AN: Hey guys and welcome to the sixth chapter of "Wounds of the Heart."

I want to thank everyone who had Favorited, Followed, and Reviewed!

I want to severely apologize for the lack of update for such a long time. I know your frustration, as I am a reader myself, and I will not try to give excuses. I hope that you will understand that my lack of update came not because of "laziness" or something like that, but rather due to lack of time or possibility. However, the situation that prevented me from being able to properly work on my Fanfics had mostly passed, so you can expect future chapters to arrive sooner than this had arrived.

One thing I want to address is people's complaints about repetitiveness, mostly when it comes to Daphne and Tracey. Again, I do this for a reason, and one of those reasons is because I try to portray the situation from Harry's POV. What this means is that Harry will have a great struggle to accept the changes in the behaviour of Daphne and Tracey, their involvement with Malfoy, and their disregard of him amongst other things.

I also want to exclaim once again that this story is an AU that contains some amount of OOC. However, this story will feature events from canon material like HBP and DH but with slight alterations to said events.

Another thing that I want to point out yet again is that I have done extensive research before I wrote some of the things that appear in this story but that does not say that I did not use my creativity to add some AU elements of my own as it is, after all, a Fanfiction.

This chapter was meant to advance the plot quite a bit, and in doing so, I had used several small parts from the Books (Mainly HBP, and DH) to do so without turning the story completely AU and sticking true to the canon as much as possible.

One last thing, I had no beta for this chapter, so if you spot any glaring error in spelling and such, do PM me and I'll fix it. Thanks!

Now, without further ado, here is the chapter! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter!

"Talk"

"Text i.e letters"

'Thoughts'

"Spells"

(Timeskips/Flashbacks)

The next morning saw Harry heading to the Great Hall after being dismissed by Madam Pomfrey with a demand to try his best to not visit her again anytime soon.

Astoria's visit the previous night and her expression when he thanked her for bringing him to the Hospital Wing was something that refused to leave his mind. Something wasn't normal about the situation, and it irked Harry that he couldn't exactly pinpoint what.

There were quite a few things that Harry had been sure he had caught during his visit that may have shed some light on the whole ordeal, but the head trauma he sported made him cast a large amount of doubt about it.

He shook his head as he realized there was no point to try and come up with an answer to his questions all by himself when he could just ask his friends. However, each time he had made his mind to ask one of his friends and had started to make plans to approach them he begun to hesitate.

It was as if some part of him feared the truth that he may learn from his friends.

He knew that there was no point to brood on the subject, especially when he dared not do something to get his answers.

As the smell of food and the noise of chatter became more noticeable, Harry shook his head and realized that he had already arrived at the entrance of the Great Hall.

He looked ahead and spotted Ron and Hermione sitting by the rest of the Sixth Years and, Astoria, who was talking with the duo.

With a small grin in place, Harry had begun his march towards his friends. However, as he was but a few steps away from his destination, he caught something that caused him to still.

There, amongst the rest of Gryffindor's SeventhYears, timidly talking with her friends was none other than Katie Bell.

Seeing his friend suddenly back at school, caused Harry's grin to widen and his pace to quicken due to his eagerness to speak with her.

"Katie!" He called as he neared her, causing her to snap her eyes towards him and a smile to form on her face.

"Harry!" Katie returned before she got up from her place to give Harry a small hug.

As she broke the hug, Katie took a long look at Harry and frowned. "I know what you want to ask Harry, but I never saw who it was that placed the necklace there," She finished dejectedly.

"It's fine Katie, I am glad that you are back and well, we missed you quite a lot during Quidditch," Harry's cheerful words seemed to have the desired effect on Katie.

"Thank you, Harry. I do confess to having something to tell you that relates to our previous subject," She began, capturing Harry's curiosity. "Many of the details about the incident still elude me, but one detail I do remember is seeing some Slytherins – can't remember who exactly - at the inn who seemed quite nervous for some reason. I do not know if it relates to the Necklace as they were the same way when I just entered, but it's still something that I found noteworthy," At seeing the distress Katie felt upon remembering the incident, Harry put his hand on her shoulder in reassurance.

"Thank you, Katie. I'm sorry for causing you to remember painful things just for the sake of my curiosity. However, I'll try my best to find out who was behind this incident," With that, Harry turned around and headed towards his friends.

As he walked, he glanced at the Slytherin table, trying to see if someone caught his conversation with Katie and if so, to gauge their reaction. He wasn't disappointed as he caught none other than Malfoy staring intently at him with an unreadable yet calm gaze. However, the crumpled napkin that was clutched tightly in his hand gave Harry the impression that calm was not something that the blonde felt.

"Hey, Harry! We were beginning to worry," Hermione greeted him worriedly as he sat beside Astoria.

Astoria greeted him with a brilliant smile, a tight hug and a kiss on the cheek that caused Harry to turn scarlet.

Ron, who was devouring his food, just grunted and continued eating, much to the disgust of Hermione.

"Honestly Ronald! Could you try to at least eat like a civilized person?" Hermione scolded with a glare.

Harry shook his head. "The day you'll manage to get Ron to drop his eating habits will be a day of celebration by many people in the school,"

Ron glared at his friends as he swallowed the last lump of his food. "It's not my fault that the food is bloody brilliant!" He rebutted.

Astoria and Harry laughed, while Hermione rolled her eyes as she gave up on berating him for his language.

"Anyway Harry, we were going to advise you to speak to Katie now that she's back, but seeing as you already thought of and did it on your own, we see no need to," With Hermione's words, the playful mood was replaced by a more serious one.

"Did you learn something of value from Katie?" Astoria inquired.

Harry nodded. "I did. Katie does not remember much from the incident, but one thing she did was that upon entering the inn, she saw a group of Slytherin who seemed quite nervous for some reason. I am willing to bet that it was no coincidence,"

The rest widened their eyes at the information that Harry relayed.

Sure, their first suspects were members of the House of Snakes, but there is a vast difference between a bunch of teenagers trying to come up with a culprit with nothing but speculations and personal opinions and confirmation of any sort that can directly tie people to the event.

