Scott sat in the back of the library with a book in his lap. The pages were open for his perusal but the words were an unfocused blur since he wasn't reading them. Pretending to read gave him the appearance of doing something and therefore provide an excuse to sit still and hold on to each minute as it tried to race past.

For a Kharadjai time was an interesting variable. If Scott bent his concentration on the individual moment then it rolled by with regularity, a second for every second and an hour for each hour. But if he let himself move on autopilot, slip into routine, and cease his focus on the here and now, years could blink by. After awhile he would simply get used to the distances between life landmarks. A decade was only a decade if he paid attention to it.

On this occasion he wasn't consciously choosing to disregard the passage of time and thus had little say in the matter. It was an inevitable side effect of acceleration. Compression was a by-product of speed, a shortening of everything. With the universe hurtling headlong towards some needful event, Scott was along for the ride with everyone else.

The result was that the end of May and half of June had seemingly slipped through his fingers.

He had a full recollection of those days, remembering the important occurrences, but he was haunted by the feeling that there were so few things worthy of remembrance because he hadn't been paying attention. He was sure if he questioned his Primes they would tell him that over the past several weeks he had been distant, somewhat uncommunicative, and just not quite there. That was why he was concentrating so deeply on time itself, slowing it to collect his thoughts and to plan.

Unfortunately, it was with a sinking feeling he realised that by concentrating so hard on his thoughts he had probably just sabotaged his intent. Sure enough, he raised his head from the page to see the sun setting over the Hogwarts grounds. The afternoon had fled while he had tried to count the seconds.

He sighed and tossed the book onto the table. For all his thinking, he had yet to arrive at the requisite number of conclusions. There were many questions and almost as many answers but most of them didn't correspond, and as the school year drew to a close they weighed on him more heavily.

Where was Snape's real place, next to Dumbledore or Voldemort, and how come Dumbledore wouldn't brook any interference in Snape's orders? Why had Malfoy been spending so much time in the Room of Requirement, and why didn't Dumbledore stop him outright? What was Dumbledore's real purpose in allowing Scott to come to Hogwarts? When would the time be right for Harry to confront his Dark nemesis?

Sometimes Scott felt like he had accomplished a great deal. There were many things he had done but all of them were unimportant compared to his principal victory: he had manoeuvred his way into becoming one of Harry's closest companions. The relationships, the tension between Snape and Malfoy, the work he had done to help Dumbledore — none of these things were pointless but all were strictly secondary.

Scott had spent an entire school year simply jockeying for position, starting right from the inchoate stages of his ever-changing plan. That was the real truth behind everything he had done. The game itself hadn't even started yet, and it wouldn't until he was in direct conflict with Riddle's forces. Once Harry was ready to find the Horcruxes and take the fight to the enemy, then all of Scott's effort paid off. He would be right where he needed to be.

The upcoming summer was troublesome, but not overly so. With Lila living near the Weasley's she would be able to keep an eye on them, leaving Scott free to spend his time with Harry. Hermione, Luna and Neville would have to be checked in on periodically as well, so he was expecting a busy summer.

One aspect of things he felt he might have handled better was Harry's training. While Scott had never been capable of assisting Harry with anything magic related it was troublesome that there hadn't been much time for firearms familiarisation. Hogwarts was a poor place for modern weaponry, and even if that hadn't been the case Scott wasn't one hundred percent certain that he wanted Harry to be familiar with guns. If the UO had gambled everything on a contest of magic then it could be self-defeating for his main Prime to rely on modern weaponry. The last thing he wanted was to distract Harry from learning some spell that might be vital.

On the other hand, not training Harry in the usage of standard weaponry and tactics was imprudent at best. Perhaps over the summer break he'd take some time and give Harry a crash course in marksmanship. How much training to give Harry would be the fine line that Scott would have to walk, though any amount would likely prove useful in the future conflict.

And there would be a conflict, Scott knew. The chances of divesting the enemy of their will to fight was slim as Riddle seemed to avoid placing himself in the line of fire, obviously content to lead from the rear. Some dying would have to be done before he'd expose himself. It was too much to hope for that the Death Eaters would suffer exclusively.

His Primes were perhaps not quite battle-hardened enough for convenience, but for the most part they were... they...

...What was this?

He sat up straight in his chair, the book and thoughts of time and Death Eaters forgotten. A feeling came on him, a portent, tingling up and down his spine like a slight electric charge. It was the presage of a massive shift, a frightening motion.

The universe had gathered itself and was sprinting towards a milestone, building steam like a train. Like a plummeting object. Leaving him to wonder at what speed terminal velocity would be reached, and if anything would break their fall.

Things were moving tonight. He knew it from the shape and the sparks at the back of his brain.

Quickly, now. But carefully.

He had to keep up.

He walked rapidly through the hallways but he did not rush, taking the time to gauge the shape carefully. It was hurried and sporadic, a flashing mess of a continuum, hurtling headlong towards some major resolution that would aid it in repairing itself. Scott was certain that it was not the ultimate resolution, but hopefully once it happened things would be become clearer, and the path to that final fork in the road might be revealed.

He reached the portrait entrance just in time to see Harry emerge. "Harry!"

"Hey," Harry said. He ran towards Scott but instead of stopping to talk sped past. "Dumbledore wants to see me right away!" he called back over his shoulder.

"Is it about those things the Headmaster is looking for?" Scott yelled after him.

"Probably!" Harry turned a corner and went out of sight.

Scott stood there for a moment and considered that. The possibility of a Horcrux hunt seemed imminently probable. It was a major event, large enough to support the upheaval the shape.

"All right," he muttered to himself. If Harry and Dumbledore were leaving, they certainly weren't going alone. But he also didn't want to leave his other Primes to their own devices. He flipped out his phone and dialled Lila.

It rang twice before she answered. "Hello?"

"It's me. I'm sure you're aware what's happening."

"Is there any way not to be? If the universe wants my attention, there's no need to shake everything so violently," she said wearily. "I'm nearly seasick, and you know I don't get seasick."

