Disclaimer: Imagine that you are facing Minerva McGonagall's chess obstacle from the Philosopher's Stone. For your own reasons you must get across. Now, imagine this obstacle was built not by McGonagall, but by the most evil and cunning person you know, someone you have ample evidence to believe would not make his pieces follow the rules of chess or fair play; in fact, it's far more likely that after winning your own pieces would turn on you and rip you apart. Assuming also that you are not a Muggle, or even a first year witch or wizard, but are, in fact, the most powerful sorcerer of good intentions of the century, would you try to chess your way across, or would you blow every single piece to smithereens, dismantle the obstacle down to the very molecules and then fly yourself over the wreckage for good measure? Option two? Well, then, clearly I did not write Harry Potter.

Also there is a quote directly from the Half-Blood Prince in this chapter.

The Cave - Ignatius

Ignatius Prewett scanned the crowd atop the cliff. It was rather a crowd. Tiberius, River, Lupin and Meaghana were representing the Department. He, of course, was covered in his usual shadow, and chose to stand apart, just on the fringes of the crowd. No one would even notice him, except of course Dumbledore. Oh, and probably Mad-Eye. That magical eye was something of a problem, but at least the man wielding it was trustworthy. Too bad Ignatius didn't trust anyone.

Moody had brought a team of six Aurors in addition to himself, though one had yet to show and it had old Mad-Eye in a mood. Dumbledore stood nearly at the edge of the cliff, some 25 feet from the crowd, staring at the moonrise over the sea. Two of the Aurors kept alternating between scanning the cliffside for new arrivals and arguing in terse whispers. From what he overheard Ignatius gathered that they were married, continuing some ongoing argument—possibly even relevant to tonight's escapade, and they were personally connected to recent events. Ignatius resolved to talk to Scrimgeour about just who he approves for field assignments. The other Aurors were more satisfactory, and really Ignatius didn't expect them to see too much action. He was glad to see a young Auror with dark skin, however. He had never met the young man, but at first glance he knew one day Shacklebolt would be Minister, and a most effective one.

Ignatius was just beginning to wonder how long the Aurors would wait—their patience obviously giving way under nerves—when a series of loud pops rang in the chill air. The Aurors drew wands and one even fired off a stunner before Moody bellowed at them to hold their fire.

The last Auror had arrived, but he was not alone as expected: five figures in close fitting dark robes accompanied him.

"Hmmm. Jumpy lot, aren't you?" a portly figure said, laughing. The newcomers chuckled as they parted around him. The man leaned forward on a cane and laughed at the Aurors. "Bah, no less than I expected. Never fear! We have steadier hands—and nerves apparently. Stay close, lads and some of you might even make it out alive."

Dumbledore waved a hand to Moody and he ordered the wands away.

"Good evening, Arcturus," the Chief Warlock said, having now passed through the crowd to face the new arrivals. "What an unexpected pleasure."

"Hah! Well done, Sirius my boy!" Lord Black clapped a head on the shoulder of the man next to him. The man lowered his hood to reveal Sirius Black. Four other hoods were thrown back, revealing Lord Black's cousins, Pollux and Cassiopeia, Sirius' Uncle Cygnus, and his daughter, Andromeda. "I waited sixty years to surprise this old goat, and this is twice in a week you've set me up to do just that! Ha!"

Dumbledore raised a brow. "I confess I have found our acquaintance to be full of surprises, Lord Black. Not all of them have been pleasant. May I assume we are here on common purpose?"

Lord Black huffed. "So long as you are here to wipe out an abomination left behind by that upstart miscreant, Riddle, then yes."

Dumbledore inclined his head." We are. As you are obviously aware of our plans, I assume you come to assist?"

"Ha! Assist? We'll do more than that." Tension rippled through the crowd. "You're too good natured for this sort of work, Albus, don't deny it. Out of your league I should think. Have you any notion the sort of protections around this place?"

"Do you?" Dumbledore asked. "Each of our parties has sent members to scout the protections—"

"Waste of time!" Arcturus scoffed. "Rather obvious, wouldn't you say? All the usual, no doubt. Well, no matter. We're here now. So long as you're coming, just make yourselves useful." He strode through the Aurors and Unspeakables towards the cliff edge, his entourage filtering through the crowd in his wake.

As they passed the Aurors Cassiopeia called out, "I hope you lot know how to handle Inferi, bound to be at least a dozen or three down there."

"Oh, more, Aunt Cassie," Cygnus replied, smugly

"You think, Cygnus?"

"Well, I can't speak to Riddle—he doesn't quite seem on top of things, so who knows—but I'd be ashamed to have less than a hundred on guard were I ever insane enough to make a Horcrux." Cygnus eyed the alarmed looks on the Aurors faces and smirked.

"Mmm," was Cassiopeia's only reply

Pollux grunted and glared back at his son. "You ever attempt such a fool thing, boy, and I'll flay you alive, hang you with the pieces, and incinerate the damn thing in front of you."

"Yes, yes," Cygnus said, dismissively. "And I'll disembowel you before you cross the threshold, etcetera, etcetera."

This conversation did nothing to put the Aurors at ease, but strangely for Ignatius and the Unspeakables, it did.

The Cave - Remus

Remus stood back as the Blacks marched past. Sirius looked at him briefly but he stayed in the center of the pack, as if they were guarding him; whether to protect him or keep an eye on him Remus couldn't guess.