"Did she tell you who were the snakes that she saw?" Ron asked. Harry shook his head but otherwise remained silent.

However, it was not hard for them to notice that Harry seemed uneasy for some reason. As if he was struggling with something.

"Is everything alright Harry?" Astoria asked in concern, placing her hand on Harry's shoulder in reassurance.

Harry nodded and opened his mouth to speak the words that made him so troubled. "When I walked towards you, I glanced at the Slytherin table to see if someone noticed and reacted to my conversation with Katie and I saw that git Malfoy staring quite intently at me, "

Despite being left unsaid, the trio realized exactly what it was that caused Harry to hesitate. Ron and Hermione grimaced while Astoria shot them a sympathetic look. It seems that their callous dismissal of Harry's concerns about Snape and Malfoy still haunted him despite being forgiven by him.

"It's fine Harry, do not trouble yourself over it. It's good that you decided to share that with us as it does seem like Draco and his merry band of lackeys are behind the necklace incident and much more," Astoria soothed Harry.

"What do you plan on doing about it though? I will be the first to blame Malfoy and give him what he deserves, but we'll need more than that to convince other people," Ron interjected.

Harry flashed them a small smirk that caused them to shiver slightly. "I have quite a few ideas that'll help us, just leave it to me,"

A few hours later had found Harry heading towards the Headmaster's office.

It was at the end of another Transfiguration class with McGonagall that had seen Harry being told by his Head of House of his summon to Dumbledore's office after classes had ended.

It was no surprise to Harry that the halls he travelled through during his journey were devoid of any student as most students preferred to spend their evenings either in their common rooms or outside by the lake.

"Acid Pops," Harry intoned as he approached the Gargoyle, that upon hearing the correct password, has allowed the raven-haired passage.

Upon reaching the door to Dumbledore's office, Harry just about to knock when the Headmaster's voice caused him to stop.

"Do come in Harry," He heard him speak in his grandfatherly voice, befuddling him.

"Sir, how did you know that it was me who was behind the door?" Harry questioned.

"Ah, this is a question that I get asked quite a lot, and I always give them the same answer," The aged Headmaster answered with a twinkle in his eyes.

"What is it that you tell them, sir?"

"I tell them that it's one of the benefits of being Hogwarts' Headmaster. However, I must confess that in your case its more of you being the only one I was expecting as I did summon you here," At that, Harry blushed in embarrassment.

Dumbledore chuckled slightly. "Worry not Harry, as questions like the one you asked are the best way to learn stuff you may otherwise not find in any book,"

Harry opened his mouth, about to add more to their current discussion when the sombre expression that the Headmaster adorned stopped him.

"However, I am afraid that this is not the reason I have sent for you this evening. The reason I have called for you today was to continue with our lessons, although this one will be different from the rest," Dumbledore told him.

"Different how sir?" Harry asked in confusion.

Dumbledore sighed. "Today, we are not going to learn about the origins of Voldemort nor the way he achieved his immortality. No, today I am going to teach you a valuable lesson about the Wizarding World and its rich lore,"

Harry widened his eyes. Never had the Headmaster shown any desire in telling him about the world he was a part of since he became eleven years old. Even when he was the one who approached the Headmaster with questions that pertained various things in the Wizarding World, his answer was always the same "In good time" and nothing more.

"Sir?" Harry asked in surprise, his eyes widening.

"I know what you are probably thinking Harry, and I am afraid that the time I had spoken about had finally come," Dumbledore answered grimly.

"One of the many titles that accompany my name is being the defeater of Grindelwald and the spectacular battle that ensued between us," Dumbledore began. "However, there is plenty more to the story than people seem to know nowadays. There was such a time when I was nothing but young and foolish that I considered Gellert Grindelwald as my most treasured friend and eventually a person I grew to love dearly…" Harry couldn't contain the gasp that escaped him.

However, Dumbledore seemed to not notice the gasp, or he just ignored it as he continued his speech uninterrupted. "I looked at him and saw the possibility of freedom from the shackles that tied me down. You see Harry, I had no simple childhood like most would think." Dumbledore took a shuddering breath as he struggled to retell his darkest and most suppressed memories.

"One day, when my sister, Ariana, was six years old, she was attacked by three Muggle boys. They'd seen her doing magic; she couldn't control it. What they saw scared them, I suppose. They cornered her, and when she couldn't show them the trick, they got a bit carried away trying to stop her from doing it. What they did had destroyed her and she was never right again. She wouldn't use magic, but she couldn't get rid of it; it turned inward and drove her mad, it exploded out of her when she couldn't control it, and at times she was strange and dangerous. But mostly she was sweet and scared and harmless. My father, outraged and brimming with the drive for vengeance for the wrongs that had been done to his daughter had gone after the boys who did it and attacked them. The Ministry had locked him at Azkaban where he would eventually die, but he never told them why he did it. No matter how many times they asked because he knew the grim fate that'll await Ariana should they come to learn of her condition," Dumbledore sighed morosely.

"It was eight years later when Ariana was fourteen that she had one of her fits. My mother, who always took care of Ariana and was already along in years, had perished as a result. It was an accident of course, but it didn't change the fact that I was left the responsibility of a damaged sister and a wayward brother. I returned to my village - my plans for a trip with my good friend Elphias Doge in tatters - in anger and bitterness. Trapped and wasted, I thought! I was gifted, I was brilliant. I wanted to escape. I wanted to shine. I wanted glory! Of course, I still loved them; my parents, my brother and sister, but I was selfish. And then, of course, he came." Harry didn't need the headmaster to clarify for him to know who "He" meant.

