Harry's POV

We ended up having to jump off the dragon and into the water below, we landed with a loud splash and I made sure everyone was alright before we fought our way to shore, battling against the reeds and the mud.

"Where's Y/N?" Hermione panted, collapsed on her back, shuddering from the cold. We all looked around and the boy was nowhere to be seen.

"I suppose he didn't jump on." Ron said before adding bitterly. "Not surprised."

There was silence between the three of us as we collectively wondered what had happened to Y/N L/N. I looked over at Hermione who had a saddened expression on her face.

"I'm sure he's alright." I tried to comfort the girl.

It had been a difficult period for Hermione, her and Nick had gone through a rough patch and decided that they were probably better off as friends. I think Nick always knew that he couldn't compete with Y/N and that he was simply a substitute. It was an awful situation to be in, but he couldn't keep on lying to himself anymore. The news hadn't spread to Y/N though, there wasn't really a right time to tell him. Ron, also, wasn't making things easy. He knew that Hermione was meant for Y/N but that didn't mean he could ignore his feelings completely.

I sighed, relationships were complicated, even my own with Ginny had faced its own set of complications.

"Well, on the upside," said Ron finally, "we got the Horcrux. On the downside-"

"-no sword." I said through gritted teeth.

"No sword," repeated Ron, "that double-crossing little scab..."

As we recovered from our escape from Gringotts my mind was filled with all sorts of things. We had just broken into Gringotts, Voldemort knew Bellatrix was no longer alive and when he caught wind of this he would immediately piece it all together. As I was thinking, a sharp pain sliced through my head and suddenly I was no longer at the lake.

When I was back with the others in reality again, I spoke but in a strange low voice. "He knows. He knows and he's going to check where the others are, and the last one is at Hogwarts. I knew it. I knew it."

"What?" Ron was gaping at me; Hermione sat up, looking worried.  "But what did you see? How do you know?"

"I-I was in his head, he's seriously angry, and scared too, he can't understand how we knew, and now he's going to check the others are safe. He wants to know where Y/N is, he can't find him."

"Did you see where in Hogwarts it is?" asked Ron.

I shook my head. "We need to get going!"

"Wait! Wait!" cried Hermione. "We can't just go, not without a plan. And what about Y/N? He might be in trouble?"

"We'll go to Hogsmeade," I said firmly, "and try to work something out once we see what the protection around the school's like. Get under the Cloak Hermione, I want to stick together this time. And Y/N will be fine."

"But we don't really fit-"

"It'll be dark, no one's going to notice our feet." I replied, and with that we set off.

When we arrived I saw the familiar Hogsmeade High Street: dark shop fronts, and the mist line of black mountains beyond the village and the curve in the road ahead that led off toward Hogwarts and light spilling from the windows of the Three Broomsticks. The streets were filled with Death Eaters, there were too many to run.

One raised his wand and roared. "Accio cloak!"

I grabbed onto the cloak tightly but it made no attempt to leave us.

"Not under your wrapper, then, Potter?" yelled the Death Eater who had tried the charm and then turned to his fellows. "Spread now. He's here."

Six of the Death Eaters ran toward us: we backed as quickly as possible down the nearest side street, and the Death Eaters missed us by inches. We waited in the darkness, listening to the footsteps running up and down, beams of light flying along the street from the Death Eaters' searching wands.

"Let's just leave!" Hermione whispered. "Disapparate now!"

"Great idea," said Ron, but before I could reply, a Death Eater shouted.

"We know you are here, Potter, and there's no getting away! We'll find you!"

"They were ready for us." I whispered.

"What about Dementors?" called another Death Eater. "Let them have free rein, they'd find him quick enough!"

"The Dark Lord wants Potter dead by no hands but his- " a familiar voice echoed.

"-and Dementors won't kill him! The Dark Lord wants Potter's life, nor his soul. He'll be easier to kill if he's been kissed first!"

There were noises of agreement. Dread filled me: to repel Dementors we would have to produce Patronuses which would give us away immediately.

"We're going to have to try to Disapparate, Harry!" Hermione whispered but when we tried, the air through which they needed to move, seemed to have become solid: the Death Eaters had cast their charms well.

The cold was biting deeper and deeper into my flesh. We retreated down the side street, trying not to make a sound. Then, around the corner, gliding noiselessly, came Dementors, ten or more of them, visible because they were of a denser darkness than their surroundings, with their black cloaks and their scabbed and rotting hands.

Could they sense fear in the vicinity? They seemed to be coming more quickly now, taking those dragging, rattling breaths he detested, tasting despair in the air, closing in...

"Expecto Patronum!" I casted and the silver stag burst from my wand and charged: the Dementors scattered and there was a triumphant yell from somewhere out of sight. "It's him, down there, down there, I saw his Patronus, it was a stag!"

The footsteps of the Death Eaters were getting increasingly louder and in my panic, my mind was empty. This was it. This was the end.

"Potter, in here, quick!" said a random voice and I obeyed without hesitation. The three of us hurried through the open doorway. "Upstairs, keep the Cloak on, keep quiet!"

We rushed upstairs and overheard the altercation between the mysterious barman and the Death Eaters. After what felt like eternity, the Death Eaters were gone. We were safe - unless this man was not friendly but rather a foe.

