Something eased in the Dark Lord. Enough for Harry to gently push Ron and Hermione out of his mind. Being linked took something out of them. Not much, they had trained too hard for that, but it was a strain in a crisis. His friends needed to concentrate on covering for him at Hogwarts. Opening his mind, allowing Tom to see the connection he had to Severus. After a moment of hesitation, the older wizard nodded. "Let's try this your way then." He reached for Harry's mask and gently put it back on his face. Then he turned towards Severus. "Find me those responsible!" He glared at his Death Eaters, ordering them wordlessly to cooperate or else.