"Where are we Professor?" Harry asked.
"Some place Tom Riddle visited when he was younger." Dumbledore replied. "There is a small town a short ways away that the orphanage he stayed at visited."
"How did he even find this place" Harry asked as he nearly tripped on the slippery rocks.
"Oh, I imagine just like any young adventurer." He said lightly.
Harry made his way down the cliff face to where Dumbledore crouched. His wand illuminated, shining light down into the water and to a large wall beyond. "I hope you don't mind getting a little wet." Dumbledore grinned before jumping into the water.
Harry gaped as the elder man swam calmly off into the darkness. He quickly shook himself from his stupor and dived into the water. His body burned as he broke the surface for air, the icy temperature stealing his breath. He had no idea how Dumbledore was swimming so casually.
He followed Dumbledore through the fissure until they came to a large cave. Harry quickly heaved himself onto land and tried his best to wring out the excess water from his clothes.
"This is the right place." Dumbledore said quietly.
"H-How can you tell?" Harry whispered.
"It has known magic."
Harry shivered violently, he tried to extend his senses, but the cold was seeping into him.
Dumbledore looked back, "Oh, I am terribly sorry Harry." He waved his wand and Harry's clothes were completely dry.
"Thank you, Sir."
Dumbledore turned his attention back to the walls, feeling every groove, every change in texture.
"Here" Dumbledore said. He then took a small knife from his robes and cut into his palm.
"Sir!" Harry darted forward.
"In order to gain passage, we must provide payment."
"Payment?"
"Indeed. It is a crude method, yes, but the idea is that your enemy must weaken themselves in order to enter." Dumbledore brushed his injured palm against the wall, leaving a trail of blood. The wall crumbles, opening to another cave with a large lake.
"Stay close to me, and do not touch the water." Dumbledore said quietly.
Harry nodded and edged closer to the headmaster. "Is the horcrux here, Sir?"
"Yes, I believe it is." Dumbledore said.
Harry stretched his senses, looking for the familiar itch that was a horcrux, but there was nothing. "Sir, are you certain the horcrux is here."
"I am most positive. The question is, how do we get it?" Dumbledore said.
"A summoning charm perhaps?" Harry suggested.
"We could try that." Dumbledore motioned towards him.
Harry cleared his throat and held his wand aloft, "Accio Horcrux!"
With a noise like an explosion, something very large and pale erupted out of the dark water some twenty feet away; before Harry could see what it was, it had vanished again with a crashing splash that made great, deep ripples on the mirrored surface.
Harry turned wide eyes towards the professor, "What was that?"
"Something, I think, that is ready to respond should we attempt to seize the Horcrux." Dumbledore replied calmly.
"Did you know that would happen?"
"No, but I thought something would happen if we made an obvious attempt at obtaining the horcrux."
Harry huffed. "Is there something less obvious we can try?"
"I believe there is only one correct way." Dumbledore walked along the bank, looking for something. "Ah, yes."
Harry looked around, but only saw the same darkness and pristine water.
Dumbledore held his hand and wand out and a chain burst from the water into Dumbledore's awaiting hand. He tapped his wand against it and the chain began to move, curling itself into a coil next to his feet.
"How did you know that was there?"
"Magic always leaves a trace." Dumbledore replied.
Another thing to add to his training then. Harry knew it would come in handy even after the war.
A moment later, a small boat appeared through the darkness and stopped in front of them.
"Do you think it's safe?" Harry asked.
"I do" Dumbledore nodded, "Tom would need a safe way to retrieve his horcrux if he ever needed to move it."
Carefully, the two boarded the boat. They both couldn't comfortably sit inside so Harry crouched awkwardly beside Dumbledore. Once they were both situated, the boat moved by itself across the lake.
Harry could vaguely see things in the water, but did his best to ignore them. One thing at a time, he could worry about whatever creatures were in the lake after they had the horcrux.
They came to a small island in the middle of the lake. In the middle of this island was a pedestal holding a bowl. Harry looked inside the bowl curiously. "Is this the horcrux?"
"Yes, it is most likely beneath this liquid." Dumbledore said.
Harry tried to touch the liquid but instead, he hit an invisible barrier.
"It would seem this potion needs to be drunk." Dumbledore conjured a goblet with his wand and scooped the potion out of the bowl.
Harry moved to take it, but Dumbledore moved it out of his reach.
"Do you remember what you promised me before we left Hogwarts?" Dumbledore asked.
Harry's brows drew together, "That I would listen to everything you said. Follow whatever you told me to do."
"Yes, so I will now tell you that no matter what I say, you will force me to finish drinking this potion."
"What?! But, Sir –"
"You gave me your word, Harry." Dumbledore said evenly.
Harry wanted to protest, but Dumbledore was right. After a beat of hesitation, he nodded.
"Remember, no matter how much I beg you, keep giving me the potion." Dumbledore instructed and tipped the goblet back, drinking the potion.
The first few drinks seemed to only cause slight discomfort, but as the potion disappeared, the weaker Dumbledore got. Towards the end, Harry had to physically force Dumbledore to drink the potion. He tried to ignore the older man's pleas, his begging for the pain to stop. It was hard, but it had to be done. Voldemort needed to be stopped.
After what felt like an eternity, Harry saw Slytherin's locket sitting at the bottom of the bowl. He quickly pocketed the locked without a thought and went back to Dumbledore's shaking figure.
"Sir, we got it. It's done."
"Water" Dumbledore croaked.
