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lxv. the lost diadem

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"Are you alright?" Deanna asked Harry who suddenly felt pain in his scar and entire being. He knew then Hermione and Ron succeeded in destroying the Cup.

"Y-Yeah, they destroyed the Cup." Harry told her with a smile. "Come on."

Deanna and Harry held hands and ran through the hall that was collapsing. They ran as fast as they could to avoid the rubble falling down. Deanna held up a Shield Charm around them while they went up the stairs and ran through another collapsing hall. They let out relieved sighs when they finally arrived at the left corridor of the seventh floor. Right in front of the Room of Requirement.

"Let's go." Harry tightened his hold on Deanna's hand before the two of them quickly walked back and forth in front of the Room of Requirement. They needed to go to the place where everything was hidden. The door appeared right in front of them, making the two of them smile before they entered. They were not prepared though for what awaited them.

"Bloody hell." Harry said when they entered. There were piles of mysterious objects all around the room. Artifacts, books, treasures, all sorts of random things. They were all in piles and messed up that it looked nearly impossible to find the diadem. Harry and Deanna could only look around at the towering objects around them.

"Accio Diadem." Deanna raised her wand, trying to see if they could summon what they were looking for but to no avail. "At least we tried. Come on."

The two of them started walking through the room, keeping their eyes and senses alert for anything could happen in the Room of Hidden Things. The two of them swiftly moved around and kept close to each other, knowing they didn't have the luxury of time to look around. They exchanged glances when they heard the sound of growing vines and the fluttering of wings. They had to find it. Now.

As they moved deeper and deeper into the Room of Hidden Things, Harry suddenly stopped at that moment, hearing the whispers that he always heard when he would sense the Horcruxes. "I hear them."

Deanna nodded in response and let Harry do his thing. The Gryffindor slowly turned around and slowly walked towards the table ahead. The whispers in his head had gotten louder, and he took off the rope that was on top of a wooden box. He picked up the box and opened it slowly, their eyes widening when they saw the diadem... the words, "Wit Beyond Measure is Man's Greatest Treasure," engraved along the bottom.

Harry carefully held the diadem in the box when Deanna suddenly sensed movement around them and turned to their right, seeing the group of Draco, Crabbe and Goyle who also had their wands raised at them. "Harry? We've got three fools here."

Harry let go of the diadem and glared at the three Slytherins who were glaring at Deanna because of her words.

"What brings you here, Potter, Dumbledore?" Draco asked them.

"I could ask you the same." Harry responded.

"You have something of mine. I'd like it back." Draco said, referring to his wand.

"What's wrong with the one you have?" asked Harry in a nonchalant manner.

"It's my mother's. It's powerful, but it's not the same. Doesn't quite understand me. Know what I mean?"

Deanna knew that Harry was planning something, and that was why he kept on stalling and why he did not bring his wand out. So, she decided to take over. "I heard you didn't tell Bellatrix that it was Harry. You knew it was him. It was impossible for you not to recognize him after constantly tormenting Harry for years. But you just watched Hermione get tortured... Why?"

She saw Harry sent her a grateful smile and move closer towards the diadem. She understood what he was doing. So, she kept her eyes on Draco and continued speaking, letting go of all her feelings against him through her words.

"You... You don't even deserve to be called a Slytherin. You three can't compare to even half of how great those kind, clever and brave Slytherins are. It is because of you people that there are prejudices against Slytherin! You have no choice? Don't make me laugh. The moment you chose not to have a choice, you already made your choice. I've tried to understand you. I let my father's death pass since you really could have died then if you betrayed Voldemort... But you watched my girlfriend get tortured and almost die. That I won't let pass. You are a coward, Draco Malfoy. A poltroon who can't even muster up the courage to face us by himself! If you still have some good left in you, at least make a change now! Change now when it matters."

