Hermione, Ellie, and Ron paced the dark corridors quickly in search for Harry. Ron held the Marauders Map out for them to see, but his eyes scanned it helplessly.

"Bloody hell. We'll never find him on this," Ron commented, sighing disappointedly.

Hermione immediately pointed to the map where Harry's name was inked, his footsteps just outside the Room of Requirement.

"There he is, just there," Hermione announced confidently, her finger hovering over the parchment.

"Brilliant," Ron spoke.

"You're amazing, darling," Ellie complimented as one of her palms rested on the small of her girlfriend's back, placing a kiss on Hermione's temple.

"He just vanished. Just now. I saw it," Hermione frowned.

"I mean, what other room is hidden?" Ellie commented, realizing where Harry had gone.

"Maybe he's gone to the Room of Requirement," Ron suggested. "It doesn't show up on the map, does it? You said that last year."

"That's right. I-I did," Hermione stuttered, clearly shocked that Ron had remembered. She turned to Ellie, leaning her head to whisper in her ear. "How in Merlin's name does he remember that?"

"I'm surprised too," Ellie muttered before raising her tone to speak to Ron. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

"Let's go," Ron finalized as he began to jog in that direction.

"Brilliant," Hermione and Ellie spoke in unison.

Hand in hand, Ellie pulled Hermione with her, running to catch up with the red-head. They entered the hidden room, finding that it had been completely changed to showcase a variety of items, its towering piles reaching the ceiling.

They suddenly heard a voice: it was Draco's. Harry spoke to him, but Ellie couldn't make out what he was saying. Ellie pressed her fingers to her lips, turning to Ron and Hermione as a gesture to stay quiet. Slowly and carefully, the three of them inched around the corner. Without warning, Hermione turned the corner quickly and disarmed the blonde, his wand clattering to the floor.

"Hermione!" Ellie called out worriedly.

Ellie and Ron emerged from their hiding spot, immediately taking cover as a plethora of hexes flew from all directions.

"Avada Kedavra!" Goyle yelled, and Hermione ducked her head quickly, barely dodging the blast of green light.

"You bitch! That's my girlfriend!" Ellie snapped as she rose from her cover, immediately chasing after the Slytherins who had fled from the scene.

Ron followed Ellie, his wand drawn as he scrambled after the Hufflepuff.

"Draco!" Ellie called out, but the blonde only glanced backwards briefly. "Draco! Get back here!"

Goyle waved his wand at one of the objects, causing it to burn. The fire spread quickly, and soon enough, its flames had grown tremendously. Ellie stared in horror, frozen in place. Ron suddenly grabbed her, bringing her along as he began running.

"Run! Run!" Ron warned. "Goyle's setting the bloody place on fire!"

Ellie grasped Hermione's hand, pulling her along as they sprinted their way through the room. They heard the fire roar behind them, its heat nipping at their backs. They turned each corner swiftly, and Ron's screams seemed to overpower the fire.

A dragon made of fire roared in front of them, and the group quickly turned around to run in the other direction. They stopped in the middle, finding that each of their pathways were blocked by the consuming flames. Harry fired a spell, momentarily shielding them from the danger as Ron and Ellie fell to the ground. They hit their backs against a few brooms, and the two looked at each other with the same idea.

Ron threw a broomstick to Harry, and Ron took one for himself.

"You ride with me!" Ellie ordered, and Hermione quickly mounted broom behind her girlfriend, wrapping her arms around her waist.

In the matter of seconds, the four of them were in the air, speeding their way towards the exit. Just as they started to near the doors, Ellie slowed, turning her broom around as she looked at the remaining Slytherins, who gripped onto a piece of furniture fearfully.

"They're stuck! We've got to help them," Ellie cried out. "Harry! Ron! Go back for them, I don't have space on my broom!"

"Come on! This way!" Ron directed as he continued towards the exit, completely disregarding Ellie's words.

