I'm not JKR, and I've never claimed to be. Dream interpretations courtesy of dreammoods dot com.

Cryptic bits of song lyrics from Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London," of course.

Darkness and Dreams

Dobby Disapparated back to Hogwarts, carrying the Transfigured trophy containing one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. The rest of the group turned to stare at Ron.

Ron swallowed nervously. "Second year, I tried to curse Malfoy and ended up sicking up slugs, remember? I got detention with Filch in the Trophy Room. I finally quit gagging and was polishing trophies, without magic." Ron gesticulated wildly. "I got to Tom Riddle's and started puking again. I had to polish that one over and over because it kept making me vomit. After I got past that one, I was fine again. Maybe it's a Horcrux! Maybe that's why it made me sick!"

"Dumbledore would have found a Horcrux right under his own nose like that, wouldn't he?" Hermione asked shrewdly, glancing up from sorting through potions ingredients. "How would Voldemort have got the trophy out to make it into a Horcrux and then sneak it back into the Trophy Room?"

Harry frowned. "He was proud of that award. He got it after framing Hagrid for Moaning Myrtle's death. Dumbledore said the diary and ring were the first Horcruxes. Riddle made them while still at school, when he was about our age. The locket and cup were next, while he was working for Borgin & Burkes.

"The fifth one we don't know. I saw in the Pensieve that Riddle came back to the school to ask Dumbledore for a teaching job. Dumbledore said he didn't really want to teach, though, and he wondered why Riddle would want to be at Hogwarts.

"After awhile, he realized Riddle wanted to search the school for something of Ravenclaw's and Gryffindor's to make his last two Horcruxes. Obviously, since he didn't get a job at Hogwarts, he didn't get to do that, but he would have had time to nick his trophy from the Trophy Room that day." Harry shrugged. "It could be possible."

"Anyone could have put it back in there for him," Ron suggested. "Malfoy told us in first year that the Trophy Room is never locked. He challenged Harry to a Wizards' Duel up there, remember?"

Hermione shook her head. "The ring and the locket were heavily protected. It doesn't seem likely that he'd just stick a Horcrux in a glass case for anyone to see."

"Sometimes, out in the open is the best place to hide something," Luna said sagely. "And Hogwarts is protected by Flagelets, among other things."

"The diary was meant to be seen," Ginny reminded stonily. "He meant that one to be used as a weapon. It sounds like this locket was too, the way it affected Harry."

"Hmm," Hermione mused. "I wonder if that would happen to anyone who found one of his Horcruxes. They may be cursed to enchant the person who finds them. Any witch or wizard would eventually provide Riddle with the means to recreate his body at the age he was when he made that particular Horcrux. Any vaporized version of him would be able to join the recreated Horcrux body and soul version."

"So if he had succeeded in the Chamber..." Ginny chewed her lip. "If Harry hadn't destroyed the diary, Tom would have become human again and found that vaporized soul part of himself in Albania to absorb?"

"That seems a reasonable possibility," Lupin said. "He could have had any Death Eater acquire a Horcrux to recreate his body at any time in that manner. Maybe that's why Regulus knew about the locket. Perhaps that was one of Voldemort's backup plans, and Regulus was to retrieve the locket in the event of Voldemort's demise. However, Regulus tried to get out of it instead and was killed, but had already stolen the locket and brought it here. Voldemort must not have discovered the deception before his downfall. Ultimately Voldemort decided that he wanted to use Harry's blood to recreate his body instead, leaving his Horcruxes alone."

"You know, from what you've told us, Harry," Tonks said, "I think Dumbledore may have been mistaken about Nagini being a Horcrux. I don't think Riddle has made his last Horcrux yet. There's no way killing an old Muggle caretaker would have qualified as a significant death. Nothing worthy of splitting his soul over, anyway. Plus he didn't even have his real body back yet, then. I can't imagine that ugly baby snake body was powerful enough for that kind of complex magic. Of course, he's had plenty of opportunities to make Nagini a Horcrux since then. Amelia Bones or Emmeline Vance, as Order members, would have been important."

"I suppose that's what Snape meant when he said Voldemort has plans for me," Harry said. "Maybe he still needs me to make another Horcrux. He knows the diary was destroyed. Maybe he wants to replace that one. Whether she's a Horcrux yet or not, Nagini will be destroyed."

"Back to Riddle's trophy," Neville spoke up tentatively. "Can Dobby bring it here? Is there a way to test it to see if it's a Horcrux?"

