It was in the second sleeping mind that she found what she was looking for. The dreamer had left the first wizard's mind disgusted. The man had unnatural sexual tastes and they dominated his thoughts. The second one was not any prettier, but it was his magical objects that pleased him more than anything. He had a secret little vault under his house where he kept his treasures and the Hogwarts shield was one of his most precious ones.
The story behind his acquisition of it was amusing for the wizard did know that it was a horcrux. This man, Barry Caitiff, knew because he was a Death Eater and he had an affair with the wife of another Death Eater who originally was to keep the object for their master. The woman had told her lover about the secrets her spouse had told her. The husband had been captured and sent to Azkaban. So Caitiff took his chance and stole the shield from the other's household. The idiot wife never knew it had gone missing. The husband had died in Azkaban and the wife passed on a few years later. And it was not because the shield was a horcrux that the wizard had wanted it. He wanted it because the shield would protect whomever held it in his possession completely from magic. Caitiff was so afraid that he might have failed their Lord somewhere along the way that he was protecting himself.
Caitiff no longer did any work as a Death Eater. He was retired, in a sense. He remained holed up in his little house with his enchanted objects and his growing insanity.
Rhyann skirted around those chaotic pockets in his mind to focus upon what the horcrux really was. It was so near what was making Caitiff mad though, she had to tread very carefully. What Harry had called just a silly fairy tale was, in fact, reality. The horcrux was an enchanted object with the piece of one's soul in it. When a person did this, they risked diminishing their humanity but at the same time, as long as the object remained safe, they would never die. It was a way to become immortal.
What was even more shocking was who the piece of soul within the shield belonged to: Voldemort.
Her mind whirled. If she had hoped that Harry could kill the Dark Lord before and free her, she would have been in for a horrible surprise. There would be no way anyone could kill him. There could be a thousand prophecies that stated the scarred teen would be the one to defeat Voldemort, but none of them spoke about the horcrux. None of them knew that he had ensured his own immortality with the dangerous spell.
It explained to her now why her master was the way he was and her fear of him, the feeling of unnaturalness about him. Rhyann had not been able to pin down why she felt that way, but it was only because she did not know such a thing was possible. She had always been taught that one could not separate one's own life energies. To do so would have unthinkable consequences. The Dark Lord was like a lich. It sent shivers through her even in the dreaming world.
The dreamer left Barry Caitiff's mind and floated in the vast universe of twinkling energies. Harry had known about the horcrux as well. Surely he could not have figured it out on his own. It had to be that Dumbledore had known and that was the reason why everyone always said he was the only wizard that the Dark Lord feared. It made sense. Such knowledge would be precious. Was Potter searching for the horcrux as well?
Snape knew about the horcrux and that explained his need for secrecy. Perhaps he did not trust Caitiff to protect it. He did say he was going to bring it back to Hogwarts. Was he trying to keep it hidden from Potter by having it right under his nose? It seemed like something he would do.
If she wished to be free of Voldemort's hold, she knew that he would have to die. Rhyann could not do so herself. It was to be Harry and she would help him as she could. If Snape was bringing the horcrux to hide in the castle, then she would have to tell Harry that it was there and let him destroy it so that he could later kill the Dark Lord.
Rhyann browsed the final wizard's mind that was on Snape's list and found nothing new except more abominations. All those men had served Voldemort at some point and they were horrid individuals. She could not believe that everyone who served the Dark Lord was that way. Her uncles may hate muggles and want to purify the wizarding world, but they were not as despicable as those men. Lucius, she could could believe, had a soul just as black no matter his proper public facade.
After getting some good sleep herself, she awoke just after sunrise. Rhyann was washed and dressed before any of the other students in her tower were awake. She went down to the Deputy Headmaster's office, sure that he would be awake as well. The door was open and he sat labeling various vials at his desk.
She knocked and peered in at him. "Good morning, Professor."
Snape's head jerked up. The usual dark circles under his eyes seemed a little deeper this morning. "Miss Rookwood. Come in and shut the door behind you." He immediately put down his quill and gave her his full attention.
The dreamer shut the door and did not bother to sit down. "Barry Caitiff. He's the one. In a vault under the floor boards at the left back corner of his house."
There was a brief flicker of triumph in his face but he swiftly got it under control. "Thank you. This information you have gotten for me is very important." He looked at her intensely. "You do understand how important now, don't you?"
"Yes, I do, sir." Rhyann held his gaze and nodded.
"And you do understand the need for secrecy as well?"
"Yes, completely." She nodded a second time.
His head echoed her nod, rounding his desk. "If you have any questions..."
"Professor, from what I did learn in Caitiff's mind, I believe it best if I know nothing else. You must do as you must do and you may trust me not to say anything about it just as I trust you with the horcrux." Her large dark eyes shimmered with his gaunt image.
"Very well." Snape's eyes squinted slightly, staring at her queerly. His lips thinned. "Thank you once again then, Miss Rookwood. You may go now. I have my own business to attend to."
Rhyann took the few steps back to the door and opened it. She almost felt she should be thanking him instead. "Have a good day, sir."
