Death

The weekend passed with Harry ignoring Wyatt's hints to tell his friends everything. Harry knew he was going to have to explain everything, but he also was too tired to deal with the blowout. Despite Wyatt's constant badgering, Harry held out until Monday morning. Most of the students had classes and they had the common room to themselves. Casey, Ethan, Draco, Chris and Daelan joined them and Harry requested Cho to come up to the common room after breakfast. Wyatt smiled all the way through breakfast and it only faltered when Ginny kicked him in a very uncomfortable place just to see if it was a spell.

"She could have just asked." Wyatt complained as he and Harry descended the stairs.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You're not getting any sympathy from me. Your smile was annoying and if she hadn't have done it, I sure as hell would have."

Wyatt shook his head and attached a crystal on the stair rail. No one was up stairs but Harry wanted to be sure that they had ample warning should they have missed anyone. They entered the common room at the same time Cho.

"Anyone up there?"

Cho shook her head. "I placed the alarm crystal half way down the stairs like you asked nonetheless."

"Thank you." Harry kissed her quickly.

Harry found a seat in a chair and enlarged it with a wave of his wand to make space for Cho. He looked around the circle they had formed. His two oldest friends, Ron and Hermione sat on the opposite side of the circle. Brendin and his girlfriend, Leah, were next on the couch along with Kyle. Then Daelan, Michelle, Ethan, and Casey sat in the largest couch in the common room. Draco and Chris were standing and talking on the other side of Cho. Then Wyatt and Ginny took up the two wooden chairs Ginny had conjured for no apparent reason. Caleb sat on the floor fiddling with his wand. Osric and Uur sat on the couch to complete the circle.

"So what's the secrecy all about, Potter?" Draco spoke up.

Harry frowned in Draco's direction. "There are some things that need to remain secrets, Draco. Dumbledore swore me to secrecy and now I am asking you to do the same. Dumbledore has kept all of this between me and him; he hasn't even told McGonagall."

Caleb's eyes shot up to meet Harry's. "Surely the Order's leader should know anything to do with the war."

"Dumbledore feels differently," Harry said with a shrug. "And I'm certainly not going to second guess him."

"Then what're you doing now?" Chris asked.

"He has given me permission to tell all of you," Harry stated slowly. "And for some of you, it won't be too big of a surprise…I have been taking these private lessons with Dumbledore over the course of the school year. Last night was my last lesson with him and now it's time to start putting this knowledge into action. I learned about Voldemort's past and how the orphaned Tom Riddle became the terror that murdered so many people."

Harry waited for people to start questioning him. "That was interesting, but what I found really vital was the fact that Voldemort made a Horcrux."

Chris, Uur, and Osric gasped. Casey asked the question, "A what?'

"A Horcrux is a magical object that protects a part of the creator's soul. As long as the Horcrux is intact, the creator is practically immortal. It is the reason Voldemort survived his own Killing Curse."

Osric frowned, "So he doesn't have one anymore or did he make another one?"

"No," Harry bit his lip, "Voldemort didn't lose his soul fragment that night. I don't get how it works but he is still the soul fragment that killed my parents. I can however, explain that he made six Horcruxes to make the count of his souls seven. Something to do with it being the perfect and neutral magical number."

Ethan spoke up, "So we have to go out and find the six Horcruxes?"

"That's what Dumbledore is doing at the moment, what he's been doing the entire year, really. And only five Horcruxes remain…I destroyed one when I was twelve." Harry smiled at his own vain attempt to lighten the situation. "Dumbledore said that he is very close to finding the location of the Horcruxes. We lucked out that; they have to be kept together in order for Voldemort to be as powerful as he is….When he figures out the location, I am going to go with to collect them."

It was Hermione and Ron's turn to be stunned. "You are what!"

"I am going with him." Harry said simply, but firmly.

Kyle frowned. "What did you have to do to get Dumbledore to agree to that?"

Wyatt spoke up. "Dumbledore suggested it and they are to go alone. No help from us or the Order."

"Are you insane?" Hermione exploded.

Harry shook his head but smiled when Cho squeezed his hand. "Before you get all worked up, I have another bomb to drop. I have a…unique power."

"We all know that," Ron stated heatedly, "You're the only person to survive a direct Killing Curse. Big surprise!"

Harry shook his head. "That was my mother's doing…but besides that, and that I am a descendent of Gryffindor and Merlin. I can control the Suxen without any of the side effects."

"You're joking," Chris whispered. "Even Wyatt can't command our tiny nexus."

"To make matters worse," Harry added over the growing noise, "I am a vampire…kind of."

"Oh, now you're just pulling our leg." Leah reasoned.

Harry shrugged and bared his fangs. Cho jumped but did not let go of his hand. "The Vampire Elders knew of a prophecy of the person who would control the Suxen and bring an end to this growing battle. They also reasoned that no human could survive that much power; so Antonius bit me when I was a baby."

