Warning: The saying "the path to hell is paved with good intentions," will apply to Dumbles in every possible way.

Special Chapter Warning: Butchering of the Old English language in order to make ancient spells seem more dramatic and over the top.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter; do not sue me.

Pairings: Still haven't decided.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

"Parseltongue"

Harry got up from his place on the floor. He knew what he had to do, but first, in order to not make Cedric suspicious, Harry had to make Cedric believe that he'd vented his frustrations and was ready to talk.

He ran a hand through his hair, mussing it up even more. He ran a hand over his clothes, trying to wrinkle them, making it look like he'd gone a few rounds with the dummies. Not that he needed to, considering how he must look after going through the maze and then confronting Voldemort. He pulled out his wand and cast a wide range bombarda in the direction of the dummies. He covered his face, as the blast also hit the vases and crystal balls, sending fragments flying everywhere.

He lowered his arm once he felt safe enough, but quickly stepped to the side, just in time to avoid a dummy's arm from smacking him in the head. He looked up at the ceiling where the arm had struck, his eyes widening as he saw the dent, it seemed the arm had hit the ceiling hard enough that it had become stuck in the ceiling for a few seconds before coming loose. He grimaced; he'd overpowered the spell. He must be more tired than he'd thought.

Harry blew out a breath, taking a final look around; the mess seemed believable. He pushed open the door to the other room, wide enough to slip through and give a small glimpse of the mess. He wanted Cedric to see just enough to not expect foul play.

Harry knew he was getting paranoid, but he couldn't help it, the thought of letting all of his secrets out didn't make him feel relief, rather it left him feeling vulnerable. He didn't meet Cedric's eyes as he made his way over to the armchair facing the older boy.

Harry looked at Cedric through his bangs, but didn't speak. He let the silence engulf him, steadying himself for what he was about to do. He looked down at his hands as they twisted in his lap, so that Cedric couldn't make out the guilt in his eyes. With another deep breath, he began, "I know you want to know what's going on," Harry began. Looking up, he saw the expression on Cedric's face and he quickly added, "and I will tell you, but first I need you to do something for me."

Harry waited for Cedric to nod before he continued, "I need you to swear an oath on your magic."

Harry absently noted Cedric's startled expression as the older boy was caught off guard. Harry didn't know why the boy was so surprised; Cedric didn't think that he would just reveal his secrets like that, did he?

"Why?" Cedric asked, his face neutral. Harry mentally frowned; he couldn't see anything but simple curiosity from Cedric.

"Like I said before, this information is dangerous, especially in the wrong hands. With the oath you won't be able to let anything important slip by accident and your mind will also be protected."

Cedric pursed his lips and then nodded. Harry was surprised at how quickly the older boy had agreed, he'd thought that he would have to convince him to go through with it. A piece of parchment and a quill appeared in front of Harry.

"What do you want me to say?" Cedric asked, gesturing to the parchment.

Harry bit his lip, he couldn't look too eager. Slowly, putting quill to parchment, he pretended to think about what he wanted the oath to say. Cedric couldn't know that Harry knew exactly what the oath should contain. A few more seconds pause and Harry began writing, pausing occasionally to keep up the act. Finally, he was finished and handed the piece of parchment over to Cedric, who took out his wand.

Cedric glanced over the words he was to say, and was surprised to find that there weren't any glaring loopholes. He steadied himself, if he wanted to have Harry's trust, he couldn't show any hesitation.

He took a deep breath and locked eyes with Harry, "I, Cedric Amos Diggory, do so swear on my magic that I will not reveal to anyone of what truly happened in the graveyard at Voldemort's rebirth and/or divulge in any way, any of Hadrian "Harry" James Potter's secrets that he has entrusted me with to anyone that does not know of them. I also swear to tell no one, human or other beings about the details of this oath unless given explicit permission to do so. So mote it be."

"So mote it be," Harry said as the magic reached out to him, asking if he accepted the oath.

Harry forced himself not to tense as Cedric leaned forward to drop the parchment on to the table between them, he held up his right hand just as Cedric was straightening up, "Stupefy," Harry murmured and winced as a jet of red light hit Cedric square in the face. Cedric slumped forward on to the table, his surprised expression quickly slipping away to one of sleep.

Harry sighed as he slumped back in his chair, exhausted. He sat still for a few moments, simply watching the unconscious boy. His plan had worked. Now, all he had to do was avoid Cedric until summer, and he'd be in the clear. His eyes drooped as all the events of the day caught up to him. All he wanted to do now was go to sleep in his own bed, but he had to do one last thing before he could go to the land of dreams.

Harry levitated Cedric from his place; with his right hand he took out his wand and set the piece of parchment on fire. His wandless abilities had come far from when he had first started practicing, however his control hadn't been the best since his magic had been fully released, and he feared that he would overload the destructive spell in his tired state if he didn't use his wand (not that that had helped him earlier).

Making sure the parchment had disintegrated completely and then scattering the ashes; Harry made his way out of the room with Cedric floating in front of him, the spell now transferred to his wand.

Harry absently listened to his footsteps echoing in the empty halls, his tired eyes not moving from the path in front of him. How long had they been gone since they left the Headmaster's office? He hoped they weren't missed. His eyes slowly looked down to Cedric's unconscious form.

He felt guilty about deceiving Cedric, but Cedric would get over it. He would see that it was for his own good. He frowned, wondering if he should stay in the Hospital Wing with Cedric, but shook his head, figuring it was safer to go back to his own bed in case Cedric woke up before him. He hoped most of the Gryffindors were asleep, but knowing them, they were all awake, too jittery to even get a wink. Hopefully, McGonagall had come by and forced them to bed by now.

Harry slowed his pace as the Hospital Wing came in to view, not that he was going very fast, tired as he was. He hoped Madam Pomfrey had already gone to bed, but he doubted it, not with two of her patients missing. He moved, so that Cedric was now floating behind him and with a careful hand, he eased open the door, cringing at the eerie whine the door gave off.

"There you are!"

Harry jumped as Madam Pomfrey suddenly appeared, nearly dropping Cedric in his surprise.

