CHAPTER 4

'What the hell?"

Ron let out a surprised shout.

Hermione was sitting on the cold floor of the library, a dumb look on her face. In one hand, she clutched a very familiar looking golden locket. In the other, she held an ornate silver goblet, shimmering in the faint moonlight that filtered in through the library skylight. It had the Crest of Black embossed on its shiny, smooth surface.

Harry broke the silence.

'That's the locket all right.' he muttered. 'But what's the other thing?'

Hermione shook her head, a confused look on her face. 'Obviously it's a Horcrux. There's no other way it could have answered the charm?'

'But whose?' Harry asked, perplexed.

'I don't know.' Hermione murmured. 'This is so-.'

'Do you think it's one of You-Know-Who's?' Ron asked. 'We could destroy them both in one shot.

'I doubt it.' Hermione said. 'It has the Crest of Black. Speaking of which, how do you destroy a Horcrux?'

She turned to look at Harry, who had a look on his face that suggested he had never thought of that.

'I don't know,' he admitted. 'And I don't know how we can find out. The Hogwart's Library has no mention whatever of Horcruxes…'

'If only Dumbledore…' Hermione lapsed into silence.

It was Ron who broke it.

'You complete idiots,' he said, calmly. 'Just because Hogwart's Library doesn't have anything on Horcruxes doesn't mean no other library does either.'

'Where do we find another library, Ron?' Hermione asked, glumly.

'Well,' Ron said, patiently, 'We're sitting in one.'

Hermione looked up at Harry. Harry looked down at Hermione. Ron smirked at both of them.

'In fact.' he continued. 'We're sitting in the Library of one seriously evil Wizarding Family. I'll bet you anything we'll find information on Horcruxes here.'

'Of course.' Hermione breathed. 'How could I have been so stupid? No, don't answer-.' as Ron opened his mouth.

'I'll go check for books on Horcruxes,' Harry said. 'Ron, you come along.'

He pulled at Ron's arm, and both dissolved into the darkness at the far end of the library.

Hermione sat alone in the pair square of moonlight that fell on the wooden floor. She held both the Horcruxes carefully, her mind a whirlwind of confusion, fear and worry.

Who did the second Horcrux belong to? It was a fairly ordinary goblet- there was, she knew, a set of them at the House of Black. She vaguely remembered Mundungus trying to smuggle a few of them off to his own underground market. Obviously, he had missed this one.

Hermione turned the goblet over in her hands, just to see if there was anything out of ordinary about it.

Its shape was rather peculiar- more like a bell shaped goblet, with a thin, elegant stem and a flat base, but all the other goblets had been too. It was obviously made of the purest silver, and flashed a little dully in the moonlight, due to the years of corrosion it had undergone. On one side, the Crest of Black- A serpent entwined around a thorned rose was embossed, and dust had caught in the little ridges of the seal. Hermione found herself wondering how old it was.

She turned the goblet over again, and slid her pale white fingers along the edges. It was so- ordinary… not at all like the locket. She turned her attention back to the first Horcrux. Even covered in dust and grime, it seemed to ooze raw power- anyone who saw it knew it was dangerous, not something to be trifled with. The gold glinted menacingly, under the cover of dust. The ornate symbol 'S' on it was made with intricate jet black stones of triangular shapes, fixed in such a way that the letter seemed to be swaying. The slow, tantalizing movement reminded her of a vicious black snake.

At that minute, she heard a scuffle behind her and whirled around, clutching the two Horcruxes tightly in her fists.

It was only Harry and Ron.

'We found a book,' Ron whispered. 'It's called Horcruxes and Families.'

'Horcruxes and Families?' Hermione frowned. 'What is at supposed to mean?'

Harry shrugged. 'I don't know. But the last chapter is about destroying Horcruxes. That's all we need, of course.'

He directly flipped it on to the last chapter and all three bent their heads over.

Once a Horcrux of an enemy is found, the best thing to do is to destroy it, that is rid it of its Horcruxal Properties. This requires a complex potion, called the Yortsed Potion. This Potion can only be brewed under a full moon.

Ingredients Required:

Molten Silver, infused with powdered griffon claw (more the silver, higher the power of the potion)

A sprig of mistletoe that has been fed on Grindylow Poison.

The knucklebones of a dead man.

The feather of a phoenix (for purity, removing the dark essence of the Horcrux)

Scrapings of bark from a white yew.

The Horcrux itself.

Vampire leaf sap

A silver fish

Method:

Fill the cauldron with boiling water, and pour in the vampire sap. It dissolves, causing the potion to be filled with a soft silverish glitter that is oily to touch.

Put the knucklebones and the white yew bark and stir fourteen times anti-clockwise. The potion will immediately turn ice-cold. Allow to simmer for three minutes, and it will slowly assume a dark gray color.

Put in the dead silver fish. The potion becomes so cold that the cauldron starts frosting. Allow to stay in this temperature for three days.

