A/N: I've had this written for a while now, but... Well, I struggle with this story. I struggle a lot. Mostly because I don't have the time to fix previous chapters, which are overwhelmed by mistakes and plot holes. Honestly, I still cannot understand why so many people seem to like it, because in my mind, it grew to something terrible.

Since I'm not a quitter, I'm aiming at finishing this story. Slowly, probably. In pains, most likely, but I will do it. So, pardon my previous mistakes, feel free to point out my current, since English is still not my first language. But other than that... Enjoy! I'm much better now as a writer and I hope it will show.

And, to all of you who are celebrating Christmas - all the best to you! Consider this chapter my gift to you, and I hope it will be a good gift indeed :)

Hermione had never expected to find herself in front of this cave. There wasn't a single reason that would be able to force her to come down here, if her life had turned out like she expected it to. Unfortunately, things looked entirely different.

"Miss Granger?" Dumbledore's hand rested on her shoulder, waking her up from her daze. Suddenly, she noticed the breeze that sprinkled salty water all over her body, and she shivered violently. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Professor, we both know that there is no other way, if we want to put an end to this war. Voldemort's Horcruxes have to be destroyed. I'm as ready as possible."

"Then what are we waiting for?" he answered with a cheerful smile that contrasted with the gloomy weather and raging sea.

Hermione looked at him briefly and shrugged. They had no time to lose, but she would be a fool, if she hadn't stopped in front of the majestic cliff that loomed over their tiny figures, like the most terrifying shadow. Sharp stones behind them did nothing to soothe the anxiousness consuming her mind, but she knew that there was no going back.

With a sigh, she took a step forward and raised her wand, dispersing the darkness ahead. Dumbledore followed her immediately, doing the same with his own wand, and soon, they both casted light upon the steep descent, leading to a fissure filled with water.

Hermione glanced at the Headmaster and started to move, watching her every step with caution. The stones, covering the way, were slick and wet, which made them incredibly dangerous to someone, who would be reckless enough to simply rush ahead. Even with her excellent physical shape, she had troubles finding a safe route. Once she'd finally reached the bottom, she took a deep breath, waiting for Dumbledore to join her.

To her surprise, it didn't take him that long. He was, obviously, much younger than he was, when he'd been here with Harry, but he still didn't look exactly agile. Apparently, she shouldn't have been so quick to judge, because he hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Well, let's go for a swim then," he said and slid down straight into the dark water. It must have been cold, even if it was the middle of summer. Hermione didn't really want to follow into his footsteps, but what other choice did she have? Absolutely none.

With a reluctant sigh, she crouched down and slowly immersed herself into the water, shivering when the cold liquid touched her skin. Dumbledore advised her against casting a warming spell, mostly because of the dangers that could hide in the water. No one knew what exactly Voldemort had done to it, and triggering a hidden defence mechanism would be their worst nightmare.

Hermione quickly found out that swimming and holding her wand above the water's surface wasn't exactly easy. She had no clue how Dumbledore managed to stay afloat, considering his wet robes that must have dragged him down with a considerable force. Maybe she really needed to stop questioning his fitness, and focus on her own breathing instead.

Quickly enough, they had found themselves in a dark corridor, which instantly gave her a claustrophobic feeling. It was disgusting to say the least; its walls were slimy and dripping with something that looked a lot like tar, or something similar. Hermione didn't want to spend too much time thinking about it, though. She swam forward, trying to focus on something pleasant instead, like Sirius, for example.

Merlin, how she missed him… There wasn't a day that hadn't passed without her thinking about his laughter, or gleaming eyes that could better her mood, no matter how sad she felt. Hermione wanted nothing more, than to feel his embrace and inhale a familiar scent of leather, mint and cologne. Thinking about it all was painful, but it still allowed her to get through the worst part of her days. It certainly helped her forget about the cold, numbing her senses, or the stench, coming off of the water.

Suddenly, the corridor ended and Dumbledore emerged from the water, looking around cautiously. Hermione joined him, trying to stop her body from shivering violently, but it turned out to be completely impossible. She hated feeling drenched and chilled to the bone. She could really use one of Sirius' embraces now… Unfortunately, all she had was her wand. She immediately casted a drying spell upon herself and sighed with relief, when her muscles stopped trembling angrily.

"We're here," Dumbledore said, after a moment of silence. "We just need to find a way to get inside. I believe you've mentioned that you know how to achieve that?"

"Harry said something about a blood offering."

"Ah, yes." The Headmaster nodded and took out an elegant knife out of one of his pockets. Hermione tried not to flinch, seeing a great resemblance to the blade that had once carved her forearm. Before she could scold herself for having such an irrational reaction, Dumbledore slit his palm and put it on the wall. "It's very primitive, indeed. I almost expected Tom to do better than that."