"Don't do that!" Harry hissed, "I almost dropped him!"

Madam Pomfrey glanced behind him to see Cedric; she gasped and hurriedly took over the spell, levitating Cedric to a nearby bed. Harry, seeing that she was busy, was about to make his escape, when a hand gripped his shoulder and dragged him to another bed beside Cedric.

"Don't you dare," Madam Pomfrey said, her tone making it clear she wasn't in the mood to humor him today.

Harry sighed and sat down on the bed, suddenly feeling ten times drowsier than he had before. It had been a long day and Harry just wanted to sleep, but now was not the time. Harry fought to stay awake as his eyes drooped. He had to get back to Gryffindor Tower. A warm hand landed on his forehead, pushing his hair back, he couldn't make out the words being said, but his eyes closed and he fell sideways on to the bed.

Madam Pomfrey shook her head in exasperation as Harry collapsed on his side in exhaustion. He was asleep before he even hit the pillow. She quickly moved her hand away from his head and rolled him over to a more comfortable position. She waved her wand in an intricate pattern and frowned as she studied the piece of parchment that appeared in front of her. There were signs of physical exhaustion, a few cuts that hadn't completely healed, and some bruises on his arms and stomach that were just now showing. She waved her wand and summoned a couple of potions and a salve to give to Harry when he awoke.

She turned to her other patient and noted that he was sleeping soundly. She waved her wand in the same pattern again and another piece of parchment appeared in front of her. She noted some bruises, mainly on his back and arms, then there were a couple of cuts all over his legs, which she had already healed, and lastly, there were remnants of a strong spell on him… Her eyes widened as she realized he'd been stunned…by Harry.

She looked to the bed Harry was sleeping in. She could tell it was Harry who had cast the spell because traces of his magic remained on Cedric's form, traces that would have faded by now if the levitation spell were the only spell cast. She sighed, wondering what had happened, but decided to simply let him sleep it off. The boy needed his sleep, and whatever had happened between Harry and Cedric to cause Harry to stun him; the two could deal with it in the morning.

She pursed her lips, perhaps it would be better if she separated the boys now so that they wouldn't disturb her other patients come morning. She waved her wand and moved Harry's bed to the other end of the Hospital Wing and setup partitions around his bed.

Finished, she returned to her chambers, but not before casting perimeter wards to alert her if any of her patients woke up or tried to sneak out. Safe to say, the wards were mostly around Harry's bed.

"Reveal the secret: Soul Mend," Salazar hissed. The instructions for the horcrux potion disappeared from the scroll in his hands and, instead, new writing appeared, listing a different potion. He had especially enchanted this parchment to hold everything about horcruxes; all you needed were the right words.

Salazar frowned as he finished his search for the ingredients. He glanced again at the list in his hands and then inside the ingredients cupboard again; he couldn't find seven things on the list. He sighed, frustrated. He would have to wait, considering his current form there was no way he could get the rest of the ingredients without the help of some of the other Founders or the little Gryffindor.

He couldn't use Hadrian considering the nature of the potion, and the boy hadn't told Snape about him yet, so that was also out, plus he knew the potions master's loyalty lay with Hadrian and not the dark. No matter how much the man's magic rebelled against the light. Although, he hadn't managed to figure out why exactly the man had switched sides.

From the information he had gathered from the boy's years at Hogwarts, the man turned spy for the light, but the reason why never really came up, although he knew it had something to do with Hadrian, but it was something more than the life debt Snape owed to Hadrian's father. It was more likely something to do with the boy's mother. Dumbledore and Snape never mentioned Hadrian's mother, she was oddly absent from most conversations, compared to Hadrian's father, who was brought up fairly regularly by Snape, who despised him.

Dumbledore and Snape were the only two who knew why Snape had switched loyalties, but whenever conversation seemed to be going near the topic of Snape's change in heart, the conversation would head in another direction or Dumbledore would simply allude to it in a vague way that only those in-the-know would know what he was talking about.

It didn't help that there were a total of three conversations that the topic even came up in. It frustrated Salazar to no end.

He shook his head, bringing his thoughts back on track. The soul-mending potion had to have the exact ingredients listed; he couldn't use substitutes to get the same effect. His stupid heir had messed with soul magic trying to achieve immortality, and soul magic, even with the proper preparation, was tricky and unstable. Using substitutes was just inviting trouble.

He had to start leaving clues for the little Gryffindor so that he could find another Founder. He couldn't tell the boy outright, but he could start by pointing him in the right direction. Although, he had to make sure that the next Founder freed from their chamber would be either Helga or Rowena, Godric would mess up his plans. Good thing he had located Rowena's diadem first and relocated it, or Hadrian would have found the Room of Requirement. That room could not be found, not yet.

Thank Mother Magic the boy was one of Godric's! While he was by no means stupid, he was oblivious to the more subtle manipulations going on around him. While that little stunt with involving Snape would build up a trust between the potions master and the little Gryffindor, it would leave him free to work on his owns plans; and, while he may not like the idea of Godric not being free, he had to make sure his own heir was on the path to recovery before giving the young Gryffindor a confirmed ally.

Godric was sure to unravel all of Salazar's plans. Salazar didn't want his last descendant killed, no matter what he had done. The Slytherin line would not die out! Thankfully, the first part of his plan was already in motion, given that Hadrian had returned the first horcrux to Voldemort. In a few moments, the potion he had applied to the pages would take effect, and in a few weeks, the first part of his plan would be complete.

Salazar paused as he was about to leave his lab, speaking of the little Gryffindor, where was he? He knew the tournament was long over; the boy should have sought him out by now. He'd felt the portkey re-enter the wards, so he knew Hadrian was back on school grounds. Perhaps he was waiting in the Chamber? No, no, Gryffindor would want to celebrate their win, so perhaps he'd see the boy tomorrow.

"Reveal the secret: Soul Find,"Salazar hissed, looking at the parchment. He watched the words twist and rearrange themselves back in to the instructions for the horcrux locating potion. He slipped the parchment behind some ingredients on the highest shelf, making sure that Hadrian would not come across it by accident, and then disappeared through the ceiling.

