Year 6, Chapter 11 - The Room, The Cave, The Tower

From the Journal of Hermione Granger – June 9

I knew from the beginning that today wasn’t going to be a normal day because of my special Ancient Runes lesson, but I had no idea just how different it would turn out. As usual, Harry was the catalyst.

“Hermione Granger!” Harry waited several seconds for her to answer the mirror call, then repeated it. “Hermione Granger!”

“Harry Potter,” came Hermione’s reply, although her voice was in a whisper. “What is it?” As Hermione’s face came into view, Harry got a brief glimpse of her bare shoulders before she moved the mirror closer to her face.

“I discovered something,” he began eagerly. “And I wanted you to …”

“Harry, I’m in class,” Hermione interrupted. “Can’t it wait?”

Harry frowned in puzzlement, recalling what he had seen when she first answered. “In class? But it didn’t look like you were wearing anything.”

“This is my first nude runes and rituals lesson, Harry,” Hermione explained hurriedly. “I’m getting undressed.”

“Oh.” Harry pushed his thoughts away from the idea of a naked Hermione. “Can you skip it? This is really important.”

“Are you sure?” Hermione hissed back. “Important enough for me to skip out on a special class session that I’ve been stressing about for months? Can’t it wait for an hour?”

Harry quickly considered the alternatives. If he waited an hour, he’d have to miss his Transfiguration class, and McGonagall would not be pleased. Weighing the alternative of an irritated Hermione vs. an annoyed McGonagall he immediately came to a decision.

“Call me back as soon as you can,” he replied. “I’ll wait right here.”

Hermione immediately closed the connection, and presumably finished removing her clothing. Again, Harry forced himself to focus on the matter at hand.

He had been under his invisibility cloak staking out the Room of Requirement, when he had finally spotted Draco Malfoy coming out of the hidden door. Unlike the recent times he had encountered the arrogant Slytherin however, Malfoy was in a good mood. Ecstatic, even.

“I’ve finally got it!” he shouted to Goyle, who was once again polyjuiced as a young Slytherin girl. “It’s ready to go. Now we only have to wait until …”

He was interrupted by the appearance of Professor Trelawny, and Harry, who had been moving forward to try to intercept Malfoy before he could get away, pulled back a bit, groaning to himself in annoyance.

The Divination professor was wobbling somewhat, but drew herself up and wrapped her shawls around herself when she spotted the two Slytherins. “What are you doing here?” she asked indignantly. Harry cursed silently as the doorway to the room disappeared behind Malfoy, hiding whatever dark scheme he’d just completed.

“Nothing, you demented old bat,” Malfoy sneered at her, prompting the girlish form of Goyle to giggle.

“Well! I never …” Trelawny adjusted her oversize glasses to try to discern more clearly who had just insulted her, but Malfoy turned away and took Goyle’s hand, pulling him out of sight. After another indignant huff, Trelawny turned and looked at the blank wall, and Harry only now noted that she was carrying several empty sherry bottles. Then, to his astonishment, she paced back and forth three times, summoning the Room once more.

Harry gathered his wits enough to slip in after her, before the door shut again, and found himself in what appeared to be an enormous, completely disorganized storeroom. He watched silently as Trelawny moved to a stack of boxes overflowing with bottles similar to the ones she was carrying, and added hers to the collection. He stayed behind as she turned and quickly left the room, drawing her shawls up around her once more.

What was the purpose of this room? he pondered. Trelawny must have intended to dispose of those empty sherry bottles, but had chosen this unusual way to accomplish the task. Likely she didn’t get rid of them in the normal manner because she didn’t want anyone else to know she had been drinking. Harry had noted the whiff of sherry emanating from her, and the overflowing boxes of bottles before him indicated that she’d been consuming large quantities of the alcoholic beverage for quite some time.

Were all of the items in this room things that people wanted to discretely discard? Harry had then decided to call Hermione on his mirror and get her opinion.

After their brief conversation he was in a bit of a quandary. He dared not leave the room, because he wasn’t sure if he would be able to summon it again, since he didn’t know what thought Trelawny had used to call it into being in the first place. Whatever it was must be quite a common desire, since she was clearly not the first person to utilize this particular incarnation of the magical room.

Deciding that he might as well have a look around while he was waiting for Hermione to call him back, he wandered through the piles and piles of discarded items, arranged in long rows and columns that appeared to date back hundreds of years. Broken classroom furnishings abounded, along with banned items of every sort. And wherever he looked there were books, thousands of them, of every description. Down one side alleyway a remarkable collection of photos was displayed, of witches in lewd and alluring poses, clothed in decidedly non-regulation attire, if they were wearing anything at all. After a brief pause to admire the flexibility of some of them, Harry moved on, deciding it would not be healthy for him to be standing in this area when Hermione reopened the magical mirror connection.

