"Are you going to tell me who it is Harry?" I looked up at the sound of Neville's voice unaware that he had joined me for breakfast.

"What are you talking about Nev?" I was honestly confused as to what he was referring to.

"This mystery person you've been sneaking off to see at night. Don't try and feed me some crap either. I may not be the smartest bloke here, but I also know when someone is making excuses. And no offense mate but yours suck."

I groaned and slapped my face. I knew this was going to catch up to me. I had been making excuses all week long to disappear and now Neville wanted to know. He was my only real friend at the moment, and I suppose I owed it to him to be honest but I couldn't risk exposing the truth.

"Neville believe me when I say if I could tell you I would tell you. However if it was to get out what I'm up to there would be serious consequences and not just for me. Once it's safe I promise you will be the first person I tell, but until then I need you to just let me keep giving half ass excuses." I was hoping he would go for it.

"Alright, but you owe me then for my silence. Otherwise there would be nothing to stop me from running off screaming to anyone who would listen that you are having scandalous midnight meetings with a certain blonde haired Slytherin boy." I choked on my eggs as Neville finished his sentence causing the boy to laugh at my expense.

Once I was done coughing I spoke again. "What the hell….who are you and what have you done with Neville Longbottom? The boy I know doesn't blackmail his friends like that." Really it was good to see Neville gaining confidence and becoming more comfortable in situations like this. I'd even seen him start talking more to some of the Hufflepuff girls, namely Hannah Abbott and Susan Bones. As soon as I found out which one he was interested in the teasing would be never ending after that comment.

"Don't worry mate. It won't be anything big. I just need a distraction so I can ask Hannah to Hogsmeade this coming weekend. I still don't feel really comfortable talking in front of groups and I'd prefer to not have my first time asking a girl out be a drastic failure."

Well, scratch my last idea. I wouldn't ruin Neville's chance at this. "Sure I can do that. So I take it you would like for me to pull the lovely Miss Bones away for a few minutes?"

Neville nodded. "That is the idea yeah…hey wait where are you going?"

At getting the confirmation I had gotten up and began walking towards the girls who were seated about halfway down the Hufflepuff table. "To distract Susan mate, are you coming or not?"

I laughed a little as I heard Neville mutter something about not meaning right now, but there was no time like the present right? I waited until Neville was almost caught up before swooping in and tapping Susan on the shoulder.

She looked up at me with confusion probably wondering what I was going to say. Hell I was trying to figure out the same thing. "Morning Susan, I was wondering if I could talk to you alone for a minute."

The girl's confusion only increased at that and she looked to Hannah for help who just shrugged as if to say she didn't know. "Alright sure Harry just give me a second to get my things and we can go for a walk."

I simply waited until she had gathered up her bag and then offered my arm to her like the true gentleman I was. She took it and a light splash of red graced her cheeks as I began to lead her out of the hall. I could sense eyes from all over the hall on us, even a few pairs from the head table. Out of everyone staring though I only really took notice of one person in particular. She was currently glaring daggers not at me, but at the girl on my arm. I knew there was going to be some explaining to do after this. I wouldn't admit it but part of me enjoyed knowing that Daphne was jealous. It meant I had managed to make a good impression on her.

It didn't take long for Susan and me to make our way out onto the grounds. We spent most of the walk out there in silence. I figured Neville had already asked Hannah, but I had interrupted Susan's meal so the least I could do would be to take a walk by the lake with her.

"So it's a beautiful day today, don't you agree? Have you been enjoying the weekend?" I figured it was the best way to open up without making things awkward.

"We have been having some good weather, but it won't last long. The cold will start to set in soon I'm sure. My weekend has been pretty busy actually. I spent all day yesterday finishing any assignments we had, but let's cut the dancing around out Harry. What did you really bring me out here to talk about?"

I could tell the girl was nervous and I hoped it was because she thought I might be asking her out or something. This would be so much easier if she wasn't in any way shape or form interested in me. "Honestly? Neville asked me to do him a favor and distract you so he could ask Hannah to Hogsmeade this weekend. As a true Gryffindor and friend I felt it only right to oblige."

I smiled when Susan let out a breath. "That's a relief to hear Harry. I thought you might be trying to ask me out or something like that. No offense meant or anything it's just that you're not really my type and all."

Normally I might have taken offense to such a lame excuse, but I had more than enough on my plate without antagonizing another woman. "None taken. What do you say we finish up our walk by the lake here and head back in? I'm sure Neville has managed to stutter out his question by now."

Susan laughed and nodded her head in agreement. We walked slow and discussed simple things like classes and teachers for another five or ten minutes before heading back into the castle. When we finally reached the hall I noticed Daphne was already gone.

Neville however was sitting with a goofy expression on his face right next to Hannah Abbott who was talking animatedly about something. "Well judging by the look on your face Nev I assume everything went okay. So I'm going to drop the lovely Miss Bones back off here so she can continue her meal and gossip with her friend in peace."

Neville just blushed a little bit while ducking his head and giving me a punch to the shoulder. I chuckled and told them I would see them later or in class. Like Susan I had spent all day yesterday doing my assignments, but I had a different reason for it.

I fully intended to spend the next couple of hours exploring that room of lost objects to find out what had caused me to feel the way I did when I first entered it. I knew there was something I should be realizing, but I hadn't spent enough time in the actual room to figure it out. Opting to take the normal staircases up and not any of the shortcuts I knew turned out to be a mistake, or maybe not, on my part.

