"Miss Green, a word?"
Teddie looked up from her homework as Professor Snape stood behind the three seated leather sofa, she glanced around the room, noting how many people had turned to observe the interaction.
"Sure," Teddie said, standing. She turned to her friends, offered them a small smile, and followed Professor Snape out of the common room.
"Professor Dumbledore is waiting for you in the Entrance Hall," said Professor Snape. "He says that you are to accompany him tonight on his evening stroll."
Teddie raised a curious eyebrow. Granted, she could remember Dumbledore saying that she and Harry could go with him when he found a Horcrux, but surely, he had not managed to find one so soon.
"Do I want to know what this midnight stroll is about?" Professor Snape asked.
Teddie hesitated. She trusted Snape more than most adults in her life, and she hated lying to him; but Professor Dumbledore had been specific about the people she could talk to about these 'strolls' as he wanted to call them.
"Miss Green?" Professor Snape asked, raising a questionable eyebrow.
"Last time I spoke to him," said Teddie, trying to keep her voice as even as possible, "he said that we would talk soon about my progress this year as Junior Charms assistant, and my future as a Charms undergraduate at Magic University. To be honest, I did not think he would be calling for me so soon, especially with a few weeks left."
"Mhm. Indeed," said Snape, thoughtfully. "I thought, at the very least, a meeting of this sort would include the Headmaster, your Head of House, and the Professor of your chosen profession."
Teddie licked her lips. She had not been as convincing as she believed. "Then, I don't know," she said. "I'm sure if it was super important, Professor Dumbledore would've told you."
"It has to be super important if he has requested you, Miss Green."
"What do you want me to say?" Teddie asked.
"The truth!"
"I don't know the truth!" Teddie cried, stopping short and staring up at her Head of House. "Dumbledore wants to see me, for what reasons, I don't know."
Professor Snape sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I apologize, Miss Green, I didn't intend to lose my temper with you. You are quite right, however, whatever Dumbledore wants with you must be important that he is calling you out of the common room after hours."
Teddie sighed, nodding numbly.
They had reached the staircase that would lead them to the Entrance Hall. Snape stopped and turned back to Teddie, blocking her path.
"What are you doing? Teddie asked, stunned.
"I just want you to know," said Snape. "Whatever happens tonight, none of it was your fault."
Teddie furrowed her brow. "Professor -" she started.
Professor Snape squeezed her shoulder and then urged her up the stone steps and into the Entrance Hall. Dumbledore and Harry were standing by the great Oak doors, and both looked around when they arrived.
"Ah, thank you, Severus," said Dumbledore, graciously.
Teddie looked up at Snape, his last words playing over and over inside her head. What was going to happen tonight? And why would she think it would be her fault?
"I'll take it from here, Severus," said Dumbledore. "We will see you in a few hours."
Teddie felt Snape's hand tighten on her shoulder. His long, bony fingers digging into her shoulder blade; before he released her and allowed her to walk the short distance from the dungeon door to the front doors.
Glancing back as she reached Dumbledore and Harry, Teddie met Snape's gaze. He nodded once and them melted back into the shadows, disappearing beyond the door, and closing it with a snap.
"Alright. Before we go, I have some ground rules," said Dumbledore, gaining both Harry and Teddie's attention. "And it is essential that you both abide by them without hesitation. Do you understand?"
Teddie and Harry shared a look, but nodded nonetheless
~X~
The smell of salt and the sound of waves crashing against rock was the first thing Teddie noticed as she took a deep breath after Apparating. She then opened her eyes and saw she was standing on a secluded beach somewhere far away from Hogwarts.
"Uh, Professor?" Teddie questioned looking around for Dumbledore. It was dark now, stars twinkled in the black sky, and were illuminated on the water surface, wrinkled only as waves continued to swirl into shore.
White foam gathered on the surface of the waves near the beach, and off in the distance a jagged black rock had burst out of the sand, behind it was a sheer clifftop that did not look safe.
"What do you think?" asked Dumbledore
"Uh," said Teddie, blinking. She turned to Harry, hoping that he had some understanding of what Dumbledore was talking about.
