94 Diagon Alley

"It's almost there...I can Apparate and bring us both back...don't worry..."

"I'm not worried, Harry," said Dumbledore, his voice a little stronger despite the freezing cold, "I'm with you."

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Part 2)

Back under the starry night sky, Harry dragged Dumbledore to the top of the giant pebble closest to them, helped him to his feet, and scooped up the black hair from the water male corpse. Dumbledore was drenched and shivering, his weight still on Harry. Harry focused, all thoughts focused on his destination: the village of Hogsmeade. He closed his eyes, gripped Dumbledore's arm tightly, and stepped into that terrifying squeeze.

Before he opened his eyes, he knew it was successful: the sea breeze and the smell of the sea were gone. He and Dumbledore were standing in the dark streets of Hogsmeade, shaking and dripping from their clothes. In a trance, Harry seemed to see another Infernal corpse emerge from some shops, pressing towards him step by step, but he blinked, but found that there was no movement, except for the chilling corpse beside him. . There was silence all around, and the night was very dark, except for a few street lamps and a few brightly lit windows upstairs.

Dumbledore slammed into him. Harry thought at first that his Apparition was not proficient enough to cause Dumbledore to lose his balance under his feet, and then he saw Dumbledore's face, illuminated by a street lamp in the distance, more than ever. All pale and not angry.

"Sir, are you all right?"

"It's not as good as it used to be," said Dumbledore weakly, the corners of his mouth twitching. "That potion...isn't a health drink..."

To Harry's horror, Dumbledore collapsed to the ground.

"Sir—it's all right, sir, you'll be fine soon, don't worry—"

He looked around anxiously, looking for someone to help, but he couldn't see a figure, he only knew that he had to find a way to send Dumbledore to the school hospital quickly.

"We need to send you to school, sir...Mrs. Pomfrey..."

"No," said Dumbledore, "I need...Professor Snape...but I don't think...I can get very far..."

"Okay—sir, listen to me—I'll knock on someone's door and find a place for you to stay—and then I can run to Pomfrey—"

"Severus," said Dumbledore clearly, "I need Severus..."

However, before Harry could leave, he heard running footsteps. His heart skipped a beat: someone saw it, someone knew they needed help—he turned his head and saw Mrs. Rosemerta running toward them down the dark street, wearing fluffy high-heeled slippers and a Silk dressing gown embroidered with fire dragons.

"I saw you Apparating when I drew the bedroom curtains just now! Thank goodness, thank goodness, I really don't know what to- eh, what's the matter with Albus?" She stopped. His eyes widened and he looked down at Dumbledore.

"He's hurt," said Harry. "Mrs. Rosemerta, can you put him in the Three Broomsticks for a while while I go to the school and get someone to help?"

"You can't go back alone! Didn't you see—did you not see—?"

"Please help me with him," Harry said to her without listening to her, "I think we can get him in—"

"What's the matter?" Dumbledore asked, "Rosmerta, what's the matter?"

"Black—Dark Mark, Albus."

She pointed to the sky in the direction of Hogwarts. When Harry heard these words, his heart suddenly filled with fear... He turned to look.

It was there, hanging over the school: the dazzling green skeleton with a snake-like tongue sticking out of its mouth, whenever the Death Eaters broke into a building...whatever The place kills people... leave a mark like this...

"When did it appear?" asked Dumbledore, struggling to his feet, gripping Harry's shoulder painfully.

"It must have been a few minutes ago, the cat wasn't there when I let it out, but when I got upstairs—"

"We need to go back to the castle immediately." Dumbledore said, "Rosmerta," although he was still staggering, he seemed to have begun to take control of the situation, "We need transportation - flying sky. broom-"

"There are two in the back of my bar," Rosmerta said, looking terrified. "Would you like me to run and fetch—?"

"No, Harry can do it."

Harry raised his wand immediately. "Rosmerta's broom is flying!"

