Change the Future

HBP 18

Harry concentrated harder than he had ever done upon his destination. Closing his eyes, gripping Dumbledore’s arm as tightly as he could, he stepped forward into that feeling of horrible compression. He and Dumbledore were shivering and dripping in the middle of the dark High Street in Hogsmeade.

“We did it, Professor!” Harry whispered. “We did it! We got the Horcrux!” Dumbledore staggered against him. “Sir, are you all right?”

“I’ve been better,” Dumbledore said weakly, though the corners of his mouth twitched. “That potion was no health drink” Dumbledore sank onto the ground.

“Sir it’s okay, sir, you’re going to be all right, don’t worry” He looked around desperately for help, but there was nobody to be seen.
“We need to get you up to the school, sir Madam Pomfrey”

“No,” Dumbledore said. “It is Professor Snape whom I need. But I do not think I can walk very far just yet”

“Right sir, listen I’m going to knock on a door, find a place you can stay then I can run and get Madam”

“Severus,” Dumbledore said clearly. “I need Severus”

“All right then, Snape but I’m going to have to leave you for a moment so I can” Before Harry could make a move, however, he heard running footsteps and looking around he saw Madam Rosmerta scurrying down the dark street toward them on high-heeled, fluffy slippers, wearing a silk dressing gown embroidered with dragons.

“I saw you Apparate as I was pulling my bedroom curtains! Thank goodness, thank goodness, I couldn’t think what to but
what’s wrong with Albus?” She came to a halt, panting, and stared down, wide-eyed, at Dumbledore.

“He’s hurt,” Harry said. “Madam Rosmerta, can he come into the Three Broomsticks while I go up to the school and get help for
him?”

“You can’t go up there alone! Don’t you realise haven’t you seen?"

“If you help me support him,” Harry said, not listening to her, “I think we can get him inside”

“What has happened?” asked Dumbledore. “Rosmerta, what’s wrong?”

“The the Dark Mark, Albus.” And she pointed into the sky, in the direction of Hogwarts.  He turned and looked.
There it was, hanging in the sky above the school the blazing green skull with a serpent tongue.

“When did it appear?” asked Dumbledore, and his hand clenched painfully upon Harry’s shoulder as he struggled to his
feet.

“Must have been minutes ago, it wasn’t there when I put the cat out, but when I got upstairs”

“We need to return to the castle at once,”  Dumbledore said. “Rosmerta” and though he staggered a little, he seemed wholly
in command of the situation “we need transport brooms”

“I’ve got a couple behind the bar,” she said, looking very frightened. “Shall I run and fetch?”

“No, Harry can do it.” Harry raised his wand at once.

“Accio Rosmerta’s Brooms!” A second later they heard a loud bang as the front door of the pub burst open; two brooms had shot out into the street and were racing each other to Harry’s side, where they stopped dead, quivering slightly at waist height.

“Rosmerta, please send a message to the Ministry,” Dumbledore said, as he mounted the broom nearest him. “It might be that
nobody within Hogwarts has yet realized anything is wrong. Harry, put on your Invisibility Cloak.” Harry pulled his Cloak out of his pocket and threw it over himself before mounting his broom. Madam Rosmerta was already tottering back toward her pub as Harry and Dumbledore kicked off from the ground and rose up into the air. As they sped toward the castle, Harry glanced sideways at Dumbledore, ready to grab him should he fall, but the sight of the Dark Mark seemed to have acted upon Dumbledore like a stimulant. He was bent low over his broom, his eyes fixed upon the Mark, his long silver hair and beard flying behind him on the night air. And Harry too looked ahead at the skull, and fear swelled inside him like a venomous bubble, compressing his lungs, driving all other discomfort from his mind. As they flew over the dark, twisting lane down which they had walked earlier, Harry heard, over the whistling of the night air in his ears, Dumbledore muttering in some strange language again. He thought he understood why as he felt his broom shudder when they flew over the boundary wall into the grounds: Dumbledore was undoing the enchantments he himself had set around the castle so they could enter at speed. The Dark Mark was glittering directly above the Astronomy Tower, the highest of the castle.  Dumbledore had already crossed the crenellated ramparts and was dismounting; Harry landed next to him seconds later and looked around. The ramparts were deserted. The door to the spiral staircase that led back into the castle was closed. There was no sign of a struggle, of a fight to the death, of a body.