A/N: Here we go again! And...you know the drill; the raunchy version can be found in Ao3 ;) ;)

Chapter 38: The Locket

November 11th 1978 (Saturday)

Hermione knew she was screaming at the top of her lungs, but she couldn't hear her own voice. The only thing she could hear was the sound of blood that was coursing through her veins, and the words that were playing on repeat inside her head. 'Don't let him die'

There must have been hundreds of dead corpses around her, surfacing from the water and grasping their boat. Many of them had gripped Regulus, who was still in a haze and not putting up a fight, even though the Imperius Curse had broken the minute Hermione started to cast repelling charms on the Inferi.

"Hermione!" Gideon shouted from the shore where he was aiming spells at the lake. "Fire!"

Of course. Screaming inwardly at her stupidity, she lifted her wand and cast a fire-summoning spell. From the tip of her wand the flames emanated, long and vast, circling the boat like a ring of fire. Regulus was already halfway dragged into the water when the Inferi holding him faltered, quickly escaping the flames.

"Reg!" Hermione cried as she waved her wand over her head, trying to keep the fire as close as possible. The boat started to move again after Regulus hauled himself back into it, using his last strength before going unconscious.

"No!" Hermione screamed. They were approaching the shore, and as soon as the boat touched the ground, Hermione vanished the flames. Gideon scampered towards the boat and together they dragged Regulus away from the lake, towards the cave's entrance. Hermione glanced over her shoulder, preparing to shoot another set of flames from her wand but it seemed that the Inferi were not attacking them anymore. The lake was still and silent again.

"Sorry I couldn't scorch the bloody arseholes, it was too risky…you could've got burned in the process," Gideon said anxiously, out of breath as they continued their walk upwards, Regulus leaning heavily on both of them.

Hermione waved her hand dismissively and tried not to think about Regulus and how he had suffered. "Don't worry about it. I still can't believe that I managed to forget how to repel them…" She said with a wavering voice and gave Gideon a frustrated look.

Gideon smiled sympathetically and glanced at Regulus who was still unconscious, pale as a ghost and his face and neck covered in small cuts and bruises caused by the assault of the Inferi, as well as his self-harm in the island. "Is he going to be okay?" Gideon asked nervously.

Hermione swallowed. "I hope so." She whispered, staring at Regulus with guilt and worry edged on her face.

As they reached the entrance of the cave, Gideon laid Regulus down on the ground while Hermione performed the blood sacrifice, granting them permission to leave the place. Before stepping outside, Hermione and Gideon both pointed their wands towards the opening. No one was there. Letting out the breath she was holding in, Hermione walked through the opening. Gideon followed her, levitating Regulus in front of him. The sound of the ocean was suddenly becoming louder and louder until it was right before them, crashing against the cliff where they stood at.

"Your place?" Gideon asked mutedly. Hermione could see he was far from calm and composed.

She nodded. "My bedroom," She said and disapparated.

Hermione had only a second to glance around her room and listen if anyone was home, before Gideon and Regulus apparated with a small faint pop. Regulus was moaning again.

"Put him on the bed," Hermione said hastily and flicked her wand towards the door, locking it and silencing the room.

While Gideon levitated Regulus on her bed, Hermione quickly gathered the necessary potions. She sat down next to him, while Gideon took a seat on the other side of the bed, watching her anxiously.

"What should I do?" Gideon asked.

"Hold him still," Hermione said when Regulus started to judder furiously. As Gideon held him down, Hermione pushed Regulus's hair from his face and tilted his head up. She pried his mouth open and poured the first potion down his throat, and was relieved when he swallowed it immediately. She repeated the process with three different potions until Regulus was stirring, his body relaxed.

"Everything's going to be okay Reg, I promise," Hermione told him, smoothing her fingers through his hair.

He stared at her drowsily. "Don't worry, love. I'll survive," He rasped silently, a ghost of a smile curving his lips. And then he passed out again.

Hermione frowned and waved her wand over his body, performing diagnostic spells to make sure he was going to survive. It seemed so, and she finally let her shoulders sag with relief. Exhaustion took over then, and she started to cry silently.

"Hermione…" Gideon muttered, rubbing his neck uncomfortably.