The wall lit up and Hermione opened her mouth at the sight of a silver outline of the door. Just a second later, the blood disappeared and along with it –the entire rock, standing in their way of getting inside. Dumbledore looked at her with a smile, and then he lit up his wand one more time, taking a step towards the darkness on the other side of the door.

She gasped quietly, when she joined him in front of a great lake that seemed to be filled entirely with black water. Hermione knew that it was just an illusion, but it still managed to make her heart race and bang against her ribcage painfully. The entire cave was so huge, that it seemed impossible to measure it in such poor lighting conditions. The only thing that was visible, was the greenish glimmer in the middle of the lake.

Goosebumps appeared on her skin, once she'd realised that it must have been the place, where Voldemort had hidden his Horcrux. She remembered Harry's tale, but she could never imagine the place to look like this.

"Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked, and she realised that he had already moved forward. She moved instantly, but didn't look away from the glow in the middle of the lake.

"The Horcrux has to be there." She pointed the isle with her finger and the man nodded thoughtfully. He turned around and started to look for something –a boat, as she presumed.

Hermione didn't have to tell him anything. After all, he was a brilliant wizard, who'd spent the last month looking for all the possible clues. He didn't want her help, most of the time, saying that it would be better, if he could find the answers on his own. She'd seen no point in arguing with him. Actually, she knew he was right. Dumbledore had to lead the Order to the Battle. He had to plan everything, taking every single detail under consideration, and to do that, he had to know everything about Voldemort.

A minute later, a boat emerged from the water, looking positively disgusting. Apparently, Riddle couldn't care less for keeping it nice and clean, because it was covered in wrack and green slime.

"What now?" she asked quietly, and Dumbledore looked at her with cautious.

"I'm not entirely sure, Hermione. Tom must have thought about it a lot. I'd bet that he had considered not weight, but the amount of magical power that was supposed to enter the boat. You're a powerful witch, and in combination with me… Maybe I'll have to go alone."

That, she certainly didn't know. Harry hadn't mentioned it, when he talked about the cave, and Hermione didn't question him any further. She focused on the things that happened later, after they had finally reached the Horcrux.

"Professor, we both know you can't do it alone."

The task, lying ahead of them, was the only part of this entire journey that she had shared with Dumbledore beforehand. It felt like a good idea to tell him, so he could research that damn potion and come up with an antidote, which was something she couldn't have done on her own. Hermione might have been a decent Potionmaker, but she wouldn't bet anyone's life on her skills. Dumbledore had to deal with that particular aspect entirely on his own.

"Then what do you propose, Miss Granger? How did my older version solve this problem?" the man asked and Hermione sighed, furrowing her brows.

"I don't think he had a problem, professor. My friend was underage at the time of their visit in the cave. Technically, he hasn't reached his full power yet. I think that he could safely board the boat along with you, and nothing happened."

"Ah, I see. You might be right, Hermione. Tom probably didn't think that an underage wizard would be capable of finding out his secret, not mentioning coming here to obtain it." Dumbledore looked at the lake and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "We have to come up with a different solution then. We cannot risk falling into the water."

Hermione crouched down, looking at the smooth surface of the lake. The water was completely still, giving off the impression of impenetrable darkness. She couldn't see a thing, but she still knew what was hiding in there.

Her thoughts travelled back to the past. The image of the locket popped into her head, along with the note, written by Sirius' brother, and suddenly, a solution bloomed in her mind.

"Professor… I know how we can get to that Horcrux," she said and looked up, to see Dumbledore glancing at her with curiosity.

"Do tell, Miss Granger!"

"A House Elf. You can summon a House Elf from Hogwarts –preferably one you would trust with your own life. Their magic is not like ours, and the fact that they can break the Anti-apparition ward in Hogwarts is proof enough. Someone like Vol…" she stopped herself, remembering the Taboo curse. There was a slight chance that Riddle had cast a similar spell here, to notify him, if someone dared to say his name. "He probably ignored the existence of the House Elves. I'm sure he did."

"A brilliant idea, Miss Granger. I wouldn't have thought about it."

"No one thinks about the House Elves," she muttered in response, scowling slightly. She ignored Dumbledore's giggle, just as she ignored everyone else's laugh, when she had started her S.P.E.W. campaign.

Hermione briefly wondered what Sirius would say, if he knew about her ambitious plans to free all the Elves. He would probably make fun of her forever. She needed to make a mental note to herself that she could never even mention it in his company. Or James'. Or anyone's, actually. Better to be safe than sorry.

