Remus' jaw trembled, his wand so shaky in his hand he couldn't have hit a dragon if it was spitting distance from him.

Sirius stood, disheveled, pale, and sickly thin, with his arms outstretched. A soft, yet smug smile stood on his lips, his eyes twinkling.

"Well, Moony?" He asked, staring his friend in the eyes. "Can you forgive an old dog like me for bailing out on you?"

Remus' wand fell from his palm and hit the desk with a clatter.

He stepped forward, crossing the distance between him and Sirius in a single lunge as he raised his arm.

A 'thwack' sounded as Remus' fist connected with Sirius' face, sending the convict sprawling to the floor.

"Remus!" Thanatos was up, wand pointed between Remus' eyes before he could blink. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Tears brimmed in Remus' eyes, his arms and lip trembling as he stared at Sirius.

"Get up," he croaked, tears beginning to leak and voice beginning to fail. "Get up, Pads."

Sirius hesitantly obliged, rubbing his sore jaw. He eyed Remus warily, dark eyes cautious.

"C'mere," Remus muttered, wrapping Sirius in a tight hug and beginning to cry.

"Er… Moony?" Sirius asked, patting his back. "You ok?"

He turned to Thanatos, who looked as lost as he felt.

"I fucking hate you, you stupid. Mangy. Mutt," Remus croaked, shoulders shaking as he pulled back.

He stared at the floor, tears and sobs escaping him, hands on Sirius' shoulders.

"I— I'm so sorry," Remus whispered, voice hoarse and breaking. "Sirius… Sirius, I'm so sorry. I should've known."

He sobbed harder, hot tears hitting the floor.

"I should've fucking known," Remus repeated, voice almost inaudible. "You… you were my friend, Sirius… I should've known."

Sirius hugged his old friend, and Remus finished breaking down as he hugged Sirius back.

Remus' knees went weak for a moment, his anguish overriding his bodily control.

Sirius held his friend up, and memories of doing the same after a full moon overwhelmed his mind.

"Moony…"

Remus held him tightly, standing a bit under shaky legs.

"Forgive me, Pads…" He whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"It's ok," Was Sirius' immediate reply. "You didn't know. No one did."

"I should've," Remus said as he pulled back. "You were always there for me, and I— I'm sorry."

"Remus," Sirius said firmly, and Remus looked up.

"It's ok," Sirius continued, a bit gentler. "Everyone knew I was close with James; it was expected that they'd suspect me. That's why I switched with Peter."

Remus snarled at the name, eyes flashing and muscles bulging for a moment. His teeth became sharper, and the wolf howled behind his eyes.

"That bastard… after all we've done," Remus snarled, balling his fists.

He turned, slamming his hand on the desk and cracking it.

"After all we helped him with," He muttered darkly. "Getting him out of detentions, teaching him to transform, sneaking him out when he got caught, sticking up for him against the Slytherins…"

Remus' knuckles were white and trembling, and he barely refrained from punching the desk again.

"I swear to Merlin I'm going to torture the bastard," Remus told them. "We're going to find him, and I'm going to make the back-stabbing bastard regret being born."

"Remus," Thanatos stated firmly.

He put a hand squarely on Remus' shoulder and squeezed, feeling Remus tense and tremble in rage.

"He's needed for Sirius' pardoning," Thanatos went on. "Do you want temporary satisfaction in torturing him or do you want your best friend back?"

Remus took a deep breath through his nose and exhaled, closing his eyes and letting the rage leave.

"You're right," He said after a moment. "But we're finding him."

His voice was laced with steel and rage, leaving no room for argument.

Thanatos nodded and removed his hand. "Of course."

Remus turned back to Sirius, eyes firm and piercing.

"What was it you said about Dumbledore?"

"And then I explained everything I just told you," Sirius told Harry, now in the present, as he leaned back in his chair.

They were in Flitwick's office, with Thanatos and Remus talking to the half-goblin professor while Sirius and Harry sat some distance away. Aahna had gone off to who knew where, only whispering something to Thanatos before she left.

