Molly had just got the words out, when the floo fired again, and the twins stepped out, followed by Ginny, Ron, and Hermione. "Mum, dad?" questioned Ginny.
"We're fine, dear," answered Molly, as she and her husband took a seat on the nearest unoccupied sofa-Travis had changed all the chairs into sofas to better seat the number of people that were now frequenting the cottage.
"Death Eaters showed up near the shop," said Fred.
"So we floo'ed home to the Burrow and brought Ginny here," George added.
"Charlie went to help at the ministry," Fred informed, "He had just gotten word when we showed up."
"Smart thinking, boys," said Arthur, "Death Eaters attacked the ministry a few minutes ago."
"What-I'll let Remus know," said Bill, appearing at the foot of the stairs, "We'd best get there."
"NO. Albus told us to keep you all here and shut down the floo until further notice," said Arthur, firmly. Bill only nodded, and cast a charm at the fireplace. Travis quickly switched on the radio in the corner.
"…WE'RE STILL WAITING WORD ON THE DETAILS, BUT AS WE UNDERSTAND IT, DEATH EATERS ENTERED THE MINISTRY THROUGH THE FLOO SYSTEM, JUST BEFORE ELEVEN O'CLOCK…"
"THAT WAS EDGAR VANCE REPORTING ON THE WIZARDING WIRELESS NETWORK," said another voice, "WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR A STATEMENT FROM THE MINISTER OF MAGIC, WE'VE GOT PETER SHAW STANDING BY IN TORONTO, AND WE WILL GO LIVE THE MOMENT THE MINISTER MAKES AN APPEARANCE. REPEATING THIS BIT OF BREAKING NEWS, DEATH EATERS HAVE STORMED THE BRITISH MINISTRY OF MAGIC IN LONDON, CLEARLY AS AN ATTEMPT TO FORCIBLY GAIN CONTROL OF THE WIZARDING GOVERNMENT." The channel went back to playing chamber music or the like, and Travis turned it down.
"Did they kick Fudge out?" questioned Harry.
"They were just about to vote on the motion," answered Arthur.
"Death Eaters forced their way into the room, and started cursing," said Molly, still clearly concerned.
"How did you get away?" questioned Travis.
"Through a side door that leads to the Auror offices," answered Arthur, "A group of Wizengamot members, along with some of the public were also shepherded that way, we helped many of them escape before fleeing ourselves." Just then, the ghostly image of a bird appeared in front of Arthur and Molly.
"What's that?" questioned John.
"That's professor Dumbledore's Patronus," answered Molly, "Bill, could you add Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood to the floo? Albus also says to unlock the floo, both will be arriving here in a few moments."
"Why… what…" Travis began.
"Mrs. Longbottom has been seriously injured, and Mr. Lovegood was killed," answered Arthur, solemnly.
"He's attacking DA members!" Harry gasped, "Hermione! Do you have the list?"
"Yes, of course." Hermione dug through her satchel, and found the charmed parchment. "Duplicatus," she commanded, gesturing with her wand.
"Mr. Weasley, can you send this to professor Dumbledore? Tell him every name on that list must be found and brought here," said Harry.
"How many people are we talking about, Harry?" questioned Lisa.
"About thirty people," answered the Boy-Who-Lived. Lisa only shook her head, while Travis only nodded, saying, "Gonna need help setting up space for everyone."
"I'll need to add those names to the floo as well, then," said Bill.
"What about their families?" questioned Lisa, "And we won't have the room here."
