Hello! Welcome back to another riveting chapter. I am currently typing this with a large, fat cat slumped over one half of my body, so forgive any typos; I'm forced to lay sideways to properly accommodate her.

So a few of you have complimented me on the plan of Riddle opening the Chamber, stating it makes sense to act now, more so than in canon. While I'm glad you give me credit to believe I would think ahead like that, but in my story Voldemort doesn't actually knows about the plan to open the Chamber.

Actually, I don't think Tom knew in canon that his valuable Horcrux would conspire to continue it's own ambitions. Given how important it was to him, I think he intended to save it for when he needed it most. I don't believe Lucius acted on his orders by giving it to Ginny. Judging from canon, no one within Voldemort's circle knew he had one Horcrux, let alone many. By giving it to someone else, it runs the risk of being destroyed (as it was in the second book). I think Voldemort planned to use the diary at some point under a more controlled scenario, like taking someone hostage and giving them the diary to write in, and they, being lonely, scared and desperate, pouring their heart out into it just for something to do and unknowingly giving it something more, their soul. Under those conditions, he could protect the Horcrux while still accomplishing the goal of revival.

If Someone Cared Enough

Chapter Seventy-Four: Reg Joins the Fold

Regulus stared on in open-mouthed shock as a door appeared in what once was an unassuming blank space of wall. Turning, he directed his questioning and stunned gaze to the smirking Slytherin beside him.

"Welcome to the Come-and-Go room," Severus said smugly.

Grabbing the knob, he opened the door to reveal a large, spacious living room, complete with decorative pillows of fuchsia and chartreuse. Wall to wall the floor displayed an array of intricate patterns across a rather expensive looking rug of geometric shapes and plush sofas formed a half moon in the center of the room.

Severus raised a brow, regarding his host.

Nesme only shrugged, "Don't look at me; I only wished for somewhere private where we could talk comfortably."

"Well you all certainly look…comfortable," Severus replied, glancing around the room at his friends spread out lazing across the sofas and floor cushions.

"Ooh, I love this sculpture," Mary gushed, picking up a gilded statue of an elephant, a flowery, henna like pattern etched into its every surface.

Severus wandered the room, leading a still gaping Regulus by the shoulder.

"This is the most luxurious couch I've even been on," Lily practically moaned, spread out across the silk.

"I never realized you had such exuberant taste, Nesme," Severus said observantly.

Nesme shrugged again, "It's my Nanni's sitting room. My Grandmum's," she corrected, "This place must have figured I'd be most comfortable there."

"I'm definitely comfortable," Lupin called, sinking into an incredible plush cushion.

"Lupin's here?!" Regulus asked, angrily wrenching himself out of Severus's grasp, "You let him in on this?"

"We have reason to believe he can be trusted," Severus said smoothly.

Nesme snorted, "Yeah, and that reason is collateral."

Lupin flushed, sinking deeper into his seat.

"You're mad if you think he can be trusted," Regulus said, pointing a finger at Lupin, "He's probably dying to offer up this information as a boon to patch things up with his lousy friends."

Lupin frowned, "I have no interest in ratting anyone out to them. I'm the one who told them to lay off Severus in the first place. Why would I throw him under the hippogriff now just to be their friend again."

"I don't know, because you're desperate?" Regulus snapped sarcastically.

Lupin glared at him, red staining his cheeks.

"And what the bloody hell is this place anyway?" Regulus demanded to know, "Is this where you all disappear to? You just come here and what? Sit around eating chocolate?!"

Everyone followed his gaze to Nesme, the girl frozen mid bite with a chocolate confection in her hand.

"Where'd you get that?" Davis asked.

"I don't know and I can't begin to bring myself to care," Nesme replied, taking another bite.

"So the room can make food out of thin air?" Davis questioned with a frown, "Do you really think you should be eating it if you don't know where it came from? Or what it's made of?"

Nesme narrowed her eyes at him, "If you think you're going to stop me, be prepared to pull back a bloody, bitten stump."

"Relax, you two," Simone soothed as the pair glared at each other, "It probably pops it up from the kitchens; just like the house elves do."

That gave Davis pause, "I suppose that would make sense," he glanced at Nesme, "Guess it's safe then."

"I'd better eat it all, just to make sure," Nesme insisted.

"Or you could share them," Davis suggested, extending a hand expectantly.

