14 – Lost
In a trance, in a daze, Harry headed for Dumbledore's office. His footsteps were quick and clumsy; he felt distanced from reality, as if he was watching his life from a long way away. Before entering Dumbledore's office, before even knocking, a shield of calmness fell over him. Tom had taken over his thoughts, partially, to protect him in a subtle mastery of Occlumency. He did it to concealing all the rage, all the pain Harry felt, so the information they had learnt about Snape would remain safe...
Harry was grateful of Tom's caution. With it, Harry was able to hold a normal conversation with Dumbledore, learning that they were indeed going to hunt one of Voldemort's Horcruxes tonight. When Harry's mind wandered to thoughts of Snape, the thought would immediate break and disappear, like a fragile wisp of smoke, like a forgotten realisation. Dumbledore was oblivious to Harry's strange behaviour; he was distracted wholly by finding the next Horcrux. He told Harry that they were leaving the school at once.
Under Dumbledore's orders, Harry left the office in his numbed state to retrieve the Invisibility Cloak from the Gryffindor Tower. In the Common Room, he ran up to the dormitory, followed shortly by Tom, who watched silently as he grabbed the Cloak, the Marauder's Map, and, for good measure, what remained of his Lucky Potion. When he left the room to speed quickly towards the portrait hole, he was stopped by Ron and Hermione. They were alarmed by his restlessness.
"We heard you went to see Dumbledore," Hermione told him at once. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. How did you hear-?"
"Jimmy Peakes was asking after you earlier," said Ron.
"We've been worried ever since," Hermione added.
"Yeah, well, I don't have time to explain," Harry said impatiently. "I have to go."
"Wait!"
Hermione grabbed his arm, looking at him seriously.
"Harry, what's happened?"
"There's no time –"
"Then make time!"
Harry wanted to give her a short, annoyed retort, but he was stopped by the terrified, hurt looks both Ron and Hermione showed. Pulling his arm from Hermione's grasp in vague irritation, he repeated what Dumbledore had told him – that they had found a Horcrux, that they were hunting it now – but he hesitated when it came to explaining what else was bothering him.
"There's – sort of something else," he began lamely. "Something worse..."
"What is it?"
He decided to leave out everything he had learnt about Snape. Gliding over many details, he explained it as fast as possible.
"On my way to Dumbledore's office, I caught Trelawney hiding cherry bottles outside of the Room of Requirement. It turns out she'd been thrown out of the Room by someone celebrating inside – it has to be Malfoy. It has to be him completing whatever it is he's doing for Voldemort."
"But –" Ron began.
"Just trust me!" Harry told him forcibly. "I followed Malfoy a few months ago, right into the Room, and I saw the Dark Mark on him. He has it – he's been doing work for Voldemort and he's succeeding now more than ever! The Death Eaters are probably on their way here and Snape will be amongst them – he can't be trusted –"
Hermione gasped, her eyes huge with fear. She seemed unable to believe what was going on.
"How did you follow –?"
"Malfoy's finished with his work and he's celebrating," Harry carried on breathlessly, ignoring Ron, "so you see what this means? Dumbledore won't be here tonight, so Malfoy's going to have another clear shot at whatever he's up to."
"But you can't know if-"
"No, listen to me! I know it was Malfoy celebrating in the Room of Requirement!"
Ron and Hermione stopped trying to interrupt him at once. They looked dubious and Harry understood what he must do.
"Here –"
A mix of guilt and wanting to clear his own name forced him to hand Hermione the Marauder's Map.
"You've got to watch him and you've got to watch Snape too. Use anyone else who you can rustle up from the DA. Hermione, those contact Galleons will still work, right? Dumbledore says he's put extra protection in the school, but if Snape's involved, he'll know what Dumbledore's protection is, and how to avoid it – but be won't be expecting you lot to be on the watch, will he?"
"Harry –" Hermione began.
"I haven't got time to argue! Just do what I say – that way, you'll be safe if I'm right or wrong, right?"
"I – I suppose," said Ron shakily.
Harry looked at them both carefully. He was tempted to leave now, but something was holding him back, some nagging guilt he couldn't shake off. Tom watched him closely, but in spite of this and in spite of his own anger at Snape and Dumbledore, Harry worried about what would happen to Ron and Hermione tonight. They had caused him no harm, but he was pushing them into danger...
"Here, take this as well – "
He thrust a pair of socks into Ron's hands.
"Thanks," said Ron. "Er – why do I need socks?"
"You need what's wrapped in them, it's Felix Felicis. Share it between yourselves. I'd better go, Dumbledore's waiting –"
"No!" Hermione cried at once, while Ron examined the little bottle in awe. "We don't want it, you take it –"
Harry didn't listen. He knew he wouldn't need luck when he had Tom with him. He turned to go. "I want to know you two are okay... I'll see you later..."
He left before they could say another word. Tom turned invisible to Harry, to save what precious energy they had. Harry felt alert with anticipation and paranoia. He could feel Tom in his head, preparing him for when he met up with Dumbledore in the Entrance Hall. Dumbledore greeted him pleasantly, telling him to get under the Invisibility Cloak for convenience. When Harry obeyed, they made their way out of the castle, meeting a surprisingly calm world outside.
Together, he and Dumbledore made their way to Hogsmeade. Harry was barely aware of what was going on; his attention was fixed on Snape's betrayal before Tom silenced his thoughts again and again in an inner battle. The feelings seemed to bottle up, growing worse. Dumbledore spoke briefly to Madam Rosmerta, telling her he was headed for the Hog's Head Inn. When she clarified that this decision was understandable, Dumbledore led Harry down a winding road, but they stopped quit a distance from the pub. They were satisfactorily out of sight.
"It will not be necessary for us to enter," muttered Dumbledore, glancing around. "As long as nobody sees us go... now place your hand upon my arm, Harry. There is no need to grip too hard, I am merely guiding you. On the count of three – one... two... three..."
Harry turned. At once, there was that horrible sensation of being squeezed through a thick rubber tube; he could not draw breath, every part of him was being compressed almost past endurance and then, just when he thought he must suffocate, the invisible bands seemed to burst open, and he was standing in cool darkness, breathing in lungfuls of fresh, salty air.
Harry felt as if he had left some of his fury behind in Hogsmeade. He was distracted wholly by the cold, dark seaside in their new destination. Waves crashed against the rough, black walls of the cliffs that surrounded Harry and Dumbledore. The powerful, salty winds that blew past them rustled Harry's hair and implored caution as he looked down at the drop ahead. Foamy waves churned far below, pressing over and over again to the dark surface and jutting cuts of rock.
After a short conversation, Dumbledore explained that Riddle had been brought here as an orphan, thus Voldemort had likely chosen this spot as a secure hiding place for a Horcrux. Showing Harry a steep decline towards the sea water and a nearby opening in the cliff, Dumbledore's suspicions were further confirmed. Together, they slipped from a low rock into the sea, swimming towards a freezing tunnel cut through rock.
All that lit this tiny space was the light of Dumbledore's wand up ahead of Harry. Tom didn't allowed his thoughts to wander even as Dumbledore swam far ahead of him. Dumbledore began to rise out of the water, climbing steps that lead to a small area of damp, dark land. Harry thought about Snape, before his thought were silenced. He thought about Dumbledore's easy forgiveness. Harry didn't feel like they shared this characteristic... Dumbledore examined the rocky walls that blocked them from this point on, spinning on the spot, concentrating on magic Harry could not detect.