"Grab a bucket it you have to, because I need you here at the school. I'm leaving with Harry and Dumbledore tonight. Figure out some way to get Luna with everyone else in Gryffindor tower and then hold the fort."

"Obviously we need to fly more often so I can steal some barf bags. I'm on my way." She hung up.

Lila enjoyed ignoring him and being a real pain in the ass most of the time, Scott reflected, but when he needed it she always came through.

The second decision he had to make was much more difficult. Ageing up would allow him to be fully effective, but it would also limit his range of interactions. The last thing he wanted was his schoolmates to see him as an adult.

Still, by the time Harry returned from Dumbledore's office it would almost certainly be after curfew, Scott reasoned, making it unlikely that anyone would see him so long as he kept clear of the common room. Plus he would appear different enough that a passing glance wouldn't give away his identity. Even if someone thought they recognised him, the impossibility of it would insure disbelief.

In the end he felt like remaining a teenager when the shape was in such turmoil was an unacceptable risk, so he opened an aperture to his flat and stepped over space into the living room.

He arrived to find Lila in the midst packing. She had dragged a small, wheeled suitcase out from somewhere or the other and had it open on the couch. She was filling it with clothes and the amenities of personal hygiene, walking quickly between her bedroom and the bathroom.

Scott spread his hands in bewilderment. "What are you doing?"

She glanced at him condescendingly. "What does it look like, Scott?"

"We're just going to find a Horcrux, you don't have to gear up for an extended stay."

"The last time you told me that," Lila began, pausing to rearrange some pants that were not folded to her liking, "I ended up wearing the same clothes for a week and a half."

"All your outfits look the same anyway."

Lila slammed the suitcase shut with more force than was necessary. "No, they don't."

"All right, geez," Scott said, backing away from her with large, exaggerated steps. "So sorry to offer your Highness some constructive criticism-"

"Don't you have work to do?"

It was unfortunate, but Scott had to admit she had a point. He left Lila in the living room and began to dig out the clothes he wanted to wear for the Horcrux hunt.

He didn't know where he would be going so he tried to choose an all purpose array. He forsook his usual shoes for a pair of solid hiking boots and, attempting to combine unobtrusiveness with utility, grabbed a dark red button up shirt to put over his t-shirt in order to hide his shoulder holsters. He disliked the faded yellow lines of the flower pattern the tropical-looking button up shirt was adorned with (it was not well suited for concealment) but it would do.

With his adult clothes chosen, he stripped down to change age. It was a quick process and one he had performed many times before, but he still wasn't quite comfortable with the feeling of it. He felt like he was peeling himself.

Kharan dressed quickly, paused in front of the mirror to ensure his now filled shoulder holsters were hidden reasonably well, and then grabbed an ordinary-looking black and brown backpack from a dark corner of his closet. Settling it onto his back, he tightened the straps slightly for comfort and then walked out into the living room. Lila was gone, so he opened an aperture and stepped back across space into the empty corridor outside the Room of Requirement.

On his way to the Gryffindor tower he encountered no one, the rest of the school having retired to their common rooms for curfew. Outside the windows the grounds were falling dark beneath a sky tinted heavily with orange and purple hues. It was a good time for sneaking around, Kharan thought to himself, and felt a small thrill of anticipation. Maybe tonight they'd really take the fight to Riddle.

He became more cautious when he came closer to the tower, slowing his pace and hugging the far wall so that anyone coming down the main corridor wouldn't see him. The sharp sound of running footsteps came echoing down one the stairwells and he stood still, waiting. After a moment, Harry came bursting through.

"Harry!"

Harry stopped. "Scott?"

"Over here." Kharan moved out from the wall. As he came closer to Harry, he quickly became concerned. Harry was abnormally pale, his skin damp and his eyes blinking rapidly. "You all right?"

"Yes — no. Look, there's no time, I…" Harry took a few more steps towards the tower entrance. "We're going out, tonight, Dumbledore's taking me with him."

"Horcrux?"

"Yeah."

But that didn't explain Harry's unstable appearance. Kharan would have expected excitement from Harry, not this tortured look. "But what's up with you? What happened?"

"I'd tell you but I have to hurry. Later." Harry took another step towards the portrait entrance, stopped, and then turned away from Kharan. He stood there for a moment with his fists clenched at his sides, and then whirled around. "It was Snape!"

"It was Snape," Kharan repeated in confusion.

"He told him! He told Voldemort about the Prophecy!" Harry snarled, the rage in his voice of sufficient to startle Kharan.

The information settled into Kharan's brain like the last piece of a puzzle, illuminating all the corners of the picture. Dumbledore had always seemed a little too sure of his hold over Snape.

"I just can't believe… and Dumbledore never even…" Harry ran his hands through his already tangled hair. "What am I going to do?"

It was probably a rhetorical question but Kharan answered it anyway. "Go and get this Horcrux thing. Snape can wait, we know where to find him."

"I'm not sure it can wait," Harry said. He looked up at Scott, his face totally serious. "Trelawney got into the Room of Requirement somehow. Malfoy chucked her out but she said he was celebrating something, and you know whatever ever it is, it can't be good for us. I know we have to get this Horcrux, but shite… If Dumbledore leaves, who knows what will happen?"

That complicated things. "I think you're right."

Harry took a deep breath. "Okay, you stay here with-"

"Not happening," Kharan said, cutting him off. "I go with you, comprende?"

Harry began to look desperate. "You can't, you have to protect Ginny and everyone else too, remember! Look, I'm going to give them the rest of my Felix but that might not be enough, luck can only get you so far-"

"I plan for contingencies, all right, and I'm not abandoning my other Primes. Lila is going to be here tonight, she'll stay with them until we get back."

"Really?" The panic on Harry's face faded somewhat. "She's good at, at fighting too, right?"

"She oughta be, I did some of her training myself," Kharan said wryly.

