A/N: Updating after a long while... but still thanking the people who are still reading it.
Though, warning again, the story will evolve quite quickly.

IT'S CHANGED!

Chapter 51 Darkness

'Fucking idiots, get up!' they heard a shriek and shifted slightly in their position, before getting hit by something mildly heavy.

Severus groaned. 'What…?'

'Get up! Mum and dad will be back home soon!' It was Petunia. 'Honestly, if you don't, I'd have to come in the room and twist both of your ears!'

Lily twirled in her position, stroking Severus' hair lightly. 'What is it, Tuney…?' she mumbled.

And that is when the pulling of a car's brakes was heard. 'That's mum and dad! Get up! Faster!' Petunia entered the room and swatted them from over the covers.

They yelped and jumped sitting up immediately. 'What?!'

Petunia averted her gaze and both Severus and Lily now became conscious of their state. Heat rose to their face.

'Umm… Tuney… I'd be out,' Lily said awkwardly, pulling the sheets to her neck.

'You better be because Mum and Dad are already here…'

'What?!' Lily and Severus exclaimed together as their eyes widened. 'Fuck!'

Petunia smirked and left the room. 'Faster…'

Lily groaned and snaked her hand into the bed to find some sort of clothing that they threw yesterday. In the morning, just after getting up, this also seemed one of the most difficult tasks.

Her hand did find something and she pulled it up. 'Lily…' Severus snatched it away from her. 'Those are mine! Your parents wouldn't be happy to see you in my boxers!'

'Oh…' she sighed and found another piece of clothing. She looked at it before putting it on and then groaned. 'Eww, Severus! You wiped yourself with my shirt!'

He flushed. 'I – I didn't see what I was doing… get to your room and change them…'

She smiled at the remembrance of last night though and kissed his lips unexpectedly. 'Well… last night was great.'

'So is what I'd say…' he kissed her back.

'I AM GOING TO KILL YOU BOTH!' Petunia yelled from the hallway.

They parted immediately and got dressed. 'Sorry!'

'You better be! Now, do it fast! Mum and Dad just got in their room!'

'Come on, Lily… get to your room…' he kissed her one last time before she left his room.

*Page Break*

Lily and Severus were rocking themselves… separately on the couch, staring at the phone, waiting for a call.

'Seriously, what is so important with this call?' Mrs Evans rolled her eyes.

'It is Mum, it is…' Lily muttered under her breath, her eyes never leaving the phone.

'Don't tell me you both are again going on an idiotic mission like last time…' Mr Evans chided.

'No, dad… we are just solving a part… a small one… though, important…' Lily mused.

'You talk like Dumbledore sometimes, Lils,' Severus chuckled.

'I am sure I can take my broom with myself…' she teased, making him turn to her sharply, forgetting the phone, and her parents to titter slowly at that. Until now, everyone knew Severus had a strong aversion to it.

'What?' his voice was so pitiful that Lily had to suppress a laugh. He caught her hand. 'Lily, please, not that…'

She shrugged, feigning coldness. 'We might have use of it. So, we better stay prepared…'

Severus placed a hand on her jaw, making her look at him. In his eyes. 'Lily, please, not the broom, please don't make me do this.'

Lily suppressed a laugh and turned to the phone again. 'We need to wait for the call…'

Severus shifted closer to her, taking her entire hand in his. 'Lily, please. Don't make me ride that broom… Lily…'

Lily ignored him. He was hilarious sometimes when frightened.

Mr and Mrs Evans rolled their eyes. 'Come on, Lily, stop teasing the poor boy…'

She shrugged, feigning coldness once more. 'I am just talking sense. We might need it.'

Severus just opened his mouth to say something when the phone rang making both of them jump. 'It is ringing! Pick it up, Sev!'

'You do it!' He shrieked and stood up.

'What the fuck? What if it is some other call!?' Lily wiped her sweaty hands on her trousers shakily.

'But pick it up, first!'

'You do it…!'

In the pressure of the moment and haste, Severus picked it up and took a deep breath just when the ring quietened. He looked around.