"This is merely the ante-chamber, the entrance hall," Dumbledore said. "We need to penetrate the inner place... now it is Lord Voldemort's obstacles that stand in our way, rather than those nature made..."
After some examination and determination, he worked out how to access the Cave. Harry was barely listening to the thoughts Dumbledore murmured. He was shocked when Dumbledore took out a knife, slitting his arm open to reveal blood. When the red liquid spurted on the rock's surface, an entrance appeared and a section of wall vanished. Dumbledore stepped through the archway and Harry followed attentively, taking in the sight of the Cave before them.
They stood on the bank of a smooth, black lake. Even with the aid of wand-light, they couldn't make out where the water ended on the opposite shores or where the roof of the cave curled over them. A hue of green mist was visible in what looked like the middle of this great chamber, on an island above the still water. It was so dark, movement was hard to detect...
"Let us walk," said Dumbledore quietly. "Be very careful not to step into the water. Stay close to me..."
They made their way along the bank. It was only very occasionally that Tom made Harry talk, speaking to Dumbledore through Harry's mouth. He was surprised, a few minutes later, when Dumbledore detected the magic of a boat beneath the water. He had found an invisible chain, tapping it with his wand to make it seen and to pull the boat from the water. Dumbledore told Harry that this boat was designed for one wizard, but since he was underage, he would not be detected. At first, Harry was unsure to believe it, but when he climbed into the small boat, he found no danger here.
On their way across the lake, Harry spotted pale, deadened bodies caught in the light of his wand, disappearing slowly into the water. Dumbledore calmed his fear verbally while Tom tried to cut off his thoughts again. It took everything in Harry's power to not be terrified, making him wonder if Tom, too, was scared. More bodies floated beneath them on their way to the island. Harry was glad when he had a chance to clamber out of the boat, stepping onto smooth rock.
"Careful not to touch the water," Dumbledore warned him for what wasn't the first time.
Harry was distracted by the bright green light up ahead of them. As he advanced towards the centre of the island, followed closely by Dumbledore, he saw that the light pooled from a stone basin, which he rather thought looked like a Pensieve. Darkness clouded all around this small source of light. Harry and Dumbledore examined the basin closely, watching the emerald, luminous liquid that filled it.
"What is it?" Harry asked quietly.
"I am not sure," Dumbledore answered. "Something more worrisome than blood and bodies, however."
Harry doubted that, somehow. He wondered whether the dead people in the waters here were the witches and wizards who had failed to find this very Horcrux... He wondered also how many more bodies would make it into these waters...
Dumbledore pulled back the sleeve of his robes, revealing more of his blackened hand, reaching for the surface of the potion.
"I cannot touch it," Dumbledore told him, smiling. "See? I cannot approach any nearer than this. You try."
Hesitating, Harry reached a hand out too. An invisible barrier prevented him from coming within an inch of the potion. No matter how hard he pushed, his fingers encountered nothing but what seemed to be solid, inflexible air.
"Out of the way, please, Harry..."
When Harry obeyed, Dumbledore began to test the basin with complicated movements, mouthing inaudible incantations. Nothing happened. Harry was only vaguely aware of Dumbledore's movements. He watched his Professor unblinkingly, wondering where Tom had gone. In Dumbledore's distraction, Harry was able to think about Snape's betrayal. The anger rooted him to the spot, causing him to clench his fists. He wondered if Dumbledore, too, had wanted to kill off James Potter out of hatred...
After a while, Dumbledore paused, straightening up and withdrawing his wand. Tom's protection fogged over Harry again. He made Harry talk.
"You think the Horcrux is in there, sir?"
"Oh, yes," said Dumbledore, peering closely at the potion. "But how to reach it? This potion cannot be penetrated by hand, Vanished, parted, scooped up, or siphoned away, nor can it be Transfigured, Charmed, or otherwise made to change its nature."
Dumbledore raised his wand and twirled it once in midair, catching a crystal goblet that he had conjured.
"I can only conclude that this potion is supposed to be drunk."
"What?" Harry repeated, shocked.
"Yes, I think so: only by drinking it can I empty the basin and see what lies in its depths."
Harry stared, bewildered. "Won't – won't it kill you?"
"Oh, I doubt that it would work like that," said Dumbledore simply. "Lord Voldemort would not want to kill the person who reached this island."
Harry was silent. Did Dumbledore's excessive forgiveness and ignorance truly lead him to believe that even Voldemort would not use a poison? Something in his expression seemed to give his thoughts away.
"I'm sorry, Harry; I should have said, he would not want to immediately kill the person who reached this island. He would want to keep them alive long enough to find out how they managed to penetrate so far through his defences and, most importantly of all, why they were so intent upon emptying the basin. Do not forget that Lord Voldemort believes that he alone knows about his Horcruxes."
Harry was about to say something, but Dumbledore silenced him with a calm wave of his hand. His attention was fixed to the potion. He frowned.
"Undoubtedly," he eventually said, "this potion must act in a way that will prevent me taking the Horcrux. It might paralyse me, cause me to forget what I am here for, create so much pain I am distracted, or render me incapable in some other way. This being the case, Harry, it will be your job to make sure I keep drinking, even if you have to top the potion into my protesting mouth. You understand?"
Harry did not answer immediately. His gaze met Dumbledore's for a short second over the emerald light of the basin, but his eyes moved away instinctively at Tom's guidance. This was too easy...
"You remember," said Dumbledore, "the condition on which I brought you with me?"
Harry hesitated, staring at the green liquid. "Yes..."
"You swore, did you not, to follow any command I gave you?"
"Yes, sir," he said mechanically.
"I warned you, did I not, that there might be danger?"
"Yes..."
"Do I have your word that you will do all in your power to make me keep drinking?"
Anger played at the corners of Harry's mind. This was too easy, he knew: Dumbledore would be weakened. He trusted Harry fully – he felt that Harry wouldn't be able to go through with this. Controlling his anger for him, Tom made him answer: "Sir, could I not drink the potion in–?"
"Your word, Harry?" Dumbledore interrupted seriously.
Harry met this eyes, his mind shielded. "Of course, sir..."
Dumbledore seemed satisfied, until curiosity caught him. His blue eyes – emerald, now, as they reflected the pool of light below – fixed on Harry as if he had seen something unexpected. A shiver of fear ran through Harry's body, causing his limbs to freeze up, but the terror wasn't his own. Tom was recoiling within him, causing his heartbeat to escalate swiftly. Harry had never before seen Dumbledore an ominous as he did in Tom's eyes. He dropped his gaze.
Seemingly forgetting his suspicions, Dumbledore lowered the crystal goblet into the potion. For a split second, Harry feared he would not be able to touch the potion, but the crystal sunk unto the surface like nothing else had. When the glass was full to the brim, Dumbledore lifted it to his mouth.
"Your good health, Harry."
In one movement, the goblet was drained. Harry watched, transfixed, his mind blank, as Dumbledore lowered the empty glass a second time.
"Professor?" he asked. "How do you feel?"
Dumbledore shook his head, his eyes closed. Harry wondered whether he was in pain. He plunged the glass blindly back into the basin, refilling it and drinking it once more.
Harry's heart hammered in his chest. He barely dared to blink. Dumbledore drank the third goblet silently, but at the forth, he staggered and fell against the basin. His eyes were still closed, his breath heavy and strained.
"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry said loudly, "Can you hear me?"
Dumbledore gave no answer. His face twitched in what looked like agony. His grip on the goblet was slackening; the potion was about to spill from it. Harry reached out a hand to take the cup, holding it steady. It was too easy...