Harry wondered why anyone would want to throw away perfectly good-looking jewelry, as a rather attractive tiara caught his eye. But for the most part the spurned material was junk, left here and forgotten for obvious reasons.

Finally, an hour and a half after he’d first entered the room, Hermione’s voice sounded again. “Harry Potter!” Harry immediately pulled out his mirror and responded, and seconds later a flushed and excited looking Hermione appeared. “I’m back,” she announced briskly. “What is it?”

“Hermione, calm down,” Harry grinned at her, recognizing the symptoms of hyper Hermione. The last time he had seen her so worked up after a class had been when she’d gotten one hundred and seventeen percent on an Arithmency exam. “How was your class?”

“Oh Harry, it was great! Amazing, incredible, nerve-wracking, scary, and just plain insane!” she gushed. “All of that rolled into one. It was the most bizarre class I’ve ever been in. I mean, can you imagine a room full of naked witches and a professor casting charms and drawing runes on each other’s bodies for a whole hour?” Harry’s eyes glazed over momentarily as he began to visualize that scene. As the image unfolded in his mind there was one jarring discontinuity.

“Um, Hermione, the professor? Was he, or she … I mean, was it a he or a she?” he asked uneasily.

“Oh Harry, of course it was a witch,” Hermione answered with a touch of exasperation. “Honestly, you know I wouldn’t take my clothes off in front of another man, even if he was a professor.”

“Right, of course,” Harry replied, trying to hide a sigh of relief. “So tell me about it.”

“Oh, like I said, it was just so … so different, so weird,” Hermione began again in a rush. “I mean, we touched each other just everywhere! And I have runes on me in so many different places. Temporary, of course. The first ones we did were on our breasts, and I swear mine are twice their normal size now.” Harry’s breath caught in his throat on hearing this, and he found himself tilting the mirror forward as though it would enable him to peek down Hermione’s top to check out this enhancement.

“Um, why …?” he finally managed.

Hermione noticed his startled look and laughed lightly. “A lactation ritual, Harry. It’s so a witch can nurse another witch’s baby if necessary. But that was just the beginning,” she continued, pouring out her experience in a torrent of thoughts. “I have another set of runes running down my back all the way to the bottom of my bum, I have several on each of my inner thighs, my pubic hair is completely shaved away, and I even have a rune on … well, just imagine what it feels like to have another witch stick her wand in your vagina.”

Whether he wanted to or not, there was no way Harry could have prevented the image that now formed in his head, as it was a pretty standard fantasy for young wizards. “Um, right,” he choked out. “I mean, no … ah …”

Hermione finally caught herself, and thought back a moment before realizing what she had said, and noticed the glazed look in his eyes and the way his breath had shortened. “Oh Harry, get your mind out of the gutter! It wasn’t that far in, just touching it with the tip. Honestly, there wasn’t anything erotic about it at all!”

“Easy for you to say,” Harry muttered. Clearing his throat, he tried to keep his voice level and asked, “So, what was the purpose of all this, ah, intimate contact then?”

“Oh, it was mostly fertility rituals and contraception rituals today,” Hermione answered quickly, still eager to share the experience with him. “I’m sure now I’ll never have to worry about getting pregnant until I want to, and at that point I can almost guarantee conception. I can’t believe there are so many conception alternatives. I think I could even make you pregnant if I wanted to.”

This, of course, set off an enormous choking and coughing fit in Harry. “Really?” he finally managed to gasp out.

He looked up into the mirror, which was difficult to keep steady as his hand was shaking so much, to see Hermione smirking at him. “No, not really,” she admitted. “I was just having you on.” Her smirk turned to a full laugh when she saw the look on his face, and he joined in her laughter.

“Harry, it was just so incredible it’s hard to describe,” she went on. “I’m just now finally starting to settle down. I mean, I was so worked up about it before hand, and it was such an intense experience. I’m probably boring you to death by running on and on about this, aren’t I?”

Now it was Harry’s turn to be amused. “Hermione, think about what you’ve just been telling me,” he chuckled. “Can you imagine any male being bored by that?”

“Oh. I suppose you’re right. Some of that was pretty suggestive, I guess,” Hermione admitted sheepishly. “I wasn’t really paying attention to what I was saying.” She paused to think some more. “I bet you’re just a bit interested in the results of that lactation ritual, aren’t you?” Harry nodded, trying to keep the grin off his face. “OK, here, have a look.” Hermione pulled the mirror out to arm’s length and angled it so that Harry had a view of her torso.