If the look on his face was anything to go by, he did.
"They brought the kids from the orphanage here?" Harry asked.
"This is where eleven-year-old Riddle attacked those two kids?" asked Teddie.
"Where it is believed he attacked them," corrected Dumbledore. "Both kids, and Riddle swear that he did nothing to them, remember?"
Teddie rolled her eyes. "If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck," she said. "He did something to those kids. I do not care what anyone says."
"However, they did not bring the children here precisely," added Dumbledore. "There is a village of sorts about halfway along the cliffs behind us. The orphans were taken there for a little sea air and a view of the waves."
"I can imagine in the day the view is incredible," said Teddie, looking around. "I mean, it is lovely by starlight, but getting here would be hard. How do you think he did it?"
Dumbledore smiled at her. "I can't say for sure, but I'm guessing magic played a part in it," he said.
"But the two children he had with him; they didn't have magic."
"Which is what, I believe at least, is what frightened them."
"And it was that fear that Riddle fed off," said Teddie.
Dumbledore nodded.
"They say that evil isn't born," said Teddie, brushing her hair behind ear as it blew into her face. "I do believe there was some part of Riddle that wasn't entirely good when he was born."
"Fortunately, as you know, both Riddle and his victims survived this trip," said Dumbledore.
Harry looked around. "But why would he bring them here?" he asked. "There isn't much to do here, and there's no shelter."
"His destination – and ours – lies a little farther on. Come."
Dumbledore beckoned the pair to the very edge of the rock where a series of jagged niches made footholds leading down to boulders. They were half submerged in water, and Teddie felt her sock squish against her shoes as she stepped down onto the next foothold.
The descent was dangerous and slippery with wet shoes, once or twice, Teddie felt Harry catch the hood of her jacket, keeping her from slipping forward or sideways. Once they were back on solid footing, she turned and smiled her thanks.
"Lumos," said Dumbledore, as he reached the boulder closest to the cliff face. A thousand flecks of golden light sparkled upon the dark surface of the water a few feet below. "You see?"
Teddie peered closer, her reflection obstructing her view for a split second before the jagged rocks just beneath the surface gave way to a fissure where the water was swirling.
"Do you object to getting wet?" Dumbledore asked.
"Bit late for that," said Teddie, looking down at her shoes.
Harry shook his head.
"Then let us take the plunge."
Teddie gasped as, without warning, Dumbledore slid from the boulder, landed in the sea, and began to swim, with a perfect breaststroke, toward the dark slit in the rock face, his lit wand held in his teeth.
Harry paused and turned to Teddie.
Teddie did not say a word as she took out her wand, muttered 'Lumos' and stepped off the boulder. Her descent made a splash, sending icy water spraying into the air, and she cried out in alarm as it seeped through her clothes, pulling her down beneath the surface for a second.
"Gotcha!" said Harry, landing in the water beside her. His teeth chattered, but he still managed to wrap a hand around Teddie's upper arm and haul her back to the surface. The pair clung together and tread water, following the shrinking light now moving deeper into the cliff.
"Swimming… at night…" Teddie breathed, her chest aching as she broke through the waters. "Not a… clever idea…"
The fissure soon opened into a dark tunnel. The slimy walls were barely three feet apart and glimmered like wet tar in the passing lights of Dumbledore and Teddie's wands.
A little way in, the passageway curved to the left, extending deeper into the rock face. Teddie could not help but wonder, if the current had been stronger, would they have been swept that way.
Ahead, Dumbledore had reached a ledge and was hauling himself out onto dry land. He turned, raising his wand higher into the air, and spilling golden light over the way students.
Reaching their Headmaster, Harry found the steps first and climbed out. He turned to help Teddie as she 'Nox' her wand, and scrambled onto the rock, her waterlogged clothes feeling like two tonnes heavier than when she started.
Catching her breath, Teddie twirled her wand between her fingers and then pointed it at her feet. She muttered a spell, and Harry watched with wide eyes as steam issued itself from her clothes, rising higher up her body as the water was sucked out of her trousers, shirt, and jacket.