She sniffed and wiped her eyes on the backs of her hands, choking down the sobs that were bubbling inside her. "I'm okay. I will be." She said and tried to swallow the lump from her throat, and then grimaced. "I smell like burnt flesh…Could you stay with him? I have to shower…" She said edgily. She needed a moment to herself. But she needed to know Regulus was going to be all right.

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead." Gideon said and gave her a small smile.

After making sure no one else was in the house and sending the girls a message through the charmed galleon that she was okay, she turned around and headed straight into the bathroom. Her body took over, and she only vaguely noticed that she was shaking off her shoes and shrugging off her clothes, before she walked stiffly to the shower. As the water ran down her bare skin, warm and soothing, she sobbed wretchedly.

A while after, there were no more tears to cry and her breathing evened. The water was starting to get colder. She sighed and stepped out of the shower. She pulled on her pyjamas and threw on her dressing gown, taking in all the warmth she could get. Her thoughts drifted back to the events earlier that day. She didn't know if she had ever been that frightened in her life.

Sure, there had been many frightful moments throughout the years. One of them being their dreadful capture, the incident during which they had been dragged into the Malfoy Manor, where everything she knew had changed. When she had travelled through time and universe. Even then, in the midst of their capture, Hermione hadn't feared like she now had. What happened in the cave had been both terrifying and crushing. She had never been that afraid of losing someone.

Gideon stood up from the chair in front of her desk as she stepped into her bedroom.

"I should go." He said grimly. "The raid…"

"Oh." She mumbled, only then remembering it. She suddenly felt guilty for taking so much time in the shower. "I'm…I…" She stammered. She glanced at the clock and was shocked to notice it was already half past ten in the evening.

"It's all right, Hermione. Just…Stay with him, okay?" Gideon said reassuringly and walked over to her. "I'll come back in the morning. You should rest now," He said and leaned down to place a quick kiss on the top of her head before leaving.

"Stay safe, okay?" She asked quietly, chewing her lip with worry.

Gideon's mouth quirked up a bit. With a final nod to her, he disapparated.

Hermione took in a shaky breath and glanced at Regulus, who slept silently. Knowing that she couldn't sleep, she snatched a book from the shelf and let herself get lost in it.

After an hour or so, she heard a small crack from downstairs. Alerted, she sprung to her feet, her wand at the ready. Was it Remus? Or someone else? Was it a friend, or an enemy? She thought anxiously and was about to cast protective enchantments when she heard Remus calling her.

She chewed the inside of her cheek and tiptoed out from her room, still a bit suspicious – it could've been someone imposing him, after all.

"Remus?" Hermione asked warily as she walked downstairs, her wand lifted and pointing at him.

"It's me, Mione." He said, lifting his hands up but keeping his wand tightly between his fingers.

Hermione arched a brow. "Prove it." She said softly. She knew this was her Remus, but she needed to be sure.

He smirked. "You love Regulus. And I can smell his scent coming from your room," he said simply, giving her a pointed look.

Hermione blushed furiously, her jaw dropping in surprise. She hadn't exactly expected that to come out of his mouth. "I…um…he…" She stammered, trying to find correct words. "You heard my conversation with Sirius?" She asked sharply.

Remus smiled sheepishly. "Didn't want to, really." He said apologetically. "And I wasn't going bring it up, but it was the only thing that came to my mind that could convince you."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and instead walked quickly to him and enveloped him into a tight hug. "I'm so glad to see you, Remus," Hermione said, her voice muffled against his chest. She felt relieved to see her friend unharmed. "How was the raid? Is everyone okay?" She asked urgently, pulling away and trying to read the events from his eyes.

He sighed. "It wasn't good." When Hermione's eyes widened with fear, he lifted his hands and interrupted her thoughts. "Everyone's alive. Some are a bit more battered than the others, but I suppose the opposite side suffered more than we. Two Death Eaters were killed." He said grimly.

Hermione gaped at him. "Who?"

"Rodolphus Lestrange."

"No!" Hermione gasped in surprise. He certainly had been alive in her old life.

Remus looked stricken and concerned.

"What?" Hermione asked cautiously. She couldn't help but think that there was more to the story.

"There's something else…"

"What is it?" Hermione asked, feeling restless. She didn't like the look he gave her.

