A/N: Chapter 7 is here and that means, for those who have been waiting patiently, it is time to discover Lily's words!

Thank you to Arnel for your wonderful editing skills and your positivity!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own, nor have I ever owned Harry Potter.

HP&GW

June 1997…

"There's the signal," Harry whispered under his breath to Neville as he looked up and winked at Ginny.

Their conversation with Draco had revealed that the Slytherin had only been tasked with finding a secure and discrete route into the castle for Voldemort and a group of his Death Eaters. He also revealed that he was to lead the Dark Lord to Professor Dumbledore's office while the others caused a distraction elsewhere to keep any potential help away. The decision had been taken that Draco would give them the signal on the night it was to happen based on the direction he headed in on leaving the Great Hall – if he went in the opposite direction to his normal route then that was the night he was to complete his task.

Ginny winked back, signalling she had noticed the direction in which Draco had walked, before she stood from the table to leave the Great Hall. Harry and Neville waited a couple of minutes before following Ginny's actions, knowing Luna would take that as her signal to leave and meet them on the third floor by the statue of the One-Eyed Witch.

Within ten minutes the four friends had arrived at their destination. Before they could quickly go over their plan one more time, the statue moved position to reveal Harry's godfather.

"How long do we have before he opens the passage?" Sirius asked as he stepped out the secret passage from behind the statue.

"Probably about thirty minutes," Harry answered as he checked his watched, knowing they had arranged with Draco to have additional time to allow them all to get in position. "You all know what to do, but remember not to panic if not everything goes our way. As long as I can confront Voldemort myself then it won't matter what happens elsewhere."

Harry took Ginny's hand in his, knowing this was probably one of the last chances he had to hold it, and went to leave for where they needed to be.

"Harry?"

Harry paused and spoke without turning to look at his godfather and friends, "Don't say anything, Uncle Sirius. It's hard enough as it is, knowing that I don't really have a choice in what I am about to do. If you say what I know you want to say, I won't have the courage to go through with it."

When no response was forthcoming from Sirius, Harry began walking again, pulling Ginny gently along with him. He didn't want to die tonight, but if everything went according to plan, then he knew his girlfriend, friends and godfather would have more time to find the rest of Horcruxes and destroy them. It was only the comforting the grip of Ginny's hand that allowed him to keep walking towards his destiny.

HP&GW

As the couple approached the entrance to the headmaster's office, they let go of one another's hand. Ginny slipped over to their agreed hiding spot as Harry went up to the gargoyle that guarded the entrance and carefully placed a hand on it.

"I do not wish to enter," Harry quietly said, "but I wish to know if Professor Dumbledore is in his office, please."

In preparation for their plan, the group had scoured the library to find some lesser known charms and wards that would allow them to contain Harry's confrontation with Voldemort. They had managed, in the process, to stumble upon a book that gave more information on the magic of Hogwarts than Hogwarts: A History could ever provide. They were amazed to have found it, with Luna stating that Hogwarts must have wanted them to discover it. It was in this book they had discovered that the gargoyle could keep their presence secret and reveal whether the current head of the school was present. While they could have used the map, they had chosen to leave it with Neville, Luna and Sirius, who they felt would need it more.

The gargoyle did not speak, but somehow it was able to communicate to Harry that Professor Dumbledore was currently in his office and unaware of Harry and Ginny's presence in the corridor. Harry removed his hand from the gargoyle, whispering thank you as he did so, before he quickly cast one of the charms they discovered that would keep the headmaster safely behind a protective ward and stop him from moving past the gargoyle and potentially interfering. The charm itself was specifically designed to be used on the entrance to the office and was one that could not be overridden by the head of the school, unless the gargoyle deemed it necessary.

Harry joined Ginny, knowing now that they could only wait and hope that everything went to plan. It didn't help that they didn't know what was going on, nor that everything that happened now was completely out of their control.

