Riley felt like she was flying. Her arms were spread out as the dragon continued to soar through the air. It was cold and the others clung to each other to keep warm.
"We're dropping!" Harry suddenly yelled snapping Riley out of her trance.
The scaly dragon started circling and started flying lower and lower towards a shimmering blue lake.
"What are we gonna do?" Riley asked worriedly.
"I say we jump," Ron yelled over the roar of the wind.
"When?" Hermione breathed as she clung to Ron.
"NOW!" Harry screamed as the four leaped off of the dragon and dropped like stones into the lake with loud splashes.
When Harry was in the water visions swarmed through his head. His scar burned.
Voldemort was angry and he was slashing angrily at goblins and guards at Gringotts.
Harry's body twisted underwater and Riley watched from a distance clearly terrified. She didn't know what to do.
Nagini slithered on the floor of the bank which was smeared with blood and dead bodies.
Riley dragged up Harry's body to the surface so that his head bobbed on the surface. He coughed violently while Riley pat his back.
Blood spilled out of a guard's eyes as Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco Malfoy surveyed the dead bodies in stunned silence and fear. Bellatrix Lestrange stood near them with her lips parted as she watched Voldemort's movements.
Voldemort was staring at the Elder wand in his bony hands as blood pooled by his robes.
"The boy has discovered our secret, Nagini. We must find out just how much he knows. We must return to our hiding places and see if the others are safe," Voldemort told Nagini who slithered beside him.
Images flashed in Harry's head.
Tom Riddle's diary. A ring with a black stone. An old woman with black teeth opened a box revealing a cup with the Hufflepuff crest. Hogwarts. A younger, beautiful woman who looked sad and ghostly who stood next to an older woman who seemed to be her mother. A tiara that had the Ravenclaw eagle on the crown's detail.
The vision of Voldemort returned and he was petting Nagini.
"And you, my friend, must stay close..." the dark lord said.
From the corner of the room stood a bloodied Griphook who clutched the sword of Gryffindor that suddenly disappeared.
"Harry! Harry! Are you alright?" Riley called as Harry finally heard her voice.
She was holding him with her hair damp. She was shivering.
"Yeah, I'm alright darling where are Ron and Hermione?" Harry asked as he looked around and the two's heads popped out of the water.
The group crawled up to the shore.
"He knows," Harry looked at the group with his chest heaving.
The other three all glanced at Harry dripping wet.
"Who knows what?" Riley questioned.
"You-Know-Who. He knows we brokeinto Gringotts. He knows what we took. He knows we're hunting Horcruxes," the boy who lived was out of breath.
"How is it you-" Hermione was cut off.
"I saw him," Harry pointed to his scar.
"You let him in! Harry, you can't!" Hermione scolded.
"I can't always help it, Hermione!" the chosen one sighed and frowned.
Riley put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.
Hermione started to take out her bag and tossed clothes to everyone. Ron and Harry started undressing and slipped on new clothes. Hermione unbuttoned her robe.
"Maybe I can. I don't know," Harry shrugged his shoulders and then took Riley's hand and kissed it gently.
"Yeah don't expect me to change in front of yall," Riley crossed her arms.
"Never mind! What did you see?" Ron waved Riley aside.
"He's angry. But he's scared too. He's going to make sure the other Horcruxes are safe," Harry looked at each of them.
"So he doesn't know that we took four of them? Huh, what's he gonna do when he finds out that they're gone?" Riley glanced at Harry.
"I reckon he'll do anything to stop us from finding the rest. There's more... one of them's at Hogwarts," Harry explained
"What?" Hermione, Ron, and Riley yelled in unison.
"Did you see it?" the blonde American cocked her head to the side.
"I saw the castle. And Rowena Ravenclaw. I think it must have something to do with her. We have to go there, now," Harry ordered.
"Woah woah woah, simmer down, Haz," Riley put her hands out in front of the chosen one.
"Tonight? But we have to plan. We have to figure out what-" Hermione looked exasperated.