Cedric groaned as his sluggish mind made its way to the waking world. He slowly became aware of something bright and warm on his face. As his mind registered the familiar warmth as that of the sun, he became aware of another sensation, this time of pain. He raised his hand to his face, but he couldn't feel anything other than the skin on his face. No bandages, no blood, but as his hand passed over his nose, the stinging sensation buzzed under his skin. He pressed down and held in a wince as the pinpricks of pain resurfaced. Was he hit by a stinging hex? It sure felt like it, a strong one at that. He tried to recall what had happened previously. The third task, no, he'd won that… with Harry…

Harry… what about Harry?

Harry!

Cedric sat up suddenly. His eyes flying open as he recalled his last memory of Harry saying the stunning spell. Cedric clutched his head and groaned as his vision spun before his eyes; he slowly fell back on to the bed.

"Bloody hell!" Cedric cursed, Harry had tricked him.

"There's no need for that kind of language."

Cedric opened his eyes and turned towards the voice of Madam Pomfrey, who was coming to stand beside him.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, as she placed a hand on his chest to keep him flat, but Cedric ignored her and sat up again, slower this time, "I'm fine. Where's Harry?"

Madam Pomfrey raised an eyebrow and her eyes narrowed, "He is still sleeping and you will not wake him up. Am I understood?"

Cedric's eyes widened as the temperature around the matron dropped and he quickly nodded. Madam Pomfrey may not be the most powerful or the most intimidating faculty member most of the time, but when it came to looking after her patients, the woman was like the Cerberus guarding the gates of the Underworld.

Madam Pomfrey, seeing his compliance, started waving her wand around him, he watched as a piece of parchment appeared in front of her. She looked up after scanning it, "Your wounds seemed to have healed nicely, and there's no permanent damage. You'll be sore for a couple of days, there seems to be some lingering pain from the stunner you took, but that will clear up on its own. You should still rest for a bit, but other than that, you are free to go," Madam Pomfrey concluded as she banished the parchment to her office.

Cedric grimaced, barely stopping himself from rubbing his nose, "I didn't know stunners could hurt so much."

"Usually, they wouldn't, but you and Mister Potter both came in very late, and with the condition you two were in, what with having to compete in the third task yesterday, neither of you should have even been doing magic in your exhausted state. It seems that Mister Potter overloaded the spell in his exhaustion, and that is why you are still feeling pain," Madam Pomfrey explained.

Her gaze turned to a bed further down that was blocked of from the rest of the room, "He didn't even put up a fight when it came to staying overnight yesterday, he fell asleep almost as soon as he sat on the bed," Madam Pomfrey then turned back to him, "Actually, I'm rather surprised you're up so early, all things considered."

Cedric blinked, finally deigning to look out the window. He was surprised to see how early it still was, he looked back at Madam Pomfrey, "Can I stay here for a bit? I want to talk to Harry when he wakes up."

Madam Pomfrey shook her head in exasperation but said, "Fine, but do not wake him up. His body is exhausted. Let him come to on his own."

Cedric nodded, "I'll just stay here," inwardly he added, 'Closer to the only exit.'

Madam Pomfrey nodded and moved to Fleur, who had just woken up.

Cedric lay back down on the bed to wait until Harry awoke. There was no way he was going to let Harry slip away. This time, he would be ready.

Harry's nose caught the familiar smell of the Hospital Wing even before he was fully conscious. As the smell registered in his brain, he held in a groan, as he had no doubt as to where he currently was. A few seconds more of becoming fully conscious and he remembered falling asleep just as Madam Pomfrey was checking him over on one of the hospital beds. Shit. He was sure Cedric was out there. Waiting for him.

Maybe he wouldn't be awake? Harry inwardly snorted, yeah right. Not if his luck had anything to say about it.

He opened his eyes just enough to look through his lashes. He blinked as he was faced with a wall of pale blue and realized he was blocked off from the rest of the room by the three-fold partition that Madam Pomfrey must've put up. Harry relaxed, his eyes opening up all the way, 'Thank you Madam Pomfrey!'

Harry sat up, wincing at the creaking noise the bed made as he moved. He looked down and realized he had been changed in to the hospital pajamas that Madam Pomfrey kept on hand. He looked around and noticed his wand and holster were relocated to the small table beside the bed along with his clothes from the night before. He leaned over and grabbed his holster; reattaching the holster to his arm, he slipped off the bed and in to his boots that were placed to the side on the floor.

"Harry?"

Harry whirled around; he could see a tall shadow on the other side of the bed from where he was standing. That was definitely Cedric's voice.

"Harry, you awake?"

Harry quickly grabbed his clothes and ducked under the bed, pulling the blanket down to make a shadow under the bed. Just before he pulled the blanket to the ground, half still on the bed, he saw the partition move. He quickly ducked under the bed, concentrating to pull up his magic. He wrapped the shadows around himself and disappeared, his last thought before he was swallowed by the shadows was that Madam Pomfrey was going to be pissed.

Cedric heard a bed squeak further down from his own and glanced up. Was that Harry? There was no one else in the Hospital Wing besides the champions and Madam Pomfrey had gone back to her office. He could see Viktor and Fleur still sleeping – the latter having gone back to sleep after Madam Pomfrey checked her over once more – and he knew Harry was lying behind the partition that Madam Pomfrey had set up, mostly as a barrier between himself and Harry, well, that and to make sure that Harry couldn't escape without moving the partition, which would set off an alarm in Madam Pomfrey's office.

Cedric thought that this was a bit excessive, considering there was also an alarm on the only entrance and exit to the Hospital Wing, but he didn't say anything for fear of Madam Pomfrey kicking him out.

Cedric silently got up from his own bed and crept up to the partition. He didn't want to give Harry the chance to run. Once he was close enough to touch the barrier, he called out, "Harry?"

He waited but he didn't hear anything, had he imagined it?

"Harry, you awake?" Cedric called again, this time he heard shuffling and he reached out to move the partition, not caring if he alerted Madam Pomfrey. He blinked as he saw the empty bed with the blanket hanging half off, covering the space under the bed.