Harry saw the attack coming a spilt second before it happened. Ron threw a dagger at his heart. Without even flinching he sent the dagger soaring into the roof where it stuck. But even his quick reflexes could not have protected him against the onslaught of spells and curses. Once Ron stopped to take a breath Harry reacted. He stood up and transformed into a fully formed Elder necromancer. His wings folded neatly behind his back and his bat-like ears made Uur's Elven ones look human. His skin turned a pale blue and his eyes turned violet. In the next second he turned back into Harry with sad emerald green eyes.

"Ron…" he began.

Ron pointed his wand at Harry's chest. "No! Harry, vampires are evil and if you were bitten, then…"

Wyatt stood up. "Then what Ron? He was bitten ages before you met him. Are you telling me that it was evil when he saved your sister from the Chamber of Secrets? Or when he risked his and Hermione's life to go and save you from Sirius Black? He was a necromancer when you met him on the train in your first year and when he waited patiently for you to get your stubborn head around the fact that he would never betray you in your fourth year. Tell me Ron: is Harry evil?"

Ron shrunk back into his seat as Wyatt threw question after question at him. "The Elders believe that vampires are evil."

Wyatt laughed. "Those are the same idiots who tried to kill me when I was two because I might tip the balance of good and evil. The guys who took my father away from his family and then betrayed him by sending his family into the very clutches of the resurrected Source in return for peace. The opinion of the Elders counts for very little, if anything."

Ron's ears burned. "Chris believes they're evil…"

Chris's eyes widened. "I, err…used to…."

Wyatt cut him off. "Is Harry evil?"

"No!" Ron automaticallyreplied.

"Then what the hell does it matter if he can turn into a bat-like freak or not?"

"Thanks, Wyatt." Harry muttered.

Wyatt shrugged. "What? You should look at yourself in the mirror some time."

Harry took charge again. "Now, this is a lot to take in, but I needed to tell you. Dumbledore sent word yesterday for me to pack. He's picking me up after dinner to go and check out this cave system where he believes the Horcruxes are being stored."

Cho paled. "You're going today?"

Harry nodded. "I would have told you sooner but Dumbledore did not want anyone to know unless they had to…"

Cho nodded slowly, her expression apprehensive. "You'd better take care of yourself, Potter."

Harry weakly smiled. "I always do…now you better go before the students revolt against Flitwick."

"You did this so we had no time to talk you out of this." Caleb criticized.

Harry smiled. "Hardly. There's no way any of you could have changed my mind anyhow. This is something that I need to do alone and it's something that has to be done."

Hermione eyed Ron warily. "Why not take us with you? Why do you have to do everything alone?"

Harry waved the worried girl silent. "There's nothing I would like more than to include you in every aspect of my life, but that is simply not logical. I was prophesied to bring down the greatest Dark Lord this or any other world has ever seen. I am supposed to bring an end to the constant balancing act known as the Greater Purpose…and to do that, I have to act alone. Dumbledore is only coming because I can't stop him, not because I want him to join me—" Harry stopped abruptly.

Wyatt frowned. "Harry?"

"Some things I am going to keep a secret. They will never be able to understand…" Harry's eyes refocused. He looked at Wyatt who smiled sadly in Ginny's direction. "Dumbledore has just arrived. I should go and meet him." Harry got up and started toward the door but stopped and turned around. "Watch the staff. Dumbledore feels there is someone here in the Order who has turned against us. Bottle this knowledge in the depth of your memories and do not discuss any of this with anyone…our lives may depend on it."

Kyle got up to follow Harry but Wyatt caught the teen by the shoulder and tripped Caleb as he started after Harry. He waited for Ron or Hermione to act but the redhead was still furious and Hermione was too shocked to respond. Wyatt turned around in time to see Harry disappear into the empty corridor.

"I hope you were right, Harry." he muttered before letting Kyle go.

Harry walked down the corridor and into an empty classroom and took a deep breath. He felt bad lying to all of them like that, but he had to come up with an excuse for his blank stare while he communicated with Wyatt. He let out the breath he was holding and allowed some of his anxiety to flow out with it. Now was certainly not the time to be worried about Ron's reaction or Hermione's shock. Dumbledore was close; he could feel it. And when the headmaster arrived he had to be ready to go and defeat whatever obstacles Voldemort had placed to protect his shattered soul.

Best get ready and take everything you think of…

"Who's there?" Harry whispered.

Hurry the headmaster is waiting…

"WHO'S THERE?" Harry said louder.

Harry stood still, waiting for the ghostly hollow voice to speak again but it never did. He closed his eyes and racked his brain around for an answer. When it came to him his eyes flew open. The voice, despite its disembodied characteristics, had sounded so familiar.

"Sirius?"

Go get ready…you're in danger…Dumbledore must not set foot on the grounds. Voldemort suspects something and has sent word to his spy at Hogwarts to stop the Headmaster from leaving the grounds. Go, Harry!

Harry gripped his head as a debilitating headache seized him. The pain subsided as quickly as it began. He sunk to the floor and allowed himself a single tear. Whoever that was, he knew would never talk to him again. He stood up and walked out the classroom heading to the dungeons. He knew he needed potion ingredients and sneaking into Gryffindor Tower was out of the question. He reached the staircase and shook his head in disbelief.