"Grindelwald. You cannot imagine how his ideas caught me, inflamed me. Muggles forced into subservience. We wizards triumphant. Grindelwald and I, the glorious young leaders of the revolution. Oh, I had a few scruples. I assuaged my conscience with empty words. It would all be for the greater good, and any harm done would be repaid a hundredfold in benefits for wizards. Did I know, in my heart of hearts, what Gellert Grindelwald was? I think I did, but I closed my eyes. If the plans we were making came to fruition, all my dreams would come true. And at the heart of our schemes, the Mythical Deathly Hallows!" The Headmaster stopped to swallow thickly, looking older and more haunted than Harry had ever seen him.

"Sir?" Harry called out worriedly, hoping to snap the Headmaster from his memories and back into the present.

The Headmaster blinked. "I apologize Harry. Despite the common saying, some things cannot be healed with time, and the memories of my past are such things,"

Harry frowned. "Perhaps we should continue this another time?" He questioned to which the Headmaster had shaken his head.

"And then… One day, reality returned in the form of my rough, unlettered, and infinitely more admirable brother. I did not want to hear the truths he shouted at me. I did not want to hear that I could not set forth to seek the Hallows with a fragile and unstable sister in tow. The argument became a fight. Grindelwald lost control. That which I had always sensed in him, though I pretended not to, now sprang into terrible being. And Ariana, after all my mother's care and caution, lay dead upon the floor. Grindelwald fled, as anyone but I could have predicted. He vanished, with his plans for seizing power, and his schemes for Muggle torture, and his dreams of the Deathly Hallows, dreams in which I had encouraged him and helped him. He ran, while I was left to bury my sister, and learn to live with my guilt and my terrible grief, the price of my shame," The Headmaster inhaled sharply, tears rolling down his cheeks in a steady pace.

"Years passed and with them came many rumours about Grindelwald and his endeavours. I, meanwhile, was offered the position of Minister of Magic several times. I refused. I had learned that I was not to be trusted with power," Harry opened his mouth, ready to counter the Headmaster when his words had failed him.

"I had proven, as a very young man, that power was my weakness and my temptation." Dumbledore continued. "I was safer at Hogwarts where I had recently taken the post as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I think I was a good teacher. But while I busied myself with the training of young wizards, Grindelwald was raising an army. They say he feared me, and perhaps he did, but less, I think, than I feared him," Dumbledore sighed and glanced at Harry who now wore an expression of utter bewilderment.

"I feared not of death nor his magical prowess as I knew we were equal, but rather I feared the truth. I never knew which of us, in that last, horrific fight, had cast the curse that killed my sister. The knowledge that it had been I who brought about her death, not merely through my arrogance and stupidity, but that I struck the blow that snuffed out her life terrified me above all else. I think he knew it; I think he knew what frightened me. I delayed meeting him until finally, it would have been too shameful to resist any longer. You know what happened next. You and the rest of the Wizarding World. I won the duel and had brought peace to the war-ravaged Wizarding World," Dumbledore rose from his seat, and went towards the cupboard that housed his Pensieve.

"You should not pity the dead, Harry. They had already moved on to the next great adventure, unshackled and free from their past. Instead, you should pity the living. Those who remain behind, tortured and burdened by the many tragedies and mistakes they had committed in their lives," Dumbledore intoned as he absently swirled the content of the Pensieve with his wand.

Seeing the Headmaster busying himself with the Pensive, reminded Harry of Slughorn's memory.

"Sir!" He gasped. "I forgot, Professor Slughorn had given me his memory," He took the vial out of his pocket and waved it at Dumbledore.

"Did he?" Dumbledore quirked his eyebrow in slight surprise as a small smile adorned his face. "That's splendid! We should view the memory so we could finally learn what exactly Tom had asked of Slughorn,".

Harry nodded and went to stand beside the Headmaster. He uncorked the vial and poured the silvery hair-like wisps into the Pensieve.

Harry risked a glance at the Headmaster and was relieved to see that the sudden change of subject helped to snap the old wizard out of his painful past.

"The memories we had viewed thus far were about Tom before him becoming Lord Voldemort. Of his early childhood, of his family, his time at Hogwarts and after, his affection to the Founders items, and his fateful - although edited version - conversation with Professor Slughorn.

Harry nodded. He then bowed obediently over the Pensieve and felt his feet leave the office floor. He fell through darkness and landed in Horace Slughorn's office from many years before.

There was a much younger Slughorn, with his thick, shiny, straw-coloured hair and his gingery-blond moustache, sitting again in the comfortable winged armchair in his office, his feet resting upon a velvet pouffe, a small glass of wine in one hand, the other rummaging in a box of crystallized pineapple.

And there were the half dozen teenage boys sitting around Slughorn with Tom Riddle in the midst of them, Marvolo's gold-and-black ring gleaming on his finger.

Harry noticed that Dumbledore landed beside him just as Riddle asked, "Sir is it true that Professor Merrythought is retiring?"

"Tom, Tom, if I knew I couldn't tell you," said Slughorn, wagging his finger reprovingly at Riddle, though winking at the same time.

"I must say, I'd like to know where you get your information, boy, more knowledgeable than half the staff, you are," Riddle smiled; the other boys laughed and cast him admiring looks.

"What with your uncanny ability to know things you shouldn't and your careful flattery of the people who matter - thank you for the pineapple, by the way, you're quite right, it is my favourite," Several of the boys tittered again.

"I confidently expect you to rise to Minister of Magic within twenty years. Fifteen, if you keep sending me pineapple, I have excellent contacts at the Ministry," Tom Riddle merely smiled as the others laughed again.

Harry noticed that he was by no means the eldest of the group of boys, but that they all seemed to look to him as their leader.

"I don't know that politics would suit me, sir," he said when the laughter had died away. "I don't have the right kind of background, for one thing," A couple of the boys around him smirked at each other. Harry was sure they were enjoying a private joke, undoubtedly about what they knew, or suspected, regarding their gang leader's famous ancestor.

"Nonsense," said Slughorn briskly, "With abilities like yours it couldn't be plainer you come from decent Wizarding stock. No, you'll go far, Tom, I've never been wrong about a student yet."