He frowned, "Harry?" He removed the blanket and blinked as he saw the empty space. He looked around, where had Harry gone? How had he gone? He was sure he hadn't missed him. Pulling out his wand, he quickly cast, "Homenum Revelio."

"Mister Diggory! What did I tell you about waking Mister Potter?" Madam Pomfrey came up behind him, hands on her hips.

"I-but-" Cedric stuttered as the results came back from his scan.

"No buts! I will have you wait outside if you cannot control yourself," Madam Pomfrey said.

"But, Madam Pomfrey, Harry isn't here!" Cedric said quickly.

Madam Pomfrey raised an eyebrow at this; when Cedric gestured for her to take a look, she stepped around him to look behind the partition. She frowned at the empty bed, noticing that Harry's wand and clothes were all gone. She rolled her eyes, "That boy! I swear, next time he's in here, I'll tie him down to the bed!"

She turned to face Diggory, "Mister Diggory, did you notice anyone sneaking out?"

Cedric shook his head, still bewildered by the results, "No, I was closest to the door, no one came in, no one went out, it's like he just vanished, but you can't apparate inside Hogwarts."

Madam Pomfrey hummed thoughtfully, "He probably woke up before you did and somehow managed to slip out."

Cedric frowned, "But I heard the bed creak and when I called out to him, I heard shuffling."

Just then, a groan sounded from the bed opposite Cedric's, Krum was waking up.

Madam Pomfrey sighed, "Well, there's nothing to do now. I'll have to catch him later. You should go back to your dorm, I'm sure your friends would like to make sure that you are all right," Madam Pomfrey turned, heading back towards the front of the Hospital Wing, "Mister Krum, how do you feel?"

Cedric grumbled under his breath as he turned and made his way out of the Hospital Wing. How had Harry gotten past him? He was sure that Harry had been there when he'd called out to him. Sure, there had been no answer, but he hadn't expected one from him. Since he'd woken up, not one person had come or gone. He hadn't let down his guard, he was sure the door hadn't opened at all. So how had Harry slipped past him?

Harry reappeared a moment later inside the sixth floor boys bathroom inside one of the cubicles. He had decided it was better if he didn't appear in the Gryffindor dorms, he wasn't sure who would see him.

Thankfully, the cubicle was deserted; he quickly stripped off his hospital garments and donned his clothes from last night, grimacing at the stains and blood that caked the pants and jacket, making parts of the cloth stiff. He decided to forego wearing the jacket, opting to carry it instead. Thankfully, his jacket had taken the brunt of the damage, leaving his tank top relatively unharmed.

He'd have to get Dobby to wash his clothes, preferably sooner rather than later. He bundled up his pajamas, tucking them inside his jacket, as he stepped out of the cubicle. He didn't bother glancing at the mirror, he knew he probably looked like hell; instead he made his way out of the bathroom and up the staircases towards Gryffindor Tower. He couldn't wait to take a shower and change in to fresh clothes. He'd rather have kept the hospital pajamas on, but he knew that if a teacher spotted them on him, he'd be taken right back to the Hospital Wing.

There was no way he was going to let Harry get away from him. Cedric turned in the opposite direction from the Hufflepuff dormitory and made his way up the grand staircase towards Gryffindor Tower. As a prefect, he knew the location of all the dorms in case of emergencies, and while he may not have the password to get inside, that didn't mean he couldn't wait for Harry outside.

Harry would have to come out eventually and Cedric was willing to wait, no matter how long it took.

Harry sped up as the entrance to Gryffindor Tower came in sight. He hoped it was still early enough that no one would be awake.

"Oh dear, look at you!" The Fat Lady exclaimed as he stopped in front of her portrait, "You look like something the cat dragged in."

"Is anyone awake?" Harry asked, choosing to ignore the comment on his appearance.

The Fat Lady shook her head, "Everyone is still in their dorms… they were up rather late last night. Best get up there."

"Thanks. Brutum Fulmen," Harry said.

The Fat Lady swung open and Harry walked through the portrait hole, not bothering to glance back as the portrait swung shut behind him. He looked around the deserted common room and noted that there were no signs of a party having taken place last night, so they must have been up discussing what had happened in the Great Hall.

He made his way up to the fourth year dorms and quietly opened the door, only his head going inside as he surveyed the room. Harry breathed a sigh of relief as he noted most of the curtains being drawn and the sound of Ron's snoring filled the room, his and Harry's beds were the only ones with open curtains.

He quietly made his way over to his trunk, intent on getting a shower in before the others woke up. He glanced at Ron's bed as the other gave a particularly loud snort and rolled over, exposing his neck. Harry froze as his gaze fell on the black mark poking out from underneath red hair. He'd seen a similar mark in Divination, except it had been located near Ron's ear.

Harry quickly walked over to the redhead's bed, a glance down at his eyes showed that Ron was still asleep. He hesitated, his hand hovering over Ron's neck. Should he? Harry bit his lip; it wouldn't be good if Ron woke up to Harry having his hands in the redhead's hair.

"Tempus," Harry muttered the spell and glowing numbers appeared over Ron's head.

7:23, Harry was surprised it was still so early, no wonder everyone was still asleep. He wondered why he'd woken up so early. Usually, he would be right here still sleeping late.

Harry shook his head, he could think on that later; he waved his hand through the numbers, making them disappear. His hand moved as he shifted Ron's hair, his eyes widening as he saw what appeared to be tattoos on the scalp of his friend's head. He moved his hand through the red hair, his other hand coming up to part the remaining hair. The tattoos seemed to be in a line from behind his ear, written just inside the hairline, down towards the neck carefully hidden so that it wouldn't be seen. Wait a minute… Those weren't… It couldn't be!

Ron shifted and Harry jumped away from the bed as if he were burned. He collected his things quickly and made a beeline for the bathroom, only just managing not to slam the door. He panted, his back leaning against the door. Those were runes… He was sure of that. Harry bit his lip. Was this why Ron had been acting so jealous all year? There were runes tattooed on the back of Ron's head! He had to help him!

His words from the Yule Ball echoed in his head.