I was walking by an alcove on the fifth floor when I felt a hand grab the back of my robes and pull me into it. My wand was out and I turned around fast to hopefully catch my attacker off guard. Surprise clearly registered on my face when I found myself only an inch or two from Daphne's face. Gone was the happy expression she had worn two nights ago though. Instead she was now very clearly annoyed and pissed off.

"What the hell do you think you were doing Potter?"

I didn't play dumb this time as I valued my ability to walk right and didn't think that would last if I tried to avoid the question. "I know what you probably think you saw, but calm down and think rationally. Neville asked me for a favor, so I did it. I had to distract Susan long enough for him to do something. However, the fact that so many people saw me 'escort' Susan out this morning will only make it look like I'm actually interested in her. That way on the off chance someone finds out I'm meeting with someone she will be the natural suspect."

I mentally gave myself a pat on the back for coming up with that on the spot. Sound logical reasoning scored one for me, I hoped.

Daphne seemed to realize how close we were standing all of the sudden and gave me a gentle shove backwards. I was careful not to step back too far and expose myself to the main hall with the library doors in it. I assumed that was where Daphne had been headed or coming from when she ambushed me. The only other option was that I was being stalked. Admittedly she was a very attractive stalker, but nonetheless a stalker. No, I would definitely be telling myself it was the first option.

"Alright, you're right Harry. I let myself act without thinking. You're less than desirable qualities are starting to rub off on me now. I don't appreciate it so you are going to have to work on fixing them. Now get out of here before someone sees us together."

I wanted to make a comment about how it was her that pulled me into the dark alcove, but once again thought better of it and bit a hasty retreat back towards the staircases. It only took me a few more minutes to reach the seventh floor and then the corridor with the troll painting. Now that I knew where it was I did find it strange that this was the only portrait in this hall. It would have only stood to reason that it was hiding something.

I quickly set to work thinking of the room I wanted and pacing back and forth. The door appeared much the same way as it had last time and I opened it more confidently this time and strode in. I shut and locked the door behind me and then turned to face my new task. I holstered my wand so that I wouldn't accidentally drop it in the mess that was around and lose it.

Instead of jumping right into the first pile I saw I decided to wander around a bit and see if anything really caught my eye. I had that faint uneasy feeling again already and I wanted to figure out why. It was almost as if I could sense someone or something watching me. Perhaps the room had eyes or something? I reasoned to myself.

As I wandered further into the seemingly endless mess I began to wonder just how I was going to find my way back, but then realized I could always will the room to change if I got too lost. After wandering for another five minutes the feeling I had been getting suddenly changed. It was more distinct now and recognizable. It was something I had felt before but for the life of me I was having a mental block and couldn't decipher it.

I was distracted temporarily as I noticed an odd looking cabinet. It wouldn't have caught my attention except that instead of being haphazardly thrown into a pile like the rest of the furniture it was placed in the center of an aisle. Being careful since I didn't know if it was cursed or not I cautiously walked around to the front. There were some noticeable cracks in the sides and doors of the cabinet, but other than that it didn't appear to be anything special. I used the tip of my wand to edge the cabinet door open and peak inside.

"Empty. Well I guess the house elves just decided to leave it here then." I didn't pretend to understand the way a house elf's mind worked as I'm not sure even they knew.

I let the cabinet door swing closed again and started to wander back towards where I had come from. My attention off of the cabinet the feeling returned once again. Initially I had thought it was like I was being watched, but now that the feeling was stronger it was more like…like…someone was calling for me.

I stopped dead in my tracks. That was it. I knew the feeling I was having because I'd experienced it just a couple of weeks ago. The day that Kreacher had handed me the locket for the first time.

"How did he manage to get a horcrux in here…? More importantly where is it?" There were literally thousands of objects in this room, and I had no way to know what I was looking for. I could worry about the how of the situation after I found the horcrux. Deciding to trust the feeling I had to lead me where I needed to go I closed my eyes and let myself be guided almost.

I strode down the narrow pathways between piles confidently as if I had been here before. In a matter of seconds I was standing in front of a life size statue. The ornate details and carving of the statue wasn't what interested me though. On top of its head was sitting a gold and jeweled tiara of sorts, possibly a crown. I wasn't sure what it would be described as exactly, but I knew it was some type of headwear. Standing in front of it I could feel it practically singing to me to take it and reunite with what I had lost.

Instantly I felt dirty knowing that something like that had resided in me at one point. Living and feeding off of my magic, my mind, and my emotions. It was disturbing and something I was glad to be freed of, at least mostly.

More alert now than before I slowly approached the statue. It would have been hard for Voldemort to have placed any added protections in here, but that didn't mean I was taking any chances.

I knew a few revealing spells that I had read about, but didn't have much practice using them.

"Well I guess that means I'm going to do this the fun way." I took aim with my wand and cast a blasting hex at the base of the statue causing the legs to explode. I jumped back to avoid the statue as it fell forward and the crown fell from the head.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" Only inches off the ground the crown began to float upwards. I carefully brought it to me and gently reached out to grab it once it was within arm's reach.

"Oh shit…" Was all I managed to get out as the horcrux went to work assaulting my mind. I could hear it talking to me.

