All in the Family

Chapter 159: The Cave

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The smell of salty air clung to the room as they landed with their usual lack of grace. The island barely seemed large enough to hold them all, and the eight of them raised their hands in unison to shield their eyes from the suddenly bright green light. Remus had to blink his eyes a few extra times in confusion as it seemed to be gleaming off of a crystal goblet right next to him as well for no apparent reason for that to be here, there was no other treasure nearby like a pirate cove this belonged in, and unless that was Hufflepuff's cup, it had no reason to just be lying around here.

At first, they thought the surrounding surface that wasn't craggy stone was smooth glass, Regulus had landed dangerously close to falling right off and his nose was an inch above it to stare down and see it wasn't truly reflective though, there was something white moving beneath. He shivered and crawled back on hands and knees away before he had to get a good look, fearing at once some enchantment to lure him in.

"There are aliens in here aren't there?" Peter asked wearily as he turned on the steep, wet stone platform uneasily. "This is absolutely the place where aliens bring us to do wild experiments on."

"I told you to stop reading those bloody rags Wormtail," Sirius tried to laugh off even as he shivered in disgust. "They'll make you crazier than you already are."

"Shush you two," James said patiently. "Where do you suppose the horcrux is?"

"More importantly," Frank reminded, "where's the book?" It wasn't like there was anywhere for it to hide on their little pedestal.

They all hesitated, well aware Voldemort could have any number of things set up in here to kill them, but the fact that they'd landed at all and nobody was dead must be some sort of good news. Alice sighed first and held tight to Frank's hand as she called, "Accio book."

Something too large flung itself free of the lake like a geyser of an eruption, flinging water upon them all. Lily screamed so hard she hurt her own ears and Remus fell back onto the green light source, cracking his head over something oddly solid as it splashed back into the water with only a flash of white burnt into their eyes for identification.

"Let's not do that again!" James spoke at once in what little voice he had left that wasn't a scream of its own.

"Seconded," Sirius whispered as he offered Remus a hand back up. He didn't take it. Sirius looked down in concern to see he was now tapping his knuckles in confusion against what they'd all passed over, an inch above the surface of the phosphorescent glow. Water droplets seeped right through though, Sirius watched as the last one broke the surface of the potion, creating ripples before reflecting their face back.

"Moony, get away from that," Sirius snapped at once, reaching down to enforce this, but he looked up and met Sirius' eyes with such an oddly assured expression Sirius froze in place.

"I think the book's in here."

Sirius did not like that look on his face.

James came forward and tapped the surface with his wand in confusion, but Remus' hand remained in place without falling through, nothing at all changed.

There was a crystal goblet on its side by the lake edge his eyes kept jumping to.

"No!" Sirius snapped at once, dragging Remus back to his feet by the back of his shirt and putting himself between that putrid green light and Moony now. "Are you insane!"

He didn't answer, his dark green eyes flickered from the horrible light source back to Sirius and again.

"Absolutely not," Sirius shoved him another foot away, making him stumble so hard he nearly fell into the water, Sirius only just caught him by grabbing the front of his shirt now and not letting go. "I'll transfigure you into a goblet and drink that whole lake first you idiot!"