Harry Potter and the Headmaster's Pensieve

Chapter 11 - Back to the Burrow

Harry appeared in the middle of the living room, landing hard on the worn coffee table. It groaned dangerously under his sudden weight, but did not buckle. He jumped down, not noticing the group staring at him, a bit awestruck. His hand was still wrapped tightly around the cup, his face pale. He collapsed onto the couch, eyes closed, breathing hard.

"Wow, we did it," Hermione said, sitting beside him and examining the cup. She gently tried to pry it from his hand, and he snatched it away.

"Don't...don't touch it. I don't want anyone to get hurt by it," Harry said, his voice weak. His fingers were still curled around one of the golden handles, his knuckles white with the effort. He had yanked it from Hermione's reach and was now pressing it against his chest, still wheezing and pale.

"Harry, maybe you'd better put that down. I'm sure none of us will touch it, and you need to get some rest," Hermione said worriedly. Harry turned to her, opening his eyes. He was astonished to see the look of fear on her face, as well as the curious stares from Ron, Neville and Luna. He placed the cup on the table, flexing his sore fingers.

"That...that was too close. Too dangerous. I can't let anyone else get hurt...I've got to go after the rest alone," He said, staring at his hands.

"Don't be stupid, we'd never let you go alone," Ron said immediately. Neville and Luna had made similar protestations, and Harry sighed.

"Luna, you almost died. But it could have been any of you...and I can't risk that any more. I won't let anyone else die trying to help me, or to save me. You've helped me loads, but I have to do the rest by myself from now on," he said exhaustedly.

"No, Harry. We promised we'd help you, and that's what we're going to do. Dumbledore told you not to abandon your friends, and we're going to hold you to that," Hermione said severely. She was glaring at him, her eyes hard. Harry met her eyes, beaten. He couldn't make her understand the fear he had felt as he stared at Luna's limp body, knowing that it would have been his fault if she had died. She would never know how he had pictured each of his friends in turn lying there, cold and still, with him powerless to save them. He hadn't been able to save Sirius and he hadn't been able to save Dumbledore - he would save his friends. It was the least he could do. They might still come along with him, but he'd destroy every obstacle before they even set a foot into the next trap.

Some time later, Hermione, Ron, Neville and Luna had gone into the kitchen, and Harry could vaguely make out that they were preparing dinner. His breathing had slowed, but the panic he had felt had not quite left his chest. He wondered vaguely if what he felt was due to the presence of the horcrux, but he didn't have the strength to even begin thinking on how he would destroy it. He felt a gentle tugging at his arm, and opened one bleary eye.

"I know you're tired, Harry, but you need to eat. We don't need to worry about the horcrux now, or any danger that we're getting into. Right now, all we need to do is relax," Hermione said in a soothing voice. Harry allowed himself to be drawn up and led to the table, and he sat numbly in the chair that Hermione pulled out for him. He lifted his fork in a shaking hand, unaware that everyone was still staring at him with worried expressions. As soon as he scooped a forkful of potatoes into his mouth, his head felt instantly clearer. At once he realized exactly how hungry he was, and dug into his food with renewed vigor. He was completely oblivious to the half amused, half concerned looks he received from his friends, and only looked up when Ron could no longer contain his bark of laughter.

"Slow down mate, or you'll choke," Ron snickered. Harry swallowed his food. He looked up at Ron, eyes wide.

"That horcrux...it drains the life out of you. No one touch it. I'll have to figure out how to destroy it, and soon," Harry said, his eyes flashing back and forth to each of his friends' faces. Their smiles had vanished, everyone looking at him curiously. Harry felt a soft hand on his arm. Luna was looking at him with her large, protuberant eyes.

"We won't touch it, Harry. But maybe you should take a break, too," she said. "You don't want to overwork yourself. The Rippling Cadwalleries will slip in under your fingernails and give you a permanent case of the jitters if you work to hard," she added seriously. Ron hastily turned his snort of laughter into a cough, and Harry saw Neville shoot Ron a glare of disapproval. Harry moved from his potatoes to the hearty beef stew that Hermione prepared, wolfing it down as he had the potatoes. He was now acutely aware of everyone's eyes on him, but his famished stomach refused to care. No one spoke as they ate, all too tired or lost in thought to mention what was on their minds. Their plates emptied, and Harry was the first to stand and bring his dish to the sink. He wandered back into the living room. He sat close to where he had placed the cup, not touching it. His friends joined him a moment later.

