Harry didn’t know how long they sat on the sofa, embracing as though the other would disappear the moment they loosened their grip even slightly. He didn’t care how long it had been. The world could be falling apart around them—he supposed it was—and he wouldn’t care. All he wanted was this, his father. He’d stopped crying some time earlier, allowing him to enjoy the comforting arms around him and the fingers brushing slowly through his hair. He thought he’d lost this.

He was overwhelmed with happiness, but then he remembered. It wasn’t supposed to be just the two of them.

Severus must have sensed a change in him as the hand stilled in his hair. “Harry?”

“Draco doesn’t remember,” Harry said quietly, sadly. “He thinks he’s alone.”

Severus’ arms tightened around him. “I know.”

“What do we do?” Harry asked and frowned when Severus chuckled lightly under him, the man’s chest bouncing. He pulled himself up, dislodging the arms, to give his father a look of confusion.

“You have been full speed ahead full of ideas and plans for months and, all of a sudden, nothing?” Severus said, smirking in amusement.

Harry rolled his eyes. “I can’t be the only one with a plan all the time.”

“You have been thus far,” Severus pointed out, making Harry huff. Severus laughed again. “We continue as we have been.”

“What if we can’t do it all fast enough?” Harry said, finally releasing his fears from the last several weeks. “Dumbledore’s bound to notice something. He’s already put Dean in a coma and killed Colin. What if more people get hurt because we’re too slow?”

Severus’ face softened and he ran his fingers through Harry’s hair. “We do what we can, child. We cannot control everything or save everyone.”

“I know, but…”

“I may not have been Dumbledore’s spy, but I have still been a spy for the better part of twenty years,” Severus said. “We can keep up the act.”

Harry just sighed, feeling even more pain at knowing the truth. He was thrilled to have his father back, but they were leaving more people behind and it was only making it harder to keep all they knew hidden. The more they knew, the more danger they were in, and Harry wasn’t sure it was all worth the risk, not if it meant they could all die. It may not have been real and they didn’t know who they truly were, but at least they were all alive under the Mind Magic. It wasn’t ideal, but maybe it was the best scenario.

“Harry.”

He moved his gaze back to Severus and the look instantly dispelled his thoughts. He couldn’t go back, not anymore. He wrapped his arms around his father’s neck, hugging him again and relishing the arms that instantly held him back.

“What were you working on when I came in?” Severus asked, obviously wanting to get Harry thinking more positively and continuing with any plan currently in progress.

“Oh, right,” Harry said, pulling away as he was reminded of the book he had been immersed in. He leaned down to pick it up, quickly flipping to the page he’d been reading. “We need a way into the Room of Requirement. There’s a horcrux in there somewhere, but there’s not enough magic for it to work.”

Severus took the book into his own lap to scan the information. “Perhaps you could ask the Founders.”

“It’s not actually them, though, they’re just portraits. What would they know?” Harry said, glancing up at the currently empty painting that sometimes held all four Founders.

“I believe they are more than just portraits,” Severus said. “Just as the magic of the Founders exist in the school and their swords, I believe the same magic exists in their portraits and has given them life beyond that of paintings.”

Harry frowned. “What, like a part of their souls are in the portraits? Do you think they each made a horcrux?”

“Not exactly. They would still be alive if that were the case,” Severus said. “However, there is very powerful magic that can provide more than simulated life to inanimate objects. Magic can create life and I believe that is what they did.”

“Best plan we’ve got, I suppose,” Harry said with a sigh, leaning forward to drop the book on the messy table.

“Is there anything I can do?” Severus asked and Harry smiled at the gentle brush back of his fringe.

“There is, actually,” he said, gaining a questioning look. “We need to start Dream Chasing. We don’t know how long it’ll take to find the next sword and it might not be Draco’s. He needs his memories, everyone does, and we can’t keep risking Legilimency.”

Severus nodded. “Let me see the potion again.”

Harry pulled another book out from under a mound of parchments and flipped it open to a marked page.

“The complexity lies in the ingredients and the brewing process,” Severus said, examining the instructions. “It only takes a few hours, but it is a constant, intensive process. And some of these ingredients…”

Harry bit his lip as his father trailed off. “What can I do?”

“I must find these ingredients, but I am unsure how.”

“What about Riddle?” Harry suggested. “He can move outside Hogwarts. Maybe he can find them for you.”

“Perhaps,” Severus mused.

“When we have everything, what then?” Harry asked.