Draco was clearly shaken then, her words striking him directly in the heart. She was right. Every word she said was right. He clearly had the power to save Hermione back then. He could've made an excuse or stopped his aunt, but he let fear take over him. He was truly a coward. He was about to lower his wand when...

"Come on, Draco." Goyle suddenly said beside him. "Don't be a prat. Do them."

The only thing Draco could do then was apologize in his mind. He may be an arse, but he needed to be a coward to save himself and his family. He pointed his wand firmly at the wandless duo who glared at him. He was going to cast a spell when...

"Expelliarmus!"

The drenched Hermione cast at Draco, making the Slytherin's wand fly away, as she and Ron who was just as drenched arrived. Deanna smiled at her familiar voice and pulled Harry down with her to avoid them getting caught in the crossfire.

"Avada Kedavra!" yelled Crabbe, but they thankfully dodged it. Deanna felt her anger rising though at that. How dare they cast a Killing Curse in her lover and her friend's direction?

"Stupefy!" Hermione countered with her own. However, the spell hit the diadem instead of the trio, making it fly up into the air and on top of the chairs that were stacked up on each other.

"I'll go after the diadem." Harry turned to Deanna, but he was surprised when he saw Deanna wasn't beside him anymore. The Hufflepuff was already standing up with a murderous glare in her eyes.

"You dare and try to kill my girlfriend? Watch me roast you three idiots first!" Deanna yelled as she ran after them. The Golden Trio exchanged wide-eyed glances and grins at that. Deanna Dumbledore was in love indeed with Hermione Granger. The Muggleborn blushed and sent a smile in Deanna's direction before she and Ron started helping Harry with climbing up the chairs to get to the diadem.

"Ignis Rugiet!" Deanna cast her signature fire spell at the three, but they had dodged it in time. Their eyes widened at how the Dumbledore was relentlessly running after them. Maybe, they were truly stupid for even crossing Deanna Dumbledore's path.

"Crucio!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Obcidolens!"

The three would cast all kinds of spells at Deanna who would block them with a flick of her wand or dodge them with ease. They soon stopped running when piles of random objects blocked their path. They panted for breath while looking around in panic.

"Let's just climb, come on." Goyle suggested, earning nods from the other two. Draco was about to start climbing when...

"Stop."

The three froze at the cold tone of Deanna's voice, and they looked behind them to see her staring at them with an intent to truly roast them like turkey after what they just did. They couldn't end like this...

"Malfuego." Goyle suddenly said, and at those words, a small flame came from the tip of his wand.

Deanna's eyes widened at the spell he just used and the fire that came out. She recognized it immediately. "Do you realize what you have just done?"

"Ouch!" Goyle let go of his wand that burnt the palm of his hand, the fire suddenly consuming the entire wand.

"That's Fiendfyre, you numpties. Run, now!" Deanna warned them before she started running like someone had just made her chocolate milk to where her friends were. She had to warn them before the fire grew.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were breathing and making their way up towards the diadem that got stuck on top of one of the chairs. They removed the chairs that blocked their paths as they moved up. Finally, Harry reached the top and pulled free from the chair, Ravenclaw's diadem. "Got it!"

The three of them got down at that when they suddenly heard the distant yell of Deanna. "Mione, Harry, Ron! Run!"

"Did she just call me twice?" Ron asked in confusion. Hermione and Harry were confused as well so they just stood there, trying to hear Deanna better.

"I SAID, RUN! RUN NOW!" Deanna appeared in front of them with a panicked look on her face. "Goyle's let bloody Fiendfyre free."

She grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her along with her as she ran, and Harry and Ron soon followed after them when they saw a huge fire coming. The four of them ran as fast as they can, making the objects behind them fall to try and subdue the fire. The Fiendfyre was too strong though for it consumed everything in its path in flames. The three of them ran through the clear paths where there was no fire when suddenly, they were surrounded everywhere.

Deanna raised her wand and tried to control the fire in front of them while Harry cast a shield of water around them. They knew they wouldn't be able to hold on forever even if Deanna was managing to control the fire a little.

