A/N: Whaaat? Another chapter within a week? My beta's on holiday and still working like a house-elf, so...everyone send your love to her! ;)

Happy reading, folks!

Chapter 35: Many returns

August 25th 1978 (Friday)

"Name the healing properties of dragon blood."

Hermione was startled, but not as much as she had been when she had first started working with Viridian. He would quiz her occasionally about her knowledge regarding potions and potion ingredients while they were working. Sometimes the questions had nothing to do with her current task, and other times he inquired how the potion she was brewing would change if she added a certain ingredient or cast a certain spell on it. It was challenging to work with him. And she loved every minute of it.

They were both occupied with their own brews, sitting behind their desks in one of the company's research labs. The room was spacious, with only two workstations, and even though the potions labs were situated in the basement of the building, the rooms were brightly lit, unlike the dungeons at Hogwarts. The walls in their lab were full of shelves, which held a vast collection of cauldrons, scales and phials of different kind. There was also a large storage room for potion ingredients down the hall, where Hermione had come across several rare and dangerous items.

"Um…It can be used externally to promote healing and to stop bleeding. Internally, it can be used for chest pains and internal traumas," she recited almost word to word from The Book of Potions and Poisons Viridian had made her read after her first day. Even though they weren't making any poisons at their research lab, Viridian expected her to know about the different attributes and ingredients.

Viridian merely hummed in response, not taking his eyes off of his cauldron. Hermione smiled and focused on her work. At first, she had been a bit baffled by his behaviour, but she quickly learned that he wasn't the praising kind of teacher. A couple of weeks later, she had learned to recognise when he was satisfied with her work and answers.

St Mungo's mental ward had made an order to Viridian's company for an advanced healing potion to treat mental illness and they were now researching the possibilities to use dragon blood in said potion. Hermione was thrilled to work in such a project, but of course knew they wouldn't always be working with such brilliant and idealistic projects that could possibly change someone's life to better. They were developing the potions according to their customers' needs, after all.

Viridian had several teams working with different customers and their projects, and he himself was focusing on the advanced healing potion with Hermione's help. It was a lengthy project, since all the phases would take several months each.

When it was nearing five in the afternoon, Hermione cast a stasis charm to her cauldron and cleaned up her table. She said her goodbyes to Viridian, who waved her in reply, still engrossed with his brew.

Hermione apparated to an alley in Dulwich Village, and went grocery shopping before heading home. The past month had gone quickly. The Order had intervened a Death Eater raid in the beginning of August, but not without casualties. Alice's parents had been killed, as well as Benjy Fenwick; a wizard who was only a couple of years older than Hermione and her friends.

It was another set of deaths she wasn't able to prevent. Hermione had known about Fenwick, but still hadn't managed to change his fate. The only thing she truly had managed to change were Gideon's and Fabian's deaths, apparently. And now she wasn't so sure she had truly prevented them. She knew that in her own time, they had died some time later than the attack that had happened in this time. What if there was another attack waiting around the corner? What if she wasn't able to save anyone? What if she was condemned to watch all of her friends to die? After finding out about her parents, Hermione knew that nothing was certain in this world.

Needless to say, she had been upset and downbeat and she didn't want to think what she would have done if she hadn't been working seven days a week. Viridian kept her quite busy on the weekdays, and Hog's Head during weekends. She hadn't even had the time to properly grieve the news of her parents and the fact that her old life was lost to her forever. It was only now settling in.

Hermione really had no one she could talk to, as the only people who knew about her coming from another time were otherwise occupied. Of course Ab and Dumbledore knew, and were there, but she thought that it just felt a bit awkward to talk about her feelings to them. Hermione hadn't felt this alone in a long time.

As she entered her apartment, she instantly knew something was wrong. Silently she slipped her wand out from her pocket and took a couple of cautious steps towards the sitting room. Her shoulders sagged with relief when she saw two familiar raven-haired boys lounging on her couch. Irritation took place quickly.

"Haven't I told you guys to let me know if you want to come over to watch the telly?" Hermione asked with a weary sigh as she headed towards the kitchen to put away the groceries. None of her friends had a television in their homes since all of them lived in wizarding buildings. They would occasionally pop by to watch the TV, and most of them asked Hermione if it was okay to come – not Sirius and James though.

The boys mumbled their apologies and she saw them exchange a meaningful look before Sirius stood up and approached the kitchen.

