Kassandra Bauer and the Half Blood Prince. (Book 6)

Chapter 25: The Cave of Darkness.

(Kassandra P.O.V)

I could smell salt and hear rushing waves; a light chilly breeze ruffled my hair, which made me tie it into a tight ponytail. And I looked out into the vast grey sky. We were no longer at Hogwarts. Now we were standing on the top of a high outcrop of a rock, the sea foaming and churning below us. A towering cliff stood behind us, a sheer drop, black and faceless. A few large chunks of rocks, luck the one, Harry, Dumbledore, and I were standing on. It looked as though it broke away from the cliff face at some point in the past. It was a bleak, harsh view, the sea and the rock unrelieved by any tree or sweep of grass or sand. It kind of reminded me of that secret cave Larisa had back in Greece.

"What do you think?" Dumbledore asked. He was so calm that he might as well have asked us if we wanted to picnic here or something.

"I think Poseidon is angry!" I yelled.

"They brought kids from the Orphanage here?" Harry asked in disbelief. 

"Not here precisely." Dumbledore answered. "There is a village of sorts about halfway along the cliffs behind us. I believe the orphans were taken there for a little sea air and a view of the waves. No, I think it was only ever Tom Riddle and his youthful victims who visited this spot. No Muggle could reach this rock unless they were uncommonly good mountaineers and boats cannot approach the cliffs, the waters around them are too dangerous. I imagine that Riddle climbed down; magic would have served better than ropes. And he brought two small children with him, probably for the pleasure of terrorizing them. I think the journey alone would have done it, don't you?" 

I looked at the cliffs again. "Well, I'll just have to take your word for it, Professor. Because I'm looking at it, and all I can see are splashes of water obstructing my view." I said. And then a huge splash of water fell right at us. 

But Dumbledore repelled the water away from us.

"But his final destination- and ours- lies a little further on. Come." He beckoned us to the very edge of the rock where a series jagged niches made footholds leading down to the boulders that layed half submerged in water and closer to the cliff. It was a treacherous descent and Dumbledore, hampered slightly by his withered hand, moved slowly. The lower rocks were slippery with seawater. 

"Woah." My foot slipped on one of the rocks. And I felt a cold sea salt spray hit my face. 

"Kassie." Harry grabbed my arm to pull me back up.

"I'm okay." I assured as I got my balance back. And I looked at the waves, as if by the off chance I fell in, I would be smashed and drown. "Oh.... those are angry waves." 

"Okay, Kassie you have hung from the rail of the Hogwarts Towers in our first year and climbed through a window." Harry reminded. 

"Yeah. But that wasn't with the possibility of being flung into the water and smashed onto the rocks." I pointed out. 

"That's a good point." Harry replied. 

"Lumos." Dumbledore said, as we reached the boulder closest to the cliff face. A thousand flecks of golden light sparkled from his wand on the dark surface of the water as we approached the wall. The Black wall of rock beside us was illuminated too. 

"You see?" Dumbledore asked quietly, holding his wand a little higher. I saw a fissure in the cliff into which water was swirling. "You will not object to getting a little wet?" 

"No." Both Harry and I answered. 

"Then let us take the plunge." Dumbledore ordered. 

"Professor... are you sure that's-" I started to say.