The Key (A Draco Malfoy Love Story)

Chapter 23: The Necklace

Amelia's P.O.V
Harry and I are accompanying Dumbledore to the location where the Horcrux is kept hidden, and it won't be easy to get to, these objects are what keeps Voldemort from death. How can it not be difficult to get to? I know it will be very dangerous, knowing Voldemort he probably has some sort of deadly system to help keep the Horcrux safe, Harry isn't too thrilled about me coming, but he knows I have to.

Harry and I proceeded up to the very top of the Astronomy tower where Dumbledore said to meet him up there we found Snape talking to the Headmaster, then pushing past us to leave, sending Harry an evil glare. We continued over to Dumbledore who was staring out from the balcony, watching over the great castle of Hogwarts as the sunset, he chose this sort of time to go so we won't be caught by teachers and we won't miss lessons. He turned to see us with a small smile.

"Amelia, Harry." He greeted. "My dear boy, Harry, you need a shave." I let out laugh and Harry shot me a look.

"What? It's true, you do!" I defended with a giggle, grinning widely.

"At times, I forget how fast you grow, both physically and mentally." Dumbledore observed.

"The place to which we go to tonight is extremely dangerous, and dare I say, deadly. I promised you both could come with me and I intend to stick by that promise. On one condition, you must obey every command I give you without question or resistance." Dumbledore told us sternly and me nodded.

"Yes, sir." We said in unison, not knowing the full extent of his condition.

"You do understand what I'm saying, don't you? If I tell you to hide, you hide. Should I order you to run, you run. If I tell you to abandon me and save yourself, you must do exactly that." He gave us examples and we agreed, a bit uneasy about the last one.

"Your word, Harry, Amelia."

"Our word." We replied without question and Dumbledore held his arms out to us.

"Take either one of my arms." Dumbledore instructed and we looked at him oddly.

"I though you couldn't apparate wthin Hogwarts..." Harry trailed of and Dumbledore smiled.

"Being me has it's privileges." He corrected and I walked to the left of him while Harry stayed at the right. We both held onto his arms and that familiar sensation of being pulled through a skin tight tube restricted my breathing until my feet were planted on solid ground. We were stood on a rock, high enough to escape the raging seas below us, they dark waves slamming against all solid surfaces it could find, splattering salty water everywhere. The violent wind whistled through my ears and almost knocked me off balance. The sky was grey with clouds as storming thunder boomed through the air, no wonder Voldemort put a Horcrux here, this place is lethel on it's own. About fifty meters to the right of us was a cave, a dark, cavernous one at that. Dumbledore lead us inside, the weather outside didn't affect the space in here, fortunately. The sight that laid before my emerald green eyes surprised me slightly, there was no spiked walls that shot daggers at you if you come in a three meter radius of it, there was no lazer detectors that killed you at the smallest of touches and the walls weren't closing in on us, instead there was what looked like a murky lake with a small island type thing. It didn't seem dangerous, but like they say, expect the unexpected. Which applied in the most serious of ways in our current situation, anything could be hiding round the corners, just waiting to pounce. Dumbledore then pulled a razor sharp knife from his belt and brung it up to his hand, slicing down the middle.

"What are you doing? No, don't! You should've let me, sir." Harry tried to stop him, but it was too late.

"Or me!" I added from next to my twin.

"In order to gain passage, payment must be made. Payment that would weaken any trespasser. And both of your blood is more percious then mine." He informed us, spreading the ruby red blood from the palm of his hand onto the dirty, damp stone behind him. This made an instant effect on our environment, a long pole extended from the green-brown water, dragging a chain up with it, but it's what was on the other end of the chain that we needed, an old, worn, wooden row boat, exactly what we can use to cross the lake to reach the middle island. We all lit up our wands with 'lumos' and started to climb our way through the piles and piles of rock and shards of sharp glass.

"Voldemort will not have made it easy to find his hiding place of the Horcrux. A whole line of defenses will have been created to protect it. Be careful." He explained and shot a ball of light over to the center island which was barely visible in the jet black darkness.

"There it is, now we need to get there in the boat, get in quickly, go on." We obeyed and stepped inside the wobbly, unstable boat followed by our professor, who casted a spell that made the boat move of it's own accord. The only sound was the ripple of the deep water beneath us, we were dead silent and alert in case of any of Voldemort's 'denfenses' comes and attacks us. My eyes darted around speedily in all directions, my breathing slow and quiet as I watched every centimeter of the place in my view like a hawk stalking it's prey. Only minutes later we arrived at the island, Dumbledore climbed out of the moss covered boat and took my hand to help me as Harry lifted me out, I held my hand out to Harry who took it and I pulled him quickly out. All three of us then circled a stand where a chrystal bowl sat, filled with some kind of purple-ish liquid.

"Do you remember that promise you made to me, Amelia, Harry? Well now is the time to put it into action. This is one of the many defenses Voldemort positioned. You must make me drink this liquid, the effects of it will make me suffer excruciating pain, it may even paralyze me, but no matter how much I beg, keep forcing me to drink it. Every last drop must be drunk. It's the only way we'll be able to find the necklace." Dumbledore told us and we decided not to argue this time and only nodded. Harry sent me over to the bowl and handed me a couple of sea shells to collect the water in. I scooped up a shell full of it and passed it to Harry, who carefully poured it down Dumbledore's throat. I rushed over when Dumbledore started gasping and shaking, the pain must be beginning. Harry told me to get another shell full and I did as I was told, getting more of the potion in the large sea shell. After about ten more shell fulls, Dumbledore started in screaming in protest and refusing to drink it, but Harry pleaded he keep on drinking it, he did eventually after some persuasion. It was really horrible hearing Dumbledore screech like that, he even begged someone to kill him! How bad is that pain? There was just one more now, just one more horrid scoop of the poison-like liquid then all the pain will be gone, and we might take another step closer to getting the Horcrux. I handed Harry the last shell and looked back down at the empty bowl, to find it not so empty anymore, there was a golden locket sitting at the bottom. My eyes widened and I lifted it out of the bowl, rubbing my thumb over the smooth surface, showing it to Harry who took it from me, asking where I found it. But before I could respond, Dumbldore began asking for water, I tried casting a water spell into the basin but the shell couldn't scoop it up.

"Try getting water from the lake." Harry suggested and I nodded, making my way down there quickly but carefully so I wouldn't fall in. I leant down to get the water, but something strong caught my ankle, most hauntingly, it was a hand. They pulled at my ankle so I'd fall and I hit the ground, smacking my head against the sharp glass, slashing the skin open, blood pouring out. I let out a scream before I was pulled under the water, I could hear Harry crying my name as he saw me thrashing about under the water, my blood clouding the liquid. A new pair of arms locked themselves around me, making it so much harder to get away, it must've been one of Voldemort's defenses again, only this one was a lot more deadly. I saw another splash in the water next to me, Harry had been pulled under, but I was already at the bottom of the lake, no air left in my lungs as I struggled to break from their death grip on me. My eyes began closing when suddenly, a wall of fire blew the creatures away from me, I pushed myself back to the surface and gasped for breath, spluttering and coughing majorly. Harry swam over and pushed me back on the island, so I wouldn't get dragged under again, I pulled him up with me and looked for the source of the fire, it was Dumbledore, he had saved us, and we had the Horcrux, lucky day for us isn't it. I watched closely as the creatures that looked like dead corpses retreated back into the water, we were safe to go back.