| Firecrab
Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: melbourne
Posts: 887
|  xxx your all so nice xxx
Chapter Eight
He settled in for the night, putting on three pairs of socks, his jacket and cloak whilst making a makeshift bed and casting protective spells around him.
He lay there eyes open getting used to the cold and trying to think about the next task ahead. Who would know more about the diadem then anyone else? The person who’d told him in the first place was Luna, and then her fact’s and fiction crossed into ridiculousness then how could he even be sure that was the sixth – because there was nothing else that was a relic to that house. The story told of a woman Helena Hufflepuff her mother was a Hogwarts founder which meant it was only natural she would stay on at the castle if she died – the grey lady, the ghost of Ravenclaw house, it dawned on him, how could he have been so stupid to have missed it and surely Hermione might have come up with it as a suggestion. He would be going back to the castle, this was where it was all going to end, his final resting place his only home.
The students would be arriving tomorrow and he’d have to stop them going to the school, he had until about seven o’clock that night to find the diadem and get them out of the room of requirement – the room of requirement. Why did everything start coming together now when it would have been so much easier if his brain had been functioning earlier on?
He sighed remembering going in there last year to hide that damned potions book and using a tiara on a statue with a feather boa to mark the spot, Voldemort would know about this place of course he would because he was just as sensitive to the school’s secrets as Harry was. That was the diadem of Ravenclaw and it had been right within his grasp to destroy last year if he had had known what it was. He drifted off dreamlessly and then awoke a few hours later ready.
He couldn’t sleep anymore, he would say goodbye first.
He got up and dressed properly, he tied the sword to his waist covered in a makeshift scabbard to hide it, put his wand in his pocket, took the bandage off his now healed hand and stuffed it in the back pack with everything else he was leaving there. He put on his fathers cloak, put the marauders map where he could find it and apparated into Hogsmeade.
He snuck back into the school unnoticed, opened the door to the room of requirement and found them sleeping on the couch. Hermione’s head was resting on Ron’s chest lying on the couch – at least they had each other to get through this – the half eaten plates of food on the table. He looked into the first bedroom, empty, the second and he saw her lying there. He went in a closed the door behind him, she didn’t move. He saw the plate of untouched food and he walked round to kneel in front of her, her purple and red eyes staring right through him to the wall.
It broke him; she wasn’t supposed to be like this, they were supposed to be looking after her not letting her suffer. He reached out and touched her cheek
“Hello Harry” she whispered smiling, “You’ve come to say goodbye?”
He took down his hood so she could see him and nodded. He took off his cloak completely and then raised his wand to the door locking it and casting muffilato without a word.
She shuffled over as he removed the sword, slipped off his shoes and lay beside her on the bed. He could stare at her for all eternity, she would never get boring. She leaned up and kissed him before he could stop her but his hands held her shoulders to push her away.
“Say goodbye Harry” she replied simply leaning up to kiss him again except only this time he kissed back. They were consumed by the embrace. Nothing else mattered, nothing was as important.
He took her in his arms, he loved her carefully, tenderly and when it was over Ginny watched him dress with the same care he took before, replacing everything where it had been.
“Goodbye Ginny” he leant down for a last kiss and she wiped the tears from his cheeks,
“Bye Harry”
He opened the door silently and walked out; they were still asleep but had moved a little closer to each other. He heard movement in the room and knew Ginny had gotten up now.
“Ron, Hermione” he said sitting on the couch opposite,
They stirred, “Wake up guys” he said a little louder,
“Harry” Hermione mumbled opening her eyes “Harry!” she said louder realising what she was saying and then where she was lying and moved quickly to sit up running a hand through her hair as Ron grumbled and woke up,
“Does Ginny know you’re here?”
He nodded, “You have to go now, because I need to get into the room of requirements lost property section”
“What? Why?”
“A Horcrux” he replied, “So you guys have to go so I can get to it”
“We’re coming with you; you’ll need our help to find it”
“I know exactly where it is, I put it in its hiding place, you need to go to McGonagall and help her keep the students in Hogsmeade or in London before the train leaves, because he’ll be coming here for me”
“You’re sure?” Hermione asked,
“Sure” he replied, and she understood Ron was not so easy to get through to -
“What did you do to Ginny? She’s turned into a zombie”
“I’m fine” came the reply at the doorway to the room, she was standing there dressed arms crossed,
Ron looked up in shock “What the hell happened, you just snap out of your stupor?”
“Something like that, let’s go” his eyes went to the floor avoiding her and hers focused on Hermione and Ron. She stepped forward “Now” she had her wand out, and Hermione stood up,
“My bag’s in Sirius’s cave near Hogsmeade, they’ll be something’s in there you might need” Harry added, it was too hard, the pain of letting go of Ginny made it worse to say goodbye to his two best friends.
“We’ll see you soon Harry ok” Hermione hugged him and cast the familiar invisibility charm on herself, Ron and Ginny,
“Yeah, you will” he replied quietly and put on his cloak, they couldn’t see the tears now, and they would run dry soon enough.
They left and he stood there for a moment, it was time.
He stepped outside and the door disappeared, he walked past it again three times and saw the cupboard. He walked in, past all of sections filled with papers, to empty bottles and vases along with boxes of old robes and furniture, then he saw the wardrobe, the stone bust, the feather boa, the diadem. He grabbed it and made to go pausing to look at something only he wasn’t in the room anymore, his scar was on fire and he was staring down a dark hallway watching Nagini slither towards him, he placed the animal round his shoulders
“It’s time Nagini; we’re going back to school”
He came out of the vision and drew the sword furiously throwing the tiara on the ground and stabbing it over and over again shouting out in hisses and frustration. At least when he died he wouldn’t be able to talk bloody snake anymore. He knew it was coming, he knew he was ready he just didn’t want to die.
He left the ruined diadem lying there and put the sword back at his waist, there was only one left that he wouldn’t have the pleasure of stabbing. He walked out the cloak covering him completely but for now there was Snape. He went to the headmaster’s office, the gargoyle let him through without a word and he knocked on the office door before bursting in.
The room was the same; the only difference was Snape sitting in his chair.
“Professor, we have some things to discuss don’t you think” he took down his hood and drew his wand,
“Mr Potter” Snape replied, he didn’t draw his wand, “Will you give me a chance to explain” he stood up and walked round the desk,
“One chance and if I don’t like what I hear you won’t get to finish”
“Maybe I should show you then” He tapped a familiar object with his wand and the waters came to life, he tapped his forehead and a silvery grey substance floated and drifted into the bowl.
“Look before you judge Harry”
He looked at him, Snape had never called him his first name before and his dark eyes now betrayed his conscious.
Harry stepped forward replacing his wand in his robes, he trusted this man without an identifiable reason as he dove into the pool and saw the past, the lies that had been created and the deception behind Dumbledore’s demise.
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RIP JD Salinger |