Disclaimer: Everything belongs to J.K Rowling.

Chapter 48: Shattered

Hermione left me by the lake; I continued to sit outside as the sun descended. The sunset turned the face of the water a dark purple, slowly but surely, it disappeared, leaving nothing but a blank, black surface.

I shook my head and stood up. My joints screamed in anguish, but I brushed it off. Could I go back to my master now?

I needed to think. I needed someone to talk to.

Thing was, the only person I trusted was the one I couldn't talk to.

Trusted. Did I still trust her?

I didn't know.

I unfolded the marauder's map and scanned it. There was no thought about who I was looking for. As always, there was no trace of my master's room on the fourth floor. Similarly to the Room of Requirement, it didn't show up.

My eyes were dragged to a lonely label on the same floor as the one my master was on.

Daphne Greengrass.

Perhaps I could go and pay her a visit?

The picture of the pretty girl shrinking from embarrassment during the defence class was foreign to me. Somehow, it didn't fit with everything I knew about her.

I shrugged and returned to the castle. Like many times before, I got to the fourth floor. Instead of walking right when I usually did, I continued forwards. My feet came to a halt outside the door. There was nothing to tell the door apart from all the other thousands of doors throughout the castle. No one could have guessed that a student had made this room her own.

I tried to push the door open, but it would not yield.

"Alohomora." The door clicked and swung open.

Greengrass had gotten to her feet, her wand was in her hands. "Potter. What are you doing here?"

I walked inside. "I've asked myself the same thing. I don't know why."

"Great. You're back to your usual, horrible self as a cacafuego."

I shook my head with a disbelieving smile. "Thanks, you're a pretty awful person too."

"Please just leave. Some people actually have to work to achieve things."

"Hmm. Well, it seems to me as if you need it. Or it looked that way during class."

Greengrass glared at me and clenched her fists. "Potter. I swear to Merlin, I will hex your ugly contenance to fucking mars."

"I would like to see you try, Greengrass."

The girl looked at me blankly, then shrugged. "Fine. Whatever. I'll just get back to work."

She turned her back to me and raised her wand to point at one of the dummies in the room. "Excorio."

The dummy's 'skin' was torn off. I raised my eyebrows.

"That was awful." I smiled and walked up to stand beside her. "My muggle cousin could have done better."

Greengrass turned her head and observed me. "You're an idiot." She inhaled and let out a long breath. "Every time you, against all odds, make me think that you're not that much of an idiot. You immediately prove me horribly wrong." Greengrass smiled at me, sweet as sugar. "Your idiocy knows no bounds, it would be amusing, if it wasn't so fucking sad."

"I appreciate the kind words, Ms. Greengrass, you're a saint, too." I walked over and observed the remains of the shredded dummy. "Serious question though, how come you performed. . . worse in class. You clearly know how to do the spell more than adequately."

Greengrass shrugged. "I struggle in front of crowds, always have."

"Huh." I must admit I was surprised at the honesty. "Do you want me to help you? I could conjure up a couple of people who can act as a crowd."

Greengrass scoffed, but a smile somehow slipped through. "Do you mean literally conjure someone here?"

"Yeah, as in magically conjure."

"You can do that? As far as I know, human conjuration isn't covered until the very end of seventh year."

"What can I say, I've studied ahead. Perhaps you've noticed that I am above average in a couple of subjects."

Greengrass pinched her nose. "All I've noticed is an idiot."

"Thanks Greengrass, I don't think you've said so before."

Greengrass folded her arms. "So do it then. Conjure all of those people you claim you can."

I took my wand out of my pocket and did so. Bodies appeared and were positioned in chairs I conjured too. In the end, there was a crowd of about ten bodies looking at greengrass and me. They weren't alive, merely animated to look as if they were breathing. There was no sentient mind, no ability to think. Creating a human was impossible. The body was relatively easy. But the mind and the soul. Impossible.

"You did lock the door after you, right?" Greengrass said, sending a concerned glance at the door.

I ran a hand through my hair. "I think so."

"I hope so. If someone walks on now. . . " She gave me a warning look.

"Then we'll just tell them we are doing some experiment or something. Everyone knows Snape gives out strange assignments from time to time."