The small golden clock standing upon Slughorn's desk chimed eleven o'clock behind him and he looked around. "Good gracious, is it that time already? You'd better get going boys, or we'll all be in trouble. Lestrange, I want your essay by in morrow or it's detention. Same goes for you, Avery," One by one, the boys filed out of the room.

Slughorn heaved himself out of his armchair and carried his empty glass over to his desk. A movement behind him made him look around; Riddle was still standing there. "Look sharp, Tom, you don't want to be caught out of bed out of hours, and you a perfect…"

"Sir, I wanted to ask you something,"

"Ask away, then, m'boy, ask away…"

"Sir, I wondered what you know about…about Horcruxes?' Slughorn stared at him, his thick ringers absentmindedly clawing the stem of his wine glass.

"Project for Defense Against the Dark Arts, is it?" But Harry could tell that Slughorn knew perfectly well that this was not schoolwork.

"Not exactly, sir," said Riddle. "I came across the term while reading and I didn't fully understand it."

"No…well…you'd be hard-pushed to find a book at Hogwarts that'll give you details on Horcruxes, Tom, that's very Dark stuff, very Dark indeed," said Slughorn. "But you obviously know all about them, sir? I mean, a wizard-like you - sorry, I mean, if you can't tell me, obviously -I just knew if anyone could tell me, you could - so I just thought I'd -"

"Well," said Slughorn, not looking at Riddle, but fiddling with the ribbon on top of his box of crystallized pineapple.

"Well, it can't hurt to give you an overview, of course. Just so that you understand the term. A Horcrux is the word used for an object in which a person has concealed part of their soul."

"I don't quite understand how that works, though, sir," said Riddle. His voice was carefully controlled, but Harry could sense his excitement.

"Well, you split your soul, you see," said Slughorn, "and hide part of it in an object outside the body. Then, even if one's body is attacked or destroyed, one cannot die, for part of the soul remains earthbound and undamaged. But of course, existence in such a form…" Slughorn's face crumpled.

"…few would want it, Tom, very few. Death would be preferable." But Riddle's hunger was now apparent; his expression was greedy; he could no longer hide his longing.
"How do you split your soul?"

"Well," said Slughorn uncomfortably, "you must understand that the soul is supposed to remain intact and whole. Splitting it is an act of violation, it is against nature."

"But how do you do it?"

"By an act of evil — the supreme act of evil. By committing murder. Killing rips, the soul apart. The wizard intent upon creating a Horcrux would use the damage to his advantage: He would encase the torn portion,"

"Encase? But how?"

"There is a spell, do not ask me, I don't know!" said Slughorn shaking his head like an old elephant bothered by mosquitoes. "Do I look as though I have tried it? Do I look like a killer?"

"No, sir, of course not," said Riddle quickly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend,"

"Not at all, not at all, not offended," said Slughorn gruffly, "It is natural to feel some curiosity about these things. Wizards of a certain calibre have always been drawn to that aspect of magic,"

"Yes, sir," said Riddle. "What I don't understand, though — just out of curiosity - I mean, would one Horcrux be much use? Can you only split your soul once? Wouldn't it be better, make you stronger, to have your soul in more pieces, I mean, for instance, isn't seven the most powerfully magical number, wouldn't seven?"

"Merlin's beard, Tom!" yelped Slughorn. "Seven! Isn't it bad enough to think of killing one person? And in any case…bad enough to divide the soul…but to rip it into seven pieces," Slughorn looked deeply troubled now: He was gazing at Riddle as though he had never seen him plainly before, and Harry could tell that he was regretting entering into the conversation at all.

"Of course," he muttered, "this is all hypothetical, what we're discussing, isn't it? All academic."

"Yes, sir, of course," said Riddle quickly. "But all the same, Tom, keep it quiet, what I've told - that's to say, what we've discussed. People wouldn't like to think we've been chatting about Horcruxes. It's a banned subject at Hogwarts, you know… Dumbledore's particularly fierce about it,"

"I won't say a word, sir," said Riddle, and he left. Harry stared after Riddle, and it wasn't until Dumbledore spoke to him that he snapped out of it.

"Thank you, Harry," said Dumbledore quietly. "Let us go…"

When Harry landed back on the office floor Dumbledore was; already sitting down behind his desk. Harry sat too and waited for Dumbledore to speak.

"I am sure the significance of what we had just seen, had not escaped you, Harry," Dumbledore began. "While children at your age were worried about trivial matters of school and family, Tom Riddle had begun his first steps into the territory of immortality,"

"You think he completed what he set out to do? Did he create seven Horcruxes?" Harry asked fearfully.

"I am afraid that it is beyond speculation. When four years ago, you handed me the diary of Tom Riddle, I had in my hands a certain proof of Lord Voldemort's success in creating Horcruxes. Up until then, I had never witnessed anything like you had described to me. A mere memory acting by itself? Sapping the life out of a girl whose hands the diary had fallen into? No, it was something far darker. It's apparent intent as a weapon rather than a safeguard and the careless way in which Voldemort regarded this Horcrux seemed most ominous to me. It suggested that he must have made - or had been planning to make - more Horcruxes so that the loss of his first would not be so detrimental. I did not wish to believe it, but nothing else seemed to make sense," Dumbledore's gaze seemed to pierce Harry. "But now, Harry, armed with this information, the crucial memory you have succeeded in procuring for us, we are closer to the secret of finishing Lord Voldemort than anyone has ever been before,"

"Horcruxes… Seven to be exact," said Harry, horror-struck, while several of the portraits on the walls made similar noises of shock mid outrage.

Dumbledore shook his head. "Not seven, but rather six. The seventh part of his soul, however, maimed, resides inside his body. The same part that lived as a spectre ever since he had attacked you. without that, he has no self at all. That seventh piece of his soul will be the last that anybody wishing to kill Voldemort must attack,".

"How are we supposed to find them? To destroy them without him knowing?" Harry asked desperately. The words of the Prophecy echoed in his mind as the defeat of Lord Voldemort seemed further away than ever.

"You have already destroyed one, while I destroyed another not so long ago,"

"You did?" Harry asked brightly.