"I don't want Dobby risking himself," Harry said. "Most of the other Horcruxes have been heavily protected and dangerous. It may have spells that keep it from being removed from Hogwarts."

"Tom would have got some perverse pleasure out of Dumbledore unknowingly helping protect his Horcrux," Ginny said.

Tonks cleared her throat. "You know, we've been assuming he stole the trophy after he finished school. Wouldn't it seem more plausible that he made the ring, diary and trophy at the same time, with the three Riddles' deaths?"

Harry's lips formed a thin line. "Hogwarts trip tomorrow," he said grimly. "We'll check the trophy first, and then I think it's time to revisit the Chamber."

Ron and Hermione turned anxiously to Ginny. She stared back determinedly, but her face had gone pale, making her freckles more prominent.

"You don't have to go," Ron said to her. "In fact, you shouldn't."

"No." Ginny's chin came up a notch. "I'm going with you. There's nothing down there to be scared of now. I'll be fine."

"We'll take our brooms," Harry said. "If anyone gets uncomfortable, or needs a break, it's no problem to get out."

As his friends filtered out of the kitchen, Harry frowned. He caught Ron's eye for a moment and something seemed to pass between them. Ginny sidled up to Harry and slipped her hand in his. He looked down at her and smiled, but his mind was elsewhere.

She narrowed her eyes and whispered, "Legilimens." Annoyance and frustration flickered across her features. "Harry, you're getting too good at that. How am I supposed to figure out what you're up to?" she pouted. "All I saw was a broom cupboard."

"Did you recognize that broom closet?" he asked seriously.

"No."

"Hmm, one more thing to investigate at Hogwarts then." He nodded solemnly. "I'm almost certain there is something important in there."

"Why, is that where Tom had his first shag or something?" Ginny asked. "I don't remember hearing about that memory in the Pensieve."

"Well, there's a happy little fantasy," Harry said. "That is very, very disturbing. I will never look at broom closets in the same way again." He shook his head mournfully.

"I'm sure they've been cleaned since," Ginny said dryly.

"No, no." Harry turned to leave the kitchen. "You've talked me out of it, sorry."

"Wait!" She laughed, chasing him. "I'm sure Tom wouldn't snog in a common old broom closet! He probably preferred a classier setting, like the huge tub in the prefects' bathroom!"

Harry made gagging noises. "Okay, you have completely ruined Hogwarts daydreams for me now. Everywhere I look, I'll picture Tom's scrawny naked arse. I've seen it; it's not a pretty sight." He clamped his eyes tightly shut and shuddered. "Gin, you better sleep in your room tonight, I'm not feeling well."

Still chuckling, Ginny retorted, "At least I know you won't picture his body when you see me naked."

"Hey thanks, Gin, you're really making this waiting thing easier. I think we ought to wait till you're at least seventeen now."

"Ha," she snorted. "Is that a challenge? Just how long do you think you can hold out on me? Shall we place a friendly wager?"

Harry paused at the girls' bedroom door. He smiled lazily and tapped it with his wand. "Oi, Ron! Your sister wants something."

"Just give it to her, mate, now go away."

Ginny laughed smugly. "You see? It is useless to resist me."

"Ron," Harry said more loudly. "Think about what you just said."

Harry whispered, "Three, two, one…"

BAM!

The door crashed open and Ron leaped out, shoving Ginny inside and slamming the door.

"G'night Gin!" Harry laughed over his shoulder, following Ron down the hall to the room they shared.

Harry shut the door behind them and clicked it with his wand. He waited a few moments until glowed slightly. He shook his head with a knowing smile. Ron looked puzzled.

"Harry, that wasn't the right spell to lock the door," he began, but stopped when Harry silently shushed him and mentally projected an image of Ginny listening on the other side.

"Why don't you Imperterb it, mate?"

"No need," Harry said, "I just wanted to talk to you about tomorrow."

Ron waited, narrowed eyes flicking between the door and Harry's face.

"Erm, I don't want you giving Ginny a hard time about the Chamber," Harry began. "She's determined to go and she's very capable. She might be able to remember something that would help us. It's not going to be fun, but we know the Chamber would be a logical place for Voldemort to hide something. If not a Horcrux, then possibly some clues toward finding the rest of them."

Ron frowned. "All right, mate," he sighed. "I know she wants to face it, and she deserves the chance, I guess. Mum will kill us if she finds out, though."