Remus cleared his throat. "Sirius killed him…" He said roughly.

Hermione drew a sharp breath, dumbfounded by the shocking events. "Merlin…" She whispered. "Bellatrix…" She managed to say, and Remus nodded grimly. Bellatrix would surely try to find revenge, since she already despised Sirius, and now even more so, as he had killed her husband.

"Oh, Godric…" Hermione muttered, her voice wavering. Sirius would have a target on his back after this. "How is he?" She asked anxiously.

Remus gave a noncommittal shrug. "Well, you know him…Trying to brush it off with humour. He's with Prongs and Lily."

Hermione sighed. "Well, at least he's not alone…" Hermione breathed, overwhelmed by the news. She was silent for a while before she spoke to him. "Who was the other one? The other Death Eater?"

"Greyback," He whispered, swallowing deeply.

Hermione's breath hitched. Greyback. Hermione was completely taken aback. She knew what this meant. To her, to him. Even if Remus didn't know about what Greyback had tried to do to her, she still knew what the beast had done to her friend.

"That's…" She managed to say, shaking her head with a stumped look. He nodded to her, his eyes brimming with tears.

She took a step towards him, enveloping him in a warm hug. Remus let out shuddering breaths against her neck.

"I can't fucking believe it…" He mumbled.

Hermione let out a nervous laugh as they broke off. "Me neither."

They stared at each other silently. Suddenly both of them burst in anxious laughter. They laughed uncontrollably for a good moment before the laughter faded, and they became serious again, overwhelmed by the knowledge.

Remus wiped his eyes and glanced upstairs, eyeing her questioningly.

"Let's just…not mention my conversation with Sirius to anyone?" She said with a tight smile. She knew Remus wouldn't say anything to anyone, but she also wasn't ready to discuss her feelings for the two Black boys with him yet.

Remus nodded slowly. "So…What is he doing in here?" He asked, eyeing her curiously.

"I, um…was with him today. But I can't tell you about it…Gideon was with us, but he left some time ago." She explained evasively.

"I know. I saw him. Gideon, I mean. So, you were in a mission together. But why is he in your bedroom?" He asked knowingly.

Hermione narrowed her eyes a bit. "Because he's hurt," She snapped.

His expression faltered. "Shit. How badly?" He asked with a troubled look.

"He's passed out at the moment but should be back in shape tomorrow." She said and rubbed her face with her hands. "I should get some sleep," She said, holding back a yawn.

"Yeah, sure. Me too." Remus muttered and together they walked upstairs, both disappearing behind their respective bedroom doors after bidding each other good night.

When Hermione closed the door and silenced the room again, she could see Regulus trashing on the bed, moaning slightly in his sleep.

"Reg?" She whispered, walking slowly towards him.

His shirt was glued to his chest, and she could see the roots of his hair covered with beads of sweat as well. Her insides jolted with concern. She quickly performed the diagnostic spells on him, but found nothing alarming.

"Regulus?" Hermione said and sat down on the bed next to him, threading her fingers through his hair.

He stirred. "Love?" He grunted silently, his grey eyes finding hers.

"I'm here. How are you feeling?" She asked hesitantly.

"I'm…I'm fine." He muttered tiredly, his fingertips brushing her thigh.

He was far from fine, but she didn't feel the need to point it out to him. "Do you want something? Drink? Food?" She asked as she adjusted his pillows.

"You." He breathed.

Hermione spluttered. "W-What?"

He looked at her with a pained expression, and with a frustrated sigh, he reached out and grabbed her arm, and pulled her forward and on top of him. She barely had a chance to steady herself with her other hand, that was resting next to his head before he took a hold of her neck and pulled her closer to him, crashing his lips against hers in a soft, but passionate kiss. She was caught out of guard, and remained still for a moment, but eventually pressed her palm flat against his chest and kissed him back.

The taste of his lips felt so familiar and so sweet, so good that she wanted to melt into him. When he pulled away slightly, out of breath and staring at her with dark, lusty eyes, Hermione bit her lip and spoke to him. "We shouldn't." She muttered and stood up to sit on the edge of the bed. "I can sleep on the couch."

"No. Stay," Regulus said softly.