"Harry, I'd better get back to Gran. She worries about me, and I want to let her know I'm ok," Neville said softly.

"Daddy will want me home, too. He might think that a Leaping Leithfold got hold of me, and send out a search party," Luna added. Harry turned to them.

"Of course, of course. If you want me to, I'll let you know when we're on to something again...but I understand if you think its getting to dangerous," Harry said to them.

"Don't be silly. Gran wants me to help you...she just wants me to check in every now and then," Neville replied. Luna nodded in agreement. Harry's eyes went from one to the other, still uneasy at putting anyone in danger.

"Well, alright, I'll let you both know when we're ready to do anything else. Don't send owls...I'll let you know with the coins. I don't want to draw attention to this house, since we don't have all the charms we need on it yet. Go home and get some rest. And...thanks for all the help. We couldn't have gotten this far without you," Harry said to them pensively. They smiled at him, then both grabbed handfuls of floo powder and disappeared into the fireplace. Once they had disappeared, Harry fell back into the couch.

"I...I can't believe Luna almost died," Harry said, his voice regaining a bit of the exhaustion it had held when they had first returned.

"Harry, it's not your fault," Hermione said pleadingly, settling in the armchair across from him. "We knew going into this that what we were going to be doing was going to be dangerous, and that we might die helping you. It's something we've all accepted. Don't try and fool us by saying that you wouldn't want to die for this cause, because everyone knows you would."

"But...this is something that I have to do...by myself. I was the one marked, I was the one that Voldemort chose. You're only helping because-"

"Because we want to, mate. Don't you think we realize that there are things worth dying for? Don't you think that we agree that this is probably the only thing worth giving up everything for? Yeah, it's more personal for you, but that doesn't mean we don't agree," Ron chimed in passionately. Harry paused.

"I don't want anyone to have to die," he said softly. "I'd never be able to live with myself if either of you died...or Luna or Neville...and I don't want to die. I...there's so much I wanted to do with my life. I know I might die in this fight, but I don't want to." Ron and Hermione were silent for a moment, their eyes locked on each other. They knew Harry was thinking of Ginny, thinking of the painfully short time they had had together, knowing that they deserved more than that. With all the fear in the world, all the hate and anger, it was nice to have something as wonderful as love to hold onto, and they both understood that far more than either cared to admit just then.

After a few moments, Harry cleared his throat. Ron and Hermione's eyes snapped to his at the sound.

"We should figure out some better protections for this place. I don't want any Death Eaters to find out where we are...they'll realize that I may have come here eventually. I'm sure the Order is trying to throw them off the trail, but I know there's more we can do to protect ourselves. Hermione, have you figured out how to do the Fidelus charm?" he asked, his face completely unreadable.

"I, well, I know what has do be done, but I'm not sure if I can manage it," she said, fidgeting with her wand.

"Hermione, if there's anyone that could do it, it'd be you," Ron said exasperatedly, staring at her. "It can't hurt to try."

Hermione's eyes flashed back and forth from Harry's emerald eyes to Ron's blue. They were staring at her so expectantly that she blushed a bit, knowing full well that she could perform the charm if she hadn't been so exhausted. She had been far more scared in the dungeon that she cared to admit, and the wand motion for the charm was extremely complicated and could not be a millimeter off if the charm was to be activated at its full effectiveness.

"I think it would be best if we tried it tomorrow," Hermione started delicately. "There's a lot that needs to be done and I want it to be perfect. Now, I was thinking that maybe we could clean up some of the bedrooms upstairs so maybe we could sleep up there instead of on the couches," she suggested, sending an exhausted look towards Harry. He stood instantly and started towards the stairs, and the others followed. They spent the rest of the evening cleaning the four bedrooms on the second floor, transfiguring broken-down chairs into soft, cushy beds similar to those in the dorms at Hogwarts. Long past midnight they all settled in for a well-deserved sleep.

