the start of the year," said Neville.

"There's no chance of getting through any of them now, not with curses over the entrances and Death Eaters and Dementors waiting at the exits." He started walking backward, beaming, smiling like a madman. I never realised I had missed him so much.

"Never mind that stuff. . . . Is it true? Did you break into Gringotts? Did you escape on a dragon? It's everywhere, everyone's talking about it, Terry Boot got beaten up by Carrow for yelling about it in the Great Hall at dinner!"

"Yeah, it's true," said Harry. Neville laughed gleefully. "What did you do with the dragon?" "Released it into the wild," said Ron. "Hermione and (Y/N) were all for keeping it as a pet-" "-Its name is Rory" I smirked "Don't encourage him, Ron" Sighed Hermione.

"But what have you been doing? People have been saying you've just been on the run, Harry, but I don't think so. I think you've been up to something." "You're right," said Harry, "but tell us about Hogwarts, Neville, we haven't heard anything."

"It's been . . . well, it's not really like Hogwarts anymore," said Neville, the smile fading from his face as he spoke. "Do you know about the Carrows?" "Those two Death Eaters who teach here?" "They do more than teach," said Neville.

"They're in charge of all discipline. They like punishment, the Carrows." "Like Umbridge?" "Nah, they make her look tame. The other teachers are all supposed to refer us to the Carrows if we do anything wrong."

"They don't, though, if they can avoid it. You can tell they all hate them as much as we do. Amycus, the bloke, he teaches what used to be Defence Against the Dark Arts except now it's just the Dark Arts."

"We're supposed to practice the Cruciatus Curse on people who've earned detentions —" "What?" our united voices echoed up and down the passage. "Yeah," said Neville. "That's how I got this one," he pointed at a particularly deep gash in his cheek.

"I refused to do it. Some people are into it, though; Crabbe and Goyle love it. First time they've ever been top in anything; I expect." I snorted, "Alecto, Amycus's sister, teaches Muggle Studies, which is compulsory for everyone."

"We've all got to listen to her explain how Muggles are like animals, stupid and dirty, and how they drove wizards into hiding by being vicious toward them, and how the natural order is being re-established."

I turned to the others, "I told you I should have come back! I'd have 'em out by now, I was holding back with Umbridge, can you imagine what I'd have done to the Carrows?" I lamented, wishing I could have helped more.

Neville just smirked, "We've been doing fine so far, could have used a laugh though" he looked at me as if he expected me to tell a knock-knock joke or something and make him laugh. "Surely you lot fought back though; nobody would listen to that rubbish."

"I got this one," he indicated another slash to his face, "for asking her how much Muggle blood she and her brother have got." "Blimey, Neville," said Ron, "there's a time and a place for getting a smart mouth."

"Yeah, that's my thing Neville. What, you trying to replace me?" I smiled. "You didn't hear her," said Neville. "You wouldn't have stood it either. The thing is, it helps when people stand up to them, it gives everyone hope. I used to notice that when you did it, Harry."

"But they've used you as a knife sharpener," said Ron, wincing slightly as we passed a lamp and Neville's injuries were thrown into even greater relief. Neville shrugged. I set to work easing the injuries and cleaning the wounds with my wand as we shuffle down the tunnel.

"Doesn't matter. They don't want to spill too much pure blood, so they'll torture us a bit if we're mouthy but they won't actually kill us." "The only people in real danger are the ones whose friends and relatives on the outside are giving trouble."

"They get taken hostage. Old Xeno Lovegood was getting a bit too outspoken in The Quibbler, so they dragged Luna off the train on the way back for Christmas." "Neville, she's all right, we've seen her —"

"Yeah, I know, she managed to get a message to me." From his pocket he pulled a golden coin, I recognised it as one of the fake Galleons that Dumbledore's Army had used to send one another messages.

"These have been great," said Neville, beaming at Hermione. "The Carrows never rumbled how we were communicating, it drove them mad. We used to sneak out at night and put graffiti on the walls: 'Dumbledore's Army, Still Recruiting', stuff like that. Snape hated it."

"You used to?" said Harry, who seemed oddly chuffed at the defiance in Hogwarts "Well, it got more difficult as time went on," said Neville. "We lost Luna at Christmas, and Ginny never came back after Easter, and the three of us were sort of the leaders."

"The Carrows seemed to know I was behind a lot of it, so they started coming down on me hard, and then Michael Corner went and got caught releasing a first-year they'd chained up, and they tortured him pretty badly. That scared people off."

"No kidding," muttered Ron, as the passage began to slope upward. "Yeah, well, I couldn't ask people to go through what Michael did, so we dropped those kinds of stunts. But we were still fighting, doing underground stuff, right up until a couple of weeks ago."

I dreaded what he would say next. Given what he had said so far and the track record of the Death Eaters we had encountered so far, I could almost feel what was coming next. "That's when they decided there was only one way to stop me, I suppose, and they went for Gran."

"They what?" said Harry, Ron, and Hermione together. "Yeah," said Neville, panting a little now, because the passage was climbing so steeply.

"Well, you can see their thinking. It had worked really well, kidnapping kids to force their relatives to behave I s'pose it was only a matter of time before they did it the other way around."

That was not what I expected, I hated even thinking about it, but in the Carrow's shoes, I would have targeted Neville's parents. But I suppose either they didn't want to risk a headline concerning missing patients at St. Mungo's or even they wouldn't stoop that low.

"Thing was," he faced us, but to my surprise and confusion he was grinning, "they bit off a bit more than they could chew with Gran. Little old witch living alone, they probably thought they didn't need to send anyone particularly powerful. Anyway,"

Neville laughed, "Dawlish is still in St. Mungo's and Gran's on the run. She sent me a letter," he clapped a hand to the breast pocket of his robes, "telling me she was proud of me, that I'm my parents' son, and to keep it up."