Harry's teeth chattered as Teddie stood. "Could you -?" he asked.
Teddie nodded and turned her wand to him. She muttered the same spell and rose her wand up from Harry's shoes.
Instantly, he felt the warmth and smiled. "Thanks!"
"No problem. Professor -?" Teddie asked, turning to Dumbledore.
"No thank you, Miss Green," said Dumbledore, raising his hand and shaking his head.
Teddie shrugged and pocketed her wand. "This is the place, isn't it?" she asked.
"Yes," said Dumbledore. "This is the place."
"How can you tell?" Harry asked.
"It has known magic," answered Dumbledore. He was now revolving on the spot, taking in everything from the swirling waters to the slimy walls. "This is merely the antechamber, the entrance hall. We need to penetrate the inner place. Now it is Lord Voldemort's obstacles that stand in our way, rather than those nature made."
Teddie cocked her head to the side and moved over to the left of the rock face. She reached up, her fingertips brushing the rough surface and then hissed, withdrawing. "It's here!" she called.
Harry and Dumbledore hurried over.
"How did you -?" Harry started.
Teddie shrugged. "I could sense it," she answered. "Like, something was telling me that this was the entrance." She looked up at Dumbledore. "Is that what you meant the last time we spoke."
"Partially," said Dumbledore. He stepped away from the wall and pointed his wand at the surface. For a moment, an arched outline appeared there, blazing white.
"You did it!" Harry cried.
"Not quite," said Teddie, huffing as the light disappeared and the stone wall remained untouched.
The silence extended for a few more minutes, before Dumbledore said softly, "Oh, surely not. How crude."
"What is it, Professor?" Harry asked.
"I rather think that we are required to make payment to pass," said Dumbledore, withdrawing a small silver knife from his pocket.
"Payment?" Harry echoed.
"Yes. Blood, if I am not much mistaken."
"Blood?"
"I said it was crude," said Dumbledore, pressing the sharpened end of the blade into the palm of his uninjured hand.
"Professor!" Teddie and Harry cried.
Dumbledore waved them off before sliding his blood palm against the rough rock. "It would seem that Lord Voldemort intends for whomever wants to enter should weaken themselves beforehand," he said. "He once again fails to understand that there are much worse fates than physical injury."
"Sure, but, Professor, you could've asked -" Harry cut off.
"I appreciate you volunteering, Harry, but your blood is worth more than mine," said Dumbledore.
"It seems, yours is worth something too, Professor," said Teddie, noticing how the wall had not shifted, but was now stained with a bloody handprint.
A small frown appeared on Dumbledore's lips. "Mhm," he murmured.
"Maybe we should try me," Harry offered.
Placing a hand on his arm, Teddie stopped Harry from taking the knife. "What if the answer is simple? Yes, Blood payment is required, but there is a form of magic out there that is based solely on blood magic – familiar magic. It is how Avery was able to track my parents - she used Mason, and it is how she found Caroline."
"You want -" Harry gestured from the knife to the wall. "What if it doesn't work?"
"I think it will," said Teddie, confidently. "When he placed this Horcrux, Voldemort did not ever think he would have a family, and as much as he does not love me, he never thought I would be hunting down the things keeping him alive. He never intended for me to know about them, or if he did, hiding them behind Blood Magic means that he does not have to search for each one alone shoulder someone try to destroy them."
"You're rambling," said Harry.
Teddie turned to Dumbledore. "May I, Professor?" she asked, holding out her hand.
Dumbledore handed her the knife, and she closed her hand around the blade. She felt the sting of the serration bite against her palm, and blood pooled into the centre, pressing her whole hand flat against the wall, Teddie was rewarded with a slight creak as the wall gave way.
"Well done, Teddie," said Dumbledore. "After me, I think," he added, stepping through into the darkness.
Harry and Teddie followed on his heels.
An eerie sight met them as they each raised their wands casting a brilliant pale light over the surrounding area.
