Dumbledore did not use Legilimency on Sean.
Instead, his deep blue eyes fixed on Sean, as though he could determine the truth through sheer observation alone.
Sean kept his expression calm and natural, acting exactly like someone who had no idea how the diary had ended up here.
Snape broke the silence.
"Then how did it wind up among George Weasley's books?"
"It was with George?" Sean turned toward George with perfectly feigned surprise.
Dumbledore asked, "When did you discover the diary was missing?"
Sean put on a thoughtful expression.
"The Leaky Cauldron was extremely busy during the holidays. I can't say for certain whether I misplaced it downstairs or whether a guest took it."
He paused.
"I didn't realize it was gone until about a month after I returned from Malfoy Manor."
Not remembering was a useful answer.
Dumbledore certainly could have used Legilimency to search for the forgotten memory.
But he did not.
And even if he had, Sean was prepared. The memories Dumbledore would have seen were carefully fabricated false scenes.
Sean had never neglected his Occlumency training.
After three years of practice, he had reached a level comparable to Snape's.
As Dumbledore pondered Sean's explanation, Sean smoothly shifted the subject.
"Professor, isn't that the Malfoys' house-elf, Dobby? Why is he here?"
Dumbledore glanced at the trembling elf.
"He came to steal this diary."
Sean walked over to Dobby and asked, "How did you know the diary was at Hogwarts?"
Dobby shrank into himself and said nothing.
"Professor McGonagall," Dumbledore said, "please take the Weasley brothers to your office."
Once the twins had left, Dumbledore answered Sean's question himself.
"He did not know in advance that the diary was here. Narcissa sent him to Hogwarts to assist Draco, and by chance he saw the diary."
"Assist Draco?" Sean asked, feigning ignorance. "With what?"
With finding Ravenclaw's diadem, of course.
Though Sean had already moved it to a new hiding place.
"Do you remember Herpo's golden scepter?" Dumbledore said. "I suspect the Ravenclaw diadem Draco is searching for is something similar."
After examining the diary and hearing Snape's account, as well as the Weasley twins' testimony, Dumbledore had concluded that the diary was one of Voldemort's Horcruxes.
And based on Dobby's information, they might have found not one but two Horcruxes—and even Voldemort's main soul fragment.
Whether out of fear of Dumbledore or because he hoped the Headmaster would save Draco, Dobby had also confessed that Voldemort was inhabiting Draco's body.
"Professor," Sean said at the right moment, "do you mean a Horcrux?"
"The diary and the diadem are both likely Horcruxes," Dumbledore said gravely. "But at the moment, Draco is our greatest concern."
A trace of worry appeared in his eyes.
"The Voldemort who escaped Hogwarts last year while possessing that rat has been hiding with Barty Crouch Jr. at Malfoy Manor."
Dumbledore glanced at Dobby.
"What?" Sean exclaimed, genuinely surprised. "Barty Crouch Jr. is at Malfoy Manor? Shouldn't we tell Mr. Crouch?"
Dumbledore shook his head.
"The Crouch family situation can wait. More importantly, the escaped fragment of Voldemort has attached itself to Draco. We must find a way to remove it."
He said something so alarming with remarkable calm.
Sean widened his eyes and raised his voice, making sure his reaction looked genuine.
"Then Draco is in danger!"
Snape answered before Dumbledore could.
"This morning, I used Legilimency to examine Draco's memories. There is no sign of manipulation. He is still himself."
He folded his arms.
"If Dobby is telling the truth, Voldemort's soul fragment is dormant within him. So far, it has neither influenced nor controlled Draco."
"We do not know when it may awaken," Dumbledore said. "Until we have a solution, Draco must be monitored."
Then he looked directly at Sean.
"Sean, we need you to keep an eye on Draco until I discover a method to remove Voldemort's soul fragment from his body."
Sean was the most capable student in the school and, thanks to his special testing arrangement, the only one with legitimate freedom during most class hours.
"Beginning tomorrow," Dumbledore continued, "you will have a new role: Discipline Inspector."
He smiled faintly.
"You will be responsible for patrolling classrooms during the day."
Then his tone grew more serious.
"But your true assignment is Draco."
Sean agreed with Dumbledore's assessment.
Voldemort's soul was almost certainly dormant.
But Sean had no idea what conditions would awaken it.
Watching Draco closely was essential.
Fortunately, both known Horcruxes were now under their control.
Draco, meanwhile, had awoken at six that morning when a sharp pain in his shoulder roused him.
His broken bones were knitting themselves back together.
It was not a pleasant process.
Dumbledore continued.
"Draco was told that Ravenclaw's diadem is hidden in the Room of Requirement. We need you to retrieve it. Professors McGonagall and Snape will assist you."
Dumbledore had considered sending Snape alone.
But Horcruxes were dangerous objects that preyed upon darkness in the human heart.
And Snape, for all his loyalty, possessed more than his share of bitterness.
Sean, by contrast, had handled both the golden scepter and the diary without any sign of corruption.
That made him Dumbledore's ideal candidate.
"The Room of Requirement?" Sean asked, once again acting the innocent. "What is that?"
"A secret room within Hogwarts," Dumbledore explained. "The castle contains many mysteries."
He stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"I discovered it quite by accident once when I took a wrong turn looking for a lavatory. At the time, it was filled with the most magnificent chamber pots."
Sean blinked.
"So… to get in, I just need to think about needing a bathroom?"
Dumbledore chuckled.
"No, no. The room becomes whatever the seeker requires."
He explained how to enter it.
"Since Draco sought an object, and Voldemort likely entered with the intention of hiding one, you need only focus on finding a hidden item."
Dumbledore added that after curfew that evening, Snape and McGonagall would accompany Sean to search the room.
Then he lifted the diary.
"I must leave Hogwarts now," he said. "I have found a secure location where I can attempt to destroy this Horcrux."
Sean immediately asked, "Professor, do you already know how?"
Dumbledore nodded.
"In Moste Potente and Advanced Dark Arts there are references to Horcrux creation and destruction."
He folded his hands behind his back.
"I believe Fiendfyre should be capable of destroying one."
He paused.
"However, it is an extremely dangerous spell. It consumes nearly everything it touches."
A shadow crossed his face.
"I cannot risk casting it within Hogwarts."
Sean instantly thought of Crabbe in the original timeline, unleashing Fiendfyre in the Room of Hidden Things and ultimately dying in the inferno he could not control.
Inside, Sean was delighted.
Everything was proceeding perfectly.
He had successfully drawn Dumbledore's attention to Voldemort's Horcruxes.
And now Dumbledore himself was preparing to destroy one.
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