Chapter 16
You wake the next morning in Severus’ arms, having slept better than you had in days. He smiles down at you as your eyes blink open, his fingers stroking your hair softly as he leans down to press a kiss against your forehead.
“Good morning love.” He murmurs, holding you tighter.
You smile as you nuzzle against his chest, still looking up into his dark eyes.
“Good morning.” You answer, reaching up to twist a lock of his silky hair through your fingers.
He sighs contently as you do, closing his eyes.
“We have to go.” He groans quietly.
You nod, and together you get dressed in the tent before meeting Dumbledore and your mother just outside. She is still unconscious, just floating beside Dumbledore as he grins at you and Severus, waving his hand to take down the tent behind you.
“Morning!” He calls. “Ready to finish our journey?”
You nod, still looking at your mother.
“Oh, she is quite alright.” Dumbledore says, following your gaze. “I just don’t want her running off on us.”
You nod again, and Severus takes your hand as you leave the meadow. You both follow Dumbledore as he leads the group down the path, and the road becomes rocky again as you near the caves. You end up in the center of a series of caves, just like you saw on the map.
“How do we know which cave it is?” You ask as you come to a stop.
Dumbledore turns to face you, his eyes scanning over the map.
“I believe this is where your mother comes into play.” He says, turning towards her and snapping his fingers once.
She floats to her feet, standing and opening her eyes with a gasp. She looks around before trying to run, finding her feet locked in place.
“Calm down.” Dumbledore says in a calm voice, stepping closer to her. “We don’t want to harm you.”
She laughs wildly, still thrashing to free herself.
“Then let me go!” She cries, looking between Dumbledore and you.
Dumbledore shakes his head.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” He answers. “I need you to help us find the stone.”
She spits on the ground before his robes, and Severus flinches slightly beside you. Dumbledore doesn’t move, instead he holds out the map to your mother.
“Which cave?” He asks, his voice as level and calm as before.
She just laughs, shaking her head.
“Over my dead body.” She replies, her voice icy and cold.
Dumbledore doesn’t waiver.
“Now, I think that is a bit dramatic.” He answers plainly. “If you simply tell us which cave, we can secure the stone, and let you go.”
Your mother doesn’t answer this time, simply shutting her mouth and staring at the ground. Dumbledore spends the next few minutes trying to reason with her, but to no avail. She doesn’t move or speak, just stands there staring.
“We can start looking.” Severus says after a while, an edge of anxiousness spilling through your bond. “Until she talks.”
Dumbledore nods, and you follow Severus to the first cave. It’s dark inside, and you ignite your wands as you step into the darkness. You scour the cave, finding it to be empty of anything important.
You do the same with another two caves, still finding nothing notable.
“I don’t even know what we’re looking for.” You admit in a low voice.
Severus sighs, extinguishing the light on the tip of his wand as you step back into the light.
“Me either.” He answers. “I know it’s red, but I don’t know how big, I don’t know if it’s shielded or not.”
You look back over at your mother, noting that she still hasn’t moved. You sigh in frustration before marching across the rocks to her.
“Tell us where it is.” You demand, stopping directly in front of her.
She slowly drags her eyes up to yours, raising her eyebrows slightly.
“I want to go home.” You continue. “I want to see my daughter. And to do that, I need to find the stone.”
She shakes her head.
“Tell me where it is!” You scream, stepping even closer to her.
“I have to deliver the stone to The Dark Lord.” She replies, her voice flat and detached.
Your blood boils as you stare at her.
“If you give him the stone, we all die!” You shout.
Her face reddens, and she suddenly leans closer to you.
“If I don’t give him the stone, then I die!” She shouts back, the tip of her nose almost touching yours as she screams.
The heat leaves your blood as you lean back slightly.
“What?” You ask, still looking at her.
She doesn’t move from her tense position, still leaning over you.
“That stone is directly tied to my life right now.” She breathes, her eyes never leaving yours. “If I bring it back, I live, if I don’t, I die.”
Her eyes fill with tears, and she blinks them away. You pretend not to see them as you look away, turning to face Dumbledore.
“What do we do?” You ask him.
He strokes his beard once, thinking somewhere deeply in his blue-grey eyes.
