Previously:
I rolled my eyes. Of course she would stay up for them. But I wasn't going to say anything. I had a long day ahead of me tomorrow so I looked longingly up the stairs. "If you don't mind, mum, I'm going to head to bed. I still have a lot to do to get ready for the start of the school year."

"Of course dear, it is probably a good idea everyone else gets to bed as well." And with that, Molly shooed everyone up the stairs and into bed, despite protests that they weren't tired.

-            -            -
"That's too long," she complained. Then she straightened up. "That's it, I'm going to Hogwarts again. It just might take more convincing Lady Artemis to let me go. But when I do, you're coming too."

"What? Why?" Nico was taken aback.

"Because. Why do you need an answer to everything?" Thalia demanded before storming back out of camp.

"Penny, where did you put the joke candies I got from the twins the other day?"

"I put them away!"

"Where?"

"Why do you need to know?"

"I'm in danger!"

"What?"

I looked innocently at Penny as she marched into the living room with a very confused look on her face. "I'm in danger of being bored."

"You have to be in the Great Hall in less than two hours and you don't have your classroom completely set up yet, how can you possibly be getting bored already?"

"I've gotten too used to things going wacky so when things are going to plan, I subconsciously start to sabotage them."

"Percy, that's not healthy." Penny said in that voice that sounded so disappointed.

I slumped in the giant chair I had behind my desk. "I know."

- - -

The Great Hall was verging on chaos. The first years hadn't even come into the room to start the Sorting yet and the volume of the room was already too loud for some people. Neville, for one, had his head in his hands with his fingers subtly plugging his ears just enough for him to hear what was going on immediately around him. His seat beside Ron, and Hermione helped the noise somewhat. People were reluctant to start talking around them this year for some reason.

"Hey, where's Harry?" Neville leaned forward across the table so he could hear Hermione's answer.

Hermione let her brow furrow in worry for a split second before covering it up with a confidant aura. "He wasn't with us when we got off the train," she said. "But I'm sure he's fine."

But her worry obviously grew as the Sorting came and went, and the feast began. They were well into eating their food when the doors opened and Snape walked in. This didn't draw much attention; it was just a teacher.

What did draw attention was the fact that the teacher stopped short only a few steps into the Hall. He looked around in confusion before warily making his way to his spot at the teacher's table. Students started murmuring, looking from Snape to around the hall to figure out what he was looking for. Apparently, he didn't want to look insane because he quickly composed himself and resumed his seat.

"Hey, guys." Neville just about jumped out of his seat when he looked to his left and saw the Boy-Who-Lived sitting right next to him. He was sure he hadn't seen him walking up to the table at all.

"Harry!" Neville exclaimed. "Where did you come from?"

"Where've you—blimey, what have you done to your face?" Ron said next. It was fortunate that no one other than those who were immediately around him had really noticed Harry pop out of nowhere yet.

"Why, what's wrong with it?" Harry asked, grabbing a spoon to look at his reflection.

"You're covered in blood!" Hermione cried. "Come here—" she raised her wand "—Tergo!" The dried blood on his face disappeared.

"Thanks." Harry said. "How's my nose looking?"

"Normal," Hermione said anxiously. "Why shouldn't it? Harry, what happened? We've been terrified!"

"I'll tell you later," Harry said curtly.

"But—" Hermione started but she was cut off.

"Not now, Hermione," Harry said in a voice that signified the end of the conversation. He then proceeded to reach over Ron for some of the food, only for it to disappear and be replaced with desert.

Neville sheepishly looked back down at his food. He knew Harry had been aware that he was listening in. Never mind how Ginny, Sean, Dean, and Sir Nicholas was listening as well. Of course Harry wouldn't want anyone but his friends to know what had happened. He decided to give the three of them as much privacy as he could while at the table.

His gaze wandered around the Great Hall, avoiding the Slytherin table and the spot in which Professor Snape normally sits. He saw Medusa, the Greek monster that Percy Weasley (or was he going by Jackson, now?) had helped last year sitting on one side of Hagrid. They were deep in conversation with each other, Hagrid only stopping to wave at Harry once he'd noticed him. If Neville remembered correctly; Medusa would be teaching this year.

Trelawney was also next to Hagrid but she didn't seem to be anxious to engage in any sort of conversation with anyone at the moment.

Percy Weasley (Jackson?) was sitting next to Penelope Clearwater, the two of them in a conversation with Professor McGonagall. Percy still sported his red hair and green eyes even though Neville heard he actually had black hair and eyes that had more blue in them. Despite his appearance not changing, the professor was significantly different from the year before and any memories Neville had of him before that. He smiled more.

It would be interesting to see how things play out this year.

Neville was jolted out of his thoughts as Dumbledore stood from his seat and the Hall fell silent finally.

