Chapter 2

The Cave

Harry awoke at the same time she always did- she knew because she was expecting Aunt Petunia's sharp knocks through her cupboard door. Blearily, she blinked open her eyes to darkness, and felt a certain discomfort found from sleeping on the floor.

The cave came rushing back to her- and she sat up so fast she instinctively flinched when she knew her head was going to hit the cupboard ceiling, but the hit never came. She released her face from the scrunch that was the imagination of hitting her head on the cupboard.

She turned to look at Dudley- he was still sleeping. The cave was as dark as she remembered it to be, dark and hungry. The small orb of light that heated the area was still comforting and warm. She reached out to touch it lightly, and her hand felt the heat deep within the orb. She knew it was hers, but still didn't understand it.

Oh well, best not look a gift horse in the mouth. She needed to find food, but it seemed the cave was entirely empty. She wondered if Dudley would be okay laying there. She was happy to note all their clothes were dry. Dudley's abrasions and gashes formed a huge scab together, but was looking much better than sticky mess it had been yesterday. She noted the gashes were too small and too shallow for an easy infection, so they were lucky on that front. On the other hand, she realized they had just bathed in cave water- perhaps not the most sanitary? But infected wounds were probably worse, and it looked mostly fine.

She started hiking to find anything to eat in the surrounding area. Her stomach wasn't at the point where it was like she hadn't eaten for a week, but it was definitely uncomfortable. As long as she drank water she would be fine after the first day. She followed the stream all the way down stream to see if there was anything there to eat and gasped when she found a pond.

It wasn't the pond that was incredible, it was the glowing crystals and mushrooms surrounding. They grew out of soft patches of dirt in multicolored beauty- the soft light from the crystals were glowing stronger than her small orb of heat light. She looked into the pond- it was deep enough to walk into full body but too shallow to swim. Fish were fluttering around, glowing as bright as the crystals. She moved the water and adjusted her light to see if there was anything in the pond to be concerned about.

She could see the bottom- just sand and small fish. She was worried about getting poisoned by the various mushrooms, but they were basically her only hope. What was the best thing to do besides for try and pray? She grabbed six mushrooms, they were rather large and abundant. She wasn't overly concerned about running out, so she headed back to the camp.

Dudley was still asleep when she came back.

"I found these," she woke him up, wishing once again she could roast the mushrooms over a fire. Once again, the mystery orb seemed to follow through, and heated up for them to cook it slightly. Dudley was worried about touching the mystery orb at first, but seemed to grow comfortable as it felt not hot enough to cook the mushrooms but was hot enough to cook the mushrooms.

He ate in disgust. After Dudley didn't drop dead from the first bite, Harry ate her own mushrooms. He also didn't grab at her mushrooms, because Harry could easily dance away and he would be stuck there with a broken arm. Dudley for the first time in his life was at her mercy.

They had been in the cave for at least a few days before Dudley was comfortable enough with Harry leaving him. Before that he would insist on coming with, because she was literally his source of light. At this point though, Dudley had shaped down quite a bit and was no longer always out of breath. His arm wasn't swollen anymore, but it was still definitely broken.

Harry kept exploring different directions, but she only chose upstream because the cave ended where the pond and mushrooms grew. After a while she came upon enormous double doors with ancient looking markings on it. It had to be the way out- so she opened the door without waiting for Dudley.

Inside loomed a single colossal statue with his eyes closed. As she walked closer, the door shut behind her. She turned around in sheer terror and ran towards the door and tried to open it back up. It was sealed solid as stone.

"Why am I so stupid," she moaned as she observed the room that laid out like a temple before her. An alter sat in front of the statue, ready for sacrifice. She touched the walls that were tall as buildings until she was standing before the statue, in front of the altar. Her height was about as large as the statue's bare toes that poked beneath its long robes.

"What do you want?" she asked the marble statue, and as soon as she blinked its eyes were open. Marble eyeballs rolled to meet hers, expressionless and equally terrifying.