'Keep it on your ear, Severus…' Mrs Evans rolled her eyes.

'Oh, yes…' Severus blushed at his stupidity and held the receiver near his ear. 'H – Hello?'

Someone laughed at the phone. An amused laugh. Shane. Yes! It was the call they were waiting for! 'You seem so frightened… you never fail to amuse me, Severus…'

Severus flushed further. 'Umm… t – the ring of the phone came as a shock… therefore…'

Shane kept laughing. 'Even when you both had been waiting for it? Hmm?'

'I – I… Lily is insisting on bringing the broom!' he complained.

Shane quietened for a second before bursting up with double the laughter. 'So?'

'I don't like it…' Severus whispered lest Lily hears it.

'Give the phone to Lily, please…' Shane requested and Severus reluctantly gave it to Lily.

She huffed and took it. 'Yes, Shane?'

'Severus is going to be an idiot, so, don't listen to him… do bring the broom, we might need it,' he said seriously.

'He is throwing a tantrum…' she rolled her eyes.

'Ah, I know, but you both are now going to apparate so, it wouldn't bother him. Tell him that you aren't using it right now…'

'Okay…'

'Now, to the point. You'll have to leave your house in seven minutes… sharp at that, okay?'

Lily nodded. 'Right.'

'We'd wait for you both. Be ready. Bye.'

'Bye.'

Lily kept the phone before meeting the curious eyes of Severus. 'What did he say?'

'That we are leaving in seven minutes. So, take care of your business and don't forget to bring the broom…' her voice took a teasing turn at the end before leaving the room.

Severus trailed behind her. 'Lily…'

'Go get ready, Sev…' she demanded.

*Page Break*

Lily held her hand out. 'Sev. Sev?'

Severus was ignoring her. She didn't tell him that they weren't using that fucking broomstick but decided on making him suffer with anxiety.

She huffed. 'Sev… don't behave like a brat and hold onto my hand. We need to get there faster.'

'I'd go on my own. You may leave,' he folded his arms on his chest and turned away.

Lily didn't possess any more patience and grabbed his arm. 'Are you apparating with me or wish to get splinched?'

'Fine, I am…' he said reluctantly.

As Lily came closer, her hand brushed through his robes and she frowned. 'What are you carrying?'

He looked at her and held his chin up. 'Well… my invisibility cloak. We might need it… unlike some other things…' he sneered at the broomstick.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'Now, hold tight,' she instructed before they vanished from the lawn of their house and popped at Selene's.

Selene, a soon-to-be-mother was tapping her foot impatiently on the grassed ground with Shane who looked back just as Lily and Severus appeared.

'What took you both so long?!' She growled before catching both of their hands. 'Shane, take them from the other hands…'

Shane did catch them, so now, they were making a circle and before Lily and Severus could reply to Selene, they vanished with a pop again.

After what felt like hours of torture of getting squeezed through a rod, they were standing on a stony floor, panting. Selene sure had waited a long while that she took her frustration out on them by being so harsh with the apparition.

The place was painfully windy and the sky was dark as if already warning the dark powers that were about to come their way. 'That was rough, Selene!' Shane complained nursing his waist and ribs.

'Yes!' Severus and Lily agreed as they kept bent with their hands on their knees, breathing heavily.

Selene just glared at them, rubbing her own arm. Yes, she had hurt herself too but of course, wouldn't show it.

'We feel it too…' Austin and Charm who was also standing there silently until now, said sympathetically.

The others straightened with another annoyed look at Selene and turned to the cave that they could see from there and then down… at the sea.

They all sighed.

'So… now, we also have to swim!' They groaned.

'I didn't know we had to do all sorts of embarrassing stuff…' Charm looked at the water with hateful eyes.

Lily shrugged. 'How is that embarrassing?'

All of the eyes turned to her. 'Do you know how to swim?'

And the realization struck her. She was the only one here who knew how to swim… didn't even Shane and Austin's parents had bothered to teach them how to swim enough to save themselves.