"Here!" Ron suddenly called to them when he found three brooms, their way to escape.

Deanna held her wand up, still controlling the fire while mounting one of the brooms. "Come on, Mione."

When Hermione comfortably sat behind Deanna and wrapped her arms tight around the Hufflepuff's waist, Deanna let go of the spell and along with Harry and Ron, kicked off and soared into the sky above the raging fire.

Meanwhile, Draco, Crabbe and Goyle were climbing up the pile of objects, rushing as the fire grew faster with every second that passed. Suddenly, Goyle lost his footing and let out a scream, falling into the fire he created. Draco and Crabbe could only look down at their friend, feeling sorry but thinking of themselves first.

"Come on! This way!" Ron yelled and started leading them towards the exit.

Harry was about to follow when he suddenly caught sight of Draco and Crabbe, hanging onto a piece of wood that was about to fall off. "We can't leave them!"

At his words, Deanna looked back and saw the two Slytherins about to fall to their death. Of course, she still disliked them dearly, but she only let out a sigh and swerved back right away. Hermione smiled at Deanna and squeezed her lover, letting her know she did well and making Deanna smile at the action.

"You're joking, right?" Ron muttered before he followed Harry, Deanna and Hermione to where the two were. Harry and Deanna tried reaching out for their hands, but they were too high up so they swerved back once more, going a little lower and a little closer to the fire this time.

"If we die for them, Harry, I'm gonna kill you!" Ron yelled out in protest.

Harry ignored him and reached his hand out to Draco who finally got a good grasp on his hand. Deanna managed to carry Crabbe up with Hermione's help and they set him down onto Ron's broom.

"Now, let's go!" Deanna told them, and the six of them started flying through the burning and falling objects that came in their paths. Harry, Ron and Deanna expertly avoided the fire and Hermione cast a spell that cleared the fire in their path for a few seconds. Then, they got out of the Room of Hidden Things, falling onto the ground. However, they were not safe yet. Draco and Crabbe immediately got up and ran away, making Deanna curse them mentally for the cowards they were. She then noticed the diadem that fell near her.

"Deanna!" Hermione called out from her side and threw a Basilisk fang at Deanna who caught it and stabbed Ravenclaw's diadem. She kicked the diadem that was letting out a dark smoke into the open room in front of them. The Fiendfyre consumed it and the doors to the Room of Requirement closed before the fire could reach them. Deanna fell onto her back, lying down and finally noticing Harry who was gasping for breath and leaning on the wall for support.

Deanna let out a yelp when she felt pain in her head, worse than she had ever felt before. Deanna found herself in the mountain once more. She saw Voldemort gasping and feeling weak at the destruction of his fifth Horcrux while Nagini circled at his feet. He was visibly in shock because now there was only one Horcrux left.

"My Lord?" One of his Death Eaters asked him in a concerned voice.

Voldemort hated that. He hated people being concerned with him. Deanna Dumbledore was the only exception to that. "Avada Kedavra!"

The Death Eater fell back dead as Voldemort walked away from his army, keeping his eye on his final Horcrux. "Come, Nagini. I need to keep you safe."

And with that, he Disapparated away and Deanna was back where she was with Hermione holding her. She was breathing heavily, feeling like someone was pounding on her head repeatedly due to the pain. She placed her forehead onto the back of Hermione's hand, feeling the pain lessen a little due to the warmth Hermione brought. Hermione's eyes softened at that, and she used her other hand to stroke Deanna's hair, trying to give her the warmth she needed.

"He went away with Nagini. Somewhere." Harry spoke out, breaking the silence that lasted for a few moments.

"Try looking inside him then." Ron suggested while patting his best friend on the shoulder. "Find out where he is. If we find him, we can find the snake. Then we can end this."