Harry grimly gave him a thumbs-up signal of approval for catching on and playing along. "Thanks."

"No problem." Ron stared at him, arms crossed. He looked meaningfully at the still-glowing door. "You ready for lights out?"

"I wanted to read a bit, d'you mind?"

"G'night, then."

"Night, Ron."

They waited until the door stopped glowing, then Harry cast Muffliato.

"What was that all about?" Ron frowned. "Trying to earn bonus points with Ginny?"

"No," Harry said. "I let her eavesdrop on purpose. She'd have known if I Imperturbed the door. I don't want her to figure out that, at some point, we'll be leaving her behind. I figured that the Chamber would be the safest place we need to look, and maybe her memories will lessen her enthusiasm for the project. Maybe she'll be more content to stay where it's safe, yeah?"

"If she thinks you're off to do something dangerous, there's no way she'll let you go anywhere without her, no matter what it is." Ron sat on his bed, scratching his jaw thoughtfully. "But if she just thinks it's boring, creepy and slimy… not to mention reeking of four-year-dead giant snake…Yeah, she might not mind missing an adventure like that."

"I hope so," Harry said. "I haven't a clue if there's a Horcrux down there, but I do want to pick up a few things when we visit."

"What was down there you could possibly want?" Ron sounded repulsed.

"Snake fangs."

"What is it with you and that song?" Lupin lay on the bed, propped on his elbow, trying to read. He had just turned the volume down with a flick of his wand. He got edgier as the moon waxed fuller.

"I love the piano," Tonks grinned. "It has such a snazzy beat. And the singer has a cool name. Zevon. It's so fun and...zippy."

"And the fact it's about a 'Hairy gent who ran amuck in Kent?'" He raised a brow sardonically.

"Just a bonus." She shrugged, climbing over the foot of the bed to creep over his legs. By the time she reached his neck with her lips, he'd dropped the book on the bedside table, flicked off the lights--and turned up the music.

Harry awoke to the comfortable sensation of a warm body pressed close to his. That position became uncomfortable very quickly, however, especially when he realized Ron was still in the bed on the other side of the room.

"Gin," he whispered. "Ginny? Gin, wake up."

"Mmmpf."

Harry sighed. He slid out of bed, grabbed his wand and clothes and headed for the shower. If Ron woke to find his sister in Harry's bed, it would be best if Harry wasn't in it as well.

"Harry," Hermione caught him in the hall. "Lupin, my dad and I are going to Apparate over to my house. Kingsley wanted us to check to see if anything was missing. Dad also wanted to pick up a few more things. We left in rather a hurry, and didn't get quite everything. I'll take Crookshanks as well. He's very good at sniffing out anything untrustworthy."

"Poor Crookshanks," Harry said sympathetically. "He's going to hate Apparition. You better wake Ron. He'll be irritated if you leave him behind."

"Right. I'll ask if he wants to go with then. We'll be back soon," Hermione smiled. "Don't leave for Hogwarts without us."

Harry nodded as she turned to leave. "Hey, Hermione? What kind of locking charm can I use on the door so Ginny can't get in?" His ears burned. "She seems to have made it a personal quest to unlock anything I lock, just to prove she can."

Hermione laughed. "Use a sticking charm on the door frame, and then you use this brilliant little example of Muggle technology." She handed him a triangular chuck of wood. When he just blinked at her, she rolled her eyes. "It's a door wedge; you just shove it under the door to keep it from opening."

"I know what a door wedge is, Hermione," Harry said. "I just can't believe I didn't think of it. Wizards don't know how to use this complicated little Muggle contraption, then?"

Hermione snickered. "No, Ron just thinks it's a peculiar geometrical shape I use for Arithmancy. He might wonder why I take it to the shower, though, so keep it out of sight, please."

"Nah," Harry grinned. "Just tell him you thought you'd get a bit of studying done in the shower. He'd never question it."

"Well, he'd certainly question what you're doing with my 'Arithmancy block' in the shower, so hurry up with it, would you? Just set it on my bureau when you're finished," she said.

Following his shower, Harry was pleased to note the door, though visibly tampered with, had held. His sticking charm hadn't stuck, but the simple little block of wood seemed to have done the trick. He slipped the block out from under the door and barely had time to hide it in his pocket before the door crashed in and Ginny fell into his arms.

