A Friend in Need: Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Harry watched in stunned horror as Dumbledore swallowed the mysterious potion, dropped to the ground, and wept.

“No, please. I didn’t mean it,” he cried, holding up his hand as if to ward off an attack.

“Professor!” Harry yelled.

He dropped to his knees next to Dumbledore. The headmaster’s wide, terrified eyes stared right past him like he didn’t exist.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” he sobbed.

“Professor, can you hear me?” Harry asked.

Dumbledore didn’t respond. He continued weeping and mumbling to himself while curling in on himself more and more. Harry planted his hand on the ground to roll him over when his fingers brushed something cold and wet. His hand had landed on the sea shell Dumbledore had used to drink the potion.

His stomach churned nauseously, but he knew what he had to do.

Pushing himself to his feet, Harry walked over to the basin, dipped the shell into the potion, and carefully carried it back to Dumbledore.

“Come on, professor,” he said.

Cradling the back of the old man’s head and lifting it up, he pressed the shell against his lips and poured the potion into his mouth. As soon as he swallowed, Dumbledore let out an anguished cry that startled Harry so badly that he jerked back, dropping the headmaster’s head painfully on the rock ground.

“No!” Dumbledore screamed. “Arianna!”

He rolled to his side, curled into the fetal position, and sobbed inconsolably. Harry swallowed the bile rising in his throat, took another scoop of potion, and walked back over to the headmaster. Again and again, he forced him to swallow the horrid concoction. His sobs and cries of anguish continued unabated, his words steadily growing less intelligible.

The shell scraped along the bottom of the basin as Harry scooped out the last of the potion and knelt next to the headmaster.

“Last one, professor. I promise,” he said gently.

Professor Dumbledore shook his head weakly, but Harry pressed the shell against his lips and forced the potion into his mouth. He choked as he swallowed, and then suddenly, his eyes cleared, and he blinked uncomprehendingly up at Harry’s face.

“Professor?” Harry asked hopefully.

“Water,” Dumbledore replied, his voice soft and raspy. “Water, please.”

“Sure, professor.”

The fact that the headmaster’s nightmare appeared to be over filled Harry with a small sense of relief. Drawing his wand, he aimed the tip at Dumbledore’s lips.

“Aguimenti.”

Nothing came out. He tried the spell again, and frustratingly, it still didn’t work. Then, an idea came to him. If the Basin could hold the potion, perhaps it could hold water.

“Wait here, professor,” he said. “I’ll get you water.”

Scrambling to his feet, he raced back to the basin, aimed his wand, and froze. There, at the bottom of the empty bowl, sat the Locket of Salazar Slytherin. Slowly, cautiously, he reached out and grabbed it. He felt a surge of triumph as his fingers wrapped around the cold metal. They were one step closer to finally stopping Voldemort.

“Professor, I’ve got it. I’ve got the Locket!”

He turned around to show him, but Dumbledore wasn’t where Harry had left him. He had crawled to the edge of the island and reached his cupped hands toward the water.

“Professor, no!” Harry shouted desperately.

Dumbledore ignored him. The moment he touched the water, a pale, slimy, emaciated grabbed him by the wrist and tried to pull him under. The headmaster’s blackened hand scrabbled to find purchase on the loose rocks as Harry stuffed the Locket in his pocket, raced over, and grabbed him by the ankles.

He managed to pull him back a few inches when another hand reached up and grabbed Dumbledore’s sleeve. Harry’s arms strained as he heaved, and for a moment, he felt like he might win the tug of war, and then another pair of hands joined in. They pulled with such force that he stumbled and fell face-first onto the ground.

The Inferi dragged Dumbledore further into the water. His white beard breached the surface as Harry reached for his wand, only to discover, to his horror, that it wasn’t in his pocket. He looked over his shoulder, and his heart dropped when he spotted it sitting on the edge of the basin.

“Professor, help!” Harry screamed.

Dumbledore didn’t respond. He braced his hands against the ground as the Inferi dragged him deeper, and his head was pulled under the water.

