(A/N) this song brings back middle school dance memories and it's been living in my head rent free. I wouldn't start playing the song from the very beginning but, up to you.
Sorry for the long wait! This was combined with half of the last chapter and half the next one so it was a pain to combine them. This is a really long chapter so... prepare yourselves...
(Outfit Reference)
Harry popped open the cork on the vile of Liquid Luck and drank the entire thing. I thought maybe a drop would be enough but I suppose that works too. I wasn't exactly with this idea since we could use it to do more important stuff, like killing Voldemort. But now realizing how important the memory is to defeating Voldemort, I understand.
"Well, How do you feel?" Hermione asked.
"Excellent. Really Excellent," Harry said with a big smile standing up. Hermione, Ron and I all followed him and stood up.
"Remember, Slughorn usually eats early, takes a walk, and then returns to his office," Hermione said taking a deep breath.
"Right. I'm going down to Hagrid's"
"What? No- Harry, You've got to speak with Slughorn! We have a plan."
"I know but- I've got a really good feeling about Hagrid's. I feel it's the place to be tonight, do you know what I mean?"
"No," Ron, Hermione, and I said in unison.
"Well trust me I know what I'm doing, or... Felix does."
"Should we come with you?" Hermione asked furrowing her eyebrows.
"No, only Evelyn," He replied grabbing my hand.
"Hi!" He exclaimed a bit too loudly to two students walking in the common room before leading me out.
"Where're we going? We can't go out to the grounds at this time of the night. I was thinking maybe an invisibility cloak?"
"No, we're going out through the front door."
"The front... Door?"
"Trust me," He said leading me towards the front door. Strangely, the usual crowd of students weren't there, just empty corridors followed by empty corridors. No one too was watching the front door, no sign of Filch or Professor McGonagall or... Anyone in general.
Past the front door, we walked down the corridors just outside the greenhouse. In front of us, Professor Slughorn was trying to take something out of the Greenhouse from a window. If I must say so myself, it looked like he was trying to steal something from Professor Sprout. Harry continued walking and past Professor Slughorn. He's lucky he brought me, otherwise he would've missed the chance to speak with him.
"Harry," I whispered nudging him. Only then did he turn around walking up close behind Professor Slughorn. He didn't realize Harry was there and let out a huge gasp when he turned around to see Harry right in his face.
"Merlin's beard Harry..." He muttered.
"I'm sorry sir. I should've announced myself. Clear my throat. Coughed. You probably thought I was Professor Sprout?"
"Definitely, what makes you think?"
"Ah well, your general behavior sir. Just sneaking around, jumping when you saw me."
"Are those tentacular leaves sir?" I asked walking up behind the two, "Very valuable aren't they?"
"Ah yes, Ten galleons a leaf to the right buyer. Not that I'm familiar with with any such back alley transactions but one does hear rumors. My only interests are purely academical."
"I mean, personally, these plants always freak me out," Harry said furrowing his eyebrows.
"Exactly how did you you to get out of the castle?" Professor Slughorn asked turning to face us.
"Er, from the front door sir," I paused before replying.
"We're off to Hagrid's, you see. He's a very dear friend and we'd just fancy him a visit. So if you don't mind, we'll be going now," Harry said grabbing my hand and pulling me away. What is there so good about Hagrid's anyway? I thought the whole goal of this was to retrieve the memory from Professor Slughorn.
"Harry!" Professor Slughorn called out.
"Sir!" Harry replied with so much sass.
"It's nearly nightfall! Surely you realize I can't allow you to go roaming the grounds by yourselves."
"Well then, by all means, come along sir," He replied before pulling me back out the greenhouse and towards the fields. This all seems ridiculous to me, our whole plan was to stay with Slughorn.
"Harry- What are you doing?" I whispered as we made our way down the hill towards Hagrid's hut, "We can visit Hagrid anytime later, just not now!"
"Just trust me."
"Harry, I must insist you accompany me back to the castle immediately!" I turned around to see Professor Slughorn had really followed us out.