"Do you want us to leave?" He asked hesitantly as she started to prepare food.

Hermione sighed. "No. Stay," she said, her voice softer now, managing a small smile.

"Okay. Can I help?" He asked and leaned against the counter, watching her intently.

"Sure. Are you guys hungry?" She asked and looked from Sirius to James.

"I'm good, thanks." James said as he stood up from the couch and stretched. "I actually have to head off, Lily's getting home from work…" He muttered. "I'll see you both on Sunday," He said and disapparated with an echoing pop.

Sirius eyed his friend's departure with an amused look before he turned back to Hermione. "I'm famished." He said with an innocent shrug.

They worked in silence for a while, preparing the food and setting the table.

"How're you doing?" Sirius asked lightly as he took the muggle beer Hermione offered him. At first, he had called the drink appalling, tasting like dog piss, but after trying it a couple of times, he had stated that it was fairly enjoyable, and reckoned that it would do for the lack of Butterbeer.

Hermione shrugged. "Okay, I guess…Just busy with the apprenticeship," she muttered evasively, taking a sip from her own beer.

They stared at each other for a moment, both leaning against the counter. Sirius gave her a doubtful look. "You're avoiding everyone," He merely said, watching her reaction.

Hermione let out a small huff of annoyance. "How can I avoid everyone, if one of you is always occupying my sitting room when I return from work?" She asked with a quizzical brow, her voice a bit sharp.

Sirius chuckled before he gave her an apologetic smile. "I guess we're just worried about you, kitten." He said softly.

"Why?" Hermione asked exasperatedly. "My parents didn't die in the raid. Or my friend," she said quietly. She tried to push the thoughts of her parents and her friends away, to lock them somewhere deep in the corner of her mind.

"That doesn't mean you can't be sad about what happened. Is that it? You're upset about the raid?" He asked carefully, soothing his hand down her arm.

Hermione shivered at his touch and worried her lip. "What if…What if it's one of us the next time?" She asked with a small voice, giving him a helpless look.

Sirius let out a deep sigh. "Yeah," He merely said, his eyes looking somewhere far away.

"I just…I can't stand the thought of losing any more people I care about…" She said quietly, her voice wavering a bit. She had lost everyone in her old life, and now she knew that she wasn't going to see them anymore.

Sirius frowned and eyed her thoughtfully. "Come here," he said and pulled her into a warm hug. Hermione breathed in his soothing scent and tried to gather her thoughts.

They ate together and soon the atmosphere was a bit more cheerful than it had been. Somehow Sirius had the ability to make everyone see the bright side of things, to make everyone laugh, and she reckoned a lot of this trait had probably disappeared during his imprisonment in her original timeline. She remembered the old Sirius, and how there had been glimpses of his younger version every now and then – when he wasn't brooding and obsessing about his past. What if that was another thing she wasn't able to prevent from happening?

After Sirius left, Hermione lay down on her couch and absently watched the television, her mind somewhere else.

August 26th 1978 (Saturday)

She woke up with a stiff neck and the sound of the doorbell. Groaning, Hermione stood up from the couch, blinking as the rays of sun hit her eyes. It was morning, and she had slept through the night on her couch. Great… She thought and headed towards the hallway. She opened the door, and her brows lift up in surprise. It was Gideon.

The man let out a small chuckle as he took in her rumpled appearance. "Rough night?" He asked and grinned at her, giving her a once over.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "What are you doing here?" She asked, still a bit taken aback by his sudden presence.

"Well, I wanted to floo-call you, but for some reason, I still haven't got your address," He said and gave her a pointed look. "Had to ask Sirius," Gideon continued, a smirk playing on his lips. "Gonna invite me in?"

Hermione blinked. "Yes, of course. Come on in," she stammered, smiling at him.

Gideon arched a brow at her. "What? No security questions? You know, as your previous professor, I am a bit disappointed in you," he said with an amused look, trying to look stern.

Hermione shook her head and gave him a wry look. "Well, okay…What prank did Fabian pull on you on the Easter Holidays in your third year?" She asked with a challenge in her voice.

Gideon cursed under his breath. "He grew me a tail. You really need to stop listening to my brother and his mental stories," He grumbled.

Hermione laughed heartily. "Happy?" She asked, feigning innocence as she stepped aside to let him inside.