"Yes indeed," said Dumbledore, and he raised his blackened, burned-looking hand. "The ring, Harry. Marvolo's ring. And a terrible curse there was upon it too. Had it not been - forgive me the lack of seemly modesty - for my own prodigious skill, and for Professor Snape's timely action when I returned to Hogwarts, desperately injured, I might not have lived to tell the tale,"

"But how did you find it? How did you know where and what to look for?"

"A long time I had spent to try and understand the man behind Voldemort. I had learned all that I could about him, I retraced his steps, and in one of my many travels I had encountered the ring in the ruins of the Gaunt's house," Dumbledore pulled open a drawer and extracted the ring and diary from it and placed them both on the table before Harry.

"If he was able to turn his ring into one, couldn't he had taken anything he wished and had made it a Horcrux?" Harry asked.

"Indeed, but do you think Lord Voldemort would do such a thing? Do not forget what I showed you in these lessons, Harry. One of Voldemort's many patterns was to collect trophies, and he preferred those who had a powerful magical history. Knowing the man that he used to be and what his goals and ambitions were suggested to me that he chose his Horcruxes meticulously. I had looked over the memories of Voldemort's past many times, looking for artefacts near him that seemed to go missing and had fit his criteria," Harry gasped.

"The locket! Hufflepuff's Cup!"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, however, those are not all of his Horcruxes. I am certain that the next set of items that he looked for were those that belonged to Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Four objects from the four founders would, I am sure, have exerted a powerful pull over Voldemort's imagination. For Voldemort – as Slytherin's heir – to procure an artefact that belonged to Gryffindor and use it to his own gains is – in his eyes- the ultimate proof of the superiority of himself and of his lineage," Dumbledore pointed his blackened fingers to the wall behind him, where a ruby-encrusted sword reposed within a glass case.

"Did he manage to do it? To find an artefact of Gryffindor or Ravenclaw?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I do not know what became of Ravenclaw's relic or if he ever found it, but I am quite confident that Gryffindor's last known relic remains safe,"

"There's something that I had found myself pondering about," Dumbledore said. "Don't you find the behaviour of Voldemort's snake, Nagini, quite strange?"

"The snake?" Harry asked, startled. "You can use animals as Horcruxes?".

Dumbledore nodded. "It is a great risk to share a part of your soul with something that is sentient enough to move and think for itself,"

"So, Voldemort had the diary and ring which are already gone. The cup, the locket, and the snake are still intact, and there is most likely something that is either Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's," Harry summarized causing Dumbledore to smile.

"Are you still looking for them, sir?" Harry questioned, "Is that where you've been going when you've been leaving the school?".

"Indeed, and judging by the signs, I think I may be close to finding another one,"

"if you do," said Harry quickly, "can I come with you and help get rid of it?"

Dumbledore looked at Harry very intently for a moment before saying, "Yes, I think so.".

"Can I?" asked Harry, thoroughly taken aback.

"Oh yes," said Dumbledore, smiling slightly. "I think you have earned that right."

Harry smiled brightly at the words of the Headmaster, knowing the hidden meaning they held. No longer was he to be ignorant of the truth or hidden away from his role in the war.

Dumbledore eyes twinkled and as he turned to look at the time he gasped. "It seems that time had tickled faster than even I had imagined. You should head back to your dorms Harry and ponder everything we had discussed today," Dumbledore dismissed him. Harry nodded in acceptance, bid the Headmaster goodnight and left the room.

Dumbledore's gaze didn't leave the door long after Harry had left the room. Only the morose trill of Fawkes had snapped the Headmaster from his trance.

"Should I have told him, Fawkes? Of the hardships and sorrows that await him? Am I wrong in my desire to see the boy experience things that many men his age would take for granted? To allow him to maintain – albeit small – his faith in love and its importance?"

Fawkes crooned soothingly, trying to reassure his old partner.

"In time, Harry will come to learn of the many truths that had been hidden from him, but it is not my task to tell him and it despairs me so. I just wish that by the time he learns of it, he will not be entirely lost," A tear trickled down the Headmaster's cheek.

Harry walked absent-mindedly towards the Gryffindor common room. His mind was deep in thought over everything he learned at Dumbledore's office. Now that the truth behind Voldemort's apparent immortality had become known to the Headmaster and him, it only made Harry to question himself even further.

Harry knew that the root to all his problems could be traced back to the prophecy that Trelawny had made and Voldemort's utter belief in it.

The discussion he had with Dumbledore at the end of his fifth year right after Sirius' death sprung to his mind.

It was at this meeting with the Headmaster that the severity of the prophecy had become known to Harry in its entirety.

Should Voldemort had chosen not to pay any heed to the prophecy, none of the circumstances that accompanied his initial downfall in 1981 wouldn't have come to fruition.

A prophecy that had been made into a reality by the very man whose downfall it described.

Harry shook his head. The truth of the prophecy was pointless ever since Voldemort's actions had ensured its fulfilment.

Right now, Harry focused on trying to find answers that could lead him to succeed in his impossible task of defeating Voldemort.

Harry was not a fool and knew that luck was a very large factor in his encounters with Voldemort during his time at Hogwarts.

But now, with his destiny realized and the task unable to be completed by anyone else but him, Harry knew that luck would no longer provide him with any help.

Harry had sighed, knowing his mind at its chaotic state couldn't give him the answers he wishes. A glance at his surrendering had revealed to Harry that his need for answers and inattention had led him to the Room of Requirements.

Harry began to pace past the area of the door three times but stopped abruptly in his place when the room refused to open for him.

'It has never happened before,' Harry pondered, mystified about the room sudden refusal to admit him entrance.

Another attempt to pace bore the same results and Harry just stood in his place and looked at the wall where he was certain the door to the room was located.

Harry grunted in exasperation and turned to leave when the door to the room had suddenly appeared the loud creaking of the door reverberated through the deserted hall.

Harry whipped his Cloak of Invisibility from his pocket and hastily threw it on him. Absently, he thanked his newly-founded habit of carrying the cloak with him to every meeting he had with Headmaster due to the tendency they had of ending past curfew.