"Never thought I would go down these stairs of my own free will," he muttered to the empty Entrance Hall.

He checked his watch and realized he had ten minutes before Snape would be free. He walked down the corridor and telekinetically opened the door to one of Snape's offices. He walked quickly down the length of the narrow office to a second door. This one was charmed. Harry pulled out his wand and then replaced it. Snape was too smart to not think of the spell being disabled. He thought of just blasting the door open and explaining his actions later but he did not know how much time he would need.

He moved to pull out his wand again when his hand brushed over the ring. He pulled it out and placed on his small finger. He felt the immediate surge of power and the struggle to keep his vampiric form under wraps. He concentrated on the Earth and felt his power stretch out to touch it. He closed his eyes and allowed the stone floor to swallow him and then he reappeared on the other side of the door.

"Now what?"

There were thousands of ingredients in jars and canisters covering the three walls of the giant storeroom. None of them were labeled and many of them Harry had never seen. He walked down one shelf just examining the different assortment of magical herbs, animal parts, live animals, and the occasional organ that looked way too much like it belonged to a human once. He finally decided to just grab whatever popped into his head. He conjured a bag and without looking up started to summon items into it. After five minutes he had run out of ideas. He zipped the bag closed and threw it over his shoulder; the jars were unbreakable.

He exited the room the same way he had entered and ran up and out of the dungeons. He reached the front doors just as the bell rang for lunch. He pushed one of the giant wooden doors and slipped out before his fellow students started to pour into the Entrance Hall. He shut the door behind himself and pulled out his invisibility cloak from a charmed pocket in his robes. He had taken to carrying his father's cloak and the Marauder's Map with him everywhere he went. With the cloak on, he started down the long path to the front gates at the edge of Hogwarts' grounds.

Harry pulled the cloak off once he was outside the grounds and the anti-Apparation wards. He sat down under a shady oak tree and waited. He did not have to wait long. Thirty minutes after he arrived there was an almost inaudible 'pop' and a tired but pleased Dumbledore appeared out of thin air.

"Harry?" Dumbledore looked at his student with surprise.

Harry got up. "We'd better leave quickly, sir."

"What's wrong?" Dumbledore's voice turned urgent.

Harry sighed; he hated lying mainly because he was bad at it. "I had a vision of Voldemort talking to someone. He was telling that person to stop you from leaving the grounds."

"So there is a spy at Hogwarts," Dumbledore muttered to himself. "I must find him then."

Harry grabbed the veteran wizard. "No, we need to find the Horcruxes."

"My first responsibility is the protection of my students, Harry." Dumbledore shook Harry's hand off his shoulder and strode up to the gate.

Harry blocked his path. "You are protecting them by going after the Horcruxes. The sooner those are destroyed the sooner this war ends. Going up to the castle will only be falling into Voldemort's hands. Sir, please: we need to go. I have Wyatt, Ron, and Hermione on the spy situation. Wyatt will contact me the second something goes wrong." Harry characteristically held his breath, praying Dumbledore would believe everything.

Dumbledore stared at Harry. Finally he sighed, "Very well, Harry. Let us go end this godforsaken war."

Harry and Dumbledore dressed in Muggle attire and walked through a tiny village in a valley that seemed to have remained in the eighteen hundreds. They entered a small café and Dumbledore ordered tea. Harry found a seat outside just far enough from any of the other three customers to allow a private conversation. Dumbledore sat down in the seat in the shade and fostered his cup of tea. Harry idly stirred his cup waiting for Dumbledore to say something.

"Harry, as you know the Elves found a map of a set of caves. I was able to figure out that the caves run under that mountain range behind us. The Elven scouts reported that the entrance is unguarded, but that they could not enter the cave. A powerful dark magic blocked their entry so I am almost positive that this is where Voldemort hid his Horcruxes after creating them." Dumbledore took a sip of his tea. "I also deduced what ward Voldemort evoked…we have to wait until the full moon tonight in order to bring it down."

Harry nodded. "Sir, do you have any clue what to expect besides the ward?"

A well-tanned man sat down at the table right behind Harry.

"I do not," Dumbledore smiled politely. "I suspect that our friend will have left plenty of obstacles for us. He most certainly will have sentinels along with creatures simply there to guard the artifacts and destroy whoever crosses their path."

Harry leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes allowing his face to bake in the sun. He resisted the instinct to cower in the shade. He opened his eyes and sat back up. "How far is it?"

Dumbledore shrugged. "Four or five miles – we'll have to walk so that we don't attract any more unwanted attention. We will wait another hour before setting out. I want to give ourselves plenty of time to set up in case anything arises that I did not plan for."

Harry turned around to take in the scenery when his eyes fell on the man. He had long black hair and the makings of a beard. He wore pitch-black sunglasses and, despite the fairly warm day, a heavy dark blue jacket. He held a plastic coffee cup in one hand and his other was lying on the glass table. Harry spotted the ring and slowly turned around. He discretely moved to pull out his wand.

