Disclaimer: I own nothing; it all belongs to J.K.Rowling. I’m just borrowing the characters to play with for a while. This is for pleasure only, no profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.

It took several days for Harry and Ron to feel like themselves again, and they spent most of that recovery time sleeping. By week’s end, however, Harry once more felt that restless drive to move forward. He had another Horcrux in his hands — he was certain this locket was the correct one — and now all he needed to do was destroy it.

Exactly how to destroy it was another matter. He’d taken the locket into the basement of Grimmauld Place to see if he could open it. Unlike the fake Horcrux that easily opened, the golden trinket with Slytherin’s elaborate insignia remained tightly sealed. Ron reckoned that perhaps Regulus had been able to destroy the Horcrux trapped inside, but Harry wasn’t convinced. He could feel the power and evil emanating from it, and knew the piece of Voldemort’s soul still remained.

He wondered if he’d felt something from the real locket when they’d found it at Grimmauld Place the first time. Of course, he wouldn’t have known what the feeling meant then, and he supposed he’d been dealing with such a mess of raging feelings at the time, anyway, one more might not have made much of an impact.

Knowing this was it didn’t tell him what he needed to do to destroy it, however. He’d done the diary and the cup on sheer instinct; he’d been panicked each time. This time, however, sitting in a warm room with the cool object clasped in his hand and not a danger in sight, his task wasn’t as clear.

Malfoy had made his presence much more apparent in the house since Pansy’s arrival. The two could often be found in the kitchen sharing a snack, in the drawing room curled up by the fire, or sneaking out of any number of empty rooms. Harry didn’t even want to imagine what they were doing. The fact that it was his house made him shudder. It also irritated him that Malfoy was able to shove the war and all his problems away while Harry found it exceedingly difficult to do that.

It’s my house…it should be Ginny and me exploring all those rooms, he thought irritably.

Since her arrival, Pansy’s greatest pleasure appeared to be finding the right words to set either Hermione or Ginny off, which wasn’t difficult. Ginny, particularly, had a very short fuse when it came to the Slytherin. In fact, Pansy and Iris had apparently mended their rift and united under the common goal of needling the Gryffindor girls.

On more than one occasion, Harry had found himself sitting open-mouthed — Ron and Malfoy by his sides wearing identical gobsmacked expressions — as the girls sniped at each other. Harry was both fascinated and amazed by the low blows girls could zing at each other. Blokes usually came to blows much more quickly, but Harry also thought they got over things quicker, as well.

One afternoon about a week after he’d visited Azkaban, he was sitting in the library again trying to find some kind of a translation for his Romanian book when Remus joined him. Tonks had stopped glaring at him each time she saw him, but she hadn’t gone back to her usual joking manner, either.

"All right, Harry?" Remus asked, entering the library and taking the chair next to Harry.

"Yeah," Harry said, stretching. "Just doing a little reading."

"Your color is better," Remus said, studying Harry’s face. He nodded towards Harry’s book. "What’s that you’re reading?"

"I found it up in that large bedroom beneath the attic. I can’t read it though, it’s not in English," Harry said, not meeting Remus’s eyes.

"Ahh," Remus said, his eyes clouding over. "That was Regulus’s room. The language is Romanian."

Harry looked up sharply. "Yeah, Sirius told me he became a Death Eater. Do you read Romanian?"

"No," Remus replied, shaking his head. "Sirius’s Uncle Alphard lived in Romania. Both he and Regulus were very fond of him. That book looks like it contains a lot of Dark Magic; no wonder Regulus had it. You’re not considering using anything in there, are you, Harry?" Remus asked, his brow furrowing.

"No, not using it," Harry replied, averting his eyes.

"Exactly what does that mean?" Remus asked, slipping into that stern, teacher’s voice that Harry remembered from third year.

Harry’s mind raced. His relationship with Remus had been strained since he’d started his Occlumency sessions, and he didn’t like it. Remus was his last link to his parents, and he didn’t want to lose that. He knew he could trust Remus, and he did need some help. He was growing weary of walking this fine line of wondering whom to trust.

"Sirius said there was a rumor that Voldemort killed Regulus himself, but Sirius didn’t believe it," Harry said, watching Remus closely.

Remus shrugged, still appearing perplexed. "It seems unlikely."

"I’m not so sure," Harry whispered, deciding to follow his instincts.

"Pardon?" Remus asked.