"I know that."
"Dumbledore will figure something out," said Arthur, as he dispatched his Patronus. Bill was already busily adding the lengthy list of names to the floo access. "By the way, Hermione, this is one cleverly designed charm."
"Smartest witch in our year and all," Harry smirked. Just then, the floo fired again, and Remus stepped out. "Bill, we need the escort restriction lifted," he declared, "There are individuals not keyed in that have to be brought here at once." Bill nodded, and cast a charm at the floo. "Done."
"Who?" Questioned Harry. His question was quickly answered, as the flames turned red, and Severus stepped through, with Harry's school nemesis at his feet, unconscious.
"NO! NO! He… you CAN'T let him here!" Harry erupted, "I'll-"
"Harry, why… he…" John began, but didn't finish, with Harry glaring daggers.
"I assure you, Potter, he is under my charge," answered Severus.
"What happened to him?" questioned Travis.
"It seems Mr. Malfoy wishes not to serve the Dark Lord," answered Severus, "He overheard a sensitive conversation between myself, his mother and her sister, and Alectus Carrow-"
"Ah, my dear cousin," said Sirius, who had up to this point chosen to remain silent.
"What happened?" Harry prodded.
"The Dark Lord blames Lucius personally for the failure at the Ministry in June…"
"What's that got to do with-" Travis began.
"If you will allow me to continue, Fisher, I will get there," Severus drawled, "Patience clearly is not one of your traits, I do wonder where you get your skill in potions."
"Leave it, sir. Just, what happened?"
"Narcissa was unhappy with the plan the Dark Lord laid out, and there was a confrontation, which her son joined."
"Did you compromise your position?" questioned Sirius.
"No, as it was I who inflicted some of the damage," answered Severus, giving Sirius a curt nod. Lisa made a sour face at the revelation. It was then the floo fired again, and Mad-Eye Moody stepped out, cradling an unconscious Neville Longbottom. He too, carried some serious injuries.
"Bring them both upstairs," decided Travis, "Potions lab and all is up there, right?"
"Indeed, I will need to return to Hogwarts momentarily for my own stores," said Severus, stepping into the fireplace.
"We'll be needing a bunch of pepper-up potions too," said Travis.
"I can help with that," said Hermione.
"As can we," said George.
"Great, thanks guys. I'll be helping the professor with the more difficult shit," said Travis, "Although I'm gonna need someone to go to the apothecary… not sure how I am with the supplies."
"What about me and Harry?" questioned Ron.
"Start transfiguring wood for beds," suggested Travis, "God knows we're gonna need enough of them." He just finished, when the floo fired again, and this time, Tonks stepped through, with Luna Lovegood leaning heavily on her.
"Jesus, looks like she's been nailed with the Cruciatus curse," said Travis, appraising her. "I think I have a couple potions to help with that."
"Hi Harry," Luna managed. Harry could feel a lump rising in his throat, and he fought not to break down on the spot. These were people that stood with him only weeks earlier. People who once again, felt the angry ire of a crazed dark wizard, on account of him. He could only manage a weak smile, for he knew if he opened his mouth, cries of anger and frustration would be the only thing that would come out of it.

