"That foul little git," Ron spat out.

Eventually, they had managed to get out of the vault and to the dragon, but they couldn't go any further than that.

"At least we've still got Bogrod," Harry pointed out. But soon, they didn't. The dragon had other ideas, and with the goblin imperiused and oblivious, he got fired at by the dragon.

"Or not," Rosalyn seethed.

Suddenly, about fifteen wizards came running at them. They all had wands, and all were firing well aimed spells at the quartet.

And so they ran back and hid either side of the corridor, Rosalyn and Hermione on one, Harry and Ron on the other.

"We can't just stand here who's got an idea?" Hermione shouted.

"You're the brilliant one!" Ron reminded her.

"I've got something but it's- mad!" Hermione yelled back. "Reducto!"

She pointed her wand at the barrier stopping them from getting to the dragon, and it exploded promptly. From there, Hermione ran out, dodging spells and curses, and jumped on the back of the dragon.

Rosalyn, Ron and Harry gasped.

"Well, come on, then!" Hermione shouted to them.

Without hesitation, Rosalyn jumped onto the dragon as well, Harry and Ron following her. "Relashio!" Hermione shouted, destroying the chains that kept the dragon under control.

Slowly, it raised its head, then it's wings, getting ready to fly.

Then it did just that.

Destroying everything in its path, the Ukrainian Ironbelly flew upwards, finally free from its sanctuary. It breathed fire, so it also burned things, and then, finally, they got through to the top of the bank-

Goblins were running everywhere, trying to escape, Rosalyn held on for dear life as the dragon shook its head, raised its wings, broke through the glass ceiling of Gringotts, and took off into the sky.

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" Ron shouted.

The wind whipped their faces and reddened their cheeks as the dragon flew on and on.

After about half an hour, they were finally flying over water. "I say we drop now before it realises we're here!" Rosalyn told them.

"Okay!" Hermione shouted back. "Three!"

"Two!" Rosalyn said.

"One!"

"GO!"

All at once, they dropped into the water. It was a rough landing, and Rosalyn went deep below the surface.

Before she slipped into Lord Voldemort's mind.

He was angry... really angry... the ring... the diary... the locket... all destroyed. The cup... gone.

The others... Nagini must be kept close now... the one at Hogwarts... all fine... Snape was there, he would surely catch Potter before she managed to get inside...

Ravenclaw... Hogwarts... Helena... Ghosts. Horcruxes.

Rosalyn came to floating in the lake, and she hastened to follow the others and swim to safety.

The quartet walked up an island as Rosalyn spoke, teeth chattering.

"He knows. You-Know-Who. He knows we broke into Gringotts, he knows what we took, and he knows we're hunting horcruxes," Rosalyn quickly said.

"How is it you know?" Hermione asked hurriedly.

"I saw him," Rosalyn answered shortly.

"You let him in? Rosie you can't do that-"

"I can't always help it Hermione- or, maybe I can I don't know-" Rosalyn replied in annoyance.

"Never mind that, what did you see?" Ron cut between them.

"Well, he's angry, and scared too, he knows if we destroy all the horcruxes we'll be able to kill him," Rosalyn accepted clothes from Hermione, changing into them quickly. "I reckon he'll stop at nothing to make sure we don't find the rest."

Hermione put some dittany on everyone and then she began about changing as well.

"There's more," Rosalyn said. She was fully changed by now. "One of them's at Hogwarts."

"You saw it?" Hermione asked.

"I saw the castle! And Rowena Ravenclaw, it must be something to do with her, we have to go there now!" Rosalyn urged them.

"Rosie we can't!" Hermione protested. "We- we have to plan, we have to figure things out!"

"Hermione, when have any of our plans ever actually worked?" Rosalyn reminded her. "We plan, we get there, all hell breaks loose!"

Hermione fell silent and Ron spoke up. "One problem, Snape's headmaster now, we can't just walk through the front door!"

"I would," Rosalyn snarled. "I have some words to say to that stinking traitor, most of them swears."

"But- Rosie you can't!"

"Well- we'll go to Hogsmeade, to Honeyduke's, take the secret passage in the cellar," Rosalyn sighed and told them. "It's just- there's something wrong with him, like- in the past, I've always been able to follow his thoughts, now everything just seems disconnected."