Harry shifted his position so he was facing Remus. He took a deep breath, steeling himself. "Regulus did something…something huge…and I think Voldemort might have found out about it, or at least found out that he was planning it. I don’t think he knows even now how far Regulus got with his plan. It would be just like Voldemort to underestimate him. I think Sirius said he was really young when he died."

"Yes, he was only eighteen. I’m afraid you’ve lost me, Harry," Remus said, shaking his head.

Harry licked his lips, which had gone very dry. "Remus. Can I ask you something and also ask you to swear not to repeat what we say to anyone?"

Remus shifted in his seat, and Harry knew he was struggling with his answer, but he nodded. "Go ahead."

"What can you tell me about Horcruxes?" Harry whispered.

Remus inhaled sharply as he visibly paled. "Where did you learn about those?" he asked, his voice strained. "Harry, you can’t possibly be considering anything so vile-"

"I’m not," Harry interrupted before Remus’s imagination could get carried away. "Professor Dumbledore and I had a discussion about them…but he’s not here to ask anymore."

"Dumbledore told you..." Remus broke off suddenly, his eyes flying open wide. "Of course," he breathed, his eyes darting to Harry’s scar. "That’s how he survived, isn’t it? That’s why he didn’t die."

Harry nodded solemnly

"The necklace you took from Azkaban — Tonks was so angry that you risked your neck for it — is that it? Is that the Horcrux?" Remus asked, lowering his voice on the word ‘Horcrux’. "Do you think Regulus stole it? Is that why you’re asking about him?"

"I know he did," Harry replied calmly "I know he stole that one, anyway."

Remus gulped audibly. "That one?"

Again, Harry nodded solemnly, never breaking eye contact.

"This is what you were working on with Professor Dumbledore, wasn’t it? Remus asked.

"Yeah. Don’t ask me to tell you how many there are, or how many I’ve found. I shouldn’t even have said this much, but I need to know what this book says about destroying them, or anything you might know," Harry said.

Remus’ shoulders slumped as he rested his head in his hands. "I should have trusted you," he whispered, his voice muffled.

"Why didn’t you?" Harry asked, unable to keep the bitterness from seeping into his voice completely.

Remus laughed humorlessly. "All my life, I’ve been a follower. When I was younger, I knew some of the things Sirius and your dad got up to were wrong, but I’d never voice it. Last Christmas, when you voiced your mistrust of Snape, I wouldn’t hear a word of it because Dumbledore insisted he was on our side. I wish I had a bit more of your backbone, Harry. I wish just once I could stand up for what I believe and just do the right thing.

"After you returned from your battle with the dragon, we were all so concerned. Minerva and Kingsley were insistent that we needed to learn what you were doing in order to protect and help you. I ignored my own misgivings and went along with them. You were right, Harry. The Occlumency hasn’t worked, and I wouldn’t blame you if you turned your nose at the lot of us."

"I wouldn’t do that," Harry said, scuffing his toe on the ground. It was hard to remain angry with Remus when the older man looked so miserable. "You can make it up to me if you help me figure out how to destroy the locket."

Remus shrugged, smiling sadly and opening his arms wide in a helpless gesture. "I don’t know a lot; the subject is considered taboo. I do know that in order to create one you need to commit an act of murder — a fully planned and intentional killing without mercy — and that you need to hold the object in your hand along with your wand when you do it."

"You have to be holding it with your wand," Harry repeated. That information was new.

"I don’t know the spell, but I think I can find out," Remus said tentatively.

"How? I’ve looked everywhere and there’s virtually nothing written," Harry replied.

"I have access to some of the more unsavory quarters than you do, Harry," Remus replied, lowering his eyes. "Do you want my help?"

Harry felt torn, worrying that he was signing Remus’ death certificate by getting him involved. He had no choice, however. He needed some help.

"Please."

"Consider it done," Remus said, nodding.

"Do you know anything about destroying them?" Harry asked.

Remus shook his head. "I’m sorry. I don’t. I told you everything I know. I’ll see what I can find out, though."

"That’s all right. I have one more idea to try," Harry said, a plan already formulating in his mind. He didn’t know where the idea had come from, but he was suddenly convinced it was the right thing to do.

"What’s that?" Remus asked.

"I need to go back to that beach where we found Crabbe," Harry said firmly.

"Why? What’s there?" Remus asked, perplexed.

"That’s where Professor Dumbledore and I went the night he died," Harry said, swallowing heavily. "That’s where Voldemort originally placed the locket. I just have a feeling that it might need to be destroyed there."

