Snape and Lily's daughter

On fire

Harry and Grace were passing through the corridors of the castle, racing against time. The two of them were so focused on finding the diadem that they almost bumped into Ron and Hermione.

"Where the hell have you been?" Harry shouted.

"Chamber of Secrets," said Ron.

"Chamber — what?" said Harry.

"It was Ron, all Ron's idea!" said Hermione breathlessly. "Wasn't it absolutely brilliant? There we were, after you left, and I said to Ron, even if we find the other one, how are we going to get rid of it? We still hadn't got rid of the cup! And then he thought of it! The basilisk!"

"What the — ?" Grace was interrupted.

"Something to get rid of Horcruxes," Ron said.

Grace had only just stopped to notice that Ron was carrying something in his arms, huge basilisk teeth.

"But how did you get in there?" Grace asked.

"You need to speak Parseltongue!" Harry said.

"He did!" whispered Hermione. "Show them, Ron!"

Ron made a sound very similar to the sound Harry made when communicating with snakes.

"It's what you did to open the locket," he told Harry. "I had to have a few goes to get it right, but," he shrugged modestly, "we got there in the end."

"He was amazing." said Hermione. "Amazing!"

"So..." Harry was struggling to keep up.

"So we're another Horcrux down," said Ron, and from under his jacket he pulled the mangled remains of Hufflepuff's cup. "Hermione stabbed it. Thought she should. She hasn't had the pleasure yet."

"Genius!" Grace and Harry yelled.

"It was nothing," said Ron. "So what's new with you?"

Before they could respond, the four heard an explosion.

"We know what the diadem looks like, and we know where it is," Harry said., talking fast. "He hid it exactly where I hid my old Potions book, where everyone's been hiding stuff for centuries. He thought he was the only one to find it. Come on."

The four of them went to the Room of Requirement.

There were Ginny, Tonks and an old witch.

"Ah, Potter," the witch said, as if she knew him. "You can tell us what's going on."

"Is everyone okay?" said Ginny and Tonks together.

" 'S far as we know," said Harry. "Are there still people in the passage to the Hog's Head?"

"I was the last to come through," the old witch, who Grace didn't recognise, said. "I sealed it, I think it unwise to leave it open now Aberforth has left his pub. Have you seen my grandson?"

Of course, she was Neville's grandmother.

"He's fighting," said Grace.

"Naturally," said the old lady proudly. "Excuse me, I must go and assist him."

And then she left the room. Grace turned to Tonks.

"I thought you were supposed to be with Teddy at Andromeda's."

"I couldn't stand not knowing —" Tonks looked anguished. "She'll look after him — have you seen Remus?"

"He was planning to lead a group of fighters into the grounds —" Harry said.