"Maybe it's the horcruxes," Ron suggested. "Maybe he's getting weaker, maybe he's dying!"

"No, it's more like he's wounded," Rosalyn plaited her hair. "If anything he feels more dangerous."

☆☆☆

In the dead of night in Hogsmeade village, four pairs of feet grounded on the silent street. Instantly they set off an alarm.

"POTTER!"

Rosalyn ran, and the others followed. They hid and ran... hid and ran... hid and ran...

"We're going to have to try and disapparate," Hermione winced as they heard the death eaters shout.

"We know you're here, Potter! And you can't get away!"

"They were ready for us," Rosalyn said slowly. "They put protections in place so that they'd be alerted as soon as we came, they must've done something to stop us getting out, as well."

"Psst! In here, Potter!"

Suddenly, the door of the Hog's Head opened up. The barman had hissed to them, and at that moment, they didn't care if it was a trap, they needed safety.

He told them to go downstairs and they did, into the bar. No one was there.

"Did you get a look at him?" Ron asked Hermione. "For a second I thought it was-"

"I know, Dumbledore," Hermione replied with a moan. Rosalyn hadn't got a look at the barman, so this interested her greatly.

Hermione took this moment to look around. She saw a portrait of a young girl, looking daintily into the distance. She also saw-

"Rosie, I can see you in this," Hermione said. She was looking at a mirror with a chuck taken out of it. And sure enough, across the room, Rosalyn was looking into the tiny piece of mirror.

The red head walked over, connecting the mirror pieces. Unbelievable-

"You bloody fools, what were you thinking coming here?" The barman had arrived.

"You're Aberforth," Rosalyn finally realised. "Dumbledore's brother, it's you who I've been seeing in here- you're the one who sent Dobby!"

Aberforth nodded. "Where've you left him?"

"He's dead," Rosalyn said slowly and sadly.

"Sorry to hear it, I liked that elf," Aberforth commented.

"Who gave that to you, the mirror?" Rosalyn asked.

"Bought it off Mundungus Fletcher about a year ago," Aberforth recounted.

Rosalyn exclaimed in outrage. "Dung had no right selling that to you it belonged to-"

"Sirius," Aberforth nodded, walking towards them. "Albus told me, he also told me you'd likely be hacked off if you ever found out that I had it but ask yourself, where would you be if I didn't?"

Rosalyn forgot her smart comments and looked down. Aberforth disappeared for a moment and brought back a tray of butterbeer and biscuits.

"D'you hear from the others much? From the order?" Hermione asked.

"The order's finished, You-Know-Who's won, anyone who's pretending different is kidding themselves," Aberforth commented.

Rosalyn stayed still. Only her lips moved. "We need to get into Hogwarts. Tonight. Dumbledore gave us a job to do."

"Did he now?" Aberforth asked. This was now no more than entertainment for him. "Nice job? Easy?"

"We've been hunting horcruxes," Rosalyn stood stock still. "We think the last one's inside the castle but we'll need your help getting in."

"Whatever job my brother's given you, it's a suicide mission," Aberforth told her. "Do yourself a favour, girl, go home! Live a little longer."

"Dumbledore trusted me to see this through-" Rosalyn began.

"What makes you think you can trust him?" Aberforth cut across her. "What makes you think you can believe anything my brother told you? In all the time you knew him, did he ever mention my name? Did he ever mention hers?"

He pointed to the portrait of the girl on the wall.

"Why should he-" Rosalyn started again.

"-Keep secrets, you tell me," Aberforth spat vengeancefully.

Rosalyn paused. "I trusted him."

"That's a little girl's answer! A girl who goes chasing horcruxes on the word of a man who wouldn't even tell her where to start, you're lying! Not just to me, that doesn't matter, but to yourself as well, that's what a fool does, now, you don't strike me as a fool, Rosalyn Potter, so I'll ask you again, there must be a reason!"

Rosalyn looked him dead in the eye. "I'm not interested in what happened between you and your brother. I don't care that you've given up. I trusted the man I knew.

"And we need to get into the castle. Tonight."

He turned to the portrait of the young girl. "You know what to do."