In a shuddering moment, Tom left Harry's mind. Dumbledore wasn't able read Harry's thoughts – their biggest danger was gone – but a new, more pressing matter surfaced. Harry was captured by the wrath that flooded his brain at Dumbledore's touch, even as Dumbledore cowered in pain. He had betrayed Harry... He had lied about everything...
He, perhaps, would understand the revenge Harry was going to take.
"Professor, can you hear me?" he repeated, his voice echoing around the cavern.
Dumbledore panted, before speaking in a voice Harry did not recognise, for he had never heard Dumbledore so frightened.
"I don't want... don't make me..."
Harry stared into the whitened face he knew so well, at the crooked nose and half-moon spectacles. This was the man who had lied to him all his life...
"...don't like... want to stop..."
When Harry looked up, Tom tore his gaze from Dumbledore too, his red eyes shining in mad, unblinking happiness, even if he didn't yet smile.
"You... you can't stop, Professor," said Harry. "You've got to keep drinking, remember? You told me you had to keep drinking. Here..."
Harry forced the goblet back towards Dumbledore's mouth and tipped it.
"No," Dumbledore groaned after this sip. "I don't want to..."
Harry stood up, turning back to the basin. It was so easy, so mechanical. He refilled the goblet.
"I don't want... let me go..."
"It's all right, Professor," said Harry, his hand shaking in exhilaration, "it's all right, I'm here –"
"Make it stop, make it stop..."
Tom was smiling down at Harry. He didn't need to say a word.
"Yes... yes, this'll make it stop," Harry lied, tipping the contents of the goblet into Dumbledore's open mouth.
Dumbledore screamed in agony. The noise echoed all around the vast chamber, across the dead black water.
"No, no, no... no... I can't... I can't, don't make me, I don't want to..."
Tom was grinning a mad, feverish grin. Harry couldn't help but stare in awe at his excitement, smiling back.
"It's all right, Professor, it's all right!" Harry said loudly, his hands shaking so badly he could hardly scoop up the sixth goblet full of potion; the basin was now half-empty. "Nothing's happened to you, you're safe, it isn't real, I swear it isn't real – take this, now, take this..."
Obediently, Dumbledore drank, as though it was an antidote Harry offered him, but upon draining the goblet, he sank to his knees, shaking uncontrollably.
"It's all my fault, all my fault," he sobbed. "Please make it stop, I know I did wrong, oh, please make it stop and I'll never, never again..."
"This will make it stop, Professor," Harry lied again, his voice cracking as a crazed smile spread across his face, followed Tom's. He tipped the seventh glass of potion into Dumbledore's mouth.
Dumbledore began to cower as though invisible torturers surrounded him; his flailing hand almost knocked the refilled goblet from Harry's trembling hands as he moaned, "Don't hurt them, don't hurt them, please, please, its my fault, hurt me instead..."
"Here, drink this, drink this, you'll be all right..."
Dumbledore once again obeyed Harry's words, opening his mouth even as he kept his eyes tight shut, shaking from head to foot. He fell forward when the liquid was drained, hammering his fist upon the ground, screaming. Harry filled the ninth goblet.
"Please, please, please, no... not that, not that, I'll do anything..."
"Just drink, Professor, just drink..."
Dumbledore drank like a child dying of thirst, but when he had finished, he yelled again as thought his insides were on fire.
"No more, please, no more..."
Harry scooped up a tenth gobletful of potion and felt the crystal scrape the bottom of the basin.
"We're nearly there, Professor, drink this, drink it..."
He supported Dumbledore's shoulders and again, Dumbledore drained the glass, but this time it wasn't so funny. No matter how many times Dumbledore was punished for drinking more, he trusted Harry's hand...
Harry rose to his feet once more, ignoring Tom. He refilled the goblet, while Dumbledore screamed in more anguish than ever.
"I want to die! I want to die! Make it stop, make it stop, I want to die!"
A chill ran through Harry. If this had all seemed like a joke, a dream, before, he no longer felt the same. Reality struck him strongly, holding him close.
"Drink this, Professor. Drink this..."
Dumbledore drank. No sooner had he finished, he yelled, "KILL ME!"
"This – this one will!" Harry stammered. "Just drink this... It'll be over... all over!"
Tom gave him a curious glance while Dumbledore gulped at the goblet, draining every last drop. With a great, rattling gasp, he rolled over onto his face.
Silence fell. Harry couldn't believe what he was seeing. Is this why Tom had not interfered? Had he known, before, that Dumbledore would die so simply?
"No," Harry said in a low voice, throwing the crystal goblet in the basin as he dropped down to heave Dumbledore over. His glasses were askew, his mouth agape, his eyes closed. "No, no, you're not dead, you said it wasn't poison, wake up, wake up –!"
He tried to pull Dumbledore up, shaking his shoulder.
"Sir – please –!"
Dumbledore's eyes flickered open. Harry's heart leapt as Tom stood staring, as still as a statue.
"Sir, are you –?"
"Water," Dumbledore croaked.
"Water," Harry repeated, panting, "– yes –"
He leapt to his feet and seized the goblet he had dropped in the basin; he barely registered the golden locket lying curled beneath it.
"Aguamenti!" he shouted, jabbing the goblet with his wand.
The goblet filled with clear water. Harry dropped to his knees besides Dumbledore, reaching out a hand to raise his head, until –
He recoiled, terrified. The goblet fell from his hand with an echoing clatter.
Dumbledore was suddenly alert, his eyes wide and staring with a mad, red hue. Blood drained from Harry's face in an instant – he backed away on the smooth stone, doing all he could to refrain from screaming. Dumbledore did nothing but stare with a very large, inhuman grin upon his face.
Tom was nowhere to be seen. Upon noticing this, Harry understood; Tom had taken control of Dumbledore's body, possessing him completely.
A surge of pain seemed to pass through Dumbledore – the first pull on his supply of magic. Harry could see Dumbledore resurface; his face expressed pain and he whimpered. Tom soon surfaced again, however, grinning madly through Dumbledore's face.
"He's weak," he hissed gleefully to Harry. "He's damaged..."
A second surge of pain passed over Dumbledore.
"No – no, n-no, make it stop..."
"Professor, don't –"
Then he was laughing, his wrinkled face alight with Tom's unnatural humour. Harry had never seen anything so horrifying in his life; Dumbledore's energy was being slowly sucked from him, but Tom made him laugh, made him smile.
"D-don't!" Dumbledore cried. "Let me go –"
A third surge washed over him – it drained any colour left in Dumbledore, causing his now sullen eyes to pop in their sockets.
"Nothing could be simpler," Tom hissed through his lips, staring at Harry with Dumbledore's eyes.
Dumbledore seemed to throw him off after this. He appeared behind his eyes again, staring at Harry as he drew in deep, shuddering breaths. His fingers reached out in instinct for his wand.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry cried in fright.
The wand flew five feet away – too far away for Dumbledore to reach.
"Why?" the Professor panted, his shining eyes fixed on Harry. In this moment of consciousness, this small glimpse of awareness, he seemed to understand the entire situation at once.
Harry hesitated, until anger reached him again, overpowering all the fear and empathy he felt towards Dumbledore. "You – you betrayed me," he said, his voice trembling. "And Snape..."
A forth surge of pain caught Dumbledore, causing him to scream in agony. His back arched on the cold stone floor.
"No!" he shouted. "No – Harry... Snape was a foolish – foolish young man..."