“The potion cannot be left at any point, but I am unable to be absent for this long,” Severus said, a frown forming on his face.

“We can help,” Harry said, getting his father’s attention. “Draco, Hermione, and Luna are some of your best Potions students.”

“This is far beyond even them, child,” Severus said.

“Do we have any other choice?” Harry said.

Severus sighed. “No, I suppose not.”

“They can do it, Dad, you know they can,” Harry said.

The title seemed to touch the professor, making Harry realize he hadn’t yet used it since Severus got his memories. The man cupped his cheek again, stroking his face with his thumb.

“All these years,” Severus whispered. “So much time we can never get back.”

Harry gave him a sad smile. “No, we can’t, but we can make sure we have all the time we are owed. I trust them. You can too.”

“I trust in you, my son,” Severus said and Harry beamed.

Harry gazed at the upturned face of Hogwarts, sighing lightly at the two gems still not glowing on her necklace. The power of the core floated around him, wrapping him up. There was such a gentleness in her—their—magic, and it pulled at him knowing this was how Hogwarts was meant to feel all these years. The love and friendship and acceptance that was supposed to be there. The Founders and their bond were supposed to endure through Hogwarts and her students. Even if they succeeded and restored the swords and defeated Dumbledore, could any of it be rebuilt? It had been decades. Maybe the Founders’ bond and legacy was beyond repair. There were few that even remembered what Hogwarts was before. How do you rebuild and foster something entire generations had never even experienced?

“Hero?”

Harry moved his gaze from Hogwarts to Gryffindor. The Founder looked down at him, petting the lion at his feet as he sat in his throne-like chair.

Harry reminded himself why he was in the core to begin with. “Can you interact with the castle?”

“How do you mean, dear?” Ravenclaw asked.

“We need the Room of Requirement. We don’t know what room we need from it, but there’s something hidden there,” Harry said. “The Room doesn’t work though. There’s not enough magic. Is there anything you can do?”

“It is possible we could use what magic you have restored to open the Room,” Ravenclaw said. “We would be taking the magic from the rest of the castle, however.”

“So, it is likely something will fail in the castle as a result,” Slytherin said.

“Will it impact the Mind Magic and the students?” Harry asked.

“It is possible as the magic will be focused on something else,” Slytherin said.

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair before crossing his arms. “So, to try and save everyone, I have to put them at risk?”

“An unfortunate side effect of war,” Gryffindor said.

Harry shook his head, cursing Dumbledore for all he’d caused. “Alright, thanks. I’ll let you know.”

The Founders nodded at him and he left the core. Once out, he leaned against Slytherin’s lip and watched the duel taking place. Ron and Neville were dueling Draco and Luna, and, based on the red faces and heavy breathing, they had been at it for a while. None of them were holding back, but there was a clear trust in each of them, trust that they wouldn’t actually harm each other. There was also a trust in their dueling partner to support and protect, made clear in the way Draco deferred to Luna to throw up a last second shield and send a retaliation while he rolled away to dodge, leaving him open if Luna weren’t there. He watched as the duel continued until a draw was called with Luna getting the upper hand on Ron and Neville getting an edge over Draco. He smiled as they shook hands and delved into conversation, likely analyzing the duel.

He left his spot and passed the group, clapping Neville on the shoulder as he went. He headed to the ‘Mind Room’, as he had come to call it, knowing his father would be there talking with Riddle. It had been over a week since Severus retrieved Hufflepuff’s sword, regained his memories, and returned to Harry.

It had been a difficult week. Having Severus back made it even more unbearable that they did not have Draco. Their family was incomplete and there was no way of knowing how long they would have to continue to live without him. Dumbledore was also clearly suspicious as he had been calling Severus to private meetings every evening and probing his mind through Legilimency and using the Dark Mark to make him believe he’d been summoned to Death Eater meetings. While he had faith in his father’s skills, it still terrified Harry. He didn’t want to know what Dumbledore would do if he found out that Severus had his memories or that they were all looking for the swords. They were actively unravelling the headmaster’s game and false reality. He couldn’t know they knew until the time was right, though, when that would be, Harry had no idea.

He sighed and rubbed his scar as it prickled. That had also been happening over the last week, only amplifying his anxiety that Dumbledore was suspicious.