"Even after this much time, it seems as if we are far from completing the repairs," Tracey's familiar voice whined.

Harry looked towards the door to the Room of Requirements and frowned as he saw Daphne, Tracey, and Malfoy emerge from it looking exhausted and frustrated.

Daphne tsked. "Do not whine Tracey, it is unbecoming,"

"Daphne's right. We are making good progress and our mission remains undiscovered," Malfoy commented coolly.

Tracey turned to him, her face set in a hateful expression as she glared daggers at Malfoy.

"It's no thanks to you that our plans remain undiscovered!" She hissed. "Your foolish actions are driven by a silly fear of the failure of our plan almost led to our discovery! We could've been expelled! Worst, our plan could've been uncovered and we would've been surely detained by the DMLE,"

Shock coloured Harry's features as he listened to the trio. He had his suspicions that they were up to something no good, but a part of him had always tried to shrug it off as something minor due to the involvement of Daphne and Tracey.

However, hearing Tracey's admonish Draco and the severe consequences that await them should their mysterious plan be discovered had evoked a feeling of foreboding in Harry.

Draco huffed. "You think me afraid?

"I think you're reckless and severely unprepared for the burden that had been placed upon on your shoulders," Tracey spat. "What were you thinking? Cursing a necklace? Poisoning a bottle of mead? We have a plan that we had managed to slowly complete with no one being the wiser! Yet, because of your foolish actions and their consequences, people are getting suspicious,"

Draco snorted. "You mean Potter and his friends? They are no threat to us or our plan,"

The confidence in which Malfoy spoke, had made Harry tighten the grip on his wand. He fought an itch to reveal himself and prove to Malfoy just how wrong he was.

"You think Potter and his friends are a joke? You are talking about a boy – who according to the rumours – had fought the Dark Lord several times during his years in Hogwarts. The boy who had been declared "The Chosen One" by everyone. The very same boy who is counted amongst Dumbledore's closest circle of people. His friends were a huge part of his success in many of his endeavours so do not forget that as well,"

"It doesn't matter," Draco said. "So long as our primary goal remains unhurt, being suspected means nothing,"

Slowly their voices faded as they continued to walk away from the room, away from where Harry had remained standing. His gaze followed them and remained set at the same position long after they were gone.

The many revelations that this conversation held had almost caused Harry's head to hurt.

The involvement of the Room of Requirements in Malfoy's plan was a large step in his quest to unveil his plan. The reveal that Malfoy was indeed the culprit behind the cursed necklace and the poisoned mead just like he thought had made his blood boil. However, his anger had quickly dissipated as he realized that other than his own words, he had no definitive proof of Malfoy's involvement.

The final revelation was, in Harry's opinion, the hardest to think about. The undeniable truth that Daphne and Tracey play a seemingly equal part in this plan to Malfoy. Harry could no longer deny the truth, especially after what he had just witnessed. This was not the behaviour of an Imperiused person. This was not the plan of a blind follower nor of someone who was being blackmailed. The truth of the matter was that Daphne and Tracey had willfully involved themselves in whatever it was that they were a part of.

Harry was not a fool, he had his suspicions about what it was that the trio was doing, and he was quite certain that he was correct. However, this was not something that Harry was able to fully believe yet nor did he truly want to. His mind might've embraced the possible truth, but his heart didn't and he feared the day that it will for he knew the pain that awaits him.

The next day Harry had shared everything that he heard from Malfoy and the rest with Ron, Hermione, and Astoria.

After a lengthy discussion that involved quite a few heated moments, they decided that they would have Kreacher and Dobby tail them until something significant happen.
He had also decided to share a filtered version of his talk with the Headmaster, only saying that Dumbledore and he had come up with a way to defeat Voldemort that's connected to artefacts of the founders.

Harry had also considered sharing his newfound information regarding Malfoy and his endeavours with the Headmaster but eventually decided against it as he assumed that he must already know.

It was another thing that puzzled Harry quite a bit. If the Headmaster claimed that he has full knowledge of Malfoy's plan, then why didn't he do anything to prevent it? He knew that the Headmaster must have his reasons, but Harry doubted the nature of those reasons.

Meanwhile, while Harry and the rest continued to wait for Kreacher and Dobby's findings, Harry and Astoria had resumed their training in full force.

After Harry had heard about Astoria's confrontation with the Slytherins in their common room and the skills she had shown there, he had decided that their next focus should be on learning new spells.

Amongst the spells that Harry had insisted on teaching Astoria were the Summoning Charm and the Patronus Charm. Both of which had been a great help to Harry during his time at Hogwarts.

While Astoria had managed to get the hang of the summoning charm pretty quickly, the Patronus still eluded her.

Meanwhile, Ron and Hermione had each taken a task of their own.

Hermione had frequented the library, hoping to search for as much material about the founders' artefacts as possible.

Ron, in the meantime, had taken the task to try and glean as much information as he can by eavesdropping on Slytherin students.

It wasn't until a week later when Kreacher and Dobby had returned with news, that things changed.

Judging by the information Dobby and Kreacher had relayed, it seems as if Malfoy, Daphne, and Tracey had been frequenting the Room of Requirements every day at around the same time for the same duration as well. The only difference in their routine was the fact that sometimes either Crabbe and Goyle or Blaise and Nott, had accompanied them and acted as guards.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Harry?" Hermione asked, biting her lower lip in anxiety.

It was a few hours later from when they received the information from Dobby and Kreacher that the group had converged in an abandoned classroom to discuss the information and come up with their next course of action.

Harry opened his mouth to answer, but Ron had beat him to it. "Sure, it is Hermione! What's a better way to find things out than to see them with your own eyes?"

Astoria nodded. "I agree, we do not know what it is that my sister and the others are doing in the Room of Requirements, and Dobby and Kreacher can't seem to find out as well. Our only chance of finding anything is to spy on them when they enter and leave the room, and if a chance presents itself, then to enter the room after them,"

"You all seem to ignore the fact that should Harry be found, then Malfoy and the rest won't react very well," Hermione chided.