Hermione swallowed and looked at him with confusion.

"Please," He said quietly, staring at her intently. "I need you." he whispered.

Her heart ached because of his words, and she wanted nothing more than to press herself against him. She opened her mouth but nothing came out.

His fingertips trailed down her back. "Please, Hermione…"

She took in a shaky breath. She was too weak. She craved him too much. "I need you too," She whispered, staring into his eyes.

Regulus's mouth curved into a small smile and he stood up to sit on the bed, close to her. As he started to take his clothes off while holding her gaze, Hermione sat still and watched him, chewing her lip as she tried to gather her thoughts. She knew very well where this was heading and yet she had decided to follow it through. Was it wise? Surely not, but she couldn't deny the fact that she wanted him. She needed him. And she missed him.

Regulus stripped himself naked, and then turned to look at her. He wasn't ashamed of his body, and his gaze softened as she eyed at his body appreciatively. Circe, how many times she had dreamt of him! She knew they shouldn't be doing this, and she knew that he too would probably regret it later, but she could only think how perfect he was, how safe she felt with him, and how loved he made her feel.

Hermione felt her cheeks warm as her eyes followed the angles of his hard but lean body. "You're so beautiful," She muttered absent-mindedly.

Regulus laughed. "Not really the words I was expecting, but thank you," He said, blushing slightly before he continued, "Although…I think you're the beautiful one." He shuffled closer and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She gave him a sweet smile in return.

"Now…I think you're wearing far too many pieces of clothing," He murmured, his fingers brushing against the tie of her dressing gown, and after giving her an intense look he leaned closer to her, nuzzling her neck lightly.

Hermione's breath caught but she managed to arch a brow at him. "I am?"

"Definitely," He breathed, mouthing her neck softly, sending shivers down her spine.

She slid away from the bed, shrugged out of her dressing gown and took off her pyjamas. Regulus swallowed hard, looking like he was seeing something which has long been desired.

"You're stunning," He murmured, holding his hand out for her. "Come here, love."

Slowly, Hermione moved forward until she was standing in front of him. His eyes roamed over her body hungrily before he stood up. He was so close, that their bodies were touching. He reached out gently and stroked the line of her jaw with the tips of his fingers.

"You have no idea how much I have missed you," he whispered, his eyes meeting hers.

Hermione's mouth curved into a smile. "I've missed you too."

Carefully, Hermione took his face between her hands and pulled him down to meet her lips. Regulus groaned and kissed her back with raw hunger, taking a hold of her hips and pressing his fingers against her skin.

A while after, Hermione and Regulus were lying on Hermione's bed, their naked bodies tangled together as they both tried to catch their breaths. They stayed like that for several minutes, coming down from the high.

Hermione rested her head against his shoulder, worrying her lip. She knew she shouldn't have said the words to him. I love you. It wasn't like she didn't mean them, but…it only made things harder, for both of them.

"You okay, love?" He murmured, placing a soft kiss on the top of her head.

Hermione sighed. "I suppose…"

He gently pulled himself off of her, propping up on his elbow. "What is it?" Regulus asked and pulled the comforter over their naked bodies. He eyed her worriedly for a moment before he frowned and looked away. "I'm sorry."

"Why? You…regret what we did?" She asked hesitantly, taking in a shaky breath. Even if she knew what they did wasn't wise, or rational, she still couldn't regret what had happened.

"Merlin, no." Regulus said roughly, his eyes staring at her with such vulnerability she wanted to envelope him into a crushing hug, to soothe him, to cherish him.

"I'm sorry that I can't be what you deserve," He said solemnly, staring at her with his grey eyes filled with such honesty, that she could feel his words in her soul.

Hermione shook her head, rejecting his words. "But you are, Reg." She said softly. "You're a good person. You're doing the right thing," she said earnestly.

"You can't be serious," He grunted with annoyance. "I'm a Death Eater, remember?" She heard the bitterness in his voice.

She sighed. "I know what you are. But I know you don't want it. I know you are fighting for the Light," She said persistently, staring into his eyes intently.

He gave her a devastated look. "I've killed someone. I've killed people." He spat, and Hermione shuddered at his cold words. "Am I still a good person?" He asked ruthlessly.