'Well… yes, it seems like only I know how to swim…'

And now, the eyes went to her broomstick. When everyone's eyes glinted with a new idea, Severus froze with fear. 'No way, we are doing this!' he shrieked. 'Perhaps… we can just try to swim… and it is too stormy anyway, I don't believe the broomstick will perform at its full potential.'

'Stop making excuses, Severus…' Selene rolled her eyes and held her hand out. 'I'll go first… with anyone who wishes to come…'

Umm… doing this with Selene would have been the best idea, but for now… she wasn't in the mood to make a ride seem even closer to good.

Shane cleared his throat. 'I'd come…'

Others gave him an encouraging look as Selene took the broomstick from Lily's hand. And they were just about to get on the broomstick when Severus stopped them.

'Wait!' he called. 'Perhaps… we can try apparating, you know…?'

'I don't believe You-Know-Who would have left a space for apparition…' Austin mused before shrugging. 'But one can always try…' he sucked in a deep breath and… nothing happened. He opened his eyes and blinked at everyone's questioning faces.

'You did it or you didn't?' Charm asked.

He nodded. 'Yeah… but… perhaps, I am not that good at apparition…'

Shane huffed. 'Honestly, Austin…' he left the broomstick and tried to apparate. 'Okay, perhaps… we just can't apparate… Sorry, Severus, we'll just have to take the broom…'

Severus slumped. 'Fine…'

'Now, without wasting any more time… hop on, Shane,' Selene demanded and Shane climbed up behind her.

Selene mounted the broom and they were soon off in the sky, flying to the other side, cutting the wind and… it was so cold that their chattering teeth were heard till a long distance.

'That's a good broom, Lily…' Charm said, impressed.

Lily grinned. One will rarely hear something appreciative about brooms if you live with Severus. 'I know.'

'What's the model?'

'Well-'

'Enough about brooms!' Severus cut them, folding his arms on his chest.

'They aren't that bad…' Austin whispered in a corner.

Before Severus could reply to that with a scathing remark, Shane was back with the broom.

'Wow, that was quick. Thanks to my broomstick…' Lily flaunted before a very excited Charm to ride the broom hopped on.

'Steady, Charm!' Shane warned as she pushed him at the back and took the front seat.

'Come on, this is going to be great…' she squeaked before flying off.

Severus shook his head. 'Honestly, one could have just apparated back and brought the other's brooms too… we wouldn't have to wait so long for this… and dread the ride…'

Austin and Lily blinked at him before looking at each other and… noticing how dumb they were to not do that in the first place.

Soon Charm was back with the broom. 'Come on, Austin, but stay at the back!'

'Yes, yes…' he rolled his eyes and climbed up.

They were off with that.

Severus sighed and looked at Lily. 'Lils?'

'Yes?'

'Do you think there is another way of doing this? Perhaps, just stupefy me and take me like that…'

'Sev…' Lily touched his arm. 'You'd be fine…'

'I don't believe so,' he sounded so confident in saying that he wouldn't be fine that Lily almost believed that they must find another way, but that is when Austin was back, grinning from ear to ear.

'That was so good!' he exclaimed as Lily got on the back.

'Then, you can control once more…' she allowed him to take it off again and they were gone.

The whistling chilling breezes made their way to Severus as chills ran down his spine. He groaned. Why the fucking broom?!

And before he knew it Lily was back with the broom. She gave him a sympathetic look, but his eyes kept fixed on the broom.

'Sev…'

'Can't we try apparating again?' he asked anxiously.

Lily sighed. 'Sorry, Sev, but if Shane tried it and it didn't work then… we can't apparate…'

Severus bit his lip and nodded. 'Fine, then… the broom it is.'

Lily sighed again and pulled the broomstick between her thighs waiting for Severus to do the same. He did reluctantly climb on.

'Come closer to me, Sev…' she asked. 'And hold tight…'

Severus snuck closer to her, almost enough that a little more would have made him seem hanging on her back. His legs were crossed over her thighs, his arms clutching her waist as tightly as humanly possible, that Lily had to gasp for air and his face buried in the nook of her neck from the back.

