"We need help finding Ravenclaw's diadem," Harry said to the room. "We don't know where it is or what it looks like."

"There's a version of it in Ravenclaw Tower," Luna said. "I can show you."

"I'll go," Harry said.

Luna started walking to a door at the side of the room, Harry close behind.

Ron and Hermione ran off to find a way to destroy Hufflepuff's goblet. I turned to Star. "Let's go help set up protections at the gates. Everyone else, stay here!"

Star and I ran out of the room through the same doorway Luna had gone in. We entered the empty hallway and crept toward the front entrance, trying to avoid any Death Eaters in the halls.

I stopped to listen. I heard footsteps coming and I ducked behind the knight armour on the wall. Star ran to hide by a large vase. 

Yaxley walked into sight, scowling and holding his wand. As he passed us, he stopped. "Who's there?"

I held my breath, praying that he didn't notice me.

Yaxley laughed. "Fine, fine. If you won't come out, I'll make you!"

"Stupefy!" Star yelled, jumping out from behind the vase as she Stunned Yaxley. The vase shattered and he froze.

"Nice!" I said, leaving the armour.

Star walked to Yaxley and broke his wand.

We continued walking and soon we were at the entrance. I grabbed one of the doors and opened it, then we went through it.

Star and I took off running toward the gate. Everything around us looking normal; the lights were on in the castle, the courtyard was completely empty, and everything was quiet.

I jumped from the sudden sound of someone Apparating. I turned around, ready to fight, but calmed when I saw Tonks and Lupin.

Tonks walked through the gate. "Y/n!"

"Hi, Tonks."

"Did Lupin tell you about the baby?"

"Yes! He stopped by the Shell Cottage to tell us about Teddy. How is he?"

"He's doing alright." Tonks lowered her voice. "Will you promise me something?"

"Yes."

"If something happens to me and Lupin during the battle, could you take Teddy in?"

"Of course I will," I said sadly, "but you'll be okay."

"I hope so. Are you and your friend putting protections around the castle?"

"We are."

Tonks nodded and walked back to Lupin, raising her wand. "Protego Maxima!"

As we casted protection spells, more members from the Order joined us.

Professor McGonagall ran out of the doors with Harry and Professors Flitwick, Slughorn, and Sprout.

"We'll take over the spells," Professor McGonagall said. "Go into the Great Hall. I'll join you soon."

Harry, Star, and I dashed back into the castle, meeting Molly and Arthur Weasley as we did. Fred and George were joking with each other as usual.

Students from each house were filling into the Great Hall, chatting worriedly. Star and I sat with Harry at the Gryffindor table, trying to stay calm amid the chaos.

Professor McGonagall quickly walked into the Hall. "Evacuation will be lead by Mr Filch and Madam Pomfrey, and when I call your House you will go, in an orderly fashion, to the evacuation point."

Someone stood up at the Hufflepuff table and shouted, "What if we want to stay and fight?"

"If you are of age, you may stay. The important thing is to get you out safely. Protection has already been placed over the castle," she continued, "though it will not hold during the battle. That is why you must leave quickly—"

Her words were drowned out by an unmistakable voice. High, cold, and clear: Voldemort's. There was no telling where it came from. It seemed to just be there, in our heads all at once.

"I know that you are preparing to fight."

Some of the students screamed.

"Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers at Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood."

The hall was silent now.

"Give me Harry and Y/n Potter," said Voldemort's voice, "and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry and Y/n Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry and Y/n Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."

The silence swallowed us again. Every head turned, looking at me and Harry.

"The Slytherins can leave first, Mr Filch. Please leave orderly," Professor McGonagall said, shaking.

The Slytherins left the Hall, and Harry and I followed, Star with us.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we twisted around the students.

"I need to talk to Nearly-Headless Nick. Take Star and find Ron and Hermione," Harry said, shoving something into my hands.

I looked down at the paper. It was the Marauder's Map, a map that could see the names of everyone in the school.

Through the evacuating students, I couldn't see anyone's name, let alone Hermione and Ron's. Near the Room of Requirement, though, I saw Draco with Crabbe and Goyle's names moving quickly.

Star followed me up the stairs to the fifth floor. Hermione and Ron nearly ran into us, and Harry dashed over to us from the other side of the hall.

