Upon returning to the common room that evening, Harry was stunned to find Sirius there waiting for him. "What are you doing here?!" He exclaimed when he saw him.

"Gee that's a welcome greeting," Sirius said teasingly, grinning at the fact that Harry and Hermione were holding hands.

"Sorry it's just that I wasn't expecting you."

"I know you weren't and I'm sorry to break up your date early but we need to talk," He turned to Hermione. "It's nice to see you again, Hermione. I must say, you've grown into a fine young woman since I last saw you."

Hermione's cheeks turned pink. "Thank you, Mr. Black. It's good to see you again too."

"Please call me, Sirius."

"How did you get into the common room anyway?" Harry asked.

"Dumbledore gave me the password. He wanted me to go right to Hogsmeade and bring you to his office but I told him the news could wait until after your first trip there," Sirius explained.

"It must be really important then," He realized with concern.

"I'm afraid so." Sirius' expression was grave which was completely unlike him and did nothing to reassure him.

"I'd better go see what this is about. I'll see you later," Harry told Hermione who nodded. Then he turned and followed Sirius out of the common room.

"What's all this about?" He asked his godfather as they navigated the long halls of Hogwarts, heading in the direction of Dumbledore's office.

"Not here," Was all Sirius told him. "Dumbledore has made it clear that if that Skeeter woman is found with even a toe on the property again she'll face legal action for trespassing. He's confident we don't have to worry about her again. Still, this is a conversation that must be in absolute privacy."

Harry tried not to worry too much, but as his thoughts raced around in head, playing out all sorts of possibilities about the topic Sirius and Dumbledore wanted to discuss with him, his worry only grew.

"Licorice wands," Sirius told the griffon statue, opening the way into the Headmaster's office.

"Ah, Harry, Sirius. Come in, come in," Dumbledore welcomed them with tea, biscuits, and comfy chairs.

"Headmaster, what is all this about? Did you figure out who put my name into the goblet?" Harry asked.

"I'm afraid we still have no idea who the culprit is. No, I have called you here for another matter entirely though it does have some relation to the Goblet of Fire." Gone was the usual twinkle in the headmaster's eyes, replaced by a grave serious look. It only served to increase Harry's growing apprehension.

"It's not going to be an easy conversation," Sirius added, looking equally grave.

"Just tell me," Harry replied, bracing himself for the worst.

"To understand, first I must give you some history," Dumbledore clasped his hands together. "Two years ago during what would have been your second year at Hogwarts had you been able to attend, there were some…troubling events that transpired. On Halloween a student was found petrified beneath a message scrawled on the wall declaring that the Chamber of Secrets had been opened once again.

"I'm not sure how much you've heard about the Chamber of Secrets in your studies before coming to Hogwarts so let me give you the necessary background." The headmaster spent the next few minutes explaining the history of the Chamber of Secrets and what had happened when it had been opened once before, 50 years ago, including how a student had died.

"It was thought that with the student found out and expelled, that the Chamber would remain closed for good. Unfortunately that was not the case, as it had been opened once again two years ago. Another student attacked, though thankfully, only petrified rather than killed.

For the next two months the school was growing increasingly panicked. My colleagues and I were scrambling to discover who was at fault. The students were worried about who would be attacked next. After two months however, the person responsible was found out and the truth revealed.

A young Ginevra Weasley, had tearfully confessed to her older brothers after they'd noticed her odd behavior, about an enchanted diary she'd been writing in since the start of the school year. The diary was turned over to me and there were no more attacks. Madame Pomphrey and Professor Sprout were able to revive the petrified student with the mandrakes that had been growing and things returned to normal.

It was clear to me right away that the diary was cursed with some of the darkest magic I've ever witnessed. But what was especially interesting to me was the owner of the diary. Tom Marvelo Riddle.

A name which means nothing to you or most who hear it. Those who would recognize the name would identify him as a student here 50 years ago. A prefect who had supposedly found the person who had been opening the chamber last time and turned him in. He has a special award to the school for it.

What they wouldn't know is that Tom Riddle had a startling fascination with the dark arts that led him down a very dark path. That he would eventually become the one known as Voldemort."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. However he'd thought that sentence was going to end, it wasn't that. The truth was he'd never imagined Voldemort as having once been a man—even a student like any other—but really what else would he be?

"The diary could be written in and the memory of a 16 year old Tom Riddle would answer back. It quickly became clear to me that Tom was the true Heir of Slytherin the whole time and had falsely accused a student to cover himself. And now the diary had been influencing, slowly possessing Miss Weasley after she had been writing in it for a long enough period.