"The very best of evenings to you!" The headmaster said, smiling broadly, his arms opened wide as though to embrace the whole room.

"What happened to his hand?" Hermione gasped.

The students in the Hall followed her statement with whispers all around the room. His hand was blackened and very dead-looking. Dumbledore, realizing what the whispers were about, shook his sleeve over his hand.

"Nothing to worry about," he said carelessly. "Now...to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you, I expect you all to try your very hardest this year. I would like to remind our returning students and inform our new students that the Forbidden Forest is, in fact, forbidden, and Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to say that there is a blanket ban on any joke items bought at the shop called Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

"Those wishing to play for their House Quidditch teams should give their names to their Heads of House as usual. We are also looking for new Quidditch commentators, who should do likewise.

"We are pleased to welcome returning and new members of our staff this year. Professors Weasley, and Clearwater"—Percy and Penelope only waved from their seats, smiling broadly as the students cheered loudly—"will both be teaching a new course focusing on the Latin language. Professor Medusa"—the woman followed Percy and Penelope's example and only waved, her golden head wrap gleaming in the candlelight—"is new this year, though some of you may remember her from helping Professor Weasley last year. She will be teaching a new course in close partnership with Hagrid on Greek Mythology. Professor Slughorn"—Slughorn stood up at Dumbledore's words, grinning boldly—"is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master."

"Potions?"

"Potions?"

The word echoed around the Hall and Neville felt his stomach drop as he made a very unwelcome connection. He glanced, for the first time, at the former Potions professor and felt the blood rush from his face.

"Professor Snape, meanwhile," Dumbledore continued, raising his voice so it carried over the stunned voices of the students, "will be taking over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"No!" Neville, along with many students around him, turned his head sharply to look at Harry. He was staring up at the staff table, obviously outraged at the new information.

"But Harry, you said that Slughorn was going to be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts!" Hermione said.

"I thought he was!" Harry replied.

Snape did not stand up at the mention of his name either; he merely raised a hand in a lazy acknowledgement of the applause from the Slytherin table and confused applause from Percy Weasley before Penelope grabbed his hands.

Neville did not pay any attention to the rest of Dumbledore's speech. He was too busy imagining all the horrible things that would happen in class with Snape in charge of DADA.

Turns out, he didn't really need to worry too much if the first class was anything to go off of. Snape seemed to have targeted Harry this year more than usual. That was fine by Neville—as bad as that made him feel—he did not want to garner much more attention from the dark, brooding teacher any more than necessary. He was also incredibly grateful for Professor Weasley's instruction the year before and the DA. It did wonders for his confidence and ability.

The first class with Professor Weasley also went much better than he had thought it would. He found that it helped him understand the spells better. Already, he could see it in the other classes he was taking. He even was able to understand a little more of the transfiguration work he'd skimmed over in the library. And that was after only one class!

Professor Weasley had them memorizing the translation to the spells they should have known already. He also had them memorizing conjugations for the basic verbs. Neville, having leafed through the books Percy had assigned for that year, found that everything was much easier than he had thought.

He was on his way outside to his class with Professor Medusa when he heard Harry talking with his friends. Normally, he wouldn't have stayed to listen but they said something about the Room of Requirement and his curiosity was too strong to ignore.

"...I'm telling you, Hermione, one of them is in the Room of Requirement, I can feel it!"

"C'mon, Hermione, we need to gather them all as soon as we can so Voldemort can be defeated."

"But we've got class with Professor Medusa right now, do you want to be late for it?"

"I have a feeling she'll understand," Harry said just as the familiar whoosh of the door to the Room of Requirement materializing filled the air.

Soon Neville couldn't hear Ron and Hermione's arguing anymore and he decided to rush to class. He didn't need to know what they were looking for that could defeat Voldemort. All he knew was that he was going to cover for them if they did end up being late. It was the least he could do for eavesdropping.

- - -

"Percy! We found it! We found it!"

Our favorite trio burst into my classroom after the first day of classes. Harry was holding up a silver tiara triumphantly with the biggest smile on his face I have seen since the summer. Ron and Hermione were breathless but were also beaming.

"Found what?" I asked in confusion. Penny and I were in a relaxing game of slapjack and I was secretly grateful that they interrupted. Penny was winning by a landslide and I was loosing hope.

"A horcrux!" Ron said. "Harry said he felt something familiar when we were walking by the Room of Requirement and we decided to check it out before class started—"

"I thought we should have waited for after class since we ended up being late for Professor Medusa's class but—"

"Come off it, Hermione," Ron said. "You know we need to find these things quickly—"

"Speaking of which, do you know if Dumbledore and Hecate found one on that trip they were going on?" Harry asked, stopping the two of them from starting another argument.