"Are you certain you want to go through with this, tonight?" Ginny asked, breaking the silence. She didn't know why she was asking as she knew she would not be able to talk Harry out of this plan. He wanted the Horcrux that resided in him dealt with sooner rather than later.

Harry didn't answer. He knew he was beginning to second guess his decision, because he didn't want to leave Ginny. However, at the same time, he was doing this for Ginny, to give her the chance to live in a peaceful world. So, instead of speaking, he kissed her, pouring everything he felt for her into the kiss.

"I love you," he whispered as he pulled away.

Before Ginny could answer, a bright light rushed past them and into the headmaster's office. They knew that it was a Patronus sent by a member of the Order of Phoenix to inform Professor Dumbledore of Death Eaters being in the castle.

Harry quickly cast another charm they had discovered that would keep all the students safe within the room they occupied at the time of the charm being cast. While they wished for the time to have been preferably after curfew, it seemed Voldemort wanted it to be early enough for him to claim Hogwarts as his. They had all agreed that it needed to be done to avoid any student being killed in the crossfire, not that they could guarantee everyone would be anywhere but the corridors.

The couple then moved into position ready to confront the worst Dark Wizard to walk the earth since Gellert Grindelwald.

HP&GW

Draco could barely control his nerves as he led the Dark Lord down the final corridor towards the headmaster's office. He knew Voldemort would demand he kill Professor Dumbledore, something Harry had warned him might happen. They had all hoped that Draco would be allowed to follow the Death Eaters, which would have allowed him to run for safety. That hadn't happened, though, as Voldemort had told Draco to lead him to where Dumbledore would be.

"We are here, my Lord," Draco calmly stated as they arrived at the entrance to the headmaster's office.

"It seems our esteemed headmaster has yet to be notified of our presence at the school," Voldemort responded curiously. "Draco, use the gargoyle to request an immediate meeting with Dumbledore."

Draco stepped forward towards the gargoyle, knowing this was the moment to make his move and get out of harm's way. From the corner of his eye, he saw the wall behind the gargoyle open up, meaning the headmaster was descending the steps. Therefore, he knew he had to move now.

Within a few seconds, Dumbledore had arrived at the bottom of the steps, unable to move past the unknown ward; Draco had moved into a safe spot behind a ward Ginny had quickly erected, and Harry had stepped out to confront Voldemort.

"What is this nonsense?" the Dark Lord demanded, confused as to what was going on.

"Harry, whatever it is you are planning to do, it is not for you to do," Dumbledore called from behind the dark-haired wizard.

Harry didn't immediately respond to either wizard as he, instead, watched as Sirius, Neville and Luna came up the corridor behind where Voldemort stood and immediately cast the ward needed to protect themselves. Confident that the people he cared for and loved, along with the headmaster, were safe from any potential magical backlash, he finally acknowledged the two powerful wizards.

"It's time for me to fulfil my part of the prophecy," Harry explained.

Neither of the two wizards responded. Dumbledore could only look on in confusion as Voldemort smirked at Harry's proclamation as he studied the scene around him.

"I always knew it was you, Harry, that caused my downfall that night in Godric's Hollow," the Dark Lord finally replied. "Yet, it seems that our world is unaware of who is the true Boy Who Lived. I am surprised your brother didn't realise it was never him that I wished to use for my rebirth, even if you are both protected by your mother's noble sacrifice. Not that it matters, I will kill you and then I will kill your brother. Then, the wizarding world will realise that I am the greatest wizard who ever lived and will bow to my command once they realise their saviour was nothing but a weak wizard."

Harry refused to respond. As much as he wanted to hex and curse Voldemort for threatening his family, he couldn't as he had given Ginny his wand to help him resist the temptation to use it.

"It seems you are intent on making this easier for me," Voldemort exclaimed in delight. "Well, then, if that is the way you wish it to be, so be it. AVADA KEDAVRA!"