The Aurors fanned out, allowing the Blacks to lead the way to the cliff edge and the Unspeakables to file in behind them. The Aurors took up the rear. Remus noticed Alice giving the Black's a frosty look. Frank's mouth thinned but Remus wasn't sure he was irritated at the Blacks or at Alice's ongoing tiff with Sirius.

Lord Arcturus and Dumbledore stood side by side at the edge, and the Blacks stood together behind their paterfamilias while the Aurors arranged themselves in an opposing camp behind Dumbledore. Remus and his colleagues hovered in the middle, within earshot of Lord Black and Dumbledore. They caught the tail end of a continued argument between the warlocks.

"…fly obviously! Scale the cliff? What nonsense! You lot did bring transportation, did you not?" He looked pointedly at the Aurors, many of whom sniffed in disdain, while the Blacks each began pulling first class brooms from pouches at their waists.

Moody growled and Remus braced himself for an outburst that never came. Remus felt rather than saw something pass between Mad-Eye and Dumbledore and the old Auror subsided. He jerked his head at the Aurors behind him and they too began pulling brooms out of packs.

"Good, good," Lord Arcturus hummed.

"What about him?" one of the older Aurors, Samuel Proudfoot, Remus was pretty sure, jerked his thumb at a hunched figure behind Arcturus, who had yet to reach for his pack.

"What do you mean by that, boy?" Pollux roared.

"Grandfather will be riding with me," a sharp female voice said. Remus had to shake his head and still his hands every time Andromeda caught his eye: a few weeks of her acquaintance were hardly enough to overwrite years of dealing with Bellatrix. As she was currently staring down both the Aurors and her grandfather, she looked a spitting image for her sister. "Don't you dare argue! Save your strength for the curse breaking, grandfather."

Remus and River were the only Unspeakables to come prepared with brooms. Meaghana's pack was full enough with her own tools and she rode behind Remus. Tiberius refused a ride with River, saying he had his own methods. Remus had yet to figure out how the giant had gotten to and from this morning on their scouting mission, as he hadn't seen him either arrive or depart. Remus also noted their shadow shrouded department head hovering at the back of the group likewise was not preparing a broom.

The group mounted and flew down the cliff, the Blacks again taking the lead, just behind Dumbledore, and the Aurors filling in the rear guard. Dumbledore lead them to the opening of a dark, tunnel just above the surf. The tunnel was tiny and cramped, a mere fissure reaching deep into the cliff. They were forced to fly single file, lying nearly flat on their brooms above the water that flowed in from the entrance. Four Aurors moved into the vanguard, setting a cautious pace and keeping up a continuous barrage of revealing spells while those just behind cast Lumos. How quaint! As they entered the tunnel Meaghana—who had no need to steer—began casting the Unspeakables own light spell, newly developed and not publicly released. Floating balls of luminance flew out along the caravan, lighting the tunnel fully without impairing the fliers' vision with glares and shifting shadows.

Finally the tunnel spat them out in a small cavern. The large group was rather cramped. Everyone began casting their preferred diagnostic charms at the rough stone walls, except for the Longbottoms and Auror Savage, who stayed on the rim, wands out, searching the water and walls for any surprises. In a bare few seconds the Unspeakables and Blacks had all stopped facing the unassuming stretch of wall that Remus, River, and Tiberius had identified early that morning. Though it looked the same at first glance, it was subtly smoother than the natural stone and saturated with magic.

"Ah, how barbaric," Dumbledore said, flatly. He stood facing the same stretch of wall. "A blood sacrifice. Not large, but still." He pulled a silver knife from his robes.

"What are you doing?" Arcturus demanded harshly.

"Would you rather do the honors?" Dumbledore replied, flipping the knife to offer Arcturus the hilt. Remus nearly stumbled as a wave of magic rippled off Lord Arcturus.

"NO, I WOULD NOT! Morgana's tits, man, you aren't thinking to actually play his game, are you?! Damnation! Get away, you old fool. Back! Back, I say! Sirius, remove this meddler. Over there, yes. Pollux! Cassie! To work!"

The Cave - Sirius

Sirius gently took the knife from Dumbledore's hand. He said nothing, knowing that Dumbledore could incapacitate him in an instant with barely a thought. To the obvious outrage of the Aurors, and Sirius' great relief, he allowed himself to be ushered aside. Rather, he watched the elder Blacks with interest as they approached the wall.

Sirius was impressed. Grandad, Cassie, and Grandfather each waved wands and bare hands in strange and intricate patterns, muttering and chanting diverse spells, some of which Sirius recognized, many he did not, and none of which he could perform with confidence. He certainly wasn't able to track the conclusions his elders seemed to be reaching from the information they gleaned. Cygnus and Andromeda sternly reprimanded anyone who attempted to question or interrupt them. Moony and the other Unspeakables watched their spells closely.

Sirius was most surprised when Pollux jerked around and ordered Moony to join him. Pollux questioned him briefly, in his usual caustic manner. Sirius considered intervening, but Moony seemed to be handling it well, and was dismissed shortly.

At length Arcturus, Cassie, and Pollux stepped back from the wall and turned to face the rest of the family. Cassiopeia spoke first, speaking just loud enough for the Unspeakbles to hear; the Aurors shuffled forward to be included. "The wards are multi layered and anchored within the very stone of the wall. Dismantling them would take weeks."

Dumbledore smiled patiently. "As I thought." He held up the knife. "Then which of us—"

"Will you put that fool thing away!" Arcturus snapped. "By Merlin, no respect! Nor common sense neither! Bah! The wards are anchored into the stone of the wall, which if you would open your blasted twinkling orbs you might notice, perhaps, is not the natural wall of this thrice damned cavern, nor even made of the same damn stone!"