She watched as Dumbledore furrowed his brows, thinking about the best candidate for the job, and then he called out:

"Winny!"

A moment later, a small Elf appeared, looking around with curiosity.

"Professor Dumbledore, Sir!" the creature squealed and bowed lowly, making the older man smile gently.

"Hello, Winny. Forgive me for summoning you to such a terrifying place, but I really need your help."

"Winny will do anything for Professor Dumbledore, Sir!"

Hermione smiled, watching the excitement in the Elf's big, watery eyes. Winny clasped her hands together, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and watching the Headmaster with caution.

"We need you to transport us to that small island on the lake," Dumbledore explained quietly, while the Elf looked in the pointed direction. Her ears flapped, when she spotted the green light in the middle of darkness, but she didn't seem particularly frightened. "Can you do that?"

"Of course, Professor Dumbledore, Sir! That is not a problem for Winny!"

The Headmaster clasped his hand together and smiled.

"Good! Very good –yes. Shall we go, then?"

"Wait!" Hermione said and took a step towards the Elf, who looked at her with curiosity. "Winny… I'm afraid that's not all."

Dumbledore looked at her cautiously, but Hermione couldn't care less. She wasn't going to allow the Elf to go through a trauma, without having the decency to tell her the entire truth beforehand. There was no need to be cruel, after all.

"Winny… We will need you to get us out of here as well. Professor Dumbledore and I have a very unpleasant task to complete. It will probably be very hard to watch," she said, crouching down in front of the Elf. "You could leave, but I'm not sure if we will be able to call you back."

The Elf looked at Hermione and then at Dumbledore, to make sure that the girl was telling the truth. The Headmaster nodded, offering her a sad smile, and the Elf fidgeted on her spot.

"Winny is a brave elf. Winny will stay and help."

Hermione smiled and stood up, taking a deep breath. Her heart was beating fast –faster than it should. There could be no denying that she felt scared, more than anything else. Harry was able to walk Dumbledore through the painful and extremely terrifying process, but she wasn't sure if she had the same strength. She'd much rather switch places with the Headmaster, but he refused to agree. Not that she expected anything else –he was, after all, the same man, only a bit younger.

"Hermione? Are you ready?" Dumbledore asked, noticing her hesitation. She nodded, unable to say anything else, and smiled at Winny, who watched her with growing curiosity. "Let's go, then."

A second later, Hermione found herself in front of a bowl filled with emerald green liquid, which turned out to be the source of the green light. The substance glowed beautifully, but at the same time, it seemed deadly in a weird, indescribable way. Hermione knew where that feeling came from. Harry told them about the potion and its effects. He described it as a truly horrifying experience –watching Dumbledore's agony and forcing him to keep drinking had to feel awful. And now, she was about to face the exact same horror.

Before she could change her mind, she waved her wand, conjuring a goblet. It was simple, but Dumbledore didn't seem to mind. He simply grabbed it and smiled at Hermione, while his eyes twinkled happily.

"Cheers!" he said and immersed the goblet in the emerald liquid, filling it up to its rims.

Her heart stopped for a moment, as she watched him slowly drink the potion. It took a while for something to happen, but when a grimace appeared on the Headmaster's face, Hermione knew that it was going to be a long hour.

"Winny, go to Hogwarts and bring a bottle of water here. Make sure it's just a regular water –not charmed. Can you do that?" she asked quietly, watching Dumbledore filling the goblet one more time.

The Elf hesitated for a moment, but when the man drank another cup and wobbled, she nodded her head and disappeared right away. Hermione took a deep breath and walked over to the professor, leaving behind her doubts. She could do this.

After witnessing so many horrible things in her life, doing this couldn't be that hard. Not compared to the alternative of letting Voldemort win again.

"Keep drinking, professor," she pleaded and sighed, when his suddenly glazed eyes looked at her with torment. "It has to be done."

Dear Sirius,

I wish I could tell you how awful my day has been. I wish I could tell you all about it, but we both know it's complicated. I feel like the lousiest girlfriend on the entire planet, and the worst thing about it, is that I can do absolutely nothing to help it. Nothing, except for writing you those stupid letters, so you'd know that I'm still alive and mostly well. And that I hate everything about this summer. And that I love you.

There's not a day when I don't think about you. I'm counting days to the end of the break, because I miss you so freaking much. You're probably angry and worried, and I can't really blame you for it. I would be worried too if you were the one to answer my letters so cryptically. Please… Just trust me. Trust, that I'm telling the truth. Trust, that I'm miserable without you.

The break is going to end and before we know it, we'll be together again. Merlin knows, I've been telling this to myself for such a long time that it actually started to sound possible. I love you. It's not going to change.

Yours (and only yours),

Hermione