The Charms Professor had done a double take and nearly attacked Sirius upon seeing him transform, but a hasty explanation from both Thanatos and Remus stopped that.

Harry was currently sitting, dumbfounded, in a comfortable wooden chair across from Sirius while the convict stretched casually.

Harry's mind was running haywire. He'd managed to accept that Sirius was innocent, but Dumbledore being some kind of manipulator who'd planned everything? That was too much.

But the evidence was right there, and from what Sirius and the others had told him, it was almost irrefutable.

But Dumbledore was light, wasn't he? Why would he do that? Why would we try to separate Sirius from Harry's father so much and cause such a divide? What was there for him to gain?

Unfortunately, when he asked these questions to Sirius, he'd only gotten a shrug and a 'no clue' as a response.

Harry sighed, feeling an immense cluelessness fog his mind. He'd had so many questions answered, and still, so many more had arisen.

"Potter, Black," Thanatos barked as he approached them.

The two jumped, and Sirius was out of his seat in a flash, knees dropped low in a battle stance. For a second, Harry saw the Auror shine through Sirius' eyes.

Thanatos just smirked at him. "Reflexes still sharp, huh?"

Sirius huffed, running a hand through his hair. "Tis' a bad habit. Moody was quick with a curse when he needed to be."

"Shame I never had him," Thanatos replied before jerking his head to the side. "C'mon, we're going."

"Count yourself lucky," Sirius muttered before perking up. "We can go now?"

"Yeah," Thanatos nodded. "We can hopefully pop out near Amelia's home, since going to the Ministry is a death sentence for you right now."

Sirius shook his head. "We can't. Head of DMLE, remember? If we show up, it'll call every Auror in Britain."

Thanatos paused and swore under his breath.

"You're right. Can't believe I forgot that," He admitted in annoyance. "Any suggestions on where to go?"

"I know a place," Sirius told him, approaching the Floo.

"You're not going to pop us out in Hawaii like that one time, are you?" Remus asked cautiously.

"Hawaii would be nice," Sirius said wistfully. "Nice beach, beautiful women—"

A spell flew at him from across the room, and Sirius dropped and rolled to his right.

He kicked up into a crouch, covering himself with a table.

His right hand was flat, fingers curled as if holding a wand, and his other hand held his wrist.

"REDUC—" Sirius stopped for two things: one, he noticed Aahna trying to hide her wand and giggles from across the room, and two, he remembered he didn't have a wand.

"Watch it, Black," Aahna warned with a smirk. "Ami might get jealous if she hears."

Sirius narrowed his eyes as he stood. "You better watch yourself once I get a wand again."

Aahna stuck out her tongue at him, a gesture he returned along with a rather rude hand gesture.

"Sirius!" Remus barked, making him jump. "Harry's still here, you know?"

They turned over to Harry, who was staring at Sirius in astonishment.

"Uhh, Harry? You alright, kiddo?" Sirius asked, suddenly feeling self conscious.

"That was incredible!" Harry exclaimed excitedly. "How did you do that?! Was that part of Auror training?"

"What? The roll?" Sirius asked, and got a nod in response.

Sirius puffed out his chest proudly. "Well… let's just say I was one of the Ministry's best," He told Harry cockily. "They called me The Marksman, you know?"

"That was my title," Thanatos droned boredly, rolling his eyes. "They called you Firehose cause you got drunk off your ass once and pissed yourself."

Sirius gaped affrontedly at Thanatos, looking massively offended. It only increased as Harry laughed, though Harry tried, and failed, to hide it behind his hand.

"See what you did?!" Sirius exclaimed dramatically as Harry laughed. "He's not going to think I'm cool now!"

"Well, you're not," Remus poorly hid a smirk as Sirius whipped over to him.

"You too?!" Sirius exclaimed, affronted.

Remus shrugged. "We have to be honest, Sirius. Can't be giving Harry false information, can we?"