Knowledge greater than any that have come before you. It's all right here in this diadem. Put it on and you will have the knowledge and power to conquer all who would stand against you.

Despite knowing I had a job to do I found myself enticed. "Conquer anyone? I could beat Voldemort?"

All it would take is for you to place the diadem upon your head. Do it now and seal the fate of those who would wish you harm!

I hesitantly began to raise my arms and turned the diadem so that I could place it on my head. I was trying to fight, but this horcrux was much stronger than the previous one and I was about to lose the battle with it.

"STOP HARRY POTTER!"

I jumped from the sudden shouting and my hands let go of the diadem and it crashed to the ground. I turned around to see a woman, or rather a ghost, gliding towards me. She had dark black hair and grey eyes to match the flowing grey dress she wore. It hung loosely on her shoulders and left her ghostly skin exposed. I vaguely recognized her as the Ravenclaw ghost and then I remembered how Nick had told me to seek her out.

She spoke again in a softer voice when she finally reached me. "You must not put the diadem on Harry Potter. He cursed it and filled it with vile dark magic of the worst kind. It will do no good for anyone ever again. It's only purpose now is to corrupt those who seek it out for its power."

My eyes widened in surprise. "You know what that is then." It wasn't a question and I pointed at the diadem now lying on the ground. "Perhaps you can tell me how it got here then, or how Voldemort found it. Please I need to know this so I can destroy him."

The Grey Lady frowned at me. "You are not so different from him, I can tell. Both of you were young and powerful. You could turn on charm and use words to entice knowledge and favors from people if you pleased. Yet there was always a more cruel intention below the surface. I'm afraid I cannot tell you what you wish to know. You will only use it to do more evil deeds."

I couldn't believe it; she had the nerve to compare me to that monster? "I'm not trying to use this or any of the others he made. I need to know how he got this here and where it came from so I can better understand what Voldemort aimed to accomplish by creating all of these horcruxes. Then I am going to plunge a basilisk fang through the center of it and rid the diadem of its cursed existence."

The Grey Lady who had already begun to float away stopped and stared at me. It was as if she was looking right through me and into my soul, which I reasoned would not be good if she was considering what had once been a part of it. "You seek to destroy the diadem? Do you know what that diadem is Harry Potter?" I shook my head no, I had an idea but I wasn't positive. "That is the last remaining artifact from my mother, Rowena Ravenclaw."

I hid the surprise this time and only a slight dilating of my pupils would have given me away. "How did Tom Riddle get his hands on it?"

The Grey Lady smiled as if remembering a fond memory. "He was such a charming boy back then, like I said. He used to seek me out and Tom was the first in a long time to ask me my name. He would spend hours with me just listening to my tales and stories of what happened in my lifetime to earn me this sentence as a ghost. If I had known then what he would become…what he would do…well I never would have told him about the diadem."

So Voldemort had tricked her into telling him about the diadem, that seemed like him alright, but then how did he get it inside Hogwarts? "Did Tom put this here while he was a student?" I sincerely hoped not as that meant he had been creating horcruxes since he had been in Hogwarts, but then again there was the diary issue which meant he had already created one horcrux while in school; why not another?

"No, it was a few years after he had graduated the school that Tom returned with the diadem. It was so good to see him again. He was young, handsome, and radiating power. He applied for a teaching position here, but Dumbledore had taken over as headmaster at that point and he knew. He knew the acts that Tom had committed already and he turned him away. However, before he left he slipped in this room to deposit the diadem for safe keeping. I watched from a distance as he did it and when I came to observe my mother's diadem I could barely stand the sight of it. The dark magic was repulsive even to me." She paused for a few seconds before continuing. "Now you know the story Harry Potter. It is time you held up your end of the deal. Destroy the diadem and rid the world of the evil that resides within it. "

I nodded once and reached in my pocket to pull out the bag of fangs I had acquired when I was in the chamber. I carefully pulled one out and then placed the bag back in my pocket. I took a deep breath and knelt down in front of the diadem taking my first good look at it.

The whole thing was in the shape of a raven. The gold bars formed its wings with tiny glimmering stones embedded into them. Its body was formed by a single oval shaped sapphire. Perched atop the sapphire was a golden raven head. Along the lowest bars that formed the wings was a quote.

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure." I read out loud.

"That was my mother's favorite quote. She used to say it every day and now it stands as the motto for her house. Please hurry and complete the deed Harry Potter. I do not know if I will be able to stop you if the vile magic tries to control you again."

I knew she was right and I gripped the fang with both my hands at eye level. I was preparing to plunge it downwards and through the sapphire when the voices started up again. They promised me knowledge greater than any other. Power beyond my imagination. And for a split second I wanted it, but then I recalled the Grey Lady's earlier words about how similar I was to Riddle and drove the fang through the diadem.

I was thrown backwards again from the backlash of the soul exiting its carrier. There was an acrid smell in the air as black smog spewed from the now broken diadem. I could faintly hear a low hissing as if the soul was in pain and then it all stopped.

I was lying flat on my back and it felt like I had an electrical shock run through my body. My muscles were spasming and I couldn't stop my hands from twitching.

When I opened my eyes the Grey Lady was hovering over me. "Don't worry Mr. Potter I will get you help. You have done a great deed today and I will forever be in your debt."