'Ready, Sev?' she asked shifting slightly to make breathing easier.

He nodded and she felt it on her skin, so, she very smoothly mounted the broom. It was so slow that no one of them felt it happening, but the moment the broom began cutting the air and moving forward… Severus' heart pulsated.

He knew it wasn't going to go well.

'Lily! Please slow down!' he tried to scream but it came out as a raged whisper.

Lily halted in air. 'This is the slowest it can go, Sev… try not to think of it.'

He whimpered. 'This is bad…'

'Shush, Sev… and don't think of it… and even if we aren't at any heigh, don't look down.'

'Oh, my eyes feel as if stuck with glue!'

That got a chuckle out of Lily.

'Don't laugh!' he complained.

Lily shook her head in fake seriousness. 'Not at all… but I'll wait for the summer vacations when I'd teach you how to fly a broom…' she said jokingly with huff before steadily getting moving forward. It was honestly, the slowest she could be and still Severus annoyed her. Perhaps, he wasn't even as afraid as he showed. Or… perhaps he was. Who knew? She just had to get them on the next side of the lake.

'I will lock myself in my room and never come back if you threaten me like that.'

'Oh? Okay… Then perhaps, I'll have to settle with Potter's lips…' she teased.

Severus gasped and looked up. 'What?! Potter's! Lily, are you-?'

Lily laughed cutting him mid-sentence. 'I thought, heights frightened you.'

Just the statement was enough for Severus' heart to make itself known the most in his body as he snuck closer to her again, closing his eyes and tightening his hold on her.

She rolled her eyes. 'No need now… we are already here…' she said, directing the broom downwards swiftly and they were soon on earth again. Well… though, Severus was still in the same position.

A swat on the back of his head made him jerk it up and he saw Selene with a bored look. 'Come on, that was too much drama… we need to get to be doing what we are here for.'

Severus blinked before blushing and getting off the broom with trembling legs that Lily had to hold him. 'Honestly, Sev…'

'Don't leave me… I'd fall bad.'

'Do you want me to pick you up?' Lily chuckled.

'Can you?'

She gave him a blank look. 'You are light but that doesn't mean I could pick you up. I don't possess that strength.'

'Oh, I'd vary judging by how forcefully you had pushed me… when you were possessed by that diadem.'

She flushed and ignored him as she turned to a very confused Shane and Charm. 'What's the problem?'

Austin turned back at her. 'Well… the door to the cave is closed.'

'Oh?' Severus left Lily's side, all of a sudden perfectly well to walk without falling and went to stand beside Charm. 'There isn't a keyhole… so, no key… at least we are clear at that.'

She nodded. 'And I have also tried the revealing charm and all the ones that can open the door…'

Severus nodded and pointed his wand at the door. 'Alohomora,' he spoke which made everyone give him a very amused glance.

'The point to that, mister?' Austin asked, with his eyebrows raised.

Severus cleared his throat. 'Well, people would expect there to be something difficult… so, I tried the basic…'

That made Austin blush and others laugh.

'What?' Severus asked.

Austin shifted. 'Well… I have tried that…'

'Oh…'

Selene gave out an impatient grumble. 'Honestly! How big of fools are you all!' she came to the very front and before anyone could stop her, her wand had created a slit on her shoulder which was dripping blood.

'Selene! What are you doing?!' Shane held her arm and brought his wand up to heal her, but she pulled herself back.

'Not already…' she mumbled before getting taking a few drops of blood on the tip of her wand and touched it to the rock of the door. And to everyone's surprise the door opened. She held her arm out to Shane. 'Yes, now heal it…'

Shane stared at her wide-eyed, in shock and more shock. He absentmindedly brought his wand up, whispered a spell which made Selene's slit up skin stich together with new pink one. 'How did you do that? How did you know that the door would open like that?'