Sirius grumbled under his breath, and the words 'I get a wand' and 'hex up their arse' were heard, not that it seemed Sirius cared.

Eventually, the group collected their bearings and left Hogwarts, not to the DMLE, but to a safe house Sirius knew Amelia owned.

Sirius gave the password and stepped through, letting the others in afterwards.

After Harry was flung out the fireplace like a sack of potatoes and dusted himself off, he looked around, not really impressed.

They were in a small room, tight even for only the small group, that held nothing but barren walls, the fireplace, and a pot of Floo powder on the mantle.

"This is the safe house you raved about?" Remus asked, pretending to look around. "It's… a place."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Just you wait, Moony."

He stuck out his hand. "One of you, I need your wand. The door's got a special lock and won't open for anyone but me and Ami."

Harry blinked; the door at the end of the room had suddenly appeared, as plain as the rest of the room.

"How do you know you're still in?" Thanatos asked as he tossed Sirius his wand.

Sirius smirked as he caught it with practiced ease.

"Call it a hunch, call it love," Sirius replied suavely. "All I know is my Ami's not one to kick me out like that. That is, if she even remembers this place."

He approached the door and tapped the knob with the wand, muttering something so low even Remus couldn't catch.

The knob glowed blue, and Sirius nodded, tapping the center of the door three times in quick succession.

The room suddenly darkened before lighting up again, the walls covered in glowing golden runes.

"Impressive," Remus commented as he looked around. "You did this?

Sirius grinned proudly. "Me and Ami, patched this old boy up ourselves."

Thanatos studied the runes intensely, hand on his chin.

"Password combination lock?" He asked, looking around. "How secure?"

"Three," Sirius replied.

He headed over to a wall and tapped a rune that, to Harry, looked indistinguishable from the others with Thanatos' wand.

The room dimmed and glowed again, this time red and with dozens of more runes.

The group watched as Sirius went to three different locations in the room, touching six runes casually.

The room dulled and brightened again, and Harry blinked and squinted.

There were hundreds, if not thousands, of minuscule glowing blue runes on the walls, floor, and ceiling. So tiny they could fit on Harry's fingertip, and almost indistinguishable, even to people like Remus.

Aahna frowned. "Is the last one hidden somewhere? None of these follow the pattern of Ruz you've been making."

Sirius gaped slightly at her. "How the bloody hell did you figure that out?! It took us weeks to plan this!"

Aahna shrugged. "Part of the job, I suppose. Plus, experience, remember?"

Sirius grumbled about Unspeakables and their training before shuffling over to the fireplace.

He reached to the mantle, picked up the Floo pot, and tapped a rune underneath it.

The walls brightened for the fourth time and vanished, leaving them standing inside the safe house.

The safe house was a barndominium, or a barn house refurbished into a livable home, with an open floor design.

They were currently in the living room, the main light source being the setting Sun that came in through the large windows.

Thanatos glanced around. "A protective barrier that warns you about intruders while managing to keep any occupants of the house safe?"

Sirius just sighed and rubbed his face. "Yeah, me and Ami had a lot of fun building it. She loved doodling the runes."

The lines on his face deepened, gouging into his skin as if carved from marble, but in the next second, it was gone.

"Well… I think there's just one thing left to do now…" Sirius whispered, his hands shaking.

He shakily approached a rotary phone on a desk near the couch, his hand resting on the receiver.

"Now or never, Pads," He whispered, feeling intense fear creep up him that would put the dementors to shame.

What if this was a mistake? What if she didn't answer? What if she didn't remember the signal? What then? He couldn't bear the thought of her not remembering.

"I can do this," He whispered, gripping the receiver. "I'm a Marauder dammit, it's just another prank call, like always."

Knots wrangled in his guts as he picked up the receiver and held it to his ear, and his heart pounded like a war drum in his throat.

At the second beep, Sirius began dialing numbers:

03-11-59

The modified phone began humming, and Sirius felt his knees begin to go weak.