"I would not do that if I were you, Potter." The cold deep voice spoke and Harry felt a piece of metal against the back of his skull. "All three of us are going for a little walk. Make a single attempt to signal for help or reach for your wand, either of you, and I blow Harry's brains out."

Harry watched Dumbledore get up slowly and lay down a tip for the table cleaner before walking around the table and next to Eyad. Harry rose and turned around to see the muzzle of a revolver pointed at him. He looked around and the other customers seemed to have vanished and the street was empty.

"They were an illusion." Eyad stated. "Good, huh?"

Eyad motioned with the gun for them to start walking down the street and the two wizards obeyed. They walked all the way out of town before Eyad finally pushed Harry off the road. They carried on walking until the road was no longer visible.

"That's far enough." Eyad stated. "Now, what are the two men Voldemort hates more than any other doing all alone in an out-of-the-way village?"

Dumbledore spoke evenly, "We just wanted to get away from all the pressure for a few hours."

"Don't lie to me Dumbledore!" Eyad spat. He waved the gun in Dumbledore's direction.

Harry spotted the mistake. He motioned with his hand and the gun flew into his grasp. He pulled the trigger and discharged all five rounds into the chest of Voldemort's right-hand man. Eyad gasped as each shot lodged itself deep in his upper torso. He clutched his chest in horror before bursting out with a laugh. The bullets fell to the ground as they reemerged out of the holes they had created.

"Thought I'd go down that easily, Harry?" Eyad shook his head. "I thought Wyatt held you in high regards."

A purple spell flew from Dumbledore's wand and it grazed over Eyad's hair, exploding into a tree stump instead. Eyad just watched the tiny pieces of wood float slowly to the ground.

"You've lost your aim, Dumbledore."

Eyad moved quickly and had a dagger pressed hard against Dumbledore's neck. "If only Voldemort had not asked for the privilege of killing the two of you himself. This war would be over."

Harry growled and took a step toward Dumbledore. He moved at the speed of light and punched Eyad in the face. The ex-playmate of Wyatt toppled to the ground from the force of the punch. Harry softly pushed Dumbledore backwards and the dagger missed its mark. Harry turned his attention to Eyad and found himself flying through the air and into a tree. Eyad walked with unwavering menace toward the tree with a fireball bouncing in his hand.

"I promised Voldemort the pleasure, but you are making it extremely difficult for me to keep my promise." He threw the fireball at Harry.

Harry pushed himself up and batted the fireball aside. His eyes glowed violet and he transformed. He charged and collided with the demon. Eyad flew backwards and landed gently on his feet. He pulled a sword from his side and charged. Harry growled and beat down with his wings and Eyad ran right under him. Eyad changed direction and threw a dagger at Harry. Harry caught the blade in mid air and chucked it back at its owner. Eyad hissed when the blade embedded itself in his shoulder. Harry landed on the ground. Vines sprung up behind Eyad and pulled the demon onto the woodland floor. The vampiric wizardconjured a fireball and threw it at Eyad, who shimmered out before the fireball reached its mark.

Harry walked over to Dumbledore back in human form. "He gave up too easily."

"Perhaps," Dumbledore said slowly, "But I think we can no longer wait until midnight. We need to break those wards now before Voldemort shows up."

Harry grabbed Dumbledore's hand and disappeared in a blaze of fire.

The entrance to the caves was deep in the mountain range, completely cut off from the rest of the world and Harry thoroughly doubted that it was accessible without magic. He walked up to the opening in the mountains and gulped; it looked like the mouth of a giant snake. He stretched his hand and felt the surge of power shove it back. His hand tingled as if it had been electrocuted.

"So how do we bring it down?"

Dumbledore walked up to the ward and pulled out a dagger; the blade fluttered in the light breeze. He pushed the blade into the ward that appeared as a solid metal hull. The metal near the blade started to heat up and melt away. The hole grew to be a meter in diameter before the cave fought back. Harry spotted the rock just in time to push Dumbledore out of the way.

Dumbledore looked up and frowned. "That isn't the type of security measure Voldemort would use."

He took hold of the dagger again; this time the attack was immediate. An avalanche of rock cascaded down, intent on landing directly on top of the two wizards. Harry raised his hand above his head. The dirt around them rose up and blocked the boulders while vines grew out of the ground and cemented the rest of the rocks above in place.

"I can't hold them up for long." Harry warned Dumbledore.

Dumbledore pulled out his wand and started firing charm after jinx after hex at the shield. The hole grew no wider. Dumbledore released the dagger and used that hand to form a majestic phoenix out of flames. The phoenix soared into the hole pulling the dagger with it. The metal buckled and the edges of the hole grew white. There was the screeching sound of metal rubbing against metal and the entire wall fell off, being pulled behind the fiery bird. Dumbledore walked into the cave and Harry followed him quickly. The mouth of the cave was covered almost completely with fallen boulders when Harry's vines disappeared.

"Lumos," Harry muttered. His wand lit with the soft white glow of the simple spell.

