Chapter Fifteen.
Aberforth Dumbledore

Harry, Ron and Hermione walked in silence up to the hogs head the only sound that could be heard was the icy wind blowing and their feet trudging through the thick white snow. Hogsmeade was practically empty; Harry passed only two wizards on his way. He was both anxious and excited about what Dumbledore's brother could possibly want to talk to him about. Hoping he wouldn't mind he had brought an uninvited Ron and Hermione along with him. When the three of them arrived at the hogs head Hermione pushed open the door and they walked into the small dimly lit pub. Harry had only been here once before in his fifth year and he wasn't too fond of the place. There were few wizards sitting in the hogs head, most of their faces were covered. Harry looked around for a sign of Aberforth, he saw a barman staring at him cleaning a glass with a dirty rag, curiously though unsurprised. Harry walked over to the bar followed closely by Ron and Hermione. Harry opened his mouth to speak but suddenly a man walked through to the bar, Harry knew he had seen him before in his fifth year. He had looked familiar then and had a smell of goats about him; he had a grey beard and looked very old but smiled as he saw them all the same. Harry knew at once, this was Albus Dumbledore's brother.

"Come through to the back." He said in an unexpected rough sounding voice. Aberforth eyed Ron and Hermione suspiciously. Harry stepped behind the bar walking through to the back room where there was a table and chairs, and hundreds of bottles and glasses all around. The walls and floor were very dirty for a pub, which Harry noticed instantly.

"Sit down. I see you've brought guests." Aberforth grunted in a voice that didn't suit him still looking at Ron and Hermione who were slowly sitting down next to the table.

"Oh, you can trust them; this is Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Dumbledore trusted them." Harry said quickly now sitting down himself. Aberforth looked uneasy and remained stood up.

"I've heard about Mr Weasley and Miss Granger, I half expected them." Aberforth Began. "Everyone knows me as William Brulick, you can call me Will though." For Dumbledore's brother Aberforth was a lot less formal than Harry expected.

" Because hardly anyone knows your Dumbledore's brother?" Harry asked.

"As I told you before, family of Albus Dumbledore would be in great danger." Hermione said.

"The clever one you are then, heard about you from Albus. The one that keeps these two in line?" Aberforth said glancing at Hermione with half a smile on his face. Hermione looked slightly pleased with herself. Aberforth clapped his hand hard on the table making Harry jump.

"Before we get started into talking, let me get the drinks. What'll it be?" Aberforth said loudly grabbing four huge glasses.

"I'll have a firewhisky." Ron said looking hopeful and Harry remembered Ron saying before he'd always wanted to try it.

"He'll have a butterbeer." Hermione said as Aberforth started to get out a bottle of firewhisky.

"I'm of age Hermione." Ron said frowning at her looking half disappointed half angry.

"You don't act like it." Hermione shot back. Ron and Hermione continued bickering until a confused Aberforth put three bottles of butterbeer on the table and filled his own glass with firewhisky and sat down.

"Always like this are they?" He muttered to Harry.

"All the time." Harry grinned taking a swig of his butterbeer. Aberforth coughed loudly and Ron and Hermione were silenced and Ron glared at Hermione who turned and looked apologetically at Aberforth.

"Right well, in case of his death Albus had said I am to help you as much as I can but I can only help you so far. I know about the horcruxes but unfortunately I only think I know where one of them is."

"So you know where one is? Where is it?" Harry said excitedly.

"Right now we are not going to get it until I have more information. But for now I want to teach you how to perform the three unforgivable curses." Hermione gasped and spilled her butterbeer over the table. Aberforth ignored this and carried on. " You will definitely need the killing curse. You know the prophecy. I've never heard it myself, but Albus gave me what I needed to know. Your all going on a dangerous journey ahead, you need to be experienced."

"Did Dumbledore say he wanted me to learn them?" Harry asked uncertainly. He wasn't quite sure what he made of learning the unforgivable curses.

"No he didn't. But Albus is not always right."

"I don't think that's a good idea, we don't want to control, torture and kill people." Hermione said disapprovingly.

"But what's the harm in learning?" Ron looked uneasy but there was a touch of excitement on his face. Aberforth looked at Ron and suddenly turned serious.

"Killing a man will change you forever, it's not something to be taken lightly." He stared at Ron and Ron's touch of excitement left his face. "Of course it's up to you if you want to." Aberforth said looking at Harry intently. Harry thought about this for a second. He wouldn't need to concentrate on the imperius curse too much as he could already throw that off ok, and he had managed the cruciatus curse, but the killing one was one he knew he could possibly need.

"Ok. Like Ron said there's no harm. Just because were learning it doesn't mean we want to use it to kill everyone." Harry agreed ignoring Hermione scowling at him.

"When do we start?" Ron asked eagerly finishing off his bottle of butterbeer. Hermione sighed loudly and folded her arms.

"Not today. Come back in three days around noon." Aberforth told them.

"And the horcrux?" Harry asked.