All the way out in the Ministry of Magic, in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, in Madam Bones' office, a phone rang.

Amelia jumped from her paperwork, nearly knocking over a bottle of ink in the process.

She quickly picked the Simon phone up from the charging base and stared, her hands shaking.

No, it couldn't be. She recognized the number, she would know it in her worst nightmares and loftiest dreams, but there was no way.

Only she had access to the house that number was from, only her.

Well, her and…

Amelia scrambled to pick up, shoving the phone against her ear harshly.

"Ground to base, 19-08-57?" She asked, hoping beyond hope.

It couldn't be him. No, it couldn't be. It had to be a glitch, it had to be.

Seconds ticked by, and Amelia felt her heart begin to shatter and tears well up in her eyes. Maybe it really was too much to hope.

"Affirmative," a raspy and deep voice answered, and Amelia almost heard the smirk.

Amelia jumped up so quickly her chair fell back with a clatter, but she didn't care. It was him, it was really him!

She grabbed her wand and locked her doors, casting every privacy charm she knew twice over before throwing it back onto her desk.

"Siri?" Amelia asked softly, her voice barely audible. "Is… is that you?"

"Ami?" Sirius responded just as softly. "You sound as beautiful as you did all those years ago."

Amelia felt tears well up in her eyes, and she slid down her wall, hand clamped tightly over her mouth.

"Siri…" Amelia croaked, hands shaking. "Siri… it's really you."

"It's me alright," Sirius told her. "Are you alright, Ami?"

Amelia tensed; she could almost taste the love in his voice, and for a moment, she was a younger woman, being held gently after a long mission, hands on her back and lips on—

"Ami?" Sirius asked again.

Amelia jumped as she snapped from her daydream, or memory as it was better to say, and blushed horribly.

"Ah, uhh—" she cleared her throat forcefully. "Y-yeah? I-I'm fine."

"I guess you already know where we are," Sirius told her.

Amelia smiled gently. "Yeah… wait, we?"

Sirius sighed. "Yeah. I'm here with Moony, Magpie, Flutterwing, and Harry."

Magpie and Flutterwing were the nicknames for Thanatos and Aahna respectively, given to them during their sixth year. They might not have officially been Marauders, but they still helped Remus with his werewolf problem and helped them with a prank a time or two.

"Harry's there?" Amelia asked, slightly surprised. "He knows?"

"We just told him," Sirius replied before snarling. "And there's one more person here with us, too."

Amelia did a double take at the tone change, but her Auror training kicked in, and her face hardened.

"Who?" She asked firmly, sounding as one would expect the head of the DMLE to sound.

"Pettigrew," Sirius spat venomously. "Magpie caught him after the bastard tried to run. He's in a jar right now, can't get out."

"YOU HAVE PET—" Amelia stopped, and took a deep breath. "You have Peter?"

Sirius nodded on his end. "In his full mind. He admitted to killing James and Lily after we caught him."

Amelia stood sharply, grabbing her wand and flicking it.

"Wait there. I'm on my way," She said as papers flew to their place and her bag packed itself.

"I've waited, what, 12 years? I can wait a few more minutes," Sirius said softly.

Amelia felt a pang of guilt in her chest. "Siri… Siri, I'm so sorry. I was just so—"

"It's ok," Sirius cut her off firmly but not unkindly. "You don't have to apologize. As long as I can be with you from now on, that's all that matters."

"Of course," Amelia whispered. "I love you, Sirius."

Sirius smiled on his end. "I love you too, Amelia. See you soon."

He hung up, and Amelia quickly rushed out of her office, telling her assistant that something important had come up and that anyone who looked for her would have to wait until tomorrow.

She ran out of the DMLE to the elevators and nearly crashed into Dumbledore, who was exiting them.

"Ah, Amelia, I was looking for you," The wizard smiled, his eyes twinkling.

"Sorry, Dumbledore, can't talk right now," Amelia replied, rushing into the elevator.

Dumbledore frowned. "Is everything alright? You look frantic, Amelia."