A fifth surge. Tom was no longer smiling. He stared at Harry curiously through Dumbledore's eyes, before they bulged again in pain.
"Snape," Dumbledore panted, his voice strained and hoarse, "regretted his choice deeply... Snape did not – could not – know the chosen parents were yours..."
"You're lying," Harry said bitterly, sure of it. His voice was shaking, as was his hand, which gripped his wand tightly. It would take nothing to kill Dumbledore now...
"You do not know – know what our war was like... you could not... understand, Harry... not yet... not–"
"What's that got to to with it?" Harry demanded.
"Voldemort chose... chose you..."
"Yeah, well, you want me as dead as he does. Snape wants me dead too – you're betraying me like you both betrayed my parents!"
Fury captured Harry, causing his face to twist into a look of rage. He clenched his wand, staring down at Dumbledore. He barely registered it when large tears began leaking from the Dumbledore's wrinkled eyes. It would be so easy to end all of this...
Tom sapped the energy from Dumbledore again. He did not cry out this time; he accepted it without restraint. Harry stared with held breath. He didn't dare approach Dumbledore, who lay weak, defeated.
Harry watched Dumbledore's rising and falling chest. Rising... falling... rising... He didn't know what to do. He was somewhere between horrified and furious – he wished he could go back to finding humour in this. He wanted revenge...
Tom appeared, as clear as any other human would be. Upon seeing him standing proudly in this silent cave, Harry tore his eyes from Dumbledore. He could still hear Dumbledore's breath falling... rising... falling... rising...
"You must kill him, now," Tom told him softly, his hisses echoing throughout the cave. "End his life and seek your revenge..."
Harry was transfixed to Tom's handsome face. He breathed in heavy breaths of thick, humid cave air. It smelt like decaying bodies. Tom's eyes were emerald green in this light, making him look like a more handsome, darker, taller Harry.
"We cannot live if he lives," Tom told him. "We must protect ourselves from threats like him..."
"How do I do it?"
"Harry," Dumbledore whispered, "you c-cannot despair..."
His eyes were shining. Larger tears leaked from his eyes as he spoke. Harry did nothing. He felt nothing but hatred, even when Dumbledore's body shook terrible in this dark cave, his whispers echoing all around. Did Dumbledore, perhaps, understand who Harry was talking to?
"A simple curse," Tom told him. "You know the spell, Harry..."
Harry's eyes fixed on Dumbledore's. Only with Tom could he be safe. Only with Tom could he find honesty and truth. There was nothing else for him. Dumbledore was going to leave him to die at Voldemort's hand, but Tom would not allow this. If Harry only followed his instructions... He tightened his grip on his wand, pointing it to Dumbledore.
Dumbledore understood what was happening. His breath slowed, his eyes closed, as he accepted what was to come. "I... was a fool..."
Harry said nothing. He breathed in and out quickly, rage warping his expression.
"Harry," Dumbledore whispered, the shine of his eyes disappearing behind wrinkled lids, "forgive me..."
Feeling suddenly much older, Harry drew in a deep breath. The deadly words escaped his lips easily, to seek revenge, to end this misery. "Avada Kedavra!"
There was a flash of green light – so powerful that it was all Harry could see. Dumbledore did not cry out when the spell struck him. No noise echoed through the chamber, except the sound of Dumbledore's body when it crashing to the ground several feet away. When Harry's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw that Dumbledore's limbs were at an awkward angle, his hand dipped into the black lake.
Harry knew he was dead. He had certainly meant to kill him. It was too easy, too laughably simple. There was nothing left for him to do... He felt empty, to say the least. His anger had dissolved. He didn't look up at Tom, even when his footsteps began to echo through the cave.
"See how easy it is?" Tom asked him, smiling softly. "The greatest wizard of the century, dead. How great we can become, together..."
Harry said nothing. He was tempted to leave, when movement caught his eye. He thought, for a horrid moment, that Dumbledore was living, but he was mistaken. Dumbledore was being tugged jerkily into the water by a whitened, bony hand. Harry stared, too overwhelmed to take in the horror unravelling before his eyes.
The Inferius grasping Dumbledore's wrist rose up from the water, its deadened face staring with milky eyes. It was draped in soaking, ragged clothes, its hands slipping and clutching at Dumbledore's flesh. Harry might have been fearful of the Inferius attacking him, if it weren't for the knowledge that the Inferi in this lake only expected one wizard to make it to this island.
There was no violence as the Inferius tugged Dumbledore further, causing his white hair to dip slowly into the black water. Even as other Inferi began to rise from the water, clutching Dumbledore's feet, beard, legs, and shoulders, they were not too eager: they knew Dumbledore was dead. Harry stayed very still, hearing Tom slow to a stop.
They watched as the tips of Dumbledore's boots slid into the lake. The water rippled with the movements of the last Inferi, before it slowed to a deadly stillness once more.
All that remained on this small island was the Locket and the Wand. As if this was obvious to both of them simultaneously, Harry advanced towards the Locket in the basin while Tom bent down to retrieve Dumbledore's wand.
Smiling is satisfaction, Tom twirled the wand in his hand.
"What better wand to use upon gaining my new body than the wand of my greatest enemy?"
Harry might not have heard him. His fingers traced the surface of the Locket. It seemed like such an odd thing, that so much had happened for the sake of this Horcrux... Without saying a word about it, he slipped the Locket into his pocket, turning back to Tom.
He was surprised by the mischievous, desirous smile on Tom's face. It made him pause. In this terrifying, seemingly endless cave, Tom took slow steps forwards, his eyes never leaving Harry's.
"You did well tonight," he said softly. "Better than I could ever dream..."
Harry was captivated by the look in his eyes. When Tom came closer still, reaching out for Harry's hand, his mind was spinning.
"We can do great things with the power we've gained, the power we share," Tom told him delicately. "Many great things... would you like to see some of it?"
He grasped Harry's hand at the question. Harry could do nothing but stare numbly at Tom, disoriented by the knowledge that he had killed Dumbledore after finding a Horcrux, only to have Tom stand here as real as anyone...
Tom gave a hum of laughter at his lack of answer. He learnt in, pressing his lips gently against Harry's.
"The cost of a single, dying wizard's life can get you all of this," Tom hissed, kissing him again.
This time, Harry responded, fuelled by desire. Tom was not reluctant to kiss him deeper, smiling. He reached for Harry's neck gently, pulling him closer. Harry's heart was pounding in his chest. He reached out a band to grasp Tom's waist –
But he found nothing there. He pulled away from the kiss. Tom's red eyes stared into his green ones for only a second, before he learnt in to catch Harry's jawline, then his neck, with his soft lips, breathing against him. Harry was solely disappointed. Tom was not yet real, this was just a stronger, more convincing illusion...
Tom noticed his disinterest quickly. His unblinking eyes watched Harry closely.
"Do you not like this?" he asked.
Harry shook his head, unsure what to say, at first. His head was still spinning. "This isn't real..."
Tom stepped away from him slowly, letting his hand slip from Harry's shoulder. Harry didn't understand. It felt too convincing...
"Shall we go?" Tom asked, perhaps seeing his distressed.
Harry glanced at the boat slowly. "Won't the Inferi attack us?"
"No," Tom assured him. "They may be violent when provoked, but they bear no intelligence. They will think we are meant to be here."
Harry decided to trust his word without question. This, however, wasn't his biggest concern.
"Where are we going now?" he asked, feeling disorientated.