~Flashback~

"You know, I was going to take him back after some time, even if he did betray me…"

~Flashback End~

It wasn't easy to let go of Ron, no matter what he'd said or how he'd acted in the Great Hall during their fight. They had been friends since they first boarded the train. Ron was his first friend, his best friend. Ron was the one who'd followed him to save Hermione from the troll, who'd sacrificed himself in that game of chess their first year.

Ron was the one who'd gone in to the Forbidden Forest with him to "follow the spiders", despite his immense fear of them. Ron had come down with him to the Chamber in second year, knowing that there was a basilisk down there, and Ron was the one who'd stood between Sirius and Harry in third year when they all thought Sirius was out to kill him.

There was Hermione, too. He knew she missed Ron. He knew she'd gotten over her crush on him, but that didn't mean she didn't miss him as a friend. He hadn't missed the longing glances his friend had given to Ron when she thought neither of them was looking. Whatever had happened between Harry, Ron, and Hermione; they had still been best friends since first year.

~Flashback~

"Harry," Hermione called him just as he was going up to the dorms.

He cocked his head, silently asking what she wanted. It was the night of the second task and the party was still going strong, but he wanted to get as much sleep as he could as he was still using the time turner to live out his days twice.

She waved him down from where he was standing and they both made their way out of the common room. She led him down the corridor from the Fat Lady's portrait. She waved her wand to put up a silencing charm then sat down, gesturing for him to take a seat beside her.

"Harry, I-" She stopped, looking away.

Harry knew what this was going to be about, he'd hoped to put off this discussion until later, but he supposed now was as good a time as any.

"It's about Ron, isn't it?" Harry asked.

"We've been through so much together," Hermione whispered.

"I know."

"Won't you ever forgive him?"

Harry sighed, "I forgave him months ago, Hermione, but he just won't stop. You think I don't miss him? He was my first friend. My best friend."

"I know," Hermione said, echoing his words.

"I don't know what to do," Harry admitted, "It's like his personality did a 180. Sure he was a little jealous before, but…"

"But he never went as far as this," Hermione finished, "Maybe… Maybe this was the straw that broke the camel's back."

Harry snorted, "He knows I don't like my fame, he knows that if I could, I'd give all my gold for a family, so where did all this other straw come from?"

"You know he has an inferiority complex from his brothers, no matter what he does, it wouldn't matter, it's all been done before," Hermione said, "And so he just…took it out on you."

"That's not an excuse, Hermione."

"I know."

There was silence for a few moments. Harry spoke first.

"So? What do I do?"

Hermione pursed her lips, "You could talk to him."

"And start with what? 'Hey, Ron, I've finally decided that you've been punished enough and I want you back as a friend, but see, you're still a prat, so first we may need to fix your attitude, but after that, we can be friends again!' Somehow, I don't think he'll take that very well," Harry said dryly.

Hermione snorted, "Well, think of something! As amazing as Luna is, I do want my friend back. You know, the one that came with you to save me from the troll?"

Harry gave a small laugh, "We've been in a lot of stupid situations together."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "'stupid'? More like life threatening. Even the teachers aren't surprised anymore that we somehow seem to know what's going on, they just roll their eyes and mutter 'of course it's you three' under their breaths! Mind you, it wasn't Snape that said this, it was McGonagall!"

Harry snickered, "All right, I'll see what I can do about Ron, but I think you might have more luck."

Hermione shook her head, "I doubt it; I'm just the person who chose you over him."

Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Hermione held up her hand, "I know, he was being a prat, but that's the way he'll see it. You'll have to take the first step."

Harry sighed and nodded, "All right, I'll see what I can do."

~Flashback End~

It wasn't like he hadn't tried to find a way to strike up a conversation with Ron; he just didn't know what to say. Every time he thought about approaching him, he couldn't find any words to say to him. What do you say to the friend that abandoned you in a fit of jealousy?

However, seeing those runes made Harry feel awful. How long had they been there? Hermione was right; he should've done something sooner. How long had Ron been under the control of those runes?

After all that Ron had done for Harry, was Ron not allowed a second chance? Was Ron's jealousy enough cause to break a friendship that had lasted numerous life and death situations over the years? A small voice in the back of Harry's head said, 'But what if he turns out like Pettigrew? After all, didn't your parents trust him? Look where that got them. Those runes could be something entirely different than what you're thinking of.'

'But if I fear that my friends will always betray me, then why have them in the first place?' Harry argued, 'that's no way to live! Not trusting anyone, always lying to the people you are closest to, all in the fear that they might betray me. Ron rescued me from the Dursleys! He knows what they're like, and yet he doesn't pity me. Don't I owe him this much?'

'No, he's just jealous of your fame!'

'And I'm jealous that he has a family that loves him!'

The voice finally quieted. Harry looked down at the same hands that were just moments ago buried in Ron's hair. He shook his head; no, one fit of jealousy over three years of loyalty was not enough to break a friendship, especially now knowing that there was something potentially wrong with Ron.

All these days with the time turner, learning and preparing himself so that he could better protect himself from Dumbledore and Voldemort, he'd forgotten one very important thing. In all of those past life threatening situations, Ron and Hermione had been with him. They had been right there with him, getting past the troll, going to save the philosopher's stone, saving Ginny, saving Sirius. They needed protecting just as much as he did, because they'd always been there with him. They were just as much a target as he was.

Harry made up his mind; he wasn't going to let Ron go so easily. It was his turn to apologize, friends don't give up on each other, and it seemed Ron wasn't the only horrible friend there was. Harry seemed to be right there with him, but he needed help. Those rune sequences he saw were way above NEWT level, unlike the ones he'd used for the second task.

Harry sighed, he'd have to tell Hermione later on, but for now, he'd better get in to the showers.

Voldemort sat in a high-backed chair, his diary lying open on the desk before him. He was back in his filthy muggle father's home, holed up in the upstairs study that he had spent so much of his time in when he had been… indisposed. Now he was back, mere hours later, but with a body of his own and a disturbing discovery. A long thin finger caressed the first page of his very first horcrux, letting some of his magic penetrate the pages of the book.