As the green light of the spell rushed towards him, Harry closed his eyes and thought of Ginny, of holding her in his arms, of her lips on his…

His world went black.

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Ginny could only watch in horror as the Killing Curse flew towards the love of her life and hit him square in the chest. However, confusion quickly set in as Voldemort collapsed at the same time Harry dropped to the floor.

"What the…?" Draco muttered in shock.

No one moved, not even Professor Dumbledore. It didn't seem to matter that he was now free to move forward due to the ward collapsing as Harry was killed. No one had known this would happen – they hadn't planned for it. It didn't make sense to any of them and none of them seemed know what to do.

"We need to know if Voldemort is dead," Ginny stated clearly, making sure everyone in the corridor had heard her.

"Let me do it, Ginny," Sirius responded. "Harry would never forgive me if I let you check, and it resulted in something happening to you."

However, before Sirius could even begin to bring the ward down, both bodies on the floor before them began to move. Those gathered could only hold their breath as they watched both Voldemort and Harry sit up. It seemed now it would be a race as to which one of them recovered first to make a move to destroy the other.

Youth won out as Harry quickly jumped to his feet and yelled, "TAKE COVER!" as he held his hand out and summoned the Sword of Gryffindor.

Even though the wards they had set were designed to take the full brunt of any magical backlash, no one wanted to take any chances and immediately dropped to floor and covered their heads. Dumbledore, however, had no ward protecting him as it had dropped the moment Harry had been hit with the Killing Curse, so he ducked behind the gargoyle and then quickly threw up the strongest shield he knew.

Harry didn't waste a second once the sword appeared in his hand, immediately burying it into Voldemort's chest. He was immediately thrown back by the powerful force of Voldemort's body being ripped apart once again. Luckily, he was saved from any potential serious injury as Dumbledore quickly cast a spell to cushion the blow against the gargoyle. He didn't move from where he landed as he watched as a wraith flew around the corridor, screaming in anger, before it disappeared from sight.

Then, there was silence.

Harry dragged himself to his feet and moved over to where Voldemort had been stood when he drove the sword through him. All that was left was a pile of black ash, Voldemort's wand, and the Sword of Gryffindor. He knew it wasn't over, but somehow he felt more at ease with the task ahead of them.

"Harry?" a voice said from behind him, causing him to turn to see confusion and shock on the faces of everyone present.

"I don't understand. I thought you needed to die for the Horcrux to be destroyed. How are you still alive?" Ginny asked on behalf of the group as she slowly approached the person she thought she had lost forever.

"I will explain. I promise," Harry replied. "However, we have other things we need to do, including rounding up the Death Eaters who are currently in the school. Is everyone ok, though? No one has any new cuts or scars that we need to be concerned about?"

Before anyone could answer, Ginny grabbed Harry's face with both her hands and dragged his lips to hers and kissed him deeply, happy her boyfriend had somehow survived being hit with the Killing Curse once again.

"You will explain everything," she said as she pulled away from her boyfriend. "You will explain in detail what happened."

Harry chuckled at his girlfriend's demands, not that he planned to do anything differently.

Turning to Dumbledore, Harry quickly took on a serious tone as he spoke, "You've been wrong about Matt and me all these years and I promise I will explain everything to you, because I am going to need your help. However, right now, I need you to help Sirius to round up all the Death Eaters still within the castle and call the Aurors to take them away. He will bring to you the Room of Requirement once you are done."

"For everything I have done, I am truly sorry, Harry," the headmaster responded before turning and joining Harry's godfather as they made their way towards where the fighting had been.

Harry then turned to Neville and Luna, "You know what to do. Release the Charm on Snape's office first before you check for any students who were still out and about in the corridors when the Death Eaters arrived. If there are any hurt, take them to the hospital wing."

The pair nodded before heading off to complete their tasks.