Harry found the ground outside covered in a thick layer of frost, and was endlessly grateful that Hermione was so good at transfiguring warm blankets. He stretched luxuriously against the fluffy pillows, wondering why he'd allowed himself to sleep on the lumpy couch these past months. Swinging his legs out of bed, he wrapped a thick woolen blanket around him and made his way downstairs to the silent kitchen. It reminded him of the first few months he'd spent in the house, still uncomfortable with his parents' presence and the loneliness that had overtaken him while his friends were still in school. Now, with all the activity that had been going on, the silence was welcoming, restful.

Harry made his way to the stove and began boiling a kettle of water, hoping that a cup of tea would melt the chill in his fingers. Hedwig was fast asleep in her cage, with Pig asleep next to her. Crookshanks must have been with Hermione, as he was nowhere in sight. The windows were a bit foggy, but he could see some of the neighborhood children playing on the icy street down the way from the house. Their shrieks of laughter were barely audible, but they brought a warmth to Harry's heart that no amount of scalding liquid would be able to match. Their carefree laughter made him remember happier times, when he didn't have to worry about being the one that had to kill Voldemort.

Hermione joined him a few minutes later, her bushy hair in a frizzy cloud around her head. She smiled sleepy at him, and gratefully took a mug of warm tea that he offered. They sat together in silence, sipping their tea and staring off into space. Ron joined them a bit later, his hair on end and his eyes still a bit red with sleep. He poured himself a cup and dropped into the seat beside Hermione, yawning.

"I looked over what we need to do for the Fidelus charm, and we first need to come up with a name of what we're hiding. For instance, Grimmauld place became the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, and I'm guessing that this became the Hiding Place of the Potters...we need some sort of title," Hermione told them.

"We've got a name. We're Dumbledore's Army," Ron said simply. Hermione glanced at Harry, and he grinned in approval.

"Dumbledore told me once that he will only ever truly be gone if there are none loyal to him. I think that name's perfect, because I know we'll need him, even if..." Harry said, his voice trailing off. Hermione smiled slightly and nodded.

"Well, that's settled then. Now we need to choose the secret keeper," Hermione said, the familiar bossy tone coming out. "Obviously I can't be it, as I'll be performing the charm-"

"I'll do it," Ron said at once, looking eagerly at her. "I'll be the secret keeper. You both know I'd die before giving this away," he added.

"Ron, I should be the secret keeper. This is my battle, and if I'm in a position to give away the secret, I'd better be hoping to kill Voldemort soon anyway," Harry said.

"But Harry, you've got that mental connection with Voldemort, and you were never able to master Occlumency...you could tell him without ever meaning to," Hermione said. Harry bit his tongue. He hadn't told his friends about his lessons with Draco, as he knew that they wouldn't approve and he didn't want to jeopardize Draco. He still didn't like him, but he had helped him, and endangering him further wouldn't be the best way to express his gratitude. He didn't want to endanger Ron either...but there would be no way that the Death Eaters would know that Ron was the secret keeper, and he'd be in no more danger than he already was. Harry looked at his friends.

"Alright, Ron. Thank you...I know it's a big responsibility," he said, and Ron grinned.

"I don't mind it," Ron said eagerly. He turned to Hermione. "What do we need to do now?" Hermione picked up her wand and waved it a bit, practicing.

"Now all we need to do is perform the spell," she replied, a bit nervously. "If we do this right, a golden glow should surround you and you'll need to tell us right away where we are. We won't know, and we won't be able to see you unless you tell us, since you're in the place we're hiding," she explained. Ron nodded. She performed a complicated movement with her wand, somewhere between a flick and a spin, then pressed the tip of her wand directly against Ron's forehead. "Abscondo Fidelia!" she said in a tense, articulate voice. There was a flash of bright white light, and Ron nearly cried out in alarm. Hermione hastily put a finger to his lips as the light was drawn to her wand tip, intensifying. She took a deep breath.

"The headquarters of Dumbledore's Army is located in the Potters' house in Godric's Hollow," she said clearly. The light focused into a beam, then shot directly into Ron's forehead. He nearly toppled out of his chair, but then a warm golden glow surrounded him and he jumped up, whooping in celebration.