She went to leave but I called out for her. "Wait, please don't get anyone. I can't let them know about any of this. It's my burden and something I need to take care of my own."

"Mr. Potter you are badly hurt from the severe magical backlash. I must get you help."

"Get Dobby the house elf then. Tell him Harry Potter needs his help and bring him to me. Do not tell anyone else of what has happened here, and then we can consider ourselves even."

She said no more to me before she left and I could only hope she would do as I said. I laid my head back down and enjoyed the cold feeling of the stone floor on the back of my neck. It helped to take away some of the tingling. My eyes were becoming very heavy and I could feel them starting to droop.

I needed to stay awake. I fought desperately to maintain consciousness, but it was a losing battle. First one eye closed and then the second followed shortly after until my world went black.

When I woke up again I found myself laying on something soft. It was a good deal more comfortable than the stone floor I had been thrown onto. I balled my hands up in the sheets…wait sheets? Instantly I was wide awake as I took in my surroundings. I was in the Hospital Wing, which meant Madame Pompfrey had seen me and most likely Dumbledore. I could only hope that Dobby or whoever had brought me here had come up with a believable story. I fell off my broom or something. I didn't even care as long as it wasn't the truth.

I checked my wrist and found my wand still safely holstered there. Swinging my legs off the side of the bed and sitting up caused a wave of nausea to hit me but it quickly passed. I gently dropped to the floor and started to put on my shoes which were conveniently next to my bed.

Once I was fully dressed I double checked that I hadn't left anything behind and quietly tiptoed to the door. Being careful to make as little noise as possible lest I wake the matron and be forced back into my bed. I shut the door just as quietly and carefully and then proceeded to climb up the stairs to the Gryffindor dorms. I had a feeling I was going to have a long day of explaining tomorrow and I would much rather enjoy sleeping in my own bed as opposed to the bed in the hospital wing.

Neville was sitting across the table at lunch the next day staring at me like I had grown an extra head. "So one more time mate, how did you end up in the hospital wing last night?"

I sighed and repeated my story for what felt like the thousandth time that day. "I was out wondering the halls and I got bored so I tried to practice some spells and one went a little awry and scared one of the house elves. Apparently it didn't take that too well since it used its magic to knock me back into a wall and I hit my head."

Neville was clutching his stomach as he laughed at me. "That's priceless Harry. So you can stand up to death eaters, basilisks, and Voldemort. But put you up against a crazed house elf and you'll lose every time." His laughter renewed as he finished his summary and I smiled thinking about the absurdity of the situation. I had been able to get a hold of Dobby when I got back to the dorm the previous night and he had informed me that that was what he had told Madam Pompfrey when he brought me down.

Any comment I was going to make back died on my tongue as I saw a stern looking Professor McGonagall making her way towards us. I had no doubt that I was about to be escorted to the Headmaster's office to have a nice chat about why I disappeared from the hospital wing in the middle of the night. "Well Nev, I'll see you later then looks like I've got a date with the old man of the castle."

I rose from my seat and waited patiently for McGonagall to reach me. Deciding to have some fun with this I put on the brightest smile I could. "Good afternoon Professor! I suppose you're here to escort me to my interrogation so please lead the way." I made a grand sweeping gesture with my arm to show that she should go before me and I would follow. All I received in response was a small upturning at the corner of her lips and a raised eyebrow. She said nothing though and instead opted to just continue on and I fell in behind.

As we walked through the castle I was humming a made up tune to myself. Partially because I was bored, but the other part of me was just trying to be obnoxious. I was just about to give up on getting a rise out of McGonagall when she stopped dead in her tracks and turned around to face me. "Mr. Potter! If you would not mind I would like to finish this walk in silence. That means no humming, whistling, or talking. You've already caused me enough of a headache today by sneaking out last night. Madam Pompfrey screamed her head off at me this morning for that little stunt."

I could tell my head of house was clearly agitated and decided it was best not to push my luck any further for now. I didn't want to get stuck in detention after all. A short while later and we were walking up the staircase that led to the headmaster's office. I had made a mental note of the password just in case I needed to come here for some odd reason.

McGonagall went to knock but was told to enter before her fist had made contact with the door. Inside the room was Dumbledore, but also Madam Pompfrey. That was surprising because I didn't think she would leave the hospital wing in case someone got hurt while she was gone, but then again I suppose she could have left a house elf in charge temporarily. An involuntary shudder ran through my body at the thought of Dobby in the hospital wing when I remembered how he tried to 'help' me in second year.

When I looked in Dumbledore's direction I noticed him shift his eyes ever so slightly to avoid contact with mine. I narrowed my eyes at the reaction as it was the second time he had done it. There was definitely something going on with that and I wanted to know it was.

"Ah Minerva, Harry please take a seat and we can get this meeting underway as I understand you both have things you need to be doing. And no doubt Poppy here is anxious to return to the hospital wing." McGonagall remained standing, but I decided to take the offered seat and let myself drop down into one of the two located in front of the desk. Again Dumbledore avoided my eyes.

Madam Pompfrey was the first to start in on me. "Mr. Potter! What were you thinking leaving the hospital wing in the middle of the night? You could have done serious damage to yourself had you not been fully healed!"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "I woke up sometime in the middle of the night and I felt fine. I had all my things and so I decided to get up and go to my dorm. There was no reason for me to take up a bed space if I wasn't injured anymore."

