"It's time Severus. You must ready yourself and complete the mission assigned by Tom this week." said Dumbledore, eyeing his trusted companion with a look of pity.
He knew it was a terrible thing he was asking, but there was simply no other way.
"There is still time for us to do something else. Together, we can surprise the Dark Lord and destroy his body. He will be weakened in his spirit form. We will have enough time to find all his anchors and destroy them for good." Severus said desperately.
Dumbledore smiled tiredly at the Potion Master. He was touched by the concern shown by Severus, but he had made his peace with his death long ago.
"Trust me, Severus. My time in this world has been longer than I ever wanted. This old man has seen too much to muster up the will to face the trials of life for another decade. Death is not my doom but my salvation. It is eternal rest that I now seek." Dumbledore said, taking a deep breath as he rested against his chair.
"You are a coward, Dumbledore. You'd leave all of us with the mess of the Dark Lord." Severus thundered.
"Destroying Tom has never been my destiny. That task belongs to Harry, and I believe he is more than capable of accomplishing it." Dumbledore said calmly.
"It is cruel what you have planned for the boy." Severus said frostily, glaring daggers at Dumbledore.
"Don't tell me you have suddenly started to care for the boy." Dumbledore looked at the man with a raised eyebrow.
"I care enough to see Lily's son live." Severus replied curtly, directing a dirty look at Dumbledore.
"Good. I have every confidence Harry will survive." said Dumbledore.
"Do you? Then why have you not told him about the nature of his scar?" Severus asked angrily.
"Because it'll be a needless distraction from Harry's true mission. He must only know the true nature of that scar when the time is right. I cannot emphasize how crucial this is, Severus." Dumbledore leaned forward in his seat, looking expectantly at Severus, who was forced to nod and agree to his demand.
"If I know more about this mission, I'll be able to provide assistance to the boy." Severus scowled while Dumbledore chuckled.
"Harry will need assistance, but not now and certainly not from you at the beginning of his journey. A time will come, Severus, for you to help Harry from the shadows as you have always done."
Severus made to object, but Dumbledore talked over him before he could raise any objections.
"I know you have your concerns, but I ask that you trust in me and let the events play out as they may. I believe Harry will finish his tasks and live to tell the tale. When he is near victory, you may reach out to him and show the entirety of your mind."
"He will not forgive me for what I did." Severus said with a faraway look.
"Perhaps it's better that I'll take the truth to my grave. You may choose to share or not share the details about your involvement in the prophecy with Harry. I leave that it in your hands, Severus." said Dumbledore, eyeing the man with a hint of pity.
Dumbledore could see Severus was not satisfied with his offer and advice. The sad fact was there was no right answer to Severus' dilemma. Even though it was by total mistake, Severus played a small part in the demise of Harry's parents.
He was aware more than anyone else that Severus had worked tirelessly to save Lily Potter and eventually her son after her demise ever since the man informed him of what he had done. Voldemort may have come to know about the prophecy from Severus but in his eyes, Severus had worked tirelessly to remedy that momentary lapse in judgment. Severus had devoted his life and magic to the total destruction of Voldemort and daily took the risk of staring evil in the eye so that the future of the wizarding world could be free from the terror wrought by the Dark Lord.
While he disliked keeping the truth from Harry, he thought it best that Severus' involvement remain a secret.
'It is for the greater good.' Dumbledore thought.
"So, when do you want me to…" Severus asked, looking pale and a bit sweaty.
"The day the exams are over for the seventh-year students, I'll be taking Harry with me on a journey. If we're lucky and the information I have gathered is true, I suspect we'll be able to deliver a serious blow to Tom." Dumbledore explained, feeling rather strange and amused that he was planning his own death.
But he didn't show the amusement he was feeling on his face as it was a terrible ask he was making from Severus.
"During that night, you may end me and that one act shall solidify your position within Voldemort's inner circle. There'll be no one more he trusts than you, Severus. From that position, you shall help Harry accomplish his destiny."
"You still haven't told me what I am supposed to do to help the boy." Severus said with a huff.
"I'm about to explain." said Dumbledore before he imparted some essential information Severus needed to help Harry, starting with the Sword of Gryffindor and its importance in the mission.