"We destroyed the goblet!" Hermione cried.

"Thanks. We need to go to the Room of Requirement now!" Harry announced.

We jogged to the room and emerged into a crowded place filled with random items like quills and suitcases.

"The diadem is on a statue with a blonde wig," Harry said.

We all split up, looking around the room for the diadem. It was quiet except for our footsteps.

"Looking for something, Potter?" said a voice.

I ran around the corner of shelves and saw Draco holding a wand.

Our eyes met. "Love," he whispered.

Harry came running next to me.

"I can't let you have the diadem," Draco said.

Ron joined us, followed by Hermione, who happened to be holding Ravenclaw's diadem.

Crabbe ran off. Ron shouted, noticing an orange light coming from a shelf.

"Run!" he yelled.

The fire blocked the entrance, and ran. Hermione accidentally dropped the diadem and it was engulfed in flame. Animals began forming in those flames, snapping their jaws and growling.

"Here!" Ron yelled.

We ran to him, finding four broomsticks. We each took one and flew up (Ron and Hermione shared one).

Draco and Goyle climbed up a tilting pile of desks, holding on tightly as it swayed. Crabbe was dead in the fire raging below.

"We have to save them!" I yelled.

"If we die for them, Y/n, I'll kill you!" Rom screamed.

We flew back to the tower. Draco jumped onto my broomstick, Goyle on Star's.

Draco hugged me tightly, whispering, "Thank you." His chest was heaving as he laid his head on my back.

We flew out of the room, discarding the brooms as we landed in the hallway. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Star started walking away, but I stayed.

I hugged Draco and he kissed my forehead. "I thought we were about to die," he said quietly.

"I wouldn't let that happen."

"The same to you, love. I won't let you die."

"Draco," I said warily, "you can't promise that."

"What?"

"I'm about to fight Voldemort. Anything could happen."

"I'll fight with you."

"He'll kill you!"

"You're worth dying for."

"No, t-that can't happen!"

"Okay, fine." Draco kissed me gently. "Let's both make it out of this alive, alright?"

"Alright."

I started to run off, but Draco caught my hand, pulling me back to him.

"I-I love you, Y/n."

My eyes went wide with shock, and without hesitation, I said, "I love you too," but as soon as I opened my mouth to speak, the window behind us shattered and a Death Eater flew into the building, cackling.

"It's midnight!" Harry yelled. "Y/n!" He grabbed my hand and pulled me away.

I turned around to run with my brother. We entered a hallway where a fight was taking place.

Jets of light flew in every direction as Percy Weasley battled Thicknesse, a Death Eater and the Minister of Magic.

"Hello, Minister!" yelled Percy, sending a jinx straight at Thicknesse, who dropped his wand. "Did I mention I'm resigning?"

"You're joking, Perce!" shouted Fred as the Death Eater he was battling collapsed. "You're actually joking! I don't think I've heard you joke since—"

Then I was flying through the air, in pain, and the wall was crumbling.

A terrible cry echoed throughout the ruined hall, and I stood up, my head throbbing. I saw Percy, Ron, and George crying over a body. Fred lay on the ground, dead.

"No, no, no!" Percy shook his brother.

Ron was crying, trying to go kill the Death Eaters, but Hermione calmed him, even though she was crying too.

"Listen, we've got to kill the s-snake!" Hermione said, holding the collar of Ron's shirt. "We can't lose sight of what we're supposed to be doing!" She turned to me. "You need to find out where Voldemort is because he'll have the snake with him, won't he? Do it, look inside him!"

My scar had been burning since the battle had begun. I closed my eyes and searched.

Voldemort stood in a room, the walls peeling and the windows boarded up. The sounds of the battle were muffled and distant.

"My Lord," said a cracking voice.

Voldemort turned. Lucius Malfoy sat in a dark corner, disheveled. "My Lord, please . . . my son."

"If your son is dead, it is not my fault. He did not come and join me like the other Slytherins. Perhaps he decided to befriend the Potter twins?"

"No, never," hissed Malfoy.

"You must hope not."

"Wouldn't it be better to call off this battle and seek them yourself?"