Remus’s eyes had flown open upon hearing Harry’s revelation. "Do you want me to come with you?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I need you to look into your sources. Ron, Hermione and Ginny will come with me."

"Be careful, Harry," Remus said, squeezing Harry’s shoulder.

"You, too," Harry said, smiling tightly.

With a plan in his head, he shut the book firmly and went to look for his friends.

**--**--

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny again Apparated to the spot Remus had brought them the last time. Their announcement that they were going out had startled Mrs. Weasley, and she’d wanted them to take an escort, but she’d relented under Mr. Weasley’s reassurances. The teens hadn’t been specific about their destination, and if Mrs. Weasley had any hunches, she didn’t share them.

When they arrived on the shore, a cold, gusty wind was blowing off the sea. It reminded Harry of the trip to Azkaban, and he shivered, steeling his shoulders against it. He could hear the distant clang of a lighthouse buoy ringing in the wind. The four teens could see firelight burning in the distance, and they crouched down low as they approached it.

Crabbe was still there and still using the fire to keep warm. Harry couldn’t blame him — the wind off the water was bitterly cold.

"The entrance to the cave is below, and it’s a steep climb down," Harry whispered. "I’m going to Disillusion us all. Just keep your hand on the shoulder of the person in front of you, and I’ll lead you to the spot where we have to go down. We’re going to have to walk fairly close in order to get there, but once we’re at the bottom, we shouldn’t have to worry about Crabbe seeing us."

"Why don’t we just Stun him, then we can revive him when we leave?" Ron asked.

"Then he’ll report to Voldemort that someone Stunned him, and he’ll know we were here," Hermione replied.

"Right," Harry said, nodding. "As of now, I think we got the cup undetected, so he doesn’t know we’re onto him. I’d like to keep it that way, if possible."

Harry cast the spell on each of his friends and finally himself. He walked slowly and carefully along the beach and towards the cliff. His heart pounded in his chest, and he could taste the tangy, metallic taste in his mouth from an adrenaline rush. He was close enough to Crabbe to hear the man’s breathing. Crabbe sat on the rocks reading a tattered copy of the Daily Prophet. He really wasn’t much of a guard, but it had to get boring staying here day after day.

Harry reached the cliff and began the treacherous climb downward. Although he couldn’t see his friends, he could hear their breathing behind him. Ron cursed under his breath several times as the girls loosened rocks above him. Harry was below Ron, so he got hit with the additional rocks Ron was jarring loose in trying to avoid the other stones.

"Ron! Be still," Harry hissed in exasperation after a particularly sharp rock bounced off his temple.

"Oh. Sorry, Harry," Ron said, finally realizing he’d been raining debris down upon Harry’s head.

Harry finally reached the slippery rocks below. The tide was low, and the smell of decaying sea life was nearly overpowering. But thanks to the lower water line, more of the jetty was exposed than on his previous visit, and the rocks were much less slippery.

Hermione spoke, causing him to startle. "Where do we go next?"

Harry removed the Disillusionment charms and pointed toward the fissure in the rocks where he’d traveled once with Professor Dumbledore. "We have to swim over there," he said.

"Swim?" Ron asked, staring at the water reluctantly. "It’ll be bloody freezing."

Hermione, who appeared just as displeased, patted his arm bracingly. "Don’t worry, Ron. We’ll dry ourselves off and cast warming charms straightaway."

They both stared at the water, taking deep breaths and preparing to jump. Ginny rolled her eyes and pushed them out of the way. "Oh, for heaven’s sake. The sooner we do it, the sooner it will be over," she said, jumping straight into the chilly waves. Her head bobbed up quickly, and she brushed her newly shortened hair out of her eyes.

"It’s an eye opener," she said, her teeth chattering as she began a graceful crawl stroke toward the fissure.

Harry jumped in after her and heard the splashes indicating that Ron and Hermione had followed. He was grateful for the splashing of the waves against the rocks, for he was certain it would muffle any additional splashes they made from Crabbe.

Harry quickly overtook Ginny as he led them to the tunnel in the rock and felt his fingers scrape against the seaweed-covered rock. His limbs felt numb by the time he’d reached the larger cave and heaved his body out of the water. His heavy winter clothing was drenched and made moving difficult.

He helped a shivering Ginny from the water, then turned to assist Hermione, and finally Ron.

"Bloody hell," Ron said, shaking violently.