The cave, despite the fairly arid environment outside, was slick with moisture. A thin layer of brown slime covered the floor encroached on the rough rock walls. The feeling of being inside a giant snake suddenly overwhelmed Harry. He pushed the fear aside and studied his surroundings. Nothing moved and he did not sense any traps. He turned to find Dumbledore.

"We had best keep moving." Dumbledore whispered. "Charm your clothing to repel the algae. I believe it is poisonous."

Dumbledore's wand light fell on the half decomposed bodies of various small rodents and insects. Harry watched in sickening disgust as the leg of a rat broke off the body and landed in the algae. He muttered the charm and followed Dumbledore around the bend and into the next chamber. This one was also covered in the algae but the occasional rock escaped its control. They walked slowly and stopped after every three steps to listen for any danger. Dumbledore walked passed the first rock and then the second. Harry came close to the first rock and froze.

He watched in horror as the rock Dumbledore was closest to unexpectedly moved and a jelly-like tentacle wrapped around the unprepared headmaster with lightning speed. Harry raised his hand to blow up the tentacle when the first rock caught him around the waist. He looked down at the rock to see a neon green giant octopus staring at him. The creature pulled its tentacle in and Harry pulled back to no avail. He glanced up at Dumbledore who was free of the tentacle and firing off stunning charms that rebounded off the body of the octopus. He allowed himself to feel pure anger for a split second and the tentacle released him. He smelled the burnt flesh and knew that his spell had worked.

He concentrated on the rock underneath the algae and the ground shook. The octopus dodged the fallen stalactite and sent a jut of black ink at Harry. Harry pushed the ink off course with a gust of wind andconjured a fireball. It was then he found himself staring into the eyes of one angry Komodo dragon. The dragon roared and Harry staggered backwards from the shockwave. He saw the creature Dumbledore was fighting was now a wyvern.

"What are these things?" He shouted.

He pulled the moisture in the air together and placed the floating bubble of water in front of a stream of fire from the small Common Welsh Green. The water turned into a puff of steam and Harry levitated out of the way of the rest of the inferno. He landed on the ground and fired off a Reducto curse. The curse hit the hind of the dragon and blasted a good chunk out the wall.

"Chamageons," Dumbledore answered as his creature burst into flames. He walked forward and waved his hand. The creature Harry was fighting shuddered and burst into flames as well. "A very rare and dangerous magical version of the chameleon."

Harry looked around and counted five more grey rocks in the chamber. "Why haven't those woken up?"

Dumbledore shrugged. "And I do not intend to find out. Let us move on; there are three more chambers to search."

Harry closed his eyes and tried to find the break in the wall. He could sense the next chamber and the presence of a large number of dark creatures. This wall, however, had no break in it and felt no different than the ground rock around it. He opened his eyes and shook his head. Dumbledore sighed and walked up to the wall and ran his hand over the rock and muttered spell just under his breath. Nothing happened and Harry began to wonder if the wall was simply a natural accident, a cave-in. But then the fact that he had not been able to walk through the rock told him that that was as far from the truth as Voldemort being an angel. He conjured a fireball and got ready to throw it.

"Wait," Dumbledore moved his right arm to his side and Harry's attack vanished. "I did not expect Voldemort to have been so crude." He turned back to the wall and carried on spelling.

"Sir?"

Dumbledore stopped and walked away from the wall. "The wall is a very basic ward, probably why neither of us sensed it. We were expecting the challenge to be much more complex." He reached where Harry was standing. "Finite Magius."

The wall broke in the middle and the two parts slid into the rock on either side. When the gap grew large enough creatures started to shove their way out and toward the two humans. Harry whipped up a small tornado and the first few Kuilenquale met their fate being smashed into the cave's wall. Dumbledore's wand lit up with a red charm and the two unfortunate Kuilenquale in its way exploded. They fought quickly but the creatures kept coming and quickly the entire chamber was crawling with smaller, pale Kuilenquale; along the edge stood larger armored Kuilenquale directing the chaos.

"Take out the officers, Harry." Dumbledore said in between stunning Kuilenquale.

Harry nodded and slammed his foot on the foot on a Kuilenquale armed with a crude short sword. The creature dropped the sword and wailed in pain. One of its own stabbed it and pushed it aside. Harry chopped the killer's head off wit the sword and picked up that sword. He took aim and threw one of the swords at the closest officer. The creature stared in horror as the sword pinned it against the wall by the neck. Harry caught another Kuilenquale by the head and with strength he did not realize he possessed, chucked it at the officer standing in the opening between the two chambers. The officer fell but pushed the pawn off itself. It charged at Harry pushing others out of its way.

Harry caught the blade with a rock and kicked out. The Kuilenquale dropped the stuck sword and backhanded Harry with its rusty spiked glove. Harry reeled backwards and tripped over a body. The officer leered. Harry pulled out his wand; a movement later he was covered in the black blood of his attacker. He spat out a glob of the blood before sitting up. He touched his cheek and felt the wounds the glove had inflicted.