"I now need your help, Draco," Harry said as he turned to speak the Slytherin. "I need you to take us to the cabinet. We will be destroying so it cannot be used again. Then, I want you to join us as I feel you deserve a full explanation for why we took advantage of your plan and what ended up happening here, tonight."

"Thank you," the Slytherin replied, unable to say anything more for the moment.

"The safe house is ready for you and your mother to move into," Harry responded. "She will be moved there within the next twelve hours. You will go straight there from the train with a Portkey we will have set up for you."

The look of relief on Draco's face was enough for Harry to know that the other wizard was extremely grateful for the help and safety offered to him.

"Let me just remove the rest of the wards and charms and then we go and get rid of that cabinet."

Once done, Harry took Ginny's hand in his, knowing they were unlikely to bump into anyone for the moment, and started down the corridor towards the Room of Requirement.

HP&GW

An hour or so later, everyone had arrived at the Room of Requirement, having completed their tasks. The room had been transformed from the room of hidden things to a cosy-looking room that look similar to the Gryffindor common room. Everyone was sat in an armchair or on a sofa, all surrounding a table that had a selection of drinks and treats to eat that Harry had requested from one of the Hogwarts house-elves.

"Before I begin," Harry said after taking a sip of Butterbeer, "how did everyone's tasks go?"

"The charm was easily released on Professor Snape's door," Neville answered. "No idea if he left his office as we made sure to move along the moment we removed it. Even so, we used the map to see if there were any students in the corridors and there were a few, but our checks on them revealed none of them had been injured and that they had been trapped in the room they had occupied at the time of you placing the charm upon Hogwarts, just as you had hoped."

Harry nodded, relieved none of the students had been caught up in any of the fighting, though he suspected his brother had probably joined the fight.

"Your brother, Mr Weasley and Miss Granger did join up with the Order," Dumbledore confirmed without Harry needing to ask. "Matt was injured, but has already healed by Madam Pomfrey. I am afraid to tell you that Bill Weasley was injured, having been bitten by Fenrir Greyback, though Greyback was not transformed as it is not a Full Moon tonight."

"How bad is it?" Ginny asked quietly as she worked hard to not break down in tears.

"Madam Pomfrey says he will always carry the scars from where he was attacked," the headmaster gently explained. "Scars like that can never be healed. However, she says it is unlikely he is now a werewolf. He will probably just have a liking a raw meat. Remus Lupin is with him now and is speaking with your family about any potential effects."

Ginny nodded, unable to say anything at that moment. She let her boyfriend pull her into his arms and comfort her as the conversation continued around her.

"All of the Death Eaters that were still in the castle have been captured and taken back to the Ministry for questioning," Sirius explained once Harry nodded for them to continue. "The current belief, which we encouraged, is that they were rogue Death Eaters who were out to cause trouble and potentially claim Hogwarts. As many of them were those who had claimed to have been under the Imperious Curse after the last war, their true alliance has now been revealed and has been added to list of crimes they will be charged with."

"Good," Harry responded, glad that they would no longer get away with the multitude of crimes that they had committed over the years.

"Harry?"

The young wizard looked over to the headmaster, who he could see was waiting as patiently as he could to ask the one question he knew everyone else wanted an answer to.

"Could you explain to us what happened here tonight?"

Harry sighed, knowing this would take some time and would need a detailed explanation for everyone to understand the events that led to Voldemort being returned to a Wraith once again. He untangled himself from Ginny, who had finally regained her composure, and prepared himself for what needed to be told.

"I know everyone here is aware of various bits of information about me, my brother and the events that led to tonight," Harry started. "However, I need to start at the beginning for everyone to be able to understand. Sirius, Ginny, I will need your help in telling this."

The pair nodded in agreement.

Harry started to talk, beginning with the night his mum was killed and Voldemort was defeated. He felt the need to defend his dad, making clear that James did love him and had never neglected him as child, but that he tended to get wrapped up in the need to protect and train Matt, something that had gotten worse once they had begun Hogwarts.