"To Hogwarts," Tom told him softly.
"To – why?"
"Why not? You have not finished with the school, entirely. You have left all of your belongings there."
"What does that matter?" Harry asked. "Compared to getting caught by the Order, that's –"
"Getting caught by the Order?" Tom repeated softly. "For what?"
Harry opened his mouth to say the obvious – 'for killing Dumbledore' – but he realised where this logic failed.
"No one will know," Tom reminded him. "Not a single student or teacher knows where you went tonight..."
Harry stared at him blankly. Slowly, he began to see the full logic of this. "I could lie about anything... I could say Dumbledore just left, that he's still alive – they won't be able to confirm where he went."
"Yes," Tom agree, grinning, "and with his magic shared between you and I, we will be perfectly protected. I can stay with you like this, undetected by anyone. I can fight alongside you..."
Harry shivered in this cold, endless cave. He looked in the direction of the entrance of the cave. There was no way of seeing the shore they had arrived at, but surely they could find they way back...
"Let's go, then..."
He clambered into the little boat, feeling Tom join his body for convenience.
The intensity of Tom's return shocked Harry – not because he wasn't used to it, but because he hadn't expected the rush of exhilaration and the mass of magic power flooding through his veins, fuelling some addiction he had never previously known. Harry shuddered, his eyes going blind momentarily, staggering him where he stood.
"Tom," he hissed, before he could help himself.
Tom was adjusting to this new change, causing Harry's eyes to close. He had nearly fallen out of the boat. Breathing heavily, Harry steadied his balance, feeling Tom's presence strongly.
Despite Dumbledore's added magic, they were not interrupted on their way across the lake. The Inferi, clearly satisfied with their capture, were calm. Even as Harry left the boat, being sure to not touch the water, he was met with no problems. Tom appeared shortly after Harry stood upon land. Silently, they made their way to the exit of the cave.
Anxiety captivated Harry. Tom perhaps sense this, because he was silent until it became so overpowering that Harry had to say something.
"Can't we just – I dunno – leave this place for somewhere new?" he asked. "Why return to Hogwarts now? It's over... I don't care about my belongings. I don't want to go back to the Order. I just want to run..."
"Nothing will prove your guilt as strongly as that," Tom told him. "We must remain calm. If you were to disappear, the Ministry would search for you immediately. With them, as well as the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters chasing after you, we wouldn't stand a chance. Not while we're so unprepared."
Harry understood this easily, but it barely made him feel better at all. At the very least, he hoped Tom would protect him if all else went wrong. He stepped forth silently, until the tips of his shoes met the salty waves that curled in this underground cavern.
"Take this," Tom said, pausing before the sea water that ebbed the staircase of the entrance hall. He passed Harry Dumbledore's wand.
Harry was alarmed, momentarily, that Tom could pass him this item as casually as any human. He was about to comment on it, before Tom disappeared entirely. He returned to Harry, bringing the second half of Dumbledore's magic energy back to him.
Not saying a thing, Harry walked forwards, oblivious to the freezing temperature of the water that rose up to his knees, his hips, his waist, his chest...
When he was out of the Cave, he hastily clambered out of the water, onto the nearest stretch of rock. He shook from head to foot in the freezing gusts of salty wind, but soon dried himself off the best he could with magic. In the moonlight, with Tom still secured within him, he closed his eyes and concentrated hard on an image of Hogsmeade. With as much determination as he could muster, he attempted Apparition.
There were no longer harsh winds brushing against his damp robes or the stench of salt smothering his nose; all that surrounded him was the soft sound of summer breeze. His Apparition had worked. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the streets of Hogsmeade were deserted. He wondered how late it was; he had no idea how much time had passed since he was last here. It felt like a long time ago. It was the dead of night.
Once he caught his breath again, Harry thought quickly about what he would do now.
"We need a way into Hogwarts," he hissed.
Tom appeared out of nowhere at these words. He appeared calm, unbothered.
"Without Dumbledore," Harry carried on, "I don't know how we'll get back. We didn't think of this..."
"Will the school's security not be compromised?" Tom inquired curiously, using Parseltongue too, lest they should be overheard. "If not as a result of Dumbledore's death, then as a result of the Death Eaters roaming the school walls, as they surely are?"
"Maybe," Harry mumbled, unsure. "It depends on if Snape's around... if he's with the Death Eaters right now..."
"We should investigate the security."
Harry nodded once, reaching for his Invisibility Cloak. He was sure, suddenly, that Snape had compromised the security of the entire school. They would find a way in, for sure. Harry could find a way to Snape... The thought distracted him so much that he almost failed to hear running footsteps heading towards him.
In shock, Harry reached for his wand. He was about to throw a curse at the person nearing him, but he recognised who it was: Madame Rosmerta.
"I saw you Apparate as I was pulling my bedroom curtains!" she said breathlessly. "Thank goodness, thank goodness, I couldn't think what to – but where's Albus?"
She came to a halt, panting, and stared at Harry.
"He – he needed to stay out longer," Harry lied lamely, equally as confused; why was she here, when she hadn't seen Harry leave the school with Dumbledore? He had been under the Invisibility Cloak, before... "I, er, need to get back to the school -"
"You can't go up there alone! Don't you realise – haven't you seen –?"
"What's wrong?"
She stared at him in terror, soon turning her attention in the direction of Hogwarts. Even before following her gaze, Harry could see luminous green light reflected in her eyes.
"The – the Dark Mark," she whispered.
Sure enough, when he turned to face Hogwarts, emerald stars created the skull and snake constellation that witches and wizards had feared for decades. Despite the hypocrisy, Harry was filled with dread when he realised that someone had died at Hogwarts tonight at the hands of the Death Eaters...
"We shall have easy access to the school, now," Tom hissed quietly, close to Harry. "We merely need a form of transportation..."
These words broke Harry out of his fixation with the Dark Mark. He turned to Madame Rosmerta.
"I need to get to Hogwarts," he told her seriously. "Right now – do you have a way there? A beast, a broom, a passageway –?"
"I've got a couple brooms behind the bar," she said, looking pale. "Shall I run and fetch –?"
"Accio Rosmerta's broom."
Almost as soon as the words left his lips, there was a bang and the front door of the pub burst open. A common broom shot out into the street and raced to Harry's side, where it stopped dead, quivering slightly, at waist length.
"Thanks," Harry said in a low voice, feeling Tom return to him.
"You can't go there alone!" she said again, looking guilt-ridden and terrified. "If –"
With a hard kick to the ground, Harry zoomed away from her without hearing a single word more. He rushed through the warm summer air, rising higher and higher, leaning close to his broom. It was a minute before reaching the school's perimeter when Harry felt Tom controlling him, causing him to take out his wand. Seeing no reason to object, Harry felt Tom use magic through him, mumbling strange incantations with his lips.
Nothing seemed to change. If Tom had succeeded in breaking down the spells and enchantments that protected Hogwarts, there was no sign of it, except Harry was able to speed quickly towards the Astronomy Tower. When he laded, looking around for a sign of a struggle, he found no one else was here. He was breathing heavily, trying to work out what had happened.
"Do you think they're gone?" Harry asked the empty tower. "The Death Eaters, I mean."
Tom appeared once more. Yet again, he was calm, but a serious expression crossed his face. "We cannot be sure..."
Harry looked around, feeling disoriented at the sight of the deserted tower. He looked up at the looming Dark Mark, then turned his gaze to the door.
"We should go inside – maybe someone downstairs will know what happened. They'll know who was killed..."