“Wow!” was the first response that came to Harry. Hermione’s breasts had increased by at least a cup size, probably two, and were straining to break free of her tank top. “Um … how long will they stay like that?”

“Don’t get your hopes up, it’ll wear off by tomorrow morning,” Hermione responded with a laugh. “You won’t get to see them like this until I have a baby. Then you’ll be able to ogle them all you like.” She returned the mirror to its normal conversational position. “They’re really uncomfortable. I tried to transfigure my bra, but I couldn’t get the cups to be comfortable, so I just took it off and put on the loosest tank top I own. It’s funny, I’ve heard that everyone at Beauxbatons knows what day this class is held, because so many seventh year girls come to dinner that day engorged like this. Some of the smaller girls actually look forward to it, but these are just too big for me. I don’t know how Susan puts up with hers.”

All this talk of oversize mammaries was too much for Harry’s teenaged male brain to handle. “Sounds like quite a class,” he finally offered.

“Yes, I almost wish you could have been there,” Hermione teased. “I think you would have enjoyed it.”

“What I’d give for a pensieve right now,” Harry retorted with a sly raising of his eyebrows.

“Harry Potter, don’t you even think of suggesting that I would show you a memory of that class!” Hermione protested, trying but failing to keep the amusement from her face. “That would be an invasion of privacy for the other girls.”

“Ah, well, a guy can dream, can’t he,” Harry signed dramatically. Then a thought struck him and he turned serious. “That’s it! A pensieve! Hermione you wouldn’t believe where I am right now.”

Harry proceeded to tell me about the manifestation of the Room of Requirement that Trelawny had created, and what he’d guessed about its purpose. I agreed that it sounded like a place to hide things, which would certainly be a common desire of students (and staff) of any time in history. The fact that it was so large and full, and that even Trelawny was using it, tells us that a large number of people must have known about its existence over the years. It surprises me that the Weasley twins never figured it out, although I do recall them mentioning that they’d stumbled on it once when they needed a hiding place from Filch.

As far as how to go about summoning it again, I suggested he ask Dobby, since he was the one who told us about the Room in the first place, and some of the stuff sounded like it had been left there by house elves. But Dobby couldn’t tell him, not that he didn’t want to, but couldn’t because the house elves were sworn to secrecy. But I told him not to worry about it, since it wasn’t likely we’d ever need that particular room, and if we did Trelawny certainly knew how to summon it. I told him his idea of using a pensieve memory to review the contents, in order to see if there was anything there that might be interesting or useful, was good thinking.

Then he related the circumstances of how he’d found the room, and what Malfoy had apparently accomplished, and we turned our attention to that issue. We agreed that this was quite troublesome, and that he’d really have to keep in eye on him now, and that he’d have to talk to Dumbledore again. We hoped that this would finally prod the headmaster to take action.

It wasn’t long, though, before another item of significance surfaced. This one sounds ominous, especially in conjunction with the news about Malfoy.

By the time Harry returned to the Gryffindor Common room it was nearly dinner time, and several students were lounging on the comfortable sofas, relaxing for a bit before going down to the Great Hall. Spotting Neville and Ron at their customary place in the corner, Harry immediately headed over to them.

“Harry, mate, where have you been all afternoon?” Ron asked. “McGonagall wasn’t too happy when you didn’t show for Transfiguration.”

“Never mind that, I’ve got something important to tell you,” Harry returned in a low voice. After casting a Muffilato charm, he quickly informed the pair of Gryffindors about Malfoy’s success with his project. “I reckon he’s just waiting for the right moment to spring it.”

“Harry?” The three boys looked up to see Ginny approaching, and Harry dispelled the sound masking charm. “Dumbledore wants you to come see him. It sounded urgent.”

Feeling that things were rapidly coming to a head, Harry told Ron and Neville to fill Ginny in on what he’d just told them, and to wait for him to return.

Harry’s summons to the Headmaster’s office turned out to be just what we’ve been waiting for. Dumbledore had finally discovered the location of a Horcrux! He told Harry to prepare to go with him to retrieve it, and that they would leave immediately after supper. Things turned a bit tense after that however. When Harry reported what he’d learned about Malfoy, Dumbledore put him off again, saying that Snape had it under control. Harry expressed his concern that Malfoy might try something this evening, while he and Dumbledore were away, but Dumbledore assured him that he’d arranged for extra protections. We assume that means that there will be some Order members in the castle, possibly along with some teachers patrolling.

One thing that really worries me – Dumbledore made a big issue of demanding that Harry swear to obey his every command, even if it meant leaving the headmaster and escaping to save himself. The way Harry told it, it sounds almost as if he expects to die!