Slowly Dumbledore's eyes widened. "Then…?"

"Yes!" Pollux declared triumphantly.

The Aurors looked at each other nonplussed. "I'm sorry, what are you saying?" It was Frank Longbottom who spoke, and Sirius felt a small twinge, recalling his last conversation with Alice.

"Oh for the love of Merlin!" Lord Black exclaimed. "The wall is conjured! The wards over the entrance are tied to the wall, but the wall isn't part of the cliff. It's not the same substance, and therefore…." He prompted, but no one seemed to be following. "Idiots! I'm surrounded by idiots. Why are any of you here?"

"Inferi." Cassie said dispassionately.

Arcturus glared at her. "If there aren't Inferi in there I shall be very disappointed. And I hope one of you gets eaten!"

Dumbledore turned to the Aurors. "It means that while no spells will affect the wall, the natural stone of the cavern is not protected. We can affect the stone around the area in question, most importantly…" he held up his wand, "under it."

Lord Black nodded. "Thank you! Would you like to assist, Dumbledore? I would hate for you to feel useless and you did have some talent in Transfiguration at one point."

"I would be glad to." Dumbledore stepped up next to Arcturus. "Water?"

Lord Black scoffed. "Air, I should think."

Dumbledore nodded and looked over his shoulder at the rest of them. "You may wish to cover your faces."

Auror Savage began pulling up the neck of his robes to cover his nose until Cassie merely cast a Bubble Head charm on herself. The rest of them followed her lead.

The two wizards pointed wands at the wall and hesitated.

"How thick?" Dumbledore asked.

"Mmmm…."

"Wolf!" Pollux barked. "How thick is the wall?"

Heads turned to Moony. "How should I—"

"You think I don't know what your kind can and can't sense? How thick is the blasted wall?!"

Moony's hackles rose. "I don't know. I don't even know how I could possibly—"

"Bah!" Sparks shot from the old warlock's wand. "Simpleton! How thick are the wards, then?! You could smell the magic. How thick is it?"

He blinked. "Uh, maybe…two and a half feet?" He answered testily, obviously guessing.

Dumbledore turned to Arcturus. "Make it three?"

Lord Black nodded and they again faced the wall. The men paced away from each other until they were evenly spaced. Starting on opposite ends Dumbledore and Lord Black worked up from the floor along the faint line between the smooth section of the wall and the rougher face of the natural cavern. They weren't straight lines, but jagged, and curving into a vaguely arch shape. Small clouds of dust showered down continuously.

This was transfiguration on a level Sirius had never seen. They were Transfiguring a layer of stone probably no thicker than a hair into air, leaving a margin of just a few inches outside the conjured wall. It took extraordinary precision.

Having met at the top of the arch, they turned to the floor joint, chanting under their breath but still in unison. They moved their wands back and forth, back and forth. Like with the walls, clouds of dust bellowed where they worked, filling the cavern with thick, chalky dust. It only took seconds for the entire wall to shake. Within a minute it dropped, settling an inch or two lower.

The two wizards paused, eyeing one another, raising wands in synch. The wands swept down and the watchers were engulfed in a mighty rush of wind and dust.

When it cleared the entire wall had vanished, sunken into a slot in the cavern floor, ten feet wide and three feet across. There were three inches of clearance behind the wall. The new opening was a bare seven feet tall, if that.

Pollux examined the new crevasse, then narrowed his eyes at Moony. "You lied, Wolf. The wall was two feet nine inches."

The Cave - Dumbledore

Lupin opened his mouth but Sirius stepped up suddenly. "Lay off, Grandfather." His voice was firm and Pollux turned away with merely a sniff. Dumbledore took note that the family dynamics had changed in the week since the final wardship hearing. It might have been nothing, but he allowed himself to hope that Sirius would prove resistant to the lure of dark magic and political intrigue.

No one crossed the threshold. Instead the Unspeakables—and Dumbledore—sent orbs of light into the cavern beyond. The light revealed a vast, black lake, unnaturally still, that stretched on and on until it faded into gloom. Far away there was a tiny, sickly glimmer. The darkness was oppressive and the orbs of light illuminated less than they ought. Around the edge of the lake, at least as far as they could see, wound a narrow, stony shore.

"Do not touch the water," Dumbledore said firmly. Lord Black scoffed.

"Well, I must say I am grossly disappointed." The entire crowd turned to him in some surprise, his own party excepting. "Fool Riddle. Waste of a good army of Inferi! I was so ready to be impressed." He sighed heavily. "Oh, well. Form up, Blacks!" he shouted suddenly. "Here we go! You, too, Sirius. Don't dawdle!"

Amidst various protests from the Aurors—until Dumbledore waved them back—the Blacks stepped carefully across the threshold. Lord Black waved his wand in an intricate, repeating pattern. The family spread out along the shore, slowly expanding but maintaining equal distance, each repeating Lord Black's wand movements. Dumbledore watched, intrigued. This was joint transfiguration! He and Lord Black had just performed a masterful feat of Transfiguration, to be sure, but technically they had been doing separate spells. The Black Family, on the other hand, were actually melding their spells! Quickly the edges of the lake began to turn white and hard. Within moments the whiteness spread, faster and faster, until in a flash the cavern was transformed!

The lake sparkled and shone with the light from the orbs. In the brilliance the startled onlookers could clearly see the size and shape of the cavern, the lake, and far out across the frozen water, a small, dim, island.

