[A/N: MEGA HUGE AWESOME shout out to HufflepuffProud98 for knowing that the song was TANK! by Yoko Kanna and the Seatbelts; also, for being a fellow Hufflepuff!]

After flying for a good while, the dragon started to tire and began to descend over a lake.

We decided me needed to get off his back and jumped off his back and jumped into the lake.

As I sank to the bottom of the lake, the scar on the back of my neck flashed with pain.

Then I saw it—Voldemort with a frightened goblin.

"We tried to stop them, my lord... But those imposters broke into Lestrange's vault," he said.

"Who? Who were they?" Voldemort asked.

"The Potters and their friends," the goblin said.

"What did they take?" Voldemort went on.

"A small golden cup," he replied.

Voldemort was frantic. How did we know about the Horcruxes? Was it because of Dumbledore? He had always suspected him. He had to go back to all the hiding places to be sure they were still there. There was the Gaunt home first, then the lake - but he knew his Horcrux at Hogwarts was safe. Still he should warn Snape we might be coming. Then he would be going to the Gaunt house taking Nagini with him.

The pain subsided slightly and I felt myself getting dragged out of the water.

"Can Potter's not swim?" Ron asked as I coughed water out of my lungs next to Harry.

I looked over to Harry as I got to my feet.

"We are so fucked aren't we?" Harry asked.

"Took the words right of my mouth," I said.

"Dude, he knows. He knows we've been looking for the Horcruxes. We've been found out. We're fucked," I said.

"And there is one at Hogwarts. We were so right—in your face Hermione Jean," Harry said.

"But did he say where it was in Hogwarts?" Hermione said.

"Nope. Just wanted to warn Snape we were coming," Harry said.

"So you want us to march into Hogwarts with no plan where they'll be looking for us?" Hermione asked.

"Dude we just broke into Gringotts-successfully. Let's keep going while luck is still on our side," I said.

"We need to get going. Once he realizes the others are gone he'll just come to Hogwarts and take the other one away," Harry said.

"Well how do we get in?" Kassia asked.

". . . We're going to Hogsmeade," Harry said.

"Suicide. That whole place is being watched by death eaters and dementors 24/7," Kassia said.

"We haven't got any other choice, Kassia. We've got to get there before he does," I said.

We tossed the Invisibility Cloak over ourselves and apparated away.

When we landed in Hogsmeade a horrible scream sounded—an alarm.

Tons of Death eaters dashed into the square. Too many to stun.

"Told you guys," Kassia said.

"Accio cloak!" one shouted, but it didn't budge. "Alright then, spread out and look for them."

"What about the dementors? That won't kill him. He'll be easier kill if he's got no soul anyway," another suggested.

"Awe, man," I whimpered. I hated, hated, hated, hated dementors.

"We have to disapparate now," Hermione said, but as she said it they appeared.

They swirled in coming closer and closer.

"Expecto patronum!" Harry called out. His stag sprang to life from the end of his wand the dementors retreated.

"Down there! That's them! I saw his patronus, the stag!" they said.

A door opened nearby.

"Potters! In here! Quick!" a voice whispered.

Without hesitation the five of us dashed inside.

"Keep that cloak on," he said.

I didn't know where we were but I saw the barman of the Hogshead in standing outside

An argument ensued about why he was outside and he kept insisting that it was his patronus they saw—a goat not a doe.

"Who is this guy?" Hermione asked.

"Owns the Hogshead pub. Really weird guy," I said.

"Do you know him?" Hermione asked.

"No. Dumbledore always asked that I steer clear of him for whatever reason. When I asked him why Dumbledore said that apparently he got in trouble some years back for being using inappropriate charms on his pet goats," I said.

"What the hell does that even mean?" Kassia asked.

"I don't want to think about it," I said.

I turned my head as the man walked back inside closing the door. We pulled the cloak off. I looked on the mantle. There was a picture of a young girl wearing a dress, smiling. I'd seen her picture before. I looked back to the man and recognized him as well, but I couldn't place it.

"You lot could've been caught!" he scolded us.

"You!" Harry said. "It's you I'd been seeing in the mirror. You sent Dobby to help us when we were in the Malfoy's basement."

"Yeah. I thought he'd be with you," he replied.

"He's dead. Bellatrix Lestrange killed him," Ron said flatly.

"Pity. I really did like that little elf," the man said.

I looked back at the picture and then back at the man.

"Oh. . ." I said, finally clicking. "I know who you are."

"Figured you'd sort it out. I heard you were annoying that way," he said.

"This is Aberforth Dumbledore—Professor Dumbledore's brother," I said. "I don't think I've spoek to you since I was a child."

"My brother saw to that didn't?" Aberforth asked.

