Chapter Fifty-One

Ed turned and left after Harry. Ed ran around the corner into Dumbledore's corridor, where the lone gargoyle stood sentry. He said the password and ran up the moving spiral staircase. He had seen that the door was already open.

"Ah, there you are, Edward," Dumbledore said, standing at his window with a long, black traveling cloak in his arms. "I was just telling Harry that I have found a Horcrux."

"So, you've actually found one?" Ed asked.

"Yes, I believe so," Dumbledore answered.

"What does this have to do with me?" Ed asked, crossing his arms. "I told you before that -."

"I know what you've told me, but I have heard from a certain source that you have become bored in the castle," Dumbledore interrupted. "I thought that you would fancy something of an adventure."

Ed frowned as he thought over the proposal.

"Fine, I guess I'll go with you," Ed grumbled.

"Wonderful," Dumbledore said. "Oh, can you swim?"

"Yeah, during the last detentions, Teacher made me learn how to swim in the stinkin' lake," Ed muttered.

"Good," Dumbledore said.

"Which Horcrux is it?" Harry spoke up. "Where is it?"

"I am not sure which it is – though I think we can rule out the snake – but I believe it to be hidden in a cave on the coast many miles from here, a cave I have been trying to locate for a very long time," Dumbledore answered Harry. "The cave in which Tom Riddle once terrorized two children from his orphanage on their annual trip, you remember?"

"Yes," Harry answered. "How is it protected?"

"I do not know; I have suspicions that may be entirely wrong," Dumbledore sighed. "Harry, I promised you that you could come with me, and I stand by that promise, but it would be very wrong of me not to warn you that this will be exceedingly dangerous."

"I'm coming," Harry stated.

Dumbledore came away from the window and looked closely at Harry.

"What has happened to you?" Dumbledore asked.

"Nothing," Harry lied quickly.

"What has upset you?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm not upset," Harry lied again.

"Harry, you were never a good Occlumens -," Dumbledore started.

"Snape!" Harry snapped. "Snape's what happened! He told Voldemort about the prophecy, it was him, he listened outside the door, Trelawney told us!"

Dumbledore's expression did not change, but his face whitened under the bloody tinge cast by the setting sun. For a long moment, Dumbledore didn't say anything.

"When did you find out about this?" Dumbledore asked.

"A few minutes ago," Ed answered.

"AND YOU LET HIM TEACH HERE AND HE TOLD VOLDEMORT TO GO AFTER MY MUM AND DAD!" Harry bellowed.

Then Harry started to pace the study. Ed looked at Dumbledore in an 'I-told-you-so' sort of way. Dumbledore sighed.

"Harry," Dumbledore said quietly. "Please listen to me."

It was as difficult to stop his relentless pacing as to refrain from shouting. Harry paused, biting his lip, and looked into Dumbledore's lined face.

"Professor Snape made a terrible -," Dumbledore started.

"Don't tell me it was a mistake, sir, he was listening at the door!" Harry interrupted.

"Please let me finish," Dumbledore requested, waiting for Harry to nod before going on. "Professor Snape made a terrible mistake. He was still in Lord Voldemort's employ on the night he heard the first half of Professor Trelawney's prophecy. Naturally, he hastened to tell his master what he had heard, for it concerned his master most deeply. But he did not know – he had no possible way of knowing – which boy Voldemort would hunt from then onward, or that the parents he would destroy in his murderous quest were people that Professor Snape knew, that they were your mother and father - "

Harry let out a yell of mirthless laughter.

"He hated my dad like he hated Sirius!" Harry remarked. "Haven't you noticed, Professor, how the people Snape hates tend to end up dead?"

"You have no idea of the remorse Professor Snape felt when he realized how Lord Voldemort had interpreted the prophecy, Harry," Dumbledore said. "I believe it to be the greatest regret of his life and the reason that he returned -."

"But he's a very good Occlumens, isn't he, sir?" Harry pointed out. "And isn't Voldemort convinced that -!"

"Enough, Harry," Ed interrupted.

Dumbledore and Harry looked at Ed.

"Ed -!" Harry started.

"I know that you hate Snape, Harry, but we have to trust him like Dumbledore does," Ed interrupted again.

"But you don't like him either!" Harry protested.

"I know I don't, but I know that he is on our side," Ed said. "Part of his job as being a part of the Order is to be able to fool Voldemort that he's on his side."

"Aren't you afraid of Pride finding -?" Harry started.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he already knows," Ed cut in. "Speaking bluntly, the homunculi and the bearded bastard don't care if Snape is on Voldy's side or ours. Besides, the castle won't be left unprotected. Dumbledore has got some extra protection up."

Then Harry told Dumbledore about Trelawney trying to hide her sherry bottles but was thrown out by a whooping Malfoy and of his suspicions.

"Enough," Dumbledore said calmly. "Do you think that I have once left the school unprotected during my absences this year? I have not. As Edward had said, I will put up some extra protection as before. Please do not suggest that I do not take the safety of my students seriously, Harry."

"I didn't -!" Harry started.

"I do not wish to discuss the matter any further," Dumbledore interrupted.

Harry bit back his retort, afraid that he had gone too far. A moment later though…

"Do you wish to come with me tonight?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes," Harry replied at once.

"Very well, then: Listen," Dumbledore ordered, standing up straight. "Edward, you listen too. I take you both with me on one condition: that you obey any command I might give you at once, and without question."

"Of course," Harry said immediately.

Ed opened his mouth and was about to protest.

"Edward," Dumbledore said, sternly.

"Fine," Ed said.