They were standing on the edge of a great black lake, so vast that no one could make out the distance shoreline. The cavern itself was so high, the ceiling was obscured by darkness.
A misty greenish light shone from far away, the middle of the lake since its reflection rippled outwards in every direction.
"Talk about being lost in the echo," said Teddie, softly.
"I can see why those two Muggles would be terrified of this place," said Harry.
Teddie nodded.
"Let us walk," said Dumbledore. "Be very careful not to step into the water and stay close to me."
He set off and, after sharing a look, Harry and Teddie followed. Their footsteps made echoing sounds on the rock that surrounded the water.
"Professor?" Harry asked. "Do you really think there is a Horcrux in here?"
"Why don't we ask Teddie?" Dumbledore asked. "Since she is the one that can sense them?"
Teddie furrowed her brow as both Dumbledore and Harry turned to her. "Oh, um, I don't -" she stammered, unsure of what to say or do. She did not know the first thing about detecting a Horcrux. Finding the Diary in second year had been a fluke, she had just found it amongst her shopping supplies from Diagon Alley and hid it at the bottom of her trunk while at school.
"My apologies, Teddie, I should not have put you on the spot like that," said Dumbledore, smiling. "Yes, Harry, I do believe there is a Horcrux in here, however, it is hidden behind powerful magic, why you cannot sense it, Teddie. My only concern is getting to it."
Teddie looked up. "Where is it, Professor?" she asked.
Dumbledore extended a finger to the centre of the lake.
"Couldn't we try a summoning charm?" Harry asked.
"Certainly, we could," said Dumbledore. "Why don't you do it?"
Harry looked surprised. "Teddie's the one with a future in Charms, Professor," he said. "Shouldn't she do it?"
"Don't you want to be an Auror?" Teddie asked.
Harry nodded.
"You need Charms for that, too, so, go ahead," said Teddie, motioning for him to continue.
Not expecting to be asked, much less allowed, Harry raised his wand, waved it in the correct hand movement and uttered - "Accio Horcrux!"
With a noise like an explosion, something large and pale erupted out of the dark water some twenty feet away, whatever it was disappeared as soon as it surfaced, leaving three bewildered individuals on the bank.
"What was that?" Harry asked.
"Something, I think, that is ready to respond should we attempt to seize the Horcrux," said Dumbledore.
"It's an Inferi, isn't it?" Teddie asked. "A corpse that has been reanimated using magic."
"We do not know," said Dumbledore.
"I hope it stays that way," said Harry. "But would the Summoning Charm have worked if whatever that thing is guarding it, hadn't been there?"
"Guess we'll never know that, either," said Teddie.
"Did you know that would happen, sir?" Harry asked.
"I had a feeling something would happen," said Dumbledore. "That was a particularly clever idea, Harry. Shall we walk on?"
"Professor?"
"Yes, Harry?"
"Do you think we're going to have to go into the lake?"
"Into it? Only if we are very unfortunate."
Teddie peered into the black glassy liquid. Her reflection shimmered in the ripples, and she could not swear she saw movement underneath. "I'm not going there," she said. "You said the Horcrux was in the centre of the lake?" she looked at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore nodded.
"What about a boat?" Teddie asked.
Dumbledore's eyes gleamed. "Aha, Teddie, well done," he said, proudly. "Why don't you and Harry stand against the wall while I summon it?"
Clutching Harry's hand, Teddie pressed her back against the slimy wall and watched as Dumbledore run his hand through the air, as if feeling around for something solid, His fingers then curled around an object and instantly it became solid.
A thick coppery green chain appeared out of thin air, extending from the depths of the water. Instinctively, as Dumbledore tugged backwards and then hurled himself forward again, Teddie lurched forward, her arms wrapping around the headmaster's middle and threw all her weight into pulling him back from the edge.
"Harry, don't just stand there!" Teddie called.
Harry dashed forward, grabbed onto the chain, and tugged.
From the depths of the black lake, something was rising. As the chain pulled taught, Dumbledore raised his wand and tapped the chain, allowing it to fall with a dull clunk at his feet and coil around his ankles like a snake.
