Achieving Light [Book 2 of Through Darkness and Light]

Chapter 19: Betrayals and Lies

A/N: *le gasp* An upload! Got my computer fixed, so I worked extra hard to get an extra long chapter out for you all, as an apology. Enjoy! I'll reformat later...but I'm super tired from all the brain cells I used in this chapter. Not too pleased with it, but hopefully you guys like it. :) Happy Thanksgiving, all of you! (whatever you celebrate, anyways).

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Harry had walked down with Hermione, to say his goodbyes to Dumbledore. The two were silent, as they made their way to Dumbledore’s office, where the terrible deed had happened. The gargoyle that normally guarded the stairs was missing. Harry stepped closer to inspect the jagged shards of rock that surrounded where the statue normally was. As he did so, he stepped on something, and stooped to pick it up. It was the head of the gargoyle. With a shout of dismay and shock, Harry dropped it. “Whoever it was destroyed the gargoyle so it wouldn’t give him away,” he whispered in horror.

Hermione touched the old post where the gargoyle had once stood proudly. “This shouldn’t have been able to happen,” she murmured in reply. “Whoever it was had to be a student, because there is no way anyone else could have killed him without drawing alarm sooner.”

Harry clenched his fists. “I’ll kill whoever it was,” he growled. Hermione laid a comforting hand on his arm, as the two of them slowly made their way up the stairs. Inside of the office, McGonagall was talking in a low voice with Professors Sprout, Flitwick and Snape.

“Harry, Hermione,” she said in a hollow voice. “I suppose you want to see him, before…” She couldn’t continue, and Flitwick patted her arm gently. Snape glanced at his three coworkers, then back to the students in front of him. Though his expression was carefully blank, Harry was certain he saw grief in the man’s eyes. Even Snape felt the death as a shock and a great sorrow.

“Where is he?” he whispered. Snape again looked at McGonagall, Sprout and Flitwick, who were again talking in quiet voices.

“This way,” Snape muttered, directing the two over to the corner. A mat had been laid down, and Harry saw that Dumbledore had been placed on it. A peaceful calm was settled over Dumbledore, and there were no visible marks on his body. He’d been killed with a Killing Curse. Grief and a horrible sense of loss swept over Harry, and he fell to his knees beside Dumbledore. Beside him, he felt Hermione next to him, and felt her grab his hand for comfort. The two friends sat there numbly for a little while, as Snape returned to the other professors, having retreated to give Hermione and Harry some time alone with the body.

“I can’t believe he’s gone,” Hermione said quietly. “I always thought he’d be around forever, as silly as it was.”

“Same,” Harry said dully. “Or I thought I’d at least get to say goodbye…not that he’d be murdered, and I wouldn’t know about it until it was too late.” Tears threatened to spill over, and his voice was choked as he continued. “He was like the father I never really had, even though he was so much older…he didn’t know what my family life was like, but at least he was there for me when I needed him…sure, he made mistakes and pissed me off sometimes, but at least he was there…at least I had him…now he’s gone.”

With that, the tears began to flow freely. Harry leaned forward, resting his forehead against Dumbledore’s chest and clutching at his mentor’s cold, stiff arm. “Why? Why did he have to die?” he whispered brokenly. “This doesn’t make any sense…I need him!”

“I don’t know why this happened, Harry,” Hermione sobbed, her own tears flowing as well. “All I know is that it was Malfoy’s way of getting to you and Draco…”

“And now Lily’s gone…it’s all falling to pieces,” Harry moaned, his voice muffled by Dumbledore’s clothing.

“We’ll get her back, Harry…we’ll get her back…”