Lucille Rose Potter

Chapter 96

"Have you been here before?" Harry asked.

"In a vision," Lucy shuddered as she remembered the eye in the water.

They were standing upon a high outcrop of dark rock, water forming and churning below them. A cliff towered behind them, a sheer drop, black, and faceless.

The place gave off a dark aura, the water murky and foreboding, the air sharp and cruel.

"What do you think?" Albus spoke.

"They brought kids from the orphanage here?" Harry asked.

"Not here precisely," Dumbledore said, "there is a village of sorts about halfway along the cliffs behind us. I believe the orphans were taken there for a little sea air and a view of the waves. No, I think it was only ever Tom Riddle and his youthful victims who visited this spot. No muggle could reach this rock unless they were uncommonly good mountaineers, and boats cannot approach the cliffs, the waters around them are too dangerous. I imagine that Riddle climbed down; magic would've served better than ropes. And he brought two  small children with him, probably for the pleasure of tormenting them, I think the journey alone would've don't it, don't you?"

With only parts of the story, Lucy was having a hard time keeping up with the conversation.  However, she was certain of something; Tom Riddle was batshit crazy.

"Come on," Albus lead them to the very edge of the rock where a series of jagged niches made footholds leading down to the boulders that laid half-submerged in water and closer to the cliff.

"Albus, how are we going to manage to climb down there in the dark."

"Lumos," Albus said, giving Lucy a look, "you are a witch, are you not? Ms. Evans? An unregistered one at that."

"Right," Lucy got out her wand.

It was a treacherously slow descent, and Albus, with his withered hand moved very slowly.

The lower rocks were slippery with sea water and the bottoms of the three's robes got soaked quickly.

Lucy's teeth chattered as the salty sea spray hit her face in routine with a rough breeze.

"Lumos," Albus said again, a gold light illuminating the dark, "you see?" He pointed to a fissure in the cliff where dark water was swirling. "You won't object to getting a little wet?"

Harry shook his head.

"You've got to be kidding me," Lucy grumbled, "it's bloody freezing already and we're barely wet."

"Let us take the plunge then," Albus ignored her, sliding off the boulder into the sea with an agility Lucy would never had expected. He started to swim a practiced breaststroke towards the dark slit in the rock face, his lit wand in his teeth.

Lucy and Harry followed suite, lighting their wands and diving into the icy water below.

Lucy had never claimed to be a good swimmer. Her robes hung like weights on her figure and the current mixed with the waves to make it almost impossible to get too far.

She treaded furiously, her head bobbing under the water every time a wave came rolling in. Albus and Harry were nearly at the opening several meters ahead.

She managed to shrug off her cloak, letting it drop into the deep water below.

"Come on Luce!" Harry's voice was muffled by the water.

Lucy opened her mouth to respond but a wave crashed into her face, leaving her to cough up the salty water.

Harry turned back and swam her way, wrapping a supportive arm around her waist.