"And she told you all this herself?"

Harry wasn't too thrilled by the fact that he was standing in the headmaster's office. Given events over the years, it almost felt like an age since he'd visited the outlandish room, but that didn't mean he'd been biting at the bit to return. Particularly when it involved divulging the secrets he'd been keeping from Dumbledore. The old man was currently humming in thought as he processed their full account of their most recent conversation with Enola, his fingers steepled together atop the mighty desk that separated them.

Invariably, that meant sharing who Enola actually was and what she was doing at that present moment in time. Of course, having been there at the very start of Matthew's journey in their time period, the headmaster had been given snippets about the childhood friend he'd once had. That didn't mean, however, that he was in any way shape or form prepared to discover that said friend had practically returned from the dead, was now working for their enemy, and was apparently acting as a double agent.

Harry might have taken pride in how shocked they'd left the usually composed man.

However, revealing more about Enola meant that she was growing to be less and less of a secret. He couldn't help but think that that was putting her at even greater risk. What if word got out about her false allegiances? How would Voldemort respond? You didn't need a wild and active imagination to figure out how the Dark Lord would get his revenge. And Harry wasn't about to be responsible for the death of someone he cared about, even if he didn't exactly know yet whether he was right to care about her.

"That obviously doesn't mean that we can believe her," Matthew pointed out, arms folded.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "But we also see no reason for her to lie."

"In truth, I've been worried for quite some time that Voldemort would sense the work we've been doing," Dumbledore admitted. "Even after so many years, he must still share a connection with his horcruxes, no matter how diluted. I'm surprised that it's taken him until now to take notice."

"He's an egomaniac," Matthew reminded them. "He probably didn't stop to consider that someone would be able to track down one horcrux, let alone all the ones we've discovered. He would have thought that his defences would be enough to deter whatever idiot tried to find them. He simply didn't realise just how idiotic we can be."

"Whilst I might have put it in a different way, I must agree with your theory. Lord Voldemort is extremely prideful, so it is no wonder that he is panicking now."

"So you believe that Enola is telling the truth?" Harry asked.

"I don't know her. I'm relying on your opinions when it comes to her character. I'm getting the sense that Matthew's perspective isn't entirely objective…"

The boy in question huffed. "What gave you that impression?"

"...but if she indeed saved your life, Harry, then she at least deserves to be given the benefit of the doubt."

"And if she uses that against us?"

"Then we'll cross that road if and when it comes." Dumbledore was casting that whimsical gaze of his at the three of them. "I do sorely wish that you'd brought this information to me sooner."

"We came as soon as we finished speaking to her," Harry said.

"And yet you've known about Enola's whereabouts for quite some time, I imagine."

"...we might have done, yeah."

"Is there a reason why you kept her as a secret?"

"Frankly, sir, I didn't know whether there was much you could do. You wouldn't have been able to change her mind, and she only seemed to be willing to speak to us. And…"

"And?"

"...there wasn't any chance of you cutting us out of the picture if we held all the cards."

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair. "I don't think there's been any part in this process where I've…how did you put it…cut you three out of the picture. Our work with the horcruxes has been a collaborative effort, more so than I might have wished when we first started. It is only because Severus informed me about Enola's involvement in the battle at Malfoy Manor that I'm not wearing the expression of a stunned fish right this very second."

"He…he told you that?"

Harry should have known. He felt like a bit of an idiot for not thinking of that earlier. Snape had been there when Enola had chosen to let them go without her. It was only natural that he'd go squealing to the headmaster, no matter the fairly positive interactions he and the potion's master had had since that fateful night. How long had Dumbledore been sitting on this information? How long had he been waiting for them to come clean?

"Of course, he didn't know who Enola was at the time, and so I've been left wondering who this mystery girl was ever since."

"Excuse me, sir," Hermione said. "But why didn't you bring this up then?"

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Enola is Matthew's friend. Or was, judging by the current flaring of his nostrils. And she apparently grew close to Harry, based on the sparse details that Professor Snape was able to provide me with. I simply believed that it was a private matter, and one that you would bring to me eventually. I'm glad to be proven right."

Harry could feel himself blushing, particularly when Dumbledore's blue eyes landed on him. Just how much detail had Snape gone into when recalling events? Was there any reason for him to have added that Enola had kissed him, especially when it had only been on the cheek? Was that why there was a slight smirk on the headmaster's face, as if he were proud of Harry for taking that leap? Or was that just his usual expression?