"Family emergency," Amelia called as the elevator closed, leaving Dumbledore standing outside.

Wheels turned in Dumbledore's head. The only remaining family Amelia had was Susan, and if something had happened he would've been informed first as the headmaster.

Dumbledore's frown deepened. Amelia's eyes were red as if she'd been crying, but he hadn't gotten any news on Susan.

Maybe a muggle family member? Dumbledore didn't keep track of those, being as numerous as they were would make keeping tabs of them a painstaking and frankly worthless process in his eyes.

'But Amelia never mentioned muggle family members,' Dumbledore mused as he began his trip back to Hogwarts; he had nothing more to do at the Ministry, he'd already met with Cornelius.

He decided to put it at the back of his mind as he entered the atrium and Floo'd into his office at Hogwarts after giving the password.

As he stepped out of the fireplace, he blinked in surprise to see McGonagall pacing in his office.

McGonagall whipped her head over, the lines on her face surprisingly defined and her lips a tight line.

"Ah, Albus," She sighed. "You're back."

"Is there something you need, my dear?" He asked in his kindest voice. It was unlike Minerva to simply wait in his office.

"It's Remus," Minerva sighed. "I was wondering if you knew where he was."

Dumbledore paused for a moment and then frowned. "Remus is gone?"

"Yes," Minerva confirmed. "Along with Thanatos and Mister Potter."

Dumbledore paled. "Harry's gone?!" He exclaimed. "Are you sure?!"

Minerva froze at his expression, her face becoming white as a sheet.

"You're saying he wasn't with you?" She asked, aghast.

Dumbledore took a deep breath, his Master-level Occlumency clamping down.

"Tell me everything, Minerva," He said, sitting at his desk and folding his hands.

McGonagall sat in a chair opposite him and cleared her throat.

"I was going to look for Thanatos to ask him if he could guard the students as they returned to the castle," Minerva began. "As a safety precaution."

Dumbledore nodded. The dementors may be gone but Sirius Black was still a threat.

"When I looked for him and couldn't find him, I went to Remus' office," She continued. "The two often talk in there and I thought, if I can't find Thanatos, I'll at least find Remus."

"And neither were there?" Dumbledore asked, getting a nod.

Dumbledore frowned, tapping his lips with his wand.

"And of Harry?" Dumbledore asked, trying to hide his deep concern.

"I led the students back myself along with Severus, who I'd found wandering the halls," Minerva told him. "After a while, both Mister Weasley and Miss Granger came up to me asking if I'd seen Mister Potter."

Dumbledore tensed. "He wasn't with his friends?"

"He didn't get his slip signed," Minerva answered. "So he stayed in the castle."

Dumbledore drummed his fingers on the desk, locking down his rising panic.

Thanatos, he could expect. The man had told him Aahna was coming to visit and so, with the removal of the dementors, would be taking some time with her before coming back.

But Remus was uncalled for. Remus always left a note of some kind, even in a rush.

But what worried him most was Harry. The boy had been acting differently since leaving the Dursley's.

Apart from blowing up his aunt, he'd asked if Sirius Black was innocent according to Molly, and according to Aurthur, Thanatos had put the thought in his head.

Speaking of Thanatos, the man had Dumbeldore's eye on him.

Dumbledore knew Thanatos, if left to his own devices, would figure out the truth about Sirius Black and possibly everything else, if he hadn't already.

Oh, Dumbledore knew about Sirius. He'd orchestrated everything after all.

It wasn't that he hated Sirius, James, Lily, Harry, or any of the others, it was simply something he had to do.

Harry had the prophecy over his head, and even through all his study of Divination and prophecies, he hadn't found a way to break one.

He truly didn't wish Harry to die, the boy was young and could easily change the world with his fame and power, but as of yet, Dumbledore hadn't found a way to keep the boy alive, even ignoring the thing in his scar.

Dumbledore sighed; his only road seemed to be to have Harry die, but internally, he wished he could take the burden instead. He was old after all, Harry could lead a new generation.

