"Ok, so we found the cave, now what?"

Harry looked over at Draco and shrugged. He didn't know… And he couldn't read the book now, it'd long since been daylight. But then again, maybe it had a map they could decipher.

"I knew it, you're going to get us killed."

"Voldemort would have gotten you killed as well," Harry told the other boy. He knelt down and rearranged his bag on his shoulder so he could rummage through it. "And I thought you wanted to be free?"

"Free, not dead." Draco snarled into the cave's darkness and shivered. "And at least I stand a chance at both with him."

Harry snorted and pulled out the book. He began flipping through the pages, searching for anything about the cave. Finally he stopped at where he thought he remembered the last reference he'd read had been and gasped.

Draco jumped and spun to stare into the dim light around them, "What?"

"I can still read the book," Harry exclaimed. He grinned as he began flipping through the pages more slowly. "I can read it."

Draco stared at his companion open mouthed. "Great, I'm not only stuck following a fool, but an insane fool! I'm going to die…"

Harry ignored him and began to read once more. "Says here that we'll find what we're looking for only if we search hard enough for it. There's something else here, but it's… I can't make it out."

Draco knelt down beside Harry and looked at the page. "I think that's blood. Probably from the last boy genius that decided to try going off and being a hero."

Harry spared a quick glare at Draco before turning the page. "Looks like the last person to explore the cave came out mad. Wouldn't speak for days and when they finally did… He said it was impossible and died before anyone could get him to clarify what was impossible."

"No need to clarify that. This whole damn quest of yours is what's impossible!"

Harry sighed and flipped a few more pages, skimming over something about the unicorns and Bassils and pausing at a section on the divination section. This was possibly the most interesting part of the book, but what it said couldn't be true, could it? Slytherin and Gryffindor, more than colleagues? Being actual friends?

"'This cave holds more than simply one or two secrets. Watch your heart, or it might get lost. Or if you've lost it, perhaps here you will regain it once more…'"

"What's that," Draco asked, looking at the book where Harry was apparently reading.

"That's what it says. I wonder what it means."

"I'm sure it'd be fascinating to find out, but let's go back and bring along a dragon for it."

Harry shook his head and closed the book. He stuffed it back into his bag, secured it and stood. "Lumos. C'mon if you're coming Draco. Otherwise, good luck making it back to Hogwarts alive."

Draco stood as well, his eyes wide. "You're not seriously—"

"Of course I'm not Sirius. He's my godfather. And I am going in, with or without you." Harry shone his wand ahead of him and started forward into the cave.

"But—But—" Draco sputtered, then jumped as he heard a crashing sound behind him. He darted forward, lighting up his own wand as he went. "Fine, you win! But you get me killed, I'm dragging you down to Hell with me!"

Harry nodded curtly and continued, using his wand to light up the different parts of the cave as he went. It was pretty narrow at this point. While there was enough room for the two boys to stand upright and side-by-side, there was none for any third persons to stand next to them and it was a good thing neither was over five-foot-eleven or they would have been stooping. They lost track of the time as they walked, though they had not been aware of time since the sun had finally fought its way into the forest that morning. Finally, though, Draco broke the silence.

"Hey, Scar-head, got any food in that bag of yours?"

Harry sighed, feeling his own stomach churn in interest of his answer. "No, I didn't plan on any of this happening. I only meant to be in that clearing an hour or so."

"Typical Gryffindor stunt. Just run straight into trouble when it comes, not even considering—"

"Oh shut up, Draco! You're the one that ran away from the castle!"

"Oh so you just followed to keep me out of trouble?" Draco snorted. "Not bloody likely! And there was no way into the castle from there anyway."

"How d'you think I got there then? Apparition?"

"You mean there's a secret passageway out of the castle there?"

Harry turned, intent on telling Draco off when he caught sight of a slight glow just behind the other boy's head. "Hold up. There's something written on the wall behind your head."

"What?" Draco turned and they both stared at the simple set of letters etched into an outcropping of the rock wall.

Harry reached out a hand towards it.

"Wait! What are you doing?" Draco grabbed his hand and moved to block Harry from the wall with his body.

"It says to push there, so I'm going to push it and see what happens."

"Do you always do what writing on the walls tell you to?"

"No, but—"

"But it could be a trap!"

Harry narrowed his eyes and gave Draco a sneer worthy of his foster father. "They don't usually announce booby-traps."

"How do you know?" Draco shot back, obstinately staying put.

"Experience, now move! Get behind me if you're so scared." Harry shoved the blond away and quickly placed his hand over the writing. He ignored Draco's squeak as the boy shot behind him and huddled against his back, apparently making certain that nothing would notice him if it sprang out to kill Harry. Harry then pushed as hard as he could.

The rock gave way and the two boys fell through the wall. For a moment Harry felt sure he knew what his food felt like as it was being swallowed and then he was spilled out onto a hard stone floor, Draco on top of him. Curiously enough, Harry had to screw his eyes shut. There was a light here that was too bright for them at the moment.

"Unnnhhh….Potter, I thought I told you not to do that. Now look what you did. You got us eaten by a rock monster!" Draco rolled off him.

"A rock monster with a lamp in its stomach?" Harry blinked and sat up. He stared around him in awe.