As Dumbledore went slack, Teddie released him and stepped back. "Sorry, Professor, I -" she cut off as Dumbledore held up a hand.
"Nonsense, Teddie, I thank you for the assistance," said Dumbledore. "You too, Harry."
Teddie smiled lightly, her gaze trailing from her Headmaster to the water where the bow of a ghostly boat had broken the surface. Without barely a ripple, the boat floated towards the bank.
Harry turned to Dumbledore. "How did you know it was there?" he asked.
"Magic leaves a trace," said Dumbledore. "Sometimes very distinctive traces. I taught Tom Riddle. I know his style…"
"Is the boat safe?"
"Oh yes, I think so. Voldemort needed to create a means to cross the lake without attracting the wrath of those creatures he had placed within it in case he ever wanted to visit or remove his Horcrux," said Dumbledore.
"So the Infer won't do anything to us if we cross in Voldemort's boat?" Teddie asked.
"Eventually they will realize that we aren't Lord Voldemort," said Dumbledore. "Thus far, we have done well, I believe. They have allowed us to raise the boat, have they not?"
"But why have they?" Harry asked.
"Lord Voldemort would've been reasonably confident that only a great wizard would have able to find the boat," said Dumbledore. "I think he would have been prepared to risk what was, to his mind, the most unlikely possibility that somebody else would find it, knowing that he had set other obstacles ahead that only he would be able to penetrate. We shall we whether he is right."
Harry looked down at the boat and then up at Teddie. "Do you think it's safe?" he asked,
"I know we're with Professor Dumbledore," Teddie replied. "I also know he wouldn't abandon us for nothing, and therefore believe if he says the boat is safe, then it is safe."
"Thank you for the vote of confidence, Teddie," said Dumbledore.
Teddie smiled. "Besides, I have my shield, and it has yet to fail me," she said, shrugging. "Come on, Harry. Do not tell me you are afraid of sailing."
"No, of course not, I just -"
Teddie watched as his gaze trailed out to the waters. "The Inferi won't get us unless we interact with them," she said, reassuringly.
"What if they figure out we aren't Voldemort halfway across the lake?"
Teddie shrugged. "Why don't we cross that bridge if and when we come to it?" she suggested.
Harry looked back at the box. "It doesn't look like it will hold three of us," he said, unsure.
Dumbledore chuckled. "Voldemort will not have cared about the size, but about the amount of magical power that crossed his lake. I think an enchantment will only have been placed upon this boat so that only one wizard at a time will be able to sit in it."
"But then -"
"I do not think you or Teddie will count, Harry - you are underage and unqualified," said Dumbledore. "And while Teddie is seventeen, she is still unqualified. Voldemort would never have thought a teenager would reach this place."
Teddie hesitated. She had been all for going with Dumbledore up to this point, but now something held her back. Something that made her stop and think. "Professor, not to sound ungrateful, but, yes, I am unqualified as a Witch, but wouldn't Voldemort have considered familiar bonds on the boat as he did the door?" she asked.
Dumbledore looked thoughtful. "Excellent question, Teddie," he said, passively. "Do you believe that Voldemort came back and changed the enchantment on the boat, to warn the creatures in the lake of when his daughter was here?"
"I don't know," Teddie shrugged. "Maybe."
"If so, why not do the same on the door?" Dumbledore theorized. "Why risk you getting through the door in the first place? Wouldn't it have been better for him to bar you from even entering the cavern, instead of accessing the lake?"
"I suppose," said Teddie.
Dumbledore smiled. "Voldemort's mistakes," he said. "He would've been under the impression that you were raised under his command, so he probably did not think that you coming here would be in an attempt to destroy him."
Teddie sighed. She felt slightly better at Dumbledore's reassurance, but still could not shake the nagging feeling in the back of her head. Something was telling her this plan was about to go askew, but she did not have the proof or means to prove it true.
