I'm so sorry for not updating last week, but I was completely caught up in my own drama and I simply couldn't write... that doesn't happen often, to be honest and it was kind of scary but luckily fixed itself soon enough. So here we are with a new chapter and we start right where we left off. Hope y'all enjoy!

Reg must have lost his mind, I thought. There was no other explanation.
"What in Merlin's name," I asked. "Are you talking about?"

"Look," he said, slightly breathless from the excitement. "I was thinking, what if he kind of... took out his heart-"

"Took out his heart?" I repeated. "Did you think it was hairy?"

Reg glared at me and leant back in his chair. "I'm not talking fairy-tales here, Selene. I mean it. I did some research and I found something."

I sighed heavily. He was obviously grasping at straws and it was sad. But I did not have the heart to tell him so and gestured for him to continue his explanation.

"There is a spell," he said slowly. "Horrible... horrible thing. It allows you to... split your soul and take it out."

I scoffed. "This is ridiculous-"

"It's true," he said hotly. Reg jumped up and pulled out one of the books from the shelf. It was chained to it and he was just so able to put it on the table in front of me. "Page 394."

I rolled my eyes but reached out and opened the book. "Horcrux," I read the chapter title.

Reg raised a challenging eyebrow. "I'd think twice about reading it," he said. "It's not for the faint of heart."

I pushed the book away and nodded slightly at him. Becoming immortal was no nice process, I had expected so much. That did not mean I was not interested in the appropriate version. "Explain," I asked.

Reg nodded at me and sat down again, pulling the book towards him. "It's... a Horcrux is a part of your soul put into some sort of object."

"What sort of object?" I asked.

"Doesn't matter. Anything will do... For all I know, you could put it into an old can," he mused.

I gave a dry laugh though I really did not feel joyful. "I bet he didn't do that."

Reg smiled tightly at me. "Probably not, no."

"Do you have any idea what it could be?" I asked.

He shook his head, his expression darkening even further. "Not a clue."

I groaned and let my head drop to the table. All of our knowledge would not help us at all if we could not find the dark objects. Finding out what they were would be close to impossible. Who knew what a dark wizard would use to contain his soul?

"I'm sure if I snoop around a bit," he started and my head shot up again.

"Don't you dare!" I warned him. "When he finds out you know, he'll kill you-"

Reg sighed. "It would be worth it, wouldn't it? If we could make him mortal again..."

I reached out and grasped his hand, causing his eyes to sharply meet mine. "We don't even know for sure that's what he did. It's not worth taking risks. Promise me, Reg."

He sighed again, but nodded. "All right."

"Good," I said, gently pulling my hand back.

We sat in silence for a while, pondering on our possibilities. How would we proceed now, with this knowledge but no further clues to go after? Would it suffice if we took this to Dumbledore? I feared for Reg's safety if we confessed everything we knew now... what if they did not believe him? If they put him into Azkaban? I was more afraid of that then I cared to admit. But then... would our headmaster allow this to happen? He had to have some clue as to Reg's... extracurricular activities. And yet, he did not do anything about it even as Callie and the others fled... No matter what, it would be worse if the Dark Lord found out. Those consequences would be even more dire. The thought of the cruelties that might await Reg there reminded me that I was not yet fully informed.

"Reg," I asked, causing him to flinch slightly as I pulled him out of his thoughts. "How do split your soul?"

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Reg?"

"By... by an extreme act of evil." He opened his eyes and met my gaze. "By murder."

I swallowed hard as I realized the reason for his hesitation. "Well," I said. "You could totally become immortal now."

His gaze turned into a glare. "There's no need to be mean."

"Just saying it's an option," I bit back.
Slumping back into the chair, I tried to make sense of the situation. There was no proof that You-Know-Who had actually done this. He could have used some other method, but then... this bit of dark magic seemed fit for an evil mastermind. Everyone knew he took joy in killing.

Reg's hand gently brushed over the page in the book. "Selene, we need to find it."

"You just promised me you wouldn't," I reminded him

"I know... but there's no other way," he said.

"Let's just go to Dumbledore now. I might not be a member of the Order yet, but I'm as good as, my word should worth a thing. I am sure he would believe us if we told him you switched sides and-"

He held up his hand to interrupt me and I fell silent, waiting for his reply. "It's not possible. He'll know. The Dark Lord will know and he'll kill my family... he'll come after Sirius, after you." He shook his head. "I can't let it happen."

"If he finds you looking for Horcruxes, he'll not only kill you," I told him. "He'll torture you and then when he's done, he'll go after us, anyway. But Dumbledore can protect you. Sirius and I can handle ourselves and I'm sure they would even help your parents... though they hardly deserve it if I may be frank."

He rubbed his hand over his face in frustration. "Reg," I implored. "Please."
He had to see sense. Going on a Horcrux hunt was sheer madness. He did not have any idea where to start and his snooping would only get him in terrible trouble. We were in enough danger as it already were. Reg had to know that, too. I would even confess the whole thing to Sirius and convince him to safe his parents if that was what it took.

"What if I could find out?" he said. "Just think about it. This is a one-time chance. There's only me who could find out. I am... the only one who can make him mortal again."

"You always said you're not a hero," I said gently. "Why start now?"

"Well, maybe I want to be," he said forcefully. "Or maybe I just have to be. Selene, we have to take him down, the quicker the better. This is the only way and only I can-"

I laughed, exasperated at his insistence. "Only you? You're still in school, Reg. Why not leave saving the world to those actually able to?"

He looked away, staring at the book before him. I sighed heavily, immediately sorry for hurting him. But I was right, after all! He had done a great job at finding this out, but personally going up against the Dark Lord was just too big for him. Too big for the both of us. And no matter what I might have to tell Sirius, no matter how I might have treated Reg these past few weeks - I did not want to lose him.

"Look," I said. "I'm just scared. You're going to get yourself killed and I can't... I can't let that happen."

"And I can't let this go on without doing anything," he said solemnly. "Though I'm incredibly scared, myself."

The problem was - Reg had a point. Maybe, I thought, it was just the Slytherin in me, trying to get me to do what was safest for me. I had resolved to be a better person, had I not? Why stop at my love-life? Why not overcome the cowardice once and for all? A better person would surely act instead of hide. Maybe Reg had it all figured out.
That left only one option for me.

"All right, do what you think is best" I said, nodding at him. Reg's eyebrows rose in surprise at my sudden change of tone. "But only under one condition."

"I'm all ears," he said.

"If you find out where it is," I said. "You come straight to me. We started this together. We'll end it together, too."

He narrowed his eyes at me and I challengingly raised an eyebrow at him. If he sought to die for the greater good, he could not deny me the same thing. "Fine," he said. "We have a deal."

"Deal," I repeated, shaking his offered hand.

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