Chapter Eleven: A Lucky Find.
Once Ron had left Harry could not concentrate on his homework anymore and was about to get up and leave when his eyes fell upon his bed, he'd forgotten all about the pensive. He went and dragged it from under the bed and placed it on his desk. For a minute or two he stood gazing in to it's depths then placed the tip of his wand to his temple, a long strand of silver memory was extracted, he placed it in to the pensive, Ron and Hermione's faces swam on the surface before fading again back to the silver mass that it had been a minute ago, he then crossed the room to his chest of draws and started riffling through the memories. He pulled out a few vials of memory and read the labels on them; one caught his eye, the name Regulus Black was written on a white label in black ink, hadn't Regulus been his Godfathers brother? Sirius had said that death eaters had killed him because he'd betrayed Voldemort.
Harry ripped out the cork in the top of the bottle and tipped the contents in to the pensive, he then plunged his head in to the stone basin. He was pitched forwards from his bedroom.
He landed in a dimly lit room, there was a man with black hair hastily throwing things in to a trunk occasionally saying things like 'got to run, can't stay, must destroy' under his breath but none of it made much sense. Harry guessed this man was Regulus; a door to Harry's right opened and in came a small figure.
'Does young master require Kreature's help?' The house elf said.
Harry suddenly realised where he was, a large tapestry covered one wall.
'No Kreature I must go,' the man said.
Harry quickly crossed to the tapestry, he'd just thought of who this man might be, and he traced his finger to the name Sirius Mortimer Black and followed a line to the name Regulus Alberto Black. Harry's eyes bulged; he remembered the night Dumbledore had died.
He left the pensive and ran to his trunk, there it was, a big golden locket, he opened it and read the initials at the end of the note inside RAB! That's why Regulus had been murdered; he'd found out about the Horcrux and stolen it.
Harry ran out of his room and down the hallway. He burst in to Ron's room 'I've found him!' Harry stated loudly in to the empty depths.
He went to Hermione's room, 'I've found him!' He started again.
Ron was sitting in the arm chair, 'shut up Harry, Hermione's asleep, what…' Ron indicated Hermione lying on her bed Harry guessed his friends had worked things out.
''S ok I'm awake now. What did you find Harry?' Hermione said sitting up on the bed.
'I'm sorry guys, I know you've got a lot on your plate right now but I've found RAB!' Harry said excitedly 'and I know where the real locket Horcrux is,' he added.
Ron, who had looked annoyed at Harry, sat up a little straighter his expression full of curiosity. Hermione who had just gotten up off the bed almost fell over and quickly went to sit on her desk chair.
'You what? How?' Ron said.
'There was a memory, in it I saw Regulus Black... you know Sirius's brother. Anyways he was packing to go and destroy something. He was in the living room at Grimmauld place. I looked on the tapestry; his middle name is Alberto, RAB. We all know he was killed by death eaters for betrayal and remember that locket that no one could open? When we were cleaning the house? It had a big S on it, in one of Dumbledore's memories there was a locket that looked exactly like it. Kreature pinched it from the rubbish pile. It's still in Grimmauld place and it hasn't been destroyed because it wasn't broken in any way. We have to go and get it!' Harry said.
'Wait a minute Harry. Hermione's not going any where,' Ron said.
'What?' Hermione and Harry said together.
'You heard me, it might be dangerous I don't want her or the baby anywhere near it' Ron replied.
Hermione stood up 'Who are you to tell me what to…'
Harry cut in 'It'll be fine Ron, the order are the only ones who know about Grimmauld place,' He said.
'Secret keeper's dead isn't he?' Ron said.
'Which means RONALD that no one can find it, when Dumbledore died the secret died with him' Hermione replied.
'Wouldn't it mean now that anyone could find it?' Ron said.
'It doesn't work like that Ron!' Hermione was almost yelling.
'Well how does it work then genius?' Ron said.
Hermione looked very upset almost to the verge of tears 'give it a rest Ron that was a bit harsh,' Harry said.
'Well how does it work then?' Ron replied calming down instantly.
'Once a secret keeper dies they take the secret with them, only the ones they have told will be able to remember it,' Hermione replied.
'Won't it be all locked up?' Ron asked.
'Ron, do you not remember that Harry OWNS IT!' Hermione was getting riled up again.
'WILL YOU TWO PLEASE QUIT IT?' Harry shouted, frustrated with his two friends. 'Now Ron, Hermione are you two coming or am I on my own?' He added.
'Fine, we'll come but can we please go and eat first I'm starved' Ron replied.
So they went down to the great hall for dinner, Ron tried to get Hermione to eat but she was still mad at him, plus she still felt sick so all she ate was a piece of bread and some vegetables'.
After they'd eaten Harry went and cleared with McGonagal where he was going and went to collect his invisibility cloak and the Marauders Map, Ginny didn't know about the Horcruxes so for the first time ever he was glad he didn't run in to his girlfriend. When he thought about it he hadn't seen Ginny for the whole day and resolved to find her when he and the others got back from their little quest.
Harry, Ron and Hermione trekked out in to the grounds and threw the cloak over themselves, not wanting any one to see them go out the gates; once they were outside the boundaries they disapperated.