"Remember, Harry," Dumbledore added. "Voldemort's mistake. Age is foolish and forgetful when it underestimates youth. Now, you are first this time, and be careful to not touch the water."
Teddie watched as Harry climbed down into the boat. It rocked back and forth under his weight, but did not tip either way
"Teddie," said Dumbledore, holding out a hand for her.
Carefully, Teddie squatted down on the rock and lurched forward. Her feet dangled over the edge of the boat and, as she dropped, she felt Harry's arms come around her middle, stabilizing her.
"Thanks," Teddie breathed, clutching at his shoulders as the boat rocked again.
Dumbledore followed them and the three crammed in together, with Teddie at the front, Harry behind her and Dumbledore at the rear.
There was no sound as the boat cleaved through the silken waters, as if an invisible rope were pulling it towards the centre. Soon they could no longer see the walls, and there was no waves or ripples to indicate that they were even on the surface of a body of water.
"Professor!"
Teddie whirled around at Harry's yell. "What?" she asked.
"I just saw a hand in the water," said Harry, his breathing heavy and labored. "A human hand!"
"Yes, I am sure you did," said Dumbledore, calmly.
Harry peered over the edge of the boat. "That thing… it really is a -" he turned to Teddie. "How did you -?"
Teddie shrugged. "I guessed," she said.
"How?"
"We were warned to not touch the water," said Teddie, "why else would not be allowed to touch the water unless there was something beneath it that could pull us under if they are disturbed?"
Harry shook his head. "But - "
"I live under the Black Lake, Harry," said Teddie. "I see things that frolics in the deep every day and night. I know the sounds they make, what they look like. That is enough for me to know that whatever is in this lake is a lot worse than what is in the lake at school."
Harry stammered. His gaze sliding from Teddie to the water and the thousands of bodies that could lay beneath them.
"They're not interested in us," said Teddie, placing a hand on his shoulder. "They are merely drifting, right now. If we do not disturb them, we will be fine."
"Severus will be proud to know you listen in his lessons, Teddie," said Dumbledore.
Teddie flushed. "Thank you, Professor," she replied.
"But one of them stopped us from taking the Horcrux," said Harry.
"And I am sure more will come when we try to take it again," said Dumbledore. "However, like many creatures that dwell in cold and darkness, they fear light and warmth, which we shall therefore call to our aid should the need arise."
Harry looked confused.
"Fire," Teddie answered.
"Oh, right."
Soon they reached the other side. It felt like hours ago that they had left Hogwarts for this place, and for a split-second Teddie wondered if she would see her friends again? Yes, she was confident that if push came to shove then she would fight her way out, she always had done in the past, so why would now be any different? Plus, she was with Dumbledore and Harry, but there was still the niggling feeling of doubt that she should have asked for a better chance to speak with her friends before leaving the castle.
"Careful not to touch the water," Dumbledore reminded them as they reached the centre of the lake. It was small island of smooth rock.
Teddie climbed out first, careful to hurl herself forward and stumble up the shore towards the pedestal at the very centre of the rock. It was emitting a greenish mist from the crystal basin resting atop of it.
While Harry and Dumbledore extracted themselves from the boat, Teddie crept closer to the basin and peered over the edge. It was full of an emerald liquid that glowed brightly.
"What is it?" Harry asked, appearing beside Teddie.
"I don't know," said Dumbledore, appearing opposite. He shone the light of his wand over the basin, watching as it reflected at them.
Reaching over the edge, Teddie extended her fingers towards the potion.
"No, Teddie, don't -" Harry said, reaching for her wrist.
"I can't," said Teddie, her fingertips bumping something invisible just above the surface. She pushed, squashing her fingers against the barrier, but still, it did not shift. Puling her hand back, Teddie curled her fingers inward, forming a fist, and then slammed it as hard as she could down.
Harry raised an eyebrow at her.
"What?" Teddie asked, retracting her arm, and flexing her fingers. "I didn't see you coming up with anything."
Harry shook his head.
"Out of the way, please," said Dumbledore. He raised his wand and made complicated movements over the surface of the potion, murmuring soundlessly.