He also gave Severus an enchanted tracker tied to the deluminator he was planning to gift Harry. He wanted to place the same enchantment on the Gaunt Ring, but it refused to bind with any foreign magic. At least, it was conclusive proof that the power of the Deathly Hallows was extraordinary.
'Harry is already the master of the Elder Wand by the will of destiny. He inherited the Cloak from his father, and now, the Ring will be gifted by me.' Dumbledore thought, eyeing the snitch that lay inconspicuously on his table.
He was not exactly a believer in the wild tales of Beedle the Bard. But he was also humble enough to know there were higher powers beyond the limits of magic. It was his hope those powers would aid Harry in a crucial moment. Above all else, he firmly believed light would always prevail over darkness. It was the law of nature, and he believed the Hallows were the objects that would tip the scale in Harry's favour.
****
Harry looked on curiously as Professor Babbling disseminated his work into many parts with a careful application of charms. She sifted through the matrix blocks with a keen eye. The woman had been at it through ten minutes, muttering under her breath and making notes on a piece of parchment at her leisure while Harry stood by the tableside.
"This seems to be in order." Babbling declared, stacking up the parchment with a satisfied look, "Exemplary work once again, Mr Potter. I daresay you have a bright career ahead of you as runemaster should you pursue the subject further."
Harry just shrugged his shoulders instead of verbally replying. His work was not that great, considering it was a reduced replica of Rowena Ravenclaw's work. All he had done was create a rune matrix that tied down an image to a surface. In this case, he shortened the runes so far that they could be carved on a quill and get a positive result. The idea was to use several small-sized rods to pin imagery to a surface, resulting in a wide area coverage.
"I think this will work for your NEWT project. It's not strictly necessary for you to pursue this for practical application, but I see no reason not to do so. It'll certainly save you the time next year." said Babbling.
"I'll think about it." Harry hummed.
"Off you go then. Oh, also ask Miss Davis to present herself within five minutes." said Babbling.
Harry just nodded and left the Runes class with his exam finished. It was Harry's last exam, leaving him free from any academic obligations for the rest of the days.
Ever since the end of the Quidditch Cup, he had been back tinkering about his academic life in Hogwarts. The classes were picking up more pace as professors rushed to cover portions before the exams. The only entertainment in between was the occasional football game organised by the muggleborn students in the evenings. But those sessions became short and sparring as assignments piled up and the exam drew closer.
But now, exams were over. Only some OWLs and NEWTs were left to finish, which will be completed by tomorrow. Only the practical exams were left as the theory parts were finished.
He found Tracey sitting at the Hufflepuff table with the rest of his fellow classmates.
"Tracey, you're up." Harry said as he plopped next to Daphne and stole a cupcake from her plate.
"Wish me luck." Tracey muttered while gathering a set of parchment into her hands and sped away.
"How was it?" Daphne asked while smacking away his hand when he reached for her lemon juice.
"It went smoothly. Babbling asked some basic questions about the schematics, but other than that…" Harry shrugged as he savoured the taste of the cake.
"Are you planning to hold another meeting of the Knights? Tomorrow night all of us will have to leave the school for home." said Susan.
"Hmm. I guess I can call for a small meeting, but there won't be much time. Everyone will have to pack and get ready for the train tomorrow." Harry said, frowning thoughtfully, as he had plans for tonight with Dumbledore.
"We could meet during the evening then. By then, all exams should be complete." Susan suggested, which sounded manageable to his ears.
Therefore, he went around the castle, tracking down the members of the Knights one by one and giving them personal invites. The last few meetings mostly involved training them in obstacle courses set forth by the Room to increase reaction time and provide some real-life experience in making decisions under pressure.
After all, the Death Eaters or werewolves weren't about to give anyone time to choose a spell before an attack. Therefore, thinking on one's feet became an essential skill in magical combat rather than knowing a bunch of fancy spells.
But this time, he was not interested in giving a lesson to anyone in the Knights.
When the clock struck five, Harry opened the portals from the Room of Requirement, and he waited patiently as the students streamed in. It took a few moments for everyone to settle down, and when they did, Harry loudly cleared his throat to gain their attention.
"Welcome, everyone. We'll only have a short session because of time constraints, but I want to take a minute of your time before we begin. We'll be leaving Hogwarts tomorrow night, and the day after that, we'll be in our homes. It also means we'll be outside the protective wards of Hogwarts. I do not need to tell you what that entails. So, be on your guard in the coming days."
