94 Diagon Alley

    clear why they are so eager to empty the stone basin. Don't forget, Voldemort believed he was the only one who knew his Horcruxes. "

    Harry still wanted to speak, but Dumbledore raised a hand to silence him. Dumbledore frowned slightly at the emerald-green liquid, apparently thinking hard.

    "There is no doubt," he said at last, "that this potion will certainly prevent me from obtaining Horcruxes. It will probably paralyze me, make me forget what I am here for, and make me feel Excruciating pain, inability to concentrate, or otherwise incapacitating me. If this happens, Harry, I need you to make sure I keep drinking, even if you have to get the potion down my closed mouth .Understand?"

     Their eyes met over the stone basin. Both pale faces were illuminated by that strange, green light. Could it be that he was invited with him for that - so that he could force Dumbledore to drink a potion that might cause him unbearable pain?

    "Do you remember the terms on which I brought you?" asked Dumbledore.

    Harry hesitated, looking at the blue eyes that were green with the light of the stone basin.

    "But what if—?"

    "You swore to obey me, didn't you?"

    "Yes, but-"

    "I warned you that you might be in danger, didn't I?"

    "Yes," said Harry, "but—"

    "That's good," said Dumbledore, shaking his sleeves up again, and holding up the empty goblet, "that's my order."

    "Why can't you let me drink the potion?" Harry asked desperately.

    "Because I'm much older and wiser than you, and I'm much less valuable than you." Dumbledore said, "I'll ask you one last time, Harry, can you? Swear to me, you'll do everything in your power to keep me drinking?"

    "Can't you—?"

    "Can you swear?"

    "But-"

    "Swear, Harry!"

    "I- well, but-"

    Not waiting for Harry to protest again, Dumbledore put the crystal glass into the liquid. At that moment, Harry wished Dumbledore couldn't touch the potion with the wine glass, but the crystal glass sank all of a sudden. The glass was full, and Dumbledore raised it to his lips.

    "Good health, Harry."

    He drank it. Harry watched in horror, his hands gripping the rim of the stone basin so tightly that his fingertips went numb.

    "Professor?" He asked worriedly when he saw Dumbledore put down the empty glass, "How do you feel?"

     Dumbledore shook his head, his eyes closed. Harry didn't know if he was in pain. Dumbledore, with his eyes closed, put the glass into the stone basin again, scooped up the full glass, and drank it again.

     Dumbledore silently drank three glasses. When he drank the fourth cup, he staggered forward and threw himself on the stone basin. His eyes were still closed and his breathing was heavy.

    "Professor Dumbledore?" Harry said, his throat tightening. "Can you hear me?"

     Dumbledore did not answer. His face was twitching, as if he was asleep, having a terrible nightmare. His hand on the glass slackened, the potion was about to spill, Harry stepped forward and grabbed the crystal glass and held it steady.

    "Professor, can you hear me?" he asked again aloud, his voice echoing in the cave.

    Dumbledore breathed heavily, Harry couldn't tell it was his voice because he had never seen Dumbledore so frightened.

    "I don't want to...don't make me..."

    Harry looked at the pale face he knew so well, at the hooked nose and the half-moon glasses, not knowing what to do.

    "...don't like...want to stop..." said Dumbledore bitterly.

    "You...you can't stop, Professor," said Harry, "you have to keep drinking, remember? You told me you had to keep drinking. Come..."

    Harry shoved the glass to Dumbledore's mouth and filled it, and Dumbledore drank the remaining potion from the glass. Harry really hated himself, and resented what he had done from the bottom of his heart.

    "No..." Dumbledore whined, Harry put the glass back into the stone basin and scooped up a full glass for him, "I don't want...I don't want...let me go..."

    "It's alright, Professor," Harry said, his hands shaking. "It's alright, with me—"

    "Let it stop, make it stop." Dumbledore groaned.

    "Okay... okay, let's make it stop," Harry coaxed him. He poured the liquid from the glass into Dumbledore's open mouth again.

    Dumbledore screamed, and the shrill voice echoed in the big cave across the silent Black Lake.