Nothing happened.
Harry and Teddie shared a look as Dumbledore worked, but after a while he withdrew his wand, and the silence was broken.
"You think the Horcrux is in there, sir?" Harry asked.
"If it's not," said Teddie, raising her wand above her head, and allowing the light to spill across the basin. "What else is so important that it would need this level of protection?"
Harry inclined his head slightly, realizing that Teddie made a good point. "But how do we reach it?" he asked. "If we can't just reach in and take it, that is?"
"The barrier also protects against vanishing, parting, and scooping," said Dumbledore.
Reaching forward again, Teddie tapped at the barrier with her wand, eliciting a gasp as the tip slid straight through the boundary line and plunged into the liquid causing it to ripple.
"What?" Harry asked, staring at her.
"The barrier doesn't recognise anything animated," said Teddie. "Look…" she prodded the liquid with her wand again. "It's like my shield - spells bounce off it when used in an attack, and you can't punch through it, either - but if touched with something that isn't used as a threat, it disappears."
"Uh…" Harry said, shaking his head.
Teddie rolled her eyes. "How do you touch something if you can't use your hands?" she asked.
"A cup?"
"Exactly!" said Teddie. She turned to Dumbledore. "It has to drunk."
Dumbledore did not look surprised at her conclusion. "That was my next thought," he said. "Glad to see we're on the same page."
"But what if - what if it's a poison?" Harry asked.
"Oh, I doubt that it would work like that," said Dumbledore easily. "Lord Voldemort would not want to kill the person who reached this island."
Harry stared, wide-eyed at Dumbledore. "But, sir, this is Voldemort we're -" he started.
"I'm sorry, Harry; I should've said, he would not want to immediately kill the person who reached this island," Dumbledore corrected.
"I don't understand…" said Harry, shaking his head.
"Well, I think he would be rather interested in knowing how they managed to get through his defenses," said Teddie. "I know I would. It is like when we got through to the hidden chamber to safe the Philosopher's Stone. Professor Snape said he was surprised that three first years managed to get through the charms and enchantments set by adults unscathed."
Dumbledore nodded along. "Do not forget, Harry, that Lord Voldemort believes he is the only person who knows about the Horcruxes," he said. "He would want to know our intentions of drinking the potion."
"But - "
This time when Dumbledore raised his hand, it was to command silence. Harry fell silent while Teddie watched Dumbledore with a watchful gaze. "Undoubtedly, potion must act in a way that will prevent me taking the Horcrux. It might paralyze me, cause me to forget what I am here for, create so much pain that I am distracted, or render me incapable in some other way. This being the case," he looked at his two students, "it will be your job to make sure I keep drinking, even if you must lip the potion down my throat. You understand?"
Teddie gulped. She could remember promising to follow Dumbledore's lead on everything, listening to his every command, and doing everything he said without question. But had she not already broken that rule when he instructed her to stand against the wall while he called on the boat? Had she not lunged at him to stop him from falling into the lake?
He had not berated her then, why would now be any different?
"But what if -?" Harry started.
"You swore, did you not, to follow my every command?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes, but -"
"I warned you, did I not, that there might be danger?"
"Yes, but -"
"Well, then," said Dumbledore, shaking back his sleeves and raising an empty goblet he had conjured out of a nearby rock, "you have your orders."
"Why can't I drink the potion instead?" Harry asked.
"Because I am much older, much cleverer, and much less valuable," said Dumbledore. "Once and for all, Harry, do I have your word that you will do all in your power to make me keep drinking."
"Couldn't -?" Harry started again.
"Do I have it?"
"But -"
Teddie rolled her eyes, caught Harry's hand, and met Dumbledore's gaze. "You have our word," she said.
"But Teddie -"
Teddie ignored him; her gaze focused solely on Dumbledore.
Dumbledore nodded and then lowered the goblet into the basin. It passed through the barrier without incident and dipped beneath the surface of the emerald liquid.
Once the goblet was full to the brim, Dumbledore lifted it to his mouth. He toasted the two teenagers, and then drank the contents in one fell gulp.