Harry looked at the faces of his friends and nodded to himself.
"All right! With that out of the way, we'll practise the Patronus charm today and use a corporeal patronus to carry messages. While putting up a proper defence in a fight is important, it's equally important to establish communication with allies."
With that, Harry went around the room, helping his friends with the spell in the short time they had before dinner. It was a brief lesson but an important one. The Death Eaters could block apparition and the floo network, but they had yet to perfect a ward capable of holding back a messenger patronus.
When the hour came, he dismissed the meeting, pulled the prefects aside, and requested that they keep a keen eye out tonight. While he was certain no one within Hogwarts was working for Voldemort, he wanted to be sure, and therefore, he tasked some of the prefects he trusted with the location of entrances into Hogwarts. In case someone was using those entrances to sneak into Hogwarts, he wanted the teachers alerted.
As an added layer of protection, he gave the Marauders' Map to Daphne and charged her with keeping an eye on the castle while he was away with Dumbledore.
****
"Well, this is not as fun as I imagined…" Harry muttered as he looked around the dark alley in Hogsmeade, where he was waiting patiently for Dumbledore to show up.
He didn't understand why Dumbledore couldn't have just set a meeting spot in the Headmaster's office. It'd have been far more convenient than meeting in a random alley in Hogsmeade.
Suddenly, a cracking sound reached his ears, making Harry look around alert as he was sure it was the sound of apparition. He was put at ease when Dumbledore came walking into the alley with his wand tip glowing with a dull white light. The waning candle lights coming from the window sills of many of Hogsmeade's buildings started to dull further as Dumbledore reached him.
"Ah, Harry! It seems we're blessed tonight with vacant streets. It'll be better if no one sees our departure." said Dumbledore.
Harry had some choice words to say about the convoluted and frankly stupid methods of keeping their actions a secret. There were far simpler ways to keep their departure from Hogwarts a secret. But he didn't make his opinions known because he wanted to finish this excursion as soon as possible. Besides, a few more hours and he'd be rid of the pain in the ass that was Dumbledore.
So, he kept his mouth shut and went along with Dumbledore.
An uncomfortable few seconds later, after getting tightly squeezed through a narrow tube, Harry found himself far away from the comparatively warm surroundings of Hogsmeade and the chilly salt-tinted air of this unfamiliar place. The sea breeze was quite strong, making Harry shiver from head to toe. He immediately put a warming charm on his body, which gave him some respite. A fine spray of salt water carried by the sea breeze inland showered upon him, and he could feel a salty taste on his lips. The moon was lit with brilliant silver light in the night sky, making the surrounding area visible.
He stood on a dark rock where seawater churned and foamed below him. He carefully moved away from the edge of the rock in case the wave got strong enough to sweep his legs away. Harry saw a towering cliff behind him, which cast a long shadow on the sea. Behind him, the waters turned dark, giving the area an ominous feeling.
"He has a Horcrux in the cave." Harry commented to break the silence.
"This is a cave Tom once visited as a child when the matrons of the orphanage brought children nearby for a bit of sea air. He used this place to terrorise those he disliked among his peers. This was one of the places where he threw off the mask and became his true self." said Dumbledore, lighting his wand brighter and casting the light on the whole rock, which showed a cave closer to its edges.
"That fact that he chose this place to hide one of his Horcruxes shows that despite assuming the mantle of Lord Voldemort, he still remains that boy who wants to intimidate people and get what he wants. He never grew from his childhood character." Dumbledore added with a disappointed sigh.
"On the contrary, professor. I get the feeling he grew too much going by the feeling I get from that cave." said Harry, concentrating his senses on the cave.
"What do you feel, Harry?" Dumbledore asked with a sudden spark of interest firing behind his eyes.
"Sacrifice… blood… death and malevolence of the most perverted kind." Harry breathed out as an icky feeling settled in the pit of his stomach after sensing the magic in the cave.
"Not bad at all. Now, the cave awaits. Let's go."
Dumbledore moved first, followed by Harry as they carefully stepped over the jagged edges and pockets of seawater, which made the rock slippery. The sound of waves hitting the rocks became much more pronounced, and he occasionally got hit by a spray of seawater.
Finally, they reached a boulder closest to the cliff. Harry pulled his wand out and lit it with the light spell. The shade striking on the side of the rock retreated under the light, and he could see the dark waters clearer.
