Elektra Black III

Chapter 7 | Familiar Faces

"HERMIONE!"

The strong current of the Black Lake pulled each one of them down into its depths. Luckily the majority of them were strong swimmers. Perhaps not as strong as the Mermaids lurking down beneath them, with their razor-sharp teeth ready to bite, but strong enough to escape its dark waters.

"HERMIONE!"

El could detect Ron's shouts over the thunderous storm that filled the sky. All four of them were gasping for breath within the Black Lake, except Harry had difficulty keeping afloat when El paddled over towards him. She swam down into the lake; her free hand that wasn't clutched around the Sword of Gryffindor was now reaching for Harry's shirt, pulling him up out of the water. He was clutching on tight to his ears as if something was screeching into them!

"Elektra!" Harry breathed out when he reached the surface. El looked down, making sure Harry was alright, "What happened?" She asked, knowing something wasn't quite right. Did a Mermaid sing to him? They were nasty creatures.

"Voldemort- he- he got into my head." El's eyes widened, "You let him in? How could you!" She nervously questioned as she pulled him back to the shoreline before any Grindylow or Mermaid could attack them. "I can't always help it, El! He saw us with the Sword of Gryffindor. It might be because Bellatrix told him, but now he definitely knows we're hunting Horcruxes." El went silent as she and Harry swam their hardest through the torrential rain downpouring around Hogwarts. "He's terrified, El. I can feel it." Harry assured her as they suddenly felt the muddied sand underneath their sodden shoes.

Ron was on the shore, looking after Hermione, who could barely walk. She had been through the likes of hell all because she wasn't pureblooded like El or Ron. Her eyes appeared bruised from what looked like two punches, blood covered her arm, and her clothes were ripped and torn. El was optimistic that the Black Lake's saltwater would clean her wounds, but even then, she feared it might get infected if they didn't get her to Madam Pomfrey sooner than later.

"He knows we're hunting Horcruxes. He got into my head, so we need to keep low, somewhere safe." Harry informed the rest of the group when they made it to shore. Ron looked just as terrified as Voldemort presumably was, but Hermione couldn't even form a sentence; she looked like a ghost. "We'll stay at Hogwarts. I don't care if we don't come here anymore. My dad's both work here- they'll have to let us in." Hermione gradually rose from lying down in Ron's arms, "We won't be able to break through the barrier they've put around Hogwarts. After Dumbledore's death, I can imagine that all stakes are high." She whispered ever so softly. Ron couldn't tell if Hermione had tears cascading down her face or it was the rain pour, but he still wiped them away regardless. Why weren't they together yet?

Almost as if her hand had a mind of its own, she suddenly felt it spark with a curious, rearing to go sensation, a buzz of sorts. El stared up at the ingenious glimmer from the protection spell that looked like a sphere covering Hogwarts and the surrounding areas.

"I have a feeling we'll be alright," El declared, watching her hand with inquisitive determination.

In the castle, Sirius and Remus had spent their free days, or more like free hours with the amount of homework they had to mark (something Sirius was not prepared for) speaking with a habitually snoring Dumbledore's portrait in McGonagall's office. Even she was curious about the whereabouts of her ex-pupils. Dumbledore had explained that they were alright, something about a sword that he made a particular ghost hide for him, a ghost that liked to wander the Forest of Dean. He mentioned that the spirit was an old friend and that he trusted him very dearly to ensure that Harry found the weapon to destroy any Horcruxes the teenager may stumble upon. But the old headmaster was no use; he'd fall back to sleep with a knitting pattern in his hand whenever Sirius or Remus got close to addressing him about where Voldemort located the other Horcruxes.