"You know what, I'll just let you deal with it, if it comes to that. Perhaps you can show that you're not entirely an idiot. Just 99% of one."

I rolled my eyes. "Get going already. Show me that you can perform this spell in front of a crowd."

Greengrass smiled, her chin held high, confident. "Sure."

She walked over to the training dummy and whipped around. "Excorio."

One of the conjured bodies got their skin ripped off violently, revealing glaring red skin.

"Woah! You're not supposed to flay your audience."

Greengrass' wicked smile was still in place. "Just practising for the presentation."

"Remind me not to sit in front of the classroom." I got an idea. "Do you want me to 'convince' Corner to sit in the front row?"

"You would do that?"

I shrugged. "He's a dick. I'm beginning to think that turning him to crystal and back wasn't enough to change that."

Greengrass shook her head. "I thought it was pretty fitting, you should have broken his wrist though."

"Ah yes, almost dying wasn't enough, Ms. Sadist."

Greengrass sent another spell towards the dummy, watching with satisfaction as the 'skin' was torn off. "That's rich, coming from Mr. Turn-People-Into-Crystal."

"Is that my new name? Wasn't 'brobdingnagian blockhead' insulting enough?"

"No words will be insulting enough for you. You know–"

The door slammed open with a loud bang. Both of us turned around quickly.

Greengrass' friend I had seen the other night stood in the doorframe. "What the fuck is going on here?" The girl's mouth was hanging open, her eyes were darting between me, Greengrass and the crowd of lifeless bodies, some of which lacked skin.

I cleared my throat and stepped in front of the victim of Greengrass' curse. "Not much. I was helping dear Daphne here with a spell."

Davies walked inside the classroom and stopped dead in her tracks. "Do I want to know what you helped her with?" She gestured to the chairs and the bodies.

"Probably not."

Tracey shrugged. "Huh. I didn't even know the two of you were on friendly terms." She gave Greengrass a look I wasn't quite able to decipher.

"We're not." Greengrass folded her arms and glared at me. "He's an idiot."

I nodded in agreement, about the fact that we weren't friends, of course. "Yeah. She is a proper prat. I hate her."

Tracey didn't believe me for a second, nor did I get the impression that she believed Greengrass. "Right. So why does one of the bodies lack its skin?"

I smiled, running a hand through my hair.

"I tried to flay Potter. I missed, unfortunately," Greengrass said, her face emotionless. If I hadn't known the truth, I would have sworn she was serious.

"She could never hope to actually flay me, of course, but it was an adorable attempt."

Greengrass glared at me. "We shall see how adorable you look without your skin. When you least expect it, you will find yourself stripped–"

Tracey snorted behind me. Greengrass closed her eyes, breathing in and out.

"Thanks. As long as you do the same, I'm more than fine," I said.

Greengrass clenched her fists. "Get the hell out of here Potter. Please get terminally ill or something, so I'll never have to see your putrid person ever again."

"I'll look forward to seeing you again too, Ms. Sadist! Goodbye!"

The door slammed shut behind me, almost striking me in the head.

-()-

-Daphne-

I flicked my wand to slam the door shut after Potter.

"Are you going to tell me what on earth is going on?" Tracey sat down in an armchair. "It feels like you've neglected to tell me a few things. The last thing you told me, the two of you went for a walk in some kind of muggle park, after a failed stint at a café."

I gave Tracey a warning glare. "Nothing is going on, Potter is just being an idiot, which I've come to realise is the norm."

Tracey raised her eyebrows with a smug smile on her lips. "Really? The two of you seemed very friendly to me."

I gave her a deadpan look. "What part about me calling him an idiot did you not understand?" I glared at her. "Don't look at me like that, we aren't friends. I can promise you that."

Tracey shrugged, but traces of her smile remained. "If you say so. Anyways, there was something I wanted to talk to you about."

I gestured for her to continue. "What? Please don't tell me you need advice about how to get revenge on another boyfriend."

She rolled her eyes. "That was one time, okay?" Tracey leaned back in her armchair. "I was just wondering, are you okay? After the demonstration, Draco told me what happened."

I cursed Draco silently. "I'm fine," I said. My eyes watched the closed door for a moment. "I'm better than fine, actually."

-()-

-Harry-

What just happened?

I practically skipped along the corridors away from Greengrass' room. It felt like I had gone in there and left a backpack of stone behind.