"And, no matter his initial feelings, I'm also glad that Mister Mormont has been reunited with her."

"You are?" Hermione, ever curious, asked.

"In days as dark as these, it is a rare commodity to have friends. It is even rarer to be reunited with them."

"So you think I should just forget everything that's happened?" Matthew fired at him.

"I didn't use those words. But friendship is a gift that you've already been presented with. It wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to open your hearts to it once again. Especially when the young woman in question apparently possesses a great deal of information."

"If she's telling the truth."

"If she's telling the truth, yes. But we've already touched upon how her claims fall in line with Lord Voldemort's established character."

Harry took a step forward. "So how do we respond?"

"It seems you've already invited Enola Karstark to Hogwarts. I shall see this conversation as the three of you asking permission from the headmaster of said school, so that I can maintain my pride."

Hermione had the good grace to blush. "That's…exactly what we're doing."

There was a characteristic gleam in the man's eyes. "I thought as much."

"Besides waiting for her to show up, though," Harry said. "Because there's no telling when she'll show up. Enola could be on her way as we speak, or something could hold her up."

"Whilst she sells us out to Voldemort," Matthew suggested.

"Whatever the reason, I'm tired of standing idly by. What do we do in the meantime?"
"We could always start looking into her tip offs about the horcruxes. That particular hunt has grown cold on our part, so it could do with an injection of a fresh perspective."

"Enola seemed to believe that Voldemort could have left one of them actually inside Hogwarts," Hermione told the headmaster. "Is that possible?"

Dumbledore stroked his fine beard. "That depends on when he created the horcrux, but it isn't entirely out of the realm of possibility. And, as we saw with the diary, there's every chance that he could have employed someone to deliver the horcrux on his behalf."

"Then we'd best start checking inside the Slytherin dorm room," Matthew proposed. "I bet it's just sitting in a cauldron or something. Or maybe they've hung it above the fireplace, like it's something to be proud of."

"I've put a lot of effort into reconciling some of the Slytherins to our side," Harry said. "I'm not going to throw that away thanks to some unfounded search through their home."

There was a time, not too many years ago, where Harry would have been leading the charge down into the dungeons if he'd as much as half expected there was something fishy going again. That probably explained why Matthew was giving him a stunned look now, as if he couldn't register just how much Harry had changed and grown up. He, himself, felt rather proud that his instincts were so different, a sign that he was no longer being solely directed by his heart.

Dumbledore seemed to be in agreement. "If you cast your mind back to one of our earlier discussions about the horcruxes, we surmised that Voldemort was looking to connect himself to, or perhaps besmirch the names of, the founders of Hogwarts. We've already put an end to Salazar Slytherin's locket, and so I would be surprised if Voldemort were to have put all his eggs in one basket, so to speak."

"Except he's pretty obsessed with old Salazar, if you haven't already noticed," Matthew fired back.

"The whole point for Voldemort is to hide the horcruxes," Hermione reasoned. "Grouping two or more under the banner of Slytherin would surely just make them easier to find."

"Okay, you've got me there."

"There are a number of places within Hogwarts to hide an object," Dumbledore told them. "Many of which even I have never come across."

Harry sighed. "That's exactly what I didn't want to hear."

"It could take years to scour the school grounds, and that might not even scrape the surface."

"That's also what I didn't want to hear."

"But it is something that I can certainly start. A mission of sorts. We've been fortunate enough to stumble across some through sheer happenstance in the past. Perhaps we will be lucky once again, as if fate is looking down upon us kindly."

"If that was the case, then we wouldn't have to be dealing with someone like Voldemort. I'd get to focus on my lessons a lot more closely."

"Quite. Although that's something you should still be doing, a point your professors will surely want me to reiterate. You worry about twiddling your thumbs with nothing to do, when your classes are picking up speed with every passing day."

"I know, I know. To be fair, I think I'm balancing the student life against the whole 'saviour of the world' schtick surprisingly well."

"Perhaps better than anyone else could have managed."

"But that doesn't mean you're going to let me leave the occasional lesson to help with this hunt, are you?"

"You could always get yourself expelled," Matthew proposed. "That worked a treat for me last time."

"Don't even think about it," Hermione quickly replied.

"It was a joke!"

"I can never tell when it comes to you."