"Bloody stump, Davis," Nesme warned threateningly, "Bloody, bloody stump."

"Hello?!" Regulus shouted, "Some answers if you please! Where the hell are we?"

"I already told you," Severus said boredly, "The Come-and-Go room."

Regulus scoffed, "So there's just a secret sitting room on the seventh floor and you lot are the first to every find it?"

"It isn't always a sitting room," Simone pointed out, "Last few times we were here, it was a room of junk."

"Yes and we weren't the first to find it," Thea added, "Presumably, the last person in here before us is the one who hid the very thing we're here to discuss."

"Yeah, before we touch on that," Davis cut in, "What assurance do we have that this guy," he pointed at Reg, "Is actually as trustworthy as you think he is?"

Nesme nodded, "Yeah. For all his accusing Remus of ratting us out, we have even less reason to trust Regulus. So he wrote the note; that doesn't mean he wanted us to find the diary to save everyone."

"Maybe he was in on Lucius plan," Davis theorized, "Hoping to convince us to seek out the wretched thing earlier."

"And how would that make sense?" Regulus questioned in irritation, "It's not like you could just waltz into Malfoy Manor and take the stupid thing. Why would I try and lure you to it?"

Davis shrugged, "You tell me."

Regulus rolled his eyes in exasperation, "I wrote that note to warn Snape. Dobby told me Lucius was planning to release it on the school. I thought it was a book of curses and that he was planning to cast something from it. I didn't realize he was actually going to sneak the book into school on one of you."

"To be honest," Simone drawled, "I don't think anyone could have foresaw Malfoy actually giving away his weapon in hopes we'd be dumb enough to use it on ourselves."

"Regardless," Davis interjected, "We need to know for sure that Regulus is trustworthy first. I'm not about to share what we know if there's a chance he's going to run off to Rosier or worst with the info."

"I agree with Davis," Nesme stated, "We really should be better safe than sorry."

"Well I think we should trust Severus," Lily said, prompting a nod from Mary, "Severus is pretty perceptive about people. I think he'd know if Regulus was lying."

"Forgive me if I want more proof than someone's judge of character," Davis snorted, "No offense, Snape, but you did used to think this guy and his lot were your friends."

"I actually never said friends," Severus pointed out, "Acquaintances, yes, stepping stones to what I assumed would be my own greatness, sure. But never friends. Avery and Mulciber were slobbering cavemen. I barely tolerated them."

"Well you always seemed civil to this one," Davis argued gesturing to Reg.

"Because his family was prominent and powerful," Severus stated, "I'm not about to pick fights when I cannot win."

"So what makes you think you know Regulus enough to trust him now?" Davis challenged, "He wasn't your friend then, he's not a friend now, so how can you be certain he's being sincere?"

"I say we use veritaserum," Nesme declared.

Davis nodded, "I agree."

Severus scoffed, "And where ever would we get that?"

"We can nick it from Slughorn's office," Davis said.

"Let's try and talk this out rationally," Lupin tried to intervene.

"I'm pretty sure Slughorn would notice," Severus shot back, ignoring Lupin.

"Well you're a potion's genius, right?" Davis said, "Just make him a replacement."

"It takes ages—," Severus argued.

"No one is dosing anyone," Thea said authoritatively.

"But," Davis began.

Thea fixed him with a look, "No one."

Thea rose to her feet crossing the room in a few quick strides. As everyone looked on, the normally quiet girl regarded Regulus seriously. Standing nearly nose to nose with the boy, Thea stared Regulus down, eyeing him critically.

Finally she sighed, "I heard the whispers in the common room; I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your house elf…"

Regulus straightened, alarmed.

"What?" he asked, worry coloring his tone, "Why do you say that? Did something happen to Kreacher?"

Thea said nothing, she only continued to stare at Regulus sadly.

"What rumors?" Regulus grabbed Thea by the shoulders, "Is something wrong with Kreacher? Please, what have you heard?"

"Enough to know you have a good heart," Thea said simply, calmly detaching Regulus's grip from her shoulders, "Kreacher's fine. I just needed to gauge some things."

"You made that up," Regulus gaped, "That was all just a test?"

"And you passed," Thea informed him, sitting back down, "Congratulations."