Ron snorted. "It's not like we expect them to welcome him with brilliant smiles and flowers,"

"Yes, well," Hermione flushed. "You also seem to forget just what kind of person Malfoy had become. He already cursed a necklace that almost killed Katie, and poisoned a bottle of mead that almost led to Ron's death if it wasn't for Harry's quick thinking. I wouldn't put it above him to not use unforgivables!"

"Hermione's right. Who knows how low Malfoy had already sunken?" Harry uttered. "However, I do not plan to confront them, just follow them around and hope that one of them spills something important,"

The group had all nodded at Harry's reassurance and the bespectacled boy couldn't help but feel that the air of mystery that surrounded this whole ordeal had become slightly clearer. They were one step closer to finding the answers they all wanted.

The first few days of spying were relatively uneventful and bore no breakthrough in their quest for answers.

It had been the same thing every day. However, Harry wasn't sure if he really expected something else to happen or it was just the frustration he felt.

A chance to enter after Malfoy and the others into the room had yet to present itself and Harry's temper was slowly turning sour.

They had always taken precaution whenever they approached the room. Never leaving it unguarded, or closing the door by-hand to prevent anyone slipping in unseen. There were no moments of inattention, no mistakes, no loopholes in their meticulously made cycle.

Following them back from the room towards Slytherin's common room also bore no significant results. They always remained tight-lipped or spoke in a guarded way that did not allow any eavesdropper to understand anything useful.

Ron and Hermione were surprised as well when he told them about his lack of success. They, like him, had never taken Malfoy to be the kind of person to enact such a well-done plan. Connecting the same person who recklessly and arrogantly barged into their compartment at the Hogwarts Express throwing out insults and always leaving bruised with more than just his ego to the person who is the epitome of deception and secrecy that is walking every day to the room of requirements.

Astoria, however, was not surprised, and when she voiced her reason, the trio couldn't help the sudden urge to hit themselves.

Due to Malfoy's rather major part in this group and his notable actions with the mead and the necklace, had caused the trio to focus on Malfoy and lose sight of the others in their group.

It was only when Astoria had told them that this whole routine reeked of Daphne's attention to details, Tracey's dedication to time, and Nott's paranoia that the trio had seen their mistake.

One thing everyone knew was that a slip-up by Malfoy and his group was not a question of "if" but rather a question of "when".

The answer to that question would not be answered until around two weeks afterwards when such a slip-up had occurred.

It was early evening, near the middle of May, when Harry was approaching the Room of Requirements to attempt to spy on Malfoy and the others when it happened.

He had been unusually late going to the Room of Requirements. Ginny had cornered him in the common room asking him about his nightly disappearances and if it had anything to do with Malfoy. At first, Harry had been reluctant to share anything with the youngest Weasley but changed his mind as Ginny had proven herself a true friend in the previous year when she accompanied him to the Ministry to save Sirius.

Harry had not been completely forthcoming with the details, but told Ginny enough to prevent her from prying further, which apparently, was enough for the red-head witch as well as she had just smiled gently at him, gripped his hand, and told him that he could come to her if he needs someone to talk to.

Harry was left momentarily speechless and quite touched at Ginny's offer. For so long he had written her off as either his best mate's little sister or a girl who had a crush on the Boy-Who-Lived. However, it seems as if he was wrong in doing so.

As Harry had approached the entrance to the room, he had begun to hear loud talking coming from the direction he was headed to.

Upon hearing Malfoy's name mentioned in the conversation, Harry cautiously advanced towards the room, hoping to eavesdrop on the conversation.

However, the loud talking had suddenly ceased, causing Harry to stop in his tracks. The silence that enveloped the hall felt ominous to Harry; as if it was the calm before the storm.

It was the agonizing screams that came only a few moments afterwards that snapped Harry out of his trance.

He ran towards the room; he could feel his blood pumping in his veins with each step he took as the screams only increased in their volume.

Harry finally reached the corner, panting and desperate to regain his breath, when he turned and froze in his spot.

Malfoy was standing by the entrance to the room his wand pointing towards the downed form of another student, with Daphne and Tracey flanking him as they coldly watched the scene in front of them.

Harry paled, there was no mistaking the curse that Malfoy was using on the student. Only one curse can Harry think of that brought forward such suffering from someone.

He fumbled with his robes as he tried to extract his wand, his eyes glued to the horrifying scene in front of him.

As Harry held his wand firmly in his hand, he pointed it towards Malfoy and cast the first spell that came to his mind.

"Sectumsempra!" He made a slashing motion with his hand and a white beam of light erupted from his wand.

The screaming stopped as Malfoy's concentration broke upon hearing the newcomer. He turned towards the direction from which the voice came from. He barely managed to catch sight of the white beam of light when it hit him sending him sprawling to the floor with a great thud.

Harry slowly made his way towards Malfoy, his wand still trained on the blonde as Daphne and Tracey dropped to their knees beside him.

Dimly, Harry had noticed that Daphne and Tracey both had gone several shades paler as they scanned the downed form of Malfoy.

It wasn't until he was close enough that Harry realized just why exactly they reacted like that.

"No… I- I didn't…" Harry stammered weakly.

Blood spurted from Malfoy's face and chest as though he had been slashed with an invisible sword. His pale-white hands – now stained red alongside his face - scrabbling at his blood-soaked chest.

Harry grew dizzy and struggled to contain the bile that threatened to come out. He watched helplessly, as Daphne and Tracey tried their best to tend to the shaking Malfoy before they took note of his presence near them and turned to look at him. Their eyes full of horror and their expression was as if they saw a monster standing in his place. It was a look that he knew would forever haunt him.

Numbly, Harry turned his head as he heard the sound of hurried footsteps approaching.

"What is the meaning of this?" McGonagall's accented voice roared as she neared with Dumbledore and Snape accompanying her.

However, McGonagall gasped before anyone could answer her.