"You bloody fools," the man said gruffly, walking upstairs and joining us, "what were you thinking, coming here?"

"Thank you." I said. "You saved our lives."

Then I had a realisation. "You're Aberforth."

There was no reply from the man, he simply offered us food and ravenous, we ate and we drank. When we were finished we sat slumped in our seats.

"Right then," said Aberforth, "we need to think of the best way to get you out of here. Can't be done by night, you heard what happens if anyone moves outdoors during darkness: Caterwauling Charm's set off, they'll be onto you like bowtruckles on doxy eggs. I don't reckon I'll be able to pass off a stag as a goat a second time. Wait for daybreak when curfew lifts, then you can put your Cloak back on and set out on foot. Get right out of Hogsmeade, up into the mountains, and you'll be able to Disapparate there. Might see Hagrid. He's been hiding in a cave up there with Grawp ever since they tried to arrest him."

"We're not leaving," I said firmly, "we need to get into Hogwarts."

"Don't be stupid, boy." said Aberforth.

I protested and told him about how his brother, Dumbledore, had a task that I needed to carry out. Aberforth did not seem impressed, he went on about how his brother's grand plans tended to have a habit of people getting hurt.

"But you're fighting too, you're in the Order of the Phoenix-"

"I was." said Aberforth. "The Order of the Phoenix is finished. You-Know-Who's won, it's over, and anyone who's pretending different's kidding themselves. It'll never be safe for you here, Potter, he wants you too badly. So go abroad, go into hiding, save yourself. Best take these two with you."

I was surprised at how defeated Aberforth was, I thought he would want to fight but it seemed like he had given up.

"Mr Dumbledore," said Hermione rather timidly, "is that your sister? Ariana?"

"Yes."

"Professor Dumbledore cared about Harry, very much." said Hermione in a low voice.

"Did he now?" said Aberforth. "Funny thing how many of the people my brother cared about very much ended up in a worse state than if he'd left 'em well alone."

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione breathlessly.

"Never you mind."

"Are you...are you talking about your sister?" Hermione continued.

Aberforth glared at her, then he burst into speech.

"When my sister was six years old, she was attacked, by three Muggle boys. They forced their way through the hedge and they got a bit carried away trying to stop the little freak doing it. It destroyed her, what they did. She was never right again. She wouldn't use magic, but she couldn't get rid of it; it turned inward and drove her mad, it exploded out of her when she couldn't control it, and at times she was strange and dangerous. But mostly she was sweet and scared and harmless.

My father went after the bastards that did it and attacked them. They locked him up in Azkaban for it. We had to keep her safe and quiet. We moved house and my mother looked after her, and tried to keep her calm and happy. I was her favourite. Not Albus, he was always up in his bedroom when he was home, reading his books and counting his prizes. He didn't want to be bothered with her. She liked me best. I could get her to eat when she wouldn't do it for my mother, I could calm her down, when she was in one of her rages, and when she was quiet, she used to help me feed the goats.

Then, when she was fourteen...I wasn't there. If I'd been there, I could have calmed her down. She had one of her rages, and my mother wasn't as young as she was, and...it was an accident. Ariana couldn't control it. But my mother was killed. Albus settled down as head of the family. I'd have looked after her, I told him so, I didn't care about school, I'd have stayed home and done it. He told me I had to finish my education and he'd take over from my mother. He did all right for a few weeks...till he came. Grindelwald.

At last, my brother had an equal to talk to, someone just as bright and talented as he was. And looking after Ariana took a backseat then. After a few weeks of it, I'd had enough. I told him, you'd better give it up now. You can't move her, she's in no fit state, you can't take her with you, wherever it is you're planning to go. Grindelwald didn't like that at all. He got angry. There was an argument and I pulled my wand, and he pulled out his, and I had the Cruciatus Curse used on me by my brother's best friend, and Albus was trying to stop him. Then all three of us were dueling.

The flashing lights and the bangs set her off, she couldn't stand it and I think she wanted to help, but she didn't really know what she was doing. I don't know which of us did it, it could have been any of us but she was dead."

Hermione's face was wet with tears. "I'm so....I'm so sorry."

There was silence and then I spoke. "He was never free. That night that your brother died, he drank a Potion that drove him out of his mind. He started screaming, pleading with someone who wasn't there. 'Don't hurt them, please...hurt me instead.' He thought he was watching Grindelwald hurting you and Ariana...it was torture to him."

After a long pause, Aberforth said. "How can you be sure, Potter, that my brother wasn't more interested in the greater good than in you? How can you be sure you aren't dispensable, just like my little sister?"

A shard of ice seemed to pierce my heart.

"Sometimes you've got to think about the greater good." I replied. "We need to get into Hogwarts. If you can't help us, we'll leave you in peace. If you can help us, now would be a great time to mention it."

Silence, but then Aberforth approached the portrait of Ariana. "You know what to do."

She smiled, turned, and walked away and then disappeared.

"Er...what?" began Ron.

"There's only one way in now." said Aberforth.

A tiny white dot reappeared at the end of the painted tunnel, and now Ariana was walking back toward them, growing bigger and bigger as she came. But there was somebody else with her, limping along, looking excited.

The portrait then swung open and Neville Longbottom gave a roar of delight.

"I knew you'd come! I knew it, Harry!"