Gideon narrowed his eyes at her as he walked in. His look softened quickly as he took in his surroundings.

"Nice place," he said as they walked into the sitting room. "Is Remus back yet?" He asked and sat down on the couch. Hermione had told him that Remus was spending the summer in Germany in a clinical trial to test the Wolfsbane potion. As his old professor, Gideon of course knew Remus was a werewolf.

"Thanks. Um…no, he's still in Germany. Although he did owl me earlier this week and wrote that he's coming home at the end of September. Tea?" She asked as she made herself busy in the kitchen.

"Yeah, sure." Gideon nodded and studied her as she flicked her wand over the stove and moments after levitated a tray with a teapot and two cups towards the sitting room.

"You okay?" He asked carefully as Hermione sipped her tea and stared ahead with a blank look.

She shrugged. "Not really…" She said slowly, chewing her lip.

"I figured…the raid?" Gideon said quietly and Hermione nodded stiffly. "You know, Benjy was my friend…" He muttered, frowning at his teacup.

Hermione turned to stare at him in surprise and swallowed deeply. She felt even worse than before. She hadn't managed to save him, even though she knew about his fate.

Gideon glanced at Hermione and seemed to know what she was thinking about. "I don't blame you, Hermione. You told us everything you knew. We should've prevented it. The Order should've prevented it," He said with a sincere look and sighed wearily. "I should've been there." He said softly, regret in his voice.

Hermione put her teacup on the table and took his hand between hers. "Even if you'd been there, that doesn't mean things would've been different. And it's not like you were on a holiday…" She said quietly. Gideon and Fabian had been searching for the Diadem, after all.

Gideon gave her a small smile and watched her intently. "There's something else bothering you as well…"

She lifted her brows in bewilderment.

"I know you found out about your parents. After we came back yesterday, my brother and I had a chat with Dumbledore. He mentioned that you'd found them," he said with a sad smile.

Hermione tried to swallow the lump from her throat and not succumb to the tears that had started to burn in her eyes. She let out a shaky breath. "Yeah, I found them…" She whispered.

"How bad is it?" He asked gently, his eyes moving over her face.

Hermione took in a deep breath. "They have completely different lives in here…With different people." She muttered and worried her lip. "I, um…I'm not going back. I can't go back. The life I knew is lost to me. Forever," She said weakly and blinked rapidly to clear her vision.

Gideon put his teacup on the table and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry, Hermione." He murmured to her ear.

Hermione choked back a sob. "I'm sorry, too, Gideon. I'm sorry for your loss."

After they pulled away from each other, Gideon cleared his throat and gave her a determined look. "I know we haven't really talked about your old life, or the possibilities of your return to it, but…You know, while I am sorry for you, I can't help but feel a bit relieved that you're not going back." He said with a small grimace, and Hermione gave him a puzzled look.

"I know it's selfish, but I can't really imagine a life without my friend." He said with an earnest look in his eyes.

Hermione felt her lips curve up in a smile, and then became serious. "I can't really imagine leaving this place. Not anymore. But at the same time, I'm heartbroken that I've lost everyone I knew. My family. My loved ones." She said, her voice wavering.

Gideon studied her eyes for a short moment, before he spoke. "I understand," he finally said with a sympathetic look. "And I'm here for you." He said softly, squeezing her hand.

Hermione swallowed and nodded. "Thank you."

"What was it like?" Gideon asked after a short silence. "Being friends with James's and Lily's son? And my nephew?" He continued, a smile lifting the corners of his mouth.

Hermione contemplated her answer before clearing her throat. "It was…wonderful…And terrible. Now that I think of it, all we ever did was fight against Voldemort. Of course, there were moments when we were able to be normal teenagers and enjoy life, but those were just that. Moments." She said with a wistful sigh. "I still wouldn't change a single day though…" She said quietly, and Gideon gave her a kind smile.

"Well, except perhaps the time I accidentally turned myself into a cat…" She muttered in an afterthought.

Gideon burst in laughter. "You what?"

She sighed. "Well…we were sort of spying on one of our classmates. A Slytherin boy." She explained and Gideon snorted before she continued. "I produced Polyjuice Potion so that we could sneak in to their common room, disguised as his housemates." She said and Gideon shook his head in amusement.