While Harry closed his eyes, Deanna nodded against Hermione's hand weakly and closed her eyes too, both of them reaching out to see Voldemort like he had always done to them. She felt another throb in her head and found herself in a boathouse. Inside, she saw the snake on the ground and Lucius Malfoy standing behind Voldemort. Deanna reminded herself to keep the connection one-sided, trying everything despite her headache to not give Voldemort a sign that they were looking into his mind.

"My Lord?" The Death Eater hesitantly spoke to Voldemort who was observing the skin on his arm that became scaly. Lucius Malfoy made his way to Voldemort, stopping a few meters away from his master. "Might it be less, uh... Might it not be more prudent to call off this attack and simply seek the boy and our Lady yourself?"

"I do not need to seek them." Voldemort answered coldly. "Before the night is out, they will come to me. Do you understand?"

The Heir of Slytherin came close to Lucius Malfoy who avoided his eyes. His anger exploding, Voldemort slapped the latter in the face. "Look at me. How can you live with yourself, Lucius?"

"I don't know." The man answered in a whisper, the fear was obvious in him.

"Go and find Severus. Bring him to me." Voldemort ordered Lucius before turning away from him and looking back at the waters.

Deanna's eyes fluttered open after that, sweat all over her body as she noticed Hermione had moved her so that she wouldn't feel uncomfortable. She exchanged glances with Harry who had the same grave look in his eyes. It looked like they were going to see Snape again.

Deanna lifted her head off Hermione's shoulder and looked at her and Ron. "We know where he is. Let's go."

The four of them got up together and immediately went on the move. The battle was still raging on. Explosions on all sides, Death Eaters clouded in black smoke flying to Hogwarts, spells being cast by everyone and fights being seen everywhere. Deanna, Hermione, Harry and Ron ran side by side, battling the Death Eaters along their way. Harry held them back as a spell almost hit them. He threw a counterspell at the Death Eater who cast it and seeing it was clear, they started moving again.

They dodged spells and ran towards the other side when a giant spotted them. They took cover under what used to be their school's bell, avoiding the swing of the giant's axe. When the giant turned back around, they got up once more and ran again because the Acromantulas this time came. They ran through the crowd of battling wizards and into the corridor when they came across Fenrir Greyback, savaging Lavender Brown and making them stop in their tracks.

"NO!" Hermione yelled and cast a strong Stunning spell that knocked back Greyback and sent him falling through the open archway. But they didn't have time to think about what just happened because the giant suddenly found them again. They had to run past Lavender's body and hide just in time before the giant destroyed the pillars.

Deanna, Hermione, Harry and Ron finally got out into the entrance when they saw an entire wave of Dementors coming. They couldn't find it in them to cast the Patronus Charm after seeing what happened to Lavender. But a strong and large Patronus charm in the form of a goat came from behind them and managed to repel all the dementors away.

The Dumbledore's eyes widened when she looked back to see her Uncle Aberforth there. She knew it, of course. Aberforth had never given up. And he would fight alongside his niece until the end... until her end. The two of them smiled at each other. It was brief yet filled with mixed emotions that each of them felt just with their smiles.

With that, the group of four started back on their way to the boathouse, running down the set of stairs that would lead them straight to their destination. As soon as they arrived, they became silent and crouched down so that the two wouldn't be alerted to their presence. They could only see Nagini slithering on the ground from where they were and listened closely.

"You have performed extraordinary magic with this wand, my Lord in the last few hours alone." Snape stood in the middle of the boathouse while Voldemort and Nagini moved towards him.

"No." Voldemort spoke with chagrin. "No, I am extraordinary but the wand resists me."

"There is no wand more powerful." Snape explained to him. "Ollivander himself has said it. Tonight, when the boy and the Lady come, it will not fail you. I am sure of it. It answers to you and you only."

"Does it?" Voldemort asked as if challenging Snape to answer.

The Headmaster seemed to not understand and asked. "My Lord?"

"The wand, does it truly answer to me?" Voldemort started circling around Snape like a snake that would circle its prey. "You're a clever man, Severus. Surely you must know. Where does its true loyalty lie?"