Slowly, she turned around and left. "Where've you sent her?" Rosalyn asked.

"You'll see soon enough," Aberforth told her.

"That's your sister, Ariana, isn't it?" Hermione asked. Something clicked in Rosalyn's head. "She died very young, didn't she?"

Aberforth turned round. "My brother sacrificed many things on his journey to power, Miss Potter, Ariana was one of them. And she was devoted to him. He gave her everything... but time."

As he walked away, Hermione thanked him, and Rosalyn walked to him.

"Listen," Rosalyn said. "You don't seem like you've given up."

"Who says I've given up?" Aberforth asked her.

" 'The order's finished'," Rosalyn mocked. " 'You-Know-Who's won, anyone'-"

"Alright, alright, I was telling the truth," Aberforth said. "I don't like it, but there it is."

"I hope I can change that," Rosalyn told him.

Meanwhile, Ariana had come back. She was walking through the woods that were the background of her painting, her and someone else.

"Who's that with her?" Ron asked as he, Harry and Hermione had all eyes on the portrait.

Slowly but surely, when Ariana had come back, it swung open and it revealed-

"Neville!" Harry grinned. The boy had cuts and scrapes all over him, a black eye and a few bruises here and there. He didn't seem worried about this, however.

"Alright, Harry? Ron? Hermione?" Neville grinned. Then his face fell. "But where's-"

And that was the moment when Rosalyn came round the corner.

Neville fell silent. He stopped talking and just stared at the girl he loved. Even though Rosalyn had dirt on her face, her hair was pulled back in a messy plait and her hazel eyes were bleary and bloodshot, Neville still thought she was the most beautiful thing in the world.

Without saying anything, the two almost ran towards each other, colliding into each other's arms.

"I thought you'd died," Neville whispered to her. "I thought you were dead and that I'd never see you again-"

"So did I," Rosalyn whispered back, her face buried in his shoulder. "I heard about what you did on the train for me- I thought you were locked up in Azkaban- and Luna told me about the coins-"

"I know," Neville pulled back from the hug and looked into her face, holding both her hands. "She got back about a week ago, and she told me your message."

Rosalyn grinned. The two split apart and Neville allowed Harry, Ron and Hermione to talk to him.

"Neville, you look-" Harry began.

"Like hell, I reckon," Neville nodded, gesturing to his injuries as if he didn't even care that they were there. He looked towards Aberforth, who had appeared again. "Hey, Ab, we've got a couple more coming through."

He reached out to Rosalyn and held her hand, helping her into the tunnel. The other three followed promptly.

Neville had his wand lit, and so he led the way. "Don't remember seeing this on the Marauder's Map," Ron commented.

"That's because it never existed until now," Neville answered sadly. "The seven secret passageways were sealed off before the start of the term. This is the only way in or out now. The grounds are crawling with death eaters and dementors."

"How bad is it with Snape as headmaster?" Ron asked, hoping for some reason to bad mouth the greasy haired git.

Neville gave none. "Hardly ever see him, it's the Carrows you gotta watch out for."

"The Carrows?" Rosalyn's eyebrows creased.

"Yeah, brother and sister, in charge of discipline, they like punishment, the Carrows," Neville said dismally.

"They did that to you?" Hermione asked in shock, pointing to Neville's many scars and cuts.

Neville nodded. "In the defence against the dark arts lessons, well, now just dark arts lessons, they had us practicing the cruciatus curse on first years. I refused. Hogwarts has changed."

Finally, they got to the end of the tunnel. Neville dropped Rosalyn's hand, saying as he did so. "Let's have a bit of fun, shall we?"

He stepped in front of the quartet, obscuring them from view. The portrait in front of them slowly opened.

What Rosalyn could see beyond Neville shocked her. About seventy to a hundred students lay in hammocks, on the floor and in groups. Rosalyn recognised most of them as DA members, but she saw a few new recruits.

Anyway, Neville stood at the portrait hole and addressed everyone. "Listen up, you lot, I've brought you a surprise!"

"Not more of Aberforth's cooking, I hope, it'd be a surprise if we could digest it," Rosalyn heard Seamus comment. He got a few laughs.

Then Neville moved to the side.