"His need to keep me from anything to do with Voldemort meant he forgot about me," Harry explained. "It made it harder for me to tell him what I came to learn about Voldemort at the end of my second year. No matter how hard I or Sirius tried, he continually shut us down. In the end, I gave up trying and chose to keep the information between Sirius and me so we could keep it hidden from those who could take advantage of what we knew for the wrong reasons."

Harry continued on with his story, telling the group about starting Hogwarts and how he and his brother had begun to grow apart as Matt became friends with Ron and Hermione.

"It was hard to make friends when I was just the brother of the Boy Who Lived," Harry told the group. "Everyone wanted to be Matt's friend, so I just let myself blend into the background. I kept both Neville and Ginny at a distance for years, though I know now that was the wrong thing for me to do."

No one tried to speak or interrupt as all of those present could tell he needed to get through this without stumbling. He continued on, telling them about the events of the Chamber, the discovery of the diary, the visions he had of Voldemort, the prophecy and the Horcruxes, with some help from Ginny and Sirius when needs be. He finally brought the group up to speed about tonight's events and the fact he was the Horcrux Voldemort never knew he had accidentally made.

"I didn't know I would survive," Harry admitted. "We had planned it out that someone would reduce him to a wraith once more so that Ginny, Sirius, Neville and Luna could have more time to find and destroy the last of the Horcruxes."

Harry looked around, taking in everyone's expressions. Sirius just grinned at him, his pride in his godson shining brightly in his eyes. Neville and Luna, who had been aware of most of what he had told the group, smiled at him in support. Draco's face, however, was one of utter shock with a little bit of awe, whereas Dumbledore seemed to be quietly contemplating everything he had just been told.

"Harry?" Ginny's voice softly floated through the silence of the room. "How did you manage to survive the Killing Curse again?"

Everyone looked at him, watching him curiously as they waited for an answer.

"Your mother's protection ran through both you and Matt," Dumbledore answered before Harry could say a word. "When he took Matt's blood to help him regain his body, he took in the protection your mother had given both you and Matt when she sacrificed her life. With that running through the veins of yourself, Matt and Voldemort, it kept you tethered to life."

Harry nodded, unsurprised that the headmaster had managed to piece that puzzle together.

"It would seem that because I willingly sacrificed myself to protect those that I love, the curse only destroyed the Horcrux, allowing me the choice of whether I returned to the land of the living or not. For me, it was an easy decision to make."

Ginny wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and snuggled into him, knowing she didn't have the words to explain how grateful she was that he had chosen to come back. She knew Harry understood as she felt a soft kiss on her head from him.

"I am not quite sure how to explain this next part," Harry continued, nervous about how about everyone would react to this next part. "Before I woke up in the corridor, I was somewhere else, and I was met by my mum."

"You saw Lily?"

Harry looked over at his godfather, who had a look of curiosity and awe on his face, and nodded.

"She is just as beautiful as you and Dad have always told me she was."

"No photo could do her beauty justice," Sirius replied, not surprised by his godson's thoughts on his mother.

"She gave a message for all of you," Harry explained as he spoke to the whole group, "even you, Draco."

Draco sat up a little straighter at the mention of his name, unsure why Harry's mother would have a message for him. However, after everything that happened over the past few hours, he knew that he shouldn't be surprised by Harry saying something like this.

"First, I need to tell you that she did give one piece of information to help us. I am not sure how she could even know something like this for certain, she wouldn't tell me how she knew, but she said we have a minimum of five years before Voldemort will be able to regain his body once more. She knew nothing more than that and I didn't even try to question her further."

Taking in everyone's expressions, especially as they all knew the full story now, it seemed everyone was contemplating what this would mean for them. Yet, there seemed to be a glimmer of hope in everyone's eyes.

"Before anyone suggests we begin making a plan," Harry continued before anyone could interrupt, "Mum said, specifically for those of us still in school, that we should enjoy the time we have as well as work towards making sure Voldemort's next return is short and final."