    "No, no, no...no...I can't...I can't, don't push me, I don't want to..."

    "It's alright, Professor, it's alright!" Harry exclaimed, his hands shaking so much he could barely scoop up the sixth potion. The stone basin is half empty. "You're all right, you're safe, it's not true, I swear it's not true - come on, drink this, drink this..."

    Dumbledore drank it obediently, as if Harry handed him an antidote. Trembling uncontrollably.

    "It's all my fault, it's all my fault," he cried, "please stop it, I know I'm doing it wrong, oh please stop it, I never, never again..."

    "This will stop it, Professor," said Harry, his voice rough and hoarse as he poured the seventh potion into Dumbledore's mouth.

     Dumbledore curled up in a ball, as if he was tormented by some invisible people around him. His hands fluttered wildly, almost knocking over the refilling glass in Harry's trembling hands, and he muttered, "Don't hurt them, don't hurt them, please, please, it's all mine. Wrong, come at me..."

    "Come on, drink this, drink this, and you'll be fine soon." Harry said desperately, and Dumbledore opened his mouth again obediently, even though he His eyes were closed tightly, shaking from head to toe.

    Then, he lunged forward, screamed again, and slammed the ground with his fists, Harry scooped up the ninth potion full.

    "Please, please, please, please, don't...don't want that, don't want that, let me do whatever..."

    "Drink, Professor, drink..."

    Dumbledore drank like a thirsty child, but as soon as he finished he screamed, as if his internal organs were on fire.

    "No, please, no..."

    Harry scooped up the tenth potion and felt that the crystal glass had wiped the bottom of the basin.

    "We're almost there, Professor, drink this, drink this..."

    He propped up Dumbledore's shoulders, and Dumbledore drank the liquid again. Harry stood up again and took a full glass, and Dumbledore cried out suddenly, in more pain than ever: "I want to die! I want to die! Let it stop, let it stop, I want to die!"

    "Drink this, Professor, drink this..."

    Dumbledore drank again, but as soon as he had finished he shouted, "Let me die!"

    "Drink - just finish this one!" Harry panted, "Just drink this... it's almost over... it's over!"

    Dumbledore drank the last drop of potion from the glass, and then, panting heavily, he rolled face down on the ground.

    "No!" shouted Harry, who stood up and poured the potion from the glass again. He threw the glass into the stone basin, rushed over to Dumbledore, and turned him over on his back. . Dumbledore's glasses were crooked, his mouth was wide open, and his eyes were closed. "No," said Harry, rocking Dumbledore, "no, you're not dead, you said it wasn't poison, wake up, wake up - rejuvenate!" He pointed his wand at Dumbledore's chest shouted, a red light flashed, but there was no response. "Rejuvenate—sir—please—"

    Dumbledore's eyelids twitched, and Harry's heart skipped a beat.

    "Sir, you—?"

    "Water," said Dumbledore hoarsely.

    “Water,” Harry gasped, “—ok—”

    He jumped up and grabbed the cup he just dropped in the stone basin. He didn't notice the gold locket coiled under it.

    "Clear water!" he shouted, pointing his wand at the wine glass.

    The cup immediately filled with water. Harry knelt beside Dumbledore, lifted his head, and brought the glass to his lips - but it was empty. Dumbledore groaned and began to gasp heavily again.

    "There's still—wait a minute—water like a fountain!" Harry said again, pointing his wand at the cup. In an instant, the glass was full of water again, but as soon as he brought it to Dumbledore's mouth, the water disappeared again.

    "Sir, I'm trying, I'm trying!" said Harry anxiously, but he knew Dumbledore couldn't have heard. Dumbledore rolled over and lay on his side, a heavy, grunting gasp in his throat that sounded heart-wrenching. "Clear water is like a spring - clear water is like a spring - clear water is like a spring!"

    The glass is full and empty again. Dumbledore's breathing was already weak. Harry's brain twitched nervously, he knew instinctively that there was only one way to get the water, and that was Voldemort's plan...

    He