After he left the Headmaster’s office, Harry called me on the mirror again and filled me in, then went to find Ron, Neville, and Ginny. After talking it over we decided that the DA should be put on alert as well. Right now I’m getting this journal up to date while the four of them go to supper and plan what they’re going to do. I suppose I should get something to eat as well, but I’m so nervous I don’t know if I’ll be able to.

Harry leaned forward after casting another Muffliato charm on the end of the Gryffindor house table, where Ron sat by his side and Neville and Ginny were across from him. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” he told them in a low voice. I want you to contact the DA and arrange to keep an eye on things tonight.”

“What exactly are we watching for?” Ginny asked. “And where are you going?”

Harry shared a look with Neville and Ron, both of whom gave a short nod. “It’s a long story, and these two can fill you in later,” he began. “But Dumbledore and I have been working on a … project, let’s call it, all year. We’re going to go out and try to find something tonight, something that will help defeat Voldemort.” Ginny shuddered briefly, but kept quiet, eager to learn whatever she could about what was going on with her friends. “The thing is, Malfoy’s also been working on a project, on Voldemort’s orders.”

“I told her about how we’re pretty sure he was behind the dagger, and the poisoned mead,” Ron broke in as Ginny nodded, her eyes blazing furiously. “I don’t think I’d want to be him when she gets hold of him.” Beside Ginny, Neville nodded his agreement – it had taken both of the boys to restrain the smaller girl from hunting down and cursing their hated nemesis. Harry allowed a bit of a smile to cross his face at the thought of Ginny getting revenge on the Slytherin for putting her in the hospital.

“So, whatever it is he’s been working on – and Dumbledore thinks it’s actually himself that Malfoy’s after – it’s ready to go. I’m going to leave you the Map, so you can keep an eye on everything that’s going on, and my charmed master Galleon.” He paused to consider the situation, then hardened his face in resolve. “I’m also going to leave you the Felix Felicis .”

“What!” Ron objected. “No, you can’t! You’re saving that for when you fight You-Know-Who.”

“He’s what?!” Ginny gasped in horror. “When is Harry going to …”

“Never mind that,” Harry cut them both off. “Look, I’ve thought about this and you lot are going to need every break you can get to pull through this. If anything happened to you I’d never forgive myself.”

“But Harry …” Neville began.

“No, this is the way it’s going to be. We can worry about that other part …” he shot a sharp look at the two boys to shut them up, “…later.” From the look on her face, Ginny was barely able to control herself, but she yielded to Harry’s fierce determination and refrained from asking any more questions – for now. “Now,” Harry continued. “There’s enough here for twenty four hours of luck. I reckon you can split it up into twelve doses of two hours each. If you take it when Malfoy starts to make his move, that should get you through whatever happens.”

“We’ll take care of things here, Harry,” Neville broke in, as Ron still wasn’t convinced. “You just be sure to take care of yourself and come back in one piece.”

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be with Dumbledore,” Harry reassured them. “And I’ll have a bit of backup besides,” he added, patting the mirror in his pocket. Now, let’s finish up here and get back to the common room.”

Although they were all too keyed up now to eat much, they managed a few bites before it was time for Harry to go. On the way out of the Great Hall Neville stopped by the Hufflepuff table to let Susan know something was up, and Ginny wandered over to the Ravenclaw table for a quick word with Luna.

A few minutes later Harry had retrieved the necessary items from his room, shaken Ron and Neville’s hands, received a desperate hug from Ginny, and then he was off, heading back down to the Entrance Hall.

“Hermione Granger,” he spoke quickly into the mirror once he was alone in the corridor.

“Harry Potter,” came the prompt reply. “What’s up?”

“I’m on my way to meet Dumbledore now,” Harry explained, then brought her up to date on what had transpired since their last conversation. “Do you think we can keep this connection open from here on?” he concluded. “I’d really like to have you tag along.”

“I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t work,” Hermione replied, both thrilled and relieved that she would be able to be with him from afar, and possibly be able to assist. “I’m going to find a private place to set up, and I’ll have my journal out to take notes.”
 

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By this point it was evident that this was going to be one of the longest and most momentous days of my life. And through it all I was a bystander, a spectator who saw and heard the events that will change the wizarding world. But not a spectator in the way I was during the third task of the Tri Wizard Tournament, where I sat there helplessly while Harry was involved in a ritual that brought Voldemort back to life. Rather I was more like the football coach, who never steps on the playing field but calls out suggestions or instructions to the participants.

