94 hp Diagon Alley

Find out why they were so eager to empty the stone basin.Don't you forget that Voldemort believed that he alone knew about his Horcruxes. "

Harry tried to speak, but Dumbledore held up a hand to silence him.Dumbledore frowned slightly at the emerald green liquid, obviously thinking hard about something.

"There is no doubt," he said at last, "that this potion will prevent me from acquiring a Horcrux. It will probably paralyze me, make me forget what I came here for, cause me extreme pain, distraction, or To incapacitate me in other ways. If that happens, Harry, it will be up to you to make sure I keep drinking it, even if you have to pour the potion down my tightly shut mouth. Understand?"

Their eyes met over the stone basin.Both pale faces were illuminated by that strange green light.Could it be that that was the reason he had been invited--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?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry hesitated, looking into the blue eyes, greenish in the light from the stone basin.

"But, what if—?"

"You swore to obey my orders, didn't you?"

"Yes, but—"

"I warned you that it might be dangerous, didn't I?"

"Yes," said Harry, "but—"

"That's good," Dumbledore said, shaking his sleeves up again, and raised his empty goblet. "This is my order."

"Why can't I drink the potion?" Harry asked desperately.

"Because I am much older and wiser than you, and I am much less worth than you," said Dumbledore. "I ask one last time, Harry, can you swear to me that you will do everything you can?" The power to let me continue to drink?"

"Isn't it possible—?"

"Can you swear?"

"But--"

"Swear, Harry!"

"I—well, but—"

Before Harry could protest, Dumbledore filled the crystal cup with the liquid.At that moment, Harry really hoped that Dumbledore could not touch the potion with the wine glass, however, the crystal glass sank all of a sudden.The glass was full, and Dumbledore raised it to his lips.

"I wish you well, Harry."

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

"Professor?" he asked worriedly when he saw Dumbledore put down his empty glass, "How are you feeling?"

Dumbledore shook his head, his eyes closed.Harry wondered if he was in pain.With his eyes closed, Dumbledore reached into the stone basin again, scooped up a full cup, and drank again.

Dumbledore drank three glasses in silence.On the fourth cup, he staggered forward and fell on the stone basin.His eyes were still closed and he was breathing heavily.

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

Dumbledore didn't answer.His face was twitching, as if he was in a deep sleep, having a horrible nightmare.His grip on the glass relaxed, and as the potion was about to be spilled, Harry stepped forward and grabbed the crystal glass, holding it steady.

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

Dumbledore spoke out so heavily that Harry could hardly recognize his voice, for he had never seen Dumbledore so frightened.

"I don't want...don't force me..."

Looking at the pale face he knew so well, at the hooked nose and half-moon glasses, Harry didn't know what to do.

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

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

Harry forced the cup to Dumbledore's mouth and filled it, and Dumbledore drank what was left of the potion in the cup.Harry really hated himself, hated what he had done from the bottom of his heart.

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

"It's all right, Professor," said Harry, his hands shaking, "it's all right, I'm—"

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

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

Dumbledore screamed, and the shrill voice echoed in the cave across the silent black lake.

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

"It's all right, Professor, it's all right!" cried Harry, his hands shaking so badly that he could hardly scoop up his sixth glass of potion.The stone basin is already half empty. "You're fine, you're safe, it's not true, I swear it's not true—come on, drink this, drink this..."

Dumbledore obediently drank it, as if what Harry handed him was an antidote, but as soon as he drank the potion in the glass, he fell to his knees and trembled uncontrollably.

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

"That stops 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, and it seemed that some invisible people were tormenting him around him.He waved his hand wildly, almost knocking over the refilled glass in Harry's trembling hands, and murmured, "Don't hurt them, don't hurt them, please, please, it's all mine." Wrong, come at me..."

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

Then, throwing himself forward, screaming again and pounding the ground with his fist, Harry scooped up the ninth cup of potion.

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

"Drink, Professor, drink..."

Dumbledore drank like a thirsty child, but then screamed as soon as he had finished, as if his insides were on fire.

"No, please, no..."

Harry scooped up the tenth glass of potion and felt the crystal glass rubbing against the bottom of his basin.

"We're about to succeed, Professor, drink this, drink this..."

He propped Dumbledore on the shoulders, and Dumbledore drained his glass again.Harry stood up again and scooped a full glass, when Dumbledore suddenly cried out, in a voice more painful than ever: "I want to die! I want to die! Make it stop, make it stop, I want to die!"

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

Dumbledore drank again, but no sooner had he finished than he yelled, "Let me die!"

"Finish—just finish this one!" gasped Harry. "Just this one...it's almost over...it's all over!"

Dumbledore gulped down the last drop of the potion in his glass, and then, panting heavily, he rolled face down on the ground.

"No!" shouted Harry, standing up to refill the potion in his goblet. He threw the cup into the stone basin, rushed over to Dumbledore, and rolled him over on his back.Dumbledore's glasses were askew, his mouth was open and his eyes were shut. "No," said Harry, shaking Dumbledore, "no, you're not dead, you said it wasn't poison, wake up, wake up - rejuvenate!" He pointed his wand at Dumbledore's The chest shouted, a red light flashed, but there was no response. "Rejuvenate—sir—please—"

Dumbledore's eyelids were twitching, and Harry's heart was beating for joy.

"Sir, do you—?"

"Water," said Dumbledore hoarsely.

"Water," gasped Harry, "—okay—"

He jumped up and grabbed the cup he had just thrown into the stone basin.He didn't notice the gold locket coiled beneath it.

"Clear water like a spring!" He pointed his wand at the wine glass and shouted.

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

"Just now there was - wait - clear water!" Harry said, pointing his wand at the glass again.In a blink of an eye, 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 thinking, I'm thinking!" Harry said anxiously, but he knew Dumbledore couldn't hear.Dumbledore rolled over on his side, letting out a heavy, grunting gasp 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 was spinning nervously, he knew instinctively that there was only one way to get the water, and that was what Voldemort had planned long ago...

etc.