Inside his painting in the headmaster's office, Dumbledore glanced up from his nap. "Young man," he said. "I do not know how you have managed to enter my portrait, but I will have to ask you to leave."

The other man looked amused, leaning against Dumbledore's desk. "Actually, I had a few things that I wanted to discuss with you."

"Oh, yes? And what is that?" Dumbledore peered at him over the tops of his half-moon spectacles.

"Horcruxes."

There was a brief glimmer of shock in his eyes. "You are right. We do need to talk. How do you know about them? And, forgive me, but I do not think that I recognize you. Who are you?"

The man sat down on top of his desk, his long legs dangling off the edge. "My name is Terence. You probably won't have seen my painting; it's in a primarily unused portion of the castle. A friend of mine has a painting in the Room of Requirement, for when people need advice or someone to speak to. She recently spoke with a troubled young witch by the name of Hermione Granger."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrow. "And she told her about the horcruxes?"

Terence shook his head. "She did not name them, only described them. But my friend's parents were killed because of horcruxes, so she was able to recognize them from the description."

"You've mentioned her, this friend of yours, a few times already. Who was she?"

"Her name is Luneta. She is King Arthur's great-niece, and was trained by Lady Morgan herself."

"Really? I had thought that Herpo the Foul was the only one to create a horcrux before Voldemort. That would have been perhaps one or two hundred years after the time of Camelot."

Terence shrugged. "There were horcruxes before Herpo, but his was the first and only that is commonly known. But after my brief experience with them, I researched and studied soul magic. And now I would like to offer my assistance."

"What kind of assistance can you offer?"

Terence smirked. "A ritual to locate horcruxes."

Dumbledore stared at him in shock. "Is that even possible?"

He nodded. "It takes a while to prepare. And it does use blood magic, so by your standards it would be considered dark magic."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed. "At this point, I don't care what means we use to defeat him. The outcome is the only thing that matters."

"I imagine that Headmaster Snape could help us as well," Terence mused.

"I'm sorry"?

"You know, since he's still working for you."

"I understand how you might not have gotten the news, since you're a portrait, but Severus was the one who killed me. He betrayed us all. I thought that maybe I could save him, but his soul was already lost to me." He sighed sadly, his eyes mournful.

Terence chuckled. "I don't think you understand, Albus. My portrait was placed in this castle by its founders. I was good friends with Salazar himself. There are few things that happen here that are hidden from me."

Dumbledore eyed him closely before relaxing. "Salazar? Really?"

He shrugged. "He was not how the stories made him out to be."

Dumbledore sighed resignedly. "I suppose there is no point in denying it, is there. Yes, Severus is still loyal to me, and we should speak to him about this. He could likely help us with this ritual of yours."

. . . . .

Severus sighed, collapsing onto his chair and letting his head thunk down onto the desk.

"Severus?" Albus asked, clearing his throat carefully.

"Do you know what he's done now?" Severus said quietly. "He released some of the Weasley twins' fireworks in the dining hall. Alecto's hair caught on fire!" His mouth twitched slightly. "And while it was somewhat amusing, they'll definitely make him suffer for it. The boy hasn't any sense of self-preservation at all," he grumbled.

"Neville Longbottom?"

He laughed brokenly. "Who else?"

Albus cleared his throat again. "Severus, I wonder if we could discuss something with you."

"We?"

"I have had a visitor."

Severus closed his eyes in resignation. "You've what?"

"I have had a visitor who thinks that he knows a way to locate the horcruxes."

"Let me get this straight." He straightened up in his chair. "Some stranger just waltzed in here and told you that he knows how to find and destroy the secret objects that no one knows about, the ones that are keeping the Dark Lord alive, and you just believe him."

"Of course," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling.

"You-" Severus sighed. "And you didn't think for one moment that maybe they were a spy?" His voice was high with disbelief.

"Really, Severus, there's no need to always assume the worst. And anyway, I-" He was interrupted.

"And anyway, we've met before." Severus glanced up at the painting in shock at the man who had just walked onto the frame.

"You." Terence smiled somewhat sheepishly.

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, surprised. "You've met. You didn't tell me that," he said to no one in particular.

Severus glared at him before turning back to Terence. "So? What's your great idea?"

Terence leaned against Dumbledore's painted desk, his arms crossed against his chest. "After some friends of mine died trying to destroy horcruxes many, many years ago, I studied and researched them, just in case I was ever confronted by soul magic again. I discovered an ancient druidic ritual, and adapted it to where it can locate horcruxes."

"What does this ritual involve?"

Terence hesitated. "It requires a potion to be prepared and then drunk by the person seeking the horcruxes, and then a circle must be drawn with the blood of the supplicant beneath the new moon, and then-" He broke off.

Severus' eyes narrowed. "And then what?"

"And then a vial of forcibly taken unicorn blood must be consumed by fiendfyre in the middle of the blood circle."

Severus stared at him in shock before turning to Dumbledore. "This is your great plan? Forcibly taken unicorn blood!"

"Severus, the ritual does not require that we be the ones to kill the unicorn."

Severus glanced at Terence for confirmation. He nodded.

"So I just tell the Dark Lord that I need it for a potion? And what reason do I gave for not acquiring it myself?"

"I'm sure that Bellatrix would be delighted to procure it for you."

Severus grimaced. "You're right. I could pass it off as a favor, to try and get her on my side. I'm sure she would love to kill a unicorn. The Dark Lord has forbidden us from hunting in the forest, and she has been most unhappy about it."

He exchanged a glance with Dumbledore before nodding slowly. "It don't know if this ritual of yours will work, but it's worth a chance. It can't really make things worse than they are already. I'll have to think of an excuse to need unicorn blood." He hesitated. "There is another matter that perhaps you could help us with," he said to Terence.

"Severus," Dumbledore warned. "What are you doing?"

"When the Dark Lord went to kill the Potters," he continued doggedly, ignoring Dumbledore's glares. "His soul was so destroyed that a shard broke off and attached itself to the boy."

Terence bit his lip. "Yes, I can see why that would be a problem. It would probably be best to get that cleared up while you get the preparations ready for the ritual."

He glanced down at his hands, deep in thought, before looking up again. "When Voldemort was reborn, what ritual did he use?"

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son. Flesh of the servant, willingly given, you will revive your master. Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe." Why do you ask?" Severus asked, his dark brows furrowed.

"And whose blood did he used. Was it Harry's?"

"Yes. But why-" Dumbledore began before breaking off. "Oh. Do you think it would-?"

Terence shrugged. "I don't know. But it could be a possibility."

"What?" Severus snarled.

"It's possible, that since Voldemort has Harry's blood in his veins, that it would tie Harry's life to Riddle's."

Severus stared at him. "Are you saying that the Dark Lord is Potter's horcrux?"

"Well, not really, but if it helps you to think of it that way, then go ahead. The protection that Harry has, from Lily's sacrifice, might be kept alive in Riddle's body. It's just a guess right now, but it's still enough to give us hope."

"Yes, exactly." Dumbledore nodded.

Severus sighed. "I suppose this means that we'll have to contact Potter, doesn't it. The world must hate me."