"I've thought about packing in school in the past and you rightfully bit my head off," Harry reasoned. "I'm not going to fall down that rabbit hole again. If we're fighting for the future, then I need to make sure that I actually have a future to hold onto."

"That's one of the smartest things you've ever said."

"I'm pretty sure that I was just echoing stuff you've told me."

"Exactly," Hermione said with a playful smirk.

"I believe that I can manage the initial search," Dumbledore informed them. "Allow an old man such as myself to enjoy his favourite pastime of simply wandering these ancient corridors. I can't wait to discover some more of the secrets it has to offer. After so many years, it still has the capacity to surprise me. People are very much the same in that regard."

Matthew narrowed his eyes. "If you're referring to Enola…"

"I couldn't possibly comment on your friendships, regardless of how strongly I hope that you get to reconnect with your past. But the fact that your mind instantly went to that conclusion…I fear that says a lot already, don't you think?"

"I don't need to be dealing with your mind games, Professor."

"And there's something even more daunting than Enola," Harry said, at least to save his friend from the continuing torment.

"Is that even possible?"

"If Voldemort has won the favour of the goblins, what does that mean for us?"

"It means that my own efforts haven't been as strong as they should have been," Dumbledore replied. "I will need to reconvene with the appropriate leaders. Perhaps a personal meeting between Minister Fudge and the most respected goblins will ease any tensions that are brewing. I fear that, out of all the magical creatures I considered, I didn't imagine that those at Gringotts would be so easily swayed to Voldemort's cause. Giants, yes. Vampires and werewolves, most certainly. And attempts have been made on those fronts, let me assure you."

"Would the goblins fight alongside Voldemort if push came to shove?"

"It's not nearly as likely as with the other creatures I mentioned. But having them even favour Tom could prove to be a disaster."

"What if…what if Voldemort isn't using them like that? What if he's not interested in having an ally on the battlefield?"

"What are you suggesting?"

"Enola told us that he's thinking of moving his horcruxes. Is there a chance that he might have put one inside Gringotts? One of the first things that Hagrid ever told me is that the bank is the securest place in our society, besides Hogwarts. I wouldn't put it past Voldemort to use that to his advantage."

Dumbledore pouted, considering the idea. "A decent hypothesis, I must say."

"And one that could royally screw us over," Matthew surmised.

Harry turned to look at him. "How so?"
"We've just talked about how impossible it'll be to search Hogwarts with a fine tooth comb. Gringotts falls into that category too. There are thousands of vaults inside that place, and that's not to mention the hidden lairs and dwellings that the goblins must live in."

"And, if goblins pride themselves on anything, then it is their commitment to secrecy," Dumbledore added. "A person can secrete away whatever they wish within a Gringotts vault, as long as they're willing to pay the price. And Voldemort has plenty of money to his name."

"To put it succinctly, we're not going to be able to freely search the bank," Hermione concluded. "There's more of a chance of the Minister of Magic marrying the goblin king than them letting us inside to do whatever we want."

"Maybe that's an avenue we can explore," Matthew said. "Do you think Fudge would be willing to get down on one knee? It'd at least mean that he'd be at eye level with his bride."

"I'd wager that Cornelius' current wife might have something to say about that," Dumbledore countered with a soft laugh. "But a meeting with goblin representatives is the only way we'd have any opportunity to broach the subject, however unlikely their acquiescence is."

"Do you think we should be there for that?" Harry asked.

"I wouldn't imagine that the game of politics is one you'd enjoy."

Hermione's eyes were already dancing. "I think it'd be amazing!"

"I think it would be a load of drivel, pandering and false promises," Matthew countered. "But we'd also have more of a chance than Fudge in gaining the goblins' trust, I reckon."

"The Minister is a skilled negotiator and tactician," Dumbledore said. "He wouldn't have his job if that wasn't the case."

Harry wasn't going to be perturbed so easily. "But it's more than politics, isn't it? I don't exactly enjoy the fact that I'm the so-called Chosen One, but it comes with its uses. Maybe getting to sit down with Harry Potter would make the goblins more agreeable."

"I wouldn't want to put you at any risk, Harry. If Voldemort has already courted them, then they might make the decision to strike if you happened to be under their roof. It would be like wrapping you up like a present, and I'm in no mood to give Voldemort any gifts."

