The Horcrux Quest

Chapter Eleven

"We're going in tomorrow. I talked to a few people around here. They say that the forest just northwest of this hotel is where all the people were disappearing. That's where we're headed."

"Harry, are you sure? We don't want to just head into forests, hoping we'll find something there..."

"I'm positive, Hermione. Should we pack our stuff then?"

"Yes, I guess then we can just grab it at the last minute if we need to leave. If it isn't the right forest, then we can just come back to the hotel and go on like nothing happened."

"Brilliant, Hermione, as always."

"Oh shut it, Ronald."

Ron and Harry then started packing their things, while Hermione and Ginny went back to their room to do the same.

"Hey Harry, what's this?"

Harry looked up from where he was picking up shirts from off the ground.

"Hmm? Oh.. that... that's... well, whatever, it's mine."

"What's in it?"

"I dunno, I never checked. Remus gave it to me, on my birthday. I never got around to going through it."

Harry accepted the bag, and walked over to his bed. He peered into the bag for a fleeting second, before closing it quickly and putting it into his trunk. It was a bottomless bag, filled with all sorts of memoirs and things. He didn't have time to go through all of it at that moment, and he wasn't so sure he really wanted to. He had a job to do. The fate of the wizarding world was on his shoulders, and he didn't have time for trips down memory lane, or any such extratime consuming activities.

The next day, the group silently took their wands, and headed for the forest. When they reached it, Harry stepped forward.

"You don't have to come in, you know that, right?"

Hermione shook her head.

"We're coming in, Harry, we're not turning back now, and we never will."

Ginny and Ron nodded in agreement, and they headed into the forest.

As they went deeper in, their conversations got softer and more nervous, and the woods around them seemed to get darker and close in around them. The path was almost fully grown over, and they could barely make it out. Suddenly they heard a distant 'woosh'. They immediately stopped, and took out their wands. Something was moving in the shadows.

Suddenly, they were surrounded by lethifolds. The dark creatures' cloaks rippled, though there was no wind. Harry was immediately reminded of dementors, and summoned his patronus. The stag came galloping out of his wand, and charged at the dark creatures. Hermione, shaken out of her shock, added her patronus to the fight.

"RON! GINNY!"

They also added their patroni. The four animals ran at the surrounding lethifolds, and, after a few minutes, were able to push them far back into the woods.

Harry leaned over, breathing heavily.

"Keep... your guard...up."

They nodded, and, taking one last deep breath, straightened up. When they looked around, they realized they were already surrounded by a mass of snakes, which were all hissing threateningly at them. Hermione's extensive studying came in handy, as she cast a complicated shield charm around them. Harry immediately started hissing in parseltongue at the snakes, trying to get them to leave. A few hissed and slithered into the distance, but the rest remained. Harry hissed threats at them. Several backed down, but still many remained. Hermione kept the shield up, while Ron and Harry tried to set the snakes on fire, by shooting flames at them. Ginny cast her famous bat-bogey hexes at the snakes. Between the two spells, the group was able to immobilize the serpents enough to escape. They ran as fast as they could, through the only opening they could find. They didn't know how long before the snakes would be able to attack again.

They came to a stop when they reached a river. However, the river wasn't filled with water. It was filled with a dark red liquid; blood. Ginny's eyes filled with tears. There were bodies floating around the river.

"The bodies of the missing muggles." She whispered.

There was a boat on the bank that they were on, and Harry headed over to it.

"Ginny, we have to cross the river. If this is like the lake I had to cross with Profess... with the Headmaster, then it will register who goes in the boat. It will only allow one person to go in it. I'm going. Ginny, unless you don't want to, you have to be the one to come with me, since it won't register you, as you aren't of age yet. Bad judgement onTom's part, but good for us. Are you coming?"

"Of course."

"What do we do, mate?"

"Wait here, I guess. If you come... I don't know what will happen, and, frankly, I don't want to find out."

Harry and Ginny climed silently into the boat, and it started across the river. When they reached the other bank, they saw a mass of fog. Through it, a gold cup was indistinctly visible.

"That's it, Gin. I have to go in."

He stuck an arm into the fog, and inhaled sharply.

"Please Gin, you have to stay here."

She nodded, and he started into the fog.

The fog seemed to be made up of pieces of glass, or knives, as it sliced his skin, cutting at him. The river rippled as his blood was added to the crimson mixture. Harry brought his hand up to shield his face, grateful that his glasses were somewhat protecting his eyes, otherwise he would have been blind by then. After what seemed like hours, he finally reached the center of the deadly mist. The cup shone brightly on a pedestal. With shaking arms, he reached for it. It was a dead weight in his weakened arms. He ran as quickly out of the fog, back to the river. Ginny helped him climb into the boat, before getting in herself. They crossed back over the river.

When they got to the other side, Harry climbed out, and collapsed, unconscious.

Ron gathered Harry up in his arms, while Ginny took the cup. Hermione apparated as close to the hotel as she dared. She didn't need muggles seeing her performing magic, or for any wizards to realize that she wasn't just a muggle. She quickly ran to their rooms and collected their things, which they had packed the night before. She signed them out of the hotel, and thanked the manager. She then left the hotel, and apparated back to where her friends were waiting.

Hermione side-along apparated Ginny, while Ron did the same for Harry, and the group left Albania.

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