Then I came upon the shining silver door. I grimaced but decided to bite the bullet. If Helena was right, and torches was the way she knew about things in the castle, then she shouldn't know that I had learned anything. If I just acted naturally…

Could I act naturally?

I stared at the purple torch inside the door. Was my master currently staring inside the fireplace a couple of metres away, and looking straight at me through it?

Rowena was sitting in her usual armchair, one of her fingers drumming into her thigh in some inexistent beat. "You met with the Grey Lady. Did you learn where the horcrux is hidden?"

I nodded and sat down, trying to act casual. Trying to ignore my racing heart. Trying to ignore the sparkling warmth in my master's eyes. "Yes, it is in the Room of Requirement."

She raised her eyebrows. "Huh. That makes sense, I guess." Rowena stood up and started to pace the room. "You should try and get it as soon as possible."

"It doesn't really matter though? Voldemort can't reach it in the castle."

Rowena smiled mirthlessly. "Voldemort? No. But remember, his followers have children here. Any of them could be tasked to retrieve it." The woman frowned. "Thanks to that one-armed man, Voldemort knows that his horcruxes are in danger. He will look to secure them."

I nodded. "I know. Have you learned whether or not there are more than six?"

Rowena paused for a moment and bit her lip. She looked me in the eyes for a moment. "There is one more. A locket, if I'm not mistaken."

"So there are seven of them in total?"

"There were seven," my master corrected. "Diary, ring and goblet are already destroyed. Diadem and the one which was inside you are soon to be so too."

"Which leaves only two, Nagini and this locket."

Rowena nodded. "Indeed."

"Do you know where they are?"

She shrugged. "Nagini could be anywhere, she is probably hidden somewhere safe by now." Rowena sat down again, her finger fidgeting. "The locket on the other hand. . ."

"You know where it is? Can I go and get it?"

She grimaced. "Not quite, I know where it was. It was in a cave, but someone has stolen it."

"The one-armed man?"

She shook her head. "No. Someone with the initials R.A.B."

"Doesn't ring any bells. Do you think you can figure it out?"

"I'm working on it. She pointed at a large book on the table. "I'm currently looking through the register of every student who has graduated Hogwarts. If the thief went to Hogwarts, I'll know everything there is to know, from when he got his first detention, to what marks he graduated with."

"That's good, just keep me updated, alright?"

She inclined her head. "Of course." Rowena stood up and turned her back to me. "I just have a question, Harry."

"Ask away, master."

I thought her shoulders were more tense than usual, her posture was rigid. "Did the Grey Lady say anything else to you?"

I could hear my mind screaming at me, alarms going off in the background. I used all of my will to sit still.

"No," I said. "Not really. Why?"

"I. . . nothing. I just thought she would."

She turned around with a weak smile. "I trust that you've practised the S.O.T?"

I rolled my eyes and stood up and stretched. "Stop calling it that. And yes, I've practised it more than is healthy."

"Oh? Perhaps you're almost adequate by now, then?"

-()-

Every time my master smiled at me. I smiled back, but I got the impression that my eyes didn't shine the way hers did.

Every time she made a joke or sarcastic remark, I chuckled. Yet it was forced.

Every time she turned her back to me, I glanced at her with an uncertain frown.

I had trusted her up until yesterday.

It was clear she trusted me. If Helena hadn't said anything, nothing would be different.

It made me ask whether or not everything I'd learned really mattered. Knowing that Rowena started Dumbledore's Army didn't change that much by itself.

But if she had kept one thing from me, who was to say how many more things she was keeping from me?

What if one of those things were crucial?

She had told me that she knew about five horcruxes, then admitted there were seven. Was she actually mistaken or did she lie to me? In that case, why did she lie? What could she possibly gain from it?

It was along these tracks my mind travelled the entire lesson. No matter what happened, I couldn't stop myself from looking after a deeper meaning, looking for any kind of deceit. There wasn't none though, my master appeared to be the same as always, if a little annoyed at my distracted state of mind.

Going through times like this, I had to admit that people who claimed that ignorance was bliss were right.

It felt like my connection to her shattered. Things could have gone by without it shattering. There was no way to mend it, only grieve over what had been destroyed.

