A/N: Thank you all so much for your reviews, favorites and follows after last chapter! I know everything with Bellatrix and Voldemort is so sketchy. There is a special little bit at the end for some of the reviewers from a few chapters ago :) You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I post sneak peeks, story updates and answer questions. Huge thank you to Alassea Black for beta reading this chapter!
Please let me know what you thought of chapter thirty-five and be on the lookout for chapter thirty-six soon!
Hermione and Regulus sat together in the Black family library in Grimmauld Place after fighting off Walburga's numerous attempts to hover over them, under the guise of making Hermione feel comfortable. Hermione tried not to be annoyed, knowing that the older woman was completely excited that all of her plans were working, but it was awkward to say the least. Especially knowing that marrying her was not what Regulus wanted, and if she knew the truth about Hermione's blood status, she would be throwing the younger witch out on the street.
However, once they'd assured her that no, they didn't need any tea or biscuits and yes, they promised to call Kreacher if they needed anything at all, Walburga finally left them alone. Hermione quickly threw up some detection spells, only to see Regulus's confused face in response. She shrugged her shoulders. "What? I don't want any more unexpected interruptions."
Her cheeks went a bit pink when she thought about how that could be interpreted, but remembering that they were just going to do a bit of studying quickly had Hermione focusing on the large book in front of her. Apparently, Regulus had scored a lot of points with his family when he explained that he was helping her to study for her NEWTs, now only a few months away. The Black family still couldn't fathom why she would want any qualifications, but still thought it was cute that Regulus was helping.
Regulus was up to his elbows in old looking maps that took up the entire table, their edges fragile and worn. Since they had secured another horcrux, he thought it was best to locate the home where the Gaunts lived, which Hermione knew hid the horcrux ring. Hermione, meanwhile was reading through a biography of Rowena Ravenclaw, hoping to solve the mystery of where the Lost Diadem might be hidden. Since speaking with Severus, the pair agreed that that sounded exactly like the kind of historical magical artifact that Voldemort would want to use as a vessel for his soul.
Staring down at the vivid color picture, Hermione let her fingers trace the blue stones wrought in silver that made up the truly pretty tiara. "I swear I've seen this before," she whispered, biting her lower lip. She wasn't entirely sure why it seemed so familiar, but it was there in the back of her mind like an itch she couldn't reach.
"At least you are having better luck than I am," Regulus moaned in defeat. "The Gaunts lived in complete solitude, eschewing all wizards that they deemed less than them, which seems to be basically everyone. I've gone to the oldest maps and I haven't seen their names appear once."
"That seems about what I expect for Voldemort's family," she said with a frown. "I mean, if you believe what Dumbledore has to say, they barely even tolerated his mother since she was a squib...very good at potions though."
Regulus leaned back in his chair, clear interest on his face. "I don't know anything about the Dark Lord's life before he became the Dark Lord," he said, his grey eyes looking at her intensely. "Maybe I've been looking at this the wrong way. I've just been checking known magical enclaves since wizards first came to the Island from the continent. What do you know about the Dark Lord's life."
Hermione stared at him, surprised once again that so many people were willing to follow a man that they knew practically nothing about. "Well, he is really called Tom Riddle," she said, licking her lips eagerly as she began to lecture. "His mother Merope Gaunt fell in love with a handsome muggle named Tom Riddle and fed him amortentia to get him to fall in love with her. Once she was pregnant, she stopped giving it to him, convinced that his affection for her was genuine."
"He just summoned me to where he was staying...Riddle Manor. It was in Yorkshire," Regulus said, rubbing his hands together. "This is a direction I can work with. If the Manor belonged to his father, it means that his mother must have lived around there, and that means, the Gaunt house will be nearby."
"Wait…" Hermione said, a confused look on her face. "What do you mean he summoned you to Riddle Manor? What the hell happened?" She was genuinely concerned about her new friend, knowing that he was likely in the most danger out of anyone involved, since he was directly betraying Voldemort.
Regulus immediately went pink, a guilty look on his face. "Listen, I was meaning to tell you about it, but I am just so embarrassed that I didn't remember about it until now," he said nervously. "I might have...left a note in the fake locket I left in the cave. The Dark Lord found it...probably went to check on it when he felt his horcrux destroyed. It's okay, though, I convinced him that I didn't have anything to do with it."
"How the hell did you manage that?" Hermione asked, completely perplexed. Of course, she was also feeling a bit guilty about the note, seeing as they had found it in the future. She couldn't believe that she'd forgotten about it until now.
"I'll have you know I'm a master occlumens," Regulus said, a bit of haughty pride bleeding into his voice at her doubt. "Everyone in the Black family learns the skill from a young age. And anyway, I convinced him that it could have just as easily been Rabastan, since he and I are competing for your hand," he said with a smirk on his handsome face.
