Chapter 1
Renewal of Revenge



    Pant. Pant. Pant. The Disillusionment Charm I put on myself at the start of the battle was now wearing off. I was beginning to see the paled flesh of my hands. I’d better put on another one, I thought as I ducked behind a corner. “Occulto Existum.” I whispered— but just as I finished the incantation, I heard a voice.
    “Remus…Lupin. It will be my pleasure to destroy you.”
    “Professor Lupin?!” I silently gasped. The voice was eerily familiar; I knew I’d heard it before. But just as I was beginning figure out whom the voice belonged to, I turned towards the voices, seeing the face of a man I had grown a great hatred for. My third 년 teacher began to speak the exact name I had thought off when I saw the face of the unmasked man.
    “Antonin Dolohov. I am afraid 당신 won’t get the chance!” I watched as they assumed the ready positions and began to duel. I stood there for minutes, feeling mixtures of rage and awe, rage for the Death Eater I wanted revenge against and awe for their nonverbal skills. The only sounds for the 다음 ten 분 were that of the flying spells and Dolohov’s taunting. A few times a Killing Curse missed Professor Lupin 의해 mere inches. The 다음 fifteen 분 were filled with blocked Disarming Charms and ricocheting Body-Binds that nearly hit my invisible body.
    Then a terror-filled scream came from my other side. “Remus!!” A woman with short and spiky 담홍색, 핑크 hair, now slowly turning white, ran up to my professor.
    “Dora! What happened?” he asked as he embraced the woman I now remembered as Nymphadora Tonks, Auror, Metamorphmagus, and my 가장 좋아하는 professor’s wife.
    The woman let out a muted gasp and pointed in the direction she came from, just as a taller woman with flyaway dark hair and ripped robes turned the corner. “There 당신 are,” cackled the crazy woman who I knew at once was Bellatrix Lestrange, a deranged Death Eater and fierce warrior. She walked up to 통스 and began to talk in a mock-baby voice, “I see you’ve found your wittle werewolf hubby. He can pwotect you, wight?”
    “SHUT UP!” 통스 managed to yell through her sobs. She pointed her wand at the woman and spat at her as Professor Lupin aimed his own wand at Dolohov.
    “Well, well, well. Looks like we have a feisty one here,” said Bellatrix as she took a few steps back and pulled out her wand.
    “I like them feisty,” said Dolohov as he pointed his wand at the werewolf. Now if I was amazed 의해 the two men’s duel, then I was blown over 의해 what was commencing before my eyes: a team duel. Dolohov and Bellatrix were fighting side-by-side, shooting curse after curse at the couple and actually helping each other when needed.
The duel went on for a long time without words although Bellatrix and Dolohov were cackling like hyenas. Then suddenly the woman began to taunt Tonks, feigning worry and care. “Why would 당신 marry a werewolf? He does not deserve you. You, of the noble house of Black? HA! He would kill 당신 in a 초 if 당신 were near him when he transformed!”
Tonks’ hair flared bright red in anger as she managed to get a spell past the female Death Eater’s guard, bellowing a simple but effective charm, “EXPELLIARMUS!” The dark woman’s wand flew away and landed seven feet behind the Death Eaters. The man with the twisted face quickly summoned the wand and pointed both of them at his opponents in turn, disarming them.
“Bella, their wands, quick!” called Dolohov.
“Of course, Antonin,” responded the witch. She hastily grabbed their victim’s wands and tossed them to him.
Dolohov pointed two wands at each Order member and calmly uttered, “Petrificus Totalus.” I watched, myself immobile, as two people I cared for were unable to block the double spell. Two wands produce a 더 많이 powerful spell than one, I reasoned as the two fell to the ground.
Bellatrix was cackling again and happily dancing around the room. Dolohov spoke up after a few 분 of celebration, “Come now, Bella, let’s have some fun with them.” He looked around for a 초 and continued, reveling in the pain he was about to cause, “Prop the sad excuse for a werewolf against the wall… I want him to see us torture his lovely wife.”
The two mad Death Eaters stood my professor against the 벽 and the man handed back the woman her wand and the Auror’s as well. The two pointed their wands at 통스 and proceeded to cry “Crucio!” 통스 fell to the ground; the pain caused 의해 the quadruple spell was visibly overwhelming, so much that she couldn’t even scream. The witch’s body began morphing and her hair rapidly changing length and color.
After a 분 and a half of watching that sheer pain in silence, the pale man spoke up, “Bella, I think this isn’t enough, don’t you?”
“Why yes,” she cackled in response, “I believe a little 더 많이 is needed…. What do 당신 have in mind?” she questioned, noticing the odd look on his face.