Severus was where he’d known the man would be. He was at the table with Riddle’s communication journal and the text with the Dream Chasing potion. He was writing while glancing at the text, running a long finger down the list of ingredients. He stepped up beside Severus, reading the ingredients himself. There were about two dozen with a handful being rare or things he’d never even heard of. He glanced over at the written conversation and frowned.

“North America?” He looked up at his father.

“Yes, it is the only place to find a glawakus,” Severus said, finishing writing the ingredients they needed Riddle’s help getting. There were ten.

“So, he’s going to help?” Harry said.

“He’s going to try,” Severus said and read the response that had come through. “It is going to take quite some time.”

Harry frowned. They really didn’t have time. He rubbed his scar again only to have Severus pull his hand away and give him a concerned look.

“I’m okay, Dad,” he said.

Severus traced the scar before brushing through Harry’s hair. “What did the Founders have to say?”

Harry sighed. “They can use the magic we’ve restored to open the Room, but they have to take it from the rest of the castle. The castle will break down some more and students are at risk of going into comas.”

Severus hummed. “I see.”

“What am I supposed to do?” Harry said. “How do I put everyone in danger just to get inside the Room of Requirement? We still don’t even know what to ask for or if we’re even right.”

“You know you’re right, child,” Severus said. “As for what to ask for, you are looking for something hidden. You don’t need to know a specific room; just what Dumbledore was wanting to do. He wants you to find the horcruxes, remember that.”

“So, I risk kids to help him?”

“No, to help Riddle and to help them,” Severus said. “Risks are a necessary evil.”

“I know,” Harry said sadly and hugged his father as he was pulled to the man’s side.

Harry stared up at the cracked wall nervously with Ron, Hermione, and Draco around him. After a couple of days, he had finally conceded that risking the school and students was necessary, and arrangements had been made to forcibly open the Room of Requirement. And so, there they stood, awaiting a signal telling them that magic would be pulled from the castle to power the Room.

“Do you know which horcrux we’re looking for, mate?” Ron asked while they waited.

“No,” Harry said. “So, look for a locket, goblet, or diadem.”

Draco snorted. “Is that all?”

Harry shot his brother a scowl, making the blonde raise his hands in surrender. “We just have to go with what we do know, like everything else.”

“Is this something we really want to wing?” Ron said.

“Can’t be any worse than winging it at the Ministry,” Harry said and Ron shrugged in acknowledgement.

It was then a nearby torch flared, the flames dancing into the shape of an eagle with widespread wings. There was the signal. As soon as the flames died down, he felt a rush of magic, disturbing the air around them as it sunk into the wall in front of them. There was a loud groan that echoed through the castle and the school shook slightly. The four of them looked at each other. They had to move quickly.

Harry paced in front of the wall, thinking, we need a place to hide things.

After his third pass, he stopped and gazed at the wall. Behind the crack, a door began to form. It was a struggle as parts of the door would fade and form repeatedly, until, after several long minutes, the door finally solidified, the crack in the wall now a part of the door. The castle groaned and shook again.

Harry hurried to the door, grasping the bronze handle and pulling the door open. Shards of stone fell from the door as opening it made the crack worse. He gestured for the others to follow and they all slipped inside.

“Bloody hell,” Ron breathed and Harry silently agreed, gazing around.

The space seemed never-ending in every direction and the amount of stuff was unfathomable. Here was centuries of students and staff hiding anything and everything, all of it collecting and building mountains.

“How are we supposed to find anything in here?” Hermione said.

Harry shook his head, feeling despondency rush over him. He was going to instruct they split up and just begin searching when a bronze eagle flew over a mountain and landed on a chair in front of them.

“I know of what you seek,” a familiar female voice said from the eagle. “It is here, but you must not delay. The longer the Room is kept open, the more damage will be caused.”

“The diadem,” Harry said, putting the clues together.

The eagle bobbed its head in a nod. “Will you destroy it?”

“We’re returning it to Tom, the one who cursed it,” Harry said. “He needs his horcruxes so he can help us fight. We need him.”

“Very well,” the eagle said. “Hasten, children.”

“Wait, where do we look?” Draco said before it could fly off.

“It is not hidden, only out of sight,” the eagle said. “Be careful. There are many dangerous things in here and you do not have much time.”

The eagle disappeared then, flying back over the mountain it had before. The Room shook, random items tumbling from their precarious perches on various mountains of junk. Harry kicked at a silver goblet that rolled across the floor from seemingly nowhere and sighed.

“Come on,” he said. “The castle’s going to collapse around us if we take too long. Split up.”