"Okay… All right, yeah, as long as she stays with them…" Harry started to move again. "We have to hurry, I told Dumbledore I was just getting the Cloak. He's down in the entrance hall, try to stall him!"

"We'll be there." Kharan watched Harry disappear through the portrait and then made his way towards Hogwarts' front entrance.

With the enormity of the news Harry had just received affecting him, Kharan hoped that the teen was able to keep it together. Harry was a lot tougher than he looked but anyone would be debilitated by the impact of such a trauma.

Kharan himself wasn't quite sure what to think. He had never been certain that Dumbledore's trust in Snape wasn't misplaced, and Harry's revelation had only strengthened that position. Dumbledore was a smart man, but that didn't matter. It was often the smartest people who did the stupidest things. Still, the Headmaster also seemed fairly shrewd as well, and not likely to fall for any lies Snape might tell. It was a tough call to make, but if Malfoy was going to make his move soon then it might be just the catalyst needed to clear up the matter.

The entrance hall was deserted past curfew, its walls dimly lit by candles and the high ceiling lost in shadow. A lone figure stood near the double doors. Kharan approached Dumbledore, acknowledging him with a nod.

The Headmaster did not seem surprised to see Kharan. "I thought you might be joining us. I feel compelled to warn you of the danger, though I suppose that will not mean much to you."

"My sister will be here tonight to keep an eye on things." Kharan cut right to the chase. The universal momentum was like a physical pressure, imparting on him a feeling of impatience.

"I see," Dumbledore said non-committally.

"I don't think you do," Kharan said bluntly. "Harry told me about Snape. This school might be a castle, but if you're just going to let anyone in then what's the point?"

Dumbledore's face turned grim. "I believe we've had this discussion before."

"Right, and this isn't the time or the place. Suffice to say, you go ahead and trust who you want to, and I'll trust who I want to. I want Lil to be here tonight."

"Very well. If she is as competent as you then your Primes are in good hands," Dumbledore said graciously, no doubt trying to smooth things over before they got out of hand.

Unused to being an adult again, it was actually surprising to Kharan how much easier it was to not force the issue. "She's one of our best." He changed the subject. "So, where are we going?"

"A cave that Voldemort visited as a child," Dumbledore replied. "I believe there may be a Horcrux hidden inside."

"Protections?"

"I'm unaware of any specific protections around the cave, though I have little doubt that it will be guarded in some manner."

Kharan nodded. "Okay. I'll lead the way. You and Harry stay behind me and keep a fair distance in case I trigger a trap or two. Just stay within earshot so you can instruct me if I need it since I'm not too good with this magic shit."

"If you think it best," Dumbledore said with obvious reluctance.

"It is best. At the very least if I get taken out it will probably give you time to run."

They were interrupted when Harry came skidding into the hall, panting and with one hand held to his side. "I'm here!" he gasped unnecessarily. "I got my Cloak."

"Better put it on," Kharan advised before Dumbledore could say anything. "I'll follow the two of you from a distance. Just wait up when you're about to Apparate."

Harry looked quickly at Dumbledore as he fumbled with the Cloak. "Sir, I don't have my apparition license yet."

"I will assist you again, Harry," Dumbledore told him. He looked to Kharan. "You will be able to follow us regardless?"

"Don't worry about me. I go where you go."

"Let's be off then," Dumbledore said.

Kharan followed them out the entrance but slipped away once they were on the road. The twilight had a deceptively normal look and the air was filled with the soft smells of grass and the woods. Most forms of life in the world were unperturbed by the rapid motion of the shape, growing and foraging and hunting regardless of UOs and Primes. There was something comforting about that.

The universe convulsed around Harry and Dumbledore again and Kharan had a sudden falling sensation. He shook it off and kept moving.

By the time he reached Hogsmeade night had all but fallen, and the shadows lent themselves to his designs. Harry and Dumbledore moved quickly down the street, passing by the Three Broomsticks. He could see Dumbledore saying something to Madam Rosmerta but was too far away to make it out. Smoothly jumping a fence and making his way down an alley, he passed them up and secreted himself behind a hedge, waiting for them to reach his position.

In comparison to the raucous atmosphere surrounding the Three Broomsticks the Hog's Head was a ghost town, devoid of patrons and even casual passers-by. Dumbledore and Harry halted outside the deserted tavern and conferred for a moment.

Moving forward to the edge of the street, Kharan whispered to them from the shadows. "I'm right here. Go ahead and make the jump."

Dumbledore grasped Harry's arm, and with a soft pop they were gone. Scanning the area one last time to ensure no one had seen, Kharan opened his own portal and stepped through the void.

Harry stared out over the undulating waters of an ocean that seemed so large in the darkness, a heaving creature of swells and valleys. It was as if the waves were the pulsating heart and lungs of the vastest monster, pounding in a turbulent sleep. He felt uncomfortably exposed on the bare rock and took a step backwards. Maybe it was that feeling which had attracted Voldemort to the rock. The Dark Lord fancied himself a monster of that calibre.

The place where he and Dumbledore had emerged was little more than a jutting wedge of rock pushing against the ocean. Behind him a cliff reared up into the night, the moon illuminating the wet stone and making it look as if it were coated with glass. Surely it would defy even the most experience of climbers, and Harry could almost feel the terror of the orphans that Voldemort had taken with him down that face so long ago.

Dumbledore had just finished explaining the history of the location and was now looking about in the moonlight. "Do you know how Scott will arrive?"

Harry had a notion that the Kharadjai would simply appear out of thin air, a phantom utilising his unknowable means of travel. However, he had never actually seen it done. "No. I hope he can find us."

Loud footsteps slapped against the rock, causing both of them to whirl around to face the noise. It was Kharan, purposefully clomping with his feet so they would hear his approach. "This is the place?"

Harry felt a little disappointed. He had wanted to catch Kharan coming out of one of his portals. "Yeah, this is it. Voldemort came here on an orphanage trip to scare some of the other kids," he explained, quickly summarising for Kharan's benefit."

