I'm back from holiday and editing the rest of the chapters now. All but the last should be ready to post soon — and with any luck, I'll have that one done by the time the second-to-last goes up.

A special thank you to GryffindorHealer, Ksummer, and Vaffyu for their help in making this chapter readable!

They searched the entire house, but there was no trace of Lily.

Kreacher and Charlie, whom Tonks had picked up from work earlier, secured Dumbledore's body, and the others returned to Grimmauld Place in grave silence. Bill and Fleur had joined them that evening, and after dinner, the adults gathered in the kitchen to discuss Lily's disappearance. The younger residents of the house sat together in the drawing room, though none of them really felt like talking.

Sitting around doing nothing was wearing on Harry. He had barely eaten anything for dinner, and now he jumped up every few minutes to pace the room. Occasionally, he cast a suspicious glance at the portrait, secretly hoping Phineas would show up with the news that his mother was at Malfoy Manor. Where else would she be?

Ginny had continued to humour him, only occasionally beckoning him next to her onto the sofa. But eventually, he couldn't take it any longer. "I can't just sit here doing nothing," he growled and turned to Emily. "I'm going to look for Mum."

"You don't even know where she is," his sister replied curtly.

"Malfoy Manor. Where else," Harry snapped, a little harsher than he intended. It wasn't Emily's fault, after all. "Where else would they take her?"

"So you think she's still alive?" Emily asked, a glimmer of hope crossed her face.

"I'm pretty sure," Harry said, though he didn't feel as confident as he sounded. "They wouldn't have taken her with them otherwise."

"If only we knew what happened," Emily murmured.

"Maybe Bill's already back. He wanted to search Dumbledore's house for any magical traces," Ginny said, trying to reassure Harry.

"I'm going down to the kitchen. I need to know what they're planning," Harry announced, springing to his feet.

Ginny hesitated before followed him, along with Emily, who indicated to Graham with a brief shake of her head that she could manage on her own. As they entered the kitchen, Molly, Tonks, Charlie, Bill, and Fleur were sitting around the table, deep in discussion. Their heads turned as the three of them walked in.

"Any news?" Harry asked.

"Not really. Bill didn't find anything either. There were simply too many spells in the small room to filter out any details," Tonks replied. "I'll talk to Rosalind later. Maybe she's heard something if she'd been to Malfoy Manor recently."

"We could ask Dobby to check if Lily's there," Charlie suggested.

"That's not a bad idea," Bill admitted, turning to Harry. "I assume Phineas hasn't contacted us yet?"

Harry shook his head. "No. I would have told you if he had."

"We still need to decide what to do about Dumbledore," Molly said. "We can't leave him in his house forever. He doesn't have any family left."

"He has a family grave at the cemetery in Godric's Hollow," Tonks said. "There should be someone magical in charge of such things there."

Bill frowned. "Not sure a public memorial service is a good idea right now. That Riddle boy could turn up with a squad of Death Eaters at any moment. And from what I understood, there are Muggles buried at Godric's Hollow as well."

"William is right," Fleur agreed. "Per'aps it would be better to 'old a small, private burial for now, on Dumbledore's property. Zat is what you did at your Burrow, non?"

"It will at least lower the risk of an ambush," Charlie agreed thoughtfully.

Harry sighed. He'd been so focused on his mother's disappearance that he'd almost forgotten about Dumbledore's death. "I could help dig up the grave," he offered. "Unless you want to do it magically."

"We should take turns digging," Charlie suggested. "It would be a way to honour him. I mean, he was our headmaster at Hogwarts — it would feel right."

Bill nodded. "You lads can join in, of course. We'll finish it off magically. Shall we say tomorrow morning at nine?"

"That's fine," Harry said with another sigh. "I'll let the others know."

On their way back, Emily moaned, "If only we knew where Mum is."

"I'll find her, Emm. Trust me," Harry said firmly.

Back in the drawing room, Emily sat down beside Graham again, while Harry strode over to the portrait and gave it a vigorous shake. "Phineas!" he shouted. "Can you hear me? Phineas!" When there was no response, he banged his fist on the canvas. "Phineas!"