"It doesn't have to be goblins then. You mentioned all those other creatures. You've been negotiating with them, yeah? But how many of them have actually agreed to be on our side? Or even just remain neutral."

"...not as many as I hoped, I must admit."

"Would getting a few moments with me make it likelier that they say yes?"

"I…hadn't considered the possibility. Hagrid has been using his contacts to speak with a number of giant clans in the upper reaches of Europe, and I was hoping that Professor Lupin would meet with some of the werewolf broods in the Baltics. Alas, he's been more resistant to that idea than I first thought."

"Because he has no connection to them," Hermione pointed out. "He can't relate to them. He despises the fact that he has such a condition. Asking him to parade that around…it must have been seen as a slap in the face."
"We all must make sacrifices during periods of conflict, whatever form that may take."

"Getting to speak to me would at least encourage them to come out of wherever they're hiding," Harry pressed on. "I doubt Lupin would be more agreeable to the idea if I was involved though. It'd probably make him argue against it more strongly."

"It all boils down to the element of risk, Harry. Like it or not, you are a figurehead in our efforts, and one that can inspire cooperation of the like that has never been seen before. But if we were to lose that figurehead, then this would all be for nought. It is a role that I've filled for numerous years, a torch I pass on however begrudgingly - only because I know the pressure that comes with the position."

"I'll say this as politely as I can, sir, but I think that's a load of nonsense."

Harry wasn't at all shocked by their reactions. Whilst Matthew did his best to hold back his laughter, there was still an element of confusion towards the outburst. Hermione looked utterly scandalised, though she should have known by now that Harry tended to speak his mind. And, as well as Dumbledore might have been hiding, the headmaster hadn't been expecting the sudden shift in direction in the slightest, so at least Harry was continuing the new trend of surprising the aged wizard.

"Frankly, I don't think you've ever been too bothered about whether I'm safe or not," Harry continued.

Dumbledore wasn't usually someone who was quick to anger, but a dark frown crossed his face this time around. Instead of remaining behind his desk, he stood up, cutting the figure of the renowned sorcerer as he crossed the distance between them. Hermione edged away, not wishing to draw his ire, and even Matthew wasn't making his usual quips. Harry remained exactly where he was, seething at the perceived injustices he'd been contending with for months, ones he hadn't dared express out loud up until that point.

"There are many things I'll allow you to say, Harry, most of which other students would surely be expelled for," Dumbledore said in a strangely calm tone of voice. "But I won't allow you to make unfounded accusations, especially ones that hurt so deeply."

"But they're not unfounded, are they? Tell the truth. Yeah, you might have been looking out for me, but that was just so that I survived long enough to be useful."

"What are you talking about, Harry?" Hermione asked, her voice teetering on a high pitch.

"Did you know, professor?"

Dumbledore was being far too calm for his liking. "I can assure you that I don't know what you're referring to."

"Did you know that there was a horcrux inside me?"

It was the one point they hadn't brought up with the headmaster whilst going through the extent of Enola's warning. The only people who'd been told about his deadly predicament were his friends, his two guardians, and the girl who'd figured it out for herself. Harry had made the conscious effort to keep that caveat on the back burner, allowing all the other details to get divulged whilst the most harrowing point of all steadily fuelled his anger.

Ever since Enola had confirmed that Voldemort had inadvertently turned him into something corrupted, he'd been left silently seething. For a while, before he'd shared the secret with his closest confidants, he'd been on his own as he'd tried to make sense of the implications. And, even after he'd opened up, he still hadn't divulged what was bugging him most of all. That the wisest wizard of their age, having spent so much time around him, hadn't figured out the same thing.

In the end, Dumbledore didn't need to answer. Not verbally, anyway. The expression of righteous fury mellowed into a look of sorrow and guilt. The mask he normally wore slipped away, revealing the face of nothing more than an old man who was haunted by his mistakes. He took a few staggering steps back before his outstretched hand found the desk behind him, and he was soon perched against the edge as if he no longer had the strength to support his own weight.

What was equally as interesting for Harry was watching his friends' reaction to the development as they slowly pieced together what was going on. He'd idly wondered up to that point whether they'd already come to the same conclusions, but their responses told a different story. Hermione looked to be devastated by the insinuation, covering her mouth as if her words had at last failed her. And Matthew, whilst relatively more composed, could still be seen to be clenching his fists in anger.