As I come back and insert this preface from the perspective of a day later, it is clear that what happened is a turning point in the battle. When we look back on this day a year from now, or five or ten, however things turn out, it seems likely that we will say that this was the beginning of the end.

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Harry met Dumbledore and they headed off towards Hogsmeade, making small talk about where they were going and how they were going to get there. Dumbledore’s done this quite a few times this year, and his cover is that he’s going out for a drink at the Three Broomsticks or the Hog’s Head. Then he told Harry to put on his invisibility cloak, but before he did, Harry revealed my presence.

“I have this mirror that allows me to communicate with Hermione, and I’ve asked her to stay in contact. I thought she might be able to help.”

Dumbledore peered into the mirror in surprise. “Miss Granger?”

Hermione returned an awkward smile. “Hello, Professor. Yes, it’s me.”

“My word!” Dumbledore exclaimed. “This is quite impressive magic! Your doing I presume, Miss Granger?”

“Yes sir,” Hermione admitted with a blush. “But I got the idea from Harry’s dad and Sirius.”

“Ah yes,” Dumbledore responded. “I had heard about those mirrors. So you’ve been able to duplicate them?”

“You knew about Sirius’s mirror?” Harry broke in. “How?”

“I learned of them from Kreacher when I spoke with him during the unfortunate incident at the Ministry last June,” Dumbledore replied as delicately as possible. “He had hid the one that Sirius kept, as you will recall.”

“But then …” Harry began.

“That is a tale for another time,” Dumbledore interrupted. “We have our own task before us. Miss Granger, I would be delighted to have you join us. Another set of eyes and ears is always welcome. But I am concerned about who may overhear you, as this is extremely sensitive business.”

“That shouldn’t be any problem, Professor,” Hermione reassured him promptly. “Madame Maxime has allowed me into the secure room that we used when you were here, and I’ve put up several silencing and privacy wards.”

Dumbledore frowned briefly, then nodded. “That should be sufficient, I suppose. I am aware that you tend to be quite thorough in your work, so I believe that your location will be secure. Now Harry, if you will put on your cloak, let us be off.”
 

When they got to Hogsmeade he side-along apparated Harry to somewhere along the seashore. It was a rocky area, with a high cliff rising straight out of the water. They were looking for a cave, where young Tom Riddle supposedly terrorized some of his classmates. Trust a sick person like him to consider an experience like that to be one of the high points of his life! They looked around for a bit and finally spotted a cave further along the coast. They had to pick their way among the boulders to reach it, and for the last bit they had to wade through the water. Fortunately, it wasn’t too cold. It’s a good thing they’re making this trip in June and not January. It’s also a good thing it’s low tide tonight, or the entrance of the cave would have been flooded.

Once they reached the cave, a quick drying charm sorted them out, and Dumbledore announced that he could tell they were in the right place because he could detect a magical signature. I couldn’t sense anything through the mirror, of course – I’ll have to ask Harry later if he could. Dumbledore cast several detection charms, which I recognized. I think I’ll write them, along with all the other spells used tonight, on another page and discuss them with Harry later. I stopped him once and had Harry hold up the mirror so I could see exactly what he was doing.

Once Dumbledore located the hidden entrance, he studied it for a while and then asked me what I knew about blood based wards. I answered that there were two types, specific and general – if it were specific it would require the blood of a certain person to activate, if general anyone’s blood would do. He agreed and informed us that fortunately this one was of the more crude variety – any blood would do. Evidently the purpose was merely to weaken an intruder. Harry immediately offered his blood, but Dumbledore insisted on using his own. So he cut his already injured hand and smeared blood on the doorway and it opened.

Inside there was a large cavern filled with water – an underground lake – with an island in the middle. There was a pale glow coming from the island, which Dumbledore thought indicated that this was where the Horcrux was hidden. Obviously, there would be traps of some sort between the shore and the island. We discussed possible ways to get to the island. Harry suggested apparating there, which didn’t work as the entire cavern must have been warded against apparation. I suggested levitating someone across the water to the island, but Dumbledore feared that something in the water might intercept them along the way. Harry then tried a summoning charm, but all that accomplished was to confirm that there was indeed something in the water, as it rose up and blocked his spell, then fell back down with a splash before we could identify what it was.

Finally, as they walked around the lake, Dumbledore found an invisible rope, which turned out to be tied to a boat that was hidden below the surface. Harry was amazed that he could find it, but Dumbledore once again remarked that he could sense Tom Riddle’s magical signature on it. I think that will be very important for us in the future, and this time I asked Harry what he could sense. They paused a bit while Harry tried to decide if he could feel anything. His scar tingled, but that might have been from the presence of the Horcrux. Dumbledore said it was something that required a lot of practice and experience.