"What are you doing, mate?" Ron asked, giving him a curious look.

"You'll see in a moment," Harry muttered and didn't stop knocking.

It didn't take long for a bright red Phineas Black to appear, waving his arms wildly. "Stop that. How impertinent. If this doesn't cease immediately, I shall complain to Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore is dead," Harry said flatly. "I would have expected you to at least warn us of an impending attack on him."

"What?— I...I know nothing about that," Phineas spluttered.

"I need to know if my mother is at Malfoy Manor," Harry demanded.

Phineas shot Harry a resentful look. "Your mother...how am I supposed to know if..."

"Is there someone there who doesn't belong?" Harry pressed.

"There are a lot of people at the Malfoys," Phineas replied vaguely. "All those young ones in their black robes and horrible white masks."

"I'm talking about someone who isn't there of their own free will," Harry snapped impatiently. "Someone they're keeping prisoner."

Phineas hesitated, his arms still twitching. "Well, as I said. There's this odd wraith—looks like a baby, if a baby could be so hideous. It must still be somewhere in the house." He paused. "I've heard mention of dungeons beneath the manor, where prisoners could be kept."

"Damn it!" Harry cursed. "Let me know if you find out more."

Phineas gave him a sour look and turned to leave, but then hesitated. "Is that really true? About Dumbledore?"

Harry's expression softened. "Yes. Tom Riddle came and killed him."

Phineas looked genuinely shaken. "Seems I need to keep a closer eye on that boy," he muttered, before stomping out of the painting.

"And now?" Emily asked.

"I need to talk to Dobby," Harry said firmly. When Emily and Ginny moved to follow him, he added, "In private."

*HG*

It was several hours later when Colin and Graham got up to get ready for bed. Ginny and Emily had already exchanged worried glances, but Harry still wasn't back.

"I wonder if he took advantage of the opportunity and had a shower before we run out of hot water again," Emily said, though she didn't look like she believed her own words.

Ginny shook her head. "I don't think so." Glancing at her watch, she murmured, "He's been gone for two and a half hours. Something's wrong. I'll go and check."

Frowning, Ginny stood up, and Emily immediately followed her. "Where are you going?"

"Check if he's in his room. I'll go down to the kitchen," Ginny suggested, and they parted ways in the stairwell.

To Ginny's surprise, the kitchen was deserted. Apparently, the adults had already gone to their rooms, and her brother Bill and Fleur had probably returned home, since Bill didn't have a room here at Grimmauld Place.

"Kreacher?" Ginny called.

The house-elf stepped out of his cubbyhole, wringing his hands when he spotted her. "What can Kreacher do for Mistress Ginny?" he asked, bowing slightly.

"Kreacher, have you seen Harry?" Ginny asked worriedly. "He wanted to talk to Dobby earlier, but he didn't come back."

Kreacher fidgeted uncomfortably under Ginny's gaze as Emily stormed into the kitchen, slightly out of breath. "Harry isn't in his room."

Ginny frowned. "Kreacher. Where's Dobby, anyway?"

Under the scrutinising gaze of the two girls, Kreacher fidgeted even more. "Dobby is out of the house," he finally admitted.

"And Harry?" Ginny pressed.

"Master Harry went with Dobby," Kreacher muttered, grimacing. "They didn't listen to Kreacher. They weren't supposed to go out alone. Master Harry made Kreacher promise not to tell anyone." Somewhat sheepishly, he added, "But Kreacher can't lie when asked."

"Where did they go?" Emily demanded to know, her eyes wide, shining with unshed tears. "He can't leave me alone. First Mum, and now Harry's gone too."

"They went to Malfoy Manor. That's it, isn't it, Kreacher?" Ginny asked, her expression darkening.

Kreacher gave her an apologetic grimace. "Kreacher doesn't know that, but... but Kreacher thinks Mistress Ginny is right."

Ginny groaned. "Potter, if I get my hands on you, even your cute bum won't get you out of this mess. Come on Emily, we have to tell the others."

*HG*

"Master Harry must wait here for Dobby," the house-elf croaked quietly. "No one will see Dobby, so he makes sure no one sees Master Harry when he goes into the house." Dobby slipped out from under Harry's Invisibility Cloak, glanced around briefly and disappeared without a sound.