Dumbledore then turned to Harry.

"Now, be sure to understand me, Harry," Dumbledore instructed. "I mean that you must follow even such orders as 'run,' 'hide,' or 'go back.' Do I have your word?"

"I – yes, of course," Harry answered.

"If I tell you to hide, you will do so?"

"Yes."

"If I tell you to flee, you will obey?"

"Yes."

"If I tell you to leave me and save yourself, you will do as I tell you?"

"I -."

"Harry?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very good. Then I wish you to go and fetch your Invisibility Cloak and meet me in the entrance hall in five minutes' time. Edward, you may go tell Winry and Alphonse of -."

"No," Ed interrupted. "They'll be fine."

Then Harry dashed out of the room.

"Edward, why don't you want to go tell Winry and Alphonse?" Dumbledore asked.

"I don't need to," Ed replied. "Besides, they probably already know."

"Did you have another fight with Miss Rockbell?" Dumbledore asked. "If so, all the more reason to -."

"She'll be fine," Ed interrupted, then looking at Dumbledore. "Besides, do you really think this could be a true Horcrux?"

"Why do you ask?" Dumbledore asked.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Ed replied. "Professor Trelawney may be a nutcase sometimes, but her cards are right on. Something big is going to happen."

"And you think it may be tonight, Edward?" Dumbledore asked.

"I don't know, but I just don't like the feeling I have," Ed answered.

"You can always stay behind and be a part of the protection detail like -," Dumbledore started to offer.

"No," Ed interrupted. "It's been too long since I have been on any kind of adventure."

"You went to the Department of Mysteries last year," Dumbledore pointed out.

"Yeah, where I died," Ed retorted.

"But Alphonse was able to restore your life," Dumbledore said. "Not to mention, he restored your limbs."

"But I didn't even ask him to," Ed muttered.

Dumbledore chuckled.

"Younger brothers can be so rash like their elder brothers, can't they, Edward?" Dumbledore said. "Now, let's go wait for Harry in the entrance hall, shall we?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ed muttered.

Then they went to the entrance hall where they waited for Harry by the oaken front doors. A few moments later, Harry came skidding out onto the topmost stone step, panting hard, a searing stitch in his side. Not only did he have his Invisibility Cloak, Harry also had Ed's trademark red trench coat.

"Here," Harry said, holding the coat out to Ed. "Winry said that you would rather die than not have your favorite coat with you when you go out on an 'adventure' because you're an idiot."

"Thanks," Ed said, taking the coat and putting it on.

Besides his coat, Ed was wearing a pair of black pants, a black long-sleeved shirt, and his trademark black boots.

"What did Al say?" Ed asked.

"He agreed," Harry answered.

Ed scowled.

"I would like you to wear your cloak, please, Harry," Dumbledore requested, waiting for Harry to throw it on before saying, "Very good. Shall we go?"

Dumbledore and Ed set off at once down the stone steps, Harry hurrying alongside them.

"But what will people think when they see you and Ed leaving, sir?" Harry asked.

"That we're going to get drinks at Hogsmeade," Ed answered. "We've went to Hogsmeade before to discuss important stuff with some of the other Order members."

As they neared the end of the drive and near the gates of the school, Harry spoke up again.

"Will we be Apparating?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Dumbledore answered, smiling at the sudden look of distaste on Ed's face. "You can Apparate now, I believe?"

"Yes, but I haven't got a license," Harry answered.

"No matter," Dumbledore wove off. "I can assist you again."

Out of the corner of Harry's eye, he could see a shadow with sharp teeth coming towards them to try to stop them.

"Do not worry, Harry, we're almost to the gate," Dumbledore assured.

Once they turned out of the gates into the twilit, deserted lane to Hogsmeade, the shadow all of a sudden stopped. Dumbledore turned to face the angry, teeth clenching shadow. Ed and Harry also faced the shadow. No matter how many times Harry had seen Pride's shadows; he had always gotten a bit scared. Not including Dumbledore, who wouldn't get scared out of their pants?

"Pride can't go out the school gates?" Harry asked in shock.

"No, he cannot," Dumbledore answered. "Unless he is in his container, he cannot go outside the school gates."

"Why not?" Harry asked.

"He will die," Dumbledore answered.

"Soon, old man, you will die," Pride threatened.

"When the time comes, I will be ready," Dumbledore said.

"We will see about that," Pride said.

He snickered and left back to the school.

"Freaky bastard," Ed muttered.

"Yeah," Harry agreed.

"Come, let us go," Dumbledore said as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

Then they walked down the lane to Hogsmeade, and by the time they reached High Street night was falling in earnest. Lights twinkled from windows over shops and as they neared the Three Broomsticks they heard raucous shouting.

"—and stay out!" shouted Madam Rosmerta, forcibly ejecting a grubby-looking wizard. "Oh, hello, Albus, Edward…you two are out late…"

"Good evening, Rosmerta, good evening," Dumbledore greeted. "Forgive us, we're off to the Hog's Head…No offense, but we feel like a quieter atmosphere tonight…"

A minute later they turned the corner into the side street where the Hog's Head's sign creaked a little, though there was no breeze. In contrast to the Three Broomsticks, the pub appeared to be completely empty.

"It will not be necessary for us to enter," Dumbledore muttered, glancing around. "As long as nobody sees us go...now place you hand upon my arm, Harry. There is no need to grip too hard, I am merely guiding you. Edward…"

Dumbledore looked at Ed and then Ed frowned and nodded.

"Gotcha," Ed said.

Ed turned on the spot and Disapparated. Dumbledore and Harry followed a moment later.