"Sacrifice one," the statue rumbled so deep the entire room shook and rocks danced down the walls in fear.

Harriet Lillian Potter was not stupid. A sharp ice-like chill stabbed down her throat to her feet, freezing her in place. It was not from the statue moving- for it was already so lifelike it was surprising it wasn't already alive. But "sacrifice one" meant one of them would have to stand on the altar and get murdered. The statue returned to his resting place, and closed his eyes as if uncaring of her fate.

She dared not touch the altar on her way out. The doors unsealed for her.

She returned to Dudley, not daring to mention the doors until they were sure that was their only way out. She had a feeling the search for the exit would be hopeless anyways. Regardless, she kept searching.

However long had passed, Dudley seemed to only grow healthier and more appreciative of her. He was mostly quiet, full of self reflection. It didn't matter though, because she found the other end of the cave, and it was equally closed off. The cave was an alternate universe with no way out.

She finally told Dudley about the statue and doors between the back and front of the cave, and together they roamed until they reached the doors.

"It said sacrifice one," she said nonchalantly.

"Actually... I heard," he said, wiping away his tears.

"I don't suppose you want to die either?" she asked.

"Not really, but Harriet you deserve so much more than I do. My parents, they gave you nothing and I gave you nothing, and you kept me alive here..." Dudley was crying again. He hadn't cried for a week, although it was entirely unclear whether a week had passed or not when there was no sun to keep time.

"Well... you know it was just in case I had to eat you," Harry replied humorlessly, but even Dudley could see the lie in that. They opened the doors together, unclear of which one to sacrifice.

The giant statue scared Dudley, but the doors had already sealed away behind them.

"Dudley," Harry said, "I want you to get back to your parents because I sure as hell don't want to get back to your parents."

"I... I know Harry,"

"Life at Private Drive is a living hell, and well, I guess just name your first born son or daughter after me- honestly. Stop bullying and stop hanging out with Piers,"

"W-well I could be the sacrifice," Dudley said tentatively.

"Don't be an idiot Dud, you don't have the guts to even walk. You're peeing your pants as you walk," Harry pointed out. She was right though, a trickle of terror urine had soaked the front of his pants. She didn't blame him though, the statue had just opened his eyes.

"I'm s-such a coward Harry, you're probably... you're probably laughing at me right now-," his voice was shaking to the point of hysteria.

"I'm really not," she stared at him, only genuinity found in her green eyes.

"I- I want us both to live Harry, I've only been an ass," Dudley burst into tears. As if possessed by the devil himself, Dudley ran towards the altar and towards the statue and threw himself on the ground bowing.

"Dudley!" she called.

"P-please God, p-please let us both live I promise... I promise to be good and do-" Dudley looked up at the statue's face which was glaring down at him. The statue's eyes were glowing bright like fire, crown of thorns, and too long robes. Its mouth split open into a grin with too many teeth.

Dudley whimpered. The statue gestured the altar and said, "Sacrifice one."

Harry's hands were already on the altar.

She didn't really want to die, she thought as she laid down while Dudley was still blubbering out praises and begging. But she didn't exactly want to live either. It wasn't just the cupboard, nor was it the abuse; it was love, or the lack thereof. She had no one who loved her the way Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon doted on Dudley.

She thought maybe next time she's born she would have parents. Maybe not like Dudley's, but parents that cared. She saw the statue looming over her, its hand was on a sword- and the sword was the length of a light post at least.

"Harry, Harry, please," Dudley screamed. Well at least someone seemed to care for her, in the last moments of her life. Dudley ran towards her screaming and she briefly thought about how ugly he looked with those tears plastered across his baby blue eyes and snot dribbling down to his chin. The statue was smiling above her but the only thing she could think about was Dudley,

"Thanks for caring, Duds," she whispered.

And the statue slammed the sword into her gut, splitting both herself and the alter in half.