He suddenly remembered Minerva and looked up, finding her staring at him in concern.

"Are you alright, Albus?" She asked after he looked up.

"Yes, yes, pardon me," Albus replied calmly, cleaning his glasses. "I simply got lost in thought. Any more information on Harry or the others?"

Minerva paused, brows furrowed. "Well… According to a few first years, Mister Potter was last seen chasing Mister Weasley's rat, Scabbers, out of the common room, casting stunning spells at it."

Dumbledore's eyebrows shot up. "Stunning spells? I wasn't aware Harry had learned that."

"Neither had I," Minerva admitted. "But several students heard him cast him more than once while chasing Scabbers."

"Do you know why Harry was chasing it?" Dumbledore asked, brows furrowed. As far as he knew, Harry had never taken much of an interest in the animal.

Minerva sighed. "I don't know, Albus. All I know is that Harry tried to capture it, as well as a few students, but Scabbers ran out of the portrait hole and into the corridor."

Dumbledore frowned. "Truly? Interesting," He muttered, humming in thought. "Anything else?"

Minerva thought for a moment. "Ah! Yes! Several students mentioned a shaggy, black dog in the castle, specifically outside the Gryffindor Common Room. A few older students thought it was a Grim, and Hagrid also reported it."

"Shaggy, black… Minerva, do you know what this dog was doing?" Dumbledore asked, leaning forward.

"According to my students, chasing Scabbers," Minerva supplied. "One student reported seeing Remus and Thanatos also chasing it, along with a 'pretty blonde woman' who I assume to be Aahna."

"I didn't know Aahna was here," Minerva frowned. "I'm disappointed she didn't stop by; she's lovely to talk to over tea."

Wheels turned furiously in Dumbledore's head at that, and his eyes widened.

The dog was obviously Sirius, but for Thanatos and Remus to be with him, and to have Harry chase the rat. Well, there was only one rat he knew of that could possibly elicit such a response.

Dumbledore went green. Peter Pettigrew had not only been alive, but in his castle, right under his nose.

He knew Pettigrew had survived that faithful Halloween night, but assumed he had died along the years, and so hadn't looked.

But now, Dumbledore knew he'd been fooled.

He stood sharply, making Minerva jump at his suddenness.

"We must go to Amelia immediately," Dumbledore declared. "She will want to hear about this."

Minerva did a double take. "Amelia Bones?! What for? Surely an animal being loose isn't that big of a coinci…"

Her eyes widened. "No… an Animagus?"

Dumbledore nodded. "I'm afraid that dog and rat are no dog and rat at all."

He was halfway to the fireplace when he stopped, remembering Amelia's hasty exit.

Had that been the emergency? Had she gone home to deal with Sirius? They'd been engaged after all.

He turned. "You said Hagrid reported the dog as well?"

Minerva nodded somewhat nervously, but hid it well.

"He also reported two silhouettes mid-air, one of which appeared to be Thanatos by the clothing and size, and another was a smaller, chubbier person, possibly a man," Minerva answered.

That was bad; Thanatos was a natural in the air and quick with a wand, if it'd been Peter in the air with him, there was no doubt he'd been captured.

Dumbledore swore internally; if Thanatos had gotten to Sirius, convinced Remus, and captured Pettigrew, it was only natural to go to Amelia.

But they'd have to leave the castle, and Apparition wasn't possible with a transformed Animagi, and Portkeys were monitored on Hogwarts grounds and the surrounding area; Dumbledore would've known.

That left the Floo, but who would it be? Him and Minerva were out, given his was password-protected and Minerva didn't know where they were.

Apart from them, only Severus Snape, Filius Flitwick, and Aurora Sinistra had Floo's in their offices, ones that could head anywhere, anyway.

Severus would have reported it immediately, if he even let them through. Aurora would do the same, just to make sure everything was in order, which left Filius.

Dumbledore hummed in thought. "Thank you for informing me on this, Minerva. I'll begin investigating this immediately."