It became a long night, as the members of the DA were located and brought through the floo. More than a third of them had been attacked, one had been killed, and some lost family members. Rather ironic, Harry mused, it had been Marietta Edgecombe that had been killed. Another news report on the wizarding wireless in the early hours of the morning pointed the finger at her mother as being the one to permit Death Eaters into the ministry in the first place, through the floo system.

The massive influx of people resulted in some major changes to the cottage. Although Albus was still tied up dealing with the aftermath of the attack at the ministry, Minerva was able to help out with the changes, as was professor Flitwick. Remus and Sirius also helped out, as did the Weasleys, making more long-term transfigurations.

The result was something that in some ways reminded Harry of the Leaky Cauldron. On the outside, the cottage only had two floors. Yet, on the inside, there was in fact three floors, not including the cellar. John still had trouble wrapping his head around the concept, as did Derek and Sarah. It had to be the most irrefutable example of magic. It put the addition of the potions lab to shame.

The third floor was literally double the space of the floor below. It was divided up into several rooms, with no more than four persons to a room. There were also two additional washrooms, and a more intimate common area. The downstairs was likely to be used for Order business most of the time, as it was.

The second floor underwent somewhat of a renovation as well. Bill and Travis decided it was time to get their own room, and with a little discussion, so did John and Harry. So, the floor was expanded again, with two extra rooms added. The 'dorm' was expanded, and was currently in use as a hospital ward. Madam Pomfrey had been summoned again from Hogwarts, and she was then hopping between patients, with the help of Molly and Severus. She finally returned to England as the sun was just starting to cast its rays across the floor of the room.
"Harry, c'mon, there's nothing more you can do now," said John, trying to stifle a yawn.
"I guess… it's just…"
"Harry, it's not your fault, mate," said Neville, trying to sit up, "We're all safe now because of you."
"Mr. Longbottom, please lay down," Molly instructed, "Don't make me stun you."
"Yes Mrs. Weasley."
"And you too, Harry. Off to bed you go, both of you."
"Harry, she's right," said John, putting an arm around Harry. Harry only sighed, knowing John was right. He moved mindlessly, letting John lead him back to their new room, still shell-shocked over the past few hours' events. This action made it clear: Voldemort would no longer operate behind the scenes. He had made a strong effort to take over the wizard government, and had nearly succeeded. Perhaps, next time, they wouldn't be that lucky.
"Harry… Dude, you okay?"
"Huh?" Harry looked at the bed, and found John looking back at him, concerned.
"You just gonna stand there, or get into bed?"
"Sorry." Harry quickly undressed, trying to refocus on the present.
"Let's get some sleep, you can't help anyone right now." John moved over to the far side. Harry again nodded, and climbed into bed. He had difficulty suppressing a smile when John shifted over to lay close.

It was just before lunch time before Harry and John woke again. After taking quick showers, the pair went downstairs to find a rather active discussion ongoing. It appeared the bulk of the Order was present.
"Ah, Harry, my boy," Albus greeted.
"Professor," said Harry, while John only gave him a nod.
"Come eat," said Lisa, indicating two spots at the island counter. It had been one of the changes implemented earlier in the day. A stack of pre-made sandwiches lay on a plate, along with two sodas.
"I want a group of us to go to Hogwarts this afternoon," said Harry, as he plucked several sandwiches off the plate.
"Harry, you'll also need some basilisk venom-" began Sirius.
"Already have some of that," said Travis, "How much you need?"
"Probably more than you have."
"It's fine. The Chamber of Secrets… there's a dead basilisk… I mean, the one I killed in second year." Harry cast a withering gaze Albus' way.
"Harry, it's too dangerous," Hermione pointed out. Harry had to smile. Of course, she would be in the thick of things. "If it will help kill Voldemort, I'll do what I have to," he answered.
"Less dangerous if a group of us go," Travis pointed out, "And why does it have to be Harry?"
"Because he's the only one who can speak parselmouth," answered Hermione, the realization dawning on her, "He HAS to go."
"Parselmouth? What's that?" questioned Sarah.
"I can talk to snakes."
"Damn," said John.
"It's not something I'm exactly proud of. You see, Voldemort can, too."
"Perhaps, I should accompany Potter into the chamber," said Severus. Albus nodded, then said, "I think it might be wise should a group of us go. I am curious to see for myself."
"Harry, you know how rare a basilisk is, right?" questioned Travis. Harry nodded. "You could get a fortune from its parts."
"I don't need it," answered Harry, "I really could care less."
"Harry! I mean, why not? You could…"
"If you want it, be my guest. Look, I'm really not concerned about something I've already fought, when I have much more deadly apponents very much alive," Harry snapped.
"The Order could put that money to use, Harry," Sirius pointed out, "Particularly after what happened last night."
"Fine. Look, whatever, if you guys want to cut it up and harvest its parts, good on 'ya. But I'm just not bloody interested." Travis only nodded, and said, "Professor, would you be willing to help? I mean, keep part of the profit for yourself… most of it goes to the Order to help out."
"Indeed," said Severus, nodding.
"We're going once we're done eating, then," Harry decided, "Some of you go to the Room of Requirement, and start looking for the diadem. I will go with professor Dumbledore, professor Snape, and Travis to the Chamber of Secrets, to recover basilisk Venom."
"I'll come too," said John.
"No. You're going to the Room of Requirement. You can help them there."
"Harry… I'm fucking coming with you!" John spoke as if his word was final. Harry only nodded, giving a weak smile. Sometimes, looking at John was like looking in a mirror.
"Both Remus and I will be going there as it is-and no, I won't just stay behind, as you've always insisted," said Sirius, seeing Albus was about to say 'no', "I don't remember exactly where it was, but I have a general idea where to start looking."
"Sir, that's one of the things that will be changing," said Harry, "Sirius will be taking a much more active role in the business of the order, rather than being under 'house arrest', as you had him all last year."
"How safe is your school, professor?" questioned Sarah.
"Certainly safer than the ministry of magic," answered Harry, "If that's what you're thinking."
"The castle is virtually empty this time of year," answered Albus, "I daresay we won't be encountering many persons there."