"But you could have hurt yourself more by leaving if I hadn't fully healed you!"

"I might have, but you would have been in the room still working on me if that was the case. I've been in the hospital wing enough to know you don't take a break until a patient is fully cured. Really if the only issue here is that I left the hospital wing early then can this meeting be done? I'm pretty sure that nowhere in the rules does it state a student can't leave the hospital wing under their own power."

I didn't know for sure, but it made sense that way. If a person could leave under their own power but was denied the right to it was basically kidnapping. The matron seemed like she wanted to say more but bit her tongue and just settled for clicking at me disapprovingly.

Dumbledore took over from there. "Well this is true. There is no rule that says you can't leave however in the future I would advise you to at least tell someone that you plan to do it. We were quite worried this morning when you weren't in the bed you started in." I nodded my head not actually planning on making any more trips to the hospital wing this year, but assuming I would probably make at least two more based off my current track record. "I don't believe there is anything else to discuss on that matter, but I would like that you stay Harry so we can discuss what led to you being put in the hospital wing."

I nodded and stayed in my seat as the older two witches made their way to the door. I'd expected this was coming as Dumbledore was not one to just take someone else's version of a story and believe it at that. No he much preferred to actually question the person involved so he could tell if they were lying. I set my mind shields in place as best as I could hoping it would help me in making my tale believable? .

"Now Harry, could you tell me what happened last night that led to your arrival at the hospital wing? You were in a pretty bad condition from what Madam Pomfrey told me."

I nodded my head. "I was using an abandoned classroom to practice some spells in Headmaster. I was really getting into it and a sound behind me caught my attention. I wasn't thinking so I had turned around fast and flung a spell in the direction worried someone might be trying to sneak up on me. It turned out only to be a house elf but I must have scared the little bugger because he hit me with some of his magic and next thing I know I'm crashing into a wall and then blackness."

Dumbledore peered over his spectacles at me, still adamantly refusing to make eye contact though. It was creepy to know he was looking at me but at the same time looking over my shoulder. It made me feel like there was someone behind me and instinctively I felt my wand holster.

"Yes that is the story that I was told by Dobby I showed up Harry. It seems that the others were inclined to believe it, especially Professor Snape. His words exactly were "See I told you Potter was more useless than a house elf." However I am not as inclined to believe it. Tell me Harry why were you in the Room of Requirement last night?"

Well shit. I decided to play dumb. "Room of Requirement sir?"

"Yes Harry, the Room of Requirement is just one name for the secret room you stumbled upon on the seventh floor corridor."

How'd he know I was there? Was the main thought running through my mind at the moment.

"I didn't know that's what it was called sir. I accidentally found it a couple of days ago and it gave me a nice quiet place to read outside of the common room. Is there something bad about the room?"

Dumbledore rose from his seat and walked towards the many shelves along his wall lined with all sorts of silver trinkets. He stopped in front of the middle shelf and tapped on an odd set of silver balls that were seemingly suspended in the air chasing each other in a circle. "No Harry, the room itself is not bad and in fact I encourage you to use it to your advantage for studying. " I nodded and waited for him to continue since I could already feel the 'but' coming. "This device here monitors the school Harry. I have many such devices as you can see and each one looks for something different. They are in part how I know so much about what is happening around the castle. This one's specific function is to show any sudden spikes in magic that occur. That way I will know if there is a duel or perhaps a prank that got out of hand." He paused here again and suddenly I had a bad feeling. If that thing could detect fluctuations from pranks or duels then certainly the destroying of a horcrux and its magical backlash would have caused it to go haywire.

"That's interesting sir, but what does it have to do with me?" I wasn't going to make this easy and if he wanted the truth he was damn well going to work for it.

"Well last night Harry, coincidentally about the time you were injured, there was an enormous spike in magic. This was something much larger than a house elf could have caused and I find myself curious as to the timing and your appearance in the hospital wing shortly later."

So he couldn't pinpoint where the spike had come from. Which meant he was fishing for answers from me, and I wasn't going to give them. "That is strange sir, but I promise you I was simply practicing spells in the Room of Requirement. Nothing I was doing could have caused what you are describing to happen."

Dumbledore seemed to evaluate me as he slowly made his way back his desk and sat down again. "Secrets are not always good Harry. In the times that are coming it is imperative that you and I can trust each other. As you know the Ministry would rather see us discredited and called fools and insane than to admit that Voldemort has returned. I fear it will be like this for at least another year and in that time we could accomplish much if we worked together."

I snorted at the audacity of the man. He was lecturing me about keeping secrets now? The man who wouldn't tell me about a prophecy saying that I was destined to kill or die. The man who had yet to mention that I might be a horcrux, that a part of Voldemort was living inside of me. I had no doubts he knew or suspected the same and was still withholding the information.

"I could say the same to you sir, about the secrets that is. I have asked you twice now about why Voldemort came to kill me that night and still you haven't told me the truth." I reveled in the small victory as a brief look of shock spread across Dumbledore's face; only to vanish a split second later and be replaced with a fake look of confusion.

"Harry I have told you my theory on why Voldemort attacked you that night. I'm sorry if you think I am holding something back from you, but I can assure you I am not." I really couldn't believe his ability to sit there and lie to me like it was normal. I suddenly found myself questioning everything Dumbledore had said or did throughout my time at the school. How much of it was all just an act and how much of it was actual sincere concern for the well-being of us students?