She turned to the others, "Regulus might have been raised by more prejudicial parents that you all were, but clearly he struggles to buy into the mindset that others are truly beneath him by blood. If he love Kreacher so much, I highly doubt he enjoys seeing what people like Lucius or Bellatrix do to house elves."

"You want to protect those you care about just as much as we do," she said to Regulus, "Don't you?"

Regulus stared at her dumbstruck, "Y-yes?"

"Then I say we give him a chance," Thea announced to everyone, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"Where did this all come from?" Simone asked, staring at Thea in shock.

"She sort of took over while you were avoiding me," Severus elaborated, "You're absence prompted her to…rise to the occasion, so to speak."

Simone whistled, impressed, "Didn't think she had it in her."

Thea clapped her hands, "So let's get down to business. Sim?"

"Wha?" Simone asked, slightly dazed, "Oh, right…"

Simone cleared her throat.

"The diary," she began, addressing Regulus, "You're already aware no doubt that it once belonged to a man named Tom Riddle. You've surmised that it's likely cursed in some way. You would be correct. What you probably don't know is that it isn't the only thing of a dark nature that he left behind."

"Really," Regulus inquired shakily, slowly sitting down on the couch, "What else is there?"

"A diadem," Simone answered, "Cursed by him in his youth and left here after he graduated. Left in this place," she indicated the room they sat in, "Though not technically this particular room. It was a junk room when he found it…perhaps I'm not explaining this right."

"Wait a minute," Regulus interrupted, "back up a bit. You know when this guy graduated? How much do you all know about him?"

"Oh, right," Severus interjected, "Perhaps a little backstory is in order."

He took the student record proffered by Lily and slid it across the coffee table to Reg.

"It would seem that the mysterious Tom Riddle is a muggle hating half blood," Severus revealed, "Hell bent on bringing to fruition the endeavors of his ancestor Salazar Slytherin."

"H-he's related to Slytherin?" Regulus stammered.

"Evidence would suggest it, yes," Severus answered, "There's no way of truly knowing how a half blood convinced a blood purist like Malfoy to work with him, but it's likely his relation to the founding father of Slytherin House probably helped."

"I don't understand," Regulus said, scrubbing at his forehead, "What is it they hope to accomplish? You've mentioned to me before something about the Chamber of Secrets."

Severus nodded, "It exists, Reg, and Tom opened it once before."

"You've probably heard rumors that years ago a muggleborn was killed in the school," Lily took over.

Regulus nodded, "Some of the older students said their parent's told them."

"Well it wasn't a rumor," Lily explained, "Years ago, a series of attacks occurred in Hogwarts, all on muggleborn students. Mysterious claims were made that someone had opened the Chamber. It eventually resulted in one girl actually being killed. After that, the attacks stopped…supposedly because Riddle identified the attacker."

"He blamed a pet of Hagrid's," Severus said, "Though we've conferred with the victim that it wasn't a spider she encountered in the bathroom."

"The victim?"Regulus asked, perplexed.

"Oh, did I forget to mention?" Severus said causally, "You may know the victim as Moaning Myrtle."

Regulus blinked, "The ghost that haunts the toilets?"

"The very same," Simone replied, jumping back into the conversation, "It would seem Myrtle recalls someone speaking a strange language right before she was killed. A sort of hissing, as it were."

"Parseltongue," Regulus said in understanding.

Simone nodded, "When Myrtle came out to confront that someone, the very last thing she saw was a large set of large…snake-like eyes. She died on the spot without the creature ever touching her. Sound like any serpent you might know?"

Regulus blanched, "You can't actually be suggesting it was a Basilisk. Don't you think professors would have had an easier time finding it back then?"

"That part we have yet to find an answer to," Severus said, "But the fact still remains that the evidence adds up. The parselmouth, the death on sight…"

"The fact that Hagrid's accused pet was a giant spider that he recalls being terrified to leave it's box during it's time in the school," Lily threw in, "According to the books, spiders flee before a basilisk."

"Is anyone else starting to question how we didn't figure out it was a snake before," Nesme asked suddenly, "I mean…it's Salazar Slytherin's chamber…"

"Nes, I'd greatly appreciate if you'd stop pointing out our oversights," Simone deadpanned, "So shut it."

Nesme mimed locking her lips and throwing away the key.