"Of course you did," He said, shaking his head in a mix of amusement and disbelief. "And what if the persons you were disguising into would've seen you?" He asked with his lips tugging upwards.

Hermione chewed the inside of her cheek as she thought back to the events that had occurred on their second year. "Well, one of them, a girl I was supposed to turn into, was actually away for the holidays, and the two boys Harry and Ron were going to impersonate…well, we slipped them some sleeping draught," She said, cringing a bit at the unnaturally high pitch of her voice.

Gideon watched her mischievously. "Brewing banned potions, spying on and drugging your classmates…That's something I never would've imagined you doing," He said and laughed.

Hermione blushed. "It's not like we did it just for fun. The Chamber of Secrets had been opened and a Basilisk was on the loose…We thought that the boy had some information about the events…" She muttered defensively.

Gideon gave her a nudge. "I'm just taking the piss. I actually quite admire the rebel-you," he said and winked at her. "So, why were you turned into a cat?" He continued with an amused look. "Was there something wrong with the potion?"

Hermione sniffed. "The potion was perfect," she said and saw Gideon biting back a grin.

"It's just that…the hair I thought was from the girl was actually from her cat…" She said and winced at the memory. The transformation had not been pleasant at all.

Gideon grinned. "I wish I'd been there," he said with laughter in his voice.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. "It's not that funny," she said stubbornly.

"Yes, it is." Gideon chuckled.

She huffed with irritation but eventually cracked a smile. "Well…perhaps it is a bit funny now."

He smirked at her. "I'm glad you agree."

"By the way, you're not telling Fabian about this." Hermione said with a warning in her voice.

Gideon merely shrugged. "I make no promises," he said mischievously.

Hermione gritted her teeth and sighed inwardly. But her thoughts were soon shifted to other, more pressing matters.

"Oh! I forgot to ask, how was the trip? Did you find it?" She asked, feeling anxious.

Gideon's smile dropped and he gave her a disappointed look before shook his head. "No, we didn't." He said and threaded a hand through his hair. "We searched everywhere. I think we actually looked into every tree that ever grew on that country." He said with a dry laugh.

"So…there weren't any leads? Did you see anyone there?" She asked and watched him with a worried look.

"We didn't see any Death Eaters, and I reckon there never were any of his followers on guard." Gideon said, and then his frown deepened. "He probably has it somewhere else. We did find a clearing in the woods, which certainly had been contaminated with dark magic. Later on, when we asked around at the village nearby, we found out that one of the villagers went missing in the late forties, and his body was found a couple of months later. For what we gathered, he had been hit with the Killing Curse," He explained sullenly.

Hermione nodded slowly as she chewed her lip. "So…he made the Horcrux there, but hid it somewhere else…" She muttered thoughtfully.

"It seems like that, yeah." Gideon said.

Hermione frowned at him. "What now?"

He sighed. "Well, I am actually here to inform you about a meeting." He said with a small smile. "Next Saturday, at the Headmaster's office."

"Oh…Okay. I'll be there." She said and nodded, the information causing thoughts whirl in her head.

Next Saturday was September 2nd, and the school would have started by then. Which meant that Regulus would be there. Her heart skipped a beat. Perhaps she could ask him to meet her afterwards to find out if he had any news about Voldemort and his followers. And she could see how he was doing. She hadn't heard of him since July and she was starting to feel a bit anxious.

Gideon stayed for lunch, which served also as her breakfast, and she recounted to him everything that had happened during the past two months he had been away.

August 27th 1978 (Sunday)

They were attending to an Order meeting once again and discussing about the problem with the Giants. Snape had informed everyone that Voldemort had been planning to approach the Giants and lure them on his side, to carry out some of the more savage assignments and atrocities against the Muggle community.

Some of the members reckoned that this was merely a way of Voldemort showing he had all the power, but they were doubtful he would actually use the Giants, as there was a possibility that they were a threat to his Death Eaters as well. The Giants were known to be vicious, short-tempered, and not as intelligent as wizards and witches. And then there was the fact that the Giants were currently stationed at the remote mountainous regions in Northern Europe.

"We have enough problems here without the Giants…I mean, our forces barely keep the Death Eaters in check," Sirius argued and many members nodded in agreement.

Snape sneered at him. "I didn't expect for you to grasp the concept of a strategy in warfare, Black."