If only I hadn't been so damn curious. If only I never asked Helena more questions than the one I needed to.

Then I would be content.

-()-

I just had to get this over with. Dumbledore would start to grow suspicious soon if I didn't focus more on getting Slughorn's memory for him.

It wouldn't teach me anything. I already knew there were seven horcruxes, of which three were destroyed.

I felt a chill. Had my master lied again? Could there be even more than seven?

Suddenly, the task felt much more urgent. If I learned that she spoke the truth, great.

I didn't know what I would do if it turned out she had lied again. For she must have lied the first time around. The one thing I didn't doubt about her were her abilities, Voldemort's horcrux couldn't have fooled her so thoroughly.

Potions class went by as usual. Slughorn pretended I wasn't there –he was no doubt still grumpy about my little extortion.

He had started to hold several meetings with his favourite students. I was unsurprisingly not invited. Hermione was, and she told me all about them. Almost too much. It seemed as if the best student in every subject got a spot in the 'Slug Club'. I knew Hermione, Corner and Greengrass had been invited to it.

How the three of them managed to coexist in such close proximity completely eluded me.

I stayed behind after potions class, hiding behind one of the desks so Slughorn wouldn't notice me staying. As to not look like a five year old playing hide and seek to my classmates, I pretended to pack my bag.

Perhaps I could consider myself worthy of being a Slytherin now?

I stood up and cleared my throat. Slughorn twitched and spun around. "Potter!" he barked. "What are you doing here?"

I smiled in a friendly manner. "I wanted to talk to you, sir. I think we got off on the wrong foot."

He glared at me. "The wrong foot?" Slughorn shook his head. "No, we didn't get off to any foot at all, because you decided to blackmail me."

I gave him a pointed look. "It wasn't blackmailing, I was merely offering you some protection, in return for some assistance."

Slughorn muttered something.

"I am going to be honest with you sir. I need something from you."

The potions professor sighed. "Am I about to be subjected to another session of extortion?"

"No. I am going to offer you a deal, though."

"Why do I sense that I am going to be left in a worse state if I don't take this deal?"

"Because this deal is a no brainer." I sat down and gestured for him to do the same. "You gave Dumbledore a memory of a dinner you had with Tom Riddle years ago, when he was a student."

He got to his feet again, his complexion ashen. "I… what–"

I flicked his wand and he was forced into his seat again. "Let me finish," I said. "The memory was modified, don't even dare to try and deny it." I smiled. "Thing is, I think I already know the answer to it."

He raised his eyebrows, despite himself. "Really? Do you know? And how are you supposed to know?"

I smiled. "I have my ways." I tapped my scar with a pointed look. "Getting struck by the killing curse has benefits."

He narrowed his eyes on me. "Right. Let's hear it then. What do you think the memory said?"

I looked into his eyes, readying myself to detect any kind of trickery or deceit. "He made seven, didn't he?" I whispered. "He made seven horcruxes."

Slughorn's mouth fell open, his eyes grew large and stared at me in horror. "How. . . how. . . how do you know this?" he stammered.

"Am I right?"

"I…what…yes!" he said. "That is what he asked about, at least, can't say whether he did it or not."

I grimaced. "Oh he did it alright."

I let out a long breath of relief. Slughorn couldn't possibly understand what his affirmation meant.

"So, since I already know the contents of the memory, you can give it to me, right? I need something to show Dumbledore."

He frowned. "Just don't show it to anyone else, okay? And don't judge me too harshly, there are few things I regret more than the words I told him that evening."

I smiled, trying to appear supportive. "Thank you, professor. And if it is any comfort, helping us more than make up for any wrong you might have done."

That was a lie. Yet Slughorn was a useful guy, it was preferable to have him as an ally, rather than an enemy.

He forced a smile. "I'm not so sure about that, Mr. Potter, but thank you nonetheless."

Slughorn put his wand to his temple and a silvery string was pulled out. I observed it curiously as he stuffed it inside a small vial.

He handed it to me with trembling hands. "Be careful with this." Slughorn closed his eyes and breathed out a shaky breath.

I stood up to leave. "Thank you for your help, professor. Have a good day."

-()-

-Draco-

I slammed my fist against the cabinet, wincing as the pain shot through my hand.

Why couldn't it just work? It should work, I had done everything correctly.