I thought the boat would be charmed to recognize if the person it was carrying were Voldemort – that’s certainly what I would have done if I were setting this up, but Dumbledore seemed to think he and Harry could get in safely. I’m not sure what made him think that, but he turned out to be correct. Harry wondered if the boat would hold two people, but Dumbledore answered that it was a magical boat.

Once they got in, the boat moved by itself out to the island. Along the way Harry noticed what appeared to be human figures in the water. He held out the mirror so I could see them too, while Dumbledore informed us that they were Inferi – dead bodies that had been enchanted to serve a dark wizard. He suspected that they would attack us as soon as it became apparent that the two of them were enemies of Voldemort, but so far they hadn’t realized it. He then made a comment about them being creatures of the dark, who feared warmth and light, which we would use against them if they attacked.

The island was very small, about the size of a classroom. The only thing on it was a stone basin on top of a pedestal, which contained some liquid. This is where the greenish light was coming from. They decided that the Horcrux was inside of the basin, at the bottom of the liquid, although they couldn’t see it through the greenish glow. Harry held up the mirror so I could have a look, then propped the mirror up against a rock so I could watch while he helped Dumbledore.

This is where the whole task turned truly horrifying. While I watched helplessly, Dumbledore decided that someone had to drink the glowing green liquid to get the Horcrux. They tried several other things, but nothing worked. Neither of them could touch the liquid with their hands, only when they were holding a cup. As soon as the cup touched the liquid, it immediately filled and the level in the basin went down. But if they tried to pour it on the ground, it instead flew back into the basin. No matter what they tried, they couldn’t stop it. If they Vanished it, it just reappeared in the basin.

Finally, Dumbledore took a drink. He didn’t say anything, but it looked like it must be painful. He filled the cup again and Harry confirmed that the level of liquid in the basin went down again. With each cupful Dumbledore appeared to be in more and more agony. It didn’t seem to be physical pain, though, more emotional pain. Harry commented aloud that he looked like he was in the middle of a nightmare. (Harry would know how that felt, if anyone would.) Dumbledore merely nodded and kept drinking. I now realized what this was – a Nightmare Potion. It forced the drinker to experience his worst fears. It mixes in horrible things that have happened in one’s life with things they dread happening, so that it’s not possible to distinguish what was real and what was imaginary.

Suddenly he sank to his knees and shouted out, ‘No! no!’ But he took a moment to gather himself and then took another cupful. Harry checked in the basin and announced that there were only 2 or 3 more cups to go.

After the next one, Dumbledore looked even more frantic.

“I didn’t mean to! It was a mistake!” the weakened headmaster cried out, bending down and covering his face with his hands.

“Professor?” Harry asked tentatively. “Can you keep going or should I …?”

Dumbledore shook his head and reached up, beckoning Harry to hand him another cupful. Harry complied, and the weakened wizard put it to his lips once more. Harry helped him tip the cup, forcing the remainder of the potion down his throat.

This time Dumbledore collapsed completely. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” he cried out. “It was all my fault! Can you ever forgive me?”

“Yes, yes, I forgive you!” Harry shouted back, having no idea what he was forgiving, but not caring either. “There’s only one more to go.”

Dumbledore shook his head and curled up in a ball. A look of resolve came over Harry’s face and he dipped the cup into the basin, watching the final bit of potion fill it one last time. Now he could see the Horcrux clearly sitting on the bottom – it appeared to be a locket of some sort. He reached out to pick it up but it remained stuck fast, and he knew that it would not be released until the final cupful was consumed.

“Harry no!” Hermione shouted from her vantage point as she realized that he was going to drink the final portion himself. But he only gave her a look, a look she had seen before, the one that meant, ‘I have to do this’, and he tipped his head back and swallowed it down.

The effect was almost instantaneous. A look of horror flashed onto his face and he shouted, “Hermione no! No, don’t leave me!”

“I’m right here, Harry!” Hermione responded immediately from the mirror. “I’ll never leave you! I love you!”

Wide-eyed, Harry shot a look at where Hermione’s anxious face looked out from the mirror, and his shoulders dropped in relief. “Oh Merlin, that was awful! I thought you were dying!” he gasped. “And it burns so much.”

“Water … water,” came a plaintive cry from the headmaster who was struggling to rise to his hands and knees.

Harry seized the cup and quickly pointed his wand at it. “ Aguamenti !” But to his dismay, the water inside vanished as soon as he finished the spell. He tried once more with similar results, as Dumbledore continued to beg for relief.

“Harry, conjure another cup!” Hermione called out from the mirror. “That one’s probably cursed from being in the basin.”