Sirius gritted his teeth in silent fury but refrained from responding to him as Moody continued to grill information from Snape.

In the end, they had agreed to see if the Ministry could send a group of Aurors into a mission to the Giant colony in order to bring the Giants over to their side.

After their meeting, Hermione approached Snape. Sirius and James both watched her in bewilderment, and even Lily, Mary and Alice eyed her with their brows lifted in disbelief. No one of their group had actually talked with Snape in the meetings.

"Hey…Do you have a moment?" Hermione asked hesitantly, studying Snape's expression. He seemed to be a bit surprised but only nodded to her.

She led them towards the sitting room upstairs, not missing the incredulous look Sirius was giving her before she started to ascend the stairs. If Snape saw Sirius's reaction, he didn't comment on it as they walked upstairs and closed the door behind them. Hermione gestured for Snape to sit down in an armchair, and situated herself in the opposite chair. Snape eyed her warily for a moment before he sat down and stared at her with a blank look in his black eyes.

"So, um…" Hermione muttered, not exactly sure how to start. "How are you?"

Snape arched a brow at her. "I presume you want something from me?" He said with an oily voice.

Hermione refrained from rolling her eyes. "I was trying to be polite, but yes, actually.

He rolled his eyes. The bastard. "Well? What is it?" He asked impatiently.

She frowned, trying to think of how to explain herself to him. "You remember when we used to bump into each other at the Hogwarts potions lab?" She asked and chewed the inside of her cheek.

"Vividly."

She sighed inwardly. How did Lily have the patience to be his friend, was beyond her imagination. "Well, you know what I was working on, right?" She asked, eyeing him expectantly. Even though she hadn't told him anything, she assumed Snape had guessed what she had been working on.

His brows lifted up a bit. "Yes."

"Could I…um…send you some of my notes? Perhaps you could…you know, review them if I'm missing something? Or if you have any suggestions?" She asked with a slight cringe. She knew it was risky, to let one of Voldemort's Death Eaters examine her notes regarding an antidote to one of their master's poisons.

His mouth quirked up a bit. "You want me to review your notes on deadly poisons you have been brewing the past year?" He asked slowly, clearly enjoying her discomfort.

Hermione shifted in her seat but eventually nodded. "Well, not exactly…I um…I have assembled a recipe for an antidote to said poisons, so…perhaps you could take a look at that?" She asked and gave him a hopeful look.

Snape studied her for a while before he spoke. "Owl me your notes and I'll see what I can do." He said bluntly and stood up.

She stood up as well, and was struggling with something she wanted to ask.

"Well? Out with it. I know you're dying to ask." He said and gave her an exasperated look.

Hermione swallowed. "How is he?" She asked quietly, worry evident in her voice.

Snape watched her silently. "He told me to tell you he's fine." He said nonchalantly.

Hermione frowned and took a deep breath. "Is he?" She asked hesitantly, worry and alarm worming their way into the bottom of her stomach.

"No. But for his fortune, he can soon escape to Hogwarts." He said, a hint of bitterness in his voice. When she didn't say anything else, he gave her a curt nod and left the room.

Hermione stayed behind, thinking of what he'd said and how he'd said it. She knew that Snape too was only a victim of circumstance. And she knew that there really was a slim to no chance saying no to Voldemort and his followers and not suffer the consequences. It was a pity, really. It was unfair, and horrible. But wasn't she too fighting in the same war? And her friends…They were all barely of age. And they were too young for this.

"Hey. You okay, kitten?" Sirius asked as he stepped into the sitting room a moment later.

Hermione blinked. "Oh, yes. I just wanted to ask Snape about a potion. You know, since we're both apprenticing to be potioneers," she said, trying to sound convincing.

He eyed her warily but nodded. "Did you ask about him?" Sirius asked quietly.

Hermione lifted her brows in puzzlement.

"Reggie." Sirius said with a frown. "I haven't heard of him or seen him since Hogwarts," Sirius said with a hint of worry in his look. "Is he…is he okay?" He asked softly.

Hermione bit her tongue before she nodded, knowing that she just couldn't tell him what Snape had said. She didn't want to make Sirius worry about his brother more than he already was. "Yeah, I asked about him. He's okay."

Sirius let out a small sigh of relief. "Good."

