Chapter 6
"Finding out about the cup"
After finding the Locket she noticed that Ron has started being distant from both Harry and Hermione.
She can see him looking at her hesitantly but his gaze always lingers whenever she would pass by as if she was a threat. As if any second, she would curse him and he will have to defend himself from an unexpected attack.
If Hermione was less attentive to her surroundings and hadn't been born with a curious nature she could have ignored Ron's unusual behaviour. But after yesterday she could not help but notice Ron's behaviour towards her and even if she had a nonchalant face it did bother her. he's supposed to be my best friend," she thought. Shouldn't he be able to accept me as I am? Shouldn't he trust me? That's what friends do. That's what I did with him always. But he always ends up acting like a prat.
It was late evening, she was sitting on her bed inside her duvet reading one of the books from the shelves.
"So what now? How are we moving forward" Harry asked standing awkwardly at her doorstep. "I know . . . I know . . . I should be the one to know that, but Dumbledore only gave me so much to work with" he said this in a way as if he was expecting her to blame him or worse kick him out of her room without even looking at him.
"I know Harry, both I and Ron were with you after every meeting that happened between you and Dumbledore." She said understanding him completely." Harry you shouldn't feel any form of guilt or any form of obligation to prove yourself to us. We decided to come with you. It was our choice, a choice that I will make thousands of times, not only for you but for every other person fighting for a free and equal world. We are in this together the three of us, the so-called golden trio. And don't you ever think that I will ever blame you."
"Thanks, Hermione", and Hermione knew that he meant it because the way he hid his face to hide his emotion was all the clue she needed.
After a while when Hermione had returned to her book, she felt him still standing there, just standing near the door neither fully inside nor outside. As she looked up and met his gaze, he walked some steps inside the door. Fully in her view and uncomfortably demanding her attention. He was constantly shifting his weight from one leg to another.
At last, her patience ran out and she was exasperated, "Out with it, whatever you have to say or want to say about him just say it. I know you want to defend him. . . so say whatever you want to say. "
"I know you feel like I am making an excuse for his behalf for his behaviour, but I promise this is not what it looks like." Harry started to say. "I know that yesterday what you did was your way of telling the old toad and ministry a big flat 'fuck you to their faces. Even if he doesn't understand it, I do . . . "Hermione I do. It was in a way of saying that we do not agree with what they are doing, what acts they are implementing and how they are behaving is not agreed. Fuck Hermione you could have killed her but you didn't." all this was said with his famous shrug as if whatever they did or rather she did was inevitable. "So if he is going to behave all moral when he didn't take any brunt of it. Like you said you do not need to feel any obligation towards him."
Somewhere in all that Hermione felt as if the feeling of missing something had soothed, like a blanket of appreciation and protection was wrapped around it. She could sense the love and care Harry had for her, in his eyes the gratitude he held for her was shining. In all 7 years of joining the wizarding world for the 1st time, she felt accepted.
"Thanks, Harry, I appreciate you saying all of that,
"I know I don't say much or do much for you. But Hermione I love you…."
"I do as if I would have my sister. No matter that we don't share the same blood." he hesitated but collected some courage, after some time he said "Look I don't know, what happened with your parents? And I also know that you don't want to talk to us about it. But please just remember this, that I will always be here and you, Hermione Granger, you are my sister in all but name. I don't give a fuck about it and you don't either. After saying all that he got up and started moving towards the door when Hermione broke the silence after that powerful vow made by her brother.
"I will Harry, I'll always remember that, and I love you too Harry James Potter," she said to his retreating back. There was moisture in her eyes as were in his.
After her conversation with Harry. Hermione started going through all the information she had, no matter the context. The information on Voldemort, information of the 1st war (all the important families, the allies of both the sides even about the neutrals). Hermione even compared different family structures from the 1st war to the current war scenario.
All the notes from Regulus' collection were a big help. The books themselves were like a lifeline in the sea of disappointments.
From Dumbledore and Harry's conversation, Hermione knew that there were at least 6 or 7 Horcruxes out of which, 3 had been destroyed.
Diary
The ring
The locket
The ring and the locket belonged to Slytherin. And the 2 most commonly known artefacts of Gryffindor were the sword and the sorting hat.
Sorting Hat itself has the essence of magic from another, Godric Gryffindor himself. So corrupting it was infallible. Hence both the hat and the sword were for sure are not Horcruxes.
Then the remaining houses, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.
What could be the heirlooms from both houses? What would Hufflepuff have as its own?
Hermione remembered, once in one of Zacarias smith's rants during D.A. he mentioned that his family was the descendants from the Hufflepuff's line. Even if his father was a squib from the line he should have inherited all the wealth but all the money went to his great aunt and after her passing Gringotts had sealed the main Hufflepuff vault. And went on and on about how it was unfair and all that.