“Something very… let’s just say “heartening” I think,”
“You couldn’t possibly mean—“
“Yes.” The pale-skinned man pointed the wands at the barely conscious Tonks, who was currently gripping her stomach in pain. He glared menacingly at Professor Lupin and slashed the air in front of him, saying, “Pectoris Morbus!” From the tips of both wands came purple flames, which flew out at the Auror.
Suddenly a gut-wrenching cry filled the room. “NOOOOOOOOOOO!”
And then there was silence. When the light cleared I looked at them and knew immediately what happened. Lupin had broken the Body-Bind and jumped in front of his wife, thinking that he could take the curse instead. He had failed, though, as I could see the two of them crumpled on the ground, peacefully in each other’s arms, but unmistakably dead. Dolohov… How dare he! That’s three people he’s taken from me with that Dark Magic of his! My mind surged with hatred for the twisted man. Half of me wanted to kill him right now, but reason overcame me and I stayed hidden.
As the man who had taken so much from me made to throw aside his victim’s wands, Bellatrix whispered something, though barely audible to me, that sounded like, “Wait.” Cackling, I watched her snap Tonks’ wand in half then burn it to a crisp with a burst of flame from her own wand. “There,” she muttered as she let the ashes fall through her long white fingers.
“Come,” motioned Dolohov as he tossed Lupin’s wand aside, “let’s get going before all the good Order members are dead.” The two psychotics laughed and ran off, cursing anything that moved.
I cautiously stepped back into the silent corridor, wondering if I was truly alone before dropping my Disillusionment Charm. With my body reappearing, I ran over to the corpses of the great witch and wizard. “Lupin… Tonks…” I whispered as my eyes began to well up in tears, “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you… I wanted to, but Dolohov… he…” I looked away for a minute, but then my gaze fell again upon my third 년 Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I felt a single tear run down my cheek. “Professor… You-you were the best teacher ever,” I muttered in between sobs, “I failed you… even after all your help… I…” My voice broke off as I shifted my gaze. Are 당신 aware that you’re trying to hide the fact that you’re crying from two dead people? I thought as I pulled myself together. I turned towards his wife, the Auror that I came to know in my fifth year. “Tonks… I met 당신 only two years 이전 at Sirius’ house. We quickly became good friends. 당신 taught me almost as much as your husband; 당신 taught me loyalty and honesty; how to deal with rejection…” Hermione…
My eyes swept across the calm bodies of the two and I started again to speak, my voice cracking, “I will avenge your deaths. I will…I will do what I should have done. Professor, what 당신 and I worked on will not go to waste… I will give him what he deserves…” Suddenly, moonlight glinted off an object underneath a bench. “Your wand… That’s it!” I whispered as I picked up the wand, feeling a slight warming. I took one last look at the couple, choking back a sob. “Your deaths will not have been for nothing. When I find him… ” Then I realized something. “Hermione! Ron! Harry! They should know!” I rapped myself on the head and muttered my best spell. The Disillusionment Charm took immediate effect as I rushed down the corridor, in 검색 of my three friends.


Chapter 2
Once Lost, Now Found




I continued to run through the corridor, making my way back to where I last saw them. Gripping my Professor’s wand in my left hand, my mind flowed with possibilities. I had half a mind to stop and find out what two wands could do, but determination to tell them overshadowed the want. Why did I have to run all the way down here just to watch people die? I thought, climbing the Grand Staircase seven steps at a time.
분 past with only the sound of my footsteps on the smooth floor. It’s hard to believe that it’s only been a few hours since they returned, I thought. The events from the past hours began to spread to all corners of my mind.

Neville had just come back from surveillance when Ariana’s voice pitched through the room. “Neville? My brother wants 당신 to come.”
Neville’s face burst with happiness. He called out gleefully, “Dane! Seamus! Everyone! They’re back! I know it! They’re here!”
I had been so focused on perfecting a spell that I hadn’t realized he called my name, but when I did, I was jumping for joy. The room filled with excitement as Neville climbed through the girl’s portrait and walked the tunnel with her, where they would eventually arrive at the Hog’s Head.
An eerie silence filled the room when he vanished. My hand moved to my 옷, 가운 pocket to clutch the few letters Hermione had taken a risk to send. I’m so glad Nex could find her.
분 past as the crowd around me stared at the portrait, waiting for the tunnel to appear. Silent, we all were, as if entranced 의해 the expanse of painted canvas. Then, it opened.
Neville crawled out and yelled, “Look who it is! Didn’t I tell you?” Out stepped Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
The room filled with cries and yells. Some called to Harry, other to Ron, but my focus was on the woman behind them. “Hermione!” I tackled her in a 곰 hug. Pulling her off to the side, under one of the Ravenclaw banners, I heard Neville quiet the room. Harry began asking questions, but I could only focus on the bewildered face in front of me.
“We’re in the Room of Requirement, aren’t we?” she asked with a grin.