"Listen to me! You two need to go back!" Ellie roared as she gripped the broom tighter, causing the boys to turn to the Hufflepuff.

Harry glanced momentarily, and a feeling of guilt washed over him.

"Ellie's right!" Harry yelled over the crackling fire. "We can't leave them!"

"He's joking, right?" Ron turned to the girls, Ellie giving him a scowl.

Ron reluctantly turned his broom, the girls following closely behind.

"If we die for them, I'm gonna kill you. Both of you!" Ron announced, turning to Harry and Ellie.

Draco grasped Harry's hand, and the boy pulled him up swiftly. Ron took hold of Blaise, mounting the broom behind him. Ellie smiled to herself as she circled back around, leading the group on her broom. Hermione held on to Ellie tightly as they swerved around the falling items, drawing her wand to make an opening in the flames for the rest to pass through.

They finally made it out, crashing onto the ground just outside the room. Draco and Blaise were quick to leave the scene, scurrying away as Ellie watched them hopelessly. The diadem was on the floor, right by Harry. Ron, Ellie, and Hermione scrambled to their feet, with Hermione tossing the basilisk fang to Harry.

Harry hurriedly pierced the diadem, and a black smoke erupted, knocking Harry backwards. Ellie rushed over to cushion his fall while Ron kicked the Horcrux into the fire. Voldemort's face appeared within the blazes, approaching the quartet quickly. The doors to the room magically shut just before the fire reached them, trapping everything inside of it.

"Harry!" Ellie called out, brushing his sweat-dampened hair out of his eyes. "Harry, are you alright?"

He didn't answer, his eyes seeming to be lost as he panted heavily. Ellie placed a hand on his shoulder worriedly, crouching beside him.

"It's the snake," Harry finally spoke. "She's the last one. It's the last Horcrux."

Hermione gasped shakily, and Ellie quickly stood up to comfort her girlfriend, kissing her forehead lovingly. Ron took Ellie's place, now crouching by Harry.

"Look inside him, Harry. Find out where he is. If we find him, we can find the snake. Then we can end this," Ron urged.

Harry took a deep breath, shutting his eyes tightly. His body began to twitch, and he seemed to wince in pain as his chest rose and fell heavily. He finally opened his eyes, gritting his teeth in determination.

"I know where he is."

They began running down the school, dodging spells while firing them back. Hermione never let go of her girlfriend, their fingers laced together. The quartet ran down the courtyard and came face-to-face with a massive troll. Hermione froze in place momentarily, but Ellie pulled her along. They quickly hid behind a bell for protection, the creature striking it with its axe. Massive spiders appeared, and Ron gasped fearfully. Nonetheless, the group continued through the courtyard as Ellie fired spells with her free hand, knocking a few Death Eaters to the ground. Curses, hexes, and jinxes flew across their heads, coming from every direction.

They finally made their way past the courtyard, now running down one of the broken corridors. They halted to a stop as they saw a familiar body laying on the ground, Greyback hunched over her.

"No!" Hermione yelled as she fired a spell at him, knocking him backwards.

A crystal ball hit the werewolf on his head, its glass shattering as the quartet looked up. It was Professor Trelawney, reaching out the window as she threw another crystal ball with a tennis serve-like movement.

Right as they passed the body, Ellie whispered, "I'm so sorry, Lavender."

Finally, the quartet made their way to the end of the courtyard, facing the long bridge before them. Hundreds of corpses laid there, and Ellie flinched at the sight. A swarm of of Dementors were quickly approaching, its black drapes flowing behind them as they advanced quickly. Ellie had her wand at the ready, but she struggled to conjure a Patronus, considering the horrors she had experienced.

Suddenly, three silver animals soared over the quartet's heads, causing some of the Dementors to falter. The four of them turned around to find three students: Luna, Ernie, and Seamus, their wands outstretched as it bursted with a continuous light. Another animal emerged from beside them: a massive silver goat. It was Aberforth. His powerful Patronus combined with the students' successfully drove away the Dementors, and for a split second, they saw a glimmer of the former headmaster.