I attempted to learn what I could from the diary without falling victim to it myself but eventually hit a wall so to speak. I decided I could learn nothing more and that it was best to destroy the diary. It was then that a new problem presented itself. The diary could not be destroyed by any normal or natural means. I tried many different methods to no avail.

Eventually, reluctantly, I turned it over to the Unspeakables at the Department of Mysteries. Only one of them was able to recognize it for what it was. That was when I learned that the diary was no mere memory preserved in a cursed object. It was in fact a horcrux."

"What's a horcrux?" Harry asked, finding that the mere word filled him with a strange kind of dread.

"A horcrux is very rare, very powerful and one of the darkest rituals you can perform with magic. The ritual itself requires killing someone and it quite literally splits your soul then tethers it to an object which makes you virtually immortal. Even if you were killed or rather your body was, you could not die so long as the horcruxâ€"part of your soulâ€"remains earthbound and undamaged. A horcrux cannot be destroyed easily either. It requires things like fiendfyre or basilisk venom to do so.

What all of this means is that we now know how Voldemort has managed to stay alive all these years. Even if he does not have a physical body anymore."

"Oh," Harry said, letting it all sink in. He couldn't imagine committing such a vile evil act to gain immortality. Surely death would be far more preferable?

"Voldemort's greatest fear has always been death. For him any kind of existence is better than death," Dumbledore explained as if having read his mind and probably had.

"That's crazy!"

"For those of us who merely see death as the next great adventure and have loved ones waiting for us in whatever life may await after, I suppose it would seem quite insane. I don't pretend to entirely understand Voldemort's motivations myself. Just that he truly does not believe in any other option but immortality through any means possible."

"Did you destroy the horcrux then? Is he mortal again?" Was Harry's next question.

"I wish it were that simple. But I feared otherwise and my fears were correct. All of this led me down many paths in an attempt to uncover as much of Tom Riddle's past as I could. My efforts made all the more urgent when your name came out of the Goblet of Fire and reports of visions of Voldemort inside your head.

I met with an old colleague of mine. One to ask if he would be interested in taking up the position of Potions professor again. You see, Harry. I have not forgotten Severus' appalling behavior towards you in class. I have reprimanded him harshly for it and have even sought a possible replacement. Though it has proven more difficult than I thought it would."

Harry was shocked to hear this. He'd thought Snape had gotten off easy and he'd be stuck with him for the rest of his time at Hogwarts. It was a relief to know Dumbledore was actually on his side about it and trying to find a solution.

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate it." The headmaster only nodded.

"To return to the topic at hand, I also intended to speak with Horace Slughorn because I knew he had had a particularly close relationship with Tom Riddle when he was at school. I had a hunch he knew something and was proven to be correct.

It was clear he knew something and yet he would not admit anything to me. We had several long conversations but when nothing could persuade him and he was quite cross with me and ready to throw me out…" Dumbledore sighed wearily.

"I did what I had to do. The mind is a tricky thing and Horace had his quite well fortified with Occlumency protections and had even gone so far as to carefully alter and bury the memory deep within himself. Nevertheless none of these precautions were a match for me and I was able to retrieve the true memory though not without consequence. I am afraid there is absolutely no possibility of him accepting my invitation back to take over as potions professor once again. Not after what I had done to him. I dare say he will never want to see or speak to me again and I do not blame him."

Harry was horrified by all this. Everyone knew Dumbledore's magical gift was that of a mind mage. A rare and powerful gift. Any witch or wizard could be taught and with enough practice develop Occlumency to shield their thoughts and Legilimency to read the surface thoughts of others. But a mind mage was someone born as a natural telepath. They could enter even the most shielded Occlumens mind and dig through their thoughts and memories to extract whatever information they wanted.

They could alter and erase memories far beyond that of an Obliviator. While an Obliviator could erase a memory, the memory always had a chance of being recovered. A mind mage could completely obliterate a memory, leaving not a trace that it ever existed to begin with. A mind mage's own mind was completely impenetrable, perfectly shielded even from that of other mind mages. Nothing and no one having any access to their mind.

It was said there once was a mind mage so powerful he could literally shatter a person's mind and sanity behind repair. Naturally the ability was rare and Dumbledore was the only one to be born with it in over a hundred years.

The realization that he had so deeply invaded poor Slughorn's mind and plucked the information out of him against his will like that—it was terrifying.

"I do not consider my gift a blessing," Dumbledore told him. "It is more often a curse. But it is sadly necessary to be used sometimes for the greater good of the world."