"Oh, yeah," I waved my hand. I'd forgotten about that. "No, they found a fake. Turns out someone with the initials of R.A.B. was attempting to take him down a while ago. I don't think he made it very far after that one though. It was a locket Albus believes belonged to Slytherin himself."

"Oh, wow," Ron breathed.

"Anyways, did you already take care of it?" I asked, holding out a hand to take a closer look at the tiara.

Harry nodded as Ron excitedly started talking. "It was wicked!" He started. "Harry did the trick that Thanatos taught him over the summer by summoning the spirit inside the tiara. It just swooshed"—he made a swishing motion with his hands—"and disappeared into thin air!"

"So that's what? Three down?" Penny asked.

"No, it's four. The tiara, the ring, the diary, and Harry. Remember Harry isn't a Horcrux anymore." I said as some words on the diadem caught my eye. "Wit beyond measure...hey, Penny, wasn't Ravenclaw known for this phrase?"

I showed the diadem to the former Ravenclaw and watched as her eyes went wide.

"Percy, that is Ravenclaw's diadem!" She reverently took it from my hands and examined the newly discovered diadem from all angles. "Oh, Merlin, this has been missing for centuries! Where did you say you found it?"

"In the Room of Requirement." Hermione answered.

She and Penny moved off to the side to talk about how it could have gotten there and I shared an amused look with Harry.

"Do you think he tried making a Horcrux out of something that belonged to each founder?" Ron suddenly said.

"What do you mean, Ron?" I asked.

"Well, you said the fake was a locket that could have belonged to Slytherin." Ron started. "Now we find Ravenclaw's diadem was one too. Do you think there was one from Hufflepuff or Gryffindor?"

"I honestly don't think that Voldemort would 'stoop so low' as to use a Gryffindor item." I said, using my fingers as air quotes. "Hufflepuff I could see though. Maybe we should bring that up to Dumbledore next time we meet with him, Harry."

- - -

"Peeerrrcyyy!"

The call could be heard across the courtyard where many students were enjoying their Sunday afternoon. It was almost Christmas time and the students were attempting to have some peace and quiet before exams took up all their time. Of course that meant it would be interrupted somehow.

Eyes turned toward three figures walking quickly across the courtyard to the doors of the castle. Two looked as if they could be siblings. Dark hair, pale features. The girl looked like she could be in sixth or seventh year and had a silver circlet on her head and wore a silver parka. The boy wore an aviator jacket and looked like he could be Professor Weasley's age. The third was a red headed, freckled boy that could have been related to Professor Weasley. Except that he had goat legs.

"Who's that?" An innocent first year asked.

"That's Thalia, Nico and Grover," a third year answered. "I remember them from last year. They came to Hogwarts with their camp to look for their long lost friend that ended up being Professor Weasley. They went all year before figuring it out."

"How did they go all year with him as their teacher and not figure out that he was also their friend?" The first year's friend piped up in disbelief.

The third year shrugged, grinning in amusement as Thalia grabbed the arm of Grover and pulled him in the opposite direction he had started going. "Who knows."

Twenty minutes later, the three reemerged pulling Percy with them to the forest and a laughing Penny trailing behind them.

- - -

"This is an interesting point you bring up, boys." Albus said. Harry and I sat in his office a few months after school had started. It was the soonest time the three of us could meet up. First, Harry had held Quidditch try outs, then Dumbledore was needed by the Ministry for something, then my cousins and Grover popped out of nowhere to visit. "There is one memory that I was able to acquire that would support this theory."

"How about we skip the literal trip down memory lane and you give us the basics?" I asked impatiently. "I don't feel like figuring things out myself right now when you already know what conclusion I would come to anyways."

"Very well," Albus steepled his fingers in front of him as I ignored the disappointed look he was giving me. "Tom seemed to have come across a woman in his time working at Borgin and Burkes who possessed a goblet that belonged to Helga Hufflepuff. This woman was related to Hufflepuff not so distantly but soon after Tom visited her, she died. The official report being that her own house elf poisoned her tea."

"But you don't believe that." I stated.

Albus didn't say anything but gave me a significant look.

"Okay, well, where would it be now?" Harry asked.

"I'm afraid I do not have the answer to that." Albus answered.

"He gave the diary to one of his followers, right?" I said thoughtfully, looking at the carpet.

"Lucius Malfoy, yes," Albus answered.

"Do you think he gave it to another one of his followers for safe keeping?" I continued, looking up now to see the headmaster and new Master of Death with looks on their faces that could be lightbulbs going off above their heads. "Who else was his most trusted follower?"

"Snape, Wormtail—"

"No, he wouldn't trust either of them with something as important as this," Albus interrupted Harry. "Peter is too incompetent, and Snape works too closely with me. Bellatrix, on the other hand..."

