Grimmauld Place turns into a battlefield of Doxies, cursed cabinets, and Kreacher’s mutters while Molly Weasley leads a full house clean. Sirius clashes with the elf, the twins pocket contraband for Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, and Harry quietly pockets a heavy S-carved locket that feels just like the diary… maybe a Horcrux. Later, a party for new Prefects ends with Moody’s First Order photo, Harry’s grief spiking, and Molly’s Boggart in the drawing room. Thoughtful, character-first Order of the Phoenix era with guardianship overtones and sharp worldbuilding details.

At Grimmauld Place, Harry gets an Extendable Ear from the twins, meets the screaming portrait of Walburga Black, and is dragged into a kitchen showdown about secrecy. Sirius wants answers on the table, Molly says no, Remus plays mediator, and Arthur explains why the Ministry and the Daily Prophet are undermining Dumbledore. Harry finally hears what the Order is really doing, including hints about giants, spies inside the Ministry, Kingsley’s cover, and talk of a new weapon Voldemort wants by stealth. When Molly ends the briefing, Harry pointedly keeps Ron and Hermione in the dark and goes to bed still furious.

Severus Snape prepares Harry for a new Defence professor from the Ministry, Dolores Umbridge, and warns him to keep his head down. A tense departure from Prince Manor leads to Grimmauld Place through the Fidelius Charm, where Harry meets the Weasleys and finally confronts Ron and Hermione about a summer of silence. What follows is a raw, shouting match about secrecy, trust, and Dumbledore’s choices, with Snape’s practical guidance echoing in the background. This is close, character-driven guardianship that sets the stakes for Order of the Phoenix.

Harry and Snape finally crack the mystery Voldemort hinted at: Horcruxes. A library find spirals into panic, a calming draught, and the awful realization that Harry may be carrying a piece of the Dark Lord himself. Dumbledore orders Harry to Grimmauld Place, but first Snape sits him down for the story no one told: the Hog’s Head prophecy overheard with Lucius nearby, why the Potters were targeted, how Severus changed sides, and the vow he made to protect Lily’s son. The chapter closes with a wary warning about next year’s Defense professor. A tense, character-first guardianship episode built for headphones.

A late–night truth session at Prince Manor peels back Harry’s third–year secrets. He relives Dementor memories of his parents’ last moments, admits how the Marauder’s Map and Time–Turner freed Sirius, and hears Snape’s clear reasons to master Occlumency before learning the rest about the prophecy. A hard realization about Sirius’s lies follows, and the fragile, steady trust between guardian and ward tightens another notch. This is close, character-driven Snape-and-Harry mentorship with canon-deep lore made for headphones.

Severus Snape wakes from brutal Chamber of Secrets nightmares and finds Harry up before dawn with Occlumency texts. A quiet check turns into real trust as they speak about fear, then Snape uses Legilimency to map Harry’s magical bonds and carefully contain the Voldemort link without harming his core. After a short dose of Dreamless Sleep, the day shifts to training with an Auror style animated dummy where Harry’s Reducto shatters the “indestructible,” and the evening closes with food, showers, and an honest talk about third year that tightens a growing guardian bond. This is close, character driven Snape and Harry mentorship with canon deep magic and steady hurt comfort.

A quiet afternoon at Prince Manor turns into real answers. Snape treats Harry’s bruises, asks for the truth, and hears the full story of the diary in the Chamber of Secrets: Tom Riddle’s memory, the basilisk, Fawkes’s tears, and why a goblin made sword could pierce basilisk hide. Dobby is called to locate the diary, and hard questions follow about Lockhart, Hagrid, and Dumbledore’s choices. The talk ends with prophecies, Pettigrew, and a sharp look at how close Harry came to losing everything. This is close, character driven guardianship that rewards headphone listening.

At Grimmauld Place, Remus faces a barrage of questions from Sirius, then calls him out for sabotaging trust with a snide letter. Back at Prince Manor, Harry wakes bruised and exhausted while Severus Snape does the quiet work of care, pain potion, soup, diagnostics, and practical comfort. A talk about house-elves leads to the truth about Dobby’s freedom and Lucius Malfoy, and Harry begins to relax into being looked after. This is close, character driven guardianship with gentle humor, healing detail, and the first real steps toward trust.