To Harry, the experience was quite different. He could barely hear Hermione's voice over the buzz in his head, the thoughts screaming loudly that he shouldn't be putting Ron in this position. He was already endangering Ginny for falling in love with her, and now to put Ron into this position...it would be his fault if either of them died in this war. How could he ever face Mrs. Weasley again? How could she possibly see him as a son, when he was endangering her true children so much? He tried to fight against these thoughts, knowing that both Ron and Ginny had volunteered for the positions they were now in, knowing that they wanted to help him and didn't care about the danger, but the thought of either of them dead practically paralyzed him with fear that he had never felt before.

As he dimly watched a golden glow surround Ron, he realized that the charm must have worked. Soon, it seemed as if his surroundings were dissolving around him, fading away as though they were simply a mirage. He couldn't remember where he had been just a moment before, and he was quite confused as to where he was now. He saw Hermione a few steps away from him, looking just as confused as he did. Something must have clicked in her brain, though, and she called out "Ron! Tell us where we are!" From somewhere that Harry could not see, he heard Ron's voice.

"The headquarters of Dumbledore's Army is at the Potters' house in Godric's Hollow!" he said hurriedly, and the house reappeared in the blink of an eye. Harry collapsed back into his chair (he had jumped up when it disappeared moments earlier), his heart beating wildly. Ron was beaming at Hermione, who appeared almost as frazzled as Harry. She took a few deep breaths, then grinned widely at them both.

"We did it! I can't believe we did it! I mean, I was pretty sure that I could do it, but it's way past N.E.W.T. level, and I wasn't sure if I had the wand motion right, even though Professor Flitwick showed it to me. It's a really difficult charm to do, but I'm glad I read about it in-" Hermione babbled, her cheeks flushed. Ron had pulled her into a tight hug, and cut off her words. Harry laughed.

"Hermione, there was never a question if you could do it or not - you're the brightest witch in our year. Probably in all of Hogwarts, really," he told her. She beamed at him. Suddenly, a scratching at the window wiped the smiles from their faces, and they all turned to the icy sheet of glass in the living room. They could just make out the figure of an owl, and Harry rushed to the window.

"Did the spell not work?" Ron asked worriedly. Hermione, who had followed Harry to the window, looked relieved.

"No, it worked. Wizard Owls have their own special type of magic, and they can still get letters to people. Still, it's risky having owls coming here, as people could get a general idea of where we are," she said to Ron. Harry had slid the window open, and an elderly owl blew in with the chilly breeze.

"Errol!" Ron cried, dashing over to the owl. He held out a feeble leg, where a scroll of parchment was tied. Ron untied it, and Errol fluttered over to Hedwig's cage. She shifted to the side to allow him access to her food and water. Ron unfurled the scroll and read aloud.

"Dear Ron, Hermione and Harry,

I hope you're all doing well, and not getting into too much trouble. It's been a bit since we'd heard from you, so I was just checking to see if you were all alright. Also, I would like to know if you can come visit us for Christmas, as we'd all love to see you and make sure you're ok. Please let us know, as we miss you quite a bit.

Love, Molly (that's Mum to you, Ron.)

Ron and Hermione looked at Harry. He took the slip of paper from Ron and read over it once, then he looked up at them.

"I think it's a fabulous idea. We could all use the break, especially after what happened yesterday," he told them. They grinned. Harry was, truthfully, relieved to have a chance to take a break. So much had happened that he needed a chance to just relax, maybe empty some of the memories of the recent days into the Pensieve. He knew he had to figure out how to destroy the cup, and he was going to have to devise a way to actually kill Voldemort once all of the horcruxes were gone. There were only two left out there now...the opera glasses, and Nagini. He would have to find them, and he didn't have a clue where to start. He'd have to read Regulus's journal again, to see if there were any more clues hidden there. Though the house was protected, he didn't want to leave anything unattended. He started a mental checklist of what he should bring with him to the Burrow, but was interrupted by Ron.

"Er, Harry, when did you want to go to the Burrow?" he asked, snapping Harry out of his reverie. Ron's eyes were bright, his expression lighter than it had been in the past few weeks. Harry could tell that he was excited to have some time to spend with his family and to not worry about the pressures of the war.