"Cool," said Ron. "You're Gran's a woman after my own heart Neville." I smiled, remembering my own encounter with that bumbling Auror. "Yeah," said Neville happily.

"Only thing was, once they realised they had no hold over me, they decided Hogwarts could do without me after all. I don't know whether they were planning to kill me or send me to Azkaban; either way, I knew it was time to disappear."

"But," said Ron, looking thoroughly confused, "aren't — aren't we heading straight back into Hogwarts?" " 'Course," said Neville. "You'll see. We're here." We turned a corner and there ahead of us was the end of the passage.

"Listen up you lot! I've brought you a surprise" Neville said with a cool air of confidence. A familiar Irish voice spoke up and I almost jumped in excitement. "Not more of Aberforth's cooking I hope. It'd be a miracle if we could even digest it."

Neville answered this query with an eyebrow raise that words couldn't do justice and a smirk that put even me to shame. Stepping out the way and allowing Harry to be seen.

As Harry emerged into the room beyond the passage, there were several screams and yells: "HARRY!" "It's Potter, it's POTTER!" "Ron!" "Hermione!" "(Y/N)!"

I waved to everyone and said "Has anyone seen a couple of Ministry Fugitives run by? I hear there's a reward for capturing them" "Now, don't go tempting me (Y/N)" said Seamus, throwing his arm around me and pulling me down to his level in celebration.

"Since when were you funny Seamus? Trying to fill the absence I left behind I see" He scoffed, "Migh' have to grow a bit first'" he said, beaming at me.

"Oi. You can't talk to me like that now, I'm a criminal. I'll curse you." He was in fits, I could tell he hadn't laughed in a long time, It reminded me of Sirius when we released him from capture, like an old instrument being used again.

In the next moment, we were engulfed, hugged, pounded on the back, our hair ruffled, our hands shaken, it was all a blur of faces that sort of melded together after a while but I knew I was happy to see all of them.

"Okay, okay, calm down!" Neville called, and as the crowd backed away, my vision was finally cleared of onlookers and well-wishers I could taking in our surroundings.

I felt a bit strange, I know I hadn't been back this year, but I prided myself on knowing the majority of Hogwarts when I saw it, but this room was new to me.

It was enormous, and looked rather like the interior of a particularly sumptuous tree house, or perhaps a gigantic ship's cabin. "Neat clubhouse guys. No Slytherins allowed I presume?"

Multicoloured hammocks were strung from the ceiling and from a balcony that ran around the dark wood-panelled and windowless walls, which were covered in bright tapestry hangings.

The gold Gryffindor lion, emblazoned on scarlet; the black badger of Hufflepuff, set against yellow; and the bronze eagle of Ravenclaw, on blue. The silver and green of Slytherin alone were absent.

There were bulging bookcases, a few broomsticks propped against the walls, and in the corner, a large wooden-cased wireless. "Where are we?" "Room of Requirement, of course!" said Neville.

I was blown away, "Surpassed itself, hasn't it? The Carrows were chasing me, and I knew I had just one chance for a hideout: I managed to get through the door and this is what I found!"

Now the fact I didn't know the room had put me at a bit more ease, "Well, it wasn't exactly like this when I arrived, it was a load smaller, there was only one hammock and just Gryffindor hangings. But it's expanded as more and more of the D.A. have arrived."

"And the Carrows can't get in?" asked Harry, looking around for the door. "No," said Seamus Finnigan, whose face was bruised and puffy. "It's a proper hideout, as long as one of us stays in here, they can't get at us, the door won't open. It's all down to Neville. He really gets this room."

As Neville explained, I looked around the room, it seemed every face in it had some sort of injury. I was tired of looking at mopey injured faces, so I called to the others. "Anyone who want's healing, come to me, I'll fix you up while we figure stuff out!"

Within thirty seconds I had a line at least twenty people long waiting to be treated. A few of them I didn't know, but I treated a couple of familiar faces and healed any minor injuries they had sustained under the Carrow's regime.

Both Patil twins were here suffering from some nasty cuts and bruises that they had expertly concealed with makeup, Terry Boot had taken to wearing a scarf to hide the bruises on his neck, others had similar facial injuries Neville did, like Ernie Macmillan, Anthony Goldstein, and Michael Corner.

"You've got to ask it for exactly what you need. like, 'I don't want any Carrow supporters to be able to get in' and it'll do it for you! You've just got to make sure you close the loopholes!" "Neville's the man!" "It's quite straightforward, really," said Neville modestly.

"I'd been in here about a day and a half, and getting really hungry, and wishing I could get something to eat, and that's when the passage to the Hog's Head opened up."

"I went through it and met Aberforth. He's been providing us with food, because for some reason, that's the one thing the room doesn't really do."

"Yeah, well, food's one of the five exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration," said Ron to general astonishment. "Hence why Ron's lost a few pounds on our journey." I joked as I helped Colin Creevey with some swelling over his eye.

"So we've been hiding out here for nearly two weeks," said Seamus, "and it just makes more hammocks every time we need them, and it even sprouted a pretty good bathroom once girls started turning up —"

"— and thought they'd quite like to wash, yes," supplied Lavender Brown, who had split the crowd and ran to Ron as soon as he had entered and was practically glued to him ever since.

"Tell us what you've been up to, though," said Ernie Macmillan. "There've been so many rumours, we've been trying to keep up with you on Potterwatch. Then Lavender got her letters, flew straight through the tunnel a few hours ago."

He pointed at the wireless and a stack of letters next to an old radio from which the message was being sent. "Lightning has struck, do you read? Lightning has struck!" But our onlookers were more concerned with us then spreading a message. "You didn't break into Gringotts?"