One of the Unspeakables, a slight, dark haired man with tan skin, leaned forward. "Ice?" he asked the room at large. Dumbledore shook his head, but did not answer. The temperature in the cavern had risen, which should have given plenty of clues to anyone unable to follow the Transfiguration.

"Bah," said Lord Black. "What good would that do, eh? Stuff could melt even as the rest of us froze to death. This," he stepped out onto the sparkling surface and tapped a jig, "is quartz! The whole damn cliff would have to melt before this so much as budged." The new surface was flat but rough, and sparkled so that it nearly hurt to look at it.

"And what about the Inferi? Where are they?" a dark skinned Auror asked, looking around the cavern suspiciously. Dumbledore thought his name was Shacklebolt.

The Blacks chuckled, an unnerving combination of sounds, from Pollux's rasping rattle, Cassiopia's cackling, to Sirius' loud bark.

"In the lake," said Sirius smugly, earning a brief, approving glance from his elders.

Cassiopeia leaned over the lake edge to examine their work. There were very slight variation in the color and tone reflecting the magic of each caster and they wove through and around each other in mesmerizing patterns. She spoke with derision as she leaned over to touch the surface. "The fool hid them under the water, thinking to keep them subdued until any visitors revealed themselves as a threat."

"Wouldn't any visitors be threats?" asked Lupin.

Tiberius shook his head. "The Dark Lord would require a way to come himself, to check on the object. Not that he couldn't handle an army of his own making, but keeping them contained and pacified would ease his passing."

"So the Inferi are, what, frozen in stone down there?" Auror Proudfoot asked.

"Bah, no, boy!" Lord Black waved a hand dismissively, though he was facing out across the lake. "They are destroyed. Floating the things in water is the worst idea I've seen out of that pretender."

He trailed off and Cassiopeia picked up the explanation with a put upon sigh. She turned to face them, her stern visage reminding Dumbledore strongly, and unnervingly, of McGonagall. "The corpses become water logged, mingling the substance of the Inferi one with that of the lake. Contained liquids are transfigurable as a single unit—with enough power according the volume of the liquid, of course."

"But, doesn't that fall under human transfiguration? Isn't that incredibly difficult?"

Cassiopeia sniffed. "Of course it is! But Inferi are not human. They have no souls to resist the transfiguration and no vital organs to protect during the process. They are in essence magical constructs in a material vessel. Thus, they are easily Transfigurable. Doing so destroys the material vessel, however. The Inferi spell requires decomposing human flesh. As the corpses are now quartz and not flesh, the animating curse is broken."

"Not that that's normally any use against Inferi," Cygnus added, gruffly. "By the time you transfigured one far enough to kill it the rest will have eaten you."

Cassiopeia nodded, ignoring the queasy looks that passed among the Aurors. "Indeed. The pretender's egregious lack of foresight has made our task laughably simple."

"How very fortunate for us," Dumbledore said. "I rather doubt the next obstacle will be so easily overcome."

The Blacks all sniffed or scoffed or rolled their eyes. Lord Black frowned up at the ceiling. "Brooms are no use in here: wards will interfere. Need a week to take those down. Well! Who's up for a nice stroll, eh?"

He turned on his heel and began to walk towards the strange island. The Blacks formed a group around him. Dumbledore followed with half the Aurors. The other half again waited for the Unspeakables to pass and took up positions at the rear. Their heads swiveled in practiced, constant surveillance. Clearly they did not trust the cavern, despite its transformation. Up ahead, the Blacks showed no such unease.

Conversation remained few and far between. Although the quartz lake was not at all gloomy, the sheer size of it was oppressive. The sparkling surface began to send glares into their eyes until the Unspeakables, and Dumbledore, dimmed the orb lights. Some Aurors even conjured dark glasses. The place was utterly bizarre and alien, perhaps even more so as quartz than as water.

The Cave - Meaghana

It took nearly half an hour to reach the island. It was small, with room for only half a dozen, and the rough ground was pockmarked and uneven. At the center rose a stone pedestal topped with a metallic basin, from which came the nauseating green glow. Though it was barely discernable in the harsh light of the quartz cavern, it filled Meaghana with unease.

She strode forward before the Blacks, or Dumbledore, could give the basin and its contents more than a cursory inspection. "Stop! Stay back, please. This one is ours." She'd done a plethora of readings before this trip and had determined that at some point it would be essential to work without casting spells. That was, in fact, why she had petitioned to join the expedition: she could do far more that most wizards ever thought to do without using her wand.

The rest of the Blacks stepped back, though not far, but Lord Black remained where he was. "Oh? And who are you?"

Tiberius, River, and Lupin took up positions around the basin, keeping the others back.

"I am the Unspeakble Meaghana, which is enough for now. This quest is under Department of Mysteries jurisdiction, effective immediately. You are welcome to remain and observe, as your interference has heretofore been of some assistance. But, henceforth," she gently placed a hand on his arm and led him a few steps away, "please take no action without our direction."

As soon as he was clear, Lupin stepped into place. Prewett had stepped forward as well and gasps were heard among Aurors and Blacks alike as many realized for the first time that there was another member of their party. The five Unspeakables arranged themselves evenly around the pedestal, mostly to keep the others back, but also because so arranged their magical cores created a barrier against outside magical interference.