Ron took a path to the left, Hermione the right, and Harry and Draco went straight, though Draco broke off down another path not long after. He gazed around, trying to look at everything he passed, and stopping here and there to dig through piles or push something aside to see behind it. He threw his arms over his head when yet another violent shake of the Room made a pile of stones with weird etchings on them fall all over and around him.

“Damn it!”

Draco’s curse echoed and Harry turned around to see him struggling over a pile of cauldrons that were in his way. They clattered across the floor as he shoved them aside.

“This is impossible, Potter,” Draco said, sending a glare at the mess around them.

“We can’t leave,” Harry said. “We need to find the diadem.”

“What do you suggest then because wandering isn’t going to work,” Draco said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“What did she say, the eagle?” Harry said, running a hand through his hair.

“It’s not hidden, it’s out of sight,” Draco repeated.

Harry nodded slowly, thinking. “How is something not hidden if we can’t see it?”

“Out of sight just means somewhere you wouldn’t typically look,” Draco said and Harry frowned at the blonde as his thoughts spun. “What?” he said when Harry’s frown turned into an expression of realization.

Harry tilted his head back and gazed at the mountains. “We have to look up,” he said and Draco copied him. “It’s up high, somewhere on top of a mountain.”

“It’s still impossible,” Draco said.

Harry’s gaze dropped and he looked at a pile not far from them. “Not necessarily,” he said, gesturing to the brooms.

The Room shook so hard they nearly lost their balance and a nearby mountain collapsed, sending junk everywhere. Harry hurried to the brooms, grabbing one and handing another to Draco. He quickly pulled his wand and pointed it to his throat.

“Sonorus,” he said. “Guys, look up high. It’s going to be somewhere high. Malfoy and I found brooms. We’re going to search from above.”

He cancelled the spell and quickly mounted, taking off with Draco behind him. They split up again, weaving through the towers, examining them as quickly as possible as they passed. They couldn’t take too much longer. They had no idea what was happening to the castle due to the Room using the magic, let alone what could be happening to students.

Harry blew out a breath of frustration as he passed his tenth tower with no diadem sighting. He was about to turn around and rejoin Ron and Hermione when the Room began shaking again. He cursed and covered his head as the mountain he was near toppled over, sending debris raining down on him. He hissed as a falling katana-like sword fell past him, slicing down his entire forearm.

“Hurry, Hero.”

Harry pushed his broom out of the path of the still tumbling items and gazed around, trying to find the source of the voice. The Room was still shaking violently and chunks of stone were beginning to fall as the ceiling and walls cracked.

The Room was going to fall apart with them trapped inside if they didn’t get out.

“Harry, we found it!”

Hermione’s amplified voice nearly had him racing to find her until he heard an unearthly scream from Draco. His heart pounding, he urged his broom as fast as it could go, searching frantically for Draco.

“Draco!” he yelled, hoping his brother was able to respond.

“I…I’m here!”

The voice was choked and pained, but it was there. Harry raced in the direction, weaving through mountains and falling stone while his eyes darted around on the floor. He was growing desperate as larger and larger chunks of stone fell, leaving giant holes in the ceiling and crashing into the floor.

“Harry!” Hermione’s voice rang out again.

He quickly raised his wand to his throat, still looking around. “Get out of here! I have to find Draco! He’s hurt!”

“You can’t stay in here!” Ron yelled.

“I can’t leave him! Go!”

As he lowered his wand, he spotted a familiar shock of blonde hair and dove towards it. He jumped off his broom, dropping it as he skidded to his knees beside Draco. The blonde’s body from abdomen to feet was trapped under a huge, oddly-shaped black cabinet. Blood was trickling out the corner of Draco’s mouth and his grey eyes were glassy.

“P…Potter.”

“I’m here, Draco, I’m here,” Harry said, moving around to try and see what kind of damage the cabinet had caused.

“G…get…out,” Draco choked out.

“I’m not leaving you here, so shut up,” Harry said. “What damage can you feel?”

“L…leg…b…br…broken,” Draco stuttered. “Some…something…im…impaled.”

Harry cursed. A broken leg they could deal with, but an impaled object, not so much. He draped himself over Draco protectively when a wave of stone rained down on them. He sat up and looked at the cabinet.

“I have to move it,” he said and Draco gave a jerky nod. He stood and pointed his wand at the cabinet. “Wingardium Leviosa.”