"I don't think you have sir and another thing. You are speaking about trust and working together, but you have been refusing to look me in the eyes for the past week now. Why is that? How can I be expected to trust someone who won't even look at me?"

Dumbledore at least had the good nature to look ashamed at my accusation this time. "You are correct in that I am avoiding looking into your eyes Harry, but it is not for the reasons you are thinking. Tell me Harry have you had any strange visions this summer, or glimpses into the mind of Voldemort?"

I thought about it for a moment trying to remember if anything like that had happened to me. I didn't think so, and the last time it had was when I had seen Voldemort being helped by Pettigrew in the hut. Aside from the nightmares that had plagued the beginning portion of my summer nothing else had been off. "No sir, other than the nightmares I was having at the beginning. Why?"

This time the shock and surprise didn't go away. "That is good news Harry. I had feared your connection with Voldemort might grow in strength now that he has returned." I subconsciously reached up to my scar and traced it with two fingers. "Yes, I had thought Voldemort might be sending you visions of what he was doing or trying to exploit the connection your scar offers to spy on me. That is why I have been avoiding your eyes."

If I had heard that last year I would probably have paled in fear or began to get angry at the injustice of it. Now though I just sat in my seat and thought it over. If a connection like what Dumbledore was speaking about did it exist than it could have been a potentially terrible problem if Voldemort had seen what I was up to in the room last night. Studying occlumency and learning to master the art was now going to be moved up on my list of priorities. "Sir is that really possible?"

"Rightly, I do not know. Nothing like it has ever been documented before. There have been tales of magical twins sharing a link where they can sense if the other is in trouble, but never see events through it. If something like this were to exist between you and Voldemort it would be the first of its kind and fully unexplored territory."

It didn't make sense to me though. "Why do you think it exists if nothing like it has ever occurred before sir? What makes me so different?" My suspicions on Dumbledore knowing I was a horcrux had risen greatly since the beginning of our talk and I was hoping I could at least get him to hint at it. The man was too manipulative and controlling to just willingly tell me that information outright.

"It is just a theory I have Harry. Nothing more and nothing less. You had already shared a strong connection with Voldemort before his rebirth this past year and I felt that him using you as part of the ritual might have strengthened it. I am glad to know my assumptions have so far proven false though. If anything does come up please don't hesitate to come tell me." For the first time this year Dumbledore looked me in the eyes and he turned on his grandfatherly charm.

"Certainly sir. If anything comes up I'll make sure to come tell you about it. The last thing I need is for Voldemort to have free access to my mind." Of course I wasn't going to tell him, but that was what the man wanted to hear.

"Thank you Harry. I have nothing else for you at the moment, so if you have nothing for me then I will write you a note for your next class and send you on your way."

I thanked the headmaster for the note and excused myself from the room. Once I was safely out of the corridor that housed the gargoyle I let a smile break across my face. It wasn't perfect and Dumbledore still has his suspicions, but for the most part I had been able to get away with lying right to his face. In the future I would have to be more careful though. The last thing I needed was for Dumbledore to pop in on one of my training sessions and see some of the curses and spells I was using. While none of them were all that bad I could already envision the disappointed look I would receive and hear the long drawn out speech about not stooping to the death eaters' level.

I took my time in making my way to the charms classroom. Flitwick wouldn't mind that I was late since I had the headmaster's note. I let my thoughts wander to the events of the previous night. I had destroyed yet another horcrux and was one step closer to finishing Voldemort for good. I was making progress at a rapid rate now, but I knew it would probably be slowing down. I had no leads on where Hufflepuff's cup was, and I didn't even know if that was the last one. At the next convenient time I would stop into the library and try and find some books on artifacts and see if there was anything on the history of them. It could give me a hint as to who had it now.

I reached the charms classroom and pushed the door open. Professor Flitwick looked at me briefly and I held up the note in my hand so he could summon it. After briefly glancing at it he nodded and told me to take my seat and start practicing the spells we had covered last year. It was our OWL year after all and a big part of the test was knowledge from previous years. There were only two or three actual new charms that we would be learning this year in class and as such they could be taught later towards the end of the year to make sure they were still fresh in our mind.

I took my seat next to Neville who was lazily waving his wand over his parchment. I cocked an eyebrow as with every wave and a muttered incantation from him the parchment would change colors. I hadn't ever seen Neville this confident before in his spell work and I was impressed but how much he had really come into his own. I guess all he needed this whole time was for someone to be his friend and believe in him.

I left my books packed as I knew I wouldn't need them for this lesson. I pulled my wand from its holster and debated on what spell to practice first. I was pretty confident I could cast all of the spells we had learned up until this point perfectly when I vocalized them, but now I was going to use this period to work on my nonverbal casting. I lazily pointed my wand in the direction of a shelf of books in the corner of the classroom.

Focusing on one heavy looking tome on the bottom shelf with a blue cover I gave a silent thought of accio!

It was only my quick seeker reflexes that saved me from getting smacked right in the head by the book as it came hurtling off the shelf at me. I hadn't been expecting the spell to work on the first try. Most of the curses from the books that Sirius had sent me took me at least ten tries or so to get any type of decent results. Although now that I was thinking about it those did require a lot more power than a simple summoning spell.