September 2nd 1978 (Saturday)

Hermione was anxious as she stepped into the fireplace in Hog's Head on Saturday evening. As there had been several disappearances and attacks lately, Ab had insisted that she ought to floo straight to the Headmaster's office, instead of walking to the castle from the village.

Dumbledore had opened his floo momentarily, and as Hermione stepped into the familiar looking circular room, she could hear the floo close behind her.

Everything was just like she remembered. The lightly snoring portraits of previous headmasters aligned on the wall on one side of the room, and Fawkes sitting on his perch in one corner, eyeing everything that happened in the room. Hermione briefly glanced at the beautiful colours that the descending sun was painting onto the sky before she turned her focus towards the other people in the room.

Gideon, Fabian and McGonagall were all sitting in front of the Headmaster's desk, and Dumbledore was situated behind it, beaming at Hermione.

"It is quite splendid to see you again, Hermione," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling as he eyed her.

Hermione smiled at Dumbledore and greeted everyone. McGonagall gave Hermione a nod and a fond smile, but Fabian stood up and enveloped Hermione in a crushing hug.

"I for one missed you, little Dumbledore," He said as he released her and chuckled when Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. Gideon rolled his eyes at his brother as Hermione sat down next to him.

Dumbledore chuckled lightly. "If we may now continue to other pressing matters," he said and crossed his fingers on the table.

Everyone eyed the Headmaster expectantly.

"As all of you probably know by now, the diadem remains hidden. We know Voldemort has transformed it into a Horcrux in Albania, according to Gideon's and Fabian's findings, but it seems that it has been placed to somewhere else for safekeeping," Dumbledore explained and there was a short silence.

"What now?" Fabian asked, a small frown between his brows. "How do we proceed with the Horcruxes? There are still three to destroy, and we don't really have access to two of them. The diadem was the only one we could've acted on." He said and Hermione nodded in agreement.

"Now…We'll see if our friends in Voldemort's inner circle have anything to say in the matter," Dumbledore said simply.

Hermione lifted he brows. "You want to tell them about the Horcruxes?" She asked in bewilderment.

She knew it had been only cautious not to speak about the Horcruxes to anyone else, but a small part of her had wondered why she couldn't have shared the information with Regulus from the beginning. He was bound to know about them on some point, because of Kreacher. If he was the one who had to lead them to at least one of the Horcruxes, why not tell him sooner? And what about Snape? She knew he had changed sides but she was still a bit wary of trusting him this much of information.

Dumbledore seemed to know her line of thought as he replied to her. "No. What I am suggesting, is that we simply inquire if our allies have seen or heard anything regarding Voldemort's invincibility. Anything out of the ordinary." He said simply. Hermione rolled her eyes inwardly. Probably every word the genocidal lunatic let out of his mouth was out of the ordinary. And then there was the fact that both Snape and Regulus would see right through their inquiries.

She eventually nodded. "I'll try to speak with Regulus tonight." She said and dug the charmed galleon from her purse. She tapped her wand to it and sent him a message as the others eyed her curiously.

Fancy a meeting in RoR? –HD

McGonagall eyed the coin with an impressed look.

"It's um…A charmed fake galleon we use for messaging," She explained sheepishly. Fabian and Gideon exchanged a knowing smirk.

Dumbledore smiled and eyed her over his half-moon spectacles as the coin heated in her palm.

Always. –RB

Her breath hitched and she sent him another message.

Meet me there in an hour? –HD

He replied within minutes.

See you soon. –RB

"I'm meeting him after we're done here," Hermione said to the others.

They continued their discussion regarding the remaining Horcruxes and their possible locations. They still suspected Voldemort had placed one of them in the Lestrange vault – either the cup or the diadem – and they knew the locket was hidden inside the cave by the sea. Gideon and Fabian disclosed the details regarding their mission to the others, and together they analysed the information and any leads there might have been.

Dumbledore went through the events that had happened during the summer, recounting the Death Eater raids and the disappearances of people. Hermione let the others know that she was consulting Snape regarding the antidote she was producing. Gideon and Fabian eyed her warily, as they didn't really trust the raven-haired Slytherin, but neither of them said anything as Dumbledore seemed to be pleased with their collaboration. Dumbledore offered to research Voldemort's history more thoroughly, in the hopes of stumbling on some new information that could steer them towards the diadem. And soon their meeting was ending, and they agreed to meet again during the next month, if none of them received any pressing news before that.