Meaghana did not even glance at the pedestal or what sat atop it. She sat crosslegged on the stone in her place and started unpacking. First she set up her collapsible gold cauldron, filled it with fresh water from a canteen and lit a fire with Striker Coals under it. The Coals ignited by striking them together and would burn for about an hour. She then tipped in a packet of Diviners Blend, a combination of special herbs, though she had modified the recipe drastically over the years and insisted on growing and preparing the herbs herself. Not only did she use special fertilizer—also of her own invention—in the growing, but two of the herbs were infused in original concotions before the drying process. Once the herbs dissolved, the Diviner's Elixir would be complete—after the hard work of preparing and blending the herbs, brewing it was no harder than making tea. Dipping or dousing particular objects in the fully brewed Diviner's Elixir opened those objects to the Sight, if one knew how to employ them properly.

As the Elixir heated, she began unpacking the materials for a Séance Circle.

"Clear the island," she commanded. The Unspeakables did not move, but everyone else, including Dumbledore, did. She took three stones of rough crystals, one grey-blue, one a warm ochre, and one white green. The cauldron simmered and the herbs vanished abruptly. She doused the stones and, rising, she arranged them equidistant around the very edge of the island.

Next, a single drop of Elixir was applied to each of three candles. She used a small twig to light them from the Coals and then placed these equidistant around the island, thirty degrees offset from the stones.

Holding aloft three sticks of incense she slowly drew them in a circle over her head, three times, then brought them down into her other palm with a slap! She dipped them into the cauldron, which began to smoke. Removing the sticks she clasped the wet ends in her hand, offering a silent prayer. When she opened her hand and held the incense to the Coals. These she placed upright in small clay blocks in the three openings between the candles and the stones. Each set of items now formed an equilateral triangle, each triangle offset from the others by a perfect thirty degrees.

Once the last stick of incense was in place a pulse of magic pushed the onlookers back even further. The stones glowed brightly with flickering, colored lights. The candle flames grew impossibly tall and began to emit a thick obscuring smoke which swirled with the more translucent, but equally thick and far headier smoke from the incense.

The smokes did not mix, but wove together like strains of marble, twisting around the island to create a dome covering the Unspeakables and the stone pedestal.

The Cave - Andie

Outside the dome Aunt Cassie stamped her foot. "What is that fool Unspeakable doing? This is intolerable!"

"Relax, Aunt Cassie," Andie said, laying a hand on her aunt's arm. "It's just a Séance Circle."

Cassie froze and blinked at Andie. The rest of the family leaned in her direction. "Go on, girl," Pollux growled.

Andie resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. "It's a Séance Circle. Three overlapping equilateral triangles, one of various crystal stones representing the powers of the earth, or of nature; one of various candles for the spiritual planes of earth, heaven, and hell; and one of incense for the powers of magic, light, dark, and neutral. They create a special field within which a Seer has access to any information she desires about everything contained therein. She can use scrying to learn whatever she wants about anything on the island having to cast any spells at it."

"So none of them can backfire or reflect. Genius!" Cygnus said with some respect. "I knew Divination wasn't a waste of your time."

Andie gave him a disbelieving look. Her father had vehemently opposed her choice to take the class. Apparently selective memory loss was becoming a fad in the Black family.

"What else?" Cassie demanded.

"Er…well, they're standing in a pentagon, or pentacle, I guess, which means the collective magical cores will block any ambient magical interference from outside the circle, from our cores or from the wards." Cassie nodded, absorbing this information. "Oh, look!"

Andie pointed to the shadowy figures they could just make out through the smoke. Meaghana was again seated on the ground and was holding up something small and flat.

"That will be some kind of mirror or crystal. She'll be scrying the protections around the pedestal and basin."

"I wish we could hear what they are saying," Arcturus grumbled.

Pollux grunted and glared at Andie. She frowned at him, then started. "Oh, of course!" Reaching up to her elbow into her pack she rummaged around and eventually emerged with a hinged velvet box. Inside was a contraction vaguely resembling an astrolabe but with a tiny pink conch shell suspended in the center. She directed the family into a tight circle around her open palms, but with an opening facing towards the island. "Auris maris ibi aurdire," she whispered to the conch. The entire contraption shimmered. The bands of the globe spun slowly for a moment and then the family found they could hear low voices, only mildly distorted.

The Cave – River

Meaghana set aside the crystal mirror and pulled out a piece of parchment and a chunk of obsidian. She looked around at the team. "The basin cannot be transfigured. It is some kind of metal I've not encountered before. I can see three circles of runes inside, but I am not sure what they do. I will do a rubbing for you." She nodded to River and held aloft the obsidian. After a moment she lowered it into the cauldron and lifted it again. For a moment she sat perfectly still, the only movement the slow, even rise and fall of her chest.

Placing the obsidian on the parchment before her, she began to drag it back and forth. Large swathes of black appeared on the page, as if she were scrapping it with charcoal instead of obsidian. But through the black smudges, gaps could be seen, forming runes.

She repeated the process three times. They passed the stack around the circle to River. He knelt and arranged the parchments, making notations of his own, talking as he went.

"Alright, the lowest section is on the bottom of the basin itself. It powers the shield that covers the basin. It can only be penetrated by a drinking vessel, such as a cup, goblet or bottle. As long as any potion exists outside the basin and the potion level within the basin is deeper than half an inch, the shield will remain. Any magic cast on the shield will cause a dangerous magical reaction and likely summon the Infer, or would, if there still were any. Thank your friend for that, Lupin. A drinking vessel passed through the shield is also modified by it, so that any potion removed can only be emptied from said vessel by imbibing. It cannot be poured or vanished or evaporated."

"No one is drinking that," Lupin said tersely.

"Obviously," Prewett replied.