Once the large group had travelled through the floo into Albus' office, they then split up. Ron, Hermione, Neville (who wasn't as injured as first thought, and all but demanded to join the group), Remus, Sirius, and Minerva went up to the seventh floor corridor, and the location of the Room of Requirement. Travis, Bill, Harry, John, Severus, and Albus went to the second floor girls' bathroom, and the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.

Harry walked over to the sinks, and located the right tap. "Open," he hissed. John felt a shiver run down his back, hearing it. The sinks began to shift, and slide away from the tight circle, while one slid in and dropped out of sight, revealing a large circular entrance.
"Allow me," offered Albus, gesturing with his wand. A set of winding stairs appeared.
"Thank you, sir. Follow me," said Harry, and he quickly led the group down the stairs. "It's a little messy down here…"
"God, what is that smell?" questioned John. Severus gave one of his patented sneers.
"Things that have been dead a long time, I would imagine," said Bill, "John. If you'll allow me." John nodded, and Bill cast a charm at his face. A bubble instantly appeared around his nose and mouth. "Harry?"
"Please. Cedric used one of those in the second task of the tri-wizard tournament."
"What is it?" questioned John, his voice somewhat muffled.
"It's called a bubble charm. It magically provides air," explained Bill, who then cast a second charm for Harry. The rest of the adults did the same thing, and all proceeded into the large tunnel.

Within minutes, they came upon a large skin that made John shiver again. "Jesus."
"This is where Lockhart trapped us," said Harry, "He tried to obliviate us with Ron's wand, and it sort of backfired."
"Looks like we'll have to use blasting charms-"
"That's what caused the rocks to fall in on us in the first place!" Ron exclaimed.
"Banishing charms, then," suggested Albus. The other adults nodded, and began banishing the debris. In less than a minute, the cavern was cleared. "This way," said Harry.

Less than a minute after that, the group came to a second large door that resembled a vault. "Open," Harry hissed, causing John to shiver a third time. Exactly like the last time Harry had been in the chamber, the number of snakes that served as the locks 'slithered' out of their position, and the massive door swung open, revealing the inner chamber.

The snake was exactly where it had fell three years prior. It was still completely intact, half-submerged in the pool, its massive head resting on the floor. There was still a large pool of ink, and Harry was momentarily overwhelmed by the memories of that harrowing night. The second time facing Tom Riddle, and the fight to save Ginny's life.
"Harry… here," said Travis, passing Harry a utility knife.
"What-that's not-"
"Here. It's a Leatherman, I'll show you," offered John. Harry passed him the tool, and John skilfully opened it up to reveal a pair of pliers.
"Say 'larger', and they'll automatically enlarge… a handy charm I put on them," said Travis, as John passed them back. "Larger," said Harry, and the tool enlarged. "Great!"
"Professor… um… I don't know much about harvesting stuff…"
"And that would not surprise me," Severus drawled, "You will assist me where appropriate." Travis only nodded, as the potions professor climbed onto the back of the massive snake, putting on his protective gloves, which he had enlarged from his pocket.

Meanwhile, Harry began wrenching several teeth from the massive beast's mouth, while John watched, fascinated by it.
"How old… how long would this thing live?" he finally asked.
"Legend said Salazar Slytherin himself left a horrible monster behind in the chamber when he left the school," said Albus, "A basilisk can live thousands of years, so it is more than likely, this is the creature left here."
"Why do you need the venom from this thing, though? Like, can't you just buy it?"
"No, you can't just 'buy' it," Severus deadpanned, "And I am curious as to how you managed to obtain basilisk venom yourself, Fisher."
"A once-off opportunity," answered Travis, "I have a few sources."
"A basilisk is a rare creature," Albus added, "Its parts are worth a fortune."
"Rare, and fucking dangerous," said Travis, "Jesus, Harry, I still can't believe you killed this thing."
"Well, I did. Right up there." Harry pointed to a spot on the massive bust carved in the stone. "With a sword that is now in the headmaster's office… Right. That does it," said Harry, as he pried one last fang from the mouth of the beast.
"How about you boys go up to the Room of Requirement, then, and help search for the diadem," suggested Bill. Harry nodded.
"Perhaps I can help you get there a little quicker," said Albus, dispatching his Patronus. A second later, with a flash of flame, Fawkes appeared.
"Grab hold of his tail feathers," said Albus. Harry nodded, remembering how the headmaster had vanished from his office only months earlier, to avoid being arrested. John and Ron followed suit, and the group vanished in a flash of fire.

