Harry Potter and The Act of Fate

Chapter 9: The Sword of Gryffindor

Harry, Hermione, and Draco were drying off at the shore that was near the Waterfall. It was a 200 foot drop from the edge of the cliff and neither of them believed they jumped. Hermione was in a state of shock but was pretending to be cold, hugging her body. Draco was drying his clothes with his wand and Harry was looking at the waterfall trying to see the cave inside.

"Hermione are you mad? You could have been killed in the jump!" exclaimed Draco who had finally dried his clothes.

Hermione didn't look at him when she spoke, "If we didn't jump, we would have been captured and it wouldn't yield the same results in the end. We had to take the chance."

Draco looked at her, than at Harry who was sitting on top of a boulder staring at the cascade. He just nodded and took a sit in between the two friends.

Harry snapped out of his trance and went to sit down next to Hermione who was still in shock, "You okay?"

"Just a little. Kind of hard to believe I jumped huh?" smiled weakly Hermione. Harry brought her in a single arm hug and smiled at her, "Well you did it to save us 'Mione."

"You sure do have the Gryffindor bravery in you," said Draco who was smiling at his friends next to him.

"I do, don't I?" Hermione said cheerfully looking at her blond friend.

"Yeah, you sure do," agreed Harry who stood up extending his hand to Hermione, offering to pick her up. She gladly accepted his hand and stood up with the help of him.

Harry finally put a serious face after a brief moment to relax, "We have to go behind the waterfall, that's where something is hidden, something very important."

"Well there's only one way to find out what it is," said Draco as he began to lead the way behind the Waterfall.

Harry and Hermione followed the Slytherin, climbing some rocks in the process. Harry had no trouble getting moving through the rocks, but Hermione legs didn't trust the loose rocks she was moving on. Harry just laughed a little which earned him a death glare from Hermione.

The mist that the cascade was producing was making it difficult to see for Harry because of his glasses that he took them off and almost slipped if it wasn't for Hermione who grabbed his hand. It was his turn to be embarrassed from the laughter of Draco and his best friend.

"C'mon Harry we don't want you to slip and fall now do we?" teased Hermione as she laughed and went ahead of Harry was now behind the other two.

Harry just smiled and continued climbing the rocks as he saw Draco disappearing behind the waterfall. Hermione followed Draco into the hidden cave as Harry finally reached the destination too.

The cave was dark with the exception from the light that was passing through the waterfall behind him. It wasn't enough to light the whole cave but enough to see what was in the middle. A shrine with white fountain carved out of stone. Crystals were surrounding the fountain's base and there were engravings on the ground in the shape of a circle. Symbols of triangles, circles, and loops, Hermione recognized it as alchemy.

To Hermione and Draco it was a sight to see as it was beautifully designed to shine when lights hit the crystals. To Harry it was something so familiar. His face contorted into fear as images of him and Dumbledore on the island came flowing back. The inferni, his headmaster begging for him to stop, unable to give him water. It was a torturous event for Harry.

The three stepped forward towards the fountain. The three gasped at what laid inside the clear liquid. The handle bar of the sword of Gryffindor was wedged in the fountain. Immediately Hermione went to grab it only to have her hand go through the sword. Draco was bewildered at what just happened and Hermione couldn't believe that her hand just went through as if nothing was there.

All this time Harry remained silent, remembering that fateful night where he last saw his mentor alive. His eyes were beginning to water as he just saw the clear liquid in front of him.

"Harry?" said Hermione but Harry did not hear her. Everything was oblivious to him. It was as if he was again in the island trying to get the locket by poisoning Dumbledore, making him weaker.

"Harry?" she asked again but was received by nothing from Harry.

The image of the Death Eaters surrounding the weak headmaster on top of the astronomy tower appeared before Harry again in his mind. The killing curse sent by Severus Snape. The laughter of Bellatrix filling the air as she launched the death mark on the sky. The sickly thud that was heard across the school of Albus Dumbledore when he fell to the floor.

"Harry!" Hermione touched Harry on his shoulder that brought him out of the torturous images.

"Hermione, do you trust me?" asked Harry weakly as he stared into those Chocolate eyes he has begun to love.

"Of course I do Harry, why do you ask?" said Hermione but she didn't receive an answer.

"Draco," Harry said turning to the Slytherin, "I need you to trust me on this one."

Draco nodded and said, "What's going on Harry?"

Hermione was wondering why she was asked that question by her best friend. It was hard to believe that he would ask that since they have been through a lot in the past. She was then relieved of her curiousness when Harry spoke to her again.

"Give me your wand Hermione," Harry dictated as he extended his arm and opened his hand for her wand. Hermione stood there wondering but nevertheless gave her wand to him. He put it on his back pocket and spoke again to her, "Could you please sit down Hermione." She complied and sat down still unable to figure out what he was up to.

When she did she suddenly felt ropes bound her feet and hands together. Hermione struggling to get them off until Harry told her not to, "I'll take them off after we get the sword Hermione, and I know how. If I tell you how, you won't like it, but it's the only way to get it." Hermione's eyes went wide as she was bound by Harry.