"This would be the place to do it," Kharan commented. "I wonder how he explained to their chaperone why those kids had pissed their pants."

"There is a cave below, inside the wall," Dumbledore said. All of them went over to the edge and the Headmaster pointed out the small handholds dotting the slippery face of the outcropping. Harry swallowed hard, trying not to think about what it would be like to fall onto the boulders below.

"Right." Kharan crouched down and swung his legs out over the precipice, gripping a handhold firmly. "Harry, lose the Cloak. Come down right above me so I can grab you if I have to. I'll come back up for you, Albus."

"I know how to climb," Harry said, feeling a little insulted. It wasn't as if he were a stranger to heights.

"Good for you. You start right after me, move."

Dumbledore gave Harry a supporting smile. "Best do as he says," he advised.

It was only a few seconds after Kharan disappeared below the edge of the rock that he called out, "Come on, Harry. Lay on your stomach and push your legs off."

The rock was hard and the cold water that pooled over it seeped through Harry's shirt as he lay down with a wince. Slowly, he backed over the edge, feeling a second of panic as his feet flailed out over unseen space in search of a foothold. He felt a hand grab his right ankle and guide it over to a solid position. Taking a deep breath, he started down.

The wind whipped the spray of the ocean across the rock face, covering Harry with a fine mist. He tried not to look down and mainly concentrated on his hands, allowing Kharan to pick out the best footholds. It was nervous work, but he managed to reach the bottom without incident.

Once on his feet again he found Kharan peering intently into a fissure cut deep in the cliff. The water swirled through it like a funnel, rising and falling against the narrow walls and splashing upwards with an occasional sucking sound. The opening was pitch black beyond the first few feet and looked entirely uninviting.

Kharan looked over at Harry. "Hope you're wearing your warm underwear. There's going to be some shrinkage involved with this swim."

After joining them at the bottom Dumbledore drew his wand, lighting it with a whispered 'Lumos!'. The reflected glitter off the wet rocks was almost dazzling in the darkness. Harry lit his wand too. Together, the wands illuminated the outline of the crevice more starkly but the dark within still defied the light.

Kharan blew out a breath. "Okay. There's not any fun way to do this, so let's just get it over with." He leapt into the seething water.

Harry tensed himself up and then followed suit, splashing into the torrential pool between the boulders. For a moment he thought that he would be swept away, but instead the current actually pushed him far enough into the crack that he was able to gain enough traction to resist it when it ebbed back out.

The water was so cold that he went numb within seconds. His robes began to drag him down, and he wasn't so much swimming through the narrow crevice as he was pushing himself along. He wondered if drowning felt similar.

Kharan dropped back to help him, using one arm to pull Harry up and over a large rock beneath the surface. "Look at us," he whispered a little breathlessly to Harry, apparently not unaffected by the bitter waves, "squeezing through a little crevice full of freezing water after climbing down a wet cliff face. This is some hardcore, he-man shit. You can brag to Ginny about this."

"What was that you said about shrinkage?" Harry whispered back. "I don't have anything to brag about right now."

Kharan snorted in laughter, swallowing a good deal of salt water in the process and then snorting even more as he expelled it. "Maybe Ginny will feel sorry for you — pity sex is still sex." He paused to shift sideways and used his legs to push himself through a portion of the tunnel that narrowed even further, afterwards reaching back to pull Harry through.

Mercifully, the passage ended not too much further ahead in a staircase. Hauling himself out of the water, Harry waited for Dumbledore to emerge and lead the way up the steps, which emptied into a cave.

"Yes…" Dumbledore murmured almost to himself as he looked around the bare room. "This is the place."

"Are you sure?" Kharan questioned him, echoing Harry's thoughts.

Dumbledore favoured him with a searching gaze. "Can you not feel it?"

Kharan looked around the space and then shrugged in answer. Harry tried to feel whatever it was that Dumbledore did, but found himself experiencing little else but the aching cold. He shivered as his clothing dripped onto the stone floor.

Fortunately, Dumbledore noticed his discomfort. "My apologies Harry, I completely forgot." Harry didn't know what spell the Headmaster cast, but it worked — his clothes were suddenly warm and dry, though his skin remained clammy and chilled.

"Thanks!" Harry said gratefully. Dumbledore smiled in response and then looked towards Kharan.

"Don't waste any energy on me," Kharan said. "I'll just get wet again anyway."

"It was a small thing," Dumbledore muttered in response, but his attention had already returned to the cave walls. He began running his hands over them, mouthing silent words to himself. There was an artistry in the way he seemed to sense the hidden forms and patterns of the magic seeped into the rock, one that baffled Harry. To him one wall seemed the same as another.

Kharan glanced up from where he had been rummaging around in his backpack. "What are you looking for?"

"There must be an entrance here," Dumbledore said distractedly. "A secret door for Voldemort's use."

"Some sort of magical concentration? An energy spot?"

"Perhaps. I doubt the entire room is a gateway."

"There's a spot like that behind you and a little to your left," Kharan said, pointing towards the wall to the right of Harry.

Dumbledore gave him a slightly startled glance before moving to the position and lightly touching his fingertips to it. "Yes," he confirmed. "Yes, this is it. This is the entryway." He directed his wand at the spot and a doorway etched in white light grew into being, shimmering against the dark rock. "The question now is how to open it… How to… open…" he said absently, touching the wall again.

Harry looked at Kharan to see if he had anything more to share, but he merely shrugged and continued doing whatever it was he was doing in his backpack. Seeing that Dumbledore would probably require some time to solve the riddle of the archway, Harry approached the busy Kharadjai. "What are you doing?"

"Getting ready." A sharp click came from the pack as Kharan moved his hands together as if snapping something into place. "Riddle doesn't seem to be the most inventive guy around, but anyone can strike oil if they go to the well often enough. I'd like to be prepared for any surprises." With a final decisive motion and answering click, Kharan withdrew a deadly looking weapon and began to attach a strap to it.