“Yup,” I answered, smiling back. “Neville was being chased 의해 the Carrows and managed to 오리 into here. We started showing up after he contacted us. But this room is really amazing! Look around.” The walls were lined with hammocks and were covered 상단, 맨 위로 to bottom with tapestries representing the three Houses that were here. No Slytherin banners anywhere. There were huge bookcases, stuffed to the brim, some people’s brooms, including my Dragonwing, were propped against a wall, and a big wireless took up a corner.
Harry was asking something about the Carrows, and Seamus had answered. Hermione turned back to me and held me in another hug. “Dane… 당신 got my letters, right?”
“Course I did,” I said, patting my pocket. “I’m just lucky Nex only delivers at night.” I let out a soft whistle and my bat flew down from a hammock he was hanging from and landed on my shoulder.
As I scratched him behind the ears, Hermione patted his back and said to me, “He’s such a magnificent animal.”
“He’s amazing.” I looked straight into her eyes and when she blushed I knew she got the implied meaning. We both turned away for a 초 before I remembered the letters. I whispered, “So, You-Now-Who left a Horcrux here?”
“So 당신 found out?!” she whispered back, somewhat astonished.
I shot her a teasing grin and said, “Yup.” I pulled out one of the letters and started to continue, but a sudden grunt turned both our heads.
Ron was steadying a sweating Harry. We ran up to them as Neville asked, “Are 당신 alright, Harry? Want to sit down? I expect you’re tired aren’t –”
“No,” interrupted Harry. He looked at Ron and Hermione and said, “We need to get going.”
I whispered a 질문 to Hermione, already knowing my answer, “He found out about a destroyed Horcrux?” She nodded slightly.
“What are we going to do, then, Harry?” asked Seamus.
“What’s the plan?” I added, trying to hide that I already knew what they were here for. I looked at Harry, thinking I’d talk to him later.
“Plan?” Harry seemed to be straining himself as he continued, “Well, there’s something we –Ron, Hermione, and I – need to do, and then we’ll get out of here.”
Silence replaced the whooping and laughing from before Neville, a confused look on his face, asked, “What do 당신 mean, ‘get out of here’?”
Harry rubbed his scar and said, “We haven’t come to stay. There’s something important we need to do.”
“What is it?”
“I – I can’t tell you.”

A loud rumble that shook the portraits out of their frames interrupted my recollection. A rather large one toppled off and fell my way. A quick muttering of “Wingardium Leviosa” saved me. I continued running as my mind fell prey again to memory.

Harry and Neville argued for a few 분 before the tunnel opened, and Luna and Dean stepped out. After the greetings and explanations, Ginny, Fred, George, Lee, and Cho arrived. Then Harry began to explain the three’s purpose here. “There’s something we need to find. Something – something that’ll help us overthrow You-Know-Who. It’s here at Hogwarts, but we don’t know where. It might have belonged to Ravenclaw. Has anyone heard of an object like that? Has anyone ever come across something with her eagle on it for instance?” He shot a hopeful gaze at my fellow Ravenclaws and an even 더 많이 hopeful gaze at me.
“Hmmmm… What about her diadem?” I called out, searching my mind. A murmur of agreement came from the other Ravenclaws. Luna piped up from the arm of Ginny’s chair, “Her 로스트 diadem. I told 당신 about it, remember, Harry? The 로스트 diadem of Ravenclaw? Daddy’s trying to duplicate it.”
Michael Corner rebuked her with an eye roll and said, “Yeah, but the 로스트 diadem is lost, Luna. That’s sorta the point.”
“When was it lost?” questioned Harry.
Cho answered, “Centuries ago, they say,” I could see in Harry’s eyes the disappointment those words brought. “Professor Flitwick says the diadem vanished with Ravenclaw herself. People have looked for it, but,” she looked out to the other Ravenclaws, “nobody’s ever found a trace of it, have they?”
A simple headshake was all the agreement we needed.
Ron spoke up from beside Harry, “Sorry, but what is a diadem?”
“It’s a kind of crown,” answered Terry Boot, “Raveclaw’s was supposed to have magical properties, enhance the wisdom of the wearer.”
It was here when I remembered I had a chat with a certain ghost about exactly this matter in my 초 year.
Luna mentioned something about wrackspurts before Harry cut her off. “And none of 당신 have ever seen anything that looks like it?”
Again, shaken heads forced 더 많이 disappointment into Harry, and I could see the same in Ron and Hermione.
Cho spoke moments later, “:If you’d like to what the diadem’s supposed to look like I can take 당신 up to our common room and show you, Harry? Ravenclaw’s wearing it in her statue.”
