Harry shook his head, trying to clear it.

'What do you think?' Dumbledore asked him from across the room, gesturing to the Pensieve that was between them.

'Well, it corroborates what I heard about two years back.'

'Oh?'

Harry snorted. 'I was treated to an abridged version of The Tragedy of Tom Marvolo Riddle in the form of a monologue courtesy of the man himself when we were waiting for his Death Eaters to come and witness me slipping through their great boss' clutches first-hand.' He rolled his eyes. 'Looking back I don't know what was worse, his waffling, or the follow up Cruciatus Curse … anyway, when did you get those memories, sir?'

'Before Voldemort first fell from power, I was looking for ways to neutralise him,' Dumbledore said, a faraway expression on his face. 'At the time, I thought that his boasts of having achieved immortality was nothing but propaganda in order to incite fear and attract followers. Regardless, I was not foolish enough to dismiss those claims outright. And so I began a project of studying the man known as Lord Voldemort. The best way to do that is to look into his past. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done, because he had gone to great lengths to erase any evidence of his true ancestry or his schoolboy days.

'Fortunately for my endeavour there are still people who knew of Tom Riddle, I being one of them. I used what little information I remembered to track down beings who may have had contact with Tom Riddle. The memory provided by Bob Ogden,' he nodded to the Pensieve. 'Was one of the first ones I managed to get. It was a year or so before you were born. Of course, we can only speculate as to what happened between the events we have witnessed, so it isn't a complete picture of Lord Voldemort by any means.'

'What about that House-Elf with the shifty name?'

'Ah, Hokey. Yes, I will admit I could have obtained that memory a little earlier.' Dumbledore, uncharacteristically, was looking a little sheepish. 'But in my defence, I was a little caught up with the repercussions of Voldemort's first downfall. I had thought him truly gone for nearly two years. Fortunately, a few chance conversations with the right people helped me see the truth. Regardless, I resumed my project post-haste and acquired Hokey's memory. At first, I had simply tracked down the elf because I had found out that Tom used to visit Hepzibah Smith many times. But once I saw that locket that you gave me…' He sighed. 'Morfin Gaunt's memory was the last one I had acquired a few months back. It took a fair amount of skill to find it, because it was buried so deep.'

Something in the story didn't add up for Harry. 'I thought you said that Morfin was found guilty of murdering Voldemort's Muggle family?'

'Indeed I did,' Dumbledore said calmly.

'But then wouldn't he be at Azkaban?'

'An astute observation.'

'But … but weren't you on the run from the Ministry a few months back?'

'I do recall being "on the run" as you say.'

'… So, you went into Azkaban when they were looking for you and trying to arrest you?'

'Naturally. It isn't as if I could ask Morfin to meet me!'

Harry sat there looking at his headmaster, impressed by the man's audacity. To actually walk in and out of a high security prison when you are a wanted man yourself took guts. That he did it undetected was quite impressive.

'As much as I enjoy talking about my past exploits, time is passing us by, so let's get back to the matter at hand.' Dumbledore said. 'Your discovery and subsequent destruction of Voldemort's first Horcrux, the diary, helped me figure out what arcane dark methods he had used to survive being ripped from his body. The information you later shared just a few weeks earlier did quite a bit to shed those memories I had collected in a new light.'

Harry nodded. 'The locket we found in Grimmauld Place was the one we saw in Hokey's memory. It was Slytherin's locket. He also had found Hufflepuff's cup, so that's one more Horcrux. I suspect that the Gaunt family ring would be a third.'

'Yes, he seems to have gone beyond conventional evil,' Dumbledore said softly. 'To create one Horcrux is bad enough…' he trailed off. 'The question is how many.'

'Seven,' Harry blurted out interrupting Dumbledore's train of thought before it had left the station.

'Sorry?'

'Seven. He will have split his soul seven times.' Harry was somehow very sure of that fact. 'One of those pieces would be Voldemort himself. So that would be six Horcruxes he has created knowingly.'

Dumbledore spent a very long moment looking at Harry piercingly. 'Why would you say that?' he finally asked.

'Well,' Harry began awkwardly. 'I have a feeling that Voldemort took Arithmancy. He does put great importance on numbers and dates, so it is quite plausible that he would either pick three, seven or thirteen. Of those three numbers, seven is the most powerful, magically speaking. And, seeing that we have identified three Horcruxes, that makes four soul pieces he has made if you were to include the bit of soul in his body. Also, making thirteen pieces would be, I imagine, quite risky.'

'How did you know that Voldemort took Arithmancy in school?' Dumbledore asked slowly. 'For that matter, I did not recall you taking Arithmancy as an elective…'

'Well, sir, I have been reading those textbooks you recommended after that meeting at Gringotts.' Harry said slowly. 'As for knowing about Voldemort…' he paused, in thought. 'I can't rightly say, but my gut tells me that he would have taken that subject. Also, the same instinct is telling me that he puts great stock in numbers and has created seven.'