"Wow." Harry looked the gun over, admiring the lethal form. "That looks really, um, dangerous."

"Oh, it is."

"…Could I hold it?" Harry asked hesitantly.

Kharan raised his head for a moment with a knowing look in his eyes. Harry felt a little embarrassed, but didn't renege on his request. With a quick grin, Kharan lifted the gun and handed it stock first to Harry, who cradled it inexpertly in his arms.

"It's heavier than it looks," Harry commented, hefting the weapon a little. "What's it called?"

Kharan grabbed Harry's hands in his own and adjusted his awkward grip. "It's a G36c. It shoots fast, it hits reasonably hard, and when I slap one of these babies in there…" Kharan reached into his bag and withdrew what looked to Harry to be two steel canisters linked together, like an infinity symbol. "…It just keeps going and going."

Grabbing the top of the gun with one hand Kharan slammed the double drum into the receiver and stepped back. The added weight was immense — Harry's arms, already weak from the climb and following swim, began to shake. Kharan noted his distress and relieved him of the burden. "I'll let you shoot it sometime. We'll line up some Butterbeer bottles and make a mess."

They were interrupted when Dumbledore began saying something about crudity, shaking his head in a sort of odd disappointment while he peered at the glowing archway. Kicking the backpack over to an empty corner of the cave, Kharan came up behind him with Harry.

"It appears," Dumbledore said, idly brushing his fingers over the stone, "that we are required to give payment in order to pass."

Harry didn't like the sound of that. "What sort of payment?"

"Blood," Dumbledore stated firmly. "The payment is that of blood."

Harry briefly clenched his fists. He had already given a payment of blood to Voldemort once before and was in no hurry to do it again.

"Crude," Dumbledore muttered. "Basely and ignorantly crude. Once again our self-proclaimed Lord fails to understand that there are worse things than physical torments."

"Obviously you've never binged on mesquite pork and beans," Kharan said blandly.

Dumbledore withdrew a small knife from somewhere in his robes and shook back his sleeve in obvious preparation for the act of payment. Harry's eyes widened in alarm. "Professor, wait!"

"Yeah, hold up." Kharan grabbed Dumbledore's arm, preventing him from the self-mutilation. "Have you just tried knocking?"

Dumbledore smiled a little indulgently. "If I thought Voldemort would stoop to being so polite, I might. Politeness, however, was never his forte. The spells demand blood for passage."

"At least try it," Kharan requested. "It's not like you've got much to lose."

Dumbledore looked at Kharan a little oddly but consented. Reaching out, he rapped three times on the stone archway. Nothing happened, and after several moments it was clear that nothing was going to. Harry blinked in confusion, wondering exactly what Kharan was playing at. Did he really think Voldemort would make a secret door that would simply open when knocked on?

Dumbledore shook his head. "I admire your determination to try other avenues of approach, but I'm afraid knocking simply will not suffice here."

"Well, yeah, if you knock like that."

A slight frown creased Dumbledore's face. "What do you mean?"

"You weren't doing it right." Kharan walked up to the door and shook his arms as if he were limbering up. "You gotta tap it in just the right way…"

Kharan leaned back and delivered a powerful kick to the stone entryway. A thin layer of rock split off with a deafening crack. He surveyed his work and, apparently satisfied with the results, gripped his hands together like a hammer and swung them sideways into the wall. The result was a cloud of dust and an impression of his arms and fists that was visible for a moment before it began to crumble. He backed away and kicked at the spot where his hands had impacted, breaking off another large chunk. Then he swung his arms into the wall from a different angle.

Harry watched with awe as, with steady repetition and a variety of different blows, Kharan literally pounded the wall into rubble. Harry noticed that it took some serious effort; Kharan's face was covered in a sheen of sweat. It was dark in the cave, but Harry could still see the drops of blood that spattered near Kharan's feet and coursed down his arms.

With a mighty crack, the archway finally shattered and the resulting debris flew back into the opening beyond it. Harry had a ringing in his ears despite the hands he had clapped over them.

When the dust settled, both Dumbledore and Harry were staring at the Kharadjai. He shrugged under their scrutiny. "When in doubt, knock. That's what I always do. Ow. Ow."

"You're bleeding," Harry pointed out, staring at Kharan's battered hands.

"Nah, don't worry about it. Just limestone, you know. Probably would have broken my arms if it wasn't sedimentary. I mean, more, without result. I did break my arms. And the door was still there, technically, just held partially together by magic. Once I got rid of that it was kind of soft. But, yeah, that was harder than it looked," Kharan rambled, breathing heavily.

"Um, it looked pretty hard... If you were going to bleed anyway, why not just give it to the door?" Harry wondered.

"Because it was a trap."

"It was?" Harry looked to Dumbledore for confirmation, but the Headmaster looked just as surprised.

Kharan also appeared slightly confused. "Well, I would assume so... I mean, what kind of evil wizard makes a door that you just have to smear a little blood on to open? I figured I'd just break it. Look, see? I bled on it and it didn't open. It was a trap."

"But you only began to bleed after you had already smashed the spell," Dumbledore said with a pronounced twinkle in his eye.

Kharan crossed his arms stubbornly. "It was totally a trap. Had to be."

"Perhaps it was better to be safe than sorry," Dumbledore mildly agreed, but there was definitely a smile hidden somewhere in his beard.

Kharan emerged on the edge of a vast underground lake which was contained in a cavern that arched overhead and faded into the distance. Far off, near what might have been the middle of the water, something was giving off a pale green glow but it did little to illuminate the area. The lake was absolutely still, a mirror surface that seemed foreboding in its lack of motion.

While the water was still, the things within it were not. He carefully observed the scattered shapes drifting on the surface. They were indistinct half-blobs, hung motionless, floating in stasis.

These objects were not visible to the naked eye. As far as Kharan knew, Harry had never drawn any conclusions as to how Kharan was able to see him beneath his Invisibility Cloak. Perhaps Harry and the others simply assumed it had something to do with how they were all tied to the shape. And although the shape could be useful for locating people, it was at best precise to only within a few yards. The real device behind the secret was much less complicated. Kharan had never explained it, feeling that the information might be more useful if kept unsaid.