"They did!" said Neville. "And the dragon's true too!" There was a smattering of applause and a few whoops; Ron took a bow. "What were you after?" asked Seamus eagerly. "Pocket money and something to do."

Before anyone could answer anything else, Harry got all faint and stumbled back into Ron, who was barely able to hold him up. "Are you all right, Harry?" Neville said. "Want to sit down? I expect you're tired, aren't — ?" "No," said Harry quickly.

He looked at the three of us with the same look he always had when he had entered Voldemort's mind, trying to tell us without words that Voldemort had just discovered the loss of one of the other Horcruxes.

"We need to get going," he said, I nodded and turned to the others, their expressions told me that they understood. "What are we going to do, then, Harry?" asked Seamus. "What's the plan?" "Plan?" repeated Harry.

"Well, there's something we — (Y/N), Ron, Hermione, and I — need to do, and then we'll get out of here." Nobody was laughing or whooping anymore. Neville looked confused. "What d'you mean, 'get out of here'?"

"We haven't come back to stay," said Harry, rubbing his scar, trying to soothe the pain. "There's something important we need to do —" "What is it?" "I — I can't tell you." There was a ripple of muttering at this: Neville's brows contracted.

"Why can't you tell us? It's something to do with fighting You-Know-Who, right?" "No Neville we're going shopping for Pygmy Puffs" I sighed. Harry spoke over me. "Well, yeah —" "Then we'll help you."

The other members of Dumbledore's Army were nodding, some enthusiastically, others solemnly. A couple of them rose from their chairs to demonstrate their willingness for immediate action.

"You don't understand." Harry seemed to have said that a lot in the last few hours. "We — we can't tell you. We've got to do it — alone." "Why?" asked Neville.

"Because . . .Dumbledore left the four of us a job," he said carefully, "and we weren't supposed to tell — I mean, he wanted us to do it, just the four of us."

"We're his army," said Neville. "Dumbledore's Army. We were all in it together, we've been keeping it going while you lot have been off on your own —"

"It hasn't exactly been a picnic, mate," said Ron. "I never said it had, but I don't see why you can't trust us. Everyone in this room's been fighting and they've been driven in here because the Carrows were hunting them down. Everyone in here's proven they're loyal to Dumbledore — loyal to you."

I found it hard to disagree with them, I opened my mouth to tell them the plan, but it did not matter: The tunnel door had just opened behind us. "We got your message, Neville! Hello you four, I thought you must be here!"

It was Luna and Dean. Seamus gave a great roar of delight and ran to hug his best friend. "Hi, everyone!" said Luna happily. "Oh, it's great to be back!" "Luna," said Harry distractedly, "what are you doing here? How did you — ?"

"I sent for her," said Neville, holding up the fake Galleon. "I promised her and Ginny that if you turned up I'd let them know. We all thought that if you came back, it would mean revolution. That we were going to overthrow Snape and the Carrows."

"Of course that's what it means," said Luna brightly. "Isn't it, Harry? We're going to fight them out of Hogwarts?" "Sounds good to me!" I started, I figured If we took the school back from Voldemort's control, we could hunt down the Horcrux at our leisure.

I pressed the thought into Harry's head, but he seemed to snap at the sudden mind invasion, I had forgotten in my excitement that doing it can be uncomfortable if unprepared.

"Listen," said Harry with a rising sense of panic, "I'm sorry, but that's not what we came back for. There's something we've got to do, and then —" "You're going to leave us in this mess?" demanded Michael Corner.

"No!" said Ron. "What we're doing will benefit everyone in the end, it's all about trying to get rid of You-Know-Who —" "Then let us help!" said Neville angrily. "We want to be a part of it!"

There was another noise behind us, we all turned to see Ginny, who was now climbing through the hole in the wall, smiling down at us, Harry let out a little "Hi..." 

She sprinted forward and pulled him into a hug, running past Ron without a second thought, it was like the whole room had been silenced, until Ron grumbled.

"Six months she hasn't seen me, and she acts like I'm frankie first year! I'm only her brother!" Seamus shrugged, "She's got lots of those though, there's only one Harry" he chortled, "Shut up Seamus" Ron scowled.

I laughed along with Seamus, but I was about to blow his mind. "Only one Harry you say?" I scoffed. "Boy, have I got a story to tell you. First, Imagine Harry in a bra-" I was about to elaborate, but I got distracted.

She was closely followed by Fred, George, and Lee Jordan. My mouth took over before anyone else could react. "You git, I do not owe you five galleons you LIAR!" I pointed at Lee. "For the Niffler!" he defended. "The first one or the second?" I asked "Both!"

"What about the fanged frisbee that I helped you tie to Filch? We're even!" I countered. "Three words; The. Dungbomb. Deluxe!" He looked at me victoriously and I couldn't make a defence. "Damn...Forgot about that."

"Aberforth's getting a bit annoyed," said Fred, raising his hand in answer to several cries of greeting. "He wants a kip, and his bars turned into a railway station."

As I reluctantly handed over the last of my savings I was met with a source of awkwardness and entertainment, that filled me with joy. Right behind Lee Jordan came Harry's old girlfriend, Cho Chang. She smiled at him.

"I got the message," she said, holding up her own fake Galleon, Harry's face was priceless, like a deer in headlights that also had a gun to its head, she walked over to sit beside Michael Corner.

"So what's the plan, Harry?" said George. "There isn't one," said Harry, "Just going to make it up as we go along, are we? My favourite kind," said Fred. "To be fair, we do that a lot anyway" I added.

"You've got to stop this!" Harry told Neville. "What did you call them all back for? This is insane-" "We're fighting, aren't we?" said Dean, taking out his fake Galleon.