As Harry looked around desperately for another solution, he noticed more Inferi climbing out of the depths of the lake and onto the shore all around them. His panic surged, and for a wild moment, he considered letting go of Dumbledore to retrieve his wand when he noticed the handle of Dumbledore’s sticking from his pocket.

Harry surged forward and snatched it. Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he brandished it at the Inferi ambling toward him a few feet away.

“Incendio!”

The flames that burst from the wand were so large and so hot that, for a moment, he thought he’d messed up the spell in his panic. But the spell worked better than it ever had before. The Inferi screeched as they were burned to ash in seconds. Just as he thought of transitioning to another target, the jet of flames changed direction. Harry watched in fascinated wonder as, with just a thought, a trail of intense fire circled around the island, creating a ring that incinerated any Inferi that touched it.

As the flames circled back around in front of him, they dove into the lake, completely unaffected by the water, and attacked the Inferi holding Dumbledore. The headmaster surged to the surface, inhaling sharply as he scrambled back from the shore.

“Professor, are you alright?” Harry asked.

“I believe,” he began, pausing to cough. “I’ve had enough water.”

Harry smiled, more out of relief than humor.

“Professor, I’ve got it. I’ve got the locket.”

“Excellent,” Dumbledore smiled. “Then I believe it’s time we take our leave of this place.”

Harry retrieved his wand, wrapped his arm around the headmaster’s shoulders, and helped him to his feet. His concern rose as he felt how weak and frail he appeared. He was unsteady on his feet, and Harry had to carry most of his weight as they walked over to the boat. Dumbledore crawled over the edge and fell into the bottom of the boat, too weak to even pull himself into a seat.

Raising the headmaster’s wand, Harry imagined what he wanted, and the spell responded perfectly. The flames blocking the boat parted, and two towering walls of fire stretched across the lake to the other side.

Climbing into the boat, he tapped the side with the wand, and it lurched into motion. Taking a glance over the side, he noticed the flames didn’t stop at the water line. They descended deep into the lake, protecting the boat from being flipped.  

“I think I’m really starting to get the hand of this spell,” Harry smiled.

He flipped the wand around in his hand and then handed it handle first to Professor Dumbledore. The headmaster’s eyes widened in surprise, but quickly, the expression faded. Slowly, he reached out as if he was reluctant to take his wand back. Wrapping his fingers around the handle, he pulled it into his lap and looked at it sadly.

“You always did underestimate yourself, Harry,” he said, caressing the wand. “You’re as powerful and as intelligent as any wizard I’ve ever met. And a far better man than any I’ve ever known.”

Harry opened his mouth to respond, but his throat swelled with emotion, cutting him off before he could make a sound. Dumbledore looked up, smiled, and stowed his wand in his pocket as they slowly bobbed closer to the shore.

~

“Do you know the worst part about being Disillusioned on a steakout?” Tonks asked, her voice floating through the seemingly empty seventh-floor corridor. “Not being able to check your watch.”

“How long are we going to wait?” Hermione asked softly. “He could be in there all night.”

“At least until Harry gets back,” Tonks said. “I’ll feel a lot better knowing he’s back in the castle.”

“Me, too,” Hemione sighed.

The hallway lapsed into silence as they settled in to wait. Tonks didn’t know how long they’d been there, staring at a blank stretch of wall, waiting for Malfoy to reappear, but it must have been at least an hour. They’d tried to summon the door themselves, but nothing they’d tried had worked. Whatever he was doing, Malfoy had made sure he was alone, and Tonks doubted he was doing something innocent, like looking at nudie mags.

She was so busy thinking about how much nothing had happened that she almost missed it when something finally did. The door silently appeared in the wall, the stone warping and changing into wood. Then it eased open, and Malfoy stuck his head out and looked around cautiously.

Once he saw that the coast was clear, he stepped into the hall and looked around again. His face was deathly pale; his eyes darted around wildly as if he expected the shadows to jump out at him any second, and his lit wand trembled in his hand.