"See? I told you so," Harry said smirking. I still don't understand what benefit bringing Professor Slughorn to Hagrid's hut will bring us. At least he's talking to Harry now I suppose. Right beside Hagrid's hut, I could see Hagrid standing beside a dead spider. An extremely big dead spider. Biggest one I've ever seen- maybe even bigger than Buckbeak. Merlin, I hate spiders.
"What is that?" I asked Harry furrowing my eyebrows. Just even looking at it sent chills down my spine.
"Big giant spider that tried to eat Ron and I back in our second year," He replied furrowing his eyebrows as well.
"Harry, Evelyn," Hagrid greeted us wiping away a tear as we walked up behind him. I suppose this giant spider was his pet for him to be crying over it. Honestly, I should just get used to Hagrid and his exotic pets.
"Horace," Hagrid greeted Professor Slughorn who followed behind us the whole time.
"Merlin's beard! Is that an actually acromantula?" Professor Slughorn exclaimed walking up beside me, "Good god. Dear fellow, however did you manage to kill it?"
"Kill it?! My oldest friend he was," Hagrid snapped back slightly offended.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't-"
"Ah, don't worry yourself. You're not alone. Seriously misunderstood creatures spiders are. The eyes I reckon, the unnerve some folk."
"Not to mention the pincers." Harry said mimicking the spider's pincers making clicking noises.
"Hagrid... The last thing I wish to be is indelicate but Acromantula venom is uncommonly rare. Would you allow me to extract a vile or two? Purely for academic purposes you understand?" Professor Slughorn asked.
"Well I don't suppose it's gonna do him much good now is it?" Hagrid said holding back his tears.
"My thoughts exactly. I have an ampoule or two about my person for just such occasions as this. Old... Potion master's habit, you know?" Professor Slughorn said hurrying over to the dead spider excitedly.
"I wish you could see him with his prime. Magnificent, he was. Just magnificent!" Hagrid yelled now choking on his own tears. Yeah, magnificent spiders trying to eat Harry and Ron. Sounds about right to me. Why couldn't his pets be gigantic butterflies or something.
"Would you like me to say a few words?" Professor Slughorn asked ripping something out of the dead body.
"Yes."
"Had a family I trust?"
"Oh yeah..." Harry said nodding. Giant spider babies...
"Farewell..."
"Aragog."
"Farewell, Aragog. King of the arachnids. Your body will decay... But your spirit lingers on and your human friends find solace, the loss they have sustained," Professor Slughorn said. Hagrid couldn't hold back his tears anymore and started to sob. Don't get me wrong, I do feel bad. But I'd be bloody thrilled to get away from a dead gigantic spider.
~***~
"Laid to rest- And his wand, snapped in two, which was sad-" Professor Slughorn and Hagrid sang, the two were drunk. Harry started clapping for the two while I just sat there watching. Honestly, I still don't know how any of this is bringing us closer to our goal.
"I had him from an egg you know? Tiny little thing he was when he hatched. No bigger than a Pekingese. A Pekingese, mind you," Hagrid said proudly.
"How sweet! I once had a fish. Francis, he was very dear to me. One afternoon, I came downstairs and... It vanished. Poof."
"Poof."
"Poof," Harry said along with Hagrid and Professor Slughorn. Right as he finished, Hagrid slammed his face onto the table and started to snore.
"It was a student who gave me Francis. One spring afternoon, I discovered the bowl on my desk... With just a few inches of clear water in it... And floating on the surface was a flower petal. As I watched, it sank. But just before it reached the bottom, it transformed into a wee fish. It was beautiful magic. Wondrous to behold. The flower petal had come from a lily. Your mother. The day I came downstairs, the day the bowl was empty. That's the day your mother... I know why you're here. But I can't help you. It would ruin me," Professor Slughorn said with a vacant expression.
"Do you know why I survived, Professor? The night I got this? Because of her, because she sacrificed herself... Because she refused to step aside. Because her love was more powerful than Voldemort-"
"Don't say his name."
