The Potter Twins

Chapter 5: We're Hunting Horcruxes

Harry and I met up in the common room and walked to the Astronomy tower to leave with Dumbledore. When we got there, he and Snape were having a heated discussion.

"Did you think that I may not want to do this anymore?" Snape asked him. He sounded very upset and I knew he was talking about having to kill Dumbledore in only a few hours. 

Dumbledore sighed and replied, unaffected. "Whether that has crossed my mind or not, Severus, is that the issue. You have promised to this for me and for him, you can not back out now." He walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know this is hard for you, but you must." Snape nodded and headed down the steps. When he saw us, he froze. 

"Professor." I said with a polite nod and he went on his way. Harry headed up the steps toward Dumbledore but I stayed and watched Snape leave the tower. Before he exited the door, he looked at me and nodded, letting me know he was still going through with it. 

"Ah, Harry! Where is your sister?" I heard Dumbledore ask. 

I headed up the stairs. "Right here, sir." He smiled and asked if we were ready. Harry took my hand, held on to Dumbledore's arm and we apparaited to a cave. 

We traveled down a path and came to a dead end. "Here we are." He took out a knife and slit the palm of his hand and placed his bleeding hand on a the rock.

"Sir!" Harry yelled.

"Payment needed to be made, Harry. This payment is meant to weaken the one who enters." He said and the rock started to crumble, opening to a lake inside the cave. 

"Why did you let one of us do it then, sir?" I asked.

"Because you are much more important than me, Miss Potter. Come on, then." He waved for us to follow him to the bank of the lake. We stood there for minute and Dumbledore sent a light into the cavern. "There." He said, pointing across the water to an island in the middle of the lake. 

Harry sighed in frustration. "How are we going to get over there?" Dumbledore held out his hand and a chain flew out of the water and into it. He handed it to me and Harry to pull a boat out from under the water. We boarded and the boat stirred itself over to the island. On the island was a bowl made out of shell, inside it was a dark liquid. Dumbledore inspected the stand and picked up a smaller shell.

"It has to be drunk." He said, then looked at us. "Now you two have to make sure I drink all of this. There's no telling what it will do me, but no matter how much I beg and fight you. Do you understand?" I looked at my brother, who nodded at our teacher. He took three shell fulls of the liquid before it started to affect him. He began to violently cough and wheeze for air, Harry picked up the shell cup, filled it and forced the man to drink it. After about two more times, Dumbledore started to beg for Harry to stop. He refused, just he had been instructed. 

"Just a bit more, sir." I told him. "Its almost gone." Harry gave him the last of the liquid and Dumbledore just sat there. Then he smacked his lips together and asked for water. I looked into the now empty bowl and saw a locket inside, picked it up, put it in my pocket and conjured water for Dumbledore. However, when Harry tried to fill the shell, like he did before, it wouldn't fill. 

"I don't understand." Harry said and continued to scoop up water.

"Maybe there's some enchantment or spell on the bowl that only the potion can be scooped in it. Where's Hermione when you need her?" 

Harry gave up on the bowl and went to the edge of the island to get the lake water. It filled and just as he was about to hand the shell to Dumbledore, a hand came out of the water and grabbed his wrist. He yelped out of surprise and dropped the shell. "What is that?!"

"Inferi, reanimated dead bodies." More and more started to come out of the lake towards us.

"Well what do we do?"

"Why are you asking me?!" 

"You're the smart one! What do we do?!" I stammered to find a response, I didn't know. Then fire covered the dead and the ones that weren't killed retreated back intot the water. Dumbledore was on his feet, wavering but standing. 

His voice was hoarse for the potion as he spoke. "They fear light and warmth, like many creatures who live in darkness. We must take our leave now, before they come back." Harry helped Dumbledore back into the boat and it took us over to the entrance. Once out of the cave, Dumbledore was too weak to appariate us back, so I had to do it. 

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We apparaited back to the Astronomy tower. "Harry, Go and get Severus. Speak to no one but Severus." Harry took off out of the tower. "Haley, go down on the second landing and wait. The Death Eaters will be here soon, you mustn't try to help. Let Severus do what he's suppose to. When they leave, grab Malfoy and hide. Do not come out until the Death Eaters leave." I did as I was told. The landing popped under someone's weight and Draco stood there, staring at Dumbledore. "Hello, Draco. I know why you're here."

The pain in his voice made me ache, but I stayed hidden. "I'm sorry, Headmaster. But I have to do this, or he's going to kill me." Draco disarmed Dumbledore and Bellatrix and two other Death Eaters came into the tower.

"Well what do we have here? Good boy, Draco." She said. "Well, do it!" 

"No. Allow me, Draco." Snape said, and took his place.

I put my hand to mouth, remembering a communication spell I had read in Charms class last year. "Draco, slowly look down." He did as he was told and saw me. "Now slowly move to the stairs. I'm going to hide you. Please, just trust me." He and I moved at the same time toward the door and ran to the Room of Requirement. 

Once there, he hugged me and wouldn't let go. "What is going on?" 

"Dumbledore knew about us."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?!" He asked, afraid.

I sighed. "He asked me not to tell you. He knew about what the Dark Lord asked of you and made the plan with Snape. Snape was going to kill Dumbledore so you won't have too. I didn't tell you to keep you safe, if Voldemort found out he probably would have killed you and Snape and then Dumbledore." 

He thought it over. "You're right, I know you're right. How did he know about us?" 

"Paintings." 

He sighed and laughed. "Those damn paintings, they know everything." We stayed in the Room of Requirement for hours, waiting until we knew it was safe. "Are you coming back next year?" he asked after I showed him the Horcrux that was still in my pocket.

"Probably not. Harry wants to find the rest of these things and with Dumbledore gone, he's going to want to find them himself. I have to go with him, keep him safe. Ron and Hermione will probably come too." 

"I'm coming too." He said, quickly. "I can't do this anymore, I can't be their puppet. I don't want too. I want to be with you, I want to help you. I want to keep you safe." 

I thought about it. "Okay, let us get set up first and then I'll let you know where we are. Hermione knows so she won't have a problem but I don't know about Ron and Harry."

"I don't care, I want to help. I just want to be with you. I love you." 

I hugged him around his neck. "I love you more."

"Not possible."