Dumbledore's suspicion grew with each passing week.
The headmaster began to take a more active interest in Harry's education, inviting him to private meetings and lessons. These meetings always included attempts at Legilimency, the art of reading minds.
But Dean was ready.
He'd spent months perfecting his Occlumency, creating mental barriers that were virtually impenetrable. But more than that, he'd learned to create false memories, false thoughts that would appear to Dumbledore's Legilimency while hiding his true plans.
When Dumbledore tried to read his mind, he would see images of a confused boy struggling with his identity, grieving the loss of his humanity, trying to come to terms with the Horcrux in his scar. All of it carefully constructed, all of it believable.
But it was all a lie.
"I'm concerned about you, Harry," Dumbledore said during one of these meetings. "You seem troubled."
"I'm fine, sir," Dean said. "Just adjusting to everything that's happened."
"Are you having thoughts of harming yourself?" Dumbledore asked, his blue eyes sharp behind his spectacles.
"No, sir," Dean lied smoothly. "I'm learning to accept what I am."
"And what is that?" Dumbledore asked.
"I'm not sure yet," Dean said. "But I'm learning."
As the year progressed, Dean could feel Dumbledore's frustration growing. The headmaster knew something was wrong, but he couldn't quite figure out what. And Dean was making sure he never would.
By the end of his sixth year, Dean had achieved something remarkable: he'd mastered not just Occlumency, but a form of mental magic that went far beyond what Hogwarts taught. He could create entire false worlds in his mind, could hide his true thoughts so deeply that even a master Legilimens would struggle to find them.
And more importantly, he'd located the last two Horcruxes.
One was in Dumbledore's office, as Snape had indicated. The snake Nagini.
The other was in a location that had surprised him: it was Harry himself. Or rather, it was the scar. But Dean had already absorbed that one long ago.
Which meant there were only two Horcruxes left. And one of them was directly under Dumbledore's protection.
The question was: how could he get to it?
The answer came from an unexpected source: Dumbledore himself.
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