Pour in the molten silver. The potion will immediately begin to warm up. Stir seven times clockwise, and then allow to simmer for four minutes. Then stir seven times again anticlockwise. Potion will become a rich, silver color.

Add the phoenix feather. The potion will immediately go from lukewarm to boiling hot. However it will not bubble. It remains the same color.

Slowly dip the Horcrux into the potion. As it goes under, the submerged area will lose its Horcruxal Properties.

NOTE: When all but the end of the Horcrux remains outside the potion, dip the last bit in with caution. IT IS VERY EXPLOSIVE.

Hermione looked up.

'This is not going to be easy,' she said, softly.

'Of course it will.' Harry said, scornfully.

'Harry, listen to yourself. Have you even heard of half these ingredients?'

'We'll get them.' Harry replied, determinedly. 'It's not that difficult. The teachers will give us anything we want.'

'And I suppose they'll help us make the potion too?' Hermione asked, angrily. 'You'll just let them do that?'

'Why not?' Ron asked.

'You guys are mad,' Hermione said, disbelievingly. 'Harry you didn't want to tell anyone about this- you wanted to operate alone except for both of us!'

'That was before I saw how difficult it was.' Harry said, hotly.

'How thick are you. Harry, I thought the whole incident with Snape would have made you wise as to this.'

'Wise as to what exactly?'

'Don't trust anyone,' Hermione hissed. 'How do you know that one of the teachers isn't going to tell someone else who might- who might make sure this goes into the wrong hands?'

Harry opened his mouth to retort in anger and then clamped it shut as logic struck him.

'If Voldemort knows about this all our effort goes in vain, Harry.' Hermione said, softly. 'No one can know.'

He slid his gaze over her and quickly nodded.

'This potion's going to take a long time to brew,' he said, carefully. 'Until then we have two things to do- we have to find a safe place for this locket, and we have to find out who that belongs to,'

He pointed at the goblet in Hermione's hand.

'One more thing.' Ron put in. 'We still don't know who RAB is.'

Hermione looked thoughtful. 'You're right, we don't.' she said. 'If RAB whoever he is hid the locket here-.' she glanced about the dismal library. 'He must have been staying at this house at some point of time.'

'And he's dead.' Harry said. 'The note said so.'

Hermione shrugged. 'I really don't know. You know I think we should bring that book back with us.' She pointed at the book, 'Horcruxes and Families.' 'I'm going to read through the rest of it to see if I can find something.'

Harry nodded. He picked up the heavy book and he slipped the locket and the goblet into his pocket.

'Come on,' he said, 'Let's go softly. I really don't want anyone to wake up and find out what we're doing.'

Hermione quickly closed the trunk in which the locket had been, and they left the library. The house was dark and silent. Somewhere in the distance they could hear the soft dripping of water.

'I wish we knew who RAB was,' Hermione said, wistfully, as they climbed down the staircase. She frowned. 'You know, I feel like we're forgetting something.'

'What could we possibly be forgetting?' Ron asked, disbelievingly.

'Not forgetting exactly,' Hermione said, slowly. 'It's just something…something's been right under our noses all along and- oh!'

Her eyes grew very wide, and her face paled a little. One small hand flew to her mouth.

'What's the matter? Harry asked, alarmed. 'Are you feeling all right?'

'I- yes- I mean, of course I am!' Hermione said, feverishly. Her eyes danced excitedly. 'Of course! Harry, I think- no wait, I have to check something!'

'Check what?' Ron asked, warily.

But Hermione had already whirled around, and her soft feet were patting the stairs as she ran upstairs. Exchanging mystified looks, Harry and Ron followed her, and reached the upstairs landing just as she whisked into the drawing room.

'Why is she going into the drawing room?' Ron asked, confusedly. Harry shrugged.

'Let's go find out.'

They quickly strode into the drawing room. The large room looked dark and eerie.

'Where is she?' Ron muttered. 'Should we call out?'

'No,' Harry whispered back, as his eyes slowly adjusted to the black room. 'Someone will wake up. There she is-!'

He pointed to the further corner of the room, where a darkish figure was visible.

Both boys hurried over to her. 'Hermione? What are you doing her?' Ron asked, hn his polite 'I'm-talking-to-a-lunatic-but-I-have-to-hide-it' voice.

Hermione turned to face him. In the darkness her eyes glowed excitedly.

'I know.' she said, softly. 'I know.;'

'What?' Harry asked, puzzled.

She pointed to the wall in front of her. The boys noticed that she had been staring at the faded green tapestry with the black family tree on it. Slowly, she lifted her hand and pointed to a small name that stood beside a burnt out hole.

'Regulus A. Black.'

AN- Ah, I finally updated, and in return all of you are going to send me nice long chatty reviews right?

PS- The name on the Black Tapestry was not Regulus A black. It was simply Regulus Black. I added the 'A' for reasons best known to myself.