"Oh, hi Harry!" She flushed guiltily. "Fancy meeting you here."

Harry's eyes danced with suppressed mirth. "Quite. Were you looking for me?"

Her gaze flicked behind him, scowling slightly at the door. Harry smirked, knowing she really wanted to know how he had managed to keep her out, but not willing to admit that she'd been attempting it in the first place.

"What's the matter? Did you tattoo Ron again?" he asked.

"No, actually, though I recall that I did promise you one." Her look turned speculative. "So what'll it be? A Hungarian Horntail on your chest?"

Harry shrugged. "How about my arm. I'll wear a sleeveless shirt to bug Ron. It only lasts a few hours anyway, right?"

"More or less," she said.

"Do your worst." He pretended to brace himself for a painful experience, shutting his eyes and gritting his teeth as he pulled up the sleeve of his maroon t-shirt.

Moments later he dared to peek through one squinted eye. "You're done already? Wow, that's awesome! It's even breathing fire and smoke…. Wait, does that say something?" Sure enough, a tiny tendril of smoke unfurled to spell Property of Ginny Weasley. Harry sniggered. "Creative. How long will it last?"

"Erm, well, it lasts till I cancel the charm." Ginny grinned. "I can change what it says, too." She flicked her wand and the smoke spelled out, "Eat dung, Ron." She flicked it again and it read, "I love Ginny."

He chuckled. "I'll go change my shirt to something with more exposure."

"I'll help," she chirped.

Ron had gone with Hermione and Lupin, so changing Harry's shirt ended up taking several minutes longer than usual.

A knock at the door brought them back to reality. Luna's voice drifted through the door, informing them that breakfast was ready, and that she wanted to interpret Harry's dreams for him while they ate.

As they heard her soft footsteps retreating, Harry rolled his eyes. "Dream interpretation? Spectacular. Now there's some stimulating breakfast conversation. Hope she's not like Trelawney, I don't know if I can stomach dismal predictions this early in the morning." They headed for the kitchen, hand-in-hand.

Luna had a large book at the table, pointing to something on a page toward the end of the book. "To see a werewolf in your dream indicates that something in your life is not what it seems. It is symbolic of fear, repressed anger, and uncontrollable violence."

"Hm, that doesn't really sound right," Tonks sounded skeptical. "It doesn't explain why my werewolf is pink."

Luna flipped a few pages. "Ah, that makes a difference. See, 'pink represents happiness, joy, sweetness, affection, love and kindness. Being in love or healing through love is also implied in this color.' Or is your werewolf hot pink? Hot pink represents sex and lust, of course."

Tonks chortled, muttering, "I guess that explains that."

Harry and Ginny grinned as they sat next to each other at the table. Neville concentrated very hard on his bowl of cereal, trying to ignore the witches' conversation.

"Good morning all," Ginny said. "So you're already decoding dreams this morning, Luna? Good timing, really, they'll be fresh in our minds. What did you dream last night, Harry?" she gave him a sidelong glance and a look that said very clearly that she knew what he'd been dreaming about – and probably had been the cause of it.

"Well, my dreams last night weren't very clear," Harry said dryly, meeting Ginny's glance and quirking an eyebrow at her. "But I keep having this dream about Dumbledore. He's handing me a ladder, but as soon as I start climbing, it turns to snakes."

"Snakes and ladders," Tonks said thoughtfully, "Isn't that a Muggle game? You roll the dice and move spaces, climb ladders and slide down snakes…"

Luna stared at her owlishly. "And people think I'm strange…" She turned back to Harry. "What kind of ladder? Does Dumbledore hold it for you or just hand it to you?"

"Er, yeah, it's a rope ladder, and he's holding it," Harry's brow furrowed in thought.

"Well, that is helpful, really," Luna smiled. "Ropes in dreams indicate a connection, or a way to tie things together. Climbing up a rope indicates your determination to succeed and overcome adversity. To dream that someone is holding a ladder for you signifies that you will find success and rise to prominence with the support of others.

"Now, snakes represent hidden fears or worries that are threatening you. Or, as a positive symbol, snakes represent transformation, knowledge, wisdom, self-renewal and positive changes.

"Do you keep a dream diary, Harry?" she peered over at him. "It could be useful. Especially if you have any more dreams about Dumbledore. He may be trying to pass you information from the beyond."

Harry nodded and promised to start one. With a quick glance at Ginny, he knew he wouldn't be making notes of quite all his dreams.