All Harry could hear was the blood pounding in his ears and the echos of his own rushed footsteps as he headed for the door. Before he could so much as touch the iron ring of it, however, he heard running footsteps on the other side. He backed up hastily, withdrawing his wand, but no sooner could he anticipate who was coming his way, the door bust open.
"Expelliarmus!"
The spell missed Harry, but nevertheless there was a clattering sound. When Harry looked around, he could see Tom, who had slipped Dumbledore's wand out of Harry's pocket. Harry thought Draco might have heard the floating wand drop, but if he did, he didn't pay any attention to it. He stood in the doorway, breathing heavily, staring at Harry with a look of terror and wrath. Both of their wands were pointed to the other's throat from afar.
"Where is he?" Draco demanded at once. His voice was shaking.
Harry said nothing. His heart felt like it was about to pour out of his mouth. There must be more Death Eaters below...
"Answer me!"
"Where's who?" Harry asked, stalling for time.
"Don't play that!" Draco spat, his eyes alight in the green hue above them. "I heard voices!"
"Something that's happened a lot, lately?" Harry joked coolly.
Draco rose his wand higher, bearing his teeth. Tom stood beside Harry, so interested in the conversation that he ignored his fallen wand for now.
"Where is he?" Draco demanded again, louder this time.
"I don't know what you're talking ab-"
"I know Dumbledore left the school with you!"
"How do you – ?"
"I'm not a fool! I've had spies watching Dumbledore... I've been waiting for this..."
There was a terrified look in Draco's eyes, as much as he tried to act brave. Harry's mind raced to think what he could mean. Had he and Dumbledore been followed? Who could have spotted them on their way out of the school? Until Harry remembered -
"Madame Rosmerta..."
"Worked it out at last, have you?"
"Is she a Death Eater?" Harry asked. "Has she been spying for you?"
"There are more, better ways to get somebody to do as you like," Draco said in a low, shaking voice, his face twisted into a look of false control. "Not that you'd know about our kind of magic..."
Harry pointedly ignored the irony. Despite Draco's powerful claims, there was no heart behind his words. He might, Harry thought, even be relieved that Dumbledore wasn't here tonight.
"The Imperius Curse isn't advanced magic," Harry commented, attempting to annoy and distract Draco. "Even if you managed to curse Katie Bell, poison Ron, and spy on Dumbledore..."
Draco's eyes stopped scanning the dark tower for sign of another person. He failed to see Tom. He looked angry.
"I've done better than anyone," he spat. "They thought I'd die in the attempt, but I'm here... I've finished my first job and now – now they're all here... now all that stands in my way to Dumbledore is you..."
Harry neither dropped his gaze nor showed any sigh of fear. "Seems like you're out of luck, then, doesn't it? Dumbledore's not here."
"Where is he?"
"I told you, I don't kn-"
They heard a loud bang and a horrid shout from downstairs. The both of them froze in terror, momentarily forgetting their rivalry.
"Who's been killed?" Harry asked, fuelled by deep concern – again despite the hypocrisy. Tom glanced at him furtively.
Draco did not answer at once. He seemed transfixed by the shouts and cries carrying up from below.
"I didn't see a face," he mumbled. "It was dark. I stepped over a body in my way up here..."
Tom appeared attentive at this, but Harry didn't ask any further questions. The body can't have been Ron's or Hermione's – surely the Lucky Potion can't have run out... Whatever had happened, there was no time to ask about it. There was another, louder, bang from downstairs. It startled Draco, making him speak.
"I have a job to do," he said through gritted teeth, his tightly clenched fist shaking around his wand. He was angry for the first time, fuelled by panic. "Tell me where Dumbledore is!"
"Didn't Madame Rosmerta tell you?" Harry asked. "He didn't show up at Hogsmeade."
"There's no way out of this, Potter! You won't make it out of this tower... neither of us will..."
"Then why do this?" Harry asked in a low voice. "It's over, Malfoy. Dumbledore's not here and you can't kill him."
"You're lying – where is he?"
The terror in his voice inspired Harry for the first time. He realised how easy it would be to manipulate Draco. He thought about what would scare him the most, fuelled by sudden thrill.
"Dumbledore was always one step ahead of you, Malfoy. Didn't you know? Even the Death Eaters admit he's a great wizard – there was no way you could have tricked him, even if you managed to mend that cupboard in the Room of Requirement. He always knew..."
Draco's eyes were huge. His hand was shaking violently, his face contorted into a look of nausea.
"In case you hadn't noticed, Dumbledore didn't return to Hogwarts with me. There's nothing you can do to kill him tonight, Malfoy, and Voldemort isn't going to be pleased about that."
Draco shuddered at the name, his limbs shaking violently now. He couldn't hold his wand straight. Harry stared at him bravely, wanting to break him, to go downstairs to where the battle was continuing.
"What's Voldemort going to do, Malfoy?" he asked. "Kill you? You'd find better protection in the Order by now. The Death Eaters might kill you as soon as you go back; you've failed all of them too."
"It isn't – isn't me I'm concerned about!" Draco croaked. His eyes were shining under and his untidy blond hair.
Harry watched him, captivated, unable to move. Draco's wand lowered considerably; he understood he had lost.
"My mother," he said in a hoarse whisper. "My- my family..."
Harry didn't say a word. Tom was moving calmly besides him, reaching for Dumbledore's wand.
"He's g-going to kill my family," Draco rasped, his eyes fixed on Harry's. "It isn't fair! Y-you don't know what he's like – you don't know what I've done for this, I –"
He seemed close to spilling everything to Harry, until something caught his eye. Tom, believing he was safe under Draco's distracting sentiment, had picked up Dumbledore's wand. He stood holding the wand securely, preparing for the fight that would doubtlessly take place as soon as the Death Eaters made their way up here. Draco could see nothing but a floating wand. In terror, he panicked.
"CRUCIO!"
The spell missed; Tom threw up a shielding charm. Draco panicked more than ever, turning to sprint towards the stairs. Harry, acting on impulse, followed him at once, throwing the Invisibility Cloak over his shoulders.
"Wait!"
Harry didn't listen to Tom. He heard Tom's ghostly footsteps behind him as he sped down the staircase, his eyes fixed on Malfoy's blond head. He wanted to grab Draco's collar, to keep him from being seen by the Death Eaters, but there was no hope; he disappeared into the battle as soon as they reached the base of the stairs, entering a dusty, shadowy corridor.
There was no way to tell which dark silhouettes were friends and which were foes – before Harry remembered, with a pang of regret, that both the Death Eaters and the Order members had betrayed him. The light of spells flashed across the scene over and over again, showing Harry that half the ceiling seemed to have fallen in. He heard voices roaring in fury and fear, but as hard as he tried to distinguish who was who, it was impossible.
"Expulso!" Tom shouted beside Harry. "Secareileum!"
"What are you doing?" Harry hissed. "We need to find Malfoy – and Snape!"
"Why not eliminate a few Death Eaters while we can?" Tom asked him coolly, a cruel smile etched into his face. "Is it not the perfect opportunity?"
Harry didn't have time to disagree. He ducked as a jet of green light headed for him; Death Eaters were close by, screaming in rage and firing Killing Curse after Killing Curse at the DA and Order members who opposed them.
"Avada Kedavra!" a hooded man shouted close by.
"Crucio!" cried another.