"Well, considering you have one more year of school left, Harry, I can only hope you can try and enjoy it a little more than you have done since you have been at this school," Sirius responded, glad that his godson and friends wouldn't being making plans to go straight off and get rid of the last few Horcruxes.

"The plans can wait for the moment," Harry explained before he turned to the headmaster. "Any information you have that you feel would help us find the last Horcruxes would be much appreciated. Once we have all of that, we can make decisions from there."

The group all nodded in agreement, grateful for the respite after the evening's events.

"Professor, Mum said she knows about the multitude of mistakes you have made, not just with me and Matt, but across your life. She wouldn't elaborate on that as she said you would know what she meant."

"I do," the headmaster nodded, a look of pain flickering in his eyes.

"She said the time has come for you to face them, fix those that you can, and to forgive yourself."

The headmaster did not respond, the message hitting him hard as he remembered the tragic events of his childhood and the impact it'd had on his life.

Harry could see that his mother's words had impacted the professor, just as his mother said they would. He didn't understand what had happened in his headmaster's life to cause him the pain he could see in his eyes, but he knew he would be do what he could to discover as much of his past as possible.

"Draco," Harry said as he turned to the Slytherin, leaving the headmaster to think over his mother's words, "I didn't just bring you here to inform you of what had happened and the reason we took advantage of your plans, I brought you here because of what my mother said to me about you. She said it is time for you to have true friendship in your life."

Draco slumped back in his chair, shocked of the truth in Harry's words. He wasn't a fool to believe that he had any true friends in his house. He knew most of them cosied up to him because of who he's father was.

"She said that you can trust me and to accept the hand of friendship that I wish to offer you," Harry said as he stood and held out his hand to Draco. "If it helps, I had told Neville, Luna and Ginny to become friends with you after what I thought would be my death and I had asked Uncle Sirius to watch out for you. No one deserves to be without friendship in their life. Trust me, I pushed everyone away for five years until a certain redhead wouldn't take no for an answer."

The group laughed as Ginny blushed.

It was of little surprise to everyone that Draco stood and shook Harry's hand, accepting the friendship he offered.

"Thank you," he whispered gratefully.

"All of us here will protect you from anyone who wishes you harm," Harry explained as the two wizards retook their seats. "We will have to keep our friendship secret for our final year at school as a way to protect you, but you need to begin distancing yourself for anyone who has the potential to sway you back to your old ways. You may be a Slytherin, Draco, but, deep down, you have the courage of a Gryffindor to help you to become the person you long and want to be."

"And it would seem that you are just as cunning as any Slytherin, Harry," Draco joked in response, revealing his humorous side for the first time. "What about my mother?"

"I will be taking her to the safe house once we are done here," Sirius answered. "She should have already taken the Portkey to the first safehouse, so she is already safe and away from your father."

Draco nodded his thanks before turning back to Harry to encourage him to continue, not wanting to delay Sirius from being able to get his mother to where she would be living from now on.

"The message from my mum," Harry continued as he turned to Neville and Luna, "may be shorter than the others, but it doesn't make it any less important. She is grateful for you two being in my life and for me accepting you into life, even after I kept you at a distance. She thanks you for being for my friends."

"Thank you for accepting us into your life, Harry," Luna said as Neville smiled in response to Lily's message. "I know that cannot have been easy for you."

Harry smiled his thanks before he took a breath and turned to his godfather. He knew this would be emotional for the both of them, which was evident from the tears that had begun form in Sirius' eyes.

"Go on, Harry," Sirius pleaded, desperate to know what his friend had to say.

"She's proud of you," Harry told his godfather, a wide smile on his face. "She's proud of the man you have become. She told me she always believed you had the potential to be much more than a prankster, which you have proved to be through being a father to me when my own dad pushed me aside through his belief that he would be protecting me."