"I'm not afraid of the name, Professor. I'm going to tell you something. Something others have only guessed at. It's true. I am the Chosen One. Only I can destroy him," Harry said. Chosen one, those words made my heart break. Because Harry's the chosen one, it's normal for him to almost every year now isn't it.
"But in order to do so, I need to know what Tom Riddle asked you all those years ago in your office and I need to know what you told him. Be brave, Professor. Be brave like my mother. Otherwise, you disgrace her. Otherwise, she died for nothing. Otherwise, the bowl will remain empty forever," Harry continued.
"Please, don't think badly of me when you see it. I had no idea what he was like, even then," Professor Slughorn replied pointing his wand at his bead. A thin white string of some sort came out as he opened up a vile with his open hand. His hand was shaking a lot while attempting to put the piece of memory in the vile. I walked over and grabbed his hand guiding it to the vile and putting the memory inside.
"Thank you sir," I whispered carefully pulling the vile out of his hands.
"We have to go to Dumbledore," Harry said grabbing my arm.
"Let's go," I said putting the vile in my pocket.
We ran back to the castle, walking back in through the main entrance. No one was there to see us walking back in, no one was in the corridors. It felt like we came back just in the perfect timing. Even though our footsteps were echoing loudly through the corridors, no one came out to check what was happening.
"Sherbet Lemon," I whispered catching my breath in front of the gargoyle statue. We ran up the stairs as they were turning in hurry. It was late at night, there was no guarantee Dumbledore was still in his office awake.
"Professor Dumbledore," I called out rushing inside as Harry followed. The paintings didn't even wake up when I called out his name.
"Ah, Evelyn and Harry. What brings you here at this time of the day?"
"We got it, Professor Slughorn's memories," I said showing him the vile with the white string of memory inside. He stared at it for a second before walking fast over to the pensieve. Harry and I walked over right after him. I opened the vile and poured the memory inside the pensieve watching the white memories turn black.
"Now I'm afraid there's only space for one," Dumbledore said eyeing me.
"Oh yeah, of course," I said stepping back. Harry looked back at me before dipping his head inside the pensieve. Dumbledore too froze, keeping his eyes on the pensieve.
"Professor Dumbledore?"
"Evelyn," He said placing his pointer finger over his lips indicating me to shush. He was looking at the pensieve so throughly without moving- without even blinking. Maybe since he's just the greatest wizard of all time, he doesn't even need to dip his head inside the pensieve.
I waited for something to happen in absolute silence. Neither of the moved or even flinched. The paintings weren't even bothered and the sorting hat was quiet too. I wonder what memory they're seeing, one so terrifying that Professor Slughorn had to hide it.
"Sir-" Harry called out slowly raising his head back up. Dumbledore motioned him to not say anything backing away and sitting down on the steps leading up to his desk.
"This is beyond anything I've imagined," He said.
"Do you mean, sir, he succeeded, sir? In making a Horcrux?" Harry asked. Horcruxes? I've never heard of them.
"Oh yes, he succeeded, alright. And not just once"
"What are they exactly?" I asked walking up beside Harry.
"It could be anything," Dumbledore replied getting up and walking towards his desk, "Pieces of soul in most common place of objects. A ring, for example, or a book," He added on pulling out a black book with a hole in the middle.
"Tom Riddle's diary..." I whispered walking up towards his desk. Next to the book was a strange green ring that I saw Dumbledore wear from time to time.
"It's a horcrux, yes. Four years ago when Harry saved you and Ginny Weasley's life in the Chamber of Secrets, he brought me this. I knew then, this was a different kind of magic. Very dark, very powerful. But until tonight, I had no idea just how powerful..."
"And the ring?"
"Belonged to Voldemort's mother. Difficult to find. Even more difficult to destroy."
"But if you could find them all, if you did destroy each Horcrux-"
"One destroys Voldemort."
"How would you find them? They could be hidden anywhere, couldn't they?" Harry asked walking up beside me.