He could see the infrared spectrum, or rather the wavelength that was considered 'thermal'. His head did not contain any algorithms to change what he saw into contrasting colours which represented temperature — for him, the world seen in thermal emissions was a mixture of greys, whites and blacks of varying brightness. The sheer sensitivity and clarity of his vision made up for that. Even the smallest disparity in emissivity provided a clear contrast between objects that were of comparable temperature. Whatever the things that bobbed on the water were, they were the same temperature as the water itself but did not have the same emissive material properties, and so they were visible as light black outlines on a dark black background.

"Don't touch the water," Kharan called softly to Harry and Dumbledore while he rubbed at his aching arms. "There are things in there."

"What kind of things?" Harry asked, his voice sounding slightly higher pitched than normal.

"Nothing we can't handle," Kharan told him, though he didn't have any idea whether that was true or not. "Keep moving, look around for a way across."

It was further down the rim of the cave that Kharan felt the nexus. It was a tingling sensation that led him straight to a place that looked just like any other he had seen thus far, except it felt different. There was a spell, or several spells, running along a section of the floor. He could feel them when he placed his hand against it, tickling his palm. They had to be important somehow.

He stood and jogged back towards Dumbledore, who was running his wand over a different part of the rim floor. "There's a weird energy spot further down," he informed the Headmaster. "Maybe you can do something. I didn't screw with it."

They moved along until they reached the spot that had raised the hairs on Kharan's sore arms. "This?" Dumbledore said, kneeling down and running his hand along the magic-infused rock. "Yes… this could be what we're looking for."

After a few minutes of work, Dumbledore managed to locate and summon a hidden boat, which Kharan felt was pretty cool. Being a Kharadjai meant he could sense power in any form, but that didn't mean he immediately knew how to manipulate it. While an experienced native like Dumbledore could puzzle through things, Kharan was surrounded by a type of power that he'h had great difficulty grasping.

"Scott," Dumbledore said, getting Kharan's attention. "There is a problem. Only one can safely cross in this boat — two if it is me and Harry, since he is under-age."

Kharan failed to see the issue. "So what's the problem? You two take the boat and I'll take a swim."

"You do realize," Dumbledore said slowly, "that the water will surely be the focus of Voldemort's trap."

"Yeah, probably. If I get caught up in something just get to the island, don't wait for me to finish. Oh, and here…" Kharan shrugged his shoulder and slid the G36c off of his back. He offered it to Harry. "I can't use this underwater. Don't try to shoot anything in the water with it either, you'll just waste my ammo. If something comes at you on the surface though, go ahead and let loose." He glanced back at the lake. "I have a few suspicions… I think you'll want to aim for the head."

Harry swallowed hard as he took the weapon, but his hands were steady. "All right… If that's what you want…"

"You'll do fine. Just keep your finger off the trigger unless you're going to shoot something and don't drop it." Kharan reached up under his shirt and withdrew a blade from a sheath attached to the front strap of his shoulder holster. It was of his military combat blades, a curved one-sided cutting weapon with a short handle and a thick spine, more similar to a machete than a knife.

He stood there for a moment, waiting for them to get in the boat. Dumbledore opened his mouth as if to say something else and then closed it, shaking his head. "I suppose we cannot dissuade you."

"See you at the island."

Dumbledore and Harry climbed into the boat (Harry with some added difficulty thanks to his unwieldy burden), which automatically began moving towards the centre of the lake. Kharan watched them for a second to make sure they were okay before firmly gripping the handle of his knife and diving into the black water.

The boat was a slow vessel, moving steadily across the surface of the lake and leaving a wide, lazy ripple in its wake. Harry shifted impatiently in his seat, resting Kharan's weapon on his knees to take the weight off of his arms and staring into the water. He tried to ignore the Inferi that floated by, stiff and dead-eyed. Despite the Headmaster's reassurance that there was nothing to be feared from a dead body, he still was very uncomfortable with the presence of the cadavers.

The normally still façade of the lake was being periodically disturbed. Occasional bubbles were coming up. He peered into the depths trying to discern something, anything, but the water remained impervious to his vision.

Dumbledore laid a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder. "I'm sure he's all right, Harry. Scott is a capable fighter."

"I just wish I could see what was happening," Harry said, recoiling further back into the boat as another Inferi brushed the side. With horror he watched as the corpse seemed to come to sudden life — it rolled over in the water from its face up position and dove downwards, vanishing from sight. Even as he relaxed his grip on the gun and recovered from his momentary panic Harry knew it must have been going after Kharan. "What are we going to do?" he asked Dumbledore, feeling completely helpless to assist his friend.

"Sometimes, though we may will it, we are unable to give help to others," Dumbledore said solemnly. "We must wait, and trust in Scott's abilities."

But waiting was unbearable. Harry remembered the agonising summer he had spent cut off from all outside information, of how angry he had been at Dumbledore before they had set off for the Horcrux. He fought the emotions down, knowing it was neither the time nor the place to give into them. He tried to think about Ginny instead, something that usually managed to calm him down when he felt near to losing control. He realised with a pang that he hadn't said goodbye to her before he left. What if he died in the cave? He should have given something to Kharan to take back to her… his wand, maybe, or his Cloak. Except he needed both of those things to stay alive in the first place.

He was so sunk in his thoughts that their arrival startled him, the boat knocking into the island with a slight bump.

It was very, very dark under the surface. Swimming strongly, Kharan caught up with the boat without much effort. He remained a good five feet under the water, providing a submersed escort for the passengers of the vessel above. Their wands cast some feeble light in the liquid night, though with everything else in shadow only the boat stood out in Kharan's vision.

It was no more than a minute before the first pale corpse surged out the darkness, flailing towards him with a gaping mouth full of rotted teeth.