"Honestly, Hermione, when have any of our plans actually worked? We plan, we get there and all hell breaks loose," Harry put on his pants while Riley shook her head but nodded.
"Afraid he's right. One problem uh Snape's Headmaster now. We can't just walk in the front door," Ron stated.
"Maybe we could go to Hogsmeade. There's a secret passage in Honeydukes!" Riley had a grin on her face.
"Good idea, but I still think this whole thing is a bit risky," Hermione complimented.
"Life is about taking risks, hun," the American threw an arm around the brunette girl.
Harry looked out in the distance in the way the dragon had flown off.
"There's something wrong with him. In the past, I could always follow his thoughts. Now everything feels disconnected," Harry ran a hand through his messy dark hair.
"Maybe it's because of the Horcruxes. Maybe he's growing weaker. Maybe he's dying," Ron shrugged his shoulders.
"No. It's more like he's wounded. If anything, he feels more dangerous," Harry looked at each of them with worry.
"Great, just great the bald bitch is even more powerful," Riley smacked her forehead.
....
Hogsmeade was empty and wanted posters of Harry were plastered everywhere. The shops were all closed and were shrouded in a thick fog. The Three Broomsticks however was open and light was shone from inside. Laughter was heard in the distance from the restaurant.
The group apparated into a small alley and immediately dashed towards Honeydukes.
At that moment Deatheaters spilled out of the Three Broomsticks.
"Fuck," Riley mumbled.
"There! Right there!" a Deatheater pointed at them as the group turned on their heels and vanished into another alley.
Harry led the way as the group ran through the twisted streets checking to see if anyone was following them.
Suddenly a dark figure appeared on the roof of a building above them. He whistled.
"I've got them! Down here!" he yelled as the group once again darted.
They stumbled into an alcove with their lungs burning.
Riley's throat itched and she really wanted to cough but couldn't because she heard the footsteps of Deatheaters nearby.
"They were ready for us," Hermione whispered.
Beams of light speared through the fog.
"We know you're here, Potter.There's no getting away," a Deatheater sang sinisterly.
Riley's breath hitched as Harry took out Sirius's mirror and angled it towards the end of the alley where a group of Deatheaters stood with their wands gleaming.
"Perhaps you need some convincing," the same Deatheater hummed.
"What's he mean by that?" Ron muttered.
"You think I know I'm just as dumb as you are!" Riley hissed.
Ron glared at her as Hermione suddenly gasped. She was staring at the sky where Dementors lurked.
Harry made an attempt to take out his wand but Hermione covered it.
"No, you'll give us away," Hermione warned.
The night became darker and the Dementors drew nearer and nearer. The alcove was cold and Riley clung to Harry in fear burying her head into his shoulder while shaking. Ron grimaced and a tear escaped from Hermione's eye.
Harry couldn't take it anymore and pulled out his wand and aimed it at the large group of Dementors.
"Expecto Patronum!" he bellowed as a silver stag flew out of his wand and fended off against the cloaked figures.
"It's him! He's down there!" another Deatheater yelled.
Footsteps clattered down the cobblestones drawing nearer to the group.
Riley's heart pounded in her ears. This was it she thought.
Suddenly a door opened and a man who had a similar resemblance to Dumbledore looked at the group.
"In here, Potter!" the man urged as the group sped inside of the building.
....
The group was seated in a living room where they were warmed up by the fire from a fireplace. Above the fireplace stood a large painting of a young girl with blonde hair.
Harry pulled the curtain up over a grimy window and looked out and saw a horde of Deatheaters all looking around.
"Did you get a look at him! For a second I thought it was-" Ron was interrupted by Hermione who looked slightly shaken.
"I know," she replied.
"He looks exactly like Dumbledore it's insane!" Riley was dumbfounded.
"You bloody fools! What were you thinking coming here? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is!" the man who looked like Dumbledore tumbled through the living room.
"You're Aberforth," Harry said.
The room went quiet as the older man turned and faced the boy who lived.