Neither of their spells were having any success. Professor McGonagall stood close to Harry, defending the entrance to the Tower. Whips of yellow light surrounded her beyond the Shielding Charms that she used to protect the students around her.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Ron's voice cried shakily behind her, his spell almost hitting a cackling wizard who had been distracted moments before.
The wizard turned to him at once, raising his wand.
"Avada Kedav–"
"Stupefy!" cried Harry.
The spell hit the wizard squarely in the chest. Harry leapt forwards, straight into the battle, passing McGonagall's protection.
"Amycus, no!" an unknown witch cried in horror.
The cursed wizard slammed into another large man who turned at once. Harry caught a stench of dirt and blood as he passed – both of which the man was covered in. He grimaced, revealing that his teeth were covered in red liquid, his dark eyes searching for who had knocked out Amycus Carrow.
The witch who had called out for Amycus was firing spells wildly. All those around her were ducking and blocking her attacks, some of them pulling away from other battles. Harry could see a body under the blood-stained man – without a wand, the man was attacking his victim viciously.
"Bill!" Ron began shouting. "Bill!"
Ron sprang forwards, passing Tom, his eyes wide.
"Protego!" Harry shouted, blocking several Killing Curses the witch threw his way.
Ron looked around, his eyes wide. "Harry?"
"Fight him!" Harry shouted through the cloak, not caring who heard him. "Don't just stand there!"
Dumbfound, Ron obeyed, turning to Bill's attacker. "Impedimenta!"
Harry left him to tackle the man on his own. Professor McGonagall had taken it upon herself to fight the crazed witch from before; there were several bodies surrounding the Professor, which Harry knew had to be the result of her preceding fights.
Harry didn't try to help her, even as Neville flew past him, his body crashing to the ground. He had spotted Draco running down the corridor far ahead, his blond hair illuminated in the light of a passing Killing Curse.
"Reducto!" cried Hermione, her bushy hair flying past as Harry ran. "Impedimenta!"
Draco had disappeared around a corner. Harry sprinted through the fight, ignoring it as Tom hissed "Avada Kedavra!" to the Death Eaters as they ran. He reached the corner Draco had disappeared around and sped down the corridor. He drew to a stoop, looking for Tom.
Three Death Eaters were charging down the corridor. Harry leapt aside as they advanced towards him, their eyes scanning the many pathways before them.
"Spread out!" a blond man cried in a rough voice, bolting in the wrong direction after Draco. "He's gotta be around here somewhere!"
Harry slipped past the two standing Death Eaters, intent upon finding Draco before they did.
"Avada Kedavra!" Tom shouted after the blond man.
The spell missed. He turned, enraged. "Who did that? I'll find you!"
"Run!" Harry hissed.
Tom followed him at once. They raced down the right corridor, until they hit the Entrance Hall. Harry's feet were soaked in blood; he slipped on the marble staircase as he scurried down it, seeing the hem of Draco's cloak escape around the oak front doors.
When Harry reached the doors too, Draco was nowhere to be seen. He stood, staring out at the grounds, Tom close to this shoulders.
"There!" Tom hissed.
In the darkness, with his wand outstretched, Draco was turning this way and that, clearly lost for where to go. He couldn't join the Death Eaters now; if they didn't know already, they'd soon find out that Dumbledore wasn't dead by his hand. By running, Draco had proved his own guilt to them.
Draco was panicking. His breath tore at his lungs and his terrified eyes looked from the moonlit forbidden forest to the oak front doors to the distant exit of Hogwarts grounds. Harry soon approached him. He could hear echoing shouts from the Entrance Hall. The Death Eaters were near.
Without calling for his attention, or giving any kind of warning, Harry jumped on Draco, throwing the Invisibility Cloak over him. Draco screamed in terror.
"Shut up!" Harry hissed, panicked now. "Malfoy – don't – Petrificus Totalus!"
Draco froze up at once. He slipped from Harry's grasp, falling to the ground.
Harry knelt down with him quickly, throwing the Invisibility Cloak over the both of them. He looked up at Tom, about to ask for help, but Tom was distracted. His red eyes were fixed on the entrance of the school.
A dark figure was standing at the oak front doors, its silhouette breaking the slither of golden light that fell across the dark grounds. Blood was pounding in Harry's ears, his breath ripping at his dry throat. The Death Eater was taking slow, cautious steps towards them. Harry rose his wand to Draco at once, taking off his enchantments.
When Draco was able to move, he scrambled up at once, crouching with Harry. Forgetting his hate for the second time tonight, Draco stared at the moving Death Eater, his hands shaking violently.
"Come out, come out, Draco!" a witch's voice cried. "You can't run from the Death Eaters. You can't run from our Lord!"
Harry grabbed Draco's elbow, pulling him back. Although a soft wind blew past Hogwarts castle, Alecto Carrow seemed to see where the grass moved below them. She advanced, her piggish eyes full of eager greed. She knew she would be rewarded if she brought Draco back to Voldemort.
"Come and talk to me!" she asked of him, smiling wickedly. "We can sort this out! Dumbledore may not be dead yet, but we will find him! We will seek him out!"
Draco was petrified. All he could do was stare at the approaching witch, following Harry blindly as they stepped back. He almost stumbled over his own feet many times, his breath uneven and strained. Alecto was close.
"Show yourself, boy, or I'll make you!"
Draco's eyes snapped, suddenly, to the wand floating besides them, in Tom's hand. Harry was sure that Draco thought it was someone else under an Invisibility Cloak.
"Come now, Draco! I'm losing patience! Stepped forwards now or I'll – AH!"
There was an eruption of blinding light – a whip of fire hit Alecto in a swift movement, causing her to scream in terror, her defensive spell barely fighting the flames.
"Dumbledore?" she inquired breathlessly, her eyes wide. "Reveal yourself! Avada Kedavra!"
The spell missed Tom easily. Without so much as flinching, Tom waved his wand once more. With a sound like thunder, white slashes of light stained the air, hitting Alecto once, and again, and again. She fell to the ground, defeated.
Draco raised his wand. Seeing where his attention turned, Harry pulled at his right arm at once.
"It's not Dumbledore!"
Tom looked back, his red eyes meeting Harry's, even through the Cloak.
In rage, Draco tried to pull his hand away. He was in hysterics, Harry suddenly realised. There was no real blaming him – more Death Eaters were shouting inside Hogwarts.
"Silencio!"
Tom's spell worked at once. Draco became aware of the Death Eaters nearing the castle entrance only when his voice ceased.
"This way!" whispered Harry, pulling on his arm.
He followed, apparently not knowing what else to do. At least five Death Eaters were visible now, oblivious to Harry and Draco's footsteps.
"What happened?" a man cried, sounding desperate. "Alecto! Is she dead?"
"She's breathing," another pointed out roughly. "Lift her up, if you want to keep her that way."
Following the suggestion, Amycus levitated his sister. A few Death Eaters were slipping out of the school past him.
"Come on!" one cried. "There's nothing here for us!"
There were shouts coming from the Entrance Hall and flashes of bright light. A few spells hit the door, thudding loudly, causing the Death Eaters to duck.
"Now!"
They ran from the castle just as Remus Lupin emerged at the oak from doors. He threw a shower of spells after them, hurtling across the dark grounds. Tonks appeared soon, speeding along just the same, her spells illuminating the darkness around her and Lupin.
Students were peering out of the oak front doors, gathering in the Entrance Hall. Terror, apparently, had spread quickly throughout the school. Harry was distracted for a moment, fearing more Death Eaters might be in the castle, ready to attack anyone, but McGonagall passed by, followed by Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Flitwick.
