Lollipops ↬ Sirius Black

Lollipops - Chapter 40

The more Naomi walked with Regulus and Drew, the more doubtful she felt. She didn't know what she had been thinking, to leave Hogwarts with two Death Eaters in an attempt to defeat Voldemort.

She shouldn't have gone with them; or, at the very least, she should've notified Dumbledore or a Professor about what was going on. There was a chance that she could die during this supposed mission. Naomi took a shaky breath. The night was rather chilly, and the moon shone upon them.

"Where are we going?" Naomi leaned towards Regulus and whispered.

Drew had been walking ahead of them, seeming to be the leader in the mission. They had been walking in the cold for about ten minutes, with Drew leading them to a place unbeknown to Naomi.

"We have to leave the grounds of Hogwarts to apparate to the cave where the Horcrux is kept." Regulus whispered in return.

"Cave?" Naomi frowned in befuddlement. What had she gotten herself into?

After a few more minutes of walking side by side with Regulus, the time finally came for Naomi when Drew said to them, "We're here."

They had reached a clearing. Naomi apprehensively turned around and saw the Hogwarts castle in clear view. In the distance, she could see the Astronomy Tower, where she was supposed to be with Sirius. She sighed in misery, hoping that he wasn't too worried.

"Hold my hand," Regulus said to Naomi, knocking her out of her thoughts. "We're apparating."

Naomi nodded hastily, and before she could even process it, Regulus grabbed ahold of her hand and they were off. This was the first time that she had apparated. It felt as though her entire body was being squeezed into a small straw; she couldn't even breathe. The horrific feeling lasted for just a second before it stopped.

With a large gasp, Naomi collapsed on the ground. Regulus pitifully helped her up, while Drew quietly murmured to them. "We're here."

Naomi looked up and was alarmed by the sight that she was met with. Standing in front of her was a massive, black cave. She could hear the waves crashing from below and turned around to see a sea. If she took just five steps away, she would've fallen into it. It almost seemed like a better option than facing whatever was held inside of that cave.

Although back at Hogwarts it was dark and slightly chilly, that had been nothing compared to this scenery. The waves were alarmingly loud, and the sky rumbled, looking an unpleasant grey.

Drew shared an apprehensive look with Regulus and Naomi before eventually leading them. "Come on. Let's go inside."

It wasn't until they were finally inside of the cave that Naomi realized Regulus was still holding her hand.

Drew was already long ahead of them. He seemed to be much more eager to complete this journey. When Regulus and Naomi caught up to him, they were both confused to find that Drew was holding a knife, with his hand having a faint line of blood steadily dripping from it.

"Drew?" Regulus approached him cautiously.

"It required me to place a drop of my blood onto the rocks in order to gain access," he explained.

Murmuring a spell, the knife in Drew's hand was transformed back into his wand. With that, he slowly placed his hand above the rocks and allowed his blood to drop onto it. There was a sizzling sound. Suddenly, the rocks in front of them spread apart, loudly and abruptly falling apart. The three of them took a step back, not quite sure what to make of the scene.

When all of the rocks fall and the wall had been completely taken apart, they had been met with a clear, calm lake. The lake was dark and eerie; pitch silent. It looked untouched and smooth.