Hermione rolled her eyes briefly. "Well, I can't say that I am too sorry for Rabastan, I suppose," she said, running her hands up and down her arms. Luckily, she'd avoided Rabastan since they'd gotten the horcrux, but he was consistently pushing her for another date. "I can't believe that Voldemort bought it."
"Well, that's not all, I suppose," Regulus murmured, this time looking quite guilty. "The Dark Lord wants to meet you, since you've captured the attentions of two of his loyal followers. He finds no patience for human emotions such as love. I told him you'd agree."
"Regulus!" Hermione shouted, standing abruptly from the table. "How could you do that? You might be a master occlumens, but I am not. I can't believe you said I would go in the same room as that monster."
"I know, but I couldn't exactly deny him," Regulus answered, quickly standing and wrapping her into a hug, hoping to alleviate some of her fears. "And even if I had said no, Rabastan would have happily dragged you in front of him because no matter how strongly against it I am, you won't end this farce of a courtship with him."
"You know why I can't do that, Regulus," Hermione argued, desperately. "It would be too suspicious so close after visiting his vaults. It might make the Lestranges suspicious. Don't you think I want to be rid of him too? He's constantly pawing at me and kissing me. He absolutely makes my skin crawl." She shuddered at the memory.
Regulus stilled at hearing her words, pulling back so that she could look at his face. "You kissed him?" he questioned, his voice low and hurt.
Hermione knew then that she shouldn't have put off discussing the kiss she and Regulus had shared for so long. "I did not kiss Rabastan, Regulus. He kissed me and there is a difference," she said, praying that he would understand. "I do not want him to kiss me and have tried to make it clear to him, but he also thinks that I might want to marry him."
"So break off the bloody courtship!" Regulus growled, annoyed that she continued to put herself in the situation.
She spun out of his arms. "I am going to, when the time is right. Besides, what are you going to tell your parents if I break off the courtship with the Lestranges and de facto choose you, Regulus? That they should start planning the wedding?"
"Is the thought of being married to me really so terrible?" he snapped, sounding hurt.
"You know that it's not you that I object to, Regulus. I think I've showed you that much," she said, looking at him significantly, willing him to understand how much she really liked him, without bringing up the kiss explicitly. "But I am not going to be in a relationship with someone just because his parents told him to court me."
Hermione wasn't entirely sure what she was expecting...perhaps Regulus to tell her that he genuinely liked her and that he wanted to be with her no matter what. After all, if Regulus's parents learned she was a muggle, she was positive that they would not allow a relationship, and she didn't want to have her heart broken just because Regulus couldn't say no to his parents. She never expected that he wouldn't have any answer for her at all.
Sirius sat in the little cottage in Godric's Hollow, sharing some firewhiskey with James, eagerly waiting for Lily and Marlene to retreat to discuss baby things so that he could talk to the other man one on one. Some of the things that Hermione had said to him had been sticking in his mind and he knew he'd be all mixed up until he talked it over with someone.
"Lily, why don't you show Marlene the nursery?" James suggested, giving his wife a sweet smile, perhaps sensing Sirius's urgency. Once the two women were out of the room, the bespectacled man leaned forward. "You looked like you wanted to talk."
Sirius sighed, staring at a spot over James's head. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about some of the things that Regulus's witch, Hermione told me," he said, leaning forward. "She said that there was a spy in the Order, and I've been wondering...could it be Remus?"
"What? Of course not!" James said, always the first to expect the best out of everyone.
"I just mean...you can't deny that he's changed since he's been out to parley with the werewolf tribes," Sirius argued, his belly feeling like a pit of snakes for doubting one of his best friends. "You know I can't even believe I'm doubting him. He's been our friend since the beginning."
"This witch has gotten in your head, Sirius. Frank and Moody are both convinced she's dark," James whispered. "How can you even trust what she's saying?"
Sirius snorted. "They can believe that all they want, but I've actually talked to her. She's not a dark witch. And she was already right about the prophecy, so I feel like she's telling the truth about this too. Even though, I have no idea how she heard about it."
James shook his head. "She sounds suspicious, especially if she is spending time with Regulus. You know how fanatical he was the last few years," he argued. "And how would she know about the prophecy if there wasn't something nefarious going on? It's not like...she can see the future or something!" James said with a laugh.
The elder Black brother joined in on the laughter. It did sound a bit preposterous when he said it like that. Still, Hermione had correctly predicted Dumbledore's actions so far, so he couldn't just dismiss them out of hand, not when it meant that it might put the people he cared for in jeopardy. "You know, I could have sworn I saw Regulus and his witch the other day when I went for a joyride in Muggle London, but I figured it had to just be a trick of the eye," he said with a laugh. "After all, Regulus would rather die than wear jeans, and I can't imagine him waiting for a bus."
His friend chuckled, clapping Sirius on the back. "Mate, Moody is working you too hard if you are imagining your brother in the muggle world. I think it's time you and Marlene took a vacation."