Suddenly, he was shoved from behind, and Bellatrix Lestrange stepped out of the Room of Requirement.

“Move,” she barked.

Tonks grabbed Hermione roughly by the arm and dragged her behind the wall.

“Oh my God,” Hermione gasped softly. “How did they get in here.”

“I don’t know,” Tonks hissed.

Reaching into her shirt, she pulled out her locket and fumbled with it for a few seconds until she found the invisible clasp.

“Amelia Bones,” she whispered.

The image in the mirror, unaffected by the Disillusionment Charm, shimmered until her reflection was replaced by the face of Amelia Bones.

“Death Eaters are in Hogwarts,” Tonks said before she could speak. “Seventh floor, Northeast tower.”

“How many?” Amelia asked, the background whirling as she turned and walked swiftly.

Tonks peeked around the corner, did a quick head count, and ducked back behind the wall.

“I see six, but there may be more,” she whispered urgently. “Bellatrix is with them.”

“Voldemort?” Amelia asked.

Tonks shook her head and then stopped when she remembered she was Disillusioned.

“No.”

“Good,” Amelia said. “I’m sending Aurors. Try to keep them contained. Call me back if anything happens.”

The mirror shimmered back to normal, and Tonks snapped the locket closed.

“I put up a Silencing Charm,” Hermione said in a normal voice. “What do we do?”

“Use your coin to tell the DA to lock down the Common Rooms,” Tonks said. “We need to stay out of sight, follow them, and see what they’re up to.”

“I smell someone.”

Tonks glanced around the corner. Greyback was sniffing the air. Just as he turned his inhuman yellow eyes in her direction, she ducked back behind the wall and muttered a curse.

“What is it?” Bellatrix asked.

“Lilac.”

Hermione shifted guiltily. He was smelling the perfume her mother had gotten her for Christmas. Reaching out, Tonks patted her arm gently.

“It’s probably just a student,” Bellatrix said dismissively. “Leave it. We have a job to do. Draco, lead the way.”

Breathing a sigh of relief, Tonks took Hermione by the hand, and they crept down the hall after the Death Eaters. She wanted so badly to curse them from behind, but even with the element of surprise, three-to-one odds weren’t in their favor, especially with Bellatrix among the group.

Draco quickly led them down to the sixth floor and then over to the East wing. Greyback continually sniffed the air and glanced back over his shoulder, but Tonks and Hermione managed to remain out of his sight.

As they rounded the base of the Astronomy Tower, the group came to a sudden stop. Tonks looked around them and spotted Aurora and Professor McGonagall. They were standing near a window looking at a broken telescope, completely unaware of the danger behind them.

Bellatrix smirked as she raised her wand toward McGonagall’s back.

“Avada-”

“Bombarda!” Tonks shouted.

Greyback spun around and shielded against her Explosive Hex with a snarl, but her shout had been enough to alert McGonagall and Aurora. They spun around and immediately started attacking the Death Eaters while Hermione and Tonks did the same from the other side, their Disillusionment Charms falling due to their intense concentration. The Death Eaters dove for cover in the stairway as the hallway erupted in deadly spell fire.

“Draco, up the stairs. Go!” Bellatrix barked. “Greyback, come.”

Turning, she fired a blinding purple curse that blasted the wall next to McGonagall, shattering the stone and ascended the stairs two at a time. Greyback fired one last Organ Rupturing Curse over his shoulder and followed after them with a snarl.

Tonks didn’t know what they planned to do up there, but the Aurors would arrive soon. All they had to do was hold out until they arrived.

~

Harry heaved Dumbledore out of the boat and helped him to the shore. He seemed to have regained a bit of strength. Harry didn’t have to support quite so much of his weight, but he still struggled to walk under his own power.

“Just a little further, professor,” he said, wrapping an arm around the man’s shoulders. “We’ll get you to Madam Pomfrey soon.”