"Professor?" Harry asked, anxiously. "How do you feel?"
Dumbledore lowered the empty glass, his eyes vacant as he stared into the abyss behind them. He then shook his head. Without warning, he plunged the goblet back into the basin, refilled it, and drank once more.
In the deadly silence, Dumbledore drank three more gobletfuls of the potions, but, halfway through the fourth, he staggered and fell forward. His eyes now closed, his breathing heavy.
"Professor Dumbledore?" Harry asked. "Can you hear me?"
Dumbledore twitched unconsciously. His face contorting in pain, as if facing a terrible nightmare beyond his eyelids. His grip on the goblet slackened, the potion cascading over the sides as Harry reached for it.
"Professor, can you hear me?" Harry repeated, louder.
Dumbledore panted and then spoke in an unrecognizable voice. "I do not want… Do not make me…"
Harry stopped and stared at Dumbledore. His old face was stark white, and the fear in his voice was enough to shake any student to the core. "Teddie… what do I -?" he asked, turning to his friend.
"Do you want some water, Professor?" Teddie asked.
"Yes… Water…" Dumbledore said.
Teddie swallowed, already hating herself for the plan she had formed in her head. She took the goblet from Harry, lowered it into the basin and refilled it. "Drink this, Professor, it may taste funny, but it'll help," she said.
Dumbledore's fingers wrapped around the goblet, and he drunk deeply. His face twisted in pain and disgust, and he tried to push the goblet away. "I do not want to… I do not want to… Let me go…" he whimpered.
"Teddie, maybe we should -" Harry started.
Again, Teddie ignored him. "This will make it stop, Professor," she said, offering Dumbledore another gobletful of potion.
Dumbledore screamed, the noise echoed all around the vast chamber, across the dead black water. "No, no, no, no, no, I can't, I can't, don't make me, I don't want to…" he cried.
"I know, Professor, I know you don't," said Teddie, her voice wavering. "I do not want you to, either, but it is the only way. Whatever you are seeing is not really happening. It is a symptom of this drink. It will all be over soon. Just a few more sips."
Obediently, Dumbledore opened his mouth allowing Teddie to pour the contents down his throat. He shuddered, pulling himself against the pedestal beneath the basin.
"It's all my fault, all my fault," Dumbledore 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."
Dumbledore had begun to cower, as though invisible torturers surrounded him, his flailing hand almost knocked the refilled goblet from Teddie's hands as she knelt beside him.
"Don't hurt them, don't hurt them, please, please, it's my fault, hurt me instead…"
Teddie met Harry's gaze as she force-fed Dumbledore a seventh goblet of potion. What was he seeing?
As she filled the tenth goblet, Teddie felt it scrape against the bottom of the basin, and something rattled against both.
"Harry," said Teddie, looking up. She moved away from the basin, kneeling beside Dumbledore.
"Teddie, I still can't get it!" said Harry, frustratingly.
"Hang on," said Teddie, feeding Dumbledore the last of the potion in the goblet. The second he had drunk it the barrier disappeared, and Harry was able to pull a locket out of the depths.
Harry gasped. "It worked!" he said, looking over at Teddie. His eyes widened as Dumbledore lurched forward, his whole-body colliding with Teddie's as he knocked her onto her back.
"Whoa!" Teddie squeaked, shielding her face with her hands as Dumbledore began to scream in anguish at her.
"Professor!" Harry cried, darting around the basin, and wrapping his hands around Dumbledore's shoulders. He tugged backwards, to pull the headmaster off Teddie.
Teddie pushed against Dumbledore while Harry pulled and was just able to scramble out from beneath him before he started pounding on the rock floor.
"It's okay, Professor," said Harry, breathlessly. He felt Dumbledore lurch away from him and watched as he crawled towards the edge of the island, reaching for the watery depths beneath the rocks.
"NO!" Teddie and Harry yelled, each lunging for Dumbledore at the exact same time.
The Headmaster's fingers had only just brushed the surface of the lake... when gates to Hell opened.