"Hi." She said hesitantly after she had stepped inside the Room of Requirement. Regulus was already there, sitting on a couch near the fireplace, in the Gryffindor common room replica.

"Hey." He said and after he saw her puzzled expression, he continued. "Thought you might be a bit more comfortable here," he said with an indifferent shrug.

"Oh." Hermione said and walked towards him. "Thanks, I guess…"

Regulus stood up from the couch and stared at her intently. "Why are you here? Why did you want to meet me?"

She worried her lip. "We should sit. I, um…I want to ask you something," she said obscurely and sat down on the couch, where he had been only a moment before.

Regulus frowned a bit but sat down next to her, eyeing her expectantly.

"Do you have any news?" She asked, cringing inwardly. She knew he would see right through her questions.

His frown deepened. "What is this about?" He asked with an unreadable expression.

Hermione sighed. "Have you heard Vold – "

"Don't," he hissed, staring at her with a warning in his eyes.

She was taken aback for a moment before she realised. Of course. If Voldemort searched Regulus's mind, he would probably focus on what was discussed about him. Or so she reckoned. Hermione nodded and continued. "Have you heard your friend –" she bit through gritted teeth, and Regulus's lips quirked up a bit. " – speak anything about being…you know…undefeatable?" She asked carefully.

He eyed her searchingly and finally gave her a grim look. "So it is true then." He said quietly.

Hermione gasped and stared at him in shock. "You didn't – "

"You know I didn't." He interrupted and stared at her defiantly. "You're so easy to read, Hermione. Even without Legilimency." He muttered and turned his gaze towards the floor, his brows knit together.

Hermione blushed, frustrated by the betrayal of her eyes yet again. She tried to figure out what to say to him. What did he know already?

"Summer Solstice…" He eventually said and gave a mirthless laugh, still not looking at her. "I should've known then. I should've realised it every time we met here after you had been practicing the curse."

Hermione shivered. "What do you know?" She asked anxiously.

He sighed and threaded a hand through his hair. He was clearly under a lot of stress. As she took a better look at him, she saw that he was thinner, gaunter than he'd been the last time she'd seen him. He had changed so much already. As Regulus shifted his eyes to look into hers, she saw that there was darkness in them, and emptiness. She briefly wondered what would be left of him when all this was over. She didn't even want to imagine the deeds he must've been expected to carry out during the summer. How she wanted to comfort him, to hold him. But she couldn't. Instead she looked away.

"He mentioned something about going further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality…" Regulus finally said, and Hermione's breath caught in her throat.

"I had my suspicions about what he was talking about, and now you've confirmed them to me." He said simply, staring at her closely.

Hermione grew a bit uncomfortable under his hard gaze, and squirmed on her seat.

"Did he mention anything about the process? How he has done it?" She asked and chewed the inside of her cheek.

His gaze dropped onto her lips. She could feel her heart thrumming faster in her chest. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

"No." He said and looked away. "I gathered he used a particularly advanced Dark Magic and had an object, which was well hidden." He muttered, staring at the fire that danced merrily in the fireplace.

So…He knew about Voldemort making Horcruxes. Hermione nodded. "He did. And they are."

"They?" He asked and gave her an incredulous look. "…Of course he fucking has several of them…" He huffed and then gave Hermione a hard look. "And what, you're going to find the rest of them? And save the day?" He asked with resentment in his eyes.

Hermione sighed. "Something like that," She said softly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked after a short silence. "I've told you everything." He said quietly.

Hermione swallowed. "I know you have. And…I couldn't. I still can't tell you everything." She said weakly. "You know why." She whispered.

He gave a weary sigh. "Yeah, I know." It was too dangerous.

She eyed him with a sad smile as she stood up. "I should go," she muttered. Regulus stood up as well.

"So, uh…goodbye…?" She stammered awkwardly.

Regulus's lips twitched and he took a step closer to her. Her heartrate sped up. For some reason, her feet were glued to the floor. He was too close.

"Until next time." He murmured and gently pushed a tendril of her hair behind her ear, his fingers hovering against her jawline. She could only stare into his stormy grey eyes, unable to break their eye contact.

She let out a shaky breath and swallowed. He dropped his hand and clenched his jaw.

Hermione finally tore her eyes away from his. She turned around and walked away from him, away from the Room of Requirement and away from Hogwarts.