'Curious,' Dumbledore said at length. 'You are right that he took Arithmancy.' He leaned back pensively. 'I think you will be right in guessing the number to be seven.'

'You know something, sir?'

'Well, not really,' Dumbledore replied. 'I have a suspicion that consuming that fragment of Voldemort's soul within you might have given you an insight into the man's mind via his soul. They can't be memories, that much is certain. I suspect, and mind you that this is just speculation, that you on some instinctual level know his thought process.'

Harry took a moment to digest this. 'I suppose,' he said slowly. 'After all, I did consume a part of his soul, something that makes him what he is…'

Dumbledore brought his fingers together. 'Let's test this theory. Where do you think he might have hidden those Horcruxes? And what do you think they are?'

Harry took a moment to consider the questions. 'There would definitely be one at Hogwarts,' he said finally.

Dumbledore nodded. 'I have considered that, but so far I have not found anything that might be a Horcrux.'

'No it wouldn't be somewhere common.' Harry said in a faraway voice. 'It would be in a place only he thinks he has discovered. He likes symbolism a lot, doesn't he, sir? He also likes to believe that he is one-of-a-kind. So any place he chooses will be, in his mind, a choice nobody else will think to make.'

'Well, he couldn't have put it in Salazar Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets, despite the strong symbolism.' Dumbledore said decisively. 'The timeline wouldn't fit, seeing as he had not acquired any of the other items till he was nearly finished with school. Besides, the diary seems to show a connexion between the Chamber of Secrets and his ancestry…' deep in thought, he extracted a memory from his head and put it in the Pensieve.

'The chances of him placing a Horcrux when he came to meet me to apply for a teaching post in Defence Against the Dark Arts are very high,' Dumbledore mused, settling back into his chair after viewing the memory with Harry. 'It was the only time he has set foot in the school after leaving it, after all.'

'The Room of Requirement,' Harry breathed. 'He would have kept it there.' Looking at Dumbledore, he continued. 'It is a room on the seventh floor that can become whatever you want it to be. I've been using it for my DA group. You even know of the place!'

'Oh yes, Dumbledore's Army!' Dumbledore said brightly. 'It does explain why nobody caught you till you were betrayed. I must say I haven't had the pleasure of voluntarily accessing this room.'

'I could show you right now,' Harry said, standing up.

'It is rather late,' Dumbledore remarked, looking out of the window.

'All the better reason for us to go now, sir,' Harry said excitedly. 'Nobody will be up to notice us.'

'What about your charge?'

Harry paused. 'Well,' he said after thinking for a moment. 'I won't be gone long, and he is asleep for the moment. I think I can leave him for a few minutes. Besides, Dobby can watch over him!'

On cue, the elf appeared. 'Harry Potter wants something?' Dobby asked brightly.

'Yes, I will be going out with Professor Dumbledore for a bit. I should be back soon, but keep an eye out for Little Harry. Tell me if he wakes up.'

'Dobby will do.' with a bow, the elf popped out.

Harry turned to the headmaster. 'Well, that's sorted.'

Dumbledore gave him a long unreadable look. 'Very well,' he finally said. 'If you feel up to it, then get your invisibility cloak. It would not do for us to be seen by any of the students. The Seventh Years particularly will be out and about celebrating the last day of their academic careers.'

Within fifteen minutes, the visible headmaster and his invisible student were walking through the gates of Hogwarts.

They did not bump into anyone, although Harry did hear some noise coming from the general direction of the kitchens when they passed through the Entrance Hall that made the headmaster shake his head and chuckle.

'Huh,' Harry remarked when he caught a glimpse of the hourglasses that recorded house points. 'Gryffindor have racked up quite a few points in a very short time.'

Dumbledore glanced back at the invisible form of his student and raised an eyebrow. 'You are supposed to be invisible, Harry,' he commented in a low tone.

He did not need to be able to see Harry to know that the boy was embarrassed at his slip. 'No need to apologise, I can understand your surprise,' he said in a low voice. 'After all, it is a surprise your fellow students will be experiencing tomorrow morning.'

As they entered the second floor where it was evident that there wouldn't be anyone nearby, Dumbledore spoke up again in a murmur. 'I felt it necessary to do a revision of the group my, ah, "predecessor" had created. As such, after a long examination of the points deducted and actions taken, I have felt that a dramatic change should be implemented. Every single point taken was reversed. That has led to quite an increase in points for Gryffindor House.'

'What about points taken from the houses of the members of the Inquisitorial Squad?' Harry whispered when they had reached the third floor.

'Well, they were given authority with the full expectation that they would abuse it. So it should not be surprising that they have done so.'

'But does that give them the right to abuse it?'

