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ABERFORTH HAD RELUCTANTLY helped the four arrive inside hogwarts, as they had reunited with the d.a. club that harry had originally created.

"NEVILLE!!!", lily yelled, hurrying over to the grown boy who easily picked the girl up.

"glad to see you lily! we've surely missed your bubbly aura around here", neville smiled, making the girl grin.

"welcome back guys!", seamus finnigan greeted, to which everyone's claps and cheers had started to die down in the room of requirements.

"harry!!", a voice called out, making everyone spread like the red sea for red-haired girl.

hastily, harry reciprocated the hug from ginny as ron just gasped in disbelief.

"she hasn't seen me in six months and I'm her brother!!", ron complained.

"well she has lots of those", seamus snorted, clearly referring to the copious amount of brothers that ginny has.

lily giggled as she watched the two finally reveal their feelings for each other. though that made her wonder when ron and hermione would do the same.

"anyways", harry coughed, holding onto ginny's hand.

"I was wondering if you all could help us find an item".

"sure! what is it?", seamus asked.

"u-umm...about that...I'm not exactly sure what it is. but I'm almost positive it has something to do with the ravenclaw house", harry sheepishly answered.

"perhaps it's the diadem you're talking about then?", luna suggested, making a few whisper and lily look up.

"the diadem??"

"it hasn't been seen ever since the death of rowena ravenclaw though", cho chimed in.

"not true! luna found it when her, neville, and I were on a adventure their fifth-year. we found it here, in the room of requirements", lily interrupted.

"wait! you knew about this and didn't tell us?", ron asked.

"well harry didn't tell me what you guys were looking for!", lily defended.

"then where is it now?", harry urgently asked.

"luna handed it to professor dumbledore. he told me he destroyed it already with godric's sword. I'm assuming it's in his office with the rest of the destroyed horcruxes", lily deduced.

harry let out a chuckle as this was great news!

"that means that there's one more!!", ron cheered, making the people confused, as they didn't exactly know what a horcrux was.

"do you know the last one?", lily asked harry.

"I'm assuming it's nagini, you know, voldemort's pet snake", harry answered.

"how are we supposed to hex it if it's always with him??", hermione asked.

lily thought about it for a while as she looked up at neville, who just gave her a confusing glance.

"I have an idea...but I need your help neville".

//❁//

"it has come to my attention that harry potter has intruded hogwarts", snape started, making the students whisper amongst themselves.

"now, should anyone—student or staff—attempt to aid mr. potter, they will be punished in a manner consistent with the severity of their transgression. furthermore, any person found to have knowledge of these events, who fails to come forward, will be treated as equally guilty", snape finished.

all the professors glanced at each other in fear, slightly shuffling their feet.

"now then. if anyone in here had any knowledge of mr. potter's movements this evening, I invite them to step forward. now".

gasps were heard as one particular student stepped out of line.

"it seems despite your exhaustive defensive strategies, you still have a bit of a security problem headmaster", harry mocked.

the great doors were suddenly busted open, revealing the order of the phoenix.

snape hastily took out his wand, readying himself for any attack.

professor mcgonagall stood in front of harry in a protective manner, practically fending snape off until he had flown out the window, causing cheers and praises to go around the room.

yet when things were starting to settle, voldemort's voice traveled all throughout hogwarts, sending shivers and goosebumps to those that greatly feared him.

"all hogwarts students and staff, if you turn harry potter in within the hour that I've provided, I will leave without harming anyone.

but if you are to disobey my request, I shall burn this castle down to ashes along with everyone inside.

though not only shall you hand over harry potter, you must safely bring me the girl, lily phoebe snape. and if she is to be hurt in any way, I will hex the person that has done so", voldemort threatened.

the students gossiped amongst each other, worryingly staring at harry.

"what are you all waiting for?! get him!!", pansy shouted, pointing at the boy.

"filch! escort all the slytherins to the dungeons!!", mcgonagall commanded, to which the man had complied.

"go on harry. we'll stall them", mcgonagall reassured.

harry nodded but right before he left, mcgonagall stopped him.

"it was nice seeing you harry".

"it was nice seeing you again too, professor".

//❁//

"are you sure it's going to work??", neville whispered to lily, who was currently beside neville, hiding in snape's classroom.

"I'm not positive, but it's worth a try", lily said as she pointed her wand at her throat and casted a spell.

lily coughed a bit, seeing if the spell had worked. indeed, her voice was amplified and now anyone on hogwarts ground was able to hear her.

"nagini...nagini...come to snape's classroom. I've successfully captured a half-blood and I need your help", lily spoke in parseltongue.

obviously, it just sounded like hissing to all the others, but to nagini, harry, and voldemort, lily was speaking normally.

nagini looked up at voldemort, who was standing outside in the forbidden forest with a small army of death eaters.

"go ahead nagini. tell her I'm proud. and once you're done, retrieve her", voldemort commanded.

the snake slithered into the school, as the defense had already broken due to the teamwork of the many death eaters that had already started attacking.

nagini avoided many mini battles as she hithered towards snape's classroom, or at least where she presumed it was, since lily's voice resonated from there.

"nagini...nagini..."

lily looked over at neville, who had miraculously pulled out godric's sword from the sorting hat earlier.

nagini had entered, as her hissing was heard from a few feet away.

neville quietly gulped as he raised the sword while still hiding behind one of the many desks.

lily stepped out as nagini slithered towards her.

"where? the person....where?", nagini hissed.

"h-he...he's right here", lily said in normal words, cueing neville to raise the sword and hastily swing down.

nagini didn't even get a chance to retaliate as half of her body was disconnected, blood spraying onto the two.

lily, who had shut her eyes, had opened them and gasped in horror.

no matter how long she's been residing with bellatrix at the malfoy manor, she'll never get used to deaths, despite it be a human or animal.

"are you okay lily??", neville worried, bending down as he took a handkerchief and tried to wipe the blood from the girl's face.

"y-yes...I'm...I'm quite alright", lily shakily answered.

neville then smiled, patting the little girl's head.

"well it was an honor working under you again, captain dex".

lily looked up at neville in surprise, shocked that he had remembered such a silky thing from nearly two years ago.

"what can I say? I have the best commander to aide me. isn't that right, commander trevor?"

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