"Well, I was thinking we could go tomorrow. There's really not much to do here, and I'd love to see your family," Harry replied casually. "You should probably send your Mum a response, so she can get ready," he added. Ron nodded quickly and practically dashed away to dig out a quill and some parchment. Harry began sifting through the bits of paper and old food wrappers, trying to find what he wanted to bring with him to the Weasleys'. He ran across the book that Hermione had been reading, and snatched it up. Regulus's journal was lying on the floor beside the coffee table, and he grabbed that, too. He then went up to the small nursery where he still kept the pensieve, and carefully opened the lid. Placing the books down, he touched his wand to his forehead and focused on the memory of the dungeon in the Riddle House. The memory slid out of his temple like a long, silver strand of spaghetti, and dropped effortlessly into the pensieve. With the weight of that memory now off of his shoulders, Harry felt considerably lighter. He secured the lid once more, and placed the books on top of it. He carried them down to his trunk in the living room, where Hermione and Ron were waiting for him. They were looking at him excitedly.

"I've just sent the message to Mum, so they'll be expecting us tomorrow," Ron told him. Harry nodded and places his things into his trunk. Hufflepuff's cup sat innocently beside his trunk, and he didn't feel safe leaving it unattended while they were gone, even with the Fidelus charm in place. He wrapped it in one of his old school robes, and tossed it in with the books and the pensieve.

The rest of the day was spent packing and straightening up the house, as no one wanted to leave any sensitive information around, even though the house was protected. In the evening Ron challenged Harry to a game of wizard chess, while Hermione watched and practiced her knitting. They played long into the night, only retiring when the horizon was tinged with the pink of the coming sun.

They slept in the next day, not waking until close to noon. They showered and dressed quickly, then dragged their trunks to the frozen backyard of the house. Harry locked the doors and cast a number of protective charms, then all three disappeared with loud cracks. Harry hoped that none of the Muggles had heard them, but knew they would dismiss it as nothing more than a snapping tree branch. The next thing he saw was the ramshackle old house he'd come to love and see as a second home - the Burrow. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Lupin, Tonks and Moody all hurried out to greet them. It was like being reunited with family, and the weight of Harry's problems momentarily disappeared. They were ushered in quickly, and settled in for a relaxing month.

Harry had expected that they would be bombarded with questions, but none came. The Weasleys seemed simply thrilled to have him with them, and the rest of the Order would mention what they were doing, but never press him on what he was doing. Harry had a funny feeling that Lupin had something to do with that, as the mild-mannered man always seemed to be smiling slightly whenever Harry saw him. Harry assumed that they hoped he would open up to them, but he never did. He was much too happy enjoying the lack of pressure to save the world, even if most of that pressure was self-inflicted.

Ginny was still avoiding him, to his chagrin. She has greeted him just as warmly as the rest, pressing her lips to his cheeks hurriedly, but she was a rare sight around the house. Hermione seemed to take pity on the girl, and she too was missing most of the time that was spent in the Burrow. Harry felt a pang of emotion whenever he did see her, both wishing he could be with her and wanting to push her away even more, in order to protect her. He compromised by doing nothing, casting her sad smiles whenever he saw her, but never pushing it further.

The second week they were at the Burrow, Tonks and Lupin volunteered to take the group to Diagon Alley, so they could get some of their Christmas shopping done. The trio was eager to go to Diagon Alley again, desperate for the chance to go out and act like normal people their age. Tonks insisted on disguising them all, especially Harry, and fastened ridiculous-looking hats to each of their heads before allowing them out.

"Tonks, what is this thing?" Hermione asked, straightening the three-cornered purple felt hat decorated with a garish magenta feather. Tonks tapped the top of the hat with her wand, and Harry saw Hermione shiver.

"It's a disguising bonnet - one of Fred and George's creations. They do a fairly good job, as long as you don't get the hat knocked off your head," Tonks said, offering Hermione a mirror. "Just look into it and picture a disguise you'd like," Tonks added.

Hermione wrinkled her nose, and her hair shortened into a spunky blond bob. Her face rounded a bit, and her chocolate eyes transformed to a pale jade green. Her height and body type remained the same, and the hat vanished.

"Wicked," Ron muttered under his breath. Hermione smirked at him. Tonks handed him a frilly black pirate's hat and passed a plastic, gold-colored cap sporting two ivory horns to Harry. They both donned the hats eagerly and shared the mirror, quickly coming up with disguises. Ron's red hair deepened to a golden brown, his eyes to almost black. His freckles disappeared, and his nose shortened. Once he was satisfied, the hat disappeared as Hermione's had. Harry then took the mirror from Ron and examined his own face.