They appeared virtually instantaneously in front of a large door, opposite the most bizarre tapestry John had ever seen. It featured a wizard, attempting to teach a group of trolls how to dance the ballet. He had to suppress a snicker.
"Barnabus the Barmy," said Harry, following John's gaze, "This way." He turned and pushed open the doors on the opposite side of the corridor.

Harry was well aware the Room of Requirement could represent an endless possibility of things. Yet, the room into which they stepped, was nothing like he could have imagined. It was a pack rat's paradise. That was the best way to describe it. Books, broken furniture, misused potions, unused potions, spoiled potions… if one could think of it, it could probably be found in that room at that moment. There were towers of clutter that appeared like, if one were to breathe on it the wrong way, it would come crashing down.
"Bloody hell!" Ron exclaimed, while John only stared.
"I'd love to send just a FRACTION of the stuff in here back to the Dursleys. Watch Aunt Petunia squirm, seeing a bunch of clutter in her 'surgically clean kitchen'," Harry smirked.
"Exercising your Slytherin side again, Harry?" said Sirius, appearing from a nearby pathway-if it could be called that. Harry grinned again.
"Got what you need from the Chamber of Secrets?"
"Loads. Travis is helping professor Snape harvest the basilisk. Did you guys find the diadem?"
"No, Harry, still looking. Minerva has certainly found a few interesting items, though," said Sirius, "Her pockets are going to be stuffed, as will ours, at the rate we're going. There has to be stuff in here from the founders' era."

Time seemed to fly, as they continued to comb through the massive mess, looking for the elusive diadem. Eventually, Travis, Bill, and Severus arrived, and it was decided they should continue their search the next day, as, at least for the professors, it was getting extremely late.

So, the large group returned to the headmaster's office, and borrowed his floo to return to the cottage. It was most peculiar, leaving Scotland well after dark, and arriving back at the cottage, where the sun had yet to set.

Harry immediately found himself surrounded by members of the DA, some thanking him, others asking what had happened to him.
"Just a minute, everyone," he finally said, "Glad to see everyone is all right and well rested, I guess."
"We've managed to move most of the families to safer locations," said Tonks, "We're still working on a few."
"Great, that's great."
"Harry, we really need to think about moving to the island," said Sirius, "With this many people here, it's just no longer practical."
"Agreed," said Travis, "Mom's not happy about the crowd."
"Tonight, we will visit the island and see if it's secure," said Sirius, "Make a few adjustments if it is, and perhaps tomorrow, we can move everyone there."
"There is something that might be useful," said Minerva, pulling an object out of her pocket. She gestured at it with her wand after setting it on the floor, and it enlarged into a large wardrobe-at least that's what it looked like.
"It's just a wardrobe-how can a wardrobe help us?"
"Not just any kind of wardrobe, Mr. Fisher. This is a vanishing cabinet. I daresay, it needs to be repaired, and we will have to locate its matching twin…"
"I've seen it!" said Harry, "Borgin and Burke's, in Knockturn Alley. The first time I used the floo, I didn't say my destination clearly, and ended up there."
"So what does it do?" questioned John.
"It's like… teleporting," said Travis, "Now that I know what it is… you get inside it, close the door, and instantly appear in its counterpart."
"The most important thing is, its counterpart could be anywhere in the world," Minerva added.
"So they're rare," John guessed.
"Very."
"So you could put one of those on the island, and one here."
"Exactly. Although in that case, the person using it would have to know the secret. The Fidelius Charm would hide the vanishing cabinet, since it would act like an entrance," Minerva explained.