This was his first step towards immortality. He had come a long way from that small muggleborn from an orphanage, stepped on, mocked, and bullied by the other Purebloods, but now… the Purebloods bowed to him, they suffered under him. A cruel smile appeared on the lipless mouth. He was their Lord. He was their Master.

His smile turned to a frown, until that accursed boy! Prophesized to kill him! The greatest dark lord in history! How could it be, a mere child, how dare he have the gall to threaten his horcruxes! That damn brat!

Rage consumed him as he drew his wand and fired off a blasting curse at the door. The door was blasted outwards, showering the person standing at the other end in fragments of wood and metal.

A grin seemed to form on his snake-like face as he watched the man cower before him.

"Crabbe," Voldemort hissed in pleasure, his eyes still burning in rage. The door had not been responsive enough to satisfy him.

Before Crabbe could so much as take a step back, his body was pulled in to the room. The curse was cast before the Death Eater could get a word out.

Voldemort loomed over the sniveling man, taking pleasure in his screams as he held his wand in one hand, his other hand not leaving the pages of his horcrux. He didn't seem to notice as he reveled in the moans coming from his servant. The clarity that had penetrated his mind once he took hold of his horcrux was now nowhere to be found.

Violet eyes slowly opened as he felt a rush of magic stir the inky blackness that kept him captive. The magic was just barely familiar to him, twisted as it had become throughout the years. If he were to believe Slytherin's words, then the form on the outside had made too many horcruxes and with the loss of his soul, lost his sanity as well.

Pink lips pulled down in a frown. Perhaps there was some merit in what Slytherin had told him. This magic was indeed twisted and, a look of disgust passed over his face, weak. Where was the dark power that he possessed? Where was the finely tuned control? This magic… This magic was not his. This magic was harsh, filled with rage and a sense of loss. This magic was out of control.

When his ancestor had first written inside the Diary, telling him of what he was planning to do, he had been mistrustful. There was never anyone who offered to help for free. There was always a motive, always a price. However, this opportunity would not come again. He would be a fool to not take it, and he was anything but a fool.

He closed his eyes, concentrating to pull in the outside magic and mix it with his own. His brow furrowed in concentration as he brought his hand up, opening his eyes, he put his index and middle fingers together and begin drawing runes, moving the darkness around him and leaving fiery runes in its place, all the while chanting:

"Thou who hath tainteth thy soul,

You who have tainted my soul,

Thou who hath forgotten thy goal,

You who have forgotten my goal,

Shalt now be abolished from thy abode,

Shall now be abolished from my abode,

Replaceth with thyself,

Replaced with myself.

Thy beginneth thine Soul Cycle!"
I begin your Soul Cycle!

With the last rune in place, he placed his hand on the rune and pushed it through the darkness surrounding him. A fire seemed to form around him and a scream ripped its way out of his throat.

Salazar's eyebrows rose as Harry came stumbling in to the study, out of breath and looking like he ran all the way down from the seventh floor.

"Dare I ask?"

Harry grimaced, "You'll find out anyways. I still have to tell you about what happened last night and this," Harry said, waving a hand toward himself, "will make much more sense after I finish the story."

Salazar sat back in his chair, "By all means, then."

Harry slumped in to the chair on the opposite side of the desk after he caught his breath.

"I messed up."

"Oh?" Salazar didn't let his worry show on his face. What had happened? Was Hadrian hurt? It didn't seem like it. Was it the Diary, then? Salazar was expecting a lot of things, but what actually came out of the boy's mouth, Salazar would never have guessed.

"I took Cedric to the graveyard with me."

Salazar's thoughts came to a screeching halt, "The other Hogwarts champion?" he clarified, half convinced he had heard wrong.

Harry nodded, "I couldn't just leave him and I couldn't think of a good reason for him to stay behind at the time. We took the cup together," Harry winced, "Not the smartest decision I've made, he could've been killed."

"Then?" Salazar prodded when Harry didn't say anything more.

Harry shook his head, "Well, I kind of panicked…" He explained the ritual that brought Voldemort back, and what happened once Voldemort called his followers, "And you wouldn't believe how much he could talk! He just went on and on and on!"

Salazar was amused, to say the least, as he listened to Harry rant about how Voldemort wouldn't shut up.

"Although, because he talked for so long, I could complete the runic cage you taught me, so it was somewhat of a good thing," Harry conceded, "Anyways, so after that…"

Harry explained about how he escaped from the grave, the deal he made, "I did have to tell him that I poured a slow acting poison on the Diadem to get him to not kill me and just take the Diary from my body. Knowing that I had a…hostage," Harry made a face at that, "stayed his hand. So after I finally convinced him to listen, I made a deal: the diary for information. Of course, the bastard didn't believe me, so I had to swear an oath that I would give the Diary back to him, so I didn't manage to keep it. Although, I didn't think I'd be able to leave with it in the first place, so it wasn't a big deal…" Harry continued, detailing the rest of the conversation and then the subsequent escape, including the spellaimed at the horcrux just as they were leaving.

'Clever,' Salazar thought, 'He promised to give the diary back, but he never said it would be given back unharmed. It also served as a good distraction, he made sure that Voldemort would be busy protecting his soul piece rather than casting curses at the pair as they portkeyed away.'

"Then after we arrived, I had to convince Cedric to keep quiet until we could talk to Dumbledore, honestly, at that point I didn't have much of a plan other than 'don't let anyone know'."

Salazar listened as Harry described Crouch Jr.'s appearance, apparently the Polyjuice potion had worn off in the middle of the Minister's speech, calling Amelia Bones with the patronus, going to Dumbledore's office, and using the pensieve to show the stubborn Minister the truth.

"Then once we got out of the office, I was planning to just go to the Hospital Wing so that I could have more time to think about what to do with Cedric when he dragged me to another room…"

And then begin another explanation of how Harry destroyed things, came to terms with what he had to do, tricked Cedric, levitated him back to the Hospital Wing, fell asleep from exhaustion and then made his grand escape to Gryffindor Tower. For some reason, Harry didn't tell Salazar about the Room of Requirement. Logically, he knew that the Founder should know of the room and its location, but something in his gut told him that he should check the room out properly before letting anyone in on it. There was something familiar about it that he just couldn't put his finger on.