At that point any wizard who had penetrated the cave probably would have either screamed and swallowed a mouthful of water, drowning themselves and providing one more guardian for the lake, or attempted some magical defence that may or may not have worked. As Kharan recalled from his books, these zombies were called Inferi, and fire was effective against them — which meant the water provided an excellent environment for the magically reanimated bodies. There was no question that the sight a bloodless naked dead man emerging out of the underwater darkness was quite horrifying. But a knife through the brain would do the trick just as well as an open flame or a loaded gun, and it would take more than a soggy corpse to scare him.

The Inferius grabbed at Kharan's left arm and attempted to pull him into a lethal embrace. He calmly allowed himself to be drawn closer to the creature before reversing his grip on the knife and bringing the blade slamming down through the Inferius' waterlogged skull. It penetrated easily through the softened tissue, releasing a cloud of decaying skin and hair.

This first enemy had just begun to sink to the bottom when six other Inferi came swimming towards Kharan.

He sighed, an action which while underwater simply translated to a bunch of bubbles being released from his mouth. The Inferi weren't much of a challenge, but at this rate it would take him awhile to get to the island.

Ten minutes later he was making a tedious but constant progress. In his wake a goodly number of truly dead Inferi floated, a sign of his passage. Aside from a few fresh finger-shaped bruises on his already hurting limbs, he hadn't sustained serious damage. He wasn't sure whether he was drawing them from all over the lake or just the immediate area, but he knew he'd better reach the island soon so he could help Dumbledore and Harry.

With a few swift stabbing motions he dispatched another three Inferi and found himself up against a smooth rock wall, the base of the island. Ascending quickly, he reached the lip of the rock and hauled himself out onto (relatively) dry land again. The green glow from the basin in the centre gave some better illumination now that he was closer to it. He noted with some disgust that his knife and the hand welding still had spongy chunks of flesh stuck to them.

Dumbledore was circling a pedestal that stood in the middle of the island, mumbling to himself again. Harry stood awkwardly nearby looking like he wanted to help but didn't even begin to know how. Standing up, Kharan crossed the stone circle. Harry turned at the sound of his footsteps.

A look of relief washed over Harry's face. "Scott!" he laughed weakly. "I heard footsteps and thought it was one of… You know, one of them."

"Sorry to disappoint you." Kharan grinned as he gratefully accepted his gun back. "Dumbledore still working it out?"

"The Horcrux is in that basin," Harry explained, "but he's not sure how to get rid of this green potion covering it. We can't touch it."

Kharan moved closer to get a look at the eerie green liquid. Dumbledore acknowledged his presence with a slight smile. "No serious difficulties, I hope?"

"Corpses don't fight very well," Kharan said. "I expect it comes from being dead."

"Yes, death… No, his ego would ensure that he would not kill the drinker immediately…" Dumbledore muttered. "I am almost positive that this potion must be drunk in order to remove it. But it is certainly designed to incapacitate the drinker in some way, to leave them helpless. Voldemort would seek to question whoever found his darkest secret."

Kharan nodded. "Sounds reasonable. Got a cup on you?"

Harry made a startled sound, and Dumbledore gave Kharan a sharp look. "It is one thing to succeed through physical prowess," the Headmaster said quietly, "and something else to willingly drink poison. I cannot ask you to drink this."

Harry nervously stood by on the sidelines, clearly hoping that nobody had to drink it at all. Kharan only rolled his eyes. "Good thing you didn't have to ask me then. I am, however, asking you for a cup."

Loosing a sigh, Dumbledore procured a crystal goblet from thin air and handed it to Kharan. "I suppose we must trust that you are stronger than anything Voldemort can conjure."

Kharan accepted the cup graciously and with a fancy flourish, dipped it into the basin and held in nonchalantly in one hand. "Bottoms up."

With a gulp, he downed the entire thing.

Then he closed his eyes and stood very still.

"Scott?" Harry said tentatively. The Kharadjai didn't answer. "Are you all right?"

Kharan opened his eyes, looked at Harry blankly — and then let loose a tremendous belch. "Well, I'll tell you one thing-" he said after a moment. "-it'll never be a best seller." He scooped and drained another goblet full, making a face after he swallowed.

"Is it affecting you in any way?" Dumbledore inquired, concern etched on his face.

"Chalky."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Quite the chalky after taste. Definitely an inferior vintage." Filling another cupful, Kharan held it up to the pale light. "Riddle might be good at making zombies, but he can't brew for shit. I couldn't export this crap."

"What does it taste like?" Harry asked curiously. It didn't seem to be hurting Kharan at all, though Harry was sure that was just because he was a Kharadjai. He wondered if the potion that was giving Kharan what appeared to be mild bloating would have killed anyone else.

Kharan looked upwards thoughtfully. "Like Hi-C Ecto Cooler… if you ground up a bunch of chalk in it and served it with a side of dirty ass." He paused. "Maybe a hint of lemon, too. But the ass sort of overrides everything else."

Harry had no idea what he was talking about, but it didn't matter. If Kharan was making jokes then the potion wasn't hurting him. "Well, there's not too much to go."

Kharan blew out an annoyed breath as he filled the goblet yet again. "One was enough, you know?" He made another face as he swallowed. "God. I can't think of anything I wouldn't rather be drinking than this shit." Downing another cupful he continued, "Well… maybe Pabst."

A few more dips into the basin and he held out the last cup. "One more for the road, hooray." With that he swallowed it and then dropped the conjured cup with a clatter onto the stone floor. "Okay, I'm never drinking that again. Now let's see what we got here."

A small golden locket lay at the bottom of the basin, looking oddly insignificant in the surroundings. Dumbledore picked it up and held it close to Harry's wand, letting it dangle in the light. "Interesting… but there will be time to examine it later." He tucked the locket into his robes and began walking back towards the boat. "We should leave immediately."

"Sounds like a plan," Kharan said, standing near one of the edges, "since I think the Inferi want their locket back."