“Severus,” Dumbledore panted. “Get me, Severus. He knows what to do.”

Harry helped the headmaster back to the entrance of the cave. He painfully scraped his arm on the sharp rocks as they slipped back through the tight gap into the alcove. A sigh of relief escaped his lips, grateful to finally be out of the Inferi-infested cave.

“We should be able to leave from here,” Dumbledore said, his voice weak and faint over the crashing waves. “Can you Apparate us?”

“Yeah,” Harry said. “To the front gate?”

“Take us to the Astronomy Tower,” he replied. “I’ve allowed you access through the wards.”

Nodding, Harry tightened his hold on Dumbledore, focused on his destination, and turned on the spot. A moment later, they reappeared at the top of the Astronomy Tower, exactly where they had left. The headmaster sagged and nearly collapsed from the trip, but a second pair of hands helped to support his weight. Harry opened his mouth to thank the person who had helped, but the words died on his lips when he saw it was Snape.

“What have you done to yourself now, you foolish old man?” he asked.

“Drank a most horrid concoction, I’m afraid,” Dumbledore replied. “It was emerald green, had the most bitter taste, and made me relive my worst memories.”

“The Drink of Despair,” Snape drawled.

“Can you help him?” Harry asked impatiently when he didn’t continue.

Snape glanced at him sharply, his temper visibly rising before he seemed to get it under control.

“There’s nothing I can do,” he said. “It’s not fatal. He should regain his strength in a week or two.”

Harry sighed in relief when they heard shouting from the bottom of the tower, followed by a loud explosion that shook the floor. Quickly, he drew his wand.

“It doesn’t appear I have that long,” Dumbledore said.

With effort, he straightened, bearing his own weight.

“Harry, get under your cloak.”

Harry turned and looked at the headmaster incredulously.

“But, professor-”

“You gave me your word, Harry,” he reminded him firmly. “Hide, quickly.”

Harry fought internally, tempted to disobey, but now wasn’t the time to fight. Donning his cloak, he backed up to the corner while Dumbledore turned to address Snape.

“Severus, you know what to do.”

Snape nodded and drew his wand just as the pounding footsteps reached the top of the stairs. Harry stared in disbelief as Malfoy, Bellatrix, and Greyback climbed to the top of the tower. A million questions ran through his mind.

How had they gotten into the castle? Had they known Dumbledore would be out? Had Snape fed them information? Were there more Death Eaters in the castle? Were Tonks, Hermione, and his friends alright?

“Ah, good evening, Bellatrix, Fenrir,” Dumbledore said pleasantly. “If you’ve come back to relive old memories, I’m afraid now’s a bad time.”

“Oh, no, Dumbledore, we’ve come to k-ill y-ou,” Bellatrix sang before breaking into a mad cackle.

“I see,” he said, showing not a bit of alarm. “Well, you always did have great ambition. Pity you wasted it on serving a madman.”

“Watch your tongue, old man,” she growled. “Before I cut it out.”

“Charming,” Dumbledore said. “Are you the only ones Tom sent to finish me off?”

“There’s more of us downstairs, dealing with you teachers,” Greyback said with a feral grin that was punctuated by another explosion.

“They seem to be having a rough time of it,” Dumbledore noted. “Otherwise, they would be here with you, would they not?”

Greyback snarled, displaying his pointed, inhuman teeth.

“Enough of this!” Bellatrix barked, grabbing Malfoy by the robes and shoving him forward. “Finish your plan, Draco. Kill him and prove yourself to the Dark Lord.”

Dumbledore turned and gazed at Malfoy placidly.

“This was your doing?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Malfoy said, shuffling nervously even as he thrust his chest out proudly. “Yeah, I did it.”

“Interesting,” Dumbledore said. “How did you get them into the castle?”

“The Room of Requirement,” he boasted. “I found a Vanishing Cabinet. The other one was at Borgin and Burke’s. It took me all year to figure out how to fix it, but I did, even with Potter and his girlfriends snooping around.”