My legs collapsed from below me and I sank down to the ground. I sat with heavy breaths, leaning against the door of the cabinet. The cabinet which was supposed to be my salvation. Another night spent, another night of zero progress made.

I heard a whine and the scraping of a door against the floor. I dashed to my feet with my wand clutched tightly in my hand.

How could someone get in here? The room was supposed to be locked when someone was already in it.

That was a question for later, because footsteps echoed throughout the room, coming steadily closer to me.

"All right then, where are you?" a voice whispered. I didn't get the impression that the voice was talking to me.

I tried to reign in my breathing and tip-toed through the room. The footsteps grew steadily quieter. If I could only reach the door without that person finding me…

I sent a glance over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't followed. Something collided with my feet and I fell to the ground, with a pile of furniture tumbling down together with me.

I managed to get my wand out and knock away the furniture which would have turned me into a bloody rug. I could hear the footsteps, but I couldn't do anything about it.

I was stuck on the ground, wheezing and coughing.

The piles of chairs and tables around me started to levitate and fly away into the distance.

A human figure appeared towering above me, with a pair of green eyes staring down at me.

"Well, well, hello there, Malfoy." Potter frowned and bent to pick up a small box which was lying next to me. He narrowed his eyes on me. "What are you doing here?"

I got up and tried to wipe the dust off my robes. "Nothing, having fun."

Potter didn't move an inch. "Huh. Didn't know you considered crawling on dusty floors 'fun'. I'll make sure you get more opportunities to do so."

I glared at him. "What are you doing here then?"

"I am having fun now, too."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, Potter. Go and choke on three pounds of steel or something."

I started to back away, but found that something was blocking my escape.

"I was being serious, Malfoy." Potter took a threatening step forwards. "What are you doing here?" He pointed towards the small box he had picked up. "What were you doing with this?"

I swallowed. "I've never seen that thing before, it must have fallen down together with the furniture."

Potter scoffed. "Right. I'm supposed to believe that." He paused. "But let's say I do, that still doesn't answer why you are in here in the first place?"

I glared at him. "You don't own this place, anyone is allowed to be here. What they do here, is none of your damn business."

Potter pursed his lips. "You know what, I can just find out for myself." I felt something get snagged from my hair and winced. Potter held the hair in his palm and muttered a spell on it.

A silvery line came out of me, went to the floor, and off where I had run from. I recognised the spell, it was the same one he had used to track Delacour in the maze. I felt a cold shiver run down my spine.

He couldn't find out. Of all people, he couldn't find out. If he did, I was doomed.

Potter started to follow the silver line and I scurried after. The line turned into more of a knot by the cabinet, it twisted and turned, and went to the floor.

"Hmm." Potter frowned and inspected the cabinet. "A cabinet? It's enchanted, what is it–"

"Expelliarmus!" I shouted.

A protective shield appeared between Potter and the spell. He smiled, vaguely amused. "Oh, really? How interesting."

I screamed and sent another spell at the shield, it didn't make as much as a scratch.

Potter shrugged. I felt something impact the back of my head and I was knocked to the ground. My wand was torn out of my grasp.

"Now. Let's see what we have here." Potter muttered a couple of spells at the cabinet. "Some kind of transportation tool." He froze in his steps. "What, or who are you trying to transport here?"

I tried to scramble to my feet and run away but something grabbed hold of my robes and dragged me off the ground. I twisted and squirmed but there was nothing I could do without my wand.

Potter took a firm grasp of my forearm and slid away my Hogwarts robe.

The black tattoo shone and twisted on my forearm. Potter stared at the mark for a couple of seconds, transfixed.

"I'll let you go now," he said. "I'll leave it to the headmaster to deal with this. But know this, the only reason that I am not dealing with this myself, is because I would get arrested after doing so."

Potter stalked away with purposeful footsteps. I was left lying on the ground, my heart beating so fast I thought it would burst. They knew. Everyone knew about my plan.

I was doomed.

My mother was doomed.

That was my one opportunity, I wasted it. All because of fucking Potter.

I couldn't blame him. He wanted to protect Hogwarts, same as me, but he didn't know what I would lose when he did.

A/N: Please leave a comment if you don't mind! There'll be another chapter next Friday, as usual.