"The other line runs around the very bottom edge. If there is no potion covering that line, after a delay of thirty seconds it will refill the basin. It's the equivalent of a refilling charm, but stronger. It uses the remaining liquid as the base for replication, but by my calculations it would have to be activated three dozen times before we saw any diluting effect from the refilling." He put the pages down and looked around the group with a smile. "Well?"

"So, Riddle's game is to make the intruder drink the potion so the shield will vanish for a mere thirty seconds. So, how are we destroying the shield?" Lupin asked.

"That would require destroying the runes that power it," River said.

"Which can't be reached because they are protected by the shield," Lupin supplied with a heavy sigh. "What about the basin itself?"

Meaghana shook her head. "No good. The shield covers the entire basin, not just the top."

"Stop grinning to yourself, River," Prewett snapped. "If you have a solution, get on with it,"

River pulled stick of chalk from his pouch and gestured across the circle to Meaghana. "Very well. Can you do measurements in this circle? I'd rather not risk a spell in here if I can help it." Meaghana rolled her eyes but took the chalk. She circled the island with the chalk and her crystal mirror, placing marks for every ten degrees around and every three feet from the center up to the very edge of the island. While she worked, River sat scribbling on his own parchment, frequently referencing Meaghana's rubbings.

Once she returned the chalk, River went to work. Starting along the very edge of the island he began writing a complex sequence of runes. It took well over half an hour, and three sticks of chalk, for him to finish. Finally he returned to his place in the inner circle and dusted his hands. He turned to Prewett. "Once I power this up that shield will think the basin is the size of the island and ten feet tall. We'll have to deal with the potion before destroying the runes and no one will be able to go in or out in the meantime. Should we invite anyone else?"

Before he'd even finished speaking four of the Blacks burst through the smoke of Meaghana's circle, followed in short order by Dumbledore and Auror Moody.

"We will not be shut out of this!" Cassiopeia shouted.

"Now, now, Madam Black," Dumbledore said calmly. "There is no need to be anxious."

"Anxious?!" she hissed in outrage.

"Peace!" Prewett said firmly, his voice echoing strangely in the smoky confines. "The Blacks are very welcome to join us, though in deference to everyone's elbows, perhaps you wish to choose a representative? Or two?"

Cassiopeia looked at Sirius, Arcturus, and Cygnus, lifting her jaw defiantly.

"Not on your life," Sirius growled. He and Arcturus stared at one another for a long moment, but then Arcturus nodded. He spun on his heels and dragged Cygnus back through the smoke screen.

"Anyone else?" River asked the group at large.

"This will do, I think," Dumbledore said pleasantly.

"Very well." River knelt and placed the tip of his wand on the rune circle. A blinding white light shot through the runes like lightening and then was gone.

The shield did not grow. Nor did it blink out of existence and back. In one instant it covered the basin like a glove; the next it simmered over the island like a glass dome, enclosing the Unspeakables, Chief Warlock, Auror lieutenant, and two Blacks. All sound from the rest of the company disappeared and the sounds of the group inside were enhanced and yet muffled at the same time. The rustling of cloth was as loud as wind over a moor, but voices seemed soft and far away.

The Cave - Meaghana

Meaghana rose. "Now for the potion. Stay back please!" She held out a hand towards Cassiopeia, who had taken a step towards the basin. Meaghana whipped a handkerchief out of her pocket and held it over her face. "The fumes are toxic. Cast no magic of any kind; both the potion and the shield are highly volatile."

Cassiopeia stared at Meaghana in outrage. But the Unspeakable paid her no head and swept forward to the side of the basin and leaned over the potion. She spooned out a teaspoonful and poured it into a shallow stone bowl carved with runes and previously soaked in her Elixir. Colorful smokes rose from the stone in indecipherable patterns. Well, indecipherable to everyone but Meaghana, and perhaps Dumbledore, who nodded knowingly.

Meaghana then sniffed and licked the spoon! She gagged and retched, but waved back everyone who stepped towards her. "Gah! Ugh. I'm alright, don't worry. Lord, that's terrible! Ugh, and it tastes awful too. Merlin above, I pity anyone who drank even the smallest amount of this. They would require years of mind therapy."

"Oh?" asked Dumbledore. "Will you enlighten us?"

Meaghan took a small step back and the others crowded close. She began pawing through her robe pockets. "There was a legend, Grecian I think, about a potion that forced one to relive their worst fears and regrets. It also causes severe dehydration, but without the antidote, water makes it worse. I forget the original name of the potion; the most popular translation was 'the Dementor's Draught,' but that is not at all literal."

"So, how do we get rid of it? Pour it, scoop it, Vanish—?" Sirius asked.

"NO SPELLS!" said a chorus of stern voices. Sirius looked sheepishly around the assembly.

Meaghana spoke while continuing to dig through her pockets. "The basin is a non-transfigurable metal and is attached to the pedestal with a permanent sticking charm. We can't detach it to pour it out and the pedestal is transfigured from the Island itself; they're actually still connected so we'd have to transfigure the whole island which is steeped in anti-spell wards. Any spell cast at the pedestal or island directly would probably kill all of us."

"Then how—"

"AHA! There you are, you beauty!" Meaghana cried, holding aloft a small packet of wax paper, tightly sealed. "I've always wanted to use this. This, my friends, may be the rarest potion ingredient on earth. In fact, it is quite possible that this is all there is."

They all blinked at her.

At length Cassiopeia sniffed. "And what, precisely, is that?"

