I Solemnly Swear | Fillie

We've Been Waiting

Mildly shaken by this, Millie nods, "I know."
Hearing this, Caleb slips the mirror from his pocket. Footsteps sound from below. "Hey! I can see you! In here!" Caleb turns, watches Millie take a jagged shard similar to his own from the mantel.

He glances down at the piece in his palm, sees Millie's eye looking out at him. Just then, the man's hulking form appears on the landing. "You bloody fools! What were you thinking coming here? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is..."

Caleb speaks up, "You're Aberforth." The room goes quiet. The man turns and eyes him, "Dumbledore's brother."

"Right then. Reckon you're hungry. Let's get you fed, then think of the best way to get you out of here." A tray of food is set down on the table.

Millie and Noah set to, they haven't eaten for days. Aberforth pours himself a glass of mead. "Do you hear much from the others?From the Order?"

"The Order is finished. You-Know-Who's won. Anyone who says otherwise is kidding themselves." The trio exchange glances.

Caleb doesn't touch the food, just stares quietly at Aberforth, "We need to get into Hogwarts. Dumbledore gave us a job to do."

"Did he now? Nice job? Easy?" An awkward silence, the tension heavy.

Caleb purses his lips, "We've been hunting Horcruxes. We think the last one's in the school. But we'll need your help getting in. If we can find it and kill it, then we kill him, and then we can end this war once and for all. We need to get into Hogwarts tonight."

Aberforth stares at him for a moment, until the silence grows. "It's not a job my brother's given you, it's a suicide mission. Do yourself a favor boy. Go home. Live a little longer."

"Dumbledore trusted me, to see this through..."

"What makes you think you can trust him? What makes you think you can believe anything my brother told you! In all the time you knew him, did he ever mention my name? Did he ever mention hers?" Aberforth gestures to the painting of the girl.

Caleb shakes his head, "Why should he..."

"Keep secrets? You tell me." Aberforth sighs.

Caleb straightens his posture, "I only care about the Dumbledore I knew. I trusted him. I had no reason not to trust him."

"That's a boy's answer. A boy who goes chasing Horcruxes on the word of a man who won't even tell him where to start. You're lying. Not just to me, which doesn't matter, but to yourself as well. That's what a fool does. You don't strike me as a fool, Mr. Mclaughlin. So I'll ask you again. There must be a reason. Why do you trust anything my brother ever said to you? Why?"

Caleb stands mute, his face at war with itself. For a moment, it's unclear which competing emotion will win out, then finally, he speaks, his voice steady. "Because I need to. Because if I don't, I don't know who I am anymore. I've lost too many people to lie down now. I'm not interested in what happened between you and your brother, I don't even care that you've given up. I trust the man I knew. I'm going to see this through. I need to get into the castle tonight."

Noah and Millie exchange a glance as Aberforth regards Caleb darkly, but Caleb merely stands, waiting. After several seconds, Aberforth's gaze shifts to the painting. "You know what to do..." The girl smiles, turns, and walks away, growing slowly smaller in the painting with each step she takes.

Caleb's eyes widen, confused, "Where've you sent her?"

You'll see soon enough." He replies.

"That's Ariana, isn't it? Your sister. She's beautiful." Millie asks.