"Expurgo," Harry muttered a disinfectant spell.

He pushed himself up while killing another Kuilenquale. He turned around and found Dumbledore's wand pointed at him.

"These are stronger than the last ones we fought."

Harry nodded. "There's no way we are going to kill all of them…" Harry froze.

Dumbledore's wand was lit with a giant sun. Harry wrapped himself in a shield as the air around them shimmered in the heat. The rock above them turned molten red and started to drip on the melting carcasses of crazed Kuilenquale. The headmaster's eyes were void of emotion and Harry shuddered in recognition. That was the same feeling he had when he stared down Voldemort's red orbs. The spell wound down and left Harry and Dumbledore in a sea of semi molten rock and burning bodies.

"If you would please, Harry." Dumbledore's voice trembled.

Harry parted his hands and a path of black rock appeared between two three-foot tall walls of molten red. It wound its way around the bodies and down into a staircase that was cut into the stone. The stairs wound into the earth. Dumbledore went down first with his wand at the ready. Harry pocketed his wand and conjured a sword instead.

This chamber, lit by torches all along the wall, the two stepped through. The wooden door shut behind them. In front just out of the reach of the flickering lights glowed a green half orb covering a table. On the table lay five indistinguishable objects.

"Is this the last chamber?" Harry spoke in a whisper.

Dumbledore shrugged tiredly. "That would be my guess, but none of the blueprints showed the staircase."

Dumbledore walked cautiously down toward the table. The glow from the ward gave the headmaster's face a sickened look. The creases in the forehead increased considerably when Dumbledore reached the edge of the ward. Harry stood next to Dumbledore and waited patiently for Dumbledore to speak.

Dumbledore breathed heavily. "I believe that we are missing something…I would be extremely disappointed if Voldemort did not learn from his previous mistakes…"

"Sir?" Harry frowned.

Dumbledore waved his hand. "It's not important – perhaps you would like to make this place a bit brighter?"

Harry nodded. He raised both hands to the sides and concentrated on the anger he kept hidden. All the feelings he had for Bellatrix and Voldemort…Dumbledore… Snape…even his frustrations with Ron. His eyes turned red and the flaming torches engulfed the ceiling. The entire chamber became illuminated with angry orange light. Harry lowered his hands and his eyes slowly reverted back to their usual cool emerald.

"Ah yes, I knew Voldemort would leave a clue. He doesn't want people accidentally blowing his Horcruxes up."

Dumbledore walked around the table and to a small stalagmite that seemed to have had it top blasted off. On the remains of the stone formation lay a piece of parchment. Dumbledore picked the piece of paper up and unfolded it. He seemed to skim it over before walking back over to Harry. He handed Harry the piece of paper and turned around to study the ward.

Harry read the message scrawled in black ink. 'Those who seek to remove what was broken must first be touched by death to obtain what they seek.'

"Sir…" Harry stopped.

Dumbledore stood rigid staring back at the stalagmite. He was visibly shaking. Harry looked past Dumbledore and froze. Standing next to the stalagmite was a cloaked wizard with his wand pointed directly at Dumbledore.

"So it seems Voldemort's fears about you finding this place were well founded, although it has taken you long enough, Dumbledore."

Harry frowned. "Who are you?"

"That is unimportant, but I know who you are…Potter's son. Your father was a real pest for my family and me, particularly. As if having the Weasleys in the same family tree was not bad enough."

Dumbledore spoke slowly. "Regulus, Sirius swore you died."

"There are quite a few things you have been fooled with, Dumbledore. Although I was fearful that my own brother might have realized that I would never have turned against the old ways," Regulus smiled. He looked like Sirius when Harry first met him back in his third year except Regulus had brown eyes. "I was a bit annoyed when Lord Voldemort assigned me this duty seventeen years ago, but over time I realized that I was probably his most trusted servant. Lucius, his prodigy, only was given the task of guarding one Horcrux and Bellatrix, my cousin, did not even know of my master's plans."

Dumbledore twitched and Regulus whipped his wand through the air. A loud crack like that of thunder reverberated through the chamber. "Stay still with your wand lowered, Dumbledore. Voldemort told me to take intruders alive but I will kill you if you try anything."

Dumbledore nodded and made an effort to show his wand was directed toward the ground. "So you have sent word to Voldemort already?"

Regulus shook his head. "You already did. By picking up that slip of paper you alerted him of exactly who was in this cave. Now before my master arrives, would you introduce me to your pupil?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Harry, this is the most feared wizard in existence apart from Voldemort, Regulus Black."

Harry frowned. "He doesn't look so tough."

Regulus laughed. "Perhaps I should show you?"

He pointed his wand at Dumbledore. Dumbledore tumbled to the floor. Another movement of Regulus's wand and Dumbledore was bleeding so profusely that there was a decent pool in seconds. Regulus smiled and waved his wand. The bleeding stopped and some of the color returned to Dumbledore's skin.

Harry silently felt guilty for pushing Regulus into action but he knew they were running out of time. "That is hardly power."