Even in the articles collected by Regulus and the memories of Hokey the house-elf, that how Hepzibah Smith was murdered and how Riddle has stolen both the locket and the cup from Hepzibah Smith. The cup belongs to the Hufflepuff family.
So at last, Hermione came to the solution that she had to be prepared for every possible outcome. So she did the one thing that she did best.
Hermione researched and researched, She once again went through all the books she had in her bag, the books present in her room and the most helpful source of information that she came upon during this war. The Black Family Library.
Even if it is said that the Malfoys have the vast and most ostensions library in the wizarding world. But the black family has the most precious and unique books. Some of the books were even one of a kind. Some were the original manuscripts of the rare books with limited copies.
So, Hermione read and learnt and practised and practised every spell she could get her hands on. She learnt about locating and tracking spells and even the more intricate ones. She learnt all about how to identify dark objects, how to track them and how to locate them.
After that, she studied how to destroy them thoroughly.
But so far she had no result on the one thing she was most looking for. There was no spell and that means none at all in any language that can track an object with a piece of soul inside it. The result she got, was that one cannot summon it or track it. Even if one does not know what they are looking for, they cannot even identify it.
In Myries Mysteries of ghosts, Hermione read that objects with the soul inside them or any sort of feeling are considered living. Due to this, they are known as semi-sentient beings. This results in any tracking or locating charm without knowing the object or having the person near them infallible.
As it was stated in a journal of Sirius Black the first, there he had a conversation with the creator of Horcruxes himself. 'Herpo The Foul'. In the world of dark arts known as 'Herpo The Great'.
Herpo the Great, the creator of the spells and ritual for creating a Horcrux accidentally dropped his one and only one Horcrux in the Atlantic Ocean and since then he is not able to find it or track it. Every spell, every single one, from summoning to tracking to the operation of the matter by particle. Still, he was not able to find his Horcruxes. It was the last memory of his wife, the wife last part of her that he had, and he still mourns the loss.
Hermione had spent her whole day stuck in the library. Suddenly with a pop, Kreacher apparated in front of her. "Miss needs to eat, Kreacher had prepared dinner, miss needs to come now, Kreacher will not like if his miss is hungry. Miss need food to read more and learn more to punish the evil master who has disgraced The Most Noble and Ancient House of Black and corrupted more than one of its.
During dinner, Hermione paid no mind to Ron's uneasy glances and Harry's futile attempt at making conversation. She could only think about one thing while shifting food on her plate. who were The Dark Lord's most devoted and loyal followers? Only one name came into her mind.
Bellatrix Lestrange.
The Dark Lord had given her power, value, autonomy over her own life while her only family, her only hope could not provide her with it. So it made him more worthy of her loyalty than the Black Family.
The Devotion Bellatrix had shown The Dark Lord while leaving her own family, only because she felt wronged by them or they somehow have disappointed her. According to Regulus Black's journals Blacks always come first, Blacks protect themselves no matter the cause no matter the reason. A Black is always a Black by both birth and marriage even after disownment. A Black is always the purest in the crowd, the noblest and they always rise above them all. A Black is loyal to the Blacks the rest of the world.
So, what had happened that Bellatrix killed Sirius.
The Dark Lord had given Lucius Malfoy or maybe his father Abraxas Malfoy 'The Diary of Tom Marvolo Riddle' could he perhaps have given one to Bellatrix as well as she was his most loyal and devoted.
All three major British wizarding families protect and cherish his little trinkets. Soul of a Half-Blood protected and admired by the purest of them all. The thought had some merit. But how to Infer this theory and how to find the way to see if this is true. The correct way towards the end goal.
Maybe just Maybe but still how to find out Sirius was gone so was his power as head of the family, as Gringotts did not follow the same rules as the ministry.
Maybe, Andromeda, no Hermione can't contact her due to her husband being a muggle-born and on the run and after Harry's confrontation with Remus it was too soon to contact them. It could risk his life and his family's.
Suddenly Hermione shot up from her place at once, table jostling startled both Harry and Ron but Hermione did not pay them any mind, she just ran towards the stairs shouting, "I'll explain later"." Holy Merlin, how could I forget." She muttered as she ran upstairs towards the topmost floor. When she reached there she opened her door hurriedly and at once reached for a beaded back, which was kept aside on the bedside table.
Pulling out her wand from her pocket and pointed it towards the bag. Hermione casted "Accio black diary."
At once flying out of the bag came out a beautiful black leather-bound diary with constellations encrusted on its cover with silver thread. Just as the diary touched the palm of her hand, in an instant Hermione opened and wrote only two words hastily.
Hello Dragon.