"Dumbledore's brother. It's you I've been seeing here. It's you who sent Dobby," Harry fumbled with the mirror shard in his pocket which he took out.
"Where've you left him?" Aberforth eyed the shard.
"He's dead," Riley's voice was low as Aberforth whipped his head towards the blonde.
"Sorry to hear it. I liked that elf," he nodded to her.
"How'd you come by it?" Harry lifted up the glass shard in his hands.
"Mundungus Fletcher, about a year ago," Aberforth responded.
"Dung had no right selling you that. It belonged to-" Harry's voice was full of anger.
"Sirius. Albus told me. He also told me that you'd likely be hacked off if you ever found out I had it. But ask yourself where you'd be if I didn't," Aberforth cleared his throat.
Harry didn't respond.
"Right then. Reckon you're hungry. Let's get you fed, then think of the best way to get you out of here," the older man left the room.
....
A tray full of food was set on the table and the group except for Harry eagerly took the food and stuffed themselves because they hadn't eaten in days.
"Oh my god," Riley moaned as she bit through a drumstick.
Aberforth poured himself a glass of wine. It was his fourth glass.
"You know I always say that American food is better but right now this shit is the best food I've ever tasted because I haven't eaten in a bit," Riley said with her mouth full.
"Do you hear much from the others? From the Order?" Hermione asked.
"The Order is finished. You-Know-Who's won. Anyone who says otherwise is kidding themselves," Dumbledore's brother scoffed.
The group looked at each other awkwardly and then returned back to their food.
"We need to get into Hogwarts. Dumbledore gave us a job to do," Harry looked at the older man.
"Did he now? Nice job? Easy?" Aberforth's voice was laced with annoyance.
The air was thick.
"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," the boy who lived explained.
"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," Aberforth looked almost sad.
"Dumbledore trusted me, to see this through," Harry's voice was an octave higher.
"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 spat as he pointed at the painting above the fireplace.
"Why should he..." Harry trailed off.
"Keep secrets? You tell me," the older man crossed his arms.
"Sassy," Riley mumbled as she slurped her soup. Hermione shot her a hard stare.
"I only care about the Dumbledore I knew. I trusted him," the chosen one argued.
"Did you now? And why is that?" Aberforth sneered.
"I had no reason not to!" Harry snapped.
"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," Dumbledore's brother shouted.
"You're drunk," Harry said simply.
"You don't strike me as a fool, Mr. Potter. So I'll ask you again. There must be a reason. Why do you trust anything my brother ever said to you? Why?" Aberforth questioned.
The room became silent.
"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 castletonight," Harry's voice was vulnerable and Riley wanted to wrap her arms around him.
He had been through too much. He was tired and he just wanted to stop Voldemort once and for all.
Aberforth's gaze shifted to the painting of the young girl.
"You know what to do," he told the girl who smiled and then walked away.
"Where is she going?" Riley asked.
"You'll see soon enough," Aberforth told her.
"That's Ariana, isn't it? Your sister. She's beautiful," Hermione complimented.
"She'll always be beautiful," Aberforth looked sad.
Ron, Harry, and Riley glanced at each other in confusion.
"She died very young, didn't she?" Hermione inquired.
"My brother sacrificed many things, Mr. Potter, in his journey to find power, including her. She was devoted to him he gave her everything, but time," Aberforth stroked his beard.
"Mr. Dumbledore... thank you," Hermione said.
"Yeah, thank you so much for this food and saving our asses," Riley smiled as Aberforth nodded curtly and then left the room.
"Why'd you say that?" Ron asked as he shoved potatoes into his mouth.
"He did save our lives twice. Kept aneye on us in that mirror. Thatdoesn't seem like someone who'sgiven up, does it?" Hermione looked at the group.
"Oh look Ariana's coming back!" Riley pointed excitedly to the painting.
"And she's gotsomeone with her!" Hermione said.
Ariana came back with two figures. One was limping and the other had dark hair in a milkmaid braid.
"Hazel! Neville!"
....
That was chapter 48! I hope you all have a fantastic day!
xx Asiya