Annabeth Chase and Things Are Getting Intense

Chapter Thirty Seven

A/N: hello readers! This is Asexual Confusion reporting live from another airport. Today I'm heading home from Israel for my father's wedding on Sunday. My flight is 11 hours. Yay.

I think I've had enough of planes for a while.

I tried McDonald's for the first time today cause there's a kosher one here at the airport. It was meh.

Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled update!

Harry seemed frozen in place. "Come... with you...?"

"Only if you wish it, of course."

"You found one?" Annabeth said, taking a step forward. "You found a Horcrux?"

"I believe so."

"Which one?" Annabeth asked. "Do you know? Where is it?"

"I am not sure which it is," Dumbledore said, "though I think we can rule out the snake—but I believe it to be hidden in a cave on the coast many miles from here, a cave I have been trying to locate for a very long time: the cave in which Tom Riddle once terrorized two children from his orphanage on their annual trip; you remember?"

"Yes," Harry said hurriedly. "How is it protected?"

"I do not know; I have suspicions that may be entirely wrong." Dumbledore hesitated, then said, "Both of you, I promised you that you could come with me, and I stand by that promise, but it would be very wrong of me not to warn you that this will be exceedingly dangerous."

"You're not trying to talk us out of it, are you?" Annabeth said, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm coming," Harry said defiantly. His tone was full of anger, and Dumbledore didn't miss it. He took a few steps toward Harry with a furrowed brow.

"What has happened to you?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"What has upset you?"

"I'm not upset."

"Harry, you were never a good Occlumens—"

"Snape!" Harry shouted, causing Fawkes to squawk in alarm. "Snape's what happened! He told Voldemort about the prophecy, it was him, he listened outside the door, Trelawney told me!"

Dumbledore stared at Harry. His face whitened just a shade before he said, "when did you find out about this?"

"Just now!" Harry yelled. "AND YOU LET HIM TEACH HERE AND HE TOLD VOLDEMORT TO GO AFTER MY MUM AND DAD!"

Harry turned from Dumbledore and started pacing around the study, rubbing his knuckles. It looked like he was resisting the urge to hit something.

"Harry," Dumbledore said quietly, "please listen to me. Professor Snape made a terrible—"

"Don't tell me it was a mistake, sir, he was listening at the door!"

"Please let me finish. Professor Snape made a terrible mistake. He was still in Lord Vodemort's employ on the night he heard the first half of Professor Trelawney's prophecy. Naturally, he hastened to tell his master what he had heard, for it concerned his master most deeply. But he did not know—he had no way of knowing—which boy Voldemort would hunt from then onward, or that the parents he would destroy in his murderous quest were people that Professor Snape knew, that they were your mother and father—"

Harry let out a bout of mirthless laughter, and Annabeth could tell it was taking all his restraint not to curse.

"He hated my dad like he hated Sirius! Haven't you noticed, Professor, how the people Snape hates tend to end up dead?"