Neville had stopped changing his parchment to look at me now. "Wow I didn't even here you say anything Harry. Scared the hell out of me when I look up and see a book flying in my direction."

I smirked at being able to scare him a little bit. "That's because I didn't say anything Nev. I cast that spell nonverbally. It caught me off guard though since I wasn't expecting to get it to work on the first try like that."

Flitwick overheard my comments and jumped down from his pile of books to come towards our desk. "Excuse me Mr. Potter, but did you just say you cast that spell nonverbally?"

I nodded. "Yes Professor. It's something I read about and have been practicing with in my free time, but normally it takes me a lot longer to get a spell to work."

Flitwick was now bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet in excitement. "Excellent work Mr. Potter! Would you demonstrate a few more spells for me if you can? If you perform them to my standards I will excuse you from the revision period and instead allow you to tutor your fellow classmates or work on a personal project as long as it is charms related."

I picked up my wand and carefully aimed it at the book I had summoned. I concentrated on what I was doing and then thought Wingardium Leviosa.The book rose from the desk and I gently guided it back to its previous spot on the shelf. Flitwick clapped and made a go on motion with his hands. By this time I noticed most of the class had stopped to watch what I was doing.

I went through the motions for a few more simple charms like incendio, the banishing charm, the color changing charm, and a cleaning charm before Flitwick spoke once again. "Well done, well done! I think one more spell should do it Mr. Potter. How about choosing something a little bit harder this time, perhaps one of the fourth year charms?"

I nodded and was going to cast the summoning charm on multiple objects but then stopped as an idea came to me. I wasn't sure it would work as the charm was far past fourth year and I had never tried it nonverbally. I gathered my thoughts and concentrated on the happiest memories I had; the summer with Emily, Sirius telling me he considered me family, and Daphne and I bonding just a few days ago. A silent expecto patronum and I sat amazed as a silver stag burst forth from my wand tip.

It wasn't as bright as the one I had cast in third year when Sirius was in trouble and we were surrounded, but for a first time nonverbal casting I wasn't going to complain. There were gasps of shock and whispers from behind me as the rest of the class looked on as Prongs wandered back and forth around the front of the classroom. Professor Flitwick had fallen over in shock and surprise when the patronus had burst from my wand and was just now getting to his feet again.

"Fifty points to Gryffindor Mr. Potter! I had heard rumors you were able to cast a patronus, but did not expect it to be fully corporeal let alone done silently! Yes splendid work! As promised you may have these revision periods for a personal charms related project or if you felt so inclined to offer tutoring to some of your classmates you may do that as well."

"Thank you Professor. I don't even know what I would begin to work on as a project yet, so I think for now I'll just go around and see if anyone would like help or some tips."

In all my years at Hogwarts so far, never would I have seen myself as the type of person people would willingly go to for help in a subject. That would have been Hermione; she was always the smart one of the group after all. But as I got up and turned around after making sure Neville didn't need any help I found at least four people looking at me trying to get my attention. I moved up the stairs and decided to just work my way around the room in order so that I could help as many people as possible.

The first person I came to was surprisingly Parvati. I hadn't spoken with her much since our terrible time at the Yule ball last year and figured this was my time to apologize for being a terrible escort.

"Hey Parvati, what did you need help with?" I smiled at her as I bent down to get a better look at what she was reading about.

"Hi Harry. I know it's simple and only a third year charm, but I just can't seem to get the hang of the cheering charm. I can kind of make it work, but whenever I cast it on Lavender she says she just feels okay and not overly cheerful like the spell should do."

"Alright well go ahead and try and cast it on me and I'll watch to see if it is something you are doing with the wand movement or pronunciation first." I braced myself as she held the wand up and gave it a slight twirl and stick in my direction. A pale yellow beam of light shot from the tip of her wand and closed the distance between us in no time. True what she had said I felt okay and slightly lifted up, but not cheerful like the charm should have done.

"Well your mechanics seem good and your pronunciation was spot on. Tell me are you actually focusing on how you want the person to feel. Remember half of spell casting is intent. If you are just casting the charm while being indifferent towards it or not really focusing on what you want the person to feel your magic could be reacting to the intent it feels."

Parvati practiced the spell on me a couple of more times each time working on focusing hard on the emotion she wanted the other person to feel. Gradually the cheerful sensation was becoming stronger and stronger until it was almost at full effect. I told her to keep practicing like that and she would be good with it.

I received a big smile back and a thank you. Before I moved on I leaned in to whisper. "I'm sorry about the way I treated you last year at the ball. I was having a bad year and didn't really want to go to the ball but was forced to and so I took that out on you. It was wrong and I hope you'll forgive me."

She seemed surprised that I had apologized, but smiled and told me it was okay and she forgave me. I moved on to the next table where Dean and Seamus asked me to look over their wand mechanics as they worked on a couple of spells. After watching for a few minutes I gave them some pointers and demonstrated for them about how to not exaggerate the movements too much before moving on. I was going to ask Ron who was glaring at his book angrily if he needed help, but when I walked towards his desk he just glared at me and then looked back at his book.

I walked around his desk and was now on the side of the room where the Slytherins we shared the class with were sitting. I didn't think any of them would want my help, but decided I'd at least walk over there anyway.