"She told me that once," Sirius chuckled, "that I could be so much more than a prankster. I was determined to prove her wrong, but, as always, Lily was right. I blame you for that, Harry. You made me grow up and mature sooner than I would have preferred. Even so, you are worth it!"

Harry blushed at the comment from his godfather.

"My mum said she was disappointed with Dad and Matt. She said that while Dad's intentions were good, he went about it the wrong way. Even so, she still loves both of them and she knows that when the time comes for them to learn the truth, they will do what is right."

"I think, perhaps," Dumbledore interjected before Harry could give out the final message from his mum, "that the last comment was meant as message for you and Sirius as well."

Harry looked confused as Sirius nodded in agreement. He couldn't understand how doing what was right would be a message for him, especially when he had only done was right.

"Just think on it, Harry," the headmaster said as he noticed the confusion on the youngest Potter's face.

"Ok," Harry replied as he turned to face his girlfriend.

Ginny pulled away from her boyfriend and looked directly into his beautiful green eyes that never failed to mesmerise her. She was nervous, yet eager, to hear what her boyfriend's mum had to say to her. She could only hope that it was as positive as the other messages.

"You have nothing to be nervous about," Harry reassured her, knowing Ginny was worried that his mother would not approve of her. "My mum loves you and wishes she could have met the woman who has claimed my heart. She said she was proud of me for choosing such a perfect partner to spend the rest of my life with."

Ginny gasped in shock. They had never truly spoken of the future, having known that Harry would have to sacrifice his life in order to bring Voldemort down. Yet, that had all changed the moment Harry had survived the Killing Curse for a second time and there he was admitting he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, something she wanted more than anything.

"Mum says thank you for loving me, even when it looked like I wasn't going to take that leap of faith and accept the friendship and love you offered me," Harry continued, not noticing the realisation Ginny had just had. "She said it was down to you and Sirius and the love you both have for me that stopped me from potentially going down a dark path in life."

Harry grasped his girlfriend's face in his hands, gently pulling her towards him so their lips could meet in a kiss filled of love and future promises.

No one spoke, not even after the couple pulled away from their kiss. Everything they had been told, from the events that led to that evening and Voldemort becoming a Wraith once more to Lily's messages for each of them, was completely overwhelming. They all needed time to digest it before they could even consider making plans for what came next.

"I think it would be best if we call it a night," Harry said, breaking the silence. "People may begin to wonder where we are if we don't head back to our common rooms soon."

"Agreed," the headmaster replied. "If anyone asks where you were, just tell them that I required your help in checking the school for any students out of their common rooms. If they question it, send them to me."

As the group broke up, with Sirius quickly saying his goodbyes so he could go and move Narcissa Malfoy to her safehouse, Harry approached the headmaster.

"I need you to keep our involvement in tonight's events quiet," Harry requested. "My dad will be angry enough if he finds out I was out and about in the castle, but I don't want people to know until the time is right."

"I understand," Dumbledore replied. "If anyone asks, I will say that I was the one who reduced Voldemort to a Wraith to give us more time to figure out how to defeat him. Is there any information you specifically need?"

"Anything you have on Tom Riddle's childhood and family. We managed to trace his post-Hogwarts movements, which led to us being able to figure out the pattern in the choices he made for his Horcruxes. However, anything before that seems to be a mystery, like he has erased his past."

"I can certainly help with that. Allow me some time to make sure I have all the information you need, but for now, I think you have earned a well-deserved break."

Harry nodded and began to walk towards the door to leave.

"Harry, before you leave, I just want to say I can only apologise again for the mistakes I have made. I promise to make sure to do everything in my power to help you defeat Voldemort for good," Dumbledore said, causing Harry to pause. "I believe that, perhaps, the events that have led to tonight have, in fact, made you a better person than your brother. I am not even sure he would have handled everything the way you did."

Harry smiled to himself, pleased with the praise from the Headmaster, before he said, "Thank you," and left the Room of Requirement.