"How'd you get this?" Harry asked picking up Sirius' mirror.

"Dung sold it to me a year ago. Albus told me what it was and I've been keeping an eye on you ever since," he said.

"Did you send that silver doe?" Harry asked. "Someone sent a doe patronus out to us."

"Pudding for brains, his patronus is a goat," Kassia said.

"Oh . . . Yeah," Harry said.

"So, when day break comes you can slip that cloak and escape into the mountains," Aberforth said.

"No, we're going to Hogwarts," I said.

"Are you daft?" he asked.

"Yes," I said. "Besides, we've got a job to do."

"A job?" he asked.

"Yes, your brother gave it to us. He wanted us to-."

"Albus wanted a lot things," Aberforth said. "He also had a bad habit of getting hurt while carrying out all of his amazing plans. Run away while you've still got a chance."

"You don't understand-."

"You think I don't? You think you knew my brother better than I did?" he asked.

"No . . . That's not what I meant," I said. "He just left us a job."

"A job you're qualified for yes?" he asked.

"Well it's not easy, but we have to," I said.

"'You have to.' He's dead. You don't have to do anything for him anymore," Aberforth said. "Let it go."

"No. Dumbledore raised me when my parents died. He cared for me like I was his old child. He's kept me safe all these years. I don't give a damn how dead he is or how long he's been dead. I owe my life to him and this is the least I can do to repay him," I said.

There was silence.

*How do ya like dem apples? *

"Taught you everything you know about life, huh, Little Hannah?" he asked. I nodded. "And he always told you the truth."

I wanted to say yes, I really did, but . . . I knew I couldn't. I'd be lying. Though I could count off on one hand the number of times Dumbledore had actually lied to me, every time he did something bad always ended up happening.

"Albus was a natural born liar. Learned it all from our mother. He could keep a secret and he could tell a lie," Aberforth said.

Now, I was silent.

*I don't like these apples. . .*

"Is that your sister, Ariana?" Hermione inquired pointing to the painting over the mantel.

"Yes. Read Miss Skeeter's book, have you?" Aberforth asked.

"Elphias Doge told us about her," Harry put in.

"Doge thought the sun shined out of my brother's arse," Aberforth commented.

". . . You do know that your brother cared about Harry and Hannah very much?" Kassia asked.

"Funny how he cared about people and it's funny how they'd be better off if he'd left them alone," Aberforth said.

"What's that mean?" Hermione asked. Aberforth brushed her off. "Are you talking about your sister?"

That's when Aberforth turned, for a moment, into a softy and told us the story of what happened to his sister. He told us that when Ariana was six she was using magic in the backyard and three muggle boys saw her do it. When she couldn't show them what she'd done again they did something awful to her and drove her mad. She never used magic willingly again and she was never quite right afterward. Their father went and attacked the boys and ended up in Azkaban. One day when Ariana was 14 there was an accident and she killed their mother. Dumbledore came back and took over to care for her, and then Grindlewald came into the picture. After a few weeks Aberforth had had enough of them talking about the "greater good" and they got into over Ariana. He and Dumbledore and Grindlewald got into a duel and somewhere down the line, he wasn't quite sure, one of them killed her.

"And so, Potters, how can you be so sure Albus wasn't more interested the greater good than in you? What if you're disposable?" he asked.

"Dumbledore loved them," Hermione said. Kassia nodded in agreement.

"Why didn't he tell them to hide then? Why didn't he tell you to take care of yourselves?" Aberforth asked.

"Because sometimes you've got to fight. Sometimes you have to put others before yourself. This is war," Harry said.

"You're only 17," Aberforth said.

"Don't say I'm 17 like it matters. Age doesn't matter. I've seen people I care about tortured murdered, and I've had to abandon a daughter and the only parents I've ever known which I can say is considerably more than most 17-year-olds have done. So you may've given up but we're going to keep fighting—for them, and for my friends," I said.

"Who says I've given up?" Aberforth asked.

"You did. By accepting that any of this bullshit is okay! Your brother knew how to beat You-Know-Who and he told us how before he died. So now we're the only ones who can defeat him. Now, if you know a way to get into Hogwarts then help us out, if not then in the morning we'll just be on our merry old way walking straight through the front door," I said.

Aberforth scowled and walked over to Ariana.

"You know what to do," he said. She nodded and walked away up a long tunnel and disappeared.

"They've sealed up all the secret passageways into the school, put dementors around the border and Snape and the Carrows are in charge now. I hope you're all prepared to die," Aberforth said.

Then Ariana started walking towards us getting bigger and bigger but someone else was there now. The portrait swung open like a door and out stepped Neville.

[Chapter title credit to Brad Neely for the song "George Washington". Teehee]