"This, my friends, is nothing less than void salts. Don't worry if you've never heard of it. It's from another dimension entirely, and in that dimension it works rather differently. In our world, dissolving this salt in any liquid transforms that liquid into a manifestation of void, that is, of nothing. The substance left behind is absolutely, totally, in every possible way, inert. It has no mass, no magnetism, no charge, and neither magical nor chemical properties of any kind. As such it cannot produce even the slightest effect on anything, and will certainly hold no barrier to us."

She lifted the packet over the basin.

"No!" cried Cassiopeia. She snatched Meaghana's hand and held it steady. "Foolish girl! You would spend such a treasure on this? This trifle?!"

Meaghana met her outraged stare with one of mild surprise. "Trifle? We are talking about the most evil object magic is capable of producing, and sparing the health and sanity of most of the top minds in Britain."

"She does have a point, Aunt Cassie," Sirius coughed.

"But...but think of what you could do—"

Meaghana lowered her arm and faced the sorceress full on. "I have, Madam Black. I have considered this packet for years and how I may safely dispose of it while still putting it to good use."

"Dispose of it?!" Cassie nearly shrieked. "Why on earth would you want to dispose of it?! Think what it could do—"

"Yes!" Meaghana interrupted. "Think of what it could do if it were dropped in the ocean? All the waters on earth are connected, Madam Black. Every drop of every sea, and every river and lake connected to them by even the smallest trickle, would suddenly be as empty and lifeless as the void beyond the heavens. Every sea creature on earth would suffocate for lack of water to breath. Humanity would die of thirst as every river and lake drained into the now empty seas. The surface of the earth would burn as the clouds no longer would have moisture to replenish them, and would disappear. No shade, no rain. No water. No food. No, Madam. I have considered this very, very carefully, and this is the best use I shall ever find for this treasure."

Before anyone else could object Meaghana thrust out her hand and emptied the packet into the sickly glow of the basin. The glow faded almost instantly. Where the potion had been opaque and viscous it was now fully transparent and more fluid than water. At the bottom they could see a large, old fashioned locket.

A ripple of excitement went around the circle and died just as quickly.

"What is that?" Cassiopeia hissed. River squeezed forwards and began chaffing at the tight runes carved into the bottom of the basin with a diamond tipped knife. As the first rune was obliterated the shield fizzled and died with a snap and a shower of sparks. The rest of their companions were suddenly privy to a notably less celebratory moment than expected.

Dumbledore slowly reached through the ethereal remains of the potion. For once no one raised any objection to Dumbledore taking the lead. His hand hovered over the locket for a moment. "Strange," he said softly. "It feels…"

"Nothing!" Cassiopeia spat. "It doesn't feel at all! There isn't a single magical signature on it. What kind of fool's errand is this, Dumbledore?" The Blacks stepped up behind Cassiopeia and Sirius, each giving Dumbledore accusing looks.

Dumbledore ignored them and picked the locket up gingerly. The passing of his hand had little effect on the inert potion; it barely even stirred. Dumbledore turned the locket over in his hands.

"It is not the Horcrux. It is not spelled or cursed, in any way. I do not understand. It—" he cut off as he opened the locket and a small bit of parchment fluttered out. He snatched the paper from the air before many had registered it. Swiftly examining the outside he unfolded it with his thumb. His eyes grew wide as he read the note. Reaching the end his piercing gaze turned to Sirius.

The Cave – Sirius

Dumbledore slowly held the paper out to him and Sirius took it. Frowning at the Chief Warlock Sirius smoothed the parchment. He skimmed the note, barely registering its contents, until he came to the signature. For a long moment he stared at the last line.

"Damn it all, boy! Read it aloud or hand it over!" Arcturus snarled and rapped his cane loudly on the rocky floor.

Sirius cleared his throat. At first his voice came out as a nearly adolescent squeak and he had to start over. Even then his voice shook as he read.

"To the Dark Lord. I know I will be dead long before you read this, but I want you to know it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more. R.A.B."

Across the island Moony gasped. The Blacks all looked at each other in horrible understanding, though the rest of the contingent was lost.

"R.A.B? Who the bloody hell is R.A.B.?" Moody demanded.

"Someone we have grossly misjudged," Dumbledore said quietly. "As did Tom Riddle."

Sirius handed the letter over to Arcturus, who passed it to Pollux and then Cassie in quick succession. Sirius turned back to Dumbledore. "But then where is the real horcrux? Did he actually destroy it? Is he even actually dead?"

"Who is R.A.B?!" Moody insisted.

"Unless I miss my guess," Moony interjected, "we are assuming it stands for Regulus Arcturus Black, Sirius' younger brother. He died two years ago. He was a Death Eater, but we knew he got cold feet at the end."

"This must be why Riddle killed him!" Sirius said. "He didn't just get cold feet, he turned traitor completely."

"I now doubt very much that Riddle killed him," Dumbledore said gravely. Heads turned to him in surprise. "Not intentionally, at any rate."

"Say what you mean, old man," Pollux growled.

Dumbledore met the old warlock's gaze. "Think what we have passed through today, in relative ease, given the wisdom and talent which we, collectively possess. Even I, I gladly confess, should have struggled had I come alone, or with only those I intended to bring. What then of a young man, barely into his majority, talented to be sure, but with no experience in facing obstacles of this nature? How might he have fared? However he passed the blood door and crossed the lake, here at least, he would have been forced to play Riddle's game. He would have had to drink the potion."

Silence reigned.

"Dumbledore, if anyone had drunk that they would have gone mad. He wouldn't have had the presence of mind to switch the lockets, and he certainly couldn't have escaped to destroy it," Meaghana said.