"The message said Harry was back, and we were going to fight! I'll have to get a wand, though-"

"You haven't got a wand — ?" began Seamus. Ron turned suddenly to Harry. "Why can't they help?" "What?"

"They can help." Said Ron. He dropped his voice and said, so that none of them could hear but us "We don't know where it is. We've got to find it fast. We don't have to tell them it's a Horcrux."

Harry looked from Ron to Hermione, who murmured, "I think Ron's right. We don't even know what we're looking for, we need them." And when Harry looked unconvinced, "You don't have to do everything alone, Harry."

Harry looked to me as his last hope for a counterpoint, but he wasn't getting one, I was all for this. "I'm siding with the missus on this one mate" Hermione raised an eyebrow, seeming peeved.

"Did you just refer to me as 'the missus?'" I shook my head, "I meant Ron" It was a paper-thin excuse but she overlooked it as Harry shook his head and we faced the crowd. "Okay," he called to the room at large, and all noise ceased.

Fred and George, who had been cracking jokes for the benefit of those nearest, fell silent, and all of them looked alert, excited. "There's something we need to find," Harry said. "Something — something that'll help us overthrow You-Know-Who."

"Right. What is it?" said Neville eagerly, "We don't know" said Harry back. I finally had a full understanding of the words 'deafening silence' as I stared around at the room of blank looks and confusion.

"Where is it?" asked Dean finally, "We don't know that either" said Harry bluntly. "I realise it's not much to go on-" he said apologetically. "That's nothing to go on." Said Seamus. So, Harry revealed a bit more "It's here at Hogwarts, but we don't know where. It might have belonged to Ravenclaw."

"Has anyone heard of an object like that? Has anyone ever come across something with her eagle on it, for instance?" He looked hopefully toward the little group of Ravenclaws, to Padma, Michael, Terry, and Cho, but it was Luna who answered, perched on the arm of Ginny's chair.

"Well, there's her lost diadem. I told you about it, remember, Harry? The lost diadem of Ravenclaw? Daddy's trying to duplicate it." "Yeah, but the lost diadem," said Michael Corner, rolling his eyes, "is lost, Luna. That's sort of the point."

"When was it lost?" asked Harry. "Centuries ago, they say," said Cho, and our hopes were dashed "Professor Flitwick says the diadem vanished with Ravenclaw herself. People have looked, but," she appealed to her fellow Ravenclaws, "nobody's ever found a trace of it, have they?"

They all shook their heads. "Sorry, but what is a diadem?" asked Ron. "It's a kind of crown," said Terry Boot. "Like a tiara" I said, miming one on my head. "Ravenclaw's was supposed to have magical properties, enhance the wisdom of the wearer." "Yes, Daddy's Wrackspurt siphons —"

But Harry cut across Luna. "And none of you have ever seen anything that looks like it?" They all shook their heads again. "If you'd like to see what the diadem's supposed to look like, I could take you up to our common room and show you, Harry? Ravenclaw's wearing it in her statue."

"He's on the move," he said quietly to us. He glanced at Cho and then back at them. "Listen, I know it's not much of a lead, but I'm going to go and look at this statue, at least find out what the diadem looks like. Wait for me here and keep, you know — the other one — safe."

Ginny interrupted this plan of action with some news as a first year entered and whispered something to her. "What is it, Ginny?" Harry asked as she walked between us, looking worried.

"Snape knows. He knows that Harry was spotted in Hogsmeade." I sighed and turned back to Seamus. "Anyway, as I was saying. Imagine Harry in a bra-" Before I was pelted over the head by several objects and told to focus.

"-So, let me get this straight" I said as Harry explained his plan after I told Seamus my story and soothed the lump Hermione left on my head. "You want us. To stroll into the Great Hall, with all the other students, and restrain Snape, force the Death Eater's out of Hogwarts, and then start a war?"

He frowned, "Well when you put it like that-" "Alright then, I'm gonna go get changed!" Hermione was confused, "Changed?" I nodded. "If I'm fighting for Hogwarts. I'm looking the part." I said, going behind a screen and I emerged wearing my Hogwarts uniform.

"There we go, now I look like a proper student" I said, looking to the others and noticing that we had been joined by some more company. It was packed, far more crowded than just a few minutes ago.

Kingsley and Lupin were looking ready for action, as were Oliver Wood, Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet, Bill and Fleur, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

I looked over to Ron and Lavender, who were sharing some 'words' before the ensuing battle, Lavender looked over Ron's shoulder and looked at me as they came up for air, giving me a 'I've got a bone to pick with you' vibe.

I imagine Ron had told her of the veela at Fleurs wedding to put his conscience at ease, though I doubt that he would have told her about the locket. As much as he'd like to get me in trouble, I think he would like to avoid it himself.

I smiled awkwardly at her and she smiled sweetly back, a thank you for keeping him safe, and I felt a swell of pride when I saw a couple of letters written in pink ink beside them. Both for the fact my invention worked and the fact my friend was happy.

It motivated me to find Hermione, who seemed to be reading her Horcrux book to quell her anxiety, it wouldn't have been my choice, but whatever worked. Her brow was furrowed, almost angry looking, as she saw me approach, I saw her wipe her eyes with her sleeve.

"Are you doing ok?" I asked in concern, she nodded, "Yes, fine, just read something that upset me" I frowned with her and wiped her eyes gently, "What was it?" she shook her head, "Nothing..."

I left it that, she changed the subject anyway, "I'm not too sure on this plan to capture Snape" I shrugged, "Well, it's better than giving him a teacher of the year award" she softly smiled, looking up at me, "But what if-"

"Don't 'what if' Hermione, it never goes well, you worry too much. We've made it this far haven't we?" I comforted, pulling her into a hug and burying my head into her hair. "But after this, we can't stop, we can't turn back. Aren't you scared?" she asked.