Harry waved with and single finger and Regulus slammed into the stalagmite. He stomped once and the stalactite part of the stalagmite found its way into Regulus's leg. He motioned with his hands and the ground underneath Regulus swallowed the Death Eater until only his face was above ground. Harry smiled.

"Interesting, I did not know that the Potters were so flexible in their use of the elements," Regulus spoke coolly. The ground trembled and Regulus burst out of his prison and levitated just off the ground. His leg burned black and turned into a pile of ash. "It has certainly been awhile since I have had to re-grow a limb. Only Voldemort has been able to injury me that badly. I'm impressed…Harry, right?"

Harry nodded. "Well, I defeated Riddle plenty of times; his second-in-command shouldn't be so cocky."

Regulus faltered. "You what? Impossible." He hissed. Harry could tell his anger was rising to the surface."Voldemort has never been defeated except for the minor duel he had with Dumbledore before he actually began his rise to power."

Harry shrugged. "Well," He held his hand up to start to counting the times, "I almost killed him when I was one—"

Dumbledore interrupted him. "Regulus, you have not been out of this cave since Voldemort assigned you this task?"

Regulus nodded turning his attention off Harry. "I have been eating the rodents and drinking from the lake a few level below us. I have not seen the sun in seventeen years. I heard rumblings earlier, perhaps six weeks ago, and ever since then there have been scratching and chatter and the occasional scream. What was that?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Kuilenquale. Voldemort added a new defense."

Regulus frowned. "And yet he did not come and greet me?"

Harry closed his eyes. "Sir, we need to hurry."

Dumbledore nodded. "Regulus, you could join us…"

Regulus coldly laughed. "I will never join you…you poisoned my brother's mind and almost won others loyal to the old ways. The only reason you are still standing is Voldemort; because I know my master is near."

"Right then." Harry said.

He waved his hand and the flame covering the ceiling moved toward Regulus. Regulus locked up and raised his hand above his head and the flame was diverted around him. Regulus raised his wand and a red spark knocked Dumbledore flat on the floor. Harry watched in slow motion as Dumbledore's eyes fluttered shut. The anger he had been so careful to keep bottled exploded out. The flames reacted to his anger and engulfed Regulus. The Death Eater screamed and was vaporized in the heat. Harry dropped down next to the headmaster and felt for a pulse.

"Sir, you can't do this…Albus, please!" Harry muttered. He let out a long slow breath when felt the soft push against his finger.

Dumbledore opened his eye and cringed. "Harry, what happened?"

"I thought you were dead," Harry blurted out. He felt like he needed to explain his actions. This was the second of Sirius's family members he had killed.

"He is dead?"

Harry nodded and his eyes fell to the floor. He waited for the disappointment to show in Dumbledore's voice or even an admonishment. Neither came.

"Harry, we need to hurry." Dumbledore's voice showed relief. He tried to stand up but he cringed in pain and remained seated on the floor.

Harry nodded and looked back at the table. "Sir, how am I supposed to get past the wards?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore seemed at first not to notice Harry talking to him as the aged wizard stifled a shout of pain. "The clue please, Harry."

Harry handed him the clue and then stood up to make sure no other dark creature or wizard surprised either of them. Dumbledore was muttering under his breath as he read the clue. "Voldemort was never one to make up decent riddles, so my assumption is that Severus or perhaps Regulus wrote this clue."

Harry's mind jumped back to Hermione correcting his potions essay

"The nickname! Come on Harry you need to use more formal words in your writing; it is practice for when you have a job. But you do have the right information; death…"

"Sir, could the answer be a potion?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore mulled the question over. "I believe that could be a possibility, but I think it is the effect of that potion rather than the potion itself. Voldemort would never think a Muggle would make it all the way to this table and not many wizards would be willing to lose their powers. Any powerless wizard or witch would not be able to destroy the Horcruxes; Voldemort thought this last obstacle out completely." Dumbledore said, although Harry found the information repetitive.

"I have some potion ingredients in my bag," Harry mumbled. He still had no clue what made him listen to that voice and bring his bag or place potion ingredients in it. And the fact that Regulus had made an appearance did not help ease his mind about the disembodied voice.

Dumbledore struggled to his feet, paling at the pain. He looked at the wards. "Excellent! You will make a perfect Auror, Harry." Dumbledore sounded weak and he swayed on his feet. "I believe Severus taught you how to make the potion."

Harry nodded and dug in his bag for the ingredients; he could make the potion easy. He had been the only one able to complete the potion, which shocked everyone, especially Hermione, Snape, and himself. The unicorn flesh was as ever glowing faintly and was covered in the mercury like substance that was the cursed blood. Harry chose the same herb he had used to make the potion last time, sage. He covered the slice of unicorn flesh in exactly five sage leaves and placed it in the bowl Dumbledore handed him. He pointed his wand at the herb encrusted meat and thought latagora. The meat glowed golden like the potion it was an antidote to before turning into the sickening green color that meant it was ready.

Harry frowned. "Who is going to take it, sir?" Harry asked already knowing the answer.

