Ron & Hermione

"REGULUS, ARE YOU MAD?" Sirius screamed, taking the tooth off his brother's hands. Although Sirius was really strong and had thrown Regulus to the floor, he only raised as if nothing had happened. Harry picked the diary, and noticed Ginny was about to cry.

"What nonsense did he read in this?" Sirius held the object strongly against his chest, as if he thought it could get near Regulus again.

Harry opened the diary's first page, and read:

"Hello, Regulus Black. Why do you try to stop me? You know that your fate is in my hands. Think of what your mother thinks of you betraying the family! You, her perfect son… Your brother is a lost cause, she says. But you are not… Why does it have to be like this? Most would prefer death rather than disappointing the entire family. Are you like this?"

Scared, the girls backed up, and James took the book from Harry's hands.

"This bloke is mad, Sirius. Give me the tooth and let's end it."

But the other didn't let go. His eyes shone of rage, and he stamped to James angry, taking the diary from his hands.

"This git thinks he's going to kill my brother." He opened the diary in two and raised the tooth.

With a snarl, Sirius attacked the black diary with the tooth, making the ink drain from the pages to his clothes and the carpet. A bright dot rose from the pages, gazing fiercely at everyone and disappearing in a scream.

When the sound was over Regulus woke up, blinking surprised.

"What happened?"

When he saw Sirius on the floor, he ran to help, but the other was already straightening.

"Are you ok?" he asked Regulus, who nodded. Sirius sighed relieved, throwing the diary to James.

"Don't do this with me anymore, Regulus. Throw this away."

When they got to the kitchen they found Mrs. Potter worried, ready with a snack.

"What was that scream, dear?" she asked cautiously, and Harry noticed a little pride in her voice.

"Do you remember that problem I've told you, mum?"

"You told her?" Hermione asked surprised, and Mrs. Potter smiled.

"Darling, I've fought against dark arts my whole life. Even if my son tried to hide from me you were destroying such objects he couldn't. I'm from the time when Grindewauld attacked Bulgarians all the time."

"You fought against Grindewauld?" Frank asked excitedly. She sat with them and served the tea.

"I can't say that I've fought against him, but I did sure helped people to escape until Dumbledore took care of him. But this is not a time for old war storied, isn't it? Who wants to go with me to the Diagon Alley to pick the ice dream and toys I've bought?"

The excitement around the table rose, making the worries about the diary off their heads. Sirius, though, remained steady and silent during the snack, and only talked when they were already at the Alley, when he pulled James and Harry closer.

"Kid, what's the next thing we have to get?"

"There's not a line, Sirius. We've destroyed two in six…"

"Do you think he might have hid any at the Knockturn Alley?" James interrupted, reading his friend's thoughts. Harry tried to remember some information from such place, and a flash came about Tom Riddle having worked there.

"He might. But we'll never get to enter Borgin & Burkes. The man there knows how to know people who aren't … Murders. By now them all must already know that Regulus has run away from home, so this disguise is over.

"My parents are friends with Borgin." Sirius gave one of his smiled which left Harry anxious.

"I can't see how this can-"

"Marlene!" he called and she parted from the group towards them.

"What Happened? Let's go, Mrs. Potter said she ordered about five cakes from Florean…"

"Look: Marlene and I take an ageing potion, dress like my parents and go to Borgin, take a look and then go! Genius!"

"Great idea, Padfoot." mocked James. "There's just a little problem. I don't have a potion's kit inside my pocket."

"Lily!" Harry grinned. "Sirius, I liked your plan."

"Are you mad?" Marlene started, but Harry interrupted.

"Lily makes the potion, and before the New Years' party we go to Borgin!"

The four agreed, and as they ran to reach the others, James poked Harry.

"I can't believe you've accepted this."

"Sirius is trying to keep Regulus away from the horcruxes, James." Harry explained, worried. "Don't you see? He's trying to destroy them without anyone else knowing."

A sigh of incredulity was heard, but Harry didn't care. He reckoned that this time Sirius's plan might work, but before he needed to convince Lily to make it, which in his opinion was far the hardest part.

XXX

Close to the party's time the Potters apparated to the Evans' house to pick Lily's parents, leaving James and Sirius in charge of welcoming the guests.

Surprisely, Lily had accepted to prepare the potion with Hermione so Regulus wouldn't be put in risk again, and they were boiling the blue liquid slowly when Harry arrived.

"Excuse me…"

Lily, who was using a green dress that matched her eyes, smiled to him.

"Professor Slughorn should see this!"

"Where's Hermione?"

"Good question, she was arguing with Ron a while ago…"

Harry rolled his eyes and ran to Hermione's bedroom. When he reached the door, he heard Ron's yells:

"Why do I always need to be the wrong one? Have you already thought, just for once, that I may be right?"

"Ron, I don't understand you! I'm trying to get close to you, not offend you!"

"I want this too, don't you see? But you… I dunno! You always look more intelligent, superior." His voice lowered a bit, and Harry drove closer. "I… I like you, Hermione. I really do."

"Ron, I-"

A whisper was heard, along with a noise from the bed under the weight of someone. Hermione's voice, almost crying before, was now happy.

"Confess you were jealous at Viktor."

"What? I tell how I feel and all you do is to think of this git?"

"OH, Ron!" she yelled, and Harry heard Ron's suffocated voice:

"You're insane."

Laughing, Harry got down to help his friends, with the feeling that, if he didn't talk to Ginny, he would be the only loner to celebrate Voldemort's downfall.