Harry had bid Hermione and Ron goodnight after the Marauders left the Room of Requirement. Seeing James was one thing, but having James look at him like that, it was too much for Harry to take. He would have to face James in the morning, he knew, but the morning seemed so far away. He climbed into one of the beds lining the back wall while Ron and Hermione had moved to sit on one of the sofas. Harry noticed this was beginning to be a regular habit for the two of them. It was clear to any outside observer that they fancied each other, but neither was ready to admit it. He rolled on his other side so he wouldn't have to see them staring into each other's eyes. He wished Ginny were there more than ever before. He felt like their tight group was splitting into two smaller ones, with him being the loner. Ginny had been there for him and he could still remember the taste of her lips from the wedding. Strawberry and rain and fresh grass. Ginny understood all of Harry's frustration and knew how to make him feel better. From that moment he saved her in the Chamber of Secrets, they both knew what it felt like to be controlled by Voldemort. He drew strength from the fact she was safe back home. He wanted to believe that more than ever. She was in danger of death eaters, but at the same time, it hadn't happened yet. Harry knew in his heart she was still sheltered from the dangers of this war, but he still felt like it was his responsibility to protect her. Her, and every wizard opposed to Voldemort. This was a weight no person his age should ever have to bear. If Dumbledore never found a way to send them back, he knew what he had to do. Closing his eyes, he let sleep take him, hoping to be beckoned by the darkness in peace.

It was darkness that greeted him, but it did not stay long. Harry saw as he flew over the dark Hogwarts grounds in a tangle of black robes and smoke. Harry chuckled as he flew past the entrance, remembering the first time he'd come to Hogwarts. It wasn't at all how Dumbledore described to him that day at the orphanage, but what was one to expect when they're told about a school for wizards and witches. He spotted the tower he wanted and changed his course by whatever angle was necessary. The large windows were thrown open as he soared through. The fire was burning brightly as Harry stood in front of a desk cleared away of all personal belongings. A man stood by the roaring fire, making him look menacing if it not for the fact he immediately knelt to the ground. His long, greasy black hair spilled down the back of his robes as he lowered his head.

"My lord," his low baritone voice said with a cool confidence.

"Severus," Harry hissed. "It's been too long, my friend."

The man before Harry neither cringed nor smirked. His face remained unreadable, just how it was whenever Harry addressed him. "What brings the Dark Lord to Hogwarts?" Severus Snape asked.

"Harry Potter has started… hunting down valuable possessions of mine I would rather like to keep hidden. One of them is here, at Hogwarts…"

"And you need the headmaster's approval to wander the halls?"

"I need," Harry growled, "someone who will keep the students out of my way while I retrieve it."

"Very well, my lord." Snape rose from his position and lead the way out of his office. Harry followed close behind, but kept his wand out for any prying eyes.

The halls were mostly empty, save for the occasional straggler. Harry laughed as he took the lead and crucioed anyone he saw. Their screams echoed around the high ceiling as they writhed in pain. As they journeyed up the stairs to the seventh floor corridor, more screams joined the moans Harry and Snape left behind. Harry was too busy cackling with glee to see waves of panic flash across the headmaster's face when a new student was being tortured. Severus Snape had told no one of his cross over to the good side, and he tried to stifle back protests against such actions. But he played his part, and his punishment was standing there helpless as his students tasted the beginning of Voldemort's hatred.

Harry let his legs guide him as he crossed the corridor three times, each time, imagining the item he needed to retrieve. He remembered doing this exact thing when he returned to Hogwarts to hide it away. He hid all his horcruxes so he could live forever. That dream remained until Albus Dumbledore figured out what he created. He wanted Dumbledore killed before he could tell the boy, but when he heard of the attack on the Ministry by Potter, he knew he wasn't safe. He'd kept tabs on all his horcruxes, including the ring and the locket. He failed to protect those two, but the rest he was certain remained hidden. Until Dolores Umbridge found another locket, confirming Regulus had in fact switched his locket for a fake. That boy got what he deserved, but no without taking his horcrux. Potter had taken the real locket, and Yaxley had sent him back in time. Harry was fuming with fury at his Death Eater's mistakes, so he decided to fetch them himself. After Hogwarts, he would stop by Lucius's to retrieve the diary. As Harry walked, he felt the cup rub against his leg and felt reassured Bellatrix managed to keep it safe all these years.