I shook my head, "Scared isn't really the word I'd use. I'm...restless if anything, I want this all to be done so I can go and have a kip." I joked. "I swear, when all this is over, I'm sleeping for a week." She nodded into my chest. "I might join you."

Chuckling, I said, "Promises, promises." She didn't scold me, or even blush, much to my amazement, instead she pulled me into a kiss by my shirt collar. "Stay safe won't you. No matter what happens." I kissed her again, nodding into it.

"As long as you do the same." She nodded back. "Then if course I will. I have a promise to keep remember?" She smiled brightly, "I love you" she whispered between us, I smiled back, looking deep into her eyes "I love you too, always."

I entwined our fingers and we walked over to Harry. "Harry, what's happening?" said Lupin, meeting us at the foot of the entrance. "Voldemort's on his way, we were seen in Hogsmeade, they're barricading the school — Snape's called an assembly — What are you doing here? How did you know?"

"We sent messages to the rest of Dumbledore's Army," Fred explained. "You couldn't expect everyone to miss the fun, Harry, and the D.A. let the Order of the Phoenix know, and it all kind of snowballed."

"What first, Harry?" called George. "What's going on?" "We have to get to Snape" said Harry, I wasn't sure why he was so insistent, until I saw the gleam in his eye of a man hellbent on revenge. "Well, let's do what the headmaster wants then." I said as we all left the Room of Requirement to march towards the Great Hall.

A stream of students moved toward the Great Hall. They walked grimly, their faces blank, as if accustomed to such exercises. It left me to wonder if this was a common occurrence, that would probably be the worst part of Snape's tenure, the boring assemblies he no doubt held.

While the Order members were unable to join us in the sea of students, unable to blend in as we could, they were set to be stationed outside the great hall, ready for a skirmish, in case the Death Eaters put up a fight, others were being stationed along the ramparts.

The Ravenclaws walked in lockstep as well, meeting us on the marble staircase as the houses all converged and entered the hall. Although, some of us seemed in our element, the Slytherin House walked in proud rigid synchronisation, backs straight, in perfect rhythm.

Each House stood together as a group, the room buzzing. No one sat. Harry was nowhere to be seen. At the Tall Table at the top of the Hall the Carrows looked down on us like sinister sentinels, their eyes raking the crowd.

A sight that made my heart jump in both joy and grief were the professors that stood most prominent, McGonagall, her face ashen, her bearing reduced along the right wall, while Flitwick stood by the left wall, looking shifty and uncomfortable with all of this.

Snape entered and the room went slowly silent. I was absolutely right; he went into a speech. "Many of you are surely wondering why I have summoned you here at this hour." He started, and for once in my life, I was invested in a speech, mostly so I could see what nonsense he spewed.

"It has come to my attention that earlier this evening... Harry Potter was sighted in Hogsmeade." A slow murmur and a few gasps of hope filled the hall, I smirked as I saw McGonagall's eyes glisten with curiosity.

Snape raised his voice, briefly, to quell the noise in the Hall. "I mention this in the hopes that truth will not be supplanted by rumour. For myself and a few select members of the staff this comes as little surprise. We have, for some time, considered Mr. Potter's return to Hogwarts to be not only possible but inevitable."

"Consequently, in the past several months and under my specific direction, exhaustive defensive strategies have been employed to defeat any attempt Mr. Potter might make to breach these walls. But know this. Should anyone...student or staff"

He glanced to McGonagall and Flitwick, "attempt to aid Mr. Potter, that person will be punished in a manner consistent with the severity of their transgression. Rest assured: So long as I am Headmaster at Hogwarts, Harry Potter will never again step foot in this castle."

I almost burst out laughing. It was made even sweeter by the applause that burst forth from the Slytherins, Snape raised a hand. The room returned to silence. "Now then. If anyone here has knowledge of Mr. Potter's movements this evening... I invite them to step forward now."

Snape's eyes glanced across the Hall, almost daring us to step forward, like a spider to a fly. Nobody dared to, though I was tempted. His glares were met with dead silence. A few nervous shifts, a few glances. And then...footsteps. I smiled and laughed to myself as I heard them.

Every head in the hall turned towards the source of the echoing noise. A figure appeared in the shadows at the back of the Hall. My eyes shifted forwards briefly to see the hatred on Snape's face and McGonagall's chin rise in disbelief as her face bloomed with hope.

And then, calm as anything, Harry said "It would seem that, despite your exhaustive defensive strategies, you have a bit of a security problem, Headmaster." Snape stared in stunned disbelief, then his gaze shifted as one by one, we all joined him, a collective of defiance.

I stepped forward, beside Harry, there were gasps and murmurs at the sudden appearance of a known murderer. Then Ron. Hermione. Lupin. Mr Weasley. Mrs Weasley. Fred. George. Percy. Luna. Dean Thomas. Bill. Fleur. Kingsley Shacklebolt. "And I'm afraid it's rather extensive."

The Carrows seemed unsure of what to do, they had been moving towards Harry, but upon seeing his extensive backup, they had started to falter, turning to Snape with uncertainty. Harry's eyes narrowed with malice as he stared at Snape.

"How dare you stand where he stood." Harry drew his wand and pointed it at him. "Tell them how it was that night. Tell them how you looked him in the eye, a man who trusted you... and killed him. Tell them!" He demanded.

Snape did not do as he was told, instead, his hand reached for his wand in the deep pocket of his robe, before Harry could act, someone else had for him.

Before I could even blink, McGonagall stood poised in front of us, her wand extended, no longer an ashen ghost, now a confident combatant. For a second the air prickled with anticipation.

Just as Snape found a hold on his wand McGonagall stepped forward, sending a blast towards Snape that was reminiscent of a spray of lava out of a volcano. Pivoting, he parried the spell, barely and sent it cascading around the room.