"Anyway," Lily said, shooting her friends a look, "Looking back on it now, Myrtle is positive it was Riddle's voice she heard before she died. So it would seem Riddle opened the Chamber and framed Hagrid to throw suspicion off himself."

"But why would he open it in the first place?" Regulus asked, "You're notes in this file say he was raised in a muggle orphanage. What made him even think he was Slytherin's descendant?"

"Check the mother's side," Severus advised, "Gaunt. From what we've uncovered, there was once a wizarding family baring that name who claimed to be descended from Salazar himself."

"A bunch of inbred blood purists," Simone said, "Known only for their insanity and poverty…that and the last remaining Gaunt being arrested for the death of Riddle's father," she picked through the file in front of Regulus, pulling out a paper, "Riddle senior; Muggle. He and his parents were found dead of no known cause in their home just miles from Gaunt's house. An already established feud incited by Morfin Gaunt led to him being suspected and subsequently arrested."

"Thing is," Simone continued, producing a different file from her bag, "The information Minks was able to get me from the ministry sites that while the Killing Curse was the last spell to come out of Morfin's wand, his confession to the murders seemed inconsistent and muddled, like it was unfamiliar even to him despite being a memory."

"You think his memory was altered?" Regulus asked.

Simone nodded, "The question is, by who? At the time, the remainder of his family whom the ministry had records of were both dead; his father Marvolo having died not long after his own release from Azkaban for a previous crime, and Morfin's sister Merope dying shortly after Tom's birth. Most avoided the Gaunts on principle, but truthfully, that isolation meant very few knew the family enough to form any true animosity with them."

"Then Tom's father, grandfather, and grandmother were found murdered in their home," Severus took over.

Regulus rubbed his brow, "But you said Morfin already had an established history against the Riddle Family. He seems the most likely to do it then. Perhaps his memory was just foggy because he was so unstable."

"But what if he didn't do it?" Severus riddled, "You see, there's something else you should know about the two families. Before Tom Riddle was born, Tom Riddle Senior ran off with Merope Gaunt in what was the most scandalous and baffling elopement the town ever knew. This was in part due to Riddle Senior's good looks and wealth compared to Merope's poverty, presumed mental instability, and her notably homely appearance."

"Considering Riddle Senior abandoned a very well to do and beautiful companion to be with Merope," Lily added, "The village was understandably shocked."

"Months later," Severus pushed on, "Riddle Senior returned without Merope, claiming to have been 'bewitched'. It doesn't take much to guess what he meant by that."

"Love potion," Regulus breathed.

Severus nodded grimly, "Merope must have run out, thereby releasing him from her control. At any rate, Riddle Senior abandoned Merope, and given that Tom Marvolo Riddle was born not long after, he left when Merope was already notably pregnant. As was mentioned before, Merope died from childbirth, penniless, alone, and most likely heartbroken, though my pity for her is mixed."

"Hard to fully sympathize with a rapist," Simone said sourly, "Even if she had the misfortune of growing up with a nutter family."

Lily and Mary nodded, exchanging a look. Neither could say they'd feel much pity for Mulciber or Avery if they found out tomorrow the pair had lived tragic, abusive lives. There were just some things in life too heinous to be excused away by hardship.

Severus slid a picture across the table to Regulus, "This is a copy of Slughorn's Slug Club during Tom's attendance at Hogwarts. And this," he slid another photo across, "Was Tom Riddle Senior. Notice anything about the two?"

Regulus picked both photos up, studying them, "Tom and his father look nearly identical to each other."

Severus nodded, "That's right. Now, Riddle had no information on his family prior to attending Hogwarts, there isn't much muggle authorities can do to dredge up a background on a dead woman who didn't exist outside the wizarding world. All he'd had to go on was his unusual middle name and the fact that he had magic. Add to that the fact that he was sorted into the house founded on pride in one's magical heritage and it wouldn't be farfetched to assume Riddle believed himself to be a pureblood wizard who landed in a muggle orphanage by mistake."

"Marvolo Gaunt, while reclusive, was in the ministry records," Thea tact on, "So Tom could have very likely looked up his middle name and started searching out magical families that name was present in."

"Imagine being Morfin Gaunt," Simone poised, "You're poor, you're unwell, and not right in the head. Now imagine some teenager waltzing into your home who looks surprisingly like the rich muggle you used to hex, the one who ran off with your blood traitor of a sister. Don't you think you might have something to say about that?"