"Do not pretend. You wish the battle to cease so you can find your son and that traitor you have for a daughter. I do not need to seek the Potter twins. They will find me." Voldemort paused. "Go and fetch Snape."

"Snape, m-my Lord?"

"Snape. Now. There is a service I require from him. Go."

Lucius staggered from the room.

"It's the only way, Nagini," he whispered to his thick snake, twisting gracefully within the enchanted floating bubble Voldemort had made.

With a gasp, Harry and I opened our eyes.

"He's in the Shrieking Shack," I said.

We ran onto the grounds, but I stopped when a spell hit my back. I turned around, facing a Death Eater.

He pointed his wand at me and said, "Cruc—"

Star jumped onto the Death Eater, punching him. "Y/n, go!" she yelled, pulling out her wand. "Stupefy!"

The Death Eater blocked it easily. Star fell off of him with a punch and her wand rolled a few feet away.

"Expelliarmus!" I shouted, causing the Death Eater's wand to go flying. I caught it and snapped it in half. I stood with Star, defending us both.

Another Death Eater appeared behind me and shot a Killing Curse. I ducked, causing it to hit the other man. He dropped dead.

Before I could turn around to actually fight the new guy, he grabbed my neck and started dragging me toward the forest.

"Let me . . . go!" I choked out. Tears stung my eyes, I was losing air, and my head dripped freely.

"You heard her," said another voice. "Let her go."

"But—"

"The Dark Lord doesn't want her dead," the voice said firmly. "He just wants her taken to him. Let her go."

"I'm taking her—"

"Do you need to check your hearing? Let her go, now. I won't ask again."

Finally, the Death Eater let go. I fell to the ground, coughing.

"Stupefy!" said the voice, and a loud thud told me the Death Eater had fallen.

Someone rushed over to me.

"Y/n?" said Draco. "Y/n, are you alright?"

I threw my arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. "Yes, thank you."

"I promised I wouldn't let you die, remember?" Draco said, pulling away from the hug to help me stand. Draco looked at the cut on my head. "You're bleeding."

"So are you," I said about the scratches on his cheek. "I'll be okay."

Star put her hand on my shoulder.

"Star!" Draco cried. "Where were you?"

"I'm sorry I left. I couldn't stay at the manor anymore, so I . . . left to join the Order of the Phoenix and fight against Voldemort."

I could tell that Draco was tempted to call her a traitor, but he stayed calm. "You're very brave."

"Y/n!" Harry's voice yelled.

I then saw Harry running back to the castle while Ron and Hermione went to fight. I caught up with my brother and we ran to Dumbledore's Office.

"Why are we here?"

He held up a small vial. "Snape's memories."

"In the Pensieve?"

"Yes. Dumbledore."

The door opened when he said that, and we dashed inside and up the stairs.

Harry poured the substance into the Pensieve and we dove in.

Memories formed and disappeared of Snape and my mother, who had been friends. Snape loved Lily but had joined the Death Eaters. Lily married James, Voldemort killed them, and Snape joined the light side.

The final memory said that Harry and I were Horcruxes. That meant that Harry and I had to die before Voldemort could be killed.

Fear flooded through me, but I brushed it away. Anything to stop Voldemort, right?

"Harry!" I said as we emerged from the Pensieve. "We need to go, come on."

He nodded and we ran from the office.

Hermione and Ron found us on our way out of the castle. "Where are you going?" Hermione asked.

"We've got to go die," I answered. "No time to talk." We continued running.

We ran out to the Forbidden Forest, hidden under the Invisibility Cloak. We approached a large circle of Death Eaters, Bellatrix next to Voldemort.

"I thought they would be coming," said Voldemort. "I expected them to come. I was, it seems, mistaken."

"You weren't," I said, taking off the cloak.

Harry and I took one step forward. There were gasps and cries of joy, laughter even.

"Harry! Y/n! No!"

I turned and saw Hagrid, tied to a tree nearby. He struggled in the ropes, shaking the branches overhead.

"No! No! Harry, Y/n, what are yeh—"

"Quiet!" shouted a Death Eater.

"Harry and Y/n Potter," said Voldemort. "The Twins Who Lived. Oh, how I've waited for this moment."

Voldemort raised his wand. Everything was quiet; No one seemed to be breathing.

"Avada Kedavra."