Reaching the Limit

Author's Note: Well, it seems as if I stopped writing ages ago (which is probably true) and now, BAM! I have a new story at the top of my head. Well, I can assure you this one isn't going to the birds… As you can probably tell, I've gone through some changes in my writing style; it's easier to understand as well and more gripping. Cool, eh? Anyways, I've also been busy working on my web-design skills. I'll have a website soon, if any of you are interested. Otherwise, I'll let you get on to the story.

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His breath came in clouds, the frigid wind nipping at his uncovered skin. His eyes ran over the uneven surface of the cave mouth, and then to his two companions, struggling to catch up. His lungs stung with every breath, even the cloth covering his mouth and nose didn't help protect him, but he wasn't concerned about that. He had seen worse. What worried him was what exactly was inside that cave, other than the object the three were searching for. What spells protected it, and would they be able to bypass them, or would they be caught in their weave?

His attention was drawn back to his two companions when he heard them come up behind him, breathing heavily with the effort of climbing up the steep slopes.

"This is it," he said, turning his emerald gaze back to the lonely cave. Its size wasn't as imposing as he thought it would be, but the amount of magic in the air was palpable. He had no doubt that this was where the article they sought was located.

"Are you sure? Are you sure that it's here?" the shorter of the three asked. The voice coming from underneath the layers of clothing revealed it was a girl.

The two others looked at her, almost incredulously. It was obvious that this was where it was, so why was she questioning it now? She was the one that figured out the general area, and the object that was inside. She flushed bright red under their gazes, but it was unnoticeable because of the layers of fabric she had on, and the lack of light.

She turned the attention away from her by asking, "How do you think we'll get it?" The one with the bright emerald eyes darkened, his eyes seeming to cloud over. He lightly fingered his wand in his pocket, contemplating. How indeed were they to get in? And how in the world were they to get it? There was sure to be a myriad of defenses around it, most likely dark magic. Yet they, mere teenagers, were to get past those spells without killing themselves? It seems disastrous, foolish, and completely un-doable.

However, the three were not about to give up, they had worked too long and hard to turn back now, and they had been through worse together, right? They had risked their lives before.

The one in the center plunged ahead through the snow, toward the cave mouth. He called back after them, "Are you coming, or what?"

The two remaining figures shared a worried look, before they followed him, lightly saying, “We've got your back, Harry."

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Lupin was furious as he paced the Dursley's living room. He was furious at Harry for leaving, without an adult, without supervision. The boy wasn't even of age yet! There was too much on the line to have him out on his own. But what was worse, Ron and Hermione had left with him. He knew he shouldn't have let them stay here, but Harry needed the company. He should have known they were going to go off and do something like this. It's typical.

“You know, Remus, if you keep doing that, you're going to pace a hole through the floor.”

The werewolf grunted, showing no hint of a smile at his friends joke. “How can you laugh like that when Harry's out on his own, without an adult with him? He could be hurt, or worse, he could get someone else hurt!”

Moody felt his face redden, not with embarrassment, but with anger. How could Lupin think so little of Harry? How could he not notice what Harry could do? He was better off without and adult with him. He voiced his thoughts to Lupin, his tone dangerously low.

“But he's still just a child!” Lupin almost screamed, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration. Moody shook his head; the guy just didn't get it.

“His age might still be that of a child, but he's more of a man than you, Sirius, or James was at this age. And he's more talented with magic than you are now.”

Moody's face was almost as red as a tomato with suppressed anger. He was keeping it from leaking into his tone, and words. Lupin was being blind, just as Dumbledore was. Harry now commanded more respect from the ex-Auror than the Headmaster ever had. “Look, Remus, Harry may not be of age, and he may get himself in trouble, but he always pulls through. Plus, he has Ron and Hermione there with him. There's nothing that can stop those three from doing what they feel they need to do.

“Harry knows more than he's letting on, that much I know. He wouldn't hide it from unless he has a valid reason to, and I'm sure he does. Remember, he was up there the night Dumbledore died, so who knows what the Headmaster could have told him? He could have asked the boy anything, and you know Harry wouldn't have let Albus down. That man was his mentor, and even his father in some ways.

“You know what Harry is doing concerns him, and only him. He would have asked for help if he needed it.”

Lupin sighed. Alastor was right; Harry probably knew what he was doing. He sank into the couch beside his old friend, his head in his hands.