"Mr Malfoy! Albus, we should take him to the Hospital Wing quickly!" She told the Headmaster, who nodded in agreement.

"I shall summon Fawkes to take him to the hospital wing as I fear that time is of the essence here. I shall accompany him to make certain everything is fine," He intoned grimly as he gazed at Malfoy's bloodied form.

McGonagall nodded weakly and turned to focus on the seemingly traumatized Daphne and Tracey as Fawkes came and took both Dumbledore and Malfoy to the Hospital Wing

Harry turned his gaze away from his head of house towards the last teacher that was present.

Snape's face was livid as he stared at Harry.

"Who would've thought that you, Potter, would know such Dark Magic," Snape said quietly.

"I…" Harry began, only to be cut off by Snape.

"Who taught you that spell?"

"I read about it in a book. A library book," Harry lied, hoping his hastily pieced lie will convince Snape.

"Liar," said Snape. Harry's throat went dry. He knew what Snape was going to do and he had never been able to prevent it before.

The hallway seemed to shimmer before his eyes; he struggled to block out all thought, but try as he might, the Half-Blood Prince's copy of Advanced Potion-Making swam hazily to the forefront of his mind.

And then, he was back in the hallway and he stared into Snape's black eyes, hoping against hope that Snape had not seen what he feared.

"Bring me your school bag," said Snape softly, "and all of your schoolbooks. All of them. Bring them to me here. Now!"

Harry turned to run towards Gryffindor's Tower when a shout of his name stopped him dead.

"Harry!" Astoria's familiar voice reverberated and it brought a measure of calm to Harry.

"Ms Greengrass," Snape drawled. "May I ask what are you doing here?"

Astoria flushed. "Well Professor, I was supposed to… to study with Harry at the library. He is helping me with Defense you see. I grew worried when Harry had not arrived and set out to look for him,"

Snape stared intently at her. "Are you aware that it is near curfew right now?"

"I am, but I wanted to find out what happened to Harry. Otherwise, it would've kept me up all night," She confessed, sneaking a glance at Harry.

"Well, now that your worries had been put to rest, you should leave and let Potter return to his previous business," Snape intoned.

"Sir! I do not know what it is that happened before my arrival but clearly, it upset Harry quite a bit. Can't you see how pale and shaking he is? At the very least let him get checked out by Madam Pomfrey,"

Snape ignored her and turned to stare at Harry. His gaze was hard as if he was trying his best to find any proof that Astoria is wrong.

"Very well. I expect to see you first thing in the morning Potter with your schoolbag or else I'll assure that you get expelled. This time, I am quite confident that the Headmaster will agree with me," Snape uttered before he turned and walked away, his dark robes billowing behind him.

Harry watched, his mouth agape as if not believing that Snape had let him go for the moment. He turned to look at Astoria only to see her focusing on Daphne and Tracey, who were being led away by McGonagall.

"Astoria, what…?" Harry stammered.

Astoria turned to look at him her eyes shining with emotions before she enveloped him in a tight embrace.

"I saw everything that happened. I was watching your dot in the map and I had a bad feeling when I saw Malfoy and another student by the room's entrance," She said, her voice muffled against his shoulder.

They broke their embrace, and Harry turned to look at Astoria, imploring her to understand him.

"You don't understand Astoria," His voice cracked. "When I saw Malfoy laying on the ground all bloody and looking as if he's moments away from death. Daphne and Tracey's tearful and horrorstruck faces looking at me as if I'm a monster, a murderer. It nearly broke me,"

Astoria gasped and covered her mouth as she looked at Harry with shining eyes.

"Perhaps I am a monster?" Harry pondered. "Maybe what Riddle said back in the Chamber of Secrets was right. Maybe we truly are similar to one another,"

Astoria growled as she glared at Harry. "Harry James Potter! You are not a monster and you are nothing like Riddle!"

"How can you be so certain? You're just saying that to try and reassure me!" Harry yelled at her.

"Because I would never fall in love with a monster!" Astoria confessed before her eyes widened as she realized just what exactly she said.

"I love you, Harry, I felt that for quite a while now," She whispered softly. "You are the most compassionate, noble, self-sacrificing man that I've ever met. You lost so much, endured such horrors, yet you manage to emerge stronger than ever. Even with the fate of the Wizarding World resting on your shoulder, you put the worries of others in front of yours. How could someone like that ever be a monster?"

Harry stood there, gaping at Astoria as he tried to digest her confession. He opened his mouth, trying to form an answer only to snap it shut upon failing.

Astoria, who looked at Harry expectantly seemed to lose her bravado as her gaze fell downwards.

"I= I'm sorry Harry, I- don't know what passed over me. Could you forget what I said? Please? I don't want our friendship to be ruined," Astoria voice was chocked as if she struggled vainly to contain tears. The faint traces of pleading that she tried to push back still came out clear to Harry.

Astoria's seemingly devastation at his perceived rejection shocked Harry out of his stupor.

It didn't take him long to think about what he should do. After all, what was there to think about? It was so obvious, now that he thought about it. The answer behind the strange feeling he had when he thought about Astoria had been right in front of him all this time.

The feeling that something big was amiss, the lack of foreboding that accompanied this feeling like with Daphne and Tracey.

"Astoria…" Harry whispered, causing her gaze to snap to his face.

He looked at her tearful face, and without further thoughts crashed his lips onto hers in a passionate kiss.

Astoria didn't react at first, her shock to great to comprehend what exactly was happening, but she soon recovered and returned the kiss with equal fervour.

The emotions that the kiss conveyed left both of them stunned, but at second thought, they couldn't be surprised. After everything, they had been through, learned about one another, the things they had given up for the sake of the other.

There was no other choice but this.

They both knew that the road ahead of them was long and arduous. Many things remained to be solved, too many threats to overcome.

The shadow of Daphne and Tracey's betrayal and the war against Voldemort and his Death Eaters would always be at the edge of their blossoming relationship, threatening to consume and destroy it.

But they would overcome it together like everything that came before.