Groaning and creaking, he slowly lifted the cabinet. He winced as Draco first groaned at the release of pressure and then screamed as the piece of splintered wood in his ribs was jostled. Once high enough, Harry threw the cabinet away, making it shatter against a wall. Harry paled at the sight of the wood and Draco’s mangled leg, but pushed it aside.

“Come on, we have to get out of here,” Harry said as a huge chunk of stone exploded on the floor nearby.

“I…I can’t,” Draco gasped, his voice getting weaker.

Harry fisted Draco’s shirt, his desperation and fear skyrocketing. “You listen to me. You are not dying here, not before you remember us. We cannot and will not do this without you, so get up!”

Draco stared at him with wide eyes, but allowed Harry to quickly, but still as carefully as possible, pull him to his feet. He cried out, clearly in excruciating pain, but Harry ignored it, unable to focus on anything except helping Draco balance on the broom and getting them out of the Room. It was difficult, but, eventually, he had Draco sat in front, leaning back against him with his arms around Draco to grasp the broom.

The flight was wobbly and he could hardly increase their speed since he couldn’t lean forward, but he managed. With stone pouring down around them, he eventually saw the door, except it wasn’t much of a door anymore. It had virtually disintegrated and lay as a pile of rubble on the floor. The exit was quickly disappearing, stone appearing from nowhere as it began to seal.

“Harry!”

“Harry, come on!”

Ron and Hermione were on the other side of the rapidly appearing stone wall, their faces terrified as they called for him. He pushed the broom harder, cursing under his breath repeatedly as Draco sagged against him and the hole in the wall grew smaller and smaller.

“Almost there,” he muttered. “We’re almost there, Draco.”

His heart was pounding painfully hard, especially when he saw how small the opening was becoming. He wasn’t sure they would fit anymore. He frowned when he saw the stone shimmer, some stone hovering between existence and illusion. The closing had paused inexplicably.

“Hurry, my children.”

“Sorry, Draco,” Harry said and he leaned them forward, drawing a cry from Draco at the painful action. It did, however, allow them to go faster and just barely fit through the opening in the stone. He could feel the stone edges brush his hair and arms.

Whatever had held the opening failed as they passed through and the rest of the stone appeared, splintering off the tail of their broom. He and Draco went flying, crashing to the corridor floor and hitting the opposite wall.

“Harry!” Hermione gasped, she and Ron running over to him.

Harry groaned, dazed, before rolling over onto his stomach and forcing himself onto his forearms.

“Draco,” he mumbled.

“Bloody hell, something’s happened,” Ron said. “Luna’s put out an S.O.S.”

Harry dragged himself over to the limp body of Draco, blood still pouring from his puncture.

“Go,” he said. “I’ll get him help.”

“Are you sure?” Ron said.

Harry nodded. “We need to know what happened. Go. We’ll be okay.”

“Okay,” Hermione said, still hesitant. “Here’s the diadem. We can’t have it in the Great Hall.”

Harry took the silver headpiece and watched his friends dash away. He pulled his wand.

“Expecto Patronum!” he said loudly and his stag burst into being. “Dad. Seventh floor. Room.”

His stag disappeared into the floor and he turned back to Draco, dragging himself to his knees. Draco’s eyes were closed, his mouth lax, and his skin white. Blood was soaking the floor beneath the blonde and his breathing was shallow. He fisted Draco’s shirt again, his own head beginning to spin and his vision blurred.

“Harry!”

He looked up and saw the fuzzy figure of Severus rushing down the corridor to them. Severus crouched beside him and, unintentionally, he fell against the man, all energy leaving him.

“We…we got it,” Harry said, wondering why he was becoming so weak and lightheaded.

“That’s not important right now,” Severus said and Harry could hear the worry in the man’s voice.

“Will Draco be okay?” Harry asked, his eyes fluttering.

“If he gets treated now,” Severus said. “Same with you.”

“’M fine,” Harry muttered.

“Your arm is sliced open, child, you are not fine.”

Harry frowned, his fuzzy head confused. He raised his arm and found it bright red.

“Oh.”

And everything went blissfully black.

Harry sighed as he rolled his head, slowly waking up. He instantly began wondering where he was even before opening his eyes as nothing felt or sounded like the Hospital Wing. The bed he was in sank on one side and a hand landed on his head, making him crack his eyes.

“Harry?”

“Dad?” Harry mumbled. “Where are we?”

“The Chamber.”

