Crouch grinned broadly but said nothing.
The black silhouette waited silently. After a long pause, it finally asked, "Where is it?"
"You're curious, aren't you?" Crouch asked, meaningfully.
Snape's dry voice responded after a beat, "Of course."
Crouch didn't hesitate and readily spoke: "On the eighth floor, you'll find a large painting of a group of trolls in tutus, beating up a wizard with clubs."
"Walk past it three times, focusing on your true need."
"The Room of Requirement will open to you."
"One of my father's Horcruxes was once stored there."
Snape's voice turned icy. "I should thank you for trusting me so much, telling me all this now."
Crouch didn't seem to pick up on the sarcasm and responded warmly, "No need to thank me, Severus. You're my best—and only—friend now."
"Then why did you make me the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?" Snape asked.
"To test your loyalty," Crouch replied with a shake of the head.
"Loyalty?" Snape echoed.
Crouch tilted his head, studying the black silhouette meaningfully. "Severus, these are my—our master's—deepest secrets. I trust you now, so I'm telling you everything."
The shadow said nothing.
After a moment, Snape asked again, "Is there anything else you want me to do?"
"If you could break me out, that would be best," said Crouch sincerely.
Snape sneered, "Give up that ridiculous idea."
A pause.
"If the opportunity comes, I'll do it," he added dryly.
Crouch sighed, "And if the dosage of the potion could be lessened a bit…"
"Potter and Dumbledore are both excellent potion-makers," Snape cut him off. "Smuggling this potion in already pushes the limit."
"What about the man hiding in the castle? Do you need help getting him out?"
"No need to worry," said Crouch. "He's been under my control with potions and the Imperius Curse. He's likely with the Wild Hunt now. Maybe already dead."
"Is that so…" Snape's voice dropped. "Time's up."
"If there's more, we'll talk again."
The potion wore off. The shadowy figure dissolved into a puddle of translucent fluid.
Crouch stared at it and muttered, "Six hundred."
He had been counting the time since the potion took effect and the shadow appeared. Ten minutes—no more, no less.
—
In the headmaster's office.
Snape returned to his seat, speaking in a level tone. "Good news."
"All our efforts paid off—Crouch finally trusts me more."
"According to him, Voldemort has two Horcruxes left. One is Nagini, the large snake."
"The other, as you two previously suspected, is Ravenclaw's diadem."
"Where is it?" Dumbledore asked.
"Potter was right," Snape admitted, glancing at Harry. His voice briefly hesitated. "He suspected one Horcrux was hidden in the castle. It used to be—but it's now in the hands of the Wild Hunt."
Geralt's expression turned grave. "The Wild Hunt."
"Looks like we'll need to track them down," Dumbledore murmured.
Harry asked, "Where was it stored before?"
"Eighth floor, the Room of Requirement," Snape answered crisply. "There's a painting of trolls in tutus. Think of what you need, walk past it three times, and the door appears."
Dumbledore's eyes lit up. "So that's it?"
Harry shot him a glance.
"Last year," Dumbledore said thoughtfully, "one night I was looking for a washroom. I passed by that corridor a few times, and suddenly found a pristine, tidy lavatory. The next day, I couldn't find it again."
"And Sybill's always complaining she lost several bottles of sherry. She hid them on the eighth floor but could never find them again."
"Seems she hid them in the Room of Requirement."
Harry said nothing, his hands twisting together anxiously.
"If you want to check it, go," Snape said flatly, reading Harry's thoughts.
Harry hesitated and shook his head. "Professor Snape, do you think he truly trusts you?"
"Crouch only ever trusted one person—his father," Snape said coldly, like a serpent spitting venom. "He wouldn't trust me just for delivering a letter."
Harry nodded. "That's my worry too."
"The Wild Hunt isn't exactly merciful. They have soul-targeting magic."
"Sending a weak soul fragment to them is pointless. You'd be better off giving it to Professor Snape."
Snape let out a humorless "Heh heh."
"Maybe the diadem is still in the castle," Harry mused. "Maybe there's a secret passage. If we go there, it'll be moved out with the person hiding inside."
"That would expose Professor Snape."
Snape said nothing, looking to Dumbledore.
"I think we could say Severus tried to visit the eighth floor several times but was caught by Harry," Dumbledore proposed. "That way, we'd have a reason to 'discover' the Room of Requirement."
Snape opened his mouth, hesitated.
What a foolish idea.
"Albus, thank you ever so much for your suggestion," Snape said, eyes locked on Dumbledore's empty hands. "You just couldn't wait to use what I gave you, could you?"
Dumbledore shook his head. "Severus, this is the best course."
"Of course, make me the fool," Snape muttered, the words like barbs.
He had barely sat down before rising again, coldly glancing at both Dumbledore and Harry. "I'll go prepare to become that fool, Albus. Perhaps you have suggestions for that too?"
This wasn't for Crouch.
It was about memory.
Memory could be faked—but no fake memory could fool a true Legilimens.
—
That night.
Snape cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself and made his way to the eighth floor. At the troll painting, he followed Crouch's directions—three passes while thinking of what he needed.
A door appeared in the wall.
He reached for the handle—
"Professor Snape, what are you doing here?" Harry's voice rang out behind him, freezing him in place.
He held his breath, unmoving, camouflaged into the surroundings by the powerful charm.
----------
Powerstones?
For 20 advance chapters: patreon.com/michaeltranslates