"The thing was, when Enola first told me about it, I should have been surprised. I should have automatically assumed that she was lying, seeing as I had no reason to trust her. Why would I accept the word of someone I thought was a Death Eater? And yet…I…it just felt right, do you know what I mean? Not right, as if it's a good thing. No, 'right' in that it explained so many things. It made sense. The scar, the parseltongue, the headaches whenever Voldemort was up to no good. Finally, there was a reason for all that torment.

"And do you know why I was so accepting of it all? Because you, sir, basically told us that this had happened. Back in our second year, after everything that had gone on with Riddle and the basilisk, I asked why he was so obsessed with me. Do you remember what you said? You believed that Voldemort transferred some of his powers into me on that Halloween night. You believed that a part of him had been put inside me. Those were the words used."

"You're right," Dumbledore allowed.

"Everyone says that you're the smartest man alive, so there's only two possibilities. You either put two and two together, and realised that there was a dormant horcrux waiting within me, which doesn't seem like much of a stretch once you have the full context. Or you're nowhere near as intelligent as the rumours claim."

"Harry…"

"For once, just give me a straight answer."

"You must realise that, when we broached the subject at the end of your second year at Hogwarts, I had not yet started my research on horcruxes. That was a time before I came to those conclusions as to how Lord Voldemort had managed to survive. So when I gave those explanations, even I hadn't heard of horcruxes before."

"But when you eventually stumbled across them…"

"...I came to this conclusion, yes."

"No," Hermione whimpered, hugging Matthew close to provide some much needed comfort.

"When were you going to tell me?" Harry asked. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

"Truthfully…" Dumbledore sighed. "...I don't know. I understood that I had to. I knew that it was my duty to forewarn you. But whilst you lived in blissful ignorance, I couldn't find the strength to do it. You'd already been dealt such a bad hand, never able to enjoy a normal childhood. What sort of monster would I have been to add this weight to your shoulders just as you were finally forming a true family? Do you understand the dilemma I faced?"

"It sounds an awful lot like your reasoning for not telling me about the prophecy. When that came out, I thought we agreed that that was going to be the end of your lies. Maybe I'm an idiot, because I actually believed you at the time. I wanted to believe you, and yet you've just been pulling the same tricks."

"What difference would it have made if you'd known sooner? All that would have meant was you living with the knowledge for longer that…"

"...that I have to die? That the prophecy doesn't even matter? That, as long as I live, Voldemort can't be defeated?"

"You raised him like a lamb for slaughter," Matthew spat. "You've been watching him train for years. You've encouraged him to train other students. And all that time, you knew it was for nought. His sacrifice was for the greater good in your mind."

"That doesn't mean that I enjoyed making that choice," Dumbledore argued. "Sometimes, the only choice you have is a bad one. Telling Harry everything would have just encouraged him to seek out Voldemort even more eagerly, when there was a chance that I could at least give him a few more years to enjoy his life."

"Did you ever stop to think that there might be another way?" Hermione wondered. "Did you ever try to come up with a different way of solving the problem?"

"If there was one, it was beyond me."

"Well, you've got that right," Matthew said. "Pure magic."

"What about it?"

"Why do you think we want Enola to come here? We're going to use her pure magic, along with ours, to deal with the horcrux. That way, there's every chance that Harry can survive the ordeal."

Dumbledore sunk ever deeper into his sitting position. For the first time from what Harry could remember, the old man started to cry, unashamedly allowing the tears to well up in his eyes. He wiped at them after a few moments, simply allowing the words to sink in, but Harry couldn't find it within himself to feel sorry for the headmaster. Whilst he believed that the response was a show of genuine emotions, he wouldn't have put it past Dumbledore to use the tears to get them back on side.

"You…you don't understand how happy that's made me. If there truly is a possibility that my fears for the future are unfounded…then I can finally walk lighter after all these years."
Harry didn't believe that he deserved it.

"If there's any way that I can help smooth the process…" Dumbledore added.

"I think you've done enough," Harry quickly replied, turning towards the door. "I can't push you away, because we're going to need you, Professor. Both against Voldemort and with the search for the horcruxes. But away from that…I…I don't think I can trust you anymore."

"I only ever had your best interest at heart."

"I know. And I know that that's what's driven you ever since you first met me, but I don't think that's good enough anymore."

Dumbledore bowed his head as they started to leave. "I truly am sorry, my boy."

"Yeah...so am I."