The rest of the evening was spent with Harry introducing his new friends to the DA, and catching everyone up on what had been going on over the past month. All were very grateful for Harry's quick thinking. Most of their families were then well taken care of.

At breakfast the following morning, Harry was in for several surprises.
"We've been slightly busy overnight," announced Sirius, placing a small box on the table. He tapped it with his wand, and it vanished, revealing a rather ordinary ring. "We not only visited my private island, we also visited Little Hangleton."
"Another Horcrux," John guessed. Remus nodded.
"Great. So there's still the diadem in the Room of Requirement, Nagini, and-" Harry began.
"Hufflepuff's cup," Sirius finished, "Which, as we found out, was kept in my cousin's vault at Gringotts."
"How do you plan on getting THAT one?" questioned Travis.
"Well, when it was revealed to the bank exactly WHAT was being kept in my cousin's vault… needless to say, it was one Horcrux we didn't need to destroy. They were none too happy."
"No shit," Travis jumped in, "I mean, there ARE limits on what people can put in their vault. Even Muggle banks have limits."
"So why haven't more people gotten into trouble over it?" Hermione pointed out.
"It's a matter of being caught, of course," answered Sirius.
"Yes, indeed," Bill agreed, "Gringotts certainly tries to monitor things, but there are limits to manpower and so on. I've been called in on several occasions to deal with illegal contents. They called me home twice the year before from Cairo."
"So, like, what happens to someone if they're caught putting illegal shit in their vault?" questioned John.
"A very hefty fine, on most occasions. Now, in the instance of Ms. Lestrange, the ministry will definitely be notified, due to the, ah, nature of the contraband," explained Bill.
"Yes, this will all be dealt with quickly. Now… the island," said Sirius, "We visited all corners of it, and no one's taken up residence. There is a beach house that we can expand-"
"I have a couple of tents as well," said Travis.
"The weather's wonderful there, so no need to hurry as far as accommodations go," said Remus, "The beds we have here could be transported there." Travis nodded in agreement.
"Great," said Harry, "Look. I only need a few people to come with me to the Room of Requirement and search for the diadem… everyone else, help get ready to move."

It was perfect timing, for as they finished making plans, the floo fired, and Minerva stepped out of the flames, with Severus immediately following. Severus gave everyone a curt nod, and headed up the stairs-Draco was still recovering, and hadn't been awakened yet due to his injuries.
"We're just about ready, professor," said Harry.
"Indeed," said Minerva, "Who will be joining us?"
"Sirius, John, Travis, Bill, Neville, and Ron. Hermione's staying here to help plan the move to the island," said Harry. Minerva only nodded. "We'll be floo'ing my office, then."

"As was the rule yesterday, do be careful, ALL of you," Minerva warned, as they again stepped into the Room of Requirement, or, as Hermione had called it, 'the room of hidden things'. "Mr. Connor, I would suggest you stay close to Potter, given he is responsible for you."
"Yes ma'am." With that, they split up into pairs, save for Minerva and Sirius.

It was several hours before they had any real luck. In that time, Harry and John had stumbled across a mouldy set of robes infested with Doxies, a boggart hiding in a broken desk, and more spoiled potions than they could count.
"Harry… look at that." John pointed to an object resting in a partially open drawer of a broken desk. Harry nodded, and used his wand to pick up the item. "Looks like the crown thing or whatever."
"Yeah. Only Sirius can tell us, though. GUYS, I THINK WE GOT IT!"
"GREAT!" came Sirius' reply, "MEET AT THE DOOR, THEN!"

They had almost made it out, and would have, failing one factor. The 'Longbottom' factor. He had become much more confident in the past 2 years, but he was still occasionally accident prone. So, not quite paying attention, he bumped against a dangerously-balanced stack of books that towered well over his head.

It was a domino effect. That was the best way to describe it, as the tower of books collapsed into a much larger pile of haphazardly stacked desks, which came down with a resounding crash. Those scattered, and struck several more piles of disorganized junk, sending everything flying. The group, terrified, ran for the doors, occasionally being struck with flying objects in the process, half deaf from the noise. After all, there were a lot of potions in the room, many of which, containing substances that probably did not mingle well with others. Several explosions rang out, starting small fires in the process. That in turn, seemed to set off a large box of magical fireworks. That, of course, resulted in several more fires, and it was only with pure luck that everyone escaped the room in one piece.