Flitwick and the rest of the staff, inspired by Harry and McGonagall, leapt forth, wands out. Snape, outnumbered, standing at the epicentre, parried spell after spell with astonishing skill, as much as I despised him, I had to admit he was an excellent duellist.

But his mask of control seemed to crack as McGonagall bared down towards him, each movement of her wand a new spell, more brilliant then the last, and in a moment of panic, Snape deflected two of the curses, that slammed into Alecto and Amycus Carrow.

They collapsed to the floor in synchronisation, In the chaos, I managed to summon both of their wands to me in case they regained consciousness, I handed Dean Alecto's as we watched Snape retreat.

Snape took the measure of the room and swept his wand over his head, reducing the torches that lined the wall to smoke and ash, plunging the entire hall into semidarkness, as I squinted towards the fight I was amazed at what transpired

A giant whooshing sound swept across the hall as the great window behind the staff table was shattered. I heard a giant batlike creature beating into the night. McGonagall peered bitterly into the darkness.

"Coward! COWARD! And he didn't even stay to fight!" Forgetting him, she turned to Harry, "Mr. Potter, do you mind telling me what you're doing here, which, I trust you realise, is an act of complete and utter lunacy?"

Harry smirked "I'm a Gryffindor." He shrugged; she gave a sensible chuckle "I thought it might have something to do with that." She turned to reignite the torches, and maybe it was just my own excitement bubbling over, but I stopped her.

"Wait! Let me do it. Let me do it! I've always wanted to do it! Please!" she raised an eyebrow but dropped her wand. I beamed at her and jogged up to where Dumbledore's podium should have been. Then, gathering myself, I used both hands to push forwards as if opening a door.

One by one, the lights flickered back into being, the ones closest to me sputtering to life first. I was elated, overjoyed, my heart swelling at my success and the gasps from some of the crowd that amplified my happiness. "That's one off the bucket list."

"Very impressive Mr. (L/N)." she said proudly, "Thank you Professor, I was going to say the same." She smiled and seemed to snap back into action. Addressing the crowd. "All right! Settle down! Settle down!"

"It appears that your Headmaster, to use the common phrase, has done a bunk." Cheers and whoops rose from all Houses save Slytherin as the Carrows were carted out of the hall and there was still a Snape sized hole in the window. Even McGonagall couldn't help but smile.

It gave me the upmost smug pleasure to see Pansy Parkinson glowering at us along with Crabbe and Goyle. But it was short lived. Harry winced slightly, drawing my attention, and then I watched in confusion as Harry, fingers trembling with pain, glanced up.

My eyes followed his, only to see dark clouds coagulating in the Enchanted Ceiling. McGonagall followed our gaze, as did others, watching as the clouds shifted eerily, like blots of blood. Suddenly the flames in the torches along the walls trembled as a cold breeze consumes the room.

"I just lit those!" I complained. The Hall slowly dimmed. Going progressively silent when... suddenly a girl's scream split the silence like a knife, her voice rising and rising.

We rushed to help, the other students parting as we pelted forwards, pushing past them until we came across a Ravenclaw first year cowering on the floor in the corner, hands over her ears, eyes clenched tight.

I drew my wand again to try and help but before I could another person screamed somewhere in the Hall, then another, it was a growing symphony of fright. It seemed everyone was feeling something I could not, even the teachers seemed shaken.

As I looked around in the silence, I wondered what was wrong, until I tried to enter the mind of the girl who screamed first to rectify the issue and immediately wished I hadn't.

From that second on, the deathly whisper was in my head. Voldemort spoke as if it was through a voice that was both a bellow and a whisper. "I know that many of you will want to fight. Some of you may even think this wise."

"But this is folly. I wish you no harm. I have great respect for the students of Hogwarts. I was once one myself after all. I ask for but one thing and if granted no magical blood shall be spilt..."

We all knew what was coming next, and I for one was ready for it, I convinced myself, that if he could do it, so could I. If Voldemort could make threats, so could I.

I imagined the Castle was a picture in my head, I imagined that every mind within it was a blot of ink like the Marauder's Map, extending it as far as I could.

I kept going towards Hogsmeade, a village I was intimately familiar with, though the forbidden forest that I had ventured into time and time again, and my connection was made.

Ron's POV

For a moment we stood, hung in silence... then the voice hit me in the head again, "Give me Harry Potter. Do this and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave Hogwarts untouched. Give me Harry-"

The voice was drowned out by another. A voice pressed into our heads. Not forcefully like before but gently. The air of tension in the room slowly turned brighter, a shiver hit my spine as it did. "Hello? Is this thing on?" Said (Y/N)'s voice. "Well, I'm taking the gasps of horror as a yes."

The voice cleared its throat. "Don't you just love it when they offer you a truce" he laughed, and I could tell there was confusion in the air. Where was he going with this? I forced open my eyes and looked at him, his eyes squeezed shut, but grinning to himself happily.

"It seems weird to me, the big bad Dark Lord offering us a truce if we give him what he wants. You know what that means boys, girls and everyone else...That means he's ~Scaaared~"

He said it so abruptly, so childishly that there were a few snorts and chuckles amongst the hall. "I think he bit off more than he could chew with Hogwarts, and now he's too embarrassed to admit it, bad luck mate."

"I can't talk for everyone here, but from what I'm hearing rattling about our heads, I think I can say, that we all think you can take your offer and shove it up your chamber of secrets" I laughed out loud, as did a few others, a thought sparked in my head.

"To put it simply" finished (Y/N), "I can't speak for us all, but I'll fight you all alone if I have to, It's not just Harry, if you want to attack anyone in Hogwarts and hurt my friends, you'll have to get through me first, so come get me snakeface. I'll be waiting."