"Potter." I turned my head and found myself looking at Zabini. It seemed like I had been wrong about them not wanting my help. The sound of the boy asking saying my name had drawn the attention of his house mates who were now looking back and forth between him and me.

"Yes Zabini?" I kept my tone neutral as I didn't want to make it worse on him and have people think we were friends, but I didn't want to come across as hostile either.

"Would you mind helping me with this summoning charm? You seem to have a knack for it if your little display earlier is anything to go by."

"Sure I can do that. Do you mind if I sit though?" I gestured to the empty chair beside him and he shook his head while pulling it out slightly. I sat down next to him and began to listen to his description of how he was casting the spell. I couldn't figure out what he was doing wrong just from listening to it, so I told him to go ahead and try to summon the quill I had left on my desk.

He pointed his wand at it and I watched as he flicked it upwards before saying the incantation. The quill moved, but it was off target and flew over our heads and into the wall behind us.

"That was it. You're just flicking the wand a little too much which is what is causing the object to overshoot. A violent motion of a wand is meant for spells with more power or area targets. With the summoning spell you are trying to bring a single object to you in a controlled fashion, so your wand movements also need to be controlled. Try summoning the quill to you again, but this time with just the slightest of flicks upwards and hold it."

Zabini nodded and turned in his chair to face the spot where the quill now lay on the floor. Following the advice I had given him he cast the spell again, but this time instead of my quill being catapulted across the room it zipped towards the tip of his wand where he was able to reach out and grab it. He examined the quill in his hand for a second before turning to me and handing it over.

"Thanks for that Potter. You're not as dumb as I would have expected for a Gryffindor."

I snorted at the back handed compliment and returned one of my own. "Thanks Zabini and you're not as evil as I would have expected from a Slytherin. I'm going to see if anyone else needs help, but feel free to ask if you need my assistance again."

Even though the rest of the Slytherins had continued their work I knew they had been stealing glances at me the whole time I had been helping Zabini with his work. I didn't care about that and I found that I actually enjoyed the fact that it seemed like I had at least one other person I could be on talking terms with from Slytherin.

That could be useful for Daphne also if/when the news of her being pregnant with my kid came out. It never hurt to have people who could look out for you.

If I thought Ron had been glaring at me earlier he looked down right murderous now. No doubt he was barely restraining himself from another speech about how I was training the enemy. Hermione was looking at me with a small frown on her face. Whether it was from the fact that I had helped a Slytherin or showed her up in class again I didn't know or care.

Class ended soon after that and I packed up my things slowly. I was in no hurry to leave the classroom and figured that if I gave Ron time to leave before me I could avoid the confrontation. I caught site of Daphne talking to Professor Flitwick and every now and then the Professor's eyes would look in my direction. The smile never left his face though and he nodded happily before Daphne turned and left the room. She shot me a smirk which only confused me more until Flitwick called me down to his desk.

I grabbed my bag and walked up to the front of the room. "Mr. Potter I know you are likely very busy with being your OWL year and Quidditch starting next week. However Ms. Greengrass has just asked me if I could try and talk to you about tutoring her once a week in Charms. She is fairly adept at the subject, but thought that the extra practice couldn't hurt. I'm not one to shoot down the idea of students taking extra time to study Mr. Potter so I told her I thought it was a splendid idea. When I asked why she simply didn't ask you herself she expressed her concerns over the fact that you were a Gryffindor and she was a Slytherin. It is such a shame that these petty house rivalries seem to be the defining lines for so many of the students friends. Anyway I told her I could make no promises that you would be able to assist her, but that I would at least speak with you about it."

So that was what the smirk she had sent me was. Daphne had played this well and the lessons would give her an excuse to be around me. It was a very good cover for us to use to talk about the baby and other topics in an attempt to get to know each other. I was going to have a busy schedule, but Katie had already decided against having practices Friday nights as she didn't want to wear the team out before game day so that would leave my evening free. "Sure Professor, I can do that. I'm free Friday nights so if you would be kind enough to let Ms. Greengrass know that next time she has class."

Flitwick looked like he had been hit with a cheering charm. "Yes Mr. Potter I will definitely let her know. It is good to see that you have begun to move out of Gryffindor house and expand your circle of friends Mr. Potter. Before you leave would you mind if I imparted some advice onto you that I normally give all of my new Ravens?" I nodded and motioned for him to go ahead curious as to what the man had to say. "When looking at the other houses, remember that the students there are all sorted by qualities they possess at the age of eleven. People grow up and change, so never close yourself off to new opportunities for friendship."

I thanked the Professor for his advice and made my way out of the classroom. It was true what he had said and I couldn't believe it had taken me this long to realize that. I was just grateful that I had someone who chose to give me the wake-up call I had needed in my life. A smile formed on my face as I made my way to the library intent on finding something I could use as a personal charms project.

A/N So to anyone who is concerned that Harry is destroying the Horcruxes too fast, don't worry this will be the last one for a while. I just wanted to have him get rid of the 'easier' to locate ones. It will leave more time in the future to find and destroy the remaining ones. There was a brief Harry/Daphne interaction in this chapter just to show how Daphne's attitude towards him is starting to change, and next chapter will have another meeting between the two as well as some confrontations with other people. This is really just a brief filler chapter that I was able to finish and upload at the library. Hope you all enjoy it though and will read and review to let me know what you like and what you don't. Have a good weekend!