With a wave of his wand and an incantation Harry conjured a duplicate, and as Hermione had surmised, this time the water did not vanish. He took a quick swallow to quench the burning in his own throat before offering the remainder to his headmaster. He and Hermione both breathed a sigh of relief as Dumbledore began to regain his senses. Harry filled the cup for him once more and then returned to the basin. As he expected, this time the locket came into his hand without resistance.

“Harry, look out!” Hermione’s scream alerted him and he spun around to see dozens of white shapes emerge from the lake, their summoning triggered, no doubt, by his removing the locket from the basin. Hermione had a scene from Indiana Jones flash through her mind but shook it off, focusing on how she could help Harry defeat these creatures.

“Reducto!” he called out, almost before his wand hit his hand. The nearest Inferius was blasted back into the water, but the rest kept coming.

“Harry, remember, light and heat!” Hermione called out. “Try a flame hex!”

“Incendio!” This proved far more successful, as one of the creatures burst into flames, and the others around it shied back

Suddenly an entire ring of fire surrounded the basin and the two wizards and began to expand, forcing the Inferi back off the island and into the water. Harry turned to see Dumbledore, now on his feet again, but looking a bit unsteady. Together they rushed back into the boat and pushed off the accursed island.

“Harry, don’t forget me!” Hermione called out in a panic.

“Accio mirror!” Hermione shut her eyes tight to avoid the dizzying sensation from her field of view as the enchanted mirror flew toward the boat. Harry expertly snatched it out of the air and quickly returned his attention to the threat of the Inferi.

To our relief, the Inferi didn’t attack the boat – evidently Voldemort had put some protection on it – but we weren’t looking forward to what would happen when they landed on the main shore. Fortunately, Dumbledore was partially recovered by then, at least enough to create his ring of fire again. Unfortunately, it drained him so much that by the time they got to the entrance of the cave again he was leaning heavily on Harry.

Somewhere along the way, Harry had skinned his elbow, so he pressed the bleeding part against the doorway to open it, and they staggered out into the open once again. They both rested for a while, leaning against the cliff, and Harry joked that he’d never realized how much he liked the feel of fresh salty air on his face. Then his face turned grim again as he realized that Dumbledore might be too weak to apparate them back.

Before he even said anything I could tell from the look on his face that he was considering attempting to do it himself. I managed to overcome my rule-abiding, cautious nature and project an air of confidence as I said, ‘Go ahead, Harry. You can do it. I believe in you.’

To my surprise Dumbledore repeated my words. ‘I believe in you too, Harry.’ I can’t help but wonder if it was true, if the Headmaster was finally trusting Harry’s judgment and accepting his ability to make his own decisions. I suppose only time will tell.

A few seconds later we were back in Hogsmeade, but it turned out the night wasn’t over yet. As soon as the two of them had regained their balance, Dumbledore told Harry that it was essential that he get to Snape as soon as possible, since he’d drunk a potentially lethal quantity of the potion. Harry was feeling pretty weak himself at that point, but agreed, even though he thought Madame Pomfrey would be a better choice.

At that point both of them noticed that there was a Dark Mark over Hogwarts! Since they were right outside the Hog’s Head, Harry summoned a couple of brooms from their storage shed, and as I write this they’re flying to the castle. What else has happened tonight? Please, don’t let it be one of our friends!

“Hermione, I’m going to put the mirror inside my pocket now, OK? You should still be able to hear us,” Harry told her as the towers of the castle came into sight. “It looks like the Dark Mark is hovering over the AstronomyTower so we’re heading there.”

“Oh, Harry, please be careful,” Hermione responded tearfully. “I can’t stand being stuck here unable to do anything.”

“You’ve been a big help already. We’re about to land now. I love you.”

“I love you too. Stay safe.”

“Look Professor, who’s that?” As the two wizards shakily dismounted from their broomsticks, still feeling the effects of the Nightmare Potion, Harry spotted a dark, hooded figure slumped against the inner wall of the tower. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that it was a Death Eater who had been stunned and magically bound.

“Do you suppose he was the one who set off the Dark Mark?” Harry wondered.

“I believe that is most likely the case,” Dumbledore replied faintly, leaning heavily against the outer wall where he had landed. “But he is certainly no longer a threat to us. Now, listen to me carefully. We don’t know what else we’re up against. Put on your invisibility cloak. Fetch Professor Snape immediately and do not stop, do not speak to anyone else, and do not remove your cloak. It is vital that you do this as quickly as possible. I don’t have much time left.”

