Suspicions and Clues

Regulus jumped when he heard the telltale crack of Apparition, and his jaw dropped at seeing a bedraggled and wet Kreacher pop into the room. The elf fainted and Regulus immediately went to work, feeding potions to the elf and reviving it.

"Kreacher! What happened?" Regulus asked urgently. Kreacher sat up.

"Master…" Kreacher squeaked. "Master, Kreacher came back. Kreacher came back for Master." Kreacher croaked, tears gathering at the edges of his eyes. Regulus was confused.

"Tell me what happened, Kreacher." Regulus said. Kreacher began to tell his tale and his narrow escape, and Regulus furrowed his eyebrows when the story was finished.

"And I Apparated back to Master." Kreacher finished sombrely. Regulus sighed.

"Thanks, Kreacher." He said kindly. "You may go and rest."

"Master is too kind!" Kreacher bowed so low that he was in danger of falling on his head. Then he popped away. Regulus sat down at his desk. This was troubling. Whatever Voldemort had hidden, it required a blood sacrifice, a ghostly boat, Inferi, and the Drink of Despair to guard it. From what Kreacher gathered, it was an ancient locket reeking of darkness. Regulus decided he would check up all the famous lockets that were made. He made his way to the Library and searched the shelves.

Magical Artefacts

He took the book down and searched the table of contents.

The Deathly Hallows:

The Cloak of Invisibility

The Resurrection Stone

The Elder Wand

The Sorting Hat

Godric Gryffindor's sword

Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem

Helga Hufflepuff's cup

Salazar Slytherin's locket

He paused. Salazar Slytherin…wasn't the Dark Lord always going on about how he was the rightful heir to Slytherin? A locket…yes, this would be it.

Regulus flipped to the page of the locket.

"Kreacher!" He called. The elf popped in.

"Master called?"

"Yes. Does this look like the locket the Dark Lord held?" Regulus asked. Kreacher studied the locket carefully.

"Kreacher is not sure, but Kreacher thinks that the locket the Dark Lord had and the locket on the book are the same." Kreacher bowed.

"Thank you Kreacher." Regulus said gratefully. "So…the locket of Slytherin…what was he doing, hiding it like that?" He muttered to himself. Kreacher popped out again, seeing that he wasn't needed. Regulus frowned and looked up. He sighed. "Kreacher!" He called. Poor Kreacher popped back again.

"Master called?" He asked again. Regulus smiled.

"Kreacher, can you explain how the locket felt? Down to the last detail, please." Regulus said. Kreacher hesitated.

"The locket felt like the Dark Lord." Kreacher said. Regulus nodded.

"Go on." He said, intrigued. "Did it feel like the Dark Lord or part of the Dark Lord? Did it feel like the Dark Lord's soul?" He asked agitatedly. Please tell me it isn't true…

"Yes, Master!" Kreacher's eyes widened. "That's exactly what it felt like! It felt like the Dark Lord's soul. It just felt the same, and Kreacher thought there were two Dark Lords for a moment." Kreacher said. Regulus nodded absently. It can't be…

"Thank you Kreacher. You may go." He said. Kreacher cracked away, and this time he didn't return. Regulus punched a bookshelf angrily. He looked at the books and went to the part with the darkest books on magic. He scanned the shelves and found a few books on soul magic. Thank the heavens that the Black Library is so extensive.

He pulled a book called Magick Moste Evile and flipped to the 'H' part of the book. He had only come across this term once, and that was in the Restricted Section of the library. He had approached Professor Slughorn about it, and had been forcefully ejected from Slughorn's office. Naturally that made him even more curious and suspicious, but he couldn't check out the book, obviously, so his curiosity wasn't sated…until now.

"Horcruxes…" He breathed. "Damn it!" He cursed. "Useless book." He put it back on the shelf. Then he paused.

"Hmm…" He murmured. "I'll just have to ask the Dark Lord, then."

Regulus knocked on Voldemort's door.

"Enter."

Regulus opened the door and bowed, closing it behind him.

"Milord." He said.

"Regulus. What is it?" Voldemort asked.

"You see, milord, I was searching up more on the Avada Kedavra, and what is required to make the spell more successful and stronger, when I came across a term that I was unfamiliar with." Regulus said respectfully.

"Yes?" The Dark Lord asked.

"The book—" Regulus held up The Unforgivable Curses and opened it up to a page. "It says that killing someone in cold blood with the killing curse can help make Horcruxes. I was wondering what Horcruxes were." Regulus kept bowing, not looking Voldemort in the eyes.

"Where did you get that book?" Voldemort asked, instead of answering Regulus' question.

"I found it, milord." Regulus lied through his teeth. He found it, yes, in the family Library, which Voldemort cannot be allowed to access. Thank god he had made a copy, as Voldemort plucked it from his hand.

"Very interesting…very well. I will keep this book in exchange for the answers to your question." Voldemort said. Regulus bowed deeper, keeping silent.

"Horcruxes are containers of one's soul. One splits their soul and places the part of the soul inside the Horcrux. This is the key to immortality. A cold-blooded murder makes one's soul unstable, therefore one can rip it apart after the murder, and make a Horcrux. You must not tell anyone else of this, understand?" Voldemort said. Regulus nodded, leaping with joy inside.

"I am honoured to be hearing of such information, my lord." Regulus said instead.

"Very well. You may leave." Voldemort said carelessly. Regulus bowed again and made his way out. He went back to Grimmauld Place and tore his room apart searching for a locket. He found one that's similar to Slytherin's locket. He took a piece of parchment and a quill and quickly scribbled his message down, signing it with his initials. He knew that the outcome of his mission will be grim, and there's a ninety-nine point nine nine chance that he'll die. He inserted the note into the locket.

"Kreacher!" He called, taking his wand and emptying his pockets of any valuables. A few Galleons and a silver necklace fell out. Regulus' breath hitched when he saw what it was.

"Happy eleventh birthday Reggie!" Sirius said happily. He handed Regulus a small package. Regulus tore it open eagerly and found a delicate silver necklace with the sign of Gemini hanging from it. He gasped.

"It's so pretty, Sirius!" He whispered. Sirius grinned and took out his own necklace, which was a replica.

"This is for us. Brothers forever." Sirius said, placing his hand on Regulus' own one and squeezing it. Regulus put the necklace on eagerly.

"Brothers forever." He repeated, hugging his older brother, who laughed and hugged him back.

Regulus had tears in his eyes. Kreacher popped in once again.

"Master? What's wrong, Master?" Kreacher asked.

"Kreacher…" Regulus said thickly. "Keep this necklace safe, will you?" He handed the gift from Sirius to Kreacher, who nodded curiously.

"What is Master planning?" Kreacher asked. Regulus shook his head.

"Just follow me. Kreacher, you must obey me. If I tell you to go, then you must go. I trust you, Kreacher. Don't betray my trust." Regulus said seriously. Kreacher's eyes widened and he nodded.

"Yes Master, I swear to obey." Kreacher said.

"Very well." Regulus said. "Put the necklace somewhere safe." He said. Kreacher hastened to do so, returning in a few moments. "You must NOT tell anyone of what is going to happen next, alright?" He said. Kreacher nodded. "Now take me to the place the Dark Lord too you to." He said sternly. Kreacher gasped, but couldn't disobey a direct order.

"As you wish, Master." He said. With a crack, they were gone again.