She smiled (Who knew, what mess was happening in her because all of a sudden, she was in the most calm and pleasant demeanour) and looked at Severus and Charm, making them straighten. 'Use that darkness… it was easy…'

They looked at each other. 'Oh…'

'Frightening things Voldy does…' Lily shook her head before coming forward and standing at the entrance. 'Let's get in there.'

They all nodded and followed but would have walked just a meter before they stopped.

'Another lake…' Austin whispered. 'The black one… the one Kreacher talked about…'

Shane kept a hand on his shoulder. 'Yes… and we have no idea what awaits us in there… I can just tell that we can't swim through this…'

'The fear of the unknown… The dark Lord sure loves games… very dark ones,' Selene mumbled, trying to look through the water, but could see nothing more than blackness.

'What if the horcrux is in the lake?' Lily mused.

Severus shook his head. 'No, it can't be… he wouldn't keep it here. He would like us to get to the other part… make it more complex-'

'Or rather just one…' Charm whispered in silence.

They all turned to her. 'What?'

She nodded, her eyes fixed on the lake and her hand outstretched. 'He wants only one of us to get there…' just as she uttered the words, a thick silver chain flew up to her hand.

They all gasped as she smirked. 'I have started to read you, Dark Lord…' she pulled the chain brining a small wooden boat, good for one, come into view.

She looked back at everyone's astonished and speechless faces, so, she began explaining herself. 'So… Kreacher had already told that there was going to be a boat. So, I tried detecting magic near the shore, though, you'd be able to feel it everywhere, meaning that there is something in the lake… but at one place it was too potent. I pulled it out and now, we have the boat… just too small. And by the way, you aren't the only brilliant one in the Dark Arts, Selene…' she added.

'Wow…' they all whispered.

After the shock had worn off them, Severus walked forward and ruffled through his robes, getting a piece of paper. 'This trick always works…' he dropped it in the lake and soon a chalky white, slippery hand, full of mould, came out taking the piece of paper with itself inside again. 'Inferi… that's what is in it. This is what you felt, Charm…'

'Is today a day of how-good-I-am-at-Dark-Arts?' Austin asked, almost out of words.

'Surely, it is…' Lily said nodded, amazed.

'Well, then very-good-at-Dark-Arts-people, do guide us into how to sit in that boat,' Shane said. 'As it has no more space for one person.'

'Oh…' Selene, Charm and Severus, perked up together. 'It actually isn't meant for one person, but for the amount of magic that only one person has…' they all looked at each other and narrowed their eyes. Huh! Everyone knew about this one!

'Well… then… how are we getting from this…? Through, my broom again?' Lily asked.

'Ah… I had already thought of that,' Severus smirked and pulled a silvery thing from his robes: his invisibility cloak. 'I had researched more about these more… and found that most of them can conceal only an entity but mine is a special one… it also conceals magic.'

'Well, mister, how?' Selene asked, crossing her arms on her chest.

'Do you actually want the bit surprise?' he couldn't resist from smiling.

'What, Severus?! How do you know your cloak can do that?' Lily insisted.

He shrugged and draped the cloak on his shoulders. 'Because… when we had talked about it earlier, it was most probably a joke, but perhaps, it is the cloak from the-'

'Deathly Hallows,' Charm completed quietly, making everyone's eyes go wide and hair on their skin stand.

'Come on, Charm! I wished to break it…' Severus gave her a mock offended look.

'It's true! I thought we have just been joking until now!' Shane shrieked.

Severus flinched. 'Umm… perhaps, we must get on with the boat… Hmm?'

Austin being the most stable nodded. 'But do you think, we'd be able to fit in that now?' he pointed towards the cloak.

'Oh… well… how many are we?' Severus asked.

'Six,' Selene replied.

'Six…'

'And it was already difficult with three people in it…' Charm huffed, remembering the night that were out to destroy the diadem.

'Well, we can try… and can leave our ankles out, perhaps, which can make up for one person's magic…'

'Yes… try…'

So, they all came closer, trying to fit in the cloak. It was a task, a very difficult one. Covering their heads was easy but doing so to their shoulders wasn't something they deemed as easy.