"There…look!" Dumbledore pointed at a fissure into the cliff where dark was swirling in. "Let's take a dip."
Dumbledore boldly threw himself into the water and began swimming towards the rock's fissure.
Harry wasn't ready to take on the cold water tonight. So he cast a full-body repelling charm which held back the cold and the seawater from making contact with his body with a thin barrier. He easily followed after Dumbledore and swam to the other side without issue. He maintained the barrier along his body, following Dumbledore into a pitch-black tunnel through the fissure.
'Space expansion charms.' Harry absently noted as he swam further through the tunnel.
They finally felt the water receding a bit as their legs began touching the floor. There were steps beneath them which led them up to a large cave.
"I believe this is the entrance." Dumbledore said, fawning over a wall with a frown on his face. "There is a key of some sort or a payment to gain entrance."
"Blood sacrifice." Harry supplied once he emerged from the water and dried his clothes with a simple spell.
"Ah, yes. The oldest of sacrifice known to wizardkind. How typical of Tom." Dumbledore said with a snort.
Dumbledore made a thin cut on the palm of his blackened hand with his wand and smeared the blood on the cave. The cave wall parted, and a tunnel appeared, leading into the dark cave.
"After me, Harry." Dumbledore said, leading the walk with his wand lit while also looking for potential traps.
They didn't have to walk much longer as they quickly found themselves before the edge of a lake. Dumbledore threw a ball of light across the lake, which remained suspended near the cave's ceiling. The lake turned out to be a body of potion, and under the light, they could see a boat tied to their side of the lake. At the centre of the lake, a huge rock was jutting out of the water, holding a crystal basin. The dark and foreboding feeling only increased now that he was this close to the lake.
Knowing what it contained, Harry was not surprised his magic was feeling revulsion, death and rot from the place.
"The boat can only hold one adult wizard." Dumbledore said after a careful inspection of the boat. "I suppose I should start breaking the enchantment…"
A small ripple was made on the lake's surface as Dumbledore poked and prodded the boat with his wand. Harry could feel the dark magic slumbering beneath the lake surge ever so slightly. He'd have missed it if he wasn't focusing on the malevolent magic permeating the lake.
"No need," Harry said, stepping forward and touching Dumbledore's shoulder.
He concentrated and assumed the spirit form with a thought. His magic enveloped Dumbledore and forcibly enveloped the man with his magic before flying across the lake. Dull grey sparks of vapour converged on the raised rocky platform in the middle of the lake, where Harry and Dumbledore reformed their physical body.
"I see you've dabbled in obscure rituals in your leisure time, Harry." Dumbledore said with a bemused look.
Harry felt his walls come up and wanted to share a piece of his mind on the man's judgemental tone.
"I'm not judging." Dumbledore hastily added, seeing Harry's look, "I've had my fair share of exploring obscure magic. So much wonderous magic has been lost to time. I'm rather happy that you unearthed such a useful form of magic. But be careful, Harry. Ritualistic magics are dangerous. All it takes is one small mistake, and irreversible damage will be dealt to your body and your magic."
"I checked multiple times before I went through with the ritual." Harry said cordially with some effort.
"I see. Very good. I assume your dalliance with the past was rather productive in gaining some of the obscure magics of the time." Dumbledore said with a growing smile, "Sometimes, life surprises me. Even our greatest of failures can become a blessing in disguise."
"Sometimes, but not always." Harry said with a pointed look at the crystal basin.
"Ah," Dumbledore's cheerful demeanour fled as his blue eyes settled on the basin with a pained look, "Unfortunately, you're correct, my boy. Tom's actions are some of my worst failures."
'But not the worst, old man.' Harry thought, eyeing Dumbledore, who was close to his demise as the headmaster poked around the basin looking for a Horcrux. 'It's time you leave the board so I may decimate my enemies without restraint.'
Harry gripped his wand and sharpened his focus as the time neared for him to get rid of Dumbledore for good. His eyes fell on the Elder Wand, and he couldn't help but grin greedily at the most powerful wand in the world. He wondered how it'd feel in his hand and use it to the fullest extent, unlike Dumbledore who feared his own power.
AN:
To read ahead of the update schedule; pat(r) eon. C (O) M/Dragonspectre
For artworks: https://discord.gg/Nw2JH25fJf