'Indeed,' Dumbledore said with a nod. 'It is a point that I am still pondering upon. I daresay I shall be reaching a decision by tomorrow when it is time for the House Cup to be awarded. You should rest easy with the knowledge that my response will be most appropriate'

'Well, here we are,' Harry said in a normal voice, whipping the cloak off. Without further ado, he started pacing in front of the wall three times.

Dumbledore watched with interest as Harry stopped, looked at the blank wall and resumed pacing thrice again. 'What is it that you are trying to do, Harry?' he finally asked after seeing the ceremony repeated another time.

'Well, sir, you're supposed to think of the type of room you want while pacing in front of it three times,' Harry said with a hint of frustration. 'That has always worked before!'

'Now that is wonderful!' Dumbledore exclaimed. 'A truly remarkable piece of magic! I recall coming across a room around here filled with an exquisite collection of chamber pots when I had a need for the bathroom. I do believe I mentioned that to you at the Yule Ball. Back then I had no idea … May I try?'

'Go ahead, sir,' Harry said, stepping aside.

Dumbledore walked up to the wall and gazed at it thoughtfully. Finally, after some contemplation, he started pacing.

'What did you think of, sir?' Harry asked when a door appeared after the headmaster's third pass.

'A room to hide things in,' Dumbledore said simply. He strode forward and opened the door. 'After you.'

They entered to find a large cathedral-sized room full of junk.

'Well, I certainly am not the first person to require such a room.' Dumbledore remarked mildly as he looked around.

'How are we going to find anything here?' Harry asked in equal parts dread and amazement. 'I don't even know if there is one here, let alone what it could be!'

Dumbledore hummed. 'You are sure one is here?' he asked.

'Beyond a doubt.' Harry replied. 'There is no other place he could have gone to in such a short time between entering the castle and meeting you and then exiting. He wouldn't dare carry a piece of his soul in your direct presence for fear of being discovered, so he'll have done it on the way in. This corridor is more or less on the way to your office from the Entrance Hall. He could just say that he was "taking in the sights" or some such nonsense if you were to ask. It also fits that this room isn't a well-known feature of the castle.

'Give me some time. I shall figure out a solution.' Dumbledore said confidently. 'Meanwhile, I trust you are keeping up with your exercise regimen?'

'Yes, sir,' Harry said dutifully, thinking of the various drills he had done this morning. It would be a long time before he was able to forget the gruelling physical training that Wood had drilled into the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Being a Quidditch player took quite a lot of work!

'Good, and have you started using magic every day and for everything, like I asked?' Seeing Harry nod again, Dumbledore continued. 'In that case, I have your first assignment, though a more appropriate word would be "challenge". I want you to start doing all those spells without speaking. Let me see if you can manage to weave magic in silence by the end of this week.'

Harry nodded decisively. 'Yes sir,' he replied as he took his cloak out.

Before he covered himself, a question popped into his mind. 'I have to wonder…' he began, the cloak unfurled in his hands. 'Did he really want to be a teacher of all things? It makes no sense to me. I mean, educating kids isn't something I see him doing.'

Dumbledore hummed. 'I suppose we have come to a limitation of sorts to your new ability,' he remarked. 'You are thinking of what a teacher is, Harry, not his motivation for being a teacher here. I strongly suspect that he wanted to be a teacher at first to influence young minds instead of educating them. Also, I suspect he wanted to plumb the many arcane secrets of Hogwarts as well as tap into the ancient magic surrounding this school. There is a lot to learn from this old castle, after all. This room here is proof of that.' He gestured to the blank stretch of wall where the Room of Requirement was. 'I certainly did not know how it worked till you told me. At any rate, I doubt he would have stayed long.'

'Ah,' Harry said, considering the headmaster's words. 'Well, it explains why he bothered asking for the job again. Also, it does explain why he was not happy.'

'That is the least of my worries.' Dumbledore said with a dry chuckle. 'Lord Voldemort has never taken rejection well. So great was his disappointment that he actually put a jinx on the position of Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts. We've never managed to hold a teacher for more than a year ever since I turned him down.'

'Really?' Harry always thought that the position was jinxed, but this was the first time he got confirmation of the fact. 'Well, then … why not just hire a Curse Breaker to remove it?'

Dumbledore chuckled. 'If it were only that simple, Harry. The best minds in that field haven't been able to break the jinx. I would know, I hired many. I have even tried to change the name of the course itself, but alas it failed to work. Jinxes were quite a speciality of Tom's. I am beginning to suspect that the only way it will be lifted is if he does it himself or in the fortunate event of his demise. Now, I think we have spent enough time on this subject. It's high time you head back to your charge. Goodnight, Harry!'

'Goodnight, sir,'

As he made his way back home, Harry thought about the information Dumbledore had given him. As he prepared for bed, he finally concluded that there was no other solution for it that the headmaster hadn't thought of first.