Harry took a deep breath, his unease growing as he pressed himself against the rear wall of Malfoy Manor. Even beneath his Invisibility Cloak, he felt oddly exposed. If Phineas was right, there were at least a dozen Death Eater trainees inside—not to mention the Malfoys, Tom Riddle, and, if Phineas was to be believed, some version of Voldemort himself.

And, of course, he was hoping to find his mother somewhere in the house.

His mood darkened by the minute as he stood there in the drizzle, with nightfall fast approaching. Not far away, a pair of peacocks scratched around in the grass beside a large circular flowerbed. They were proud creatures, but Harry didn't have the nerve to appreciate their beauty right now.

He sighed and stepped away from the house to get a better look. The windows on this side of the manor were dark, but on the other side—the west wing, judging by the sunset—warm light spilled from within. The rectangular windows close to the ground were covered with bars, shrouded in darkness. Harry wondered if they led to the dungeons or if those were buried even deeper beneath the manor.

Harry flinched as Dobby suddenly grabbed his hand. He hadn't even noticed the house-elf's return. Dobby motioned for Harry to be quiet and whispered, "Dobby is taking Master Harry to the dungeons now. Master Lucius is in his office, Mistress Narcissa is in her bedroom. In the other wing, many new Death Eaters are practising dark spells."

"Where is Tom Riddle?" asked Harry worriedly.

Dobby grimaced. "With the new Death Eaters, but Dobby does not know for sure."

The house-elf seized Harry's hand, and with a soft crack, he Apparated them to the end of a long corridor lit by torches.

At this end of the corridor, there were only storage rooms, locked behind barred doors. Strange boxes and other assorted junk could be seen through the bars. Some rooms had solid oak doors with small barred windows, reminiscent of a prison. The doors, however, were ajar, and the cells stood empty.

Further down, a short side passage branched off into the darkness, illuminated by a single torch at the far end. Dobby pointed in that direction and whispered urgently, "Someone is there."

Harry pulled the Invisibility Cloak tighter around himself to make sure he was completely covered and slowly crept forward after Dobby.

The rooms here had the same oak doors, but one was open, flickering candlelight spilling out into the hall.

A voice carried from within. Dobby quickly put a finger to his lips, signalling for silence.

"My Lord is certain he hasn't forgotten anything? Even the tiniest detail could prove important," asked a quiet but insistent voice. "I must be sure that everything is in place before I return my Lord's body. Otherwise, the risk is far too great..."

"Tom, you don't need to flatter me," replied a high, cold voice that would have been terrifying had it not sounded so weak. "I still remember exactly what I was like at your age."

"Of course, my Lord," the younger voice reassured him—smooth, warm. Tom Riddle. "Together, we will conquer the world. My youth and your experience—unbeatable. I merely wish to ensure our immortality, my Lord."

"I have already told you what you need to know," the high-pitched voice rasped.

"Then we have the ring inherited from Salazar Slytherin, the descendant of Cadmus Peverell. The diary. The diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw, hidden at Hogwarts..." Tom hesitated slightly. "Salazar's locket, concealed in the sea cave we visited as children. The cup that once belonged to Helga Hufflepuff, which you entrusted to Bellatrix for safekeeping. And then, you intended to create the last Horcrux after killing that boy from the prophecy."

Harry gasped.

"Dumbledore is an even more fitting candidate for a Horcrux," Voldemort's voice croaked. "That bastard killed me."

"We will have our revenge on Dumbledore," Tom assured him. "The time is almost ripe."

Harry frowned. Tom was obviously lying to his older self—just as Dumbledore had predicted.

"But it is imperative that I be the one to create the Horcrux after I kill Dumbledore," Voldemort insisted.

"Certainly, my Lord," Tom said smoothly. "I will ensure your body is restored as soon as possible, so we may continue our path to triumph."

Harry had heard enough. He had to move on. He was here to find his mother. Stepping back into the main corridor, he paused for a moment, making sure Dobby was following.

Then Voldemort's voice rang out again, suddenly alarmed. "What are you doing, Tom? Fiendfyre? Are you certain you can control it?" For the first time, his voice sounded almost—afraid. "Tom! Don't do this."