Did (Y/N) just call out a Dark Lord? Before I could decide, You-Know-Who's voice took over again, the seething anger present in his voice and his rage almost pounding at my head. "Bring me Potter and you will be rewarded!" it shouted. "You have until midnight!"

With that, the whisper receded, above us, the clouds evaporated in the Enchanted Ceiling. Every eye in the room was locked onto Harry. For a moment, silence. Then, Pansy Parkinson jabbed her stubby finger at Harry.

"But he's there! Potter's there! Someone grab him!" she squealed. Ginny stepped in front of Harry, wand drawn. "Don't even try it!" she threatened. Then (Y/N) strolled up to Parkinson. Grinning like a Cornish pixie

(Y/N)'s POV

"Yeah, stop being such a prat Parkinson" I said, flicking her on the nose, "Oi!" she said out of reflex, reaching up and rubbing it, I couldn't help but laugh, I think it was a sense of normality that I used to break through my nerves.

Then, as one, the Gryffindors assembled in a line and faced towards the Slytherins, shielding Harry. Moments later, the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs did the same. "Well, that's settled then. Anyone else feeling confident?" I asked, looking around.

Something even more amazing happened before anyone even tried. Filch burst into the Hall, Mrs Norris wrapped around him, "Students out of bed! Students in the corridors!" He bellowed but stopped dead at the sight of all of us, I gave him a wave.

He looked at me, jabbing a grubby finger towards me, then he looked at McGonagall, who was glaring at him. "They're supposed to be out of bed, you blithering idiot!" She snapped

"Oh. Sorry, ma'am." He said, embarrassed, he turned to leave, but was stopped part way. "Wait! As it turns out, Mr. Filch, your arrival is most opportune. If you would, I'd like you to lead Miss Parkinson and the rest of Slytherin House from the Hall."

"Wait. Any of you lot want to stay and fight?" I asked, a few raised hands, "Sorted, you lot can stay. The rest of you, sod off." Filch looked to McGonagall, she nodded. "Right away...Er, exactly where is it I'd be leadin' em to?" Asked Filch, McGonagall took a second.

"The dungeons should do." As the Slytherins were led away cheers rose again and McGonagall's eyes turned on Harry. She rose up to full height, her jaw firm. "I presume you have a reason for returning, Potter. What is it you need?"

"Time. As much as you can give me." Answered Harry. "Do what you have to do. I'll secure the castle." She said, a hint of excitement in her voice. Harry seemed worried "Is that possible, Professor?"

She raised a brow "We teachers are rather good at magic, Potter. We've even been known to turn out a worthwhile witch or wizard on occasion. I think it's time I ask a few of them to take their magic beyond the classroom. What d'you think?"

He nodded, and turned with Luna in tow to hunt for the diadem, McGonagall called out to him as he left, "By the way, Potter..." he looked back, eager to continue until she said "It's good to see you." she said with a warm smile. "You, too, Professor."

"Come on, Luna," Harry called as he passed, holding out his free hand; she took it and followed him back up the stairs. The rest of us converged in the Hall to make sure that we were all prepared.

I soon found myself darting around the room giving orders. Making trips back and forth from the entrance tunnel to the Hall.

On my return to the Room of Requirement I found a line of students. "They're evacuating the younger kids" Said Fred...or George, I was too stressed to notice which. I nodded "Brilliant, keep it up."

The hall and the Room of Requirement were both full of mingled members of the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's Army, and the old Quidditch team. As I rushed through everyone's orders and defensive positions I noticed Mrs. Weasley was struggling with Ginny.

Around them stood Lupin, Fred, George, Bill, and Fleur. "You're underage!" Mrs. Weasley shouted at her daughter as I approached. "I won't permit it! The boys, yes, but you, you've got to go home!" "I won't!" Ginny's hair flew as she pulled her arm out of her mother's grip.

"I'm in Dumbledore's Army —" "A teenagers' gang!" "A teenagers' gang that's about to take him on, which no one else has dared to do!" said Fred. "She's sixteen!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "She's not old enough! What you two were thinking, bringing her with you —"

Fred and George looked slightly ashamed of themselves. "Mum's right, Ginny," said Bill gently. "You can't do this. Everyone underage will have to leave, it's only right."

"I can't go home!" Ginny shouted, angry tears sparkling in her eyes. "My whole family's here, I can't stand waiting there alone and not knowing and —" "Fine," she said, staring at the entrance to the tunnel back to the Hog's Head. "I'll say good-bye now, then, and —"

There was a scuffling and a great thump: Someone else had clambered out of the tunnel, overbalanced slightly, and fallen. He pulled himself up on the nearest chair, looked around through lopsided horn-rimmed glasses, and said, "Am I too late? Has it started? I only just found out, so I — I —"

Percy spluttered into silence. Evidently he had not expected to run into most of his family. There was a long moment of astonishment, broken by Fleur turning to Lupin and saying, in a wildly transparent attempt to break the tension, "So — 'ow eez leetle Teddy?"

Lupin blinked at her, startled. The silence between the Weasleys seemed to be solidifying, like ice. "I — oh yes — he's fine!" Lupin said loudly. "Yes, Tonks is with him — at her mother's —" Percy and the other Weasleys were still staring at one another, frozen.

"Here, I've got a picture!" Lupin shouted, pulling a photograph from inside his jacket and showing it to Fleur, I glanced over and saw a tiny baby with a tuft of bright turquoise hair, waving fat fists at the camera.

"I'm going to need a copy of that Professor" I said, He smiled at me, "Remus is fine." I frowned, "Professor is better. You should go home, be with Tonks and Teddy in case this all goes sideways, you can keep them safe."