"As soon as I get my information, I will contact you and we can go." Aberforth smiled at them now getting up and clearing away the bottles. Harry Ron and Hermione got up too and walked towards the door. He grabbed Harry's shoulder and looked serious again. "I need a word with you in private before you go Harry."

"Anything you have to say, Ron and Hermione can hear it's ok." Harry told him.

"For this, I think you would prefer them not to be here." Aberforth's expression looked grave. Harry nodded at Ron and Hermione who were stood by the door and they left closing it behind them. Harry looked at Aberforth curiously.

"I think you'd better sit down again." Aberforth said sitting down himself. "And maybe a drink." He poured out two glasses of firewhisky and handed one to Harry who now sat down.

"Albus never wanted me to tell you this, he never would of told you himself. It's something me and him always disagreed on." Aberforth sat in silence for at least a minute thinking until he spoke again. Harry was wondering what he was about to tell him. "This may come as a shock to you Harry, and it's probably one of the biggest things you'll have to hear."

"Go ahead, I can handle it." Harry said not sure he was ready to hear whatever Aberforth was going to tell him.

"From everything Albus has told me, I've always believed that you are a horcrux Harry." Harry spat out his firewhisky.

"What!" Harry shouted in shock.

"Well as I said Albus always disagreed with me for reasons of his own, but Harry I thought you should know what my opinion of the situation was." Aberforth finished.

"It's crazy…I can't be…I'm not." Harry stuttered searching for the right words.

"There's a big chance you may not be. I said Albus was not always right but he usually was. We will just have to see when the time comes." Harry rose from his seat and walked towards the door, his mind had gone blank and he had forgotten where he was going but he just wanted to get outside to think about what he had just heard. "Nice finally meeting you Harry." Aberforth said shaking Harry's hand.

"Bye." Harry said weakly. When Harry arrived back in the bar he saw Ron and Hermione waiting for him looking curious.

"What did he say Harry?" Hermione asked enquiringly. "You don't look too well." She added now looking concerned. Harry didn't know if he wanted to tell Ron and Hermione what he had just heard. He knew they would be horrified but he didn't really want to talk about it. He tried to look for an excuse to what Aberforth talked to him about but his mind was completely blank.

"Uh…not much" Harry replied finding it hard to use his voice. Ron and Hermione exchanged glances and Hermione looked at him suspiciously.

"Not much, are you sure Harry." Harry ignored her and Hermione questioned him all the way back trudging through the snow.

"Leave it Hermione. If he doesn't want to tell us then he doesn't have to." Harry couldn't help but notice Ron looked slightly offended but found he didn't care. Harry quickly changed the subject. Harry and Ron discussed learning the unforgivable curses and what it would be like to finally learn them and Hermione barely spoke all the way back to Hogwarts and sighed loudly every now and again. She finally spoke when they returned back to the common room late afternoon sitting by the fire.

"If Dumbledore didn't tell him to teach us them he obviously doesn't think it's important that we learn them." She said sounding annoyed.

"Yeah but we need to learn them, me especially." Harry said giving her a meaningful look.

"Chill out, we need to learn them some time. Why not now?" Ron said and Hermione looked at him angrily.

"It could be dangerous?" Hermione snapped. Harry looked confused wondering what she meant by that and started to get angry.

"Your not even talking sense now" Said Ron looking bemused.

"If you mean I could be dangerous because of what I did to Snape you may aswell just say it Hermione." Harry said heatedly. Hermione looked suddenly anxious.

"No Harry that's not at all what I…" Harry cut her off and stood up suddenly knocking over the table as he did. Ron and Hermione jumped as it crashed to the floor smashing the glass on top of it.

"That's exactly what you meant Hermione." Harry shouted. Hermione and Ron were sitting looking at him with shocked faces. Harry didn't know why he was getting so angry but Hermione seemed to.

"What did Aberforth say to you Harry?" She asked him tentatively.

"I'm going to bed." Harry said irritably. He was aware it was seven pm, a bit too early to go to bed. But he stormed up the to the boy's dormitory as quickly as he could and lay on his bed thinking for several hours about the new information he had heard. If I'm a horcrux that means even if I destroy Voldemort and the horcruxes, I'll still have to go. But if Dumbledore didn't think I was he's probably right. Harry had an argument with himself for quite a while until he heard someone coming up the stairs. He saw Ron's nervous face appear through the door.

"Hermione sent me up here to find out what Aberforth said…she says if your getting that angry about it, it must be a big deal. But you obviously don't want to tell us, so you don't have to mate. You know what she's like." Ron finished still looking anxiously at Harry. Harry suddenly felt very grateful towards Ron for not pushing him into telling them.

"Thanks." Harry grinned at him and Ron looked calmer and smiled back. Ron changed the subject.

"So, Christmas party the night after we've seen Aberforth what do you think?" Ron asked him sitting down on the bed next to Harry.

"Shouldn't we have It Christmas day?" Harry said.

"Nah, Christmas eve."

"It's Christmas eve in three days?" Harry asked looking bewildered.

"Yeah…course." Ron looked at Harry slightly worried.

"Right then." Harry grinned again; a party was just what he needed.