"I will. You need to be able to fight Voldemort still; I am old." Dumbledore moved to drink the potion.

"But sir, you said that it would be love that destroyed Voldemort not my power…" Harry tried to argue but Dumbledore raised his hand.

"My dear boy, you are kind, but I am going to drink the potion. I am wiser and as such will be able to hopefully regain my powers while the loss of yours may very well kill you, hence the name Death. The person who gave the potion that name watched her brother die because his body could not handle the stress of the magic being ripped from it." Dumbledore looked Harry in the eyes and smiled before drinking the potion in one gulp.

Harry completely was shocked at what happened next. Dumbledore struggled to aim his collapse onto the table and succeeded. The ward protecting the Horcruxes shattered like a glass bowl that had been placed over a bomb that exploded. Pieces flew everywhere narrowly missing the two wizards but Harry paid the shards little attention. His focus was on his headmaster who was screaming out in horrible pain as if Voldemort had placed the man under the Cruciatus Curse. Dumbledore screamed until his voice failed him and then he slowly slid off the table and landed hard on the stone floor.

Harry grabbed the Horcruxes quickly before the ward could stop him and slipped them into his bag. He then knelt next to Dumbledore and tried to revive him but did not get any response. Harry checked Dumbledore's vital signs and felt a faint pulse; Dumbledore's breathing was still strong, although Harry could hear a vague wheezing sound.

Harry was so preoccupied by the injured headmaster that he did not notice that the shards from the ward were glowing. The shards slowly gathered themselves together near Harry and transformed into a six foot long jet green snake with yellow eyes that could kill. Harry sensed in the back of his mind something watching him and turned around to look but spotted the shadow of the creature and shut his eyes immediately. The miniature basilisk coiled up and reared back to strike and lunged exactly where Harry was but it missed. Harry and the unconscious Dumbledore were now on the other side of the room. Damn! Voldemort made sure that no one could escape without killing that thing and this time I don't have Fawkes. Harry placed a shield charm on Dumbledore's body before conjuring a dagger.

"Stay still," he hissed hoping that the snake would listen to him.

Harry heard what could be considered laughing. "I answer only to the true snake talker."

Harry, eyes shut, sighed nervously. He pulled out his wand and concentrated on the charm to blind an opponent. He heard the snake slam into the opposite wall and it hissed curses at him, which he took as a good sign. He risked a peek at his surroundings and saw the snake slithering quickly toward him but two red scales now covered its eyes. Harry raised his wand high above his head and brought it down hard thinking Sectumsempra. The snake jerked backwards but seemed otherwise unharmed by the deadly curse. The green serpent rose up to strike again and would have hit Harry had it not been for his wand. The wand was swallowed quickly by the snake, leaving Harry only with a dagger. The snake struck again but Harry blinked out of the way and sent a powerful telekinetic wave at the snake. The King of Serpents slammed into the wall causing some of it to collapse. Harry, surer of himself, raised his hand in front of himself and conjured a fireball, which he threw at his enemy. The snake opened its mouth and sprayed venom at the fireball; the fireball was extinguished. That's new.

"I have more tricks than my grandfather." The snake hissed. "All thanks to Salazar's heir's wisdom."

Harry hissed a retort. "Anything that believes Voldemort is wise is a fool."

Harry threw his dagger at the serpent and it hit the snake right between the eyes. The snake hissed in pain and sprayed black gunk wildly before collapsing dead. Harry's right arm was hit by the black gunk and immediately told his brain that something was wrong. Harry yelled out in pain and magically removed the acid before it could do more damage. Harry looked at his right arm or what was left of it. The acid had eaten away to the bone and even through the bone for two of his fingers. It reminded him of Dumbledore's arm it his vision where Snape killed the headmaster. Harry waved his hand concentrating on his connection to Wyatt and his wand orbed into his hand.

He grabbed Dumbledore who had woken up and helped the headmaster stand up. "Lean on me, sir. I'll get us out of here. And don't worry." He said the last part to mainly reassure himself.

"I'm not worried, Harry." Dumbledore wearilycroaked. "Not when I am with you."

They reached the outside with little trouble. Harry set the headmaster down on a rock just outside the cave entrance and regained his breath. It was night, and the sky was cloudy. As his breathing grew less heavy, he heard the sounds of a battle close by. He pulled out his wand and turned just in time to come face to face with a necromancer elder.

"Xtoperus?" Harry gasped.

Xtoperus nodded. "Get the hell out of here. Voldemort has a whole army here. We're dealing with them but you need to get back to Hogwarts."

Harry nodded and walked the few steps back to Dumbledore. "Sir? Are you ready for a trip?"

Dumbledore's eyes opened slightly. "Just don't Apparate. You're terrible at it…."

Harry did not know whether to laugh or argue. He decided against both and took Dumbledore's hand; making sure the bag carrying the Horcruxes was securely on his back, Harry flamed out.

AN: Nothing much to say. I'm writing the last major battle scene.

Next Chapter –

Harry's power, Voldemort's anger, and much more