"Where does she live?" I asked.

"With the Malfoy family as far as I know." Albus answered. "Severus has told me that a lot of the Death Eaters including Voldemort have taken residence there for the time being."

"Did she have a house before?"

"She and her husband, Roldolphus Lestrange lived with his brother, Rabastan Lestrange. I think our best shot at a place where she would keep valuables would be her vault." Albus said in a defeated tone.

"Vault?" I said, furrowing my eyebrows. "You mean in Gringotts?"

"Where else would he be talking about, Percy?" Harry asked, a smile breaking through his also defeated face.

"Why are you so depressed?" I asked. "I know how we can get inside."

"What?" Came from two different directions.

"Yeah, the last time I went to my vault, I learned that the goblins work very closely with Hecate." I said. "They practically worship her. I'm sure she will be able to convince them to give up that one corrupted piece of gold."

- - -

"No, Percy, absolutely not. I am not going to jeopardize my relationship with the goblins by asking them to break a code they live by just so we can take down a mortal."

"Hecate, at the moment he is not, in fact, a mortal." I reminded her. "And is your relationship with them that fragile?"

Hecate shifted uncomfortably in her seat. I could tell through the IM that she didn't like the fact that I was right. "No," she said grumpily. "I'll talk to them. See you when you get to Sirius' place for Christmas."

She waved a hand through the message before I could say anything else.

"Ready to go?" I turned around to see Penny standing at my door with her bags in her hands. She looked around the room, presumably for my bags and frowned at me. "Percy the train leaves in thirty minutes."

"I was talking to Hecate!"

"Don't blame this on her, you've had plenty of time to get packed."

We ended up missing the train because I have my siblings' habits of getting distracted and a skill of pulling Penny along with me.

By the time we arrived at Grimmauld Place, everyone was sitting down for dinner. Harry was sitting next to Sirius, having a conversation I could only assume was about Sirius' school days. Ron and Hermione were having an argument (big surprise there, they should just get together and be done with it). The twins were showing Ginny a new trick. I would have gone to see what they were doing if Penny hadn't pulled me in the direction of Thalia, Nico, and Grover.

"Hey, guys, what's up?"

The three of them beamed up at me. We then began a lengthy conversation about what was happening back at camp and in Artemis' hunt. It was nice being able to stay in touch and be updated.

It was well past dinner time that some interesting things happened. Two people burst into the kitchen where I was still conversing with my cousins and Grover (Sirius had actually joined us by now) at almost the same time. The first, Hecate, happened only seconds before Harry and his friends rather loudly came through the door.

"...and what do the harpies do at camp?" Sirius asked. His head was leaning on his palm, his elbow propped up on the table.

Before anyone who had spent any amount of time at camp could answer, the goddess of magic had slammed the door open. "Percy, they let me take it!" Hecate had said, practically glowing as she took a seat across from me.

"Percy, we figured it out!"

"No! Me first!" Hecate was practically bouncing in her seat.

"But this is about the Horcruxes!" Ron protested.

"So is this and I got here first, so wait your turn." The three grumbled and took their seats next to Hecate.

"When I told the goblins about the Horcrux and where it was, they just let me walk in and take it!" She exclaimed happily.

"What?" Sirius said. "They...let you take it?"

"I was as surprised as you were, dear," Hecate said before leaning back in her chair. She placed a gold goblet down on the table for everyone to see. "Now Harry just needs to do his thing."

"Can we go now?" Ron asked. Then, without waiting for a word otherwise, he said, "We figured out who R.A.B. is!"

"Who?" I asked, momentarily confused.

"Sirius' brother!" Hermione said.

"What?" Sirius said again. "Regulus?"

"Regulus Arcturus Black turned against Voldemort?" Penny asked.

While we had been talking about R.A.B., Harry reached out to touch the goblet. The soul piece inside left the container with a loud swoosh. Harry then sent it to Thanatos with a wave of his hand.

"It's great that we figured out who that is, but what we really need to know is what he did with the Horcrux." Harry said.

"Do you think he figured out a way to destroy it?" Penny asked.

"Master Regulus gave it to Kreacher." The voice of a very old house elf spoke up before anyone else could. "Kreacher saw what Young Master did to the goblet. Master Regulus' last command before he died in that lake to Kreacher was to destroy the locket." The elf bowed his head in shame. "No matter what Kreacher tried, he could not destroy it. But Young Master can do it. He can fulfill Master Regulus' last wish."

Kreacher held out a locket in his hands to Harry who reached over and finished what Regulus started.

"That's six." Penny said in awe.

"What's left?" Sirius asked.

"Nagini." Harry answered.