Harry pulled the Invisibility Cloak off, wanting to go talk to the Order members about what had happened. Draco looked distressed and bothered by the sudden change, as if this Cloak secured him not only from the eyes of his enemies, but from the crucial decision he had been faced with tonight.
"Are you coming?" Harry asked, looking back at Draco after a few steps.
He didn't answer at once. He was still shaking violently, apparently unable to make up his mind about what was happening, nevermind speak about it. He was embarrassed to show such emotion in from of Harry.
"What for?" he asked. "Too many students are up there already, asking questions..."
Anxiously, he looked over to where the floating wand had been, but Tom had moved to stand beside Harry. He slipped Dumbledore's wand into his left hand silently.
"We should go talk to McGonagall," Harry said, slipping Dumbledore's wand up his left sleeve without catching Draco's attention. "We need to sort things out – to figure out what's happened tonight..."
After a long hesitation, Draco nodded curtly. He walked towards Harry with his eyes dropped, his movements stiff and uncomfortable. He was clearly nervous to go anywhere near his Professors after what had happened tonight – or all year, for that matter.
In the Entrance Hall, students were being ushered in the direction of their Common Rooms by Professor Professor Sprout, Flitwick, Hagrid, and Slughorn. Where was Snape, Harry wondered? Had he died in the fight, or fled with the other Death Eaters? There was no way of knowing. Harry wished he had found Snape on his own. Anger curled his hands into fists, making him desire a fight...
He scanned the room for people he knew in the nearby crowds, but there were no Weasleys in sight and although he thought he saw Hermione's bushy brown hair disappearing down a nearby corridor, he saw no use in calling after her. Luna, Neville, Ginny, and the Order members were nowhere in sight. Harry wondered, with a sickening sensation, whether they were all in the hospital wing.
Professor McGonagall was giving orders to the students and teachers around her, clearly fulfilling her duties as deputy head. She had fought strongly tonight and Harry's admiration for her wasn't tainted by dislike – only uncertainty and guilt.
"Professor?"
"...take Macmillan up to Madame Pomfrey, it won't do to keep him around in these circumstances. As for the damage done to the castle walls –"
"Professor McGonagall?" Harry asked a little louder.
She heard Harry this time, turning to face him with a serious look. Her eyebrows rose upon recognising him.
"Potter!" she exclaimed, astounded, "Where have you been?"
"I – I was with Dumbledore."
"Dumbledore?" she repeated. "Where –?"
Her words were cut short when Draco appeared from behind Harry. In a second, she seemed to understand the situation. Under her stern gaze, Draco's face reddened and he averted his gaze, faking a look of annoyance in case the other students were watching.
"Follow me," she said, "both of you..."
Without a word, Harry, Draco, and Tom followed the Professor up the marble staircase. Within a few short minutes, it became apparent that she wasn't going to her office, but to the Headmaster's Office instead. She gave the password to the lone gargoyle and they climbed the spiral staircase. If she had expected Dumbledore to be up there, waiting for them, she didn't show her disappointment.
She indicated a chair for Draco to sit, conjuring a second one for Harry. She then stood by Dumbledore's chair, looking down at the two of them. Her questions started at once. She stayed businesslike about the whole situation, but Draco wasn't as able to stay calm and collected when he was forced to repeat his version of what had happened, how he had let the Death Eaters in the school, how he was following Voldemort's orders, and how his mother and fathers' lives were in danger.
As soon as he admitted to his crimes, McGonagall stood up straighter, her eyes widening. Her alarm broke Draco immediately – he pleaded for his mother to be protected by the Order, his terror causing the hair on Harry's arms to stand up. He didn't know why he felt alarmed for Draco's mother. He had never seen Malfoy cry like this.
McGonagall raised her wand, producing a Patronus Charm than would send a message to a few Order members. She assured Draco that they'd do everything they could to protect his mother before the Death Eaters got to her first. Draco barely gave a response to this. He stared out of Dumbledore's office windows, clearly avoiding Harry's eyes.
When McGonagall turned to Harry, she asked him where he had gone with Dumbledore tonight. He told her it was confidential even before Tom looked alarmed. She asked him a few more times, saying she needed a clear picture on the situation to know how to react, but still Harry refused to tell her – he lied that it was Dumbledore's orders and that not even she could know about it.
When she began to get annoyed at his, saying the Ministry of Magic had been called to Hogwarts in relation to the Death Eater attacks tonight, Harry still refused to say a word about what happened. He sat staring at the desk in front of him, unable to believe the truth himself. McGonagall eventually gave up trying to gain information from him – she perhaps thought it was Draco, of all things, that stopped Harry from telling the truth.
"If the Headmaster is unable to protect Hogwarts in these dire times, I fear I must take over the school until he makes his return known. Malfoy, you will need to be protected... We will secure the school, blocking off the passage way in Room of Requirement too, but I cannot safely say this will be enough to keep you from the grasp of Voldemort or his Death Eaters."
"So... what do we do?" Harry asked, understanding Draco wouldn't talk.
"When the school year ends in a few weeks' time, I expect you – both of you – to join the Order for the summer, to stay under our protection until further arrangements can be made."
Still, Draco didn't say a word. Another thought bothered Harry.
"Dumbledore said I was supposed to return to the Dursleys one last time," he said slowly. "Do I still have to?"
"It depends entirely on the headmaster's wishes, when he returns," McGonagall told him simply. "It depends, too, on whether or not Dumbledore will want the school year to end early. With the terrible events of tonight, I should be surprised if half the school doesn't leave by the end of the week..."
Harry was relieved, secretly, that things were working out like this. He wasn't the only one that felt this way, either; Tom's eyes were alight with happiness. He watched Harry closely, waiting impatiently for this meeting to be over. Slughorn showed up at the office a few minutes later while other Order members – Kingsley Shacklebolt, Lupin, Tonks – were surely on their way to Narcissa Malfoy. Slughorn informed McGonagall that the Minister for Magic was here and that she would have to speak to him at once if Dumbledore still hadn't returned.
Draco left the office without a word, annoyed at Slughorn when he tried to comfort him. Harry stood up soon after, but allowed Draco to go on. Slughorn, luckily, had to leave Harry to bring the Minister up to the Headmaster's Office. Harry was left alone with Tom. Down a deserted corridor a few minutes away, they spoke.
"This is perfect," Tom hissed softly, his eyes shining in delight. "Dumbledore dead... our strength returned..."
"The Order will know I'm the last one who saw Dumbledore," Harry mused in Parseltongue too, the weight of his claims pulling him into a state of depression and paranoia. "What if they don't stop bothering me about it?"
"Then you'll say it's confidential, repeating these half-truths until we can escape the Order. It will take weeks, at the very least, for the Order to accept that Dumbledore is unreachable. Wherever they go from there, it will never cease to be a slow reaction."
"Won't that weaken the Order? If we need their protection..."
"Minerva McGonagall is not a talentless witch," Tom reminded him. "Neither are the other witches and wizards who form the crooked league that feign an interest in your well-being. They rival the skill and power of Voldemort's own followers, remember. They will take Dumbledore's absence as a sign to double your protection, being none the wiser..."
Harry could see no objection. Only one thing troubled him. "What do we do, once we're under their protection?"
"We take advantage of their power," Tom said,"as well as their trust. We will be safe from Voldemort, giving us time to formulate a plan. We will gather more information on the Order of the Phoenix, discovering their knowledge of the Death Eaters too. Nobody will see it coming..."