They managed to just get out, and close the door, when an extra-large explosion rang out, which actually shook the floor.
"Well," said Travis, "At least there'll be more space in there."
"Uh huh. And we almost got toasted. Jesus." John looked at himself. His clothes were scorched in several places, and he knew he would be sporting bruises in more than a few places. Of course, no one else had fared any better. It looked like Harry had taken something between the eyes, as a large welt had formed there, as well as numerous cuts and scrapes about his face.
"Well," said Harry, "I don't think we'll be collecting any more artefacts."
"Mr. Longbottom!" Minerva hissed. Her lips were pursed so tightly together, they were virtually non-existent. She looked like she was ready to explode. "50 points from Gryffindor, for being so careless! You could have killed us all!"
"S-sorry, professor," Neville managed, shuffling his feet, staring at the ground.
"It… it was an accident, Minerva," said Sirius, "Besides, the room needed a cleaning as it was."
"Oh, never mind the sweet talk, Mr. Black!" Minerva was livid.
"Perhaps, you might like one of my lemon drops." The group turned to see Albus standing near the stairs, eyes twinkling madly. "I assume, you found something interesting before the conflagration?" Harry nodded, and produced the diadem, which he had placed in a small bag. Sirius also looked closely at it, and beamed. "Great work, Harry. That's what we were looking for."
"No, I didn't find it. John did."
"Well, then. Well done, Mr. Connor," said Albus, "Perhaps we should adjourn back to Mr. Fisher's cottage, and see about taking care of those bumps and scrapes." That drew another sour expression from Minerva.
"You realize, we're gonna be over a hundred points in the minus when school starts in September, right?" Ron pointed out, as the group hurriedly made their way back to the headmaster's office.
"Why's that all so important anyway?" questioned John.
"It's a matter of house pride, Mr. Connor," said Albus, "It's a tradition that goes back to when the school was founded."
"Slytherin's gonna be all over us," Ron groaned.
"I really don't care at this point," Harry declared, "We've got more important things to worry about than petty house rivalries."

Returning to the cottage, they were quickly checked over and the minor scrapes and bruises healed-after all, Molly was more than capable in that department. Immediately after, attention turned to the diadem.
"All right. How do we destroy these things?" Harry questioned, as the items were laid on the table. The adults, along with a few of the DA also looked on.
"Simple," said Remus, "We've built a bit of a rig. Since you're using a basilisk fang, it made sense to build something like this…" he gestured with his wand, and a small frame appeared, summoned from who-knows-where. It somewhat resembled a miniature trebuchet, save for the length of the arm. At the bottom was a clamp of some sort.
"Brilliant!" Sirius grinned, "Exactly what we need. We never went that far doing this in my world, but…"
"We can trigger it from a distance, rather than being up close and personal. I have a feeling these things won't take kindly to being attacked."
"And you would be right," said Sirius, "Albus suffered a grave injury in trying to destroy that one-" he gestured to the ring, "Ended up losing his left hand from a dark curse cast from it. Some sort of defensive magic set on it."
"Let's have a go, then." Harry produced the bag of basilisk fangs.
"Best to do it in the clearing, away from the house."
"Will… will you-know-who know if we destroy it?" questioned Ron. Sirius only shook his head. "No, we don't think so."
"Damn," said John, holding up the locket, "Remember the time you showed me how to feel magic, Travis?" Travis nodded. "This thing… holy shit. When I close my eyes, it's like I'm looking at a black hole."
"It would make sense," said Travis, "You're looking at one of the most evil things someone can do with magic. This shit… it still blows me away that he's gone that far."

Minutes later, a smaller group consisting of Harry, Travis, John, Sirius, and Albus were in the clearing they had cleared a few days earlier. The ring had been chosen, and was then secured in the clamp; a basilisk fang was placed in the 'hammer' mechanism. The group then moved off to a safe distance, after which, Remus gestured at the rig with his wand.

When the fang came in contact with the ring, it emitted a horrible scream, and an angry bolt of black energy, which destroyed the rig.