A second later, they heard a loud bang and the front door of the bar was slammed open. The two brooms swooped down the street, and you chased me to Harry's side, then stopped suddenly at waist-high, shaking slightly.

"Rosmerta, please send a message to the Ministry of Magic." Dumbledore said, riding the broom closest to him, "Maybe the people inside Hogwarts don't know yet. Something has happened...Harry, put on your invisibility cloak." Then Dumbledore thought of something, and he looked apologetically at the corpse he brought back, "I need a word for Alastor."

Harry didn't know how Dumbledore did it, maybe he did have a very firm belief in his heart at this time, because the weak old man forcibly summoned the Patronus, the silver The phoenix circled Dumbledore in a circle, then flapped its wings and flew into the distance.

Harry took the Invisibility Cloak from his pocket and put it on him, then mounted his broom and put the black-haired corpse behind him. When Harry and Dumbledore kicked off the ground and flew into the air, Mrs. Rosemerta had stumbled towards her bar. The two brooms flew swiftly towards the castle. Harry glanced sideways at Dumbledore, wanting to pull him in case he fell. Unexpectedly, the appearance of the Dark Mark seemed to have injected Dumbledore with a shot. Cardiotonic: He leaned over his broom, his eyes fixed on the Dark Mark, his long silver hair and beard wafting in the night sky behind him. Harry also looked at the skeleton, fear expanding like a poisonous bubble, squeezing his lungs, and he had no time to think about other discomforts...

How long have they been gone? Have Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Gwen run out of luck? Could it be one of them who made the Dark Mark appear over the school? Or Neville, Luna, or some other member of the D.A.? If that's the case... he told them to patrol the hallway, he told them to leave the safety of the bed...

They flew over the dark, winding alleys they had passed before, the night wind whistling in Harry's ears, and beyond this he heard Dumbledore again whispered something in some strange language. His broom trembled for a moment as they flew over the walls and into the field, and Harry knew why: Dumbledore was unraveling the magic he had set up around the castle so they could quickly enter the school. The Dark Mark is flashing above the Astronomy Tower, the commanding heights of the castle. Does this mean that death happens there?

Dumbledore had crossed the zigzag castle walls and was getting off his broom. After a few seconds, Harry landed beside him, looking around.

The walls are desolate, and the doors to the spiral staircase inside the castle are closed. There was no sign of a struggle, a struggle, nor a corpse anywhere.

Dumbledore waved his wand, and the Infernal corpse that flew back with them disappeared on the tower and was sent somewhere.

"What does that mean?" Harry asked Dumbledore, looking up at the green skeleton in the air, its snake-like tongue flashing evil above their heads, "This Is the mark real? Is anyone really being—taught?”

In the dim green light from the Dark Mark, Harry saw Dumbledore grabbing his chest with his charred hand. he

"Go and wake Severus," said Dumbledore feebly but clearly, "tell him what happened, and tell him to come and see me. Besides, Don't do anything, don't talk to anyone, and don't take off your invisibility cloak. I'm here waiting."

"But-"

"You swore to obey me, Harry—go!"

Harry hurried to the door of the spiral staircase, but as soon as he grasped the iron knocker, he heard running footsteps on the other side of the door. He turned to look at Dumbledore, who motioned for him to step back. Harry stepped back, drawing his wand.

The door was suddenly knocked open, and a person broke in, shouting: "Except your weapons!"

Harry's body suddenly became very rigid, and he felt himself stumble back to the tower wall, standing there like a statue, unable to move or speak. He doesn't understand what's going on - "Remove Your Weapon" isn't a Freezing Spell -

At this time, with the green light of the Dark Mark, he saw Dumbledore's wand draw an arc in the air and fly out of the wall, he understood... Dumbledore used silent The spell froze Harry, and the second he spent chanting the spell robbed him of his chance to protect himself.

Dumbledore stood with his back against the wall, pale, but still showed no sign of panic or concern. He just looked at the man who had removed his weapon and said, "At night