It was Sunday and the students were not so early rising, but the morning meal still began at the same time every day. She made her way to the Great Hall and was not so surprised to see the Head Girl at the Gryffindor table with a very sleepy looking Harry beside her. Rhyann greeted them and asked to see him after the evening meal. There was a meeting that night and they were meet beforehand. The rest of her day was spent engrossed in homework and how she was going to bring up the subject to Potter.
Knowing about the secret DADA meetings now, Draco didn't question where she went after dinner. If he found the time and he knew she was at a meeting, he would go too. Yet half of the time, he could not make it and made no complaints that she was going.
Rhyann was there and sitting in one of the big chairs before Harry arrived. He smiled at her as he came in and flopped down in the chair beside her. "Hi."
"Hi Harry." Her lips quirked up in a little fae smile. "You don't look like you're getting much sleep. How are you doing?"
"Oh, it's all these bloody assignments. It's hard to keep up!" The marred teen huffed, stretching out his long legs in front of him.
"Hermione says you just need to keep to a proper.." Rhyann started and he joined in to say the last word with her, "schedule." They both laughed and she gave a bit of a shrug. "We all know she's right though."
"Yes, I know." Harry sighed and ran his hand lazily through his thick locks. "Are we going to do some dreaming now?"
"If you'd like." She curled up her legs to her and then hesitantly asked, "Do you remember when I asked you what a horcrux was last semester?"
She could see the muscles in his neck go tense. Harry nodded. "Yes, I remember."
"Well, I heard that word again. Professor Snape has one. Do you think he might use it in class, show us what it is?" Rhyann gave him her most naive tone, cocking her head to the side.
Harry looked at her consideringly and then stated, "I know he has it. He's brought it back already today."
Her breath caught in her throat. How did he know that! Snape swore her to secrecy. She had doubted anyone else knew but the two of them.
"I also know you helped him to find it. Was it with your family or a friend of your family's?"
Rhyann knew her face must have paled. She was shocked and bewildered. Harry knew! The only person that could have told him was Snape himself. Harry knew that she knew too but he did not know that she went into the dreaming realm to find the information. Why one thing and not another? What was going on! "Just... a family friend..."
"Snape swore you to secrecy, didn't he?" A little smile played across Harry's lips.
She didn't trust her voice at the moment but she replied in a shaky way. "He... did. He didn't say though..." The Deputy Headmaster had her say that she would not tell anyone else, but he did not say that he hadn't told anyone himself.
"Of course, he didn't say anything himself." Harry leaned back and sighed. "He doesn't trust people. I'm surprised he had you help. I think most of the time he doesn't trust me. I know he hates me, but we have to work together on this now that Dumbledore..."
"Work with you on what!" Rhyann blurted out.
Harry locked his green eyes with her ebony ones. "With destroying the horcruxes."
Horcruxes! There were more than one! Her fingers dug into the soft material of the chair, knuckles turning white. And why was Snape helping him? It didn't make any sense!
"This will be the last one. The hardest to destroy, too." The task seemed to loom over him, but it was mixed with sadness and fear as well.
"Destroy them? But... but... horcruxes contain... and Snape is a..." She never felt so much like a bumbling fool before.
Harry reached over and detached both of her hands from clawing at the furniture. He gave them a squeeze and seemed to be give her a look of pride. "Rhyann, we know exactly what they are. If I am going to kill Voldemort, I have to destroy his horcruxes first. I know where your family's loyalties lie. But you're different. You've just proven that to me now by telling me about the horcrux even though you swore to keep it secret with a Death Eater. I know I can trust you. You have shown that you are on our side."
Rhyann wanted to jump back and scream at him. On his side! He didn't know anything! And as it was shown, she had not known everything either. They had been secretly destroying horcruxes. It made sense that was what happened to Dumbledore now. That's why it had to be keep so secret. "But Snape..."
"Snape has been helping all along. Dumbledore trusted him. He's been key to it all." Harry quieted his voice to one more soothing upon seeing her expression. "You needn't fear he'll tell your uncles anything. He will keep it secret that you helped. I know he didn't want me to tell you about him, but I know you can be trusted."
Severus Snape, one of the Dark Lord's most high ranking servants, a double-agent. Rhyann almost couldn't believe what she was hearing. How did he manage to hide such a secret! Voldemort's occlumency powers were strong. She only managed to hide parts of her mind because of her skill in the dreaming world. How would Snape do such a thing! If they knew about him, he would suffer a death worse than any other death. Surely he must know that. And he still risked it all! But for what?
The same reason as she was doing what she was. He did not want to be a pawn any more. A little light went on behind her eyes. That had to be it! It was the only thing that made sense. Rhyann realized she was still gaping at Harry and composed herself best she could.
"I... I didn't even know. I didn't even suspect him... I was frightened he might tell..." She shook her head at herself, wondering if she sounded silly at this act any more.
"Don't worry." Harry assured her with a kind smile. "You're safe here at Hogwarts. It's the safest place to be."