Harry couldn't find his words and only nodded. Thankfully the headmaster did not speak further about it and went on with the previous topic.

"The memory that I had retrieved was enough to confirm what I had feared. In it Tom Riddle had asked Horace Slughorn about horcruxes and if it were possible to make more than one. I am sad to say that Horace Slughorn willingly told him the answer. Something that has clearly filled him with regret and shame over the years which is why he fought so hard to hide the memory from me. Alas what's done is done."

"So you're saying Voldemort didn't just make one horcrux, but multiple?" Harry asked, the pieces clicking together in his head.

"Yes," Dumbledore answered and he suddenly looked very old and very tired,

"How many exactly is something we haven't quite figured out yet," Sirius said, cutting into the conversation for the first time after listening in complete silence. "But now we know that the only way to really truly be rid of him, is by finding and destroying every last one."

"No wonder you wanted to have this conversation in private, this is huge," Harry realized in a kind of awe. But to think that they'd finally found the way to defeat Voldemort once and for all.

"If only that were the only reason we called you here. I'm afraid there's more," Sirius said, sounding resigned.

"There's more?" Harry couldn't quite believe it. How could there possibly be more?

"This next part is much harder to tell," Sirius replied. "It regards you."

"Me?"

"I have always suspected that Voldemort transferred some of his powers to you as a baby on that fateful Halloween night," Dumbledore began solemnly. "Unintentionally of course. But ever since the dream or rather vision you've been subject to a couple of weeks ago. One that by your description is as if it was through Voldemort's eyes. And this despite your years of training in Occlumency. I began to realize that this connection you have to him through your scar…is so much worse than I could have thought possible. But the Unspeakables and I have discussed it at length with your godfather and have come to a startling revelation."

Dumbledore fixed him with a piercing gaze, it was filled with many emotions Harry couldn't quite decipher. But what was worse was that he thought he detected fear in the old man's eyes. Just the briefest glimmer of it.

"There's no easy way to say this so I will just come right out with it. We have every reason to believe that you are one of his horcruxes."

Harry sat there, frozen in horror and disbelief. At first his brain simply refused to process it. This was a nightmare. That's all. Just a horrible nightmare he'd soon wake up from. But as it slowly began to dawn on him that this was real life, that what Dumbledore had said was really real…it was like a dam bursting. He felt so many emotions swirling inside of him, he became light headed.

"You can't mean…I can't be…I'm gonna be sick!" Harry doubled over and one of them conjured a trash can for him to vomit into. Sirius was instantly there at his side, rubbing his back gently. His godfather didn't whisper any kind of assurances—because really what could you possibly say to assure in this situation—simply held him.

When Harry finished and sat back up in his chair, Dumbledore was looking very sorrowful. "I am so dearly truly sorry about this," He told him earnestly and Harry could only nod in response.

"W-we can remove it though right?" He asked, more so begging than asking really.

"We don't know," Sirius said, fighting to keep the emotion out of his voice.

"I'm afraid that what little that's written about horcruxes has always referred to them as being done with inanimate objects. Never has there been a recording of using a living being for one. Until now no one had any idea of such a possibility. Not even Voldemort as I believe he only made you a horcrux by pure accident."

"So you're saying I have to die," Harry realized.

"No!" Sirius exclaimed angrily. "No you're not going to die! I won't let that happen, I swear to you. We will find a way to remove the horcrux inside of you!" The declaration was made with a kind of fire in his godfather's eyes that Harry had never seen before. His heart swelled with emotion and love for him at the thought of it. Even if he didn't really believe him.

"But if the only way to get rid of one is by destroying it—with things like fiendfyre or venom no less—then" Harry trailed off. "If it's the only way…if this is my destiny..."

"Don't you dare talk that way!" Sirius reprimanded fiercely. "This is not your destiny! We will find another way!"

"We will try," Dumbledore said.

"We won't try, we will!" His godfather insisted. He looked so distraught and full of desperation that Harry wasn't sure how to react to seeing him this way.

I'm all he's got, Harry reminded himself. Siris had lost everyone and the thought that he would lose the godson he'd raised as his own now too. It was too much for him to handle.

"We will," The Headmaster echoed to appease him, but he sounded very unsure about it. "I promise I'll do everything in my power to find a solution to this."

"Sirius, are you going to be okay?" Harry asked his godfather after they had left Dumbledore's office.

"I'll be fine," Sirius assured him but it was too late. Harry has seen the cracks of emotions he tried so hard to hide slipping through.

"C'mon," Harry said and took him to an empty classroom. Once they sat down Sirius shook his head at him.