"Well, it wants its dinner to see the décor…" Draco's voice was breathy as he too glanced about the cavern.

A blue circle was etched into the center of the floor and contained many more circles, triangles and stars in a very specific and magical pattern, though Harry didn't recognize it as any he knew. At certain strategic points within and around the shapes, runes and words in Ancient English were placed, but these did not translate for him like the book. On the walls were mounted candelabras lit with blue flames and shining brightly enough to light up the entire room as though it were day. Also on the walls were painted images, some of humans, others of non-humans and none of them moving. Near the ceiling floated a huge magical sphere, which showed the heavens and their movements with the rune for "earth" in the very center.

Harry got to his feet and began exploring the walls as Draco edged closer to the artwork on the floor. The pictures all seemed to be of two or more people walking together. Then in the next picture, they would be fighting, sometimes with magic, sometimes not. Once he found a picture pair that seemed to be backwards, showing the men first fighting, then walking together. Harry wondered why that was as his eyes skimmed over the rest of the paintings. Then he caught sight of some writing further down.

The strange pairing of the pictures forgotten, he sprinted down to read:

The two who are one shall be no more

Pulled asunder by that which they dare not speak

Nightmares engulf as brothers slay the other

But ones paired by circumstance and scorn

Shall find that their hearts may meet

Nightmares no more as foes become brothers

"What does it say?"

Harry jumped and turned to find himself face to face with Draco. He shoved Draco away and fell back against the wall. "Don't do that!"

Draco scowled at him, "You really should learn to pay attention to your surroundings, Potter."

Harry rolled his eyes and turned back to the writing.

"So what does it say?"

Harry glanced at Draco, more than a little annoyed. "Can't you read? However did you manage to make it through fifth year?"

"It's in Old English, idiot!"

Harry blinked and stared at the writing. It looked like Modern English… But no, there was a slight glow, now that he was looking. And a slight hint of Old English writing characters. Shock was the first to register in his brain. Confusion and worry the next. What did this mean?

"It looked like Modern English to me…" he murmured finally.

Draco snorted. "Just read it already."

Harry read it out to him.

"What's that supposed to mean," Draco asked, his voice full of irritation.

Harry shrugged and looked around the cavern. He noticed Draco do the same out of the corner of his eye.

Draco swore when Harry saw his eyes fall on the one off pair of pictures. "I swear, Potter, if that means we're getting married, I'm going to hex you into oblivion and back again."

Harry sighed and shook his head. "I don't know what it means or what it has to do with us, let's just find a way out of here."

"Already done. I think that's what the markings on the floor are for."

Harry looked at the circle and walked over to it. Draco kept pace with him and the two stepped over the circle's outside parameters together. They were still together when they disappeared.

HPRRHPRRHPRRHPRR

Sirius ran full out into the forest, leaping over fallen logs and shimmying through shrubbery. His tongue lolled out his mouth and his legs and lungs ached with the strain, but he kept going, fear driving every step.

Suddenly a large shape appeared in front of him, between two very large trees. Seeing no way to get around it at his current speed, Sirius skidded to a halt and stared up into the face of a white-haired centaur. He changed back into a man, hoping that maybe he could talk the centaur into telling him something about Harry's whereabouts.

"Sirius Black," the centaur said with a slight bow of his head. "If you are looking for Harry Potter and his companion, they are most likely in the cave at the forest's center."

"Companion!" Sirius's eyes opened wide and he felt his mouth go dry. "A Death Eater?"

The centaur cocked his head to the side. "Perhaps. But he is not a captive. I should not tell you… but I should not have told you what I already have…"

"What?" Sirius knew he was overreacting, but he couldn't help it. His fear for Harry was turning quickly into terror. "What shouldn't you tell me?"

"If you wish to save your world, turn back now. The boys are where they were meant to be. Do not disturb them."

"H-Hey! Wait!" Sirius watched as the centaur turned and galloped away. He stood there for a moment more, trying to understand what had just happened.

Centaurs were not always right, but…he knew that they most often were. And if Harry was in the cave he remembered from his own wanderings in the forest, Sirius might never find him hunting within those tunnels. Still, he'd never forgive himself if something happened to Harry and he didn't even try to find his godson. He'd never forgive himself anyway, and he had enough guilt to deal with already.

Sirius morphed back into his dog form and ran for the center of the forest.

Author's Notes

Sorry all!! Been so long since my last update!! I have a good excuse though. My computer broke down just after I posted the last chapter. I had no comp for three weeks and by the time I got it back, school was in full swing and I was playing both catch up and keep up. Not to mention was still trying to figure out how to survive as an International student. I'll try to get a chapter out once a month this term. That's a New Year's resolution. If anyone wants to bug me for a chapter and urge me on, IM me! IM's do wonders for motivating me to do my fanfics instead of my original works. And even my original work sometimes… My AIM is AngelZash or, most often, Tsuhana and my Yahoo IM is angelzash. Just write how you know me when you first IM me.

Anyway, I'm getting this puppy together and starting to move. Did end up rewriting the end three times however. And I hate my previous five chapters. No time to fix though, not if you want a new chapter any time soon.

Hope you enjoyed!

Next chapter: A curse takes effect and damp dog fur should never meet with a Malfoy's skin.