Harry spun around just as the door burst open and a wave of heat swept through the corridor. Tom Riddle backed out of the room, wand raised, and all his focus on the fire raging inside. A horrific, high-pitched scream tore through the air before fading into eerie silence, broken only by the crackling flames.

Dobby grabbed Harry's hand and pulled him away. As they turned into the main corridor, two Death Eaters in their white masks emerged ahead, followed closely by none other than Severus Snape—his expression as sour as if he had just bitten into a lemon.

"The Dark Lord is waiting for you, Severus," one of the Death Eaters called mockingly. "He's quite surprised by your sudden concern for your dear old mother—always needing to rush home."

Harry suddenly panicked. The corridor was too narrow; the Death Eaters would run straight into him. Even with the Invisibility Cloak, there was no way to avoid them. In his desperation, he charged forward, knocking the two masked men to the ground, narrowly missing a Cutting Curse in the process. He reached for his wand to Stun Snape, but before he could act, something yanked him backwards. The world spun —and suddenly, he and Dobby crashed on the ground behind the manor.

"That was very unwise of Master Harry," Dobby grumbled through clenched teeth, clutching his chest, where a rapidly growing bloodstain was spreading. "Now Death Eaters will be searching for him. Master Harry must run—now."

"I'm not leaving without you, Dobby," Harry shot back, glancing around frantically. A dozen masked figures burst from the manor, wands raised, spells flying. Red, pink, and green jets of light streaked through the air.

"Hold on to me," Harry shouted, grabbing Dobby's hand and hauling him onto his back. In the distance, he spotted the back gate of the Malfoy estate and sprinted in that direction. He stumbled and barely managed to stay upright when his foot caught on the Invisibility Cloak trailing behind him. He barely managed to gather it up before running again.

The gate ahead suddenly exploded, and figures rushed in, waving wildly and shouting. Harry's heart lurched as he recognised them —Ginny, with Emily, Graham, and Charlie beside her... Bill, Fleur. Harry swallowed hard. They had all come. Even Kreacher.

As he reached his friends, he gently let Dobby down. The house-elf clutched his chest, his face twisted in pain. Taking a final quick glance at him, Harry turned and joined the fighting.

Slowly but steadily, they pushed the masked figures back, several already sprawled on the lawn, felled by Stunners. Then, more figures emerged from the house—Death Eaters in black robes but without masks, led by Snape and an older wizard who took command at once.

Harry was about to attack Snape when Tom Riddle himself appeared.

With a casual flick of his wand, Riddle sent a Stunner straight at Colin, who crumpled to the ground. Harry barely had time to react before Ginny stepped beside him, her wand raised. She didn't look at him—just launched herself straight at Riddle. She must have brought Voldemort's phoenix feather wand with her, because the combined power of their twin wands instantly forced Riddle onto the defensive.

They worked seamlessly, alternating between Shield Charms and relentless attacks. Their sheer firepower overwhelmed Riddle, forcing him to call for support—something he clearly wasn't used to. His shield shattered multiple times, and when a Cutting Curse slipped past his defences, Harry swore—just for a second—he saw fear in Riddle's eyes.

Nearby, Colin, apparently revived, and Graham fought side by side against a Death Eater, while Ron and Hermione focused on Snape.

Harry blocked another Stunner from Riddle, and Ginny caught him with a Tripping Jinx. Riddle stumbled and fell. At once, the older Death Eater leapt in front of him, shielding his master.

Furious, Riddle shoved him aside and bellowed, "Avada Kedavra!"

A jet of green light shot towards Ginny, but she hurled herself out of the way just in time.

"Retreat!" Bill's voice rang out. "Retreat! Now!"

With the strongest Shield Charms they could muster, they backed through the gate and Apparated home.

Back at Grimmauld Place, they trudged into the kitchen one by one. Harry's eyes immediately sought Ginny and he smiled when he finally spotted her and walked over. She, however, stared at him, her eyes sparkling with anger. "Don't ever do that again," she snapped.

Taken aback, he stared at her and smiled sheepishly. "I... I had to check on my mother," he explained carefully.