The door pushed itself out from behind the stone wall, looking just as Harry had remembered it. He held out a pale, thin hand and pushed it open. The last time Harry had entered this particular room, only a few stacks could be seen in the small cupboard sized space it was. This time, the room looked as big as the Great Hall. Several huge chandeliers were strung on the high ceiling, glinting in the torchlight that cast shadows over maze-like walls. The walls, he saw, were huge piles of objects people had lost over the years. Cabinets and furniture were scattered at random, and he realized finding the right cabinet would be more difficult than he anticipated. He surged forward, quietly followed by Snape, who was gaping at the sheer size of the room.

"My lord, where have you taken us?" Snape whispered.

"Hush now, Severus. We haven't the time for explanations. I need your help finding my diadem. It is sitting on an old bust of a wizard atop a very old cabinet." With that, Harry went one way, leaving Snape to stagger the other way.

Once he was alone, Snape let the slightest of emotion escape his locked gaze. His eyes widened as he combed through the stacks, but no diadem fitting the description could be seen. Why a diadem, Snape thought. Snape knew nothing of the horcruxes Dumbledore and Harry had been hunting because Dumbledore had thought Severus was already deep in secrets between the Order and Voldemort. He had only mentioned them through vague titles, none of which Severus wanted to pursue. So instead, Snape trudged forward, his eyes scanning whatever surface he could identify.

Somewhere in the middle of two stacks, he saw something that caused him to stop. An old, frayed copy of Advanced Potion Making rested on a silver table. He stopped because he recognized that torn book as something he'd owned during school. Cautiously stepping forward, Snape reached out to touch the book. Nothing happened. Picking it up, he flipped to the page he knew it was written on.

This Book is the Property of the Half-Blood Prince

The words stared up at him like a joke, a joke that sent thorns to his heart. When he had this book, it was a different time. He was a different person. The terrible things he'd done to Lily… no, he couldn't even think about it without feel a tremendous amount of guilt wash over him. She was his sin, the thing he most regretted. It was this tie to this past that made him angry at himself and his master.

But, nonetheless, he pocketed it anyway. Even if it caused him pain, he still thought of it as a reminder of what he was fighting for. He continued on his search, but no more than ten minutes later, he spotted it. A small diadem was resting on an old bust, just how the Dark Lord described. The problem was, it was resting in the middle of a stack. Snape pulled out his wand to try to summon the object, but no such thing happened. His eyes scanned the stack, trying to find the best path up, but every path he found looked rickety and unstable. Pick one, he thought.

Reaching for a handhold, Snape slowly scaled the stack. He stopped three times when the stack started swaying, but the stack never fell. He pulled himself onto a table just below the cabinet. Resting for a moment, he looked down to see if he could spot the Dark Lord. The stacks obscured his view of anything more than a few feet until the next stack. Standing, he reached his hand to feel over the cabinet, where he knew the bust resided, but couldn't see it. His fingers brushed something smooth and chipped. He reached towards the top and grabbed the metallic texture he felt. With the diadem in his hands, he looked down again, but this time trying to find a way down. Seeing no such way, Snape leaped from the table and plummeted towards the ground. With his wand in his hand, he quickly levitated he and the diadem safely to the ground.

Snape then looked at the object he risked his safety for. It wasn't anything special about the jewels attached to the front, but Snape could feel a sort of energy emitting from the crown. It felt dark, but extremely powerful. Snape could feel his anger boil deep down, in places he hadn't felt in years. He felt his anger towards his muggle father burn, hatred towards Dumbledore for his deranged orders and favors, fury at James Potter for taking away his one true friend. And he felt hatred toward Lily Evans as well. How dare she leave him like that! How dare she choose Potter over him! How dare she go and let herself be killed for her pathetic son! And, Severus Snape thought, good riddance. I'm glad you died in that house, you mudblood.

The diadem clattered to the floor, whether it slipped or was dropped, Snape couldn't remember. The dark thoughts left his mind when he no longer felt the ice cold metal burning his skin. He staggered back from the diadem, as if his dark thoughts still sought to attack him.

Harry saw all of this from the shadows. And he smiled at the pain as it flashed across Severus's face. He walked out of the shadows and bent to pick of the diadem which still rested on the floor. When he touched the metal, his insides soared with joy and relief.

"Thank you, Severus," Harry said cooly.

"What… is that, my lord?" Severus gasped.

Harry looked and saw his red eyes reflected back at him through the polished gems. "Just a treasured item."

A/N: Hey there readers! Guess what! I finished an update ahead of schedule! Shocking, I know. I just got home from school and couldn't stop writing. Sorry if some of the facts are wrong, I haven't read the sixth book in a while. I wanted to do a chapter where Harry found out about a horcrux at school, so this was my solution to that. What do you think?