“Draco?” Harry asked, remembering what they’d been doing last.

“He’s here. He’s alright,” Severus said.

Harry nodded, sighing again as Severus’ long fingers combed through his hair. After a couple of minutes, the touch stopped and he opened his eyes again just as Severus lifted his arm. He blinked dumbly at the white bandages wrapped around his entire forearm.

“I didn’t realize it was that bad,” Harry said.

“Adrenaline and distraction,” Severus said, examining the bandages. “You nearly bled out. You will have quite the scar.”

“Spice up the collection,” Harry joked, earning himself an unimpressed glare. “Why did you bring us here?”

“Couldn’t very well explain to Dumbledore or Madam Pomfrey what you had been doing to cause your injuries,” Severus said, dropping Harry’s arm and moving to another bed.

“Right,” Harry said and he pushed himself up, grabbing his glasses from the little table next to him. He gazed around, realizing they were in the room that was originally set up as a sitting room. The furniture had been moved and transfigured into two beds next to each other. Draco was to his right, pale and weak-looking, but awake and alive. The relief at seeing Draco alive had him sagging into his pillows.

“Professor Snape?”

Harry looked over at the doorway to see Ron, Hermione, Luna, and Neville standing there anxiously.

“You may come in,” Severus said, finishing his examination of Draco and moving away to make room for the teenagers.

“We were so worried,” Hermione said, bending over to hug Harry.

“Glad you’re alright, mate,” Ron said. “Same with you,” he added to Draco.

Harry held back a laugh at Draco’s stunned expression.

“Right. Thanks,” Draco said, clearly unsure how to react. “Um, so, did we get the diadem?”

Severus gestured to the table between the beds, Harry realizing his glasses had been beside the priceless item. He picked up the diadem, frowning at the pulsing darkness he felt emanating from it.

“What happened?” Harry asked, looking up at his friends with dread as their faces fell.

“The corridor collapsed,” Neville said. “The wall is beyond repair and the ceiling collapsed.”

“The enchanted ceiling in the Great Hall,” Luna said. “It’s gone.”

Harry swallowed thickly at the damage they had caused by forcing the Room of Requirement open. “Students?” he asked quietly.

“Five more in comas,” Hermione said, tears in her eyes. “Two fourth year Ravenclaws, Daphne Greengrass, Hannah Abbott, and…”

“Ginny,” Ron whispered, pained.

Harry stared at him, stricken. Another of their rebellion gone and Ginny of all people. She was so strong! He looked at the diadem in his hands again. Was it worth what they had caused?

“It was a risk we knew we were taking,” Hermione said.

“And she’ll be okay,” Ron said, clearly forcing the air of confidence. “It’s Ginny after all.”

Harry nodded, willing himself to believe in Ron’s optimism.

“So, what do we do with the diadem?” Draco asked in an attempt to change the subject.

Harry appreciated the gesture. They needed to focus on what they could do. There was still a lot of work for them all to do to save Hogwarts.

“Riddle needs it, he needs the remaining horcruxes,” Harry said. “Only, Dumbledore sent me after this one. He’ll expect me to bring it to him, but we can’t let him have it. He’ll destroy it.”

“Can we make a fake?” Neville asked.

Harry shook his head. “I can feel the horcrux in it. Dumbledore would be able to feel it too, especially since he’s felt a horcrux before. He knows what to look for.”

“So, what do we do?” Hermione said, biting her lip anxiously.

“Talk to Riddle,” Ron said and they all looked at him curiously.

“Mr. Weasley is correct,” Severus said, gaining shocked looks from the others.

Harry raised an eyebrow at his father, forcing his grin down at Severus’ withering look.

“Sir?” Ron said slowly as though he couldn’t believe what he heard.

“Riddle knows the magic of horcruxes better than any of us,” Severus said. “We must meet with him in due time to retrieve ingredients and to go him the horcrux, so we can ask for his assistance.”

“Ingredients?” Neville said.

“We have to start Dream Chasing,” Harry said. “Riddle’s getting ingredients for the potion. Until you all have your memories, you’re in danger of going into comas. Legilimency isn’t working anymore.”

His friends’ faces grew grave.

“Dumbledore is likely to grow more frustrated and suspicious, especially now with the enchanted ceiling,” Luna said.

“Exactly,” Harry said. “Focus on your Occlumency. If he’s suspicious, he’ll know who to look at and it’ll be us. We’re already down two. I don’t want to lose anyone else.”