"Don't look at me like that." Will spread his hands. "I don't know whether we can resolve this perfectly, but whatever happens, we should try.
"Neville's parents had a problem with their souls too. I used methods of my own to heal them."
Dumbledore nodded. "If you can do the same before the plan is complete, Harry can withdraw from it entirely."
Snape's expression softened considerably.
Dumbledore continued, "But we still need you to take another risk to learn crucial details, such as how many Horcruxes there are and what became of the others."
Will's expression turned serious. "Professor Dumbledore, as for the number of Horcruxes, please hear my theory first."
"Go ahead, Will."
"I still think he made six or seven Horcruxes.
"Voldemort made his first Horcrux as a boy. Later, while he was terrorizing the Wizarding World, he found Slytherin's Locket and Ravenclaw's Diadem.
"That gives us three confirmed Horcruxes. Add Nagini and Harry, and the count reaches five.
"In other words, he split his soul five times, leaving it in six pieces.
"But five isn't a number with magical significance. Neither is six.
"I once studied The Link Between Numbers and Magic. Of the numbers imbued with magic, three and seven are the most significant and powerful.
"That makes me more certain he made six or seven Horcruxes. If he was clever enough, he made only six, dividing his soul into seven pieces.
"If he doesn't know Harry is a Horcrux, he might have made seven.
"But Harry has connected with him more than once. Given his knowledge of Soul Studies, I don't think he could have failed to notice."
When Will finished, Dumbledore nodded, his face grave.
From his perspective, everything they knew supported that conclusion. Will's reasoning was sound.
He was more inclined to believe