For the first time, he noticed how much it had changed from the boy he had been before Hogwarts. His eyes were clouded, still full of the pressures that he had to face before the war was over. His nose was longer, his skin was paler. A slight fuzz of dark facial hair was visible on his upper lip and under his chin, which he had never noticed before. He was barely recognizable as the boy Dudley had tormented in his early years.

Harry concentrated first on his hair. It lightened to a pale brown, smoothing against his head as it never had before. It fell into waves around his face in a very Lockhart-like manner, and Harry wondered vaguely if his old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher had been some sort of sub-conscious inspiration. His eyes morphed from a deep emerald green to a pale sky blue, and his skin deepened a shade or two. His scar faded slightly, but did not vanish completely.

"My scar's still here," Harry commented, looking up at Tonks. She nodded.

"Part of the twins' plan. They didn't want anyone to be able to hide themselves completely, so any distinguishing marks would still come through," she told him. Harry grimaced and handed the mirror back to her. The hat vanished, but he could still feel it perched on his head. He handed the mirror to Tonks, and she raked her eyes over him approvingly.

"Alright, now, let's stick together. No wandering off, no going into questionable areas. There have been some Death Eater sightings around Diagon alley...nothing major, but if they know you're there, it could escalate to something we don't want to deal with now. Everyone understand?" Lupin told them. They all nodded. He held out the jar of floo powder, and everyone took a pinch. Tonks moved towards the fireplace first, shouting "Diagon Alley!" and disappearing into the green flames. Lupin motioned to Ron next, and Hermione was close on his heels. Harry followed, stepping into the flames and being sure to pronounce every syllable clearly. He landed neatly on his feet at a grate just in front of The Leaky Cauldron, then stepped aside to allow Lupin through. Once they had all arrived, Tonks led them down the street at a leisurely pace, not wanted to attract attention.

The day was relaxing and successful. They spent their day picking out Christmas presents. Harry got Ron a regulation set of Quidditch balls, Hermione a set of handsome peacock quills and a suede journal, Mrs. Weasley a large cookbook with a handsome chef on the cover, and Ginny a gold necklace with a small pearl charm. He picked out a picture of Lupin with his parents from one of his mother's photo albums, and had it duplicated and framed for his old Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He picked up a daydream charm from the twins for Tonks, and a book on experimental herbs and potions for the twins. He had tossed a package of mechanical pencils and a college-ruled notebook into his trunk for Mr. Weasley before he had left the Muggles. It had been difficult to buy the gifts without their recipients seeing, but Harry was fairly certain he'd managed it. After a quick lunch at The Leaky Cauldron, they all returned to the Burrow.

The next week was just as quiet as the rest, but Harry was beginning to feel a bit restless. He found himself sorting through his trunk to stare at Hufflepuff's cup, curious about how to destroy it. He had also found his eyes straying towards Regulus's journal and the book Hermione had been reading, wondering what secrets lie within them. He finally broke down and leafed through Regulus's journal, eager to see if there were any hints of the final hidden horcrux's location.

September 3^rd, 1979

The Dark Lord - if he is even worthy of the name - does not cease to amaze. His lust for power is poorly hidden in his attempts to gain the loyal service of his followers. He truly lives up to his name...he is a riddle. He touts the idea that purebloods should be elevated above all, yet it seems as though he trusts Severus above any pureblood within our ranks. I do not doubt that Severus is perhaps the brightest of our members, but it would do well for Riddle to show some support for the purebloods. They are, for the most part, completely blind to his thirst for power, or if they realize, they don't care. I think they still believe he wishes to restore our former glory, though I'm certain now that he doesn't care about our noble lives at all.

I wish I could speak to Severus about all this. He would at least listen, and not betray my thoughts to Riddle. He has been missing for the past few days, and I worry that he found himself on the wrong side of Dumbledore's Order members. Riddle shows no concern for the one that appears to be his most loyal confidant, which makes me wonder even more what he is doing to achieve such power and immortality. Whispers of horcruxes have reached my ears...more than one. I researched the subject, and was horrified with what I found. If Severus were here, I would ask him, but there is no one I can speak with freely. I'm not sure if I ever could.