"Yes, of course!" Harry quickly went back to the basin and filled it with water, but when he tried to fill the goblet, nothing happened. "What?" He muttered to himself. He tried to fill the goblet with water, but it remained empty. He started panicking, he could hear Dumbledore's labored breathing getting softer, there wasn't much time.
He turned towards the lake and quickly dunked the goblet into the icy water. "Here, Sir" Harry helped Dumbledore drink the water. Once he was finished; Harry returned to the lake to refill the goblet, but a white hand caught him and started to pull him down. Harry yelped and caught the rocks on the shore, pulling his hand from the creature's grasp.
Harry stared at the water in horror as several creatures appeared. They were pale, and waterlogged. They looked like corpses.
Harry's eyes widened, Inferi. He remembered reading about them last summer. Unfortunately, he never came across how to deal with them, just that they existed.
Then he remembered what Dumbledore had said on the way here, "Fire, Harry"
"incendio!" Harry cried and fire shot out of his wand. The inferi screeched and some dived back into the water. "incendio!" He fired off a few more until all the inferi were gone. He turned back to see Dumbledore struggling to get to his feet.
"Are you alright, Sir?" Harry asked, helping the man to his feet and towards the boat.
Dumbledore merely nodded. Once they made it back to the opposite shore, Harry helped Dumbledore back to the archway.
"It will have closed by now, where's my knife?" Dumbledore slurred out.
"No need Professor, I cut myself on the rocks earlier." Harry said and quickly rubbed his hand along the wall to reveal the exit. Luckily Harry was fairly passable at apparition so he was able to get both he and Dumbledore back to Hogwarts without any splinching.
He sighed in relief when they appeared in Hogsmeade, until he looked up and saw the dark mark hovering over the castle. "Oh no" Harry whispered.
Dumbledore looked up as well, "Harry, we must return to Hogwarts at once."
"But Sir, you are in no shape to be walking back." Harry protested.
"Then we shall fly" Dumbledore turned to the Three Broomsticks, "Ask Rosmerta if we could borrow some brooms."
Harry nodded and quickly entered the pub. Madam Rosemerta was standing at the bar and looked shocked to see him.
"Do you have a couple brooms I can borrow?" Harry asked quickly.
"Why do you need brooms?" She asked.
"We need to get back to Hogwarts."
"But – have you seen –"
"The dark mark, yes. That's why we need the brooms." Harry snapped.
She turned and produced two brooms from behind the bar and handed them over. "Thank you" Harry said and quickly ran out to Dumbledore.
They both mounted their brooms and Dumbledore led them to the Astronomy tower.
"We should get Madam Pomfrey." Harry said.
"No, no. I need Severus." Dumbledore said.
"Snape?!" Harry gaped, "But, Sir!"
"Please, Harry. Bring Severus to me." Dumbledore whimpered slightly as he struggled to hold himself up against the wall.
Harry hesitated for a moment, but nodded and put on his invisibility cloak. He made to leave, but then footsteps coming up the stairs made him pause.
The door burst open and somebody burst through it and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"
Harry's body instantly became rigid and immobile, like a statue, unable to move or speak. He could not understand how it had happened — Expelliarmus was not a freezing charm. Luckily, he was frozen facing the room so he was able to see Dumbledore's wand fly over the edge of the ramparts. He understood, Dumbledore had wordlessly immobilized Harry, and the second he had taken to perform the spell had cost him the chance of defending himself.
If he could move Harry would be gritting his teeth. Why was it so important that Harry was immobilized. He could help! Instead, he could only watch as Draco Malfoy explained the many ways in which he tried to kill Dumbledore throughout the year. He felt slightly vindicated,he knew from the start that Malfoy was up to something.
"I have to do it! I have to kill you." Malfoy cried. "If I don't, he'll kill me…and my family."
Before Dumbledore could respond, several people entered to room. Harry recognized Bellatrix immediately.
"Well," she smirked, "what do we have here? Well done, Draco"
"Evening, Bellatrix. I believe introductions are in order." Dumbledore said lightly, even as he was practically hanging off the wall and railing.
"Oh, I would love to Albus, but we have a schedule to keep." She replied. She turned back to Malfoy, "Do it!"
Malfoy didn't move. His hand shook minutely.
"Doesn't have the stomach." One Death Eater sneered. "Just like his father."
"Why don't we just finish him?" Another hissed.
"No!" Bellatrix snapped. "The Dark Lord was clear; the boy is to do it."
"Then do it, boy!" someone shouted.
But Malfoy couldn't. His hand was shaking even more, barely able to aim.
"Come on, Draco!" Bellatrix shrieked. "Now!"
Harry wanted to move so badly. To attack all of them and get Dumbledore to safety, but he was still frozen in place. He hoped the Order hurried; this wouldn't last much longer.
Not a moment later, the door burst open again. Harry's heart filled with hope, only for it to sink to his stomach at the sight of Snape.
"Ah, Severus" Bellatrix grinned. "At last"
Snape surveyed the room carefully before walking over to Malfoy. The boy lowered his wand, a bit of relief in his eyes at seeing the professor.
Snape then turned to Dumbledore, barely holding himself up against the railing of the tower.
"Severus" Dumbledore whispered – no, pleaded.
Snape didn't answer, only stared dispassionately at him.
"Severus…please…"
Snape raised his wand and pointed it directly at Dumbledore. "Avada Kedavra!" A jet of green light shot from the end of Snape's wand and hit Dumbledore squarely in the chest.
Harry watched, in silent horror, as Dumbledore was blasted into the air, over the railings, and out of sight.