"Now Draco, I'm going to need your help. This liquid is poison. It won't kill me as long as I drink all of it from the fountain. It'll make me weak and it will be torture, but no matter how much I beg you to stop, you continue to give me the poison. It is the only way to get the sword."

Draco was speechless and hesitant about it but he saw the determination in Harry's eyes and simply nodded. Harry turned to Hermione and said, "It's the same thing that happened between Dumbledore and I, Hermione, and I can't let you stop Draco from giving me the poison. I'm sorry but you have to trust me 'Mione."

Hermione was in tears as she finally knew what Harry was about to do. She saw the look in his face and knew it was something he wanted to do. He still felt guilty about what happened to Dumbledore and he wanted to take it out on himself with the poison. He wanted to feel the same thing Dumbledore felt right before he died.

"No Harry don't do it. There has to be another way!" cried the bound Hermione.

Harry didn't loser to her and only said, "I'm sorry" before he turned to Draco.

"Are you ready?" asked Harry at a nervous Draco but he nodded.

Harry picked up a small clam shaped cup that was next to the fountain and filled it up with clear liquid.

"Once I start, you have to make me finish it Draco. If I can't do it physically, you have to force it down my mouth. If I don't finish the liquid, I'll die."

Draco was second guessing and was about to say something when he saw Harry boldly gulp down the poison and he fell to the floor.

The hot liquid burned his throat and his insides. His stomach was feeling like it was going to burst . His veins were popping out in his arms and neck. His emerald eyes began to water and his heart began to accelerate. His vision blurred as he began to see black and white. He was holding his body like if it was going to fall apart if he let go. His lungs didn't respond to his will and soon he began to cough hard.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted struggling against her bonds desperately trying to get out. Her eyes watered up as she saw the person she cared for the most in pain. Draco stood watching him in pain almost wanting to turn away, but then he remembered what Harry said. He picked up the clam from the floor and filled up in the fountain with the poison, shaking at the process.

He kneeled down next to Harry and he placed the clam at his mouth and poured it down his throat. This caused Harry's body to jerk in pain. The liquid burned him more and it felt worse than before. Harry began to tremble in fear this time as he began to see things. His conscience was somewhere else, a dark place. Then an image popped out of nowhere and it was the image of the Graveyard. He saw the green flash pass by him as and hit Cedric on the chest.

"No Cedric! Not again please don't be dead," Harry shouted to the dead corpse. A shadow grew close to him as he saw Wormtail carrying something in his arms and cut him getting blood in a knife. His pain was all too similar. That's when he saw the return of Voldemort and his laughter.

"No you're dead, you don't exist," shouted Harry as he began to fade away from the graveyard. He was back in the cave and saw Draco next to him with another poison filled clam. He saw him place the clam in his mouth and he felt the liquid down his throat and the never ending pain continued. He didn't know how much he could take it's only been the third time he drank and he needed at least seven more.

"Stop Draco! Please stop! Don't put him in anymore pain," cried Hermione and that was all Harry heard as he collapsed unconscious once again. His eyes blinked and he was at the Department of Mysteries and next to him stood his Godfather Sirius Black fighting Lucius Malfoy. Then once again he saw the green flash pass by him and hit Sirius. He fell in the veil and his body disappeared from existence.

"No Sirius! Not You! Please come back! Don't leave me!" His tears came down pouring from his eyes as he once again felt the pain of watching his godfather die right before him. He turned and saw the smirk on Bellatrix face right before she escaped but as he went to chase her, he began to fade away.

"C'mon Harry three more please you're almost done," cried Draco as he put the clam once again in his mouth.

"Draco please stop, Harry is in so much pain," Harry heard Hermione said as he once again fell into darkness.

When he came to, he felt a tremendous heat in front of him. As he blinked to regain focus, he was in front of the burrow in flames. There was a body in front of the burning home. A face he was so familiar with; a face he never got to say goodbye to. Ron lay there perfectly still. Harry rushed to his side and held him for dear life.

"Ron why? I should have done something to protect you. It's all my fault. I'm sorry," Harry cried on his best friend's body as he relived the moment again. Then he saw darkness again.

The pain stopped, nothing in his body burned like it was moments ago. He drank all the poison and saw Draco with the sword in his hand. Hermione was in tears next to him.

"Don't you there do that to me again Harry Potter!" warned Hermione as she slapped him across the face and place him on top of her lap.

"I'm sorry…. It was…. the… only way," Harry said dryly as he mouth needed water. "Water…. Could I have some water?"

"Of course you idiot," Hermione said as she grabbed her bag and looked through her stuff and got a bottle of water. She opened it for him, place the bottle up to his mouth, and pour the cool water in.

For Harry it was a huge relief, it was as if he got his strength back by drinking the water. He sat up and looked at the sword in Draco's hand.

"I thought only a true Gryffindor could draw the sword," said Hermione as she too began to examine only after making sure Harry was alright. "No, Hermione, I don't think that rule applies anymore," said Harry, "Any person with a pure heart can draw the sword." He smiled at her and gave Draco a thumb up.

Well there you have it another chapter done. I hope you like it and review what you think of it. I might take longer to upload now because I'm going to college and I won't have internet in my apartment. Until next time..