Draco clutched onto Hermione's hand as they ran down the hall, adrenaline coursing through his veins as he heard yet another explosion from the courtyard". McGonagall and Kingsley had put up extra wards in case of this, they seemed to be working, but for how long? He looked to the girl running beside him. He wondered if this would be the last time it was just him and her.

The thought sickened him even more.

"Finally," Hermione breathed as they made it to the entrance to the Room of Requirement. She thought of a place to make Vitriol, and the door appeared. Rushing inside, Hermione whispered, "Crookshanks," and carefully took to potion from the chamber.

Draco stood by the door, his wand ready, keeping guard. "You added the Basilisk venom?" He questioned before handing her the ring.

"Two days ago, just as a modification for the potion suggested." She nodded, taking the ring before Draco made his way back to the door. "Draco...?"

"Yes?"

"What if it doesn't work? It's so early, it still has days I just-" The Gryffindor rambled out nervously, wringing her hands.

"Hermione, it'll work."

She paused, looking at the ring in her hand and the potion in front of her. It was quite possible that her life depended on a not fully cured potion. Hermione sighed, looking back to Draco, "Ready?"

"Of course, destroy the bloody thing before we're bloody destroyed." Draco hissed, regretting the harshness of his tone the moment it left his mouth.

Hermione gave him a final look before sighing, "I hope this works..." and with that, she dropped the ring into the mixture.

Silence. An unbearable moment. Hermione looked up at the boy who was already staring at her wide-eyed. "Maybe I was wrong..." He muttered, wishing more than anything he wasn't.

Hermione swallowed down the vile that threatened to come up when the realization kicked it. The potion simply wasn't ready. She wordlessly accioed the ring to her and set it on the floor in front of her. "What now?"

-*-

Harry ran down the corridor, Ron and Ginny right behind him. "We have to keep them out until they can destroy it." He reminded them.

"How will we know its destroyed?" Ginny questioned nervously, white-knuckle gripping her wand.

"We'll know." Ron shot her a look, his eyebrows up high on his forehead.

After rounding a corner to the front entrance, the trio finally saw what they were dealing with. Harry silently thanked the gods that there weren't too many. It was nothing compared to the war, there were only 50 or so on Bellatrix's side. But there were also fewer fighters at Hogwarts, which was a whole other story.

"Thank gods you're all safe," McGonagall joined them at the entryway. "They've been trying at our wards for a good fifteen minutes, they're strong but they won't hold forever." The Head Mistress sighed, turning to Harry. "Miss Granger and Mr.Malfoy?"

"Destroying the last one as we speak." Harry nodded.

"Good, at least then we'll have a fair fight." The older witch straightened her glasses, "We have twelve teachers, Kingsley, myself, you lot and a handful of seventh years who stayed, Neville is gathering them up in the Great Hall now." She explained to the trio.

"And now we just pray its enough." Ginny closed her eyes before taking Harry's hand.

-*-

"No, Draco. That's ridiculous!"

"Why? This room, it's whatever we want. Why don't we just hide, we could hide Hermione." Draco was breathless, giving up on the Horcrux entirely.

"Because Draco, this ends tonight. I'm not going to hide my entire life from this woman. We just need to think." Hermione snapped, looking at the ring.

Draco sighed deeply. He didn't want to lose her tonight. Not now not ever. He had just gotten her in his life, he wasn't ready to lose that. He always wanted to have her light brighten up his life. But most importantly, he wanted to keep her safe.

"Hermione we-"

"No! I am not giving up!" She exclaimed. The Gryffindor sighed before pointing her wand at the engagement ring on the floor, "a bloody diamond will not win!" And that's when she started with the spells. Fire, destructive spells, even the killing curse.

Draco watched, his heart aching as she fired spell after spell. Green, red, flames, blue, another red, more flames. The ring didn't budge. More flames. Flames. "Hermione," Draco called. More spells. "Hermione!"

"No!"

"Listen!" He finally yelled. The girl turned to him, her eyes filled with tears. "We need to use Fiendfyre."

"What?" Hermione furrowed her eyebrows, "Draco it's ridiculously dangerous! It almost killed us both once, do you really want another brush with that?" She exclaimed.

"Hermione, leave."

"What?"

"Go."

"No, I'm not going to let you kill yourself with that spell!" She exclaimed, "the backfire is too risky!" Hermione walked over to him, her eyes pleading with his.

"Leave, wait outside and if I don't come out, then make sure the ring is destroyed and go end this." Draco put his hands on her arms, his voice steady.

"No... Draco this is stupid, we don't even know it'll work." She begged.

"And you don't know if the kickback would even hurt me." He challenged. She hated his challenging reasoning.

"Let me stay in, I'll cast a shield and-"

"You know that won't work with Fiendfyre, it destroys anything it touches, magical or not." Draco leaned down and kissed her lips. "Go. I'll be out in a minute."

Hermione's eyes were brimmed with tears. "Statistically there is an 80% chance the kickback won't kill you."

"Exactly." He smiled.

"So why do I feel so horrible?" Tears fell from her eyes as she hugged him tightly.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Draco." She pulled back and kissed him, "after you cast it you'll have about 10-"

"10 seconds on the floor before I have to get out, I know." He nodded at her.

"Don't you dare die on me."

"Wouldn't dream of it." He flashed her a smile and opened the door for her.

Hermione gave him one last look before walking out. The next moments were torture. She heard the spell, and then a gust of fire. She felt the heat through the door. 1. Tears streamed down her cheeks. 2. Fire crackled. 3. A horrible sound, of screeching and cracking. 4. She knew the Horcrux had been destroyed. 5. She waited for the handle to turn. 6. She had never prayed harder for something in her life. 7. Come on, Draco. 8. Don't you leave me...

-*-

"So you know the plan, everyone?" Harry asked the two dozen people who stood before him. Everyone nodded, quite 'yes's were heard through the room. "Any questions?"

Silence.

"Good, now, go to your posts, and if the wards fail, we cannot let them to the Room of Requirements. They have to destroy that Horcrux." The boy who lived closed his eyes, preparing for yet another war.

Ginny walked to her post, alongside her brother and boyfriend. She sighed as she squeezed his hand in hers. The red-head looked out to the collection of Death Eaters and Dementors feeling fear pumping through her veins. It made her feel sick knowing that they were going to have to have yet, another war.

McGonagall looked at her from her own post, two doors down. "Ready for one more?" She asked, Ginny smiled, appreciating the old witch's spirit. And that's when she saw it. Everyone looked out from their post to Bellatrix. Who was on the ground, in front of her army, screaming in pain.

"That's it!" Harry yelled, "THEY DID IT!"