Harry leaves Grimmauld Place under guard, rides the Hogwarts Express with Ginny, Neville, and Luna, and endures stares, Cho’s awkward hello, and Seamus’s open doubt about Voldemort’s return.
Umbridge arrives at the Start of Term Feast, Dumbledore is under attack in the press, and Harry finally reaches breaking point. That night he uses the Marauder’s Map and his cloak to sneak down to the dungeons with a heavy S-marked locket that feels like the diary all over again. A stunned Snape, a desperate Kreacher, and the name Regulus Black turn one forbidden midnight visit into a suspected Horcrux discovery and a new level of dangerous cooperation between Harry and his least expected ally.
