So... as you can probably tell I have very little time for writing at the moment :( The uni work is building up, got a few cosplays I have to get finished, K-pop dances to learn and a possible trip to the great US of A to plan. Not to mention watching anime, reading manga and fanfics! Okay, so they don't sound like actual good excuses, but my life doesn't revolve around writing fanfics! I suspect that it will remain this way until January, after exams (though given that this fic was started the day before an exam instead of revising...)

But you get a chapter today, because I just received a review from a wonderful, wonderful author who's works are some of my favourites! (I think you probably know who you are :P)

Disclaimer: I own not a single word from a single page of a single book from the HP series. Sad times.

Last chapter: Harry revealed his eye to Lucius.

Lucius made a fool of himself.

Harry ran with it.

Chapter Thirty One

The moment he finished with Lucius, he headed to the library which was empty as the entire school tended to head to dinner after the Quidditch match. There he hastily put together a letter to Voldemort before making his way to the Owlery where Hedwig willingly took the letter from him, not even waiting for him to tell her where to go and flying off after giving his ear a nip.

He headed to dinner as the majority of the students were beginning to leave, trying to form a plan for what to do now that there were other plans at work. It was most difficult as his next actions depended on what the Dark Lord told him. For now, he'd just have to wait and keep an eye on the Weasleys in the school.

It was Wednesday during Charms that Hedwig arrived at Voldemort's hideaway and he witnessed first hand – or the equivalent when watching through the Dark Lord's eyes – how the wizard reacted to the news that his diary had been placed in Hogwarts. The green glow that was emitted from his wand was a sure sign that whatever Lucius' actions had caused was not good. The entirety of his office was upended before he managed to calm down, and it was only because he his wand had never strayed to the ceiling where Hedwig watched disapprovingly, that Harry found it amusing.

Finally, when he his breathing returned to a regular pattern, the Dark Lord straightened the parchment in his free hand and read the rest. During the several minutes of silence as he contemplated what had been written, Harry turned his attention back to his class, relieved to find his classmates still trying to grasp to spell they were learning that day, with twenty minutes still remaining.

"As you presumed, the diary is in fact, one of my horcruxes and it is imperative you retrieve it from the hands of those blood-traitors! However it is significantly more than that. The diary holds my memories from when I was at Hogwarts, and will work towards restoring itself to life by possessing whomever it is that writes in its pages. At the same time, it will also reopen the Chamber of Secrets to purge the school of mudbloods. You need to retrieve it before that can happen, otherwise the school risks closure, and my horcrux risks exposure to Dumbledore, who would no doubt end up figuring out I have more than just that one and no-one can know that beyond the two of us! Keep a close eye on the Weasleys, but we can't trust that you will be able to retrieve it just using observation. Focus all your spare time into trying to expand the link between us. If that can be established into a two way link, it's entirely plausible you would be able to use it to track down the other parts of my soul."

Whilst they had been aiming throughout the training during the summer to allow Voldemort to see through his eye, in the same way Harry could use his, he could tell that the thought of letting him gain access to his other Horcruxes as well was not at all appealing to the Dark Lord, however Harry was the only person capable of attaining the diary before anything untoward happened to it, so he had no choice but to ask that of him.

"I have almost finished work on the two-way mirrors, so your owl will stay with me until I can send one back with you. Until then, stay alert Potter. And inform me of the first sign that the Chamber has been opened, it won't be something you could miss."

He started to wave his wand around the room, returning it to its previous condition. "And with regards to Lucius Malfoy, I will permit you to continue with your masquerade for now, as it may be beneficial to have his support, however he cannot know the truth about myself yet, for now you will be me in his eyes, until the plans have been finalised."

Almost as if timed, the bell rang signalling the end of the lesson and Harry abruptly returned his focus to his own body.

By the end of that week he was no further towards either identifying who held the diary, or being able to develop the link between him and the Dark Lord into a two directional deal. He had however, been able to pick up faint smells that he could not in any way associate with his surroundings at the time, hoping that that meant his meditation and complete inner focus each night was doing something.