"And then, I discovered that Ron had runes tattooed on his head, did you know about that?" Harry asked, eyes narrowed.

Salazar raised a brow, unimpressed, "I did tell you something was wrong with him, did I not?"

"Yes, but if you knew there were runes-" Harry started angrily, only to be interrupted.

"I did not."

Harry paused, "What?"

"I did not know that he had runes on his scalp, he must have gotten them off Hogwarts grounds, perhaps during the summer," Salazar explained.

"But you just said-" Harry began confused, only to be interrupted again.

"I said that something was off about your friend Ronald because of how he was behaving. His personality seemed different from what Hogwarts showed me of your years together," Salazar explained patiently.

"But it wouldn't be a stretch to think that his jealousy got in the way. There's no way you could have gotten that from the one big fight we had in the beginning of term," Harry said, disbelief clear in his tone.

Salazar resisted the urge to roll his eyes, "You forget, I see everything that happens inside the walls of Hogwarts, that includes the small spats inside the common rooms and dorms. Also, I see them all in a matter of hours; of course I caught the difference. Having those thoughts and actually acting on them are two different things. True, he was jealous, still seems to be to some degree, but in the three years that you have been friends, why now did he act on those feelings? And do not forget, he has seen you at your worst and he still stands by you. If his loyalties had shifted, there must have been a very good reason, something other than simple jealousy."

"Oh."

Harry was stunned; he'd never thought about another reason for the break in their friendship, his friend's jealousy seemed enough of one. Hadn't he just been thinking about Ron's loyalty just hours ago, why hadn't it occurred to him even before that? He had always just assumed that Ron's jealousy towards his money and fame was ridiculously strong, but that hadn't been the case. If it were, their friendship wouldn't have lasted as long as it had.

Another thought came to Harry's mind, "Wait, are you telling me, you see everything that goes on inside Hogwarts? Inside each dorm and bathroom?"

'And broom closet?' was the unvoiced thought, but by Salazar's expression, he knew exactly where Harry was going with this.

Salazar raised a brow, he didn't know whether to be amused or offended at the insinuation, he decided to settle for amused, the little Gryffindor's expression was so very entertaining, 'It would be rather interesting to see where this goes,' Salazar thought, smirking internally.

"And if I did? What would you do about it?" Salazar leaned forward, a hand lazily propping up his chin. He started gathering his magic around him, shrouding his form. While this did not have a visual effect, as Harry could not see magic, his subconscious would pick up a difference in the air around them, making Salazar seem more intimidating. It was a little trick he'd actually picked up from Rowena.

Harry leaned away from the Founder; he'd expected Salazar to deny it, "Er… Uh, I…"

"Yes?"

Later, Harry would deny being intimidated, but right then, Salazar looked more threatening than he ever had before, and if asked, Harry would say he was completely justified in his hesitance, "It's…um, kinda – sort of… wrong? I-I mean, it's a little p-perverted…"

"Is it now?" Salazar asked, his voice low, almost menacing, he slowly released his magic to subtly surround the little Gryffindor, "I repeat, what are you going to do about it?"

Harry just barely stopped himself from gulping, had he imagined Salazar's eyes flashing? Had the temperature just dropped? Did that even happen outside of books and movies? Wait… it… had actually gotten colder. Harry's eyes widened as he realized Salazar was using his magic to make the temperature drop, "You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?" Harry scowled, quickly losing his nervousness at the thought of Salazar using magic to intimidate him.

Salazar chuckled, leaning back in his chair, "You are very amusing, little Gryffindor."

Harry huffed, "So, do you actually…?" Harry trailed off awkwardly.

Salazar smirked, "No. The memories that Hogwarts shows me all have to do with you, places you visited, what you did, your conversations, those sorts of things. Sometimes she will show me conversations that are about you, but you, yourself, are not privy to. Things like staff meetings where they discuss how the students are doing or rumors and gossip that is usually spread about. If there is something delicate or indecent that happens, it is…shall we say cut out? I do not see anything that is not meant for my eyes or others. So do not worry your pretty little morally-upstanding head about it."

Harry huffed, "So… before that was-"

"Merely for my enjoyment."

Salazar almost laughed as Harry scowled, although to him, it still looked like a pout. Then again, most scowls looked like a pout to him, he'd been on the receiving end of Helena's scowls a countless number of times before. She was rather protective of that hell rat, especially the times he had tried to use some of it's parts for potions ingredients. He didn't understand why she bothered it would regenerate eventually. Most demonic badgers did, after all.

"Although…" Salazar began, his tone taking on a teasing quality, "I seem to recall a certain poem," he pretended to think, "in your… second year, was it-"

"Yes, yes, can we get back to what we were discussing," Harry interrupted hurriedly.

Salazar was amused to see the flush on the boy's cheeks and his almost desperate attempt to avoid the topic. Salazar was tempted to push, but he figured they should finish their discussion, so let it go.

"And then? As I recall, you were breathing rather hard when you got here, nothing you've said would explain that," Salazar said, "And it is nearly half past nine now, what took you so long?"

Harry grimaced, "Well, actually, it seems Cedric didn't like my disappearing act."

Salazar raised an eyebrow, a smirk slowly forming on his face, "Don't tell me, he was waiting for you at the entrance to your common room?"

"I didn't even see him at first! He nearly managed to catch me, if it weren't for my seeker skills, I would still be dealing with an angry Hufflepuff right now," Harry admitted, "It took me a while to shake him, I didn't want to use too many secret passages in case he saw them and then used them in the future to ambush me again, so he nearly caught me a few times."

What Harry didn't say was that if he hadn't had practice dodging his Uncle, Cousin, and, occasionally, his Aunt, he wouldn't have outrun the Hufflepuff seeker. While Harry was faster, Cedric had longer legs, and thus, was able to keep up with him, but even then, Harry had the better stamina. Once Harry was out of sight, he was nearly impossible to find again, especially inside Hogwarts. Unfortunately for Harry, there were more students up and about the castle than there should have been that early in the morning and he'd had trouble getting out of sight.