Harry read this entry over a few times, puzzled. It told him nothing new, other than that Snape had been missing in early September of that year. It said nothing of where a horcrux would be hidden, or what it even was. Clearly Snape hadn't been on the receiving end of a killing curse, as he was still quite alive and causing trouble for the Wizarding World. So where had he been, where he couldn't even tell his friend where he was going?

Harry flipped back to the entry about Bellatrix...the one that had revealed so much about the location of the cup. The entry seemed to imply that she was going on some sort of trip, too...perhaps Snape was doing something similar? And didn't Lucius Malfoy have one of the horcruxes, too? He'd planted it on Ginny...but what if he was supposed to conceal it, and he disobeyed? Had the Dark Lord entrusted pieces of his soul with his most trusted Death Eaters?

Harry snapped the journal shut and raced up the stairs to Hermione's room. By the time he reached her, his face was flushed and he was out of breath, not daring to hope that he could be right. She was buried in a book, and jumped at the sound of Harry entering. She marked her place and sat up, noticing Harry's expression.

"What is it?" she asked, confused.

"The maze, or dungeon...whatever you want to call it...how would you describe it?" Harry asked her hurriedly. She looked at him as if he'd lost his mind.

"Well, it was a bit sadistic," she said after a moment. "And a bit insane," she added after a moment.

"Exactly," Harry said, beaming at her. "It's too crude for what Voldemort would have put together, like the cave. And do you remember who was hiding the cup?" He asked her. She thought for a moment.

"Wasn't it Bellatrix?" she asked.

"Yes. And how would you describe her?" Harry prompted, his eyes gleaming.

"Well, I think she's quite insane, with a bit of a sadistic streak, but...oh, Harry, do you think she created that dungeon?" She asked, finally understanding the connection Harry had made.

"I think so. And who else was given a horcrux? Lucius Malfoy! What if he was supposed to create some elaborate hiding place for it, but never did it? And he held onto it for his own personal use?" Harry said.

"It's possible, Harry, but how would this help us?" Hermione asked, the confused look returning to her face.

"I think that Voldemort entrusted his horcruxes to his most loyal Death Eaters. And if he gave one to both Lucius and Bellatrix, then I'd imagine he'd give one to-"

"Snape!" Hermione said, bolting upright. "Oh no, this is terrible. He's ridiculously smart, and I'm sure his protections would be much worse than the ones Bellatrix came up with. Oh, Harry, what are we going to do? If he's hidden it, we'll never be able to get it," she exclaimed, fretting.

Harry studied her curiously. Part of him agreed...the man that killed Dumbledore was a ruthless, cold-hearted genius that would have spared no expense in protecting one of Voldemort's most treasured possessions. On the other hand, though, the man that had loved his mother...the one who had willingly turned himself into Dumbledore and risked his life to save his family, he could be reached. And Harry had a good idea of how to do it.

"I have an idea. I can't tell you about it now...but I think it might work. It's the only thing," Harry said, and he turned on his heel and dashed out of the room. Hermione stared after him, confused, but didn't say anything.

Harry ran into the living room, which was surprisingly empty. He grabbed a quill and a piece of parchment, and began writing.

Malfoy,

I need to speak to the person that sent you to me. I know I can't be certain if I should trust you or not, but I think I can. Please tell him that I really need to meet with him, and I won't try to seek any sort of revenge for things he may have done. It's extremely important. Ask him to contact me and let me know where and when we can meet. I'm trusting you, Malfoy. Please.

-HP

Hedwig was resting in her cage after a long evening of hunting, but when Harry approached her cage, she woke up instantly. Eager to help him, she fluttered to his arm and waited patiently as he tied the scroll securely around her leg and took her to the window.

"I need you to take this to Draco Malfoy. Be very careful, and don't get caught. This is really important, girl - it's probably the most important thing you'll ever deliver for me. I'm counting on you," he whispered, stroking her head. She nipped at his ear affectionately, then soared away. Harry watched her go, his eyes locked on her snowy wings until she was nothing more than a speck on the deepening horizon.

It was risky...Harry knew that. Risky and foolish and stupid - but it was the only thing that Harry could possibly come up with. He didn't know where Snape was hiding, but he was sure that Draco would be able to find him. If the note was intercepted...Harry didn't even want to think about it. He just hoped that it wouldn't be...because if it was, it meant certain death.