Voldemort had sent Hedwig to Hogwarts the previous night with one of a pair of mirrors and a note he hadn't managed to read before it was sealed. He was expecting her arrival early the next week.

There had also been no further news from Lucius but he could wait longer for that.

The good news, however, was that it was the end of the third week of term, and the end of the period Professor Flitwick had assigned to allow before he could request lessons in duelling once more. He had debated whether or not he should request them, when there was so much trouble brewing with the lost diary, but he knew Flitwick would have been monitoring his class progress and, as such, expecting his presence any day. It was almost a relief when the Professor informed him that had was a tad bit too busy for the next few weeks, and he would let him know about starting the lessons again sometime in October, most likely part way through the month.

That gave him roughly another two weeks before they began, not very much time, to try and figure out who had the diary, by whatever means was available.

It was the thirteenth of October, as Harry sat staring unseeingly at the curtains surrounding his bed with the two way mirror before him and Voldemort in a similar position on the other end, that they finally made significant progress.

For several weeks previously, Harry had been able to access the Dark Lord's other senses – not something the wizard was all too pleased about – and each night they had been entering their own consciousness and following the link that connected them as far as they could. The process was much easier for Harry, as he'd had access to it since the moment it was created. Voldemort, however, could hardly get beyond the borders of his own mind when they first started, and had made slow progress until that night, when their two minds finally made contact for the briefest moment and the Dark Lord received the image of the blue curtains Harry's eyes were staring at. It was a significant step forward, however they refrained from celebrating as they had much further to go before it could be useful. It was the first step, in what could possibly become a marathon: a race against the clock.

The next week, Flitwick held him back after class to let him know that he was free to start their lessons, and ask if he was available on Friday nights, to which Harry replied with an enthusiastic yes. The two walked to dinner together, Flitwick jokingly informing him that he'd better not have lost any of the skills he'd cultivated the last year. When they arrived at the Great Hall, there was a certain buzz about the students that both of them could tell was caused by something of interest occurring. It didn't take long for them to notice the additional wizard at the staff table, with a stern expression and straight back, observing the students.

"Ah! It seems your complaints have been well placed, Mr Potter. That is Mr Pierce, who is the Ministry representative on the Hogwarts Educational Board. Headmaster Dumbledore informed us that we would be hosting a guest for a period of... assessment." Far from looking upset at that prospect, the diminutive professor looked excited, as he beamed up at Harry and dusted his robes off. "It's been a while since I last got to show off my fancy charms work, not to mention my extremely capable students!" With a spring in his step he made his way to the head table and introduced himself to the taller wizard who seemed genuinely pleased to meet the professor.

He scanned around the hall and caught the two blonde Slytherins' gazes, easily identifying the 'if you don't come sit with us right now we will drag you in an unsightly manner over here anyway' message they were conveying and acquiescing with a sigh.

"So? Do you know who he is?" Draco demanded once he had taken a seat.

Harry barely managed a nod before the attention of the hall was demanded by Dumbledore as he took a stand before them.

"As I'm sure you have all noticed, Hogwarts will be entertaining a guest for a period of time. This is Mr Pierce from the Ministry's Education Department who will be... observing the staff during their lessons, as some doubts have been raised in regards to the standard of teaching at Hogwarts. I'm sure you will all oblige him in any questions he asks you, and that the staff will prove more than adequately for him."

As the headmaster took his seat again, the murmurs from before escalated into a rousing chatter. The majority of the male students looked ecstatic, whilst the females merely turned their noses up at them, sure that Gilderoy Lockhart wouldn't have any problem passing whatever tests necessary.

Harry couldn't help the pleased smirk, especially on noticing the pallor that had overcome the Defence professor's face.

Finally.

I know quite a few of you were expect Voldie to go insane at Harry for pretending to be him, however you have to take into account that Voldie wants to remain hidden at present so Harry is the only means he can get anything done (to a degree). He does have a plan (which I know the vague outline of, he won't tell me the details!) So, yeah, that's how I pictured him reacting to the news.

Sorry it took so long, hope it was worth it!