Hermione knew he was trying to put distance between them by saying those things. She knew, but it still hurt. She took his hand, laced their fingers and held his gaze, a single tear escaping from the corner of her eye.

Regulus turned his eyes at their joined hands, clenching his jaw. "Do…do you regret it? Do you regret us?" He asked quietly, not looking at her.

"No. Of course not. I've never regretted anything we have shared," She said sincerely and leant forward to place a hesitant kiss on his lips. He answered to her kiss immediately, licking and nipping her lips with a languorous pace, desperate for her.

She knew he was now trying to distract himself from feeling anything but lust. Before things started to become heated again, she pulled back slightly. "Let's go to sleep, okay? Gideon will be here in the morning, and I have to catch some sleep before tomorrow's ordeal…" She said, stifling a yawn. She could see the walls in his mind closing.

"You're going to destroy it?" He said mutedly.

"Mmm-Hmm," She hummed, her eyelids becoming heavier and heavier.

He huffed. "I don't like it."

Hermione's mouth quirked up a bit. "I know, Reg." She snuggled closer to him, breathing in his soothing scent and slowly falling into a slumber. "Good night, love." She mumbled, half asleep already.

Regulus sighed, pulling her against him. "Good night."

November 12th 1978 (Sunday)

The next morning Hermione woke up finding Regulus still in her bed, holding her back tightly against his chest. She snuggled closer, enjoying the warmth of his body. Regulus stirred almost immediately, taking in a sharp breath. When she heard him groan quietly, she turned her head to look at him and found him blinking at her, his lips curved up in a small, sleepy smile.

"Hey." He mumbled.

She turned around to face him and studied his relaxed features. "Good morning. How are you feeling?"

"Horny."

Hermione rolled her eyes and Regulus cracked a smile. "I'm okay. A bit hungry though," He said.

She gave her a warm smile. "I'll make you some breakfast as soon as I've checked your vitals."

She stood up to sit on the edge of the bed and took her wand from the nightstand, waving it over his body and muttering under her breath. Regulus eyed her amusedly as she concentrated on the results.

"Everything seems to be in good condition. The antidote worked. You're all good." She said and gave him a satisfied look.

Regulus smirked and then his face fell. "You on the other hand…" he muttered slowly as he lifted his hand and traced his fingertips against her sternum, following the line of a deep, purple scar that crossed her chest.

Hermione's stomach dropped. She knew that he hadn't seen it before, and by the baffled look he now had, she knew that he was thinking back to the previous night and was probably wondering how he had missed it then.

"I know what this is," He said quietly, his eyes still on the scar, a deep frown between his brows. "I know what it does," he said, moving his eyes to meet hers. "But I have never seen anyone survive it."

"Reg…" Hermione said weakly. She could see him trying to control his anger, to close his mind.

"How did he do that?" He demanded, evidently knowing exactly who had been behind it.

Hermione sighed. It was an old scar, from a curse Dolohov had used against her in her fifth year. While she hadn't bothered covering up the other scars scattered on her body, gained from the numerous tribulations she had faced throughout her schoolyears, she had been quite adamant to conceal this one with charms every time she had been with Regulus. She knew he would have probably recognised it as a Death Eater curse – although how popular it was amongst them, she didn't know, until now, at least – and hadn't wanted him to question her. But last night, the thought of concealing it hadn't even crossed her mind. They weren't together, and she hadn't assumed that he would be seeing her naked.

"It's an old scar. From…from another time." She said with finality in her voice, not wanting to argue with him about the matter. She stood up and found a sweater lying on her armchair. She pulled it over her head, grabbed some clean underwear and sweatpants and got dressed. Regulus stared at her with an unreadable expression.

"I'll be downstairs. You can shower if you like, and…um…I can ask if Remus could lend you a fresh set of clothes," She muttered and after he gave her a muted nod, she left the room.

Once in the hallway, she took a deep breath and leaned against the closed door. After seeing Remus's door open, but the werewolf nowhere in sight, she assumed he was downstairs.

"Good morning. Slept well?" Remus asked with an amused look in his eyes as he prepared breakfast. Hermione stilled, and it was obvious that he knew exactly what had happened in her bedroom. "I mean, you certainly look pleased." He said teasingly, and Hermione groaned in exasperation. Remus laughed and handed her a cup of coffee.

