❝𝐈 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐨 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝.❞
Jupiter Black has been isolated from the outside world her entire life up until the age of thirteen. During a duel with her mother, Jupiter tragically witnesses her death and flees from...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 3
THE COLD AIR GREETS ME INSTANTLY AS WE APPARATE TO GODRIC'S HOLLOW. I shudder from the cold for a moment and an alarm blares. It's for us. The four of us hide behind a building before rushing down an alleyway as men shout in the distance. "In here, Potter." A man says and holds open the door to his home. It's too dark to see his face.
I stare at it sceptically before we walk inside. I slip my wand into my hand and hold it cautiously. He leads us down some stairs before moving away. I spot a mirror on the wall and see Harry's face, along with a shard missing. This was Sirius' mirror, and I know who stole it. "Harry, I can see you in this." I call out to him and he looks at a mirror shard in his hand. "I can see you too." He says and moves over to me, holding the shard close to the mirror.
"You bloody fools. What were you thinking coming here? Have you any idea how dangerous it is?" The man walks back into the room and I turn my head to look at him. He looks like Dumbledore. "You're Aberforth, Dumbledore's brother. It's you who I've been seeing in here." Harry calls out to the man. "You're the one who sent Dobby." Harry finishes and the man moves over to the windows, closing the shutters.
"Where have you left him?" He asks and turns his head back to look at us. "He's dead." Harry says the words and swallows. That Elf meant a lot to him, they were friends. "Sorry to hear it. I liked that elf." The man mumbles. "Who gave that to you? The mirror?" I ask the man and he looks at me. "Mundungus Fletcher, about a year ago." My hair turns bright red. The man is dead. The other me killed him.
"He had no right selling that to you, it belonged to my father—" the man cuts me off. "Sirius. Albus told me. He also told me you'd both likely be hacked off if you ever found out I had it. But ask yourself, where would you be if I didn't?" I bite my tongue and Harry can't come up with an answer.
Mr. Dumbledore turns around and leaves the room before returning with four butter beers and some food. He places the tray of them onto a table. Ron instantly reaches for the food. "Do you hear from the other much? From the Order?" Hermione takes the drink to her lips. "The Order's finished. You-Know-Who's won. Anyone who says otherwise is kidding themselves." My gaze is blank as I look at the man.
"It's not done yet. We're still fighting. It doesn't matter how little of us are- but it's the fact that there are fighters which prove not all hope is lost." I say to the man and he stares at me for a moment. "We need to get into Hogwarts, tonight. Dumbledore gave us a job to do." Harry says and the man scoffs. "Did he now? Nice job? Easy?" The man pours himself a drink.
"We've been hunting Horcruxes. I know the last one is in the castle, we only need your help getting inside." I say to him and he turns to us. "That's not a job my brother's given you. It's a suicide mission. Do yourself a favour, go home. Live a little longer." His words ring in my ears. "I will see this through. I've sacrificed too much to end The Dark Lord, I won't stop now." I won't stop until it's done, until he's dead.
"Dumbledore trusted me to see this through." Harry adds. "What makes you think you can trust him?" Silence engulfs the room. "What makes you think you can believe anything my brother told you? In all the time you knew him, did he ever mention my name?" No, he did not. But I wasn't close with him, we merely understood each other and what I needed to do.
"Did he ever mention hers?" He points at the portrait behind us. I turn my head back to look at the young girl. "Why should he?-" Harry gets cut off again. "-Keep secrets? You tell me." I can tell his words are affecting Harry. "I trusted him." I didn't. "That's a boy's answer. A boy who goes chasing Horcruxes on the word of a man who wouldn't even tell him where to start- you're lying! Not just to me, that doesn't matter."
"To yourself as well. That's what a fool does. You don't strike me as a fool, Harry Potter. Nor do you, Jupiter Black. So I'll ask you again, there must be a reason." The man walks towards us, standing closely by. "That's where you're wrong sir, I did know where to start. And I know how to finish it. I don't care if you've given up, but we haven't. And we need to get into the castle tonight." Everyone is silent.
Mr. Dumbledore's eyes move to look at the painting behind us. "You know what to do." I turn my head, watching as she walks away. "That's your sister Ariana, isn't it? She died very young, didn't she?" Hermione calls out and the man freezes. "My brother sacrificed many things, Mr. Potter, on his journey to find power, including Ariana. And she was devoted to him. He gave her everything, but time." The man moves out of the room.
"Thank you, Mr. Dumbledore." Hermione calls out and the man closes the door behind him. My eyes fall to the painting again, watching as Miss Dumbledore walks back towards us along with two figures. A grin lifts my lips and the painting moves open, showing a tunnel. "Neville, Jupe- oh you look-" Harry frowns for a moment, wondering how there are two me's. "Like hell, I reckon. This is nothing. Seamus is worse." Stained blood covers his face.
"Hey, Ab, we've got a couple more coming through." The other me vanishes like smoke. I think I know what the Horcrux is. I can feel Mr. Dumbledore's gaze on my back as I make my way behind Neville in the dark tunnel.