“I say we find the stone, and use our extensive powers at the school to shield your mother from anyone seeking to harm her.” He says gently.
Your mother straightens up a little bit, her stance relaxing slightly.
“Do you think that would work?” She asks, looking between all three of you.
Dumbledore nods slowly, stepping closer.
“Yes.” He answers. “But only on the condition that you help us find the stone.”
She considers it for a moment, nodding before reaching her hand out to you.
“Swear it.” She says, reaching for your hand. “With an unbreakable oath.”
Your eyes flit to Severus, and he looks at Dumbledore before nodding once. You take your mother’s hand, looking into her eyes as you take out your wand.
“I swear to take you to Hogwarts, and use every ounce of magic at my disposal to shield you from harm, if you take us to the Philosopher’s Stone.” You tell her, waving your wand over your hands.
The magic snakes around your hands and wrists, sealing the oath between you. As it dissipates, you let go of her hand, stepping away from her. Severus rests his hands on your shoulders as you stare back at your mother, and you lean against his body.
“Are you ready?” Dumbledore asks her, stepping closer to release the spell.
She drops her gaze from you, looking at him and nodding. He waves his hand, releasing her feet from their locked position on the ground. She takes a couple tentative steps, and Dumbledore hands her the map.
She looks over it once, nodding and leading the group in the right direction. You all follow her, your fingers intertwining with Severus’ as you walk.
Are you okay? He asks, looking at you out of the corner of his eye.
You nod, trying not to think of the vow you just made. He doesn’t ask again as she leads you through a tunnel, only to show hundreds of caves on the other side.
You would’ve been here for weeks, searching and searching through every cavern and hole, not even sure what you’re looking for. She veers off of the main trail, leading you down a smaller, narrower path between two caves until she stands before a relatively small cave.
“It’s in there.” She says. “I need something sharp.”
Severus reaches into his belt, pulling a gold dagger from it and handing it to her.
“I need her blood.” She says, quieter, pointing at you. “It’s sealed.”
Severus pulls the blade back, holding it away from her.
“Absolutely not.” He answers, pushing you behind him with his arm.
Your mother glares at him, gritting her teeth.
“Then no stone.” She spits back.
Severus’ gaze flits to Dumbledore, and some silent conversation takes place between the two.
“Use my blood.” Severus counters, holding his hand out and handing her the dagger.
You push against his arm, but he holds you back. Your mother shakes her head, looking down.
“It has to be hers.” She mutters, not looking up as she speaks.
Dumbledore steps forward then.
“Let (Y/N) do it Severus.” He says, gently pulling you forward and handing the dagger to your mother. “The stone can only be revealed by the blood of someone she loves.”
Your mother’s cheeks burn bright pink as Dumbledore reveals the secret, but you keep your heart cold, not ready to fold to that yet. Instead, you hold out your hand to her, placing it under the tip of the dagger.
She looks up at you once, and you nod, giving her permission. She presses the tip of the dagger into your skin, applying more force and sliding it down your skin to draw a stream of bright red blood from the gash. You don’t wince away from the pain, trying not to let her, or Severus, know that it hurts.
She covers your hand with hers, squeezing your hand into a fist over a rock in the mouth of the cave, letting the blood splatter along it’s surface. The rock simmers with magic before disappearing, revealing a red stone in it’s place.
Your mother reaches for it, but it’s gone before she has the chance to grab it. Your head whips around to Dumbledore, finding him to be slipping the stone into his pocket calmly.
“Thank you, Selene.” Dumbledore tells her, smiling softly. “You’ve saved many lives today. We will keep true to our promise as well.”
She nods, stepping far away from you and keeping her eyes on the ground. Dumbledore leads the group to a clearing in the center of the caves, and links his arm with hers. Severus links his arm with her on the other side, and you link your arms between Severus and Dumbledore.
“Hold on tight.” Dumbledore says with a smile. “Next stop, Hogwarts.”
You grip onto Severus’ arm a little bit tighter as Dumbledore begins the disapparation, your head spinning as you transport to the school. When you open your eyes, you find the castle towers before you.
Home.
Your heart speeds, and you all but run towards the doors.