"And of Mr. Potter?" She asked, deeply concerned. "You don't think…"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I don't think so. There is no evidence of Black being in the castle. And even if he was, we mustn't lose our heads, or we risk throwing up a riot and alerting Black."

Minerva saw the steel in his eyes and nodded. This wasn't Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts— no, this was Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, defeater of Grindelwald, the greatest wizard of modern times, and the only one Voldemort had ever feared.

McGonagall left soon after, and Dumbledore sat at his desk, lightly tapping his wand against his desk.

"If Thanatos knows, it's possible he could find the charms on Aahna," He muttered to himself. "Which could be disastrous."

He picked a lemon drop from the bowl on his desk and popped it into his mouth, feeling a calm wash over him.

The candies held a light soothing potion, not enough to disable, just enough to calm down someone who was panicking or worried.

"But Amelia…" He mumbled, leaning back in his chair. "If my theory is correct; she'll know as well."

Dumbledore felt his plans begin to unravel, but he didn't worry. Only a fool had a single plan, and Dumbledore was no fool.

He stood and approached a blank section of wall before tapping it with his wand.

Dumbledore recited an incantation in Latin, and a click was heard through the wall.

After a moment, a portion of the wall swung open to reveal a small bookshelf.

Dumbledore took a book from the wall and waved his wand, causing it to glow blue.

The bookshelf, apart from the password, had two other security measures. The pause between the click and the opening was the shelf checking his magical signature; if it wasn't a match to the one on file, it'd explode and take the office with it.

The glow was him 'unlocking' the book. If someone managed to break through anyway and grab a book, if they didn't unlock the book, it'd sound an alarm and paralyze the intruder with a spell Dumbledore had made himself.

Dumbledore flipped through the pages, frowning in disgust as he landed on the correct one.

"Horcruxes," He whispered. "One of the most vile things man has ever made."

There was a reason for the security. The books contained old and powerful magic that Dumbledore had spent decades hunting down, and some of them would drive people insane just by reading them, let alone using them.

Dumbledore read down the page, mumbling the passage to himself.

'While untested, it is hypothesized that, if one were stupid enough to make more than one Horcrux, the parts would be "connected" in a way.

The connection would allow the other soul parts to travel to the remaining Horcrux(es) if their container is destroyed— thus allowing continued perseverance of the self.

However, this would, hypothetically, make the remaining container less secure. The magics used to make a Horcrux will never allow two parts of the same soul to meet again without the proper rituals, and thus, if such an action is performed, the remaining part(s) will never harmonize.

This separation will cause the magics to consistently repel each other, chipping away at the soul pieces in their struggle.

This, theoretically, should make the remaining container(s) easier to destroy, as the magics will not be able to latch onto their container as efficiently, thus lowering the durability that Horcruxes are known for.

(Note: This is untested and purely hypothetical territory, because in all the history of Horcruxes and their deplorable existence, none have even attempted to make more than one— even the darkest of magic users are squeamish at the thought of the single.)'

Dumbledore closed the book and put it back on the shelf, redoing every lock with a few waves.

After the wall closed again, Dumbledore sighed and sat at his desk, head in his hands.

If he could find Voldemort's other Horcruxes and destroy them, then Harry would become a major soul piece of Voldemort, and the many de-harmonized pieces could potentially destroy themselves.

But Harry would still be a sacrifice. There was no way Harry would survive that; Dumbledore wasn't even sure he could survive that, let alone Harry.

"Harry, oh how I wish this burden was never placed on your shoulders," Dumbledore whispered as he dotted his eyes with a cloth.

"So much talent, such potential," He told the air. "Wasted because of a madman with a fantasy for power and control."

He sighed as he stood, preparing to head to dinner. The talk with Minerva and everything else had taken up much of his day.

Before leaving, Dumbledore walked over to a table that held many trinkets, and tapped one with his wand.

The instrument, a funny-looking thing that looked like a tiny, silver, old-school record player with three legs, began to whine.