Aberforth nodded to Ellie, urging for her to continue. Together, the quartet made their way to the Shrieking Shack, crawling underneath the secret passage through the Whomping Willow. Harry quickly pulled his Invisibility Cloak over the four of them, hiding them from sight.

At the end of the tunnel, Snape and Voldemort's voices echoed in the room ahead of them, though their voices were muffled by a crate. Harry stepped forward, peeking through a tiny gap. Ellie and Hermione stepped back quietly, and the Hufflepuff merely held her girlfriend against her chest, letting Harry and Ron witness the scene.

With her ear pressed against Ellie's chest, Hermione felt every pounding beat. The Gryffindor drew back and frowned, flattening her palm to Ellie's heart, feeling the racing ticks. Ellie should have calmed down by then, but the heartbeats only amplified.

Hermione withdrew her wand quietly, pointing at the tunnel's walls as she magically traced the words: Are you okay?

Ellie shook her head solemnly, withdrawing her own wand. Just underneath Hermione's words, the Hufflepuff wrote: Just scared.

Hermione flicked her wand, diminishing the words on the wall. She cupped Ellie's face, stepping forward to close the distance between them. Hermione pressed her lips against Ellie's slowly before mouthing: I love you.

Ellie gave a small smile before pecking her girlfriend's lips, being careful not to make any sound as she mouthed, I love you too. The lovers turned away to face the conversation's direction, Harry's and Ron's backs covering the only gaps.

"There is no wand more powerful," Snape reasoned. "Ollivander himself has said it. Tonight, when the boy comes, it will not fail you. I am sure of it. It answers to you... and you only."

"Does it?" Voldemort whispered over the hissing that erupted from Nagini.

"My Lord?"

"The wand, does it truly answer to me?" Voldemort repeated, his voice circling about the shack. "You're a clever man, Severus. Surely you must know. Where does its true loyalty lie?"

"With you... of course, my Lord," Snape replied confidently.

"The Elder Wand... cannot serve me properly because I am not its true master. The Elder Wand belongs to the wizard who killed its last owner," Voldemort paused. "You killed Dumbledore, Severus. While you live, the Elder Wand cannot truly be mine. You've been a good and faithful servant, Severus... but only I can live forever."

"My Lord..."

A sickening gushing noise filled the room, and the quartet heard as Snape thudded against the wall, weakened from the hex.

"Nagini... kill," Voldemort ordered ruthlessly.

The group winced as they heard the serpent attack the dying man, hissing each time as the creature drew back.

As soon as Voldemort left, Harry rushed in, using his wand to lift the crate in front of him as he set it aside. Harry immediately crouched beside Snape while Ron, Ellie, and Hermione stood from afar, watching the event unfold.

"Take them," Snape cried out in a weak voice as tears escaped from his eyes, the blood gushing from his neck at an incredibly fast rate. "Take them. Please."

Hermione advanced towards the boy as Harry turned around quickly, extending his hand out.

"Give me something. Quickly. A flask, anything," Harry urged, his hand still planted on Snape's neck in attempt to stop the bleeding.

Hermione fumbled in her bag for an empty vial, handing it to Harry quickly. Hermione made her way back to Ellie, the Hufflepuff wrapping her arm around her waist. Harry uncorked it and held it to the man's face, bottling the tears that fell.

"Take them to the Pensieve," Snape croaked weakly. "Look at me... You have your mother's eyes."

Snape sighed, and then he was gone. His eyes shut gently as Ellie gasped slightly, feeling tears brim in her eyes, though they never dropped.

It was no surprise that Ellie hated death. She wasn't afraid of dying, yet witnessing death made Ellie's throat clench. The Hufflepuff brought her head down in respect, resting it on Hermione's shoulder.