But no sooner had Harry reached the door leading to the staircase than they heard someone on the other side. Harry stepped away from the door and drew his wand but suddenly felt himself go rigid, the victim of a petrification jinx! How was that possible? His opponent hadn’t even come through the door yet. Could it have been Dumbledore?

He felt himself being levitated to a leaning position against the wall, where he could see everything that was going on, but was unable to move or speak.

“Expelliarmus!” From the edge of his field of vision he spotted Draco Malfoy emerge from the doorway with look of triumph on his face. “Hah, got you Old Man!” the arrogant Slytherin gloated. Out of the other corner of his eye Harry saw Dumbledore’s wand fly over the edge of the ramparts as the headmaster sank into a sitting position, still leaning against the wall next to the brooms.

Harry (and Hermione) listened helplessly as his hated rival boasted about the plan he’d successfully implemented, from the diversionary attacks with the Assassin’s dagger and poisoned mead, to his efforts in the Room of Requirement. There, it turned out, he’d succeeded in repairing a broken Vanishing cabinet, which was paired to one he’d found at Borgin and Burkes, and which now resided at Malfoy Manor. From there the raid was launched, and more than a dozen Death Eaters had slipped into the castle tonight.

Harry’s immediate concern, on hearing this, was what had happened to the DA and Order members who’d been patrolling. But as Malfoy continued his tale, he noticed that the Slytherin appeared much more nervous than someone whose plan had been a spectacular success. Perhaps his friends were making a good showing in the battle, and were still alive, he hoped desperately.

Dumbledore pointed this out, and attempted to undercut Malfoy’s triumph by informing him that he’d known all along what was going on, and that Snape had been watching him on his instructions.

“Oh yeah? Well he didn’t stop me, did he?” Malfoy sneered. “Maybe he’s not as much on your side as you thought. And besides, who’s holding the wand right now, huh?”

“You are holding it, of course, Draco, but you have not used it since you burst through the door. Surely if you were going to kill me you’d have done it by now? Perhaps your heart isn’t really in this.”

“My heart’s just fine!” Malfoy insisted. “And kill you is exactly what I’m going to do!”

“It’s not too late, you know,” the headmaster replied, as coolly as if they were having a pleasant conversation about the weather, rather than discussing whether he was about to die. Harry couldn’t believe how the man could be so calm at a time like this. He listened in astonishment as Dumbledore actually tried to make a deal with Malfoy, if only he’d renounce his actions and come over to the right side.

“Why would I ever want to be on the side of a mudblood loving old fool like you?” Malfoy shot back. “In case you haven’t noticed, your side is losing!”

“Step back, Draco.” Malroy jumped in surprise and shot a look behind him. With all the yelling, no one had noticed Snape slip through the door onto the tower. Was that Dumbledore’s game – to stall until Snape arrived? Harry wondered. But instead of disarming Malfoy, the dark eyed professor directed his wand at the helpless headmaster, who was now barely able to hold himself up, gasping for breath.

“Severus, you’re just in time,” Dumbledore whispered. “Help me, please.”

“Avada Kedavra!” Harry watched in horror as the green light that haunted his dreams streaked from Snape’s wand, and snuffed out the life of the greatest wizard in the world. From inside his pocket he heard a muffled gasp, and knew that Hermione had deduced what had happened as well. How could Dumbledore have been so wrong?

“Draco, get out of here, now!” Snape shouted. Terrified by what had just happened, Malfoy bolted through the door and down the steps of the tower.

“Potter! I know you’re here somewhere,” Shape hissed out urgently. “Listen to me carefully, there is not much time. First, you must tell everyone that it was I who killed Dumbledore, not Draco. This is essential. Second, and you must tell absolutely no one else of this, the Headmaster was dying. I was only able to slow down the curse from the ring, not stop it. He would have been dead within a month, but he wished to go in a manner of his own choosing. Finally, and this is the most important, you must complete the task you have been given by the Headmaster. It is the only way the Dark Lord can be defeated.”

Suddenly Malfoy burst back onto the tower. “Potter and his cursed group of friends are down there, and all of our people are defeated,” he announced in desperation. “We’re trapped here!”

“Are you certain it was Potter?” demanded Snape.

“Well, I didn’t see him, but who else could it have been?” Malfoy moaned. “What are we going to do?”

“Here,” Snape instructed, striding over to the two broomsticks lying next to Dumbledore’s body. “We can fly out of the castle. Go now!” Greatly relieved, Malfoy hurried over to take one of the brooms, deliberately avoiding looking at the dead wizard, and launched himself from the tower. But Snape hesitated a few seconds longer.

“Remember everything I have told you, Potter. This is only the beginning of the Dark Lord’s plans. I will aid you when I can.”

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