The part where the record went began to spine, and the head whirled from side to side, emitting puffs of red smoke.

After a few seconds, the machine stopped, and a small ding was heard.

A piece of parchment slowly ejected itself from the device, and Dumbledore took it.

'Wales, United Kingdom'

Dumbledore frowned. The device would usually give him an exact location of Harry, down to the way he was looking at the moment.

He waved it off. He could work with this.

If Black was alone; he'd definitely want to lay low with Harry. Potentially a muggle residence, which could be troublesome.

But if Amelia was involved, which was probable, then it'd be even easier.

Amelia, as knowledgeable as she was, had very little experience with most muggle electronics and devices, apart from communication. If she was with them, then they'd be either in a half-magical or fully magical residence.

There were only so many homes in Wales capable of being converted to magical homes, and since the machine Dumbledore had used couldn't be more specific, he knew the home was under heavy wards, possibly Unplottable.

So it was likely a magical home with heavy wards, big enough for three or more people, possibly isolated with a wide view if it was a safe house, but close enough to civilization to work as a home for a long term home.

Dumbledore smiled. He would find Harry soon enough, very few homes could fit those descriptors, and the only wards he couldn't break were those on family Manors or Gringotts, since those were usually powered by lay lines instead of ward stones.

Heart light, Dumbledore descended to the Great Hall for dinner.

As he entered, Ron and Hermione came running up to him, looking almost frantic.

"Professor Dumbledore, have you seen Harry?" Hermione asked nervously. "We haven't seen him all day!"

"Yeah! Saw 'im before goin' to 'ogsmeade," Ron said through his sandwich. "'Aven't seen 'im since."

Dumbledore put on his kindest grandfathery smile before answering.

"Don't worry, Harry is fine," He reassured them. "I sent him off to do something important for me, but it seems he's taken longer than I anticipated."

At that, Ron and Hermione looked relieved, their frantic expressions calming slightly.

Hermione rubbed her eyes. "What did you send him to do, Professor?"

"Ah, I'm afraid that is private, Miss Granger," Dumbledore replied smoothly. "I would ask you not to bother him about it once he comes back; he should tell you when he's ready."

Hermione and Ron glanced at each other before looking back at Dumbledore.

"'arry never 'ides anything from us!" Ron exclaimed as he swallowed his food.

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, but I need you to understand, Mr Weasley, that what Harry is doing is rather intensive, so he might not tell you at first."

"Intensive? What do you have him doing, Professor?" Hermione asked, nervousness returning.

Dumbledore frowned internally; she was smart, most people would accept his statements at that.

Externally, he upped his smile and pushed some magic into his eyes, making them twinkle lightly.

"Again, that is rather private," Dumbledore insisted. "But I can guarantee you it isn't harmful, simply a lot of work."

He wandlessly cast a light compulsion charm on her, which was rather simple for someone like him.

Hermione blinked as her questions numbed a little, and she nodded slowly.

"Alright," She accepted, slightly hesitant. "I just don't want to see Harry hurt. He gets enough injuries on his broom."

"Understandable, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said soothingly. "But you shouldn't worry. Harry will be fine and should be back soon."

Ron blinked. "But if you sent him to do something, why aren't you him?" He asked.

Dumbledore's eyes tensed a fraction. He forgot how perceptive the youngest male Weasley could be when it came to his family; he should've known— Arthur was the same.

"Ah, he is with a good friend of mine," Dumbledore lied. "Harry is in good hands."

Finally, the two teens seemed to accept that for an answer, though they still looked anxious at Harry being gone, but trusted Dumbledore enough to let it rest.

They returned to the Gryffindor table and Dumbledore strode calmly to the Head Table, hands behind his back.

Unbeknownst to him, over at the Ravenclaw table, a young blonde was currently reading a note that was both backwards and upside down.

Luna however, understood it perfectly. And after reading it a few times and memorizing a few key details, she folded it and put in her pocket beside her wand before returning to her meal.