Businesslike as always, Hermione demanded that he stand still as she cast charms to dry his clothing.

The hair on the back of Harry’s neck prickled in warning, and he glanced around uneasily. Still shaking from the chill, his hand shot out, grasping Hermione’s wand before she could cast the drying spell on her own sodden clothes.

"Harry, what-"

"Shh," Harry said, glancing around warily. "No more magic until we’re inside."

"What’s the matter?" Ginny asked, rubbing her hands along her arms, trying to warm them.

"I don’t know," Harry said, still looking around. "I’m worried Voldemort might have done something to warn him if magic is performed here — something like the Ministry uses. I don’t think it’ll work inside because there are so many spells in place already, but out here… Just hang on a few more minutes, okay?"

Hermione nodded, her eyes wide and fearful as she peered around each rock.

They waited several minutes, wands at the ready, to see if anyone would come. Eventually, Harry felt reassured that it had been his imagination. With the tension easing, the discomfort of being cold and wet returned with a vengeance.

He moved as quickly as he could towards the stone wall, trying to feel that now-familiar hum. He was again shivering so violently that he couldn’t be sure of what he felt. Removing a knife from his belt, he quickly cut a thin slice along his arm.

"What are you doing?" Ginny shrieked, pulling the knife away from his bleeding arm.

"It needs a sacrifice," Harry said, hissing in pain as Ginny pulled the knife too quickly.

He let a few droplets of blood fall from his cut and smeared them along the wall of the cave. The bright white light of the archway flickered and formed the entrance. When the bloodstained wall disappeared, Harry quickly stepped through, beckoning the others to follow behind him. Ginny, Ron, and Hermione had all been stunned speechless, and they followed him with wide, wary eyes into the pitch-black darkness.

Once inside, Harry quickly healed the cut on his arm and dried his clothing while Hermione did the same for herself and Ginny.

"This is where you came that night," Ron said, his voice unnaturally loud in the stillness.

"Yeah," Harry said, grimacing as he looked at the motionless black lake. He was interested to see that its center still glowed eerily green. "Whatever you do, don’t touch the water, or we’ll have to deal with the Inferi sooner than expected."

"I don’t want to deal with them at all," Ron said, shuddering as he looked at the lake. He had his arm wrapped around Hermione’s shoulders, and he pulled her closer.

"Me, either," Harry said. Despite all the other horrors he’d seen thus far, there was just something about the Inferi that made his skin crawl. "I need to get out to that little island in the middle of the lake to try and destroy the locket. You’ll need to keep watch in case Crabbe comes in here. I don’t know if he regularly checks within the cave or not, but if he does, he’s certain to notice the arch has been opened. You’ll have to detain him."

Hermione adamantly shook her head. "You’re not going alone, Harry. We’re all going to do this together this time."

"We can’t," Harry said flatly, his eyes already seeking out the spot where Dumbledore had summoned the boat. "The boat won’t hold us all; it’s too small."

"You went with Dumbledore," Ginny said. "It must be big enough to hold two, anyway."

Harry shook his head. "Only because my magic didn’t register since I was underage and unqualified. Dumbledore said it’s not the weight that matters, but the magical power."

"Technically, you’re still unqualified; we all are," Hermione said.

"Do you want to take that chance by all of us getting into that boat and perhaps stirring up those Inferi if it doesn’t work?" Harry asked, frowning.

"It doesn’t matter," Ginny replied, shrugging. "I can go with you. I’m underage, remember?"

It irritated him that his own reasoning for not wanting to take Ginny along in the first place kept coming back to bite him. Still, leaving her on the shore with Ron and Hermione didn’t mean she was any safer than if she came with him if those Inferi decided to attack.

"Okay," he said. "Ginny and I will go out to the middle, Ron and Hermione, you’ll keep guard."

"Why can’t you just destroy it here?" Ron asked, obviously uneasy with the decision.

Harry pulled the locket from his pocket and stared at it for a moment. Finally, he shrugged and said, "Something tells me it has to be destroyed out there. I just feel it. The Basilisk’s fang helped to destroy the diary. The dragon’s fire helped to destroy the cup. Something tells me that potion is needed to destroy the locket. It has to be done out there."

"I don’t like this, Harry," Hermione said, wringing her hands.

"I don’t either, but the quicker we get on with it, the quicker we can get out of here," he replied, taking Ginny’s hand and leading her away

"Be careful," Ron said, watching them walk.