“I just can't stand to see him hurt, Alastor. He the only reminder I have of—”

“He's not James, Remus,” Moody said, interrupting him, “You shouldn't think of him as a reminder. He's Harry, James' and Lily's son, not their reminder. If you wanted a reminder, you have one; it's in your left pocket.”

Remus seemed to crumple in on himself as he realized what he had been doing for the past few years. Even though he always treated Harry with kindness, he thought of him as his only link to James and Lily. He lifted his hand out of his left pocket, pulling two thin objects out with it. No doubt, Moody had seen him handling the two wands numerous times. His face was devoid of all emotion for the few minutes he sat there, looking at the two wands, James and Lily's wands…

His companion was right; he had to let Harry grow up. It was him, not the order, not Lupin himself, or even Dumbledore that was supposed to defeat Voldemort. Lupin wished he could have started over, and helped Harry from the start with what he knew now. If only…

“There are a lot of `if's in life, my friend. You can only deal with the here and now, and you must leave the future to those with whom it concerns. All you can do for Harry is support him.”

Remus nodded silently. “I'm still going to wait for him to come back,” he said.

Moody nodded, “I never had a doubt that you wouldn't.”

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Harry immediately pulled out his wand as he entered the cave, Ron and Hermione not far behind. Their boots made crunching noises as they walked towards the darkness. The steady `drip drip' of water threatened to distract them. The icy water occasionally hit their faces, startling them, but they paid no heed to it.

The farther they went into the cave, the more the light seemed to simply disappear. They couldn't see the entrance; it seemed as if they were plunged into pure darkness, even if the entrance was, in reality, only a couple hundred feet away.

“Lumos,” Hermione whispered, expecting her wand tip to light up.

Nothing happened.

Ron tried, and failed. None of the spells they were trying were working.

This time, Harry gave it a try. “Lumos,” he said clearly, his voice echoing off the cave walls.

Nothing happened for him either.

“What's going on?” Hermione frantically asked, trying more spells to see if she could get her want to work. Harry removed his glasses and rubbed his temples, ignoring Hermione. He knew something like this would happen.

“Hermione, Voldemort is bound to put up some sort of protection around his horcrux. I mean, come on! It's a piece of his soul. You wouldn't want someone jumped around and playing Quidditch with it, would you?”

Hermione sniffed, “Why you would play Quidditch with something like that is beyond me, but I didn't think he would block magic! What if he needed to get it back? It would block his also.”

Harry raised his eyebrows. As right as she was, Hermione should have figured out that Voldemort wasn't single minded. He would have another way to gain access to the horcruxes. Instead of voicing his thoughts, he just kept going, letting his eyesight adjust to the absence of light.

He stopped abruptly, sensing something wasn't right. There was something in the cave, something alive. Harry stuck out his arm to his right, stopping his two companions in their tracks. Their wide eyes were fixed on his shadow, tying to keep him in focus.

Harry closed his eyes for a second, getting himself under control. For a moment, it had felt as if something had sparked inside of him, and he had no idea what it was. He pushed that thought out of his mind and concentrated on the thing he knew was in front of them.

He could feel it.

Harry shifted to his left, now touching the cave wall. The thing's eyes followed him. He whispered to Ron and Hermione, telling them to go to their right. They did as he told, but the animal didn't even move its gaze. It seemed to not notice his two friends.

“Get back,” he told them, his whisper echoing off the wall, making it seem as if he yelled it as them. Harry heard Ron's loud swallow and Hermione's sharp intake of breath as they walked back a few feet.

Harry moved the other way, trying to get a good look at the thing that was guarding the horcrux. It seemed as if it blended into the darkness, becoming one with it. He swallowed hard. This wasn't going to be easy.

He tried one of the revealing spells that Dumbledore had taught him, forgetting that magic was of no use. “Acclaro Caecus Magus,” he whispered quietly, wielding his wand in a large arc over his head.

A small spark erupted from his wand, bouncing off the cold, stone walls of the cave, followed by a small crack. The three of them felt a flicker of energy come flooding back at them, crashing into their bodies with full force. This is not good, Harry thought, that wasn't supposed to happen.

They were met, seconds later, by the glowing green eyes of a beast hidden in shadow.

A Morglith.

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Author's Note: Dun dun dunnn. So, do you like it so far? Please excuse the lame title; it was the only one I could think of… I'm horrible when it comes to choosing a name for a story. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it.

I will be explaining what exactly a Morglith is in the next chapter, so don't worry. You'll find out soon enough.

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Most of the characters are © to the devious mind of J.K. Rowling.

Anything left is © to me.

Thank you for reading.