After pushing each other out and pulling their hands in, they finally fit with awkwardly got in facing each other and then climbing on to the boat.

'Who is going to paddle it?' Lily spoke, with her teeth clenched, because at the proximity she was with Charm, her spit would have straight flown to her face.

Shane groaned. 'It is beside me…'

'Then do it, Shane!' Selene demanded irritated.

'Yes, yes, I am doing it… only if Austin takes his sweaty armpit off me!'

'Hey! I am not even beside you!' Austin complained.

'Then who is?'

'Shane, that is your hand in your own pits!' Selene called, crushing his toes beneath hers making him do the same with hers.

'Idiot…' he mumbled before kneeling a little and grabbing it. 'Yes, got it… see, this will be slow, so, no one will bother me with the speed…'

'Yes, Shane, just do it…' they said, rolling their eyes and moving almost a millimetre at a time. It was very boring, and the worst thing was that they couldn't even yawn at the other's face.

'Hell, this is too slow…' Charm complained, stifling a yawn.

'Do it yourself if it seems so easy, Charm,' Shane replied in annoyance.

'No, I am good…'

And then what seemed like an eternity, they got to the other end of the lake… or perhaps, the middle of the entire cave, where there was an island. After very carefully getting off the boat, Severus pulled his cloak from everyone and kept it inside his robes again, giving everyone their personal space and air to breathe again.

'Umm… so… the stone basin… and here it is…' Charm revised but before anyone could speak about it, Austin gasped, making everyone turn at him.

'Do you all remember the letter I got? From Afroze?' he asked and everyone nodded, intrigued by what is coming next. 'It had said Weak, Weaker, Dead. It was a clue to this. We were weakened by the blood drops. Then because only one magical entity can sail through the boat, we became weaker. And now…' he gulped, 'is the part where we could be dead.'

He was met by blank stares.

'Don't look at me like that! Its scary!' he shook Selene who was standing closest to him, which brought them back to reality.

They nodded. 'This is true.'

'And now, is the turn for the… potion…' Charm said hesitantly, looking at her shoes.

'So…' they all began, and before thinking for a second time, held their wands out, made an inverted U and yelled. 'Excretus!'

Blazing lights shone from the tips of their wands and son there were six duplicates of them standing in front of each of them.

'Wow… I thought, only I'd do it…' they all whispered together.

Lily shrugged. 'Now, perhaps, each of them can have two sips of the potion…'

'You are saying it as if we are going to have shots of fire whiskey… This potion is going to be painful, Lily,' Charm made a face.

'Okay, it is inevitable now… and because we can dilute it as all of us are having it, it will be easier,' Shane said.

'Remember one thing: occlude,' Selene informed.

Lily, Austin and Shane looked at her as if she had been mocking her. 'We can't and you are aware.'

'Umm… yes… we'd help you… but now, please don't waste time, otherwise, it'd make longer to get the duplicates again… and then, congratulations Charm, for your exceptional display of sudden abilities.'

Charm flushed… for both reasons of embarrassment and praise. 'Well, whatever…'

Severus, avoiding the duplicates, got in the front and near the stone basin filled with the potion. He took a preparing sigh before frowning and leaning downwards as his eyes widened. The locket. The Horcrux. It sat at the very bottom of the basin. 'There is the Horcrux!' and before anyone could stop him, he shoved his hand inside the basin but to no avail as his hand bounced back from an invisible shield that had prevented him from acquiring it. 'Oh…'

'Yes, Severus, oh! Because We'll have to drink it. Didn't I already narrate to you everything that Kreacher had told me?' Charm huffed.

'Yes… but in person, it is all different…' to dismiss the humiliation he plucked the crystal goblet from the uneven floor and dipped it in the basin for it to fill. He gulped in fright and nervousness at the sight of it.

A hand came and braced his arm. Lily. 'You know, what? Perhaps, we can leave it here, and find some other way of getting that locket…' her mouth was dry with anticipation of what was coming.