"That's not what I meant," Ginny said, still visibly upset. "Don't ever leave me behind again," she said slowly, emphasizing each word. Her gaze softened as she stepped towards him, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug. "Idiot!" she sobbed almost in his ear before kissing him briefly but fiercely on the lips. "You could have died."

"I didn't," Harry replied quickly and hurried to explain. "I thought it would be easier for Dobby to just smuggle me in. The more of us there were, the more conspicuous it would have been."

Bill approached them. "What happened, anyway?"

Harry looked up, startled. During his little argument with Ginny, he had almost forgotten the others. He glanced around uncertainly and finally gestured towards the large kitchen table. "Let's sit down."

Bill nodded. "All right. If it takes a little longer."

When everyone had found a seat, a tense silence filled the room, all eyes on Harry, who suddenly remembered and let his gaze wander around. "Where's Dobby? He was injured."

"Kreacher is taking care of him," Tonks explained. "He said Dobby dislocated his shoulder. He'll be fine soon."

"Good." Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He wouldn't have been able to forgive himself if something had happened to the house-elf.

"What did you find out?" Bill asked at last. "Is your mother at Malfoy Manor?"

Harry grimaced. "I...I don't know. We had to abandon our search, but—I don't think she is."

"Start from the beginning and tell us everything," Ginny urged.

Harry glanced at her, relieved that she'd sat beside him. Though, judging by the dark look she gave him, their disagreement was far from over. He sighed and finally began. "When we arrived, Dobby first scouted the area before Apparating us into the dungeons." He looked around. "But there was just a lot of old stuff stored down there. The prison cells were all empty until we came across something very strange.

"Riddle—the young Voldemort—was talking to someone in one of the cells. We couldn't see who it was, but it must have been Voldemort…or at least, that ghostly wraith of him. He had a strange, high-pitched voice. They were talking about Horcruxes and immortality."

"A wraith like that is creepy enough, but the idea of them talking to each other..." Emily said, shaking her head in disgust.

"What exactly were they talking about?" Hermione brought them back to the topic.

"As Dumbledore suspected, Riddle wanted to know more about the Horcruxes Voldemort created..." Harry said.

"And?"

Harry shrugged and grinned sheepishly. "We have most of them in Dumbledore's chests—the ring, the diadem, and the locket. Then there's supposedly one made from Helga Hufflepuff's cup. He gave that to someone named Bellatrix for safekeeping."

"Bellatrix?" Bill repeated. "He must have meant Bellatrix Lestrange. If she stored it in her Gringotts vault, it could be yours now, Harry. After her death, her fortune reverted to the Black family—her husband was already dead—which you inherited from your godfather, Sirius. I'll look into it."

"And what else?" Hermione pressed.

Harry fidgeted with his hands for a moment. "Voldemort wanted to create the last Horcrux when he killed me—or the boy from the prophecy, as he put it. But he told Riddle that murdering Dumbledore would be a better way to create a Horcrux."

"But that would only be five Horcruxes," Ron pointed out. "According to Dumbledore, he planned to make seven."

"With the diary, that's six," Hermione said carefully. "Voldemort's own soul would be the seventh piece. That's pretty much it."

"And did Voldemort really told it to Riddle just like that?" asked Tonks sceptically.

"Riddle promised to give him a body again," Harry said. "That was just before he killed him with Fiendfyre—after he got what he wanted."

"He really killed his older self?" Hermione asked, fascinated.

"He did," Harry confirmed, shaking his head as he recalled the moment. "Riddle was cold as ice. Lied straight to his face. Voldemort was determined to kill Dumbledore himself and create the final Horcrux once he had his body back. To calm him down, Riddle just said, 'Of course, my Lord,' and lit the Fiendfyre."

"I can't believe it. He actually cast Fiendfyre. How did you escape?" Ron asked.

"We ran into Snape," Harry admitted. "And then, luckily, Dobby Apparated us out of the house. You know the rest."

"So we still can't be sure Mum isn't there?" Emily asked, displeased.

"No, but..." Harry hesitated, suddenly realising where they needed to look. "We need to find out where this Snape lives."