“Impressive,” Dumbledore said. “How did you know I would be out for the evening?”

“My father bought me an invisibility cloak,” Malfoy said, looking pleased with himself. “I overheard you and Professor Snape talking in the dungeons a couple of days ago.”

“Very resourceful,” Dumbledore nodded.

“Enough talking. Kill him, Draco,” Bellatrix hissed.

Malfoy suddenly looked much less sure of himself as he raised his wand. Harry made to raise his own to protect the headmaster, but Dumbledore raised his hand and froze him in place. Even though he hadn’t used his wand, the sudden movement still startled Malfoy.

“Expelliarmus!”

Dumbledore’s wand leapt from his pocket and landed at Malfoy’s feet while the Headmaster raised his hands calmly in surrender.

“Do it now, Draco! Kill him!” Bellatrix urged.

Harry struggled against the spell holding him in place fruitlessly as the tip of Malfoy’s wand glowed green. His mouth opened and closed several times without a sound; then, the tip began to tremble. All the while, Dumbledore kept his hands up and waited expectantly.

Malfoy screwed his face up, thrust his wand forward, and opened his mouth. He croaked, dropped his arm to his side, and stared down at his feet.

“Useless worm,” Bellatrix spat. “All bluster and no conviction, just like your pathetic father.”

Malfoy stepped back like her words were a physical blow. He sniffled as he continued staring at his feet, looking frightened and ashamed.

“Well, then, it’s down to you, Severus,” Bellatrix continued. “You swore the vow. It’s time to show us where your true loyalties lie.”

Snape stepped forward and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as he leveled his wand.

“Severus, please,” Dumbledore said.

Harry fought harder against the spell holding him. If he could just break free, he could curse Bellatrix in the back. Then, Snape could take on Greyback while he fought Malfoy. They could still win this. They could-

“Avada Kedavra.”

A green bolt flew from Snape’s wand and slammed full force into Dumbledore’s chest. The spell holding Harry died, but shock kept him in place as he watched the headmaster fall backward over the railing and disappear from sight.

Even though he had detested Snape for years, he never expected him to betray Dumbledore so blatantly. To murder him in cold blood while he was weak, unarmed, and defenseless. And despite all the secrets, all the lies, and all the mistakes Dumbledore had committed against him, Harry had still cared for the man. Though flawed, he had been a mentor and role model since the day he’d set foot in the magical world. He had been a constant source of light and hope against the darkness that encroached on his life more and more with each passing year.

And now, he was gone.

Rage like Harry had never felt burned through his veins. Without a thought for his own safety, he threw off the cloak and brandished his wand at Snape’s back.

“Avada Kedavra!”

Snape twisted out of the way, his face a picture of shock as the bright green Killing Curse sailed an inch from his arm and slammed into Greyback’s side. He dropped to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut as Harry swung his wand around at Snape, tears of fury prickling his eyes. Snape eyed him fearfully and pulled Malfoy behind him protectively.

“You coward!,” he screamed. “He trusted you!”

“Aw, wittle Potter knows how to pway,” Bellatrix cackled.

She made to raise her wand, but Snape grabbed her sleeve and stopped her.

“No,” he barked. “Potter belongs to the Dark Lord.”

“Fuck Voldemort and fuck you!” Harry shouted.

He raised his wand to cast another spell, but Snape was faster. A concussive blast knocked him onto his back. As he scrambled back to his feet, Snape grabbed Malfoy by the arm and dove headfirst over the railing. Harry blinked in shock as Bellatrix gave him a little wave and did the same.

Rushing up to the railing, he saw their robes spread open like wings, gliding them safely to the ground. Malfoy plummeted like a stone, but a blue spell from Snape’s wand hit the ground a moment before he did. Malfoy bounced and rolled, looking dazed as Snape landed gracefully next to him, grabbed him by the arm, and rushed him toward the front gate.

“I’ll kill you, Snape! I’ll kill you!” Harry screamed at the top of his lungs as the door burst open and Aurors poured in.