She took it with a grateful smile and leaned against the counter, watching the eggs and bacon sizzle on the stove. "So…how are you holding up?" Hermione asked, eyeing Remus attentively.

He shrugged. "Dunno…Can't really wrap my head around it. And…I'm sort of gutted that I wasn't there to witness it. Or that I wasn't the one who…" He said with uncertainty, his voice trailing off.

"The one who killed him." She finished his sentence and bit her lip. "I'm glad you weren't." She said gravely.

"Hermione…There might come a time when all of us, even you, have to look away from our morals and do what is needed." He said softly. She knew what he meant. The Death Eaters didn't hesitate when killing someone. But…how many of them were like Regulus?

She wanted to change the subject, and not to linger in what Regulus had said to her last night. "Um…could you lend some of your clothes to Regulus?" She asked hesitantly. The clothes Regulus had worn the day before had endured a lot during their task in the cave, and she doubted they could be mended and cleaned with spells.

Remus nodded. "Sure. I'll grab some clothes for him," He said moved towards the stairs. He glanced back at her. "Is he okay?"

Hermione shrugged. "Seems to be."

"Okay." He said and disappeared upstairs.

Breakfast was…awkward. Regulus ate silently, freshly showered and dressed in Remus's clothes, which fit him quite nicely after a couple of small alterations. Hermione and Remus exchanged a few words, but they couldn't really speak about the raid, since they weren't sure how much they could say in front of Regulus, and they couldn't discuss about Hermione's and Regulus's mission either.

Hermione let out a breath of relief when their floo chimed, announcing that someone was coming through. Gideon. Finally.

"Good morning," Gideon greeted everyone as he walked towards the kitchen.

Hermione, Remus and Regulus all murmured their mornings, and Gideon chuckled. "You lot sound like my Auror trainees who are facing a lecture instead of combat training." He said with an amused look and snatched a strip of bacon from the frying pan. Gideon had returned to the Auror academy, to train the Auror trainees, instead of going back to the field where his brother was. He'd said that he enjoyed teaching, but staying in Hogwarts in times like these – when the war was starting – he reckoned it was better to be closer to where everything happened.

"Dumbledore is waiting for you, Hermione. I told him I'll see if you're ready to come with us," Gideon said and nodded his head towards Regulus.

Hermione gave him a tight smile. "I'll just go and make myself ready. Be back in a bit." She said and moved hastily upstairs.

Ten minutes later she heard a faint knock on her door. "Come on in," She said absently as she made sure she had everything – including the Horcrux – in her beaded bag. She wouldn't dare to wear it this time.

Regulus walked into her room, closed the door and watched her silently as she sat on the bed, fiddling with her bag. "I hate this," He murmured as he leaned against the door.

Hermione gave him a sad smile. "Me too." She said and took a shaky breath. "I wish…I wish it wouldn't have to be like this. I wish we were together. I wish we could talk about anything and everything, and that we could see each other every day," she said, watching him dejectedly before she continued, "I wish we'd go for a romantic getaway, not for hiding, but to get away from everyone. And I wish I wouldn't have to go to sleep at night without you," She muttered and sniffled, trying to blink away the tears that burned her eyes.

He took a sharp breath and closed his eyes. "Where would we go?" He asked after a short silence.

Hermione smiled. "Dunno. Somerset, perhaps…I've heard there are some nice cottages around…" She said and cleared her throat. "We have to go."

Clenching his jaw, Regulus nodded and together they left towards Hogwarts.

"Sooo…How do we open it?" Fabian asked awkwardly as they stared at the locket that was lying on a stone podium in the middle of the cave in Letterfearn. They had worked on destroying it for quite a while already, and nothing had happened.

Gideon shrugged and turned to look at Dumbledore, who turned to Hermione.

"I honestly thought we could destroy the locket with Fiendfyre without opening it," Hermione muttered and frowned at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore smiled at her. "Not to worry. We will find a way to open it."

"Nothing else works? It can't be opened with a spell? Are we sure only a Parselmouth could do it?" McGonagall asked, eyeing the locket with disappointment.

"That seems to be the case, Minerva." Dumbledore said thoughtfully.