I saw Harry’s eyes go vacant again and, catching his whispered, “He’s on the move,” I knew it was Voldemort. Harry’s glance ran from Cho back to Ron and Hermione. “Listen, I know it’s not much of a lead, but I’m going to go and look at this statue, at least to find out what the diadem looks like. Wait for me here and keep, 당신 know – the other one – safe.” A single dangerous thought sprang into my mind, a muted gasp escaping my lips. They’ve got one of his Horcruxes on him!
Cho had just gotten to her feet when a fire-eyed Ginny said, “No, Luna and Dane will take Harry, won’t you?”
“Sure,” I answered.
“Ooooh yes, I’d like to,” responded Luna, nodding happily. I heard Cho sit back down and knew her sad look had returned.
“How do we get out?” asked Harry, turning to Neville.
“Over here,” he responded, leading us to the small cupboard in the corner and opening the door, revealing a steep staircase. “It comes out somewhere different every day, so they’ve never been able to find it. Only trouble is, we never know exactly where we’re going to end up when we go out. Be careful, Harry, they’re always patrolling the corridors at night. But that shouldn’t be a problem.” He winked at me and I remembered a particularly painful bruise I had gotten on my forehead when the two of us went out on reconnaissance one night.
“Exactly,” said Harry, “See 당신 in a bit.” The three of us hurried down up the staircase.
At some point during the long climb, Luna had turned to me and said, “Your great uncle is very nice. Did 당신 get the letter he sent? I knew 당신 were worried when he suddenly disappeared from his shop.”
I caught a passing glimpse of that 일 in my mind, remembering that he had gone without a fight – just to protect me. “Yeah,” I responded, patting my letter filled pocket.
“It’s still as surprising as the first time when 당신 say you’re related to Olivander,” joked Harry.
After a short laugh, we were silent all the way through the passage. When we came to a 벽 at the end, Harry pulled out what I guessed was his Invisibility Cloak. He said, “Get under here,” as he threw it over Luna.
When he offered a spot to me, I declined, saying, “there’s not enough room, we could be seen. And besides,” I nonverbally Disillusioned myself, “I’m covered.”
“Right.” He tossed threw the 망토, 망 토 over himself and pushed the wall, which disappeared. We stepped into the dark corridor and Harry pulled us into the shadows. I poked my head under the 망토, 망 토 and saw Harry rummaging around in a pouch on his neck. “Dane, got your head under here?”
“Yes.”
He pulled out a large piece of parchment and I saw it was a map of Hogwarts. Oh, yeah, that’s the Marauder’s Map.
“We’re on the fifth floor,” Harry whispered, “Come on, this way.” And off we went.
We had made our way slowly, checking the map whenever we could and being as silent as possible. Luna pulled Harry toward the spiral staircase that led to Ravenclaw Tower. “This way.”
We climbed in tight circles, eventually reaching a wooden door with a majestic eagle-shaped knocker. Gripping the cool bronze, I knocked., the familiar beak opening up in question. The musical voice asked, “Which came first, the phoenix 또는 the flame.”
“Hmm… What do 당신 think, Dane?” asked Luna.
I shot her an invisible smile. “I had the same 질문 two years ago. You’re just going to have to figure it out yourself. “
Harry’s face was a confused mess. “What? Isn’t there just a password?”
“Nope, 당신 get a question. We are Ravenclaws, 당신 know. Wisdom is our thing.” I answered teasingly.
“What if 당신 get it wrong?”
“Well, 당신 have to wait for somebody who gets it right,” answered Luna, “That way 당신 learn, 당신 see?”
“Yeah… but we can’t really afford to wait, Luna,” said Harry.
“No, I see what 당신 mean,” she responded, “Well then, I think the answer is that a 원, 동그라미 has no beginning.”
“Well reasoned,” I said, in unison with the voice as the door swung open.
I noticed that Harry took a moment to bask in the grandeur of the Ravenclaw Common Room before making his way with Luna to the statue of our House’s founder. Atop Ravenclaw’s marble head was the diadem, reproduced in magnificent white stone.
Harry stepped out from under the 망토, 망 토 and climbed the plinth, 읽기 the words etched out on the stoner circlet, “‘Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure.’”
“Which makes 당신 pretty skint, witless.”
Luna and I quickly turned and saw the woman who spoke. It was Alecto Carrow. Harry had fallen flat on the floor and I knew one of us had to save him. I knew we had a matter of 초 before she would touch her Dark Mark. I whispered to Luna, who was steadily raising her wand. “Stun her! 당신 can do it, I know 당신 can. You’ve gotten me multiple times, and I’m hard to hit.”
“Well, that’s be – “
“Do it!” I nearly yelled. Calming down, I added, “Pretend it’s just another DA meeting.”
BANG! The Death Eater fell to the ground hard, but I could tell 의해 the look on Harry’s face that we were too late; Voldemort was on his way.
Falling out of memory, I continued running down the corridor, the desire to find them filling my mind.