"True, but magic, especially dark magic-" While Dumbledore was speaking, Harry touched the green ring which started to spin. He froze while the ring was spinning and Dumbledore's face stiffened. Once the ring stopped and fell back onto the desk, Harry cracked his neck just like when Voldemort was in his head back at the Ministry last year. I looked towards Dumbledore who looked back at me without a change in expression. Harry didn't seem to notice what he had just done.
"Leaves traces..." Dumbledore said not looking away from me.
"It's where you've been going, isn't it, sir? When you leave the school," Harry asked completely unaware.
"Yes, and I think perhaps, I may have found another. But this time, I cannot hope to destroy it alone. Once again, I must ask too much of you, Harry."
"What? No! Take me with you!" I quickly yelled. If even Dumbledore struggled to destroy the ring, that just means destroying the Horcruxes are far dangerous then I imagine.
"Evelyn- no, I have to go. You need to stay," Harry said. Right, of course he has to go risk his life once again, because he's the chosen one. It's completely normal for him to go on this quest because he's Harry Potter. But he's just the man I love to me.
"Bullshit," I whispered under my breath storming out of the office.
(A/N) I'm no expert... But starting the song right now might help set the mood. The song has 0 relevance to the story by the way. Just to set the mood.
"Evelyn," Harry called out following me down the empty corridors.
"Please don't go Harry," I whispered choking on my own words. He didn't reply, instead stared at the floor. I know I can't stop him from going, I'll just follow along.
"Do you want to go on a walk?" He asked looking back up at me.
"Right now? It's almost midnight Harry."
"I know, but I just really want to go to the forbidden forest."
"The forbidden forest! Do you have a death wish? We don't know what kind of magical creatures roam around in the forest!"
"I know, I know. But I feel like- Those monsters aren't here right now. Just trust me, I'm feeling lucky."
"Harry-"
"Come on, just trust me- or trust Felix."
~***~
I followed Harry deep into the forest. Just like he had said, there were no creatures around us. Maybe it's the liquid luck, but really it felt like all the creatures were off sleeping or something. The forest in the morning was beautiful but in the night it had a beautiful yet mysterious vibe to it.
"See, I told you, just me and you. We can forget about everything for a second." Harry whispered grabbing both of my hands, "Care to dance?"
"Dance? There's no music," I said laughing slightly.
"Just imagine there was," He replied smiling swaying his arms along with mine. I looked at him eventually breaking into a smile and swaying along. He smiled greatly twirling me around and placing his hands on my waist as I placed mine in his shoulders.
We were using the sole eerie sound the winds gave off and the noise the leaves made as we stepped on it as the music go dance to. Each step we made, we laughed.
"Harry, we look so stupid right now," I laughed.
"Who's here to judge?" He replied laughing too. We were slowly rocking back and fourth not taking our eyes off of each other. Everything about this moment felt perfect. The mysterious vibe the forest gave off made this moment even more magical.
"...Do you have to go?"
"...Yeah."
"There's nothing I can do to stop you?"
"I promise I won't die," He said. Last time someone had told me this was Cedric.
"Why can't we just... Run away? Let Dumbledore do these things... We could live in a forest maybe, just relax everyday like this, you and me only?"
"You know I can't do that."
"Well in that case, if you die-" I paused for a second, "I'll say I told you so."
"Sounds good," He whispered smiling slightly. We stared into each other's eyes not saying a word. Being in love with the chosen one really isn't easy, spending everyday in fear that he'll disappear.
"Evelyn," He whispered brushing a piece of hair off of my face, "I love you."
"I love you too Harry."
And with that, we kissed each other. I could feel his smile against mine. Everything felt just so perfect.
Short Harry's POV
Everything was perfect, no magical creatures around to threaten our lives. Nothing to worry about at this moment when I'm with her. What if we really did run away? Leaving all this behind- But I can't do that can I? I'm the chosen one.
I don't deserve this, she looks perfect tonight. Maybe because everything was perfect, everything just felt right, it felt like the perfect time to say this.
"Evelyn," I whispered brushing a piece of hair off of her face, "I love you."
"I love you too Harry."
And with that, we kissed each other. I could feel her smile against mine. Everything felt just so perfect.