They became confused at that. Wasn't Voldemort its master since he took it from Albus' grave?

"With you... of course, my Lord." Snape answered in a tone of conviction.

Voldemort decided it was enough playing around and decided to speak now. "The Elder Wand cannot serve me properly because I am not its true master. The Elder Wand belongs to the wizard who killed its last owner. You killed Dumbledore, Severus. While you live, the Elder Wand cannot truly be mine."

Deanna was stunned at what she just heard. Snape became the master of the Elder Wand when he killed her father? Wait, that meant...

"You've been a good and faithful servant, Severus, but only I can live forever." Voldemort spoke in a cold voice. It was a pity. He did think Snape was a good Death Eater, loyal and obedient.

Snape who knew of what was to come stared at Voldemort. "My Lord..."

And a slashing noise was heard in the silence, a cut was made on Snape's neck from the spell Voldemort cast using the Elder Wand. Snape fell down and his body crashed onto the locked windows. The four of them kept silent but they were all in shock at what was happening.

"Nagini, kill."

At her master's command, Nagini hissed and bit at Severus. Once, twice, thrice, four... No, five times. She bit at Severus until her hunger was satisfied and she then followed Voldemort who beckoned her over. The two of them Disapparated in a flash, leaving Severus Snape bleeding there.

They waited for a few moments, just to make sure Voldemort was really gone before they went into the boathouse, and their hearts dropped to see their former professor on the verge of death. Harry went to Snape first, dropping his wand and holding his hand to Snape's wound.

Deanna closed her eyes for a moment. She wanted to hate him. She wanted to let her hatred take over and just leave him be. What he had done to her father was much worse. But even if she tried, she couldn't. She still couldn't hate him who she was supposed to hate with her entire being.

Even if this man lying in front of her was the man who killed her father, Deanna still got onto his other side, gently pushing Harry's hand away as she pointed her wand on his wound. "Cica – "

"Don't." Snape held Deanna's hand, preventing her from healing him. Deanna was about to insist when she saw a tear fall out of his eye. Severus Snape was crying as he looked at Deanna and Harry, the two students who he felt most sorry for in his life.

"Take them." Snape managed to say, motioning to his tears. "Take them. Please."

At Snape's plea, Deanna pressed her hand to Snape's wound while Harry turned to Hermione and Ron who were standing there behind them.

"Give me something. Quickly. A flask, anything." Harry asked of them. Hermione came closer and dug deep into her bag, handing a flask over to Harry while glancing worriedly at Deanna who was only looking down, not being able to look Snape in the eyes. Harry took the cork off the flask and caught Snape's tears in it.

Seeing that Harry gathered enough, Snape spoke again. "Take them to the Pensieve. The two of you."

"Look at me." Snape spoke in a soft voice that they had never heard from him before. It made Deanna glance at him, but seeing that he was looking at her, she looked back down and closed her eyes. She was still holding onto Snape's wound.

The once Potions Master raised his hand shakily and took Deanna's hand off his wound, finally making the Dumbledore look at him with tears shining in her eyes. She didn't like him, but she didn't hate him either. It was hard to explain, what she felt. But she just thought no one deserve to go through this. Not even the vilest of the vile.

"I am sorry for the pain I have caused you." Snape muttered softly, expressing his deep sincerity for Deanna who had only been kind to him even after he killed her father. "And I'm sorry for the pain you'll have to go through."

Black eyes met blue, letting the Hufflepuff know Snape knew of what was to come. Then, Snape stared at Harry straight in those green eyes. His eyes were the only things Snape actually liked about Harry Potter. At least, he would be able to see those eyes before he died. "You have your mother's eyes."

With those final words, something in the depths of Snape's dark eyes seemed to vanish, leaving fixed, blank and empty. Along with Deanna's tears, the hand holding hers fell to the ground, and Snape moved no more.

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