"Oh, I very much doubt that he escaped," Dumbledore said sadly. "You said severe dehydration? He would have gone immediately for the lake once his task was done, if not before. His contact with the water would have woken the guardians within."

The Blacks paled and stepped back, turning almost as one to look at the mass of quartz they had transfigured.

"Then Regulus…" Sirius couldn't finish.

Dumbledore nodded gravely. "I am very much afraid so."

A choking sound made everyone look in surprise. Cygnus was bent forward, shaking. "We've got to get him out!"

"Cygnus," Pollux said firmly.

"He's Walburga's boy! He's a Black! He needs a proper burial."

Arcturus shook his head sadly. "He's gone Cygnus. A statue trapped in a lake of quartz, like all the rest of Riddle's monstrosities. I will take that locket, Dumbledore. Clearly that is Black property, and a mark of my grandson's sacrifice."

Dumbledore passed over the substitute locket.

"We still need to find the real Horcrux, Dumbledore," said the shadowy figure Sirius could not identify, though he suspected it had been present at the final wardship hearing.

"Yes," Dumbledore said, brow creasing in thought. He looked at the Blacks. "This locket with Regulus' note suggests a great deal of forethought. He called it facing death, as if he felt it likely he would not escape; perhaps he had some inkling of what he would face. Yet he was certain the horcrux would be destroyed. Is there any chance he had an ally? Some friend who would accompany him?"

One by one the Blacks shook their heads. "No. Not to work against the Dark Lord," Pollux rasped. Arcturus narrowed his eyes at Sirius.

Sirius swallowed. "He…he came to me shortly before—before he disappeared. He asked for my help with something but he wouldn't tell me what. It sounded like excuses! Like he just couldn't stomach Riddle's crimes but still bought all his tripe about purebloods and muggleborns. I…I refused to go. We didn't part well."

After an awkward silence Cygnus spoke. "Kreacher," he whispered.

Though the rest of the group was mystified, the Blacks all straightened at the name.

"Kreacher!" Pollux bellowed, his voice echoing through the cavern.

With a soft pop the ugliest house elf any of them had ever seen appeared near the center of the island.

"Master has summoned Kreacher," the elf said with a bow. "How may Kreacher se—se—serv—"

Having straightened from his bow the elf caught sight of the pedestal and its basin, and promptly fainted.

"Well, I guess that answers that question." Arcturus rapped his cane on the quartz floor.

A/N: I think this chapter serves as a thorough commentary of the cave sequence from HBP and its many, many flaws. Not Dumbledore's finest moment, in my humble opinion.

This chapter was the most challenging so far! I imagine scenes like this with so many characters are the bane of existence for many authors. There are 18 highly competent characters here, and 14 of them have active rolls in this chapter! But as hard as that was to manage the entire premise of this work is that people are mature and responsible and make logical decisions based on their knowledge, and I honestly believe that each person in charge of each group (Prewett, Moody, and Arcturus) would choose to bring their entire contingent (Dumbledore is a force entirely unto himself). Yes, the Aurors are superfluous, but only because the Blacks showed up, and there's no way the Aurors would have left at that point. So, absolute effing overkill, but that is exactly how you should approach playing with Dark Lords.

I've had a few reviewers comment on not liking Molly Weasley or wanting less of her. The plot of this story hasn't really allowed me to comment much on her character or, worse, her parenting. She probably won't be in the rest of this story...probably, but she will almost certainly appear in any future works I do using this AU. That said, my Molly will not be canon Molly. I appreciate the idea that JK was trying to represent in Molly's character, but on a close reading, she falls very, very short. She has no faith in her children, is actually neglectful of their emotional needs. uses punishment rather than discipline, exhibits very little self-control or intellect, and other than her fantastic duel at the end of DH demonstrates no real talent or skill beyond cooking, worrying, and nagging. What I will try to do with my Molly is give us a mother figure we all wish we had, someone who is talented and knows it, who is emotionally aware and willing to put the dinner on hold to see to her children's emotional needs, who is intelligent and assertive enough to navigate her entire family through the muggle world (seriously? With as big a deal as the Statute of Secrecy is, ALL wizards should be REQUIRED to be able to pass as muggles!) or any other obstacle, and can (and does) help all her kids on homework through OWL level. My Molly will not scold her twins for planning to start a joke shop; she will instead encourage them to take and excel in subjects that will help them do so successfully, and she will review their business plan to make sure it's solid. Long story short, Sirius will get a lot of his parenting advice from the Weasleys, and it's going to be good.

Someone also commented on Remus "needing" to be outside for the full moon or the wolf would go crazy; in case you missed it, the Department of Mysteries has an upgraded version of the Room of Requirement; it makes Remus an entire forest to run around in. The wolf does not feel confined.

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed FTLOS! Reviews totally make my day. I love to hear what you all enjoy and what bugs you.

Sadly, we are approaching the end of this story. I may be able to stretch the remaining bits into two chapters, but it might also only be one. We'll see. I also can't promise anything about timing! I'm sorry about that. I admire all those authors who do weekly updates, but with two teeny tiny kids my reality just won't allow it. But, I do have ideas for a sequel series during the Hogwarts years and some really fun stuff to cover the interim years as stand-alone interludes. My motivation to actually work on these series and dedication to finish them is directly proportional the number of reviews I get on this story. This isn't an ultimatum, it's just fact that reviews are really encouraging and proof that people care about the story. No reviews makes a writer think no one's reading or paying attention and it's just not worth the time to write if no one cares about the results. So, please let me know what you love and what you don't!