"You don't have to mother me Harry. I'm supposed to be the one comforting you after all. I'm sure this news is much harder on you than it is for me."

"I don't know what to think, honestly. It doesn't quite feel real yet," He admitted.

"I suppose that makes sense. It'll probably sink in slowly and then hit you all at once."

"I am scared. But…if it is my destiny…"

"Harry don't—"

"If it is. If it's the only way I can save everyone by sacrificing myself so he can finally be destroyed…I'll do it." Harry felt a terrible ache at this. He didn't want to leave Sirius or Hermione or Neville. The thought of dying after his parents tried so hard to save him, the thought of leaving a poor broken grieving Sirius behind, the thought of what it would do to Hermione.

They'd finally found each other again after all these years and they were soul mates. He could picture them getting married, Hermione in a white dress beaming at him. Living together in a cute little cottage like the one his parents had lived in at Godric's Hollow. Having kids with their unruly hair and his eyes and her smile.

I love her, He realized and fought back tears at the realization. Sirius saw the change in him and had his arms around him in a second.

"We'll get through this," Came his assurance again. Harry tried to believe him.

They held each other for a while and grappled with the emotions until they subsided. And then Sirius asked Harry to tell him about his date, not wanting to end things and return to his dorm on such a heavy note. For a little while Harry pretended the last hour hadn't happened and told him about his date, barely able to contain the joy it gave him to recall it.

"I love her, Sirius and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. But she told me she doesn't want to rush into things and initiate the soul bond right now."

"Have you told her that? She might change her mind if she knows how you really feel."

"I haven't but I will. I'm just waiting for the right time. I get where she's coming from. This is all so new for her. They don't have literal magical soul mates in the muggle world."

"No I suppose they wouldn't, would they?" Sirius chuckled. Just then something occurred to Harry that he hadn't thought of before.

"Sirius, if everyone in the wizarding world has a soul mark that leads them to their soulmate…wouldn't that mean that you have one too?"

Sirius' expression darkened. "Yes," He said stiffly.

"And…" Harry didn't know if pushing it was a good idea and yet he was incredibly curious about it now.

"And I'm not interested in trying to find my soulmate," Was all he said.

"Why not?" He wished he could take back his words immediately. He could tell it was a sensitive subject. Harry just didn't understand why someone wouldn't want to find that person that is so completely perfect for him.

"Because I only ever had eyes for one person and they already found their soulmate in someone else."

"Oh." Harry suddenly felt awful for having pressed him in this, especially after everything that had just happened. "I'm sorry," Was all he could manage to say in reply.

Sirius quirked a half grin. "It's fine. Really it is. Their happiness is all that mattered to me, even if that happiness came from being with someone else and not me."

"Still, that has to hurt."

"It was a long time ago and I'm over any twinges of hurt there might have been. I even went to his wedding and everything," Sirius said with assurance and Harry could tell he meant it.

Wait did he say his wedding? Harry thought but quickly shook the implication away. It wasn't any of his business.

"So are you ready for the first task?" Sirius asked, seeming eager to change the subject. Harry was too.

"I wish." Harry had written him about the dragons already so he didn't have to explain. "Hermione figures we won't actually have to defeat the dragon. Based on past tournaments she read about, usually the objective for this tasks is to retrieve something. The dragon will likely just be the guard."

"That makes sense," Sirius agreed. "Smart girl."

"She's brilliant!" Harry said with praise.

"I could teach a spell for dealing with the dragon but honestly? I think your best bet would be to use your broom. You're an excellent flier, maybe even better than your dad was. If you used the summoning spell to bring your firebolt to you at the arena, you could fly circles around that thing! Easily."

Harry let that swirl around in his head for minute. "I think…that's a great idea! Perfect even!"

"Good, I'm glad I could help."

"I'd better get back to common room then and tell Hermione so we can get started on practicing."

"Good luck. I'll be cheering for you every step of the way!"

"Thanks Sirius. For everything."

A/N: Oof that was a heavy chapter. Things have been fairly light so far but now the stakes have been raised and everything made clearer to Harry. He's got a long road ahead of him.

And yes Harry will be going through the first task much like in canon. I didn't have much reason to differ but the second task will be a little different as the third task will be too. But then I'm bringing out the big guns as we fully diverge from canon and Harry shows all the training he's done over the years when facing Voldemort along with a surprise. Though we have many chapters before we reach that point obviously.

Also hopefully I made obvious enough who Sirius is talking about near the end of the chapter. Hopefully the comment about 'his wedding' made it clear we're not talking about Lily here.