"Well, now that your story is over, I have a few questions," Salazar said, becoming serious.

"Fire away," Harry said, he was not looking forward to hearing how he messed up.

"Let's start with: why did you not obliviate the Diggory boy when he took you to talk?" Salazar said, "If you had, you would've been able to avoid all your problems with him."

"Do I look like someone who knows how to obliviate a person?" Harry asked, "I've only seen it done once, and that was with Lockhart using a broken wand."

"Are you telling me, that you know how to remove memories from your mind but you don't know how to obliviate someone?"

Harry shrugged, "I saw Dumbledore do it once when I went to visit him, I remembered what he said about how a pensieve works and how you think about the memory you want to examine and take it out with your wand. It seemed simple enough so I just tried to do that and it worked."

Salazar shook his head in amazement, "You are impossible."

"Hey, if I messed up and accidentally erased all of Cedric's memories, who do you think would get blamed for that?" Harry asked rhetorically, "Then they would look into what would be so bad that it needed to be erased and then they would discover my lie. I didn't want to risk Cedric's mind if I somehow messed up, or if it failed, then Cedric would know what I tried to do and he'd never trust me again. The oath was the best thing in this situation."

Salazar didn't say anything, so Harry continued justifying his actions.

"Also, considering how tired I was when we had that talk, I would be sure to overload the spell, after all, the same thing happened with the bombarda and the stupefy I cast last night."

Salazar hummed, "So how long are you planning to avoid the boy?"

Harry shrugged, "It'll be more difficult to avoid him on the train than in the school, but I have my invisibility cloak, so that shouldn't be a problem, either. I can also hide out in my trunk if need be."

Salazar blinked… 'Did Hadrian think…'

"Hadrian," Salazar began, "What year is Diggory in?"

Harry blinked at the random question, "Er… seventh year, why?"

Salazar shook his head, "Hadrian, Diggory is in sixth year."

"B-but he's 17!"

Salazar raised a brow.

"Do you mean to tell me," Harry began, "that Cedric was chosen as the Hogwarts Champion out of all of the seventh years when he's a sixth year?"

Harry's eyes widened as he realized the implications of what he just said, "It doesn't matter if I avoid him until the end of this term, he'll be here next year," Harry breathed in horror.

Salazar looked at the boy incredulously, "How did you not know this?"

"Well, it's not like I ever interacted with Cedric much," Harry said, "I always just assumed that he was a seventh year, wouldn't it make more sense for a seventh year to be chosen instead of a sixth year?"

Salazar refrained from rolling his eyes, "And yet, you, a fourth year, are more competent than a fifth or even sixth year. You could even say you went head to head with my descendant and won multiple times."

Harry looked up, "Those times were just luck, and this last time I had the upper hand because of the horcrux. Also, Voldemort wasn't at his best, you said yourself that because of the horcruxes he went insane," Harry pointed out, "If he's this powerful now, I can't even imagine how much more powerful he'd be with his mind intact," Harry's eyes widened as the full implications of what he'd just done hit him, "and I just delivered Voldemort one of his horcruxes!"

Harry put his head in his hands.

"It was a calculated risk," Salazar began, deciding not to point out the fact that Hadrian had just given Voldemort, not just any horcrux, but his most powerful one, "You lost a horcrux, but you still have two more in your possession and now you also have information, the kind that you could not have found out without Voldemort telling you. Also, just because he has the diary back, does not mean that he will merge with it, so it does not matter much in the long run."

Harry sighed, "I suppose… I still don't like it, though."

Salazar nodded; after a few moments, he spoke again, "You did well, you know."

Harry looked at him in surprise.

"All things considered, you may have panicked a little, but I suppose everything went according to plan. You got the information you wanted and you've gained a rather troublesome tag along, but overall, you are safe and you have proved that Voldemort is back. Enjoy your victory while it lasts."

Harry smiled grimly. Why did he have the feeling that things were about to get much worse?

Harry cautiously opened the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy, just enough to peek out in to the corridor. He once again cursed himself for not thinking to bring his invisibility cloak and map. He'd been out of the portrait hole when Cedric had surprised him and it had been too late to go back inside.

Seeing the empty corridor, he was about to step out from behind the portrait, when he heard his name being called.

"Harry?"

He looked around only to see Hermione right in front of him; she'd just turned the corner and saw him as he was opening the portrait to step out.

"H-Hermione? What are you doing here?" Harry asked as he hurried to close the portrait behind him, but before he could, another voice rang out.

"Hadrian, I forgot to mention-" The voice stopped, apparently just noticing Hermione standing before him, "Well, hello there."

Hermione's eyes were wide as she took in the ghost coming out from behind Harry, who had apparently just come out from behind the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy. Which had to be impossible, as there were no secret passages behind that particular portrait.

"I-I can explain," Harry said quickly, but Hermione's eyes weren't on him, rather they were fixed on Salazar, who was now floating in plain view.

***Apparently coined by the Roman scholar Pliny the Elder, a brutum fulmen is a harmless or empty threat. It literally means "senseless thunderbolt".

Emerald: Hey guys! It's been a while, you know, if it takes me a year to write a single chapter, this story is never going to get finished. Well, at least the chapters are long *laughs nervously*.

Well, Ron's secret has finally been revealed! Technically speaking, I know that sometimes emotions are strong enough to break relationships, but Harry and Ron have been friends for 3+ years now, and Ron was there to break Harry out from the Dursleys when they imprisoned him in his room, so sure, he would've been mad a little that Harry got chosen and he didn't, but I don't think it would cause that big of a rift like it does in the books. Yes, I know they got back together after the first task, but it took more than a month for them to make up again.

I wonder if anyone took notice of the Room of Requirement before this chapter. There's a pretty big hint in one of the earlier chapters that it's important, and not just for where the Diadem was hidden.

Thank you everyone for sticking with me. I know I take a ridiculously long time to update, but I swear, I do have my reasons. I absolutely suck at managing my time properly. Thank you for the favs/alerts/reviews! I love you all!