Albus Dumbledore was dead, but the war continued.
Lia had already pointed out the location of Lord Voldemort's last external Horcrux—the Room of Requirement.
It had to be destroyed!
Meanwhile, in the Headmasters Office, the atmosphere was almost frozen.
"No! We can't let him go alone!" Sirius Black's voice was hoarse as he paced the room anxiously.
"No one knows what the room containing the Horcrux is like now! It's filled with thousands of years of magical items; God knows what lethal curses and traps are in there!"
"Mr. Black, please be calm." Dumbledore's portrait looked weary, his translucent figure appearing as if it might dissipate at any moment.
"Since Lord Voldemort dared to besiege the Castle, it means he has already set a trap inside, or he is waiting for our people to walk right into it."
"Then we definitely can't let Harry go!"
"Only Harry can go," Dumbledore in the portrait raised his hand, pointing at the silent Harry, "even though Harry no longer has Tom's soul fragment inside him."
"But he is undoubtedly one of the people who has had the deepest contact with Tom. The Room of Requirement only responds to the heart's strongest desire; only when Harry truly desires to 'find what Lord Voldemort has hidden' will the door open for him."
"What about Lia? Isn't she..."
"She has already given enough." Dumbledore's voice carried a finality that brooked no argument.
"No more 'buts'," Harry interrupted them, his green eyes filled with a determination that surpassed his years. "Professor Dumbledore is right. This is my business; it must be settled by me."
He glanced in the direction of Gryffindor Tower.
He could almost imagine Hermione and Lia; Hermione must be consumed by exhaustion and the fear that Lia was down to her very last life.
He could not, and would not, let her be distracted by him again.
"I'm going with you, mate!" Ron Weasley stepped forward immediately.
No matter the time, Ron Weasley would never let a friend face danger alone.
"No, Ron." Harry shook his head firmly. "You're needed more outside to help Professor McGonagall organize the defense. If I... if I don't make it back, you all must keep fighting."
Dumbledore in the portrait nodded approvingly.
"Go, Harry." Dumbledore's voice became exceptionally solemn. "Remember, that diadem is enchanted with extremely powerful Dark Arts; never attempt to touch it with your skin! Wrap it in dragon-hide gloves, get it, and return immediately!"
Harry nodded heavily, hesitating no longer.
He threw the invisibility cloak over himself, gripped his holly wand tightly, and turned to rush out of the office.
The Castle corridors were a mess, and the distant roars made the stone slabs beneath his feet tremble.
Outside the windows, the light of various spells exploded like desperate fireworks. He finally reached the seventh floor, panting for breath.
Taking a deep breath, Harry paced back and forth in front of the wall, silently reciting his desire like an incantation.
A plain wooden door emerged on the wall. He pushed it open.
Behind the door was a room as vast as a cathedral dome, piled high with junk hidden away over centuries.
Broken furniture was piled like mountains, damaged Potion bottles shimmered with an eerie light, and heaps of old books emitted a musty smell of decay.
Harry's heart hammered in his chest. The diadem was somewhere in this mountain of trash.
Just then, a violent explosion sounded from the outer walls of the Castle, causing the entire room to vibrate violently. Several crystal bottles at the top of a shelf slid off and shattered at his feet!
Lord Voldemort's army had already begun testing the defenses of Hogwarts!
Harry didn't dare delay any longer; he concentrated all his focus, trying to sense the dark aura that shared the same source as the scar on his forehead.
Like a treasure-hunting hound, he wove through the piles of junk, time ticking away second by second, each one feeling like walking on the edge of a blade.
Suddenly, a large cabinet to his right burst open, and dozens of toothy copies of The Monster Book of Monsters rushed out, snapping wildly!
Harry dodged with a clumsy roll, used an Impedimenta to knock them back into the cabinet, and quickly used Alohomora to lock the door.
While still catching his breath, his gaze was drawn to a statue not far away.
It was an ugly plaster bust with a missing nose, and on its head sat a dull, sapphire-encrusted ancient crown.
That was it!
Harry rushed over, pulled out the heavy dragon-hide gloves Dumbledore had specifically told him to prepare, and carefully pinched the edge of the diadem.
The diadem was ice-cold to the touch, and an evil, seductive whisper instantly exploded in his mind, tempting him to put it on and promising him endless wisdom and power.
Harry gritted his teeth, his scar burning like fire. He used all his willpower to resist the mental pollution and quickly stuffed the diadem into a pre-prepared thick leather bag reinforced with multiple protection charms.
He turned and ran!
He had to take it back to Gryffindor Tower! There was the only person who could deal with it!
Harry burst out of the Room of Requirement and sprinted all the way.
On the way, he even used Stupefy to knock down two Death Eaters attempting to sneak into the Castle through a secret passage.
When he reached the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, gasping for air, he practically roared the password: "Dumbledore!"
He rushed through the empty common room, up the spiral staircase leading to the Girls Dormitory, and knocked hard on the closed door.
"Enter." A voice as cold as ice came from within.
Harry pushed the door open, and the scene before him made him freeze in place, his blood feeling as if it had turned to ice.
Hermione was sitting by the bed with a detached expression, calmly wiping an eerie-looking obsidian dagger that radiated an ominous aura with a piece of velvet cloth.
And Lia sat quietly on the bed, her head slightly lowered.
On her snow-white, jade-like ankle, a bright red ribbon was particularly jarring; the other end was tied securely to the heavy bedpost carved with a gryphon.
"Harry?" Hermione didn't show even a hint of surprise upon seeing him; she simply set down the dagger and stood up immediately.
"I... I got it."
Harry felt his voice trembling as he handed over the heavy leather bag, gasping for breath.
Hermione took the bag and opened it without the slightest hesitation, revealing the ancient and evil diadem inside.
She turned and held it out with both hands, presenting it to Lia.
Lia slowly raised her head, her sky-blue eyes watching this last Horcrux with a calm that was like still water.
Hermione looked at Lia, her face showing no hint of the joy of victory, only a calm and an implacable resolve that sent a bone-chilling shiver through Harry.
"Dinner time is here."
[It's so cold; I'm already wearing a fuzzy bathrobe...]
[Luckily I have my big brother (my cat) to cuddle with while I sleep.]
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