"Morfin was probably feckless enough to inadvertently reveal to Riddle that his father was muggle," Severus surmised, "Not only that, but a muggle who left Merope—the heiress of Salazar's last remaining bloodline—pregnant to die in the gutter. I'd say that would rankle any bigoted blood fanatic."

"In summary," Thea said, "That diary of Riddle's holds the key to opening the Chamber of Secrets, a chamber opened and used when Riddle was the school, making him literally the only culprit. Then we have the death of his father and paternal grandparents and a maternal uncle who served time for the murders even though his own confession was suspect. It goes without saying; we are dealing with a very dangerous individual."

"Okay," Regulus breathed out slowly, rubbing his sweaty palms on his pant legs, "Okay, you mentioned a diadem earlier. What's that got to do with anything?"

"Congratulations are in order, Reg," Severus drawled, "You're a part of the group that discovered Rowena's lost Diadem."

Regulus's brain froze to a halt, the boy staring at them in shock, "…what?"

"Well rediscovered, anyway," Simone stated, crossing her arms and leaning back in her seat, "Riddle found it first, after tricking the ghost of Helena Ravenclaw into divulging it's location."

"He's met her ghost?" Regulus asked, amazed.

"You have too," Lily pointed out, "We all have in fact; the Grey Lady."

Regulus was well and truly flabbergasted, "That's Helena?"

"Yes," Severus said, "Murdered after hiding the diadem she stole from her mother; though that's a tale for another time, perhaps. Regardless, Riddle, charming man that he is—he did tricked the school into believing Hagrid responsible for killing Myrtle, mind you—managed to beguile Helena with his charms and promises to destroy her greatest shame: the stolen Diadem."

"Only, he didn't" Remus jumped in, eager to be a part of things, "He cursed it instead and hid it here in the school."

"In the come and go room," Simone added, "A place that transforms into whatever you require."

"It's uncharted on the map, too," Remus said excitedly, "I checked. This would be the perfect place to hide something."

"Which is precisely what Riddle did," Thea said, "After cursing the diadem, Riddle stashed it in a junk room, one of the many forms this room can take."

Lily looked to Regulus, "We don't fully understand what Riddle intended to use the diadem for, only that it has a rather negative effect on anyone who gets too close."

Davis waved a hand, "Made me irrationally angry when I held it; the bloody things brings out the worst in you."

"It tried to compel me to put it on," Simone explained, "Stopped before I did, but I thought my head was going to split in two."

"It's dangerous," Severus summed up with finality. We don't know if Riddle intends to use it in tandem with opening the Chamber, but either way it and the diary must be destroyed…unfortunately, it would seem both have been enchanted to resist most methods of destruction."

"Which is where your input would come in handy," Simone said pointing at Regulus.

"Me?" Regulus blinked, "What can I do?"

"Duh," Nesme droned, sprawled on her stomach across the floor, feet in the air behind her, "You are now family to the guy who slipped the diary to Thea. Surely he knows how to destroy it."

"And whatever method that is could possibly work on the diadem too," Remus said helpfully.

Regulus glanced around, "Well, it's not like I could just ask Lucius."

"Sure you can," Nesme said, "Guy's a newlywed, right? To Prissy Narcissy, of all people; guy like that's got to appreciate a stiff drink."

"That's your solution," Regulus asked skeptically, "Get him drunk?"

"Just enough to do a little snooping," Severus said, "You know some legilimency, don't you. Getting through a drunk man's defenses would be rather simple."

Severus ignored Lily's frown.

Regulus nodded, running over the plan in his head, "I suppose that could work."

Regulus took in everyone's expectant faces, a grimace taking over his own visage.

Finally he sighed, "I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I."

"No," Simone replied easily, receiving an elbow to the ribs by Thea.

"He seems to be taking things rather well," Davis observed.

"I wonder how he'll handle it when he hears the diary was stolen," Nesme whispered none too softly.

"It was what?!" Regulus shouted.

"Will someone distract her with a shiny object or something?" Simone grumbled, chucking a pillow at the girl.

I may be giving Nesme too much liberty to be the resident wise-ass.

...I offer no apologies.

So, do you think the guys handled this delicately enough? Do You think Regulus took it well?

Anyone against bringing Regulus into this at all?

Share with me, my lovelies!

Review please!