"No, I must fight, to keep the world free from tyranny in the hopes to bring them a better life." I sighed. "Whatever Socrates just be careful" He opened his mouth to counter but was interrupted.

"I was a fool!" Percy roared, so loudly that Lupin nearly dropped his photograph. "I was an idiot, I was a pompous prat, I was a — a —" "Ministry-loving, family-disowning, power-hungry moron," said Fred.

Percy swallowed. "Yes, I was!" "Well, you can't say fairer than that," said Fred, holding out his hand to Percy. Mrs. Weasley burst into tears. She ran forward, pushed Fred aside, and pulled Percy into a strangling hug, while he patted her on the back, his eyes on his father.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Percy said. Mr. Weasley blinked rather rapidly, then he too hurried to hug his son. "What made you see sense, Perce?" inquired George. "It's been coming on for a while," said Percy, mopping his eyes under his glasses with a corner of his travelling cloak.

"But I had to find a way out and it's not so easy at the Ministry, they're imprisoning traitors all the time. I managed to make contact with Aberforth and he tipped me off ten minutes ago that Hogwarts was going to make a fight of it, so here I am."

"Well, we do look to our prefects to take a lead at times such as these," said George in a good imitation of Percy's most pompous manner. "Now let's get upstairs and fight, or all the good Death Eaters'll be taken."

"So, you're my sister-in-law now?" said Percy, shaking hands with Fleur as they hurried off toward the staircase with Bill, Fred, and George. "Ginny!" barked Mrs. Weasley. Ginny had been attempting, under cover of the reconciliation, to sneak upstairs too.

As I giggled at it, a similar situation was happening before my eyes, a mousy haircut, that had grown quite a bit, was bobbling through the crowd. I grabbed at, as well as the one beside me. "Gerrof!" said Colin Creevey as his mate Peakes let out a scared smile.

"Yeah. No. Get down that bloody tunnel before I kick you both down it." "We're sixteen!" they cried, "I don't care if you're eighty seven, get down that tunnel!" They both grumbled. "NOW!" "We can fight!" pleaded Colin, his eyes begging me.

I sighed and tried to appeal to the heroic acts they most likely were imagining in their heads, "Yes, you can. Which is why you should turn around and go and protect the kids that can't. They're more important then anything that happens in the castle!"

They muttere to themselves, I looked at Colin. "Think of Dennis."They seemed reluctant. But pouted and turned to be led down the tunnel, grumbling swear words at me and how unfair this was to each other.

I felt great relief at seeing them go, they were too good and kind to be in a fight like the one that was coming. They were lambs to the slaughter.

"Molly, how about this," said Lupin. "Why doesn't Ginny stay here, then at least she'll be on the scene and know what's going on, but she won't be in the middle of the fighting?"

"I —" "That's a good idea," said Mr. Weasley firmly. "Ginny, you stay in this room, you hear me?" Ginny did not seem to like the idea much, but under her father's unusually stern gaze, she nodded. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Lupin headed off for the stairs as well.

I darted off to my next fortifiable location as they all left. Mrs Weasley bobbling along beside me, our destination the same. "Oh, Mrs. Weasley, I've been meaning to ask, how is Bones?" She smiled at me.

"She's doing well dear, recovering nicely" she beamed at me, "Recovering!" nodding, she said "She has five little one's now." I laughed happily, that was amazing, though I reckon she'll be cross at me for missing it.

I could see it now, the hissing and spitting alone made my spine shiver, "Muriel's practically adopted her, loves her to death." I smirked, "I'm glad she's safe and happy, one less thing to worry about." I explained, she, as a mother of seven kids, understood the sentiment.

We were greeted by McGonagall and Flitwick at the entrance of the castle, McGongall was giving orders to Neville and Seamus. "Let me get this straight, Professor. You're giving us permission to do this?" Questioned Neville.

"That is correct, Longbottom." "To blow it up. Boom?" "Boom!" she said impatiently. Neville had a devilish smile "Wicked. Um... exactly how do you propose we do this, Professor?"

"Why don't you confer with Mr. Finnegan. As I recall, he has a particular proclivity for pyrotechnics." Neville glanced back at Seamus. "I can bring 'er down." He reassured her, "That's the spirit. Now off you go."

"Can I go with them?" I asked, "If you think it would be advantageous Mr. (L/N)" I didn't, I've just always wanted to blow up something that big. With that, McGonagall wheeled, raised her wand and pointed it in the direction of the Great Hall. "Piertotum Locomotor!" She commanded

Instantly, all along the corridor statues and suits of armour came to life on their plinths. As McGonagall and the rest of us watched amazement, the statues paraded down the main entrance as McGonagall addressed them.

"Hogwarts is threatened! Man the boundaries and protect us! Do your duty to our school!" As the statues thundered past, heading toward the viaduct.

McGonagall watched with evident pleasure. A childlike wonder lit in her eyes. My heart soared as she said, "I've always wanted to use that spell."

I was grinning at her when a hand gripped my shoulder, Hermione looked at me seriously, "Come with us, Ron's had an idea" she said, horcrux in hand, that assured me it was important, but I wasn't happy about it.

"But-I- the..." I pointed to the rear entrance to the castle, "Just a few more minutes. I want to see it-" "NOW!" she demanded, and I almost started crying, sulking like a child. "You never let me do anything cool!" I moped.

Before we entered the castle, I called out to Seamus as he prepared the fuses. "Make it magnificent for me!" I called out. He gave me a thumbs up. "Oh, and Seamus!" He turned to look at me, smearing his forehead with either soot or gunpowder.

"If we make It through this, I'll buy you some rum" I chuckled, he sighed, let out a string of the most Irish curse words I'd ever heard and said "I look forward to it" I laughed to myself, already imagining his face when I hand him a bottle of water.