One newspaper article upends Harry's Wednesday morning, as he must deal with the consequences of having the reality of his home life splashed across the front page of The Daily Prophet. It might have been bearable if the information was anything less than the absolute truth.

Amidst the stresses of his fifth school year, the horcrux within Harry begins to become sentient; its intentions unclear but possessiveness evident. Consequently, things take a dark turn as Halloween approaches.

Snape happens upon Harry as he returns from Hagrid's late one evening. As he was clearly out of the castle after hours, the unpleasant professor berates him for his audacity and insists upon seeing the contents of a package the Gryffindor is clutching. Harry refuses.

Revisiting the concept of boggarts in Snape's Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, Harry was wholly prepared to face the faux dementor. But what stepped out of that darkened space was something else entirely. A handsome boy with a gleaming prefect's badge and a cruel smile.