The water began to roil, pallid shapes visible beneath it. Harry backed away from the lip of the island, his knuckles whitening around his wand.

"I guess they got tired of waiting for me," Kharan drawled with exaggerated blasé. "You guys get in the boat. I'll clean this mess up."

Dumbledore and Harry clambered back into the small vessel, the Inferi ignoring it. Instead they moved in a writhing white mass towards Kharan, who stood supremely unconcerned by their threatening advance. The boat began to move and he threw a casual wave towards the two of them, which Dumbledore gravely returned.

As the boat began to get some distance away, Harry could hear Kharan's voice echo in the cavern as he loudly jeered at the gathering undead, ensuring their attention was drawn away from the moving vessel. "HEY! HEY, HEY! YOU! YEAH, YOU, THE FAT ONE! GODDAMN, SON, PUT SOME PANTS ON. NO, I DON'T HAVE ANY CHANGE. THIS IS THE WORST ORGY EVER. OOPS! I BASHED IN YOUR NOSE! SORRY. YOU GUYS… YOU LOOK A LITTLE PALE. BUT THAT'S OKAY! IT'S ALL GONNA BE OKAY! DOCTOR SCOTT IS HERE TO HELP! THE PROBLEM IS YOU JUST NEED A LITTLE MORE LEAD IN YOUR DIET-"

The rapid report of gunfire soon followed, and though they were a distance away from the island at that point Harry could still see the splashes as Inferi tumbled back into the water under a barrage of bullets.

Upon docking they both moved to stand against the wall of the cave and waited for Kharan to make his way to them. Harry impatiently tapped a pattern against the stone with his hand, feeling a sort of pent up nervous energy. They had done it! All he wanted to do was set foot back in the safety of Hogwarts again, where he would feel that he had truly gotten away with it.

Dumbledore favoured him with a knowing smile. "The first instinct of the thief is to run. I don't think we will have to wait much longer. Scott is no longer firing his weapon, so he is probably swimming." He grew serious then. "Thank you for accompanying me, Harry. I could not have done this alone."

"I didn't really do anything," Harry mumbled, feeling embarrassed. "It was Scott who-"

"You came here," Dumbledore interrupted him, "at risk to your own life. That is hardly nothing. Don't downplay your accomplishments, Harry. Greater wizards than you would have feared to tread where we stand tonight."

Harry didn't really know how to respond to that, and was spared having to when Kharan emerged from the water about ten feet to their right. Standing, he shook himself like a dog and made his way over to where they stood, for some reason spitting copiously as he walked.

"Refreshing," he remarked dryly when he drew near, and hacked up another gob of spit which he deposited in the lake. "Just as a note; if either of you two ever find yourselves in zombie infested water — don't open your mouth."

Now there was a thought Harry could have done without. "I'll keep that in mind, thanks."

Kharan looked despondently back at the island. "I had to leave my gun. It was empty, but... still. Not cheap, you know?" He sighed. "Well, let's go."

Dumbledore smiled at him. "Lead the way."

They were nearly back to the entry crevice when suddenly Kharan twisted sideways, fell against the wall, and slid to the floor.

Immediately, Dumbledore and Harry rushed to his side. "Scott? What's wrong? Did they get you?" Harry asked frantically, searching the Kharadjai's clothes for some obvious sign of injury, but aside from multiple contusions on his bared skin there didn't appear to be any blood.

"Two things," Kharan said, beads of sweat appearing on his forehead. "One, something is happening at Hogwarts. And two, you know that potion I just drank?"

"Yeah?" Harry said, feeling increasingly worried.

"It's coming back." With one arm Kharan swept Harry aside and then he leaned forward and vomited violently, expelling an almost incandescent green slush. Harry did the only thing he could think of to help and held Kharan by the shoulders while Dumbledore repeatedly cast cleaning spells. The Kharadjai emptied his stomach and then began to dry heave. After a few hacking gasps, he took a deep breath and leaned into the wall again. "You know," he said, his speech punctuated by sharp breaths, "I never thought I'd say this, but it tasted better the first time."

"Scott," Dumbledore said urgently, grasping Kharan's arm, "what has happened at Hogwarts?"

"I don't know. Something did." Kharan looked like he was about to heave again, but with an effort he relaxed. "I need a minute or two. Maybe three…"

"But can we afford to wait?" Dumbledore pressed him.

Kharan winced and his throat flexed, fingers clenching. He gagged and then choked out, "I don't know, I don't know, maybe. Or not. It's big." His eyes reopened and there was pain in them.

"Scott, I must know if there is an immediate danger," Dumbledore said, his voice rising.

"Five minutes, that's all I need." Kharan pushed himself up into a sitting position, a reassuring move undermined by his heaving torso and trembling hands.

"If there is something happening back at the school then there is no time."

Finally, Kharan nodded. "You're right. Go find Lil; she'll know what's happening. You can't wait for me. I gotta ride it out, no other way. The momentum ain't helping. It'll be soon, I'll catch up," he said to Harry.

Dumbledore was already moving away but Harry hesitated, taking an unsure step back. "Are you sure you'll be all right?"

"It'll take more than some potion past its expiration date to put me down," Kharan said with a green-tinged smile. Then his face turned serious. "Make sure everyone else is okay. Find Lil, all right? You find her and you'll find Ginny. Here." With a shaking hand he flipped a small object in Harry's direction.

Harry bent over to pick it up, recognising it once he held it. It was Kharan's switchblade. "Your knife?"

Kharan did a feeble half-shrug. "One of. Could come in handy."

"Right." A thought occurred to Harry that sent a thrill of fear through him. "What if Voldemort is there?"

"Let Dumbledore or Lil fight him. If you can sucker shot him in the back or something then go for it, otherwise just run. You're not ready to — excuse me, hold on-" Kharan retched and splashed a little more of the sickly green potion to the floor. "Go, man, go," he gasped when he was done. "Get back to Hogwarts and find Lil."

Harry turned and ran after Dumbledore, leaving Kharan behind in the dark.