Harry stopped, turned back and solemnly nodded. This place had started Dumbledore’s downfall, and he’d been the most powerful wizard of all. There was no guarantee here for any of them.

"You be careful, too. Watch out for each other. The archway should reseal on its own, although I don’t know how long it’ll take. Just stay alert. Once we destroy this thing, I have no idea what the Inferi will do."

Hermione let go of Ron’s hand and sprinted towards them. She hugged Harry and then Ginny. "We can cover you here. Just be careful out there, and come back quickly."

Harry nodded and tugged Ginny’s hand. They gingerly walked along the water’s edge until they’d reached the spot where he remembered Dumbledore had found the boat the last time.

Taking a deep breath, he shut his eyes and let his other senses heighten. He could hear Ginny’s rapid breathing and knew she was frightened even though she hadn’t shown it. He could smell the ocean and thought he could nearly taste the salt on his lips. Reaching out his hand, he waved in the air, seeking the cord to release the boat. It took several moments, but Ginny remained still and finally, Harry could hear that distant hum and felt warmth spread up his arm.

He tugged on the invisible cord, and the small boat was lowered in front of them. Ginny gasped as the chains set it in the water.

"I can’t believe you and Dumbledore both fit in this," Ginny said, her voice trembling.

"It was a tight fit," Harry said thickly. A painful lump had formed in the back of his throat, making speech difficult. He took Ginny’s hand and caressed it with his thumb as he led her towards the boat.

He climbed in first, steadying it before he spread his legs wide and allowed her room to settle between them, leaning her back against his chest. He could feel her slight body trembling and suspected it had nothing to do with the chill.

"Just keep your hands inside and never touch the water," he whispered. "Everything will be all right."

The boat began its trek across the eerily still black water. Harry kept his wand lit, but tried not to look too closely in the water, knowing what he would find.

"Don’t worry about me, Harry. It’s rather frightening, but I’m okay. I always feel okay when I’m with you," Ginny said, resting her head back on his shoulder.

Her words were eerily familiar and reminded him of something Dumbledore had said that night. He shuddered and pulled her to him as the boat glided ever closer to the glowing green light. By the time they reached the small circle of rock that held the chalice, Ron and Hermione weren’t even visible. Only the two small pinpricks of light from their wands let Harry know where they were.

He and Ginny got out of the boat and moved swiftly towards the chalice. Harry was surprised to see it had been refilled. He supposed it made sense. Regulus must have once emptied it to retrieve the locket, and it had been refilled for Harry’s and Dumbledore’s arrival.

He removed the Horcrux from his pocket and stared at it, wondering what he should do next. Some of his recent decisions had been made as if he’d taken an incorrectly brewed Felix Felicis potion. He would know exactly what he had to do, but once he made the first step, the rest of the plan deserted him. Still, things could be worse. After all, he did have the Horcrux; he just needed to destroy it.

As Harry approached the chalice, he could feel Ginny’s eyes on the back of his neck. He appreciated her silence while he worked out this puzzle.

Suddenly, sound and light erupted from across the lake. Harry could recognize spells volleying back and forth, and he knew Ron and Hermione were in trouble. They’d been discovered.

"Ron and Hermione," Ginny said, her face growing even paler than it already was. "That looks like more than just Crabbe they’re battling, Harry. He must have called for reinforcements."

Harry felt panic rise in his chest. He didn’t know how many Death Eaters Ron and Hermione were up against, but it was obviously more than one. Could they hold them off until he and Ginny could get there, and what would happen to the Horcrux if they were captured? He had to destroy it first, but how could he not help Ron and Hermione?

His decision was made for him when the lake around their rock island began to churn. Skeletal white hands, arms and skulls began rising from the lake. Ginny screamed as one brushed its hand against her leg. She moved closer to him, bracing her back against his so they could cover each other.

In the battle across the lake, someone had obviously touched the water.

The Inferi rose from the lake, their blank sightless eyes staring straight ahead as they jerkily reached for their prey.

Harry gulped as he watched them surround Ginny and him. There were so many of them. Things had just got a whole lot worse.

 

A/N: Huge thanks to my beta, Sherylyn, who has a list of characters who I’m not allowed to kill, lol. I’m worried about what’s going to happen later in this story L

Also thanks to KEDme, Dianne, and GhostWriter for their prebeta support. They were great help with this chapter.

I suppose you’ve all seen JKR’s latest comments about book 7, right? I think she really enjoys stirring the pot and seeing us all jump, don’t you? Heh. Who can blame her?