"That's not good." Fabian muttered. "Anyone know any Parseltongue?" He asked jokingly. Gideon shot a look at his brother, while Hermione suppressed a smile.

"Unfortunately, the language of serpents is not something you can learn from a book, or something that is taught. However, while I do not speak the language, I recognise some of the words, and may be able to recite them correctly to open the locket." Dumbledore said simply.

Gideon turned to eye him in confusion. "But if the language cannot be read or taught, how exactly are you able to learn the correct words?"

"That is the problem we should try to resolve. Although, there is one person amongst us who has been in close relation with one Parselmouth..." Dumbledore said pointedly. "Hermione, dear?" He asked and everyone turned to look at her.

"Have you by any chance heard your friend Harry to speak any words in Parseltongue?" Dumbledore asked kindly, eyeing her over his half-moon spectacles.

Hermione frowned in thought and nodded. "Some, yes. He mumbled in his sleep a lot when we were on the run last year…or…well. In the future," She muttered. "But I'm afraid I can't remember the specifics, and even if I did, I couldn't recount the words to you…" She said with a helpless shrug.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "What if I would finally take a look into your memories?"

Her eyes widened in recognition. Of course! A Pensieve! Dumbledore could indeed learn the words from her memories. Assuming Harry had mumbled the correct words.

They decided to head towards the castle where Hermione could draw out the memories of hearing Parseltongue, and then Dumbledore would go through them. Eventually they had to call it a night, since the process ended up taking a lot more time they had anticipated, so they agreed to meet again in the cave in Letterfearn on Wednesday, next week.

November 15th 1978 (Wednesday)

Hermione woke up early on Wednesday morning, anxious to get to work as soon as possible in order to get it over with. Normally she was eager to get to work because she really loved what she did in Viridian's company, but today she had something more pressing in her mind. They were going to meet in Letterfearn in the evening with the intention of destroying the locket. Before she would leave to Scotland, she had planned to prepare herself by practicing Occlumency. They all needed to prepare themselves against the locket, as it surely would try to attack and infiltrate their minds.

As Hermione walked downstairs, she was startled to see someone sprawled on their couch.

"Sirius?" She whispered, as she walked closer and found the raven-haired man snoring quietly in reply. The full moon had been last night and apparently Remus had come home with Sirius. She watched him for a moment, her eyes sweeping over his relaxed features. He looked so innocent, so young. Her heart wrenched with worry. What would happen to him? What if Bellatrix found her revenge? She smoothed his silky hair away from his forehead, her fingers lingering on his cheek.

He stirred, his mouth curving up a bit. "I could get used to waking up like this." He murmured with a sleepy voice, not opening his eyes. She pulled her hand off and he let out a small whine.

"How are you doing?" Hermione asked and sat on the edge of the couch, chewing the inside of her cheek as she watched him worriedly.

Sirius blinked. "Peachy," He said, yawning as he struggled to sit up. "Oh, fuck I'm tired," he grunted, blinking and rubbing his neck. "I'm getting too old for this shit," he muttered.

Hermione suppressed a smile. She knew Sirius would never be too old for frolicking in the woods with his best friends. "How was it? Last night?" She asked carefully.

He gave a noncommittal shrug. "Okay, I s'pose."

"And Remus?"

Sirius gave her a wry smile. "Exceptionally dull, now when he's on the potion."

Hermione rolled her eyes. She studied his features for a bit. "I, um…I actually meant to ask you how you are doing after…you know…" She said, flinching as she thought about the raid and what he'd done.

Sirius's eyes darkened and he scowled at her. "Don't wanna talk about it." He said through gritted teeth.

Hermione sighed. "Okay. Well, I'll be here if you change your mind," She said softly. Sirius was glaring at the floor.

"Would you like some coffee? Or sleep?" She asked while standing up and making her way towards the kitchen.

He shrugged. "I think I'll just head up to crash with Moony. You know how he just loves to wake up to me spooning him…" Sirius said and winked at her. He stood up and walked towards the stairs, yawning as he went.

"You can sleep in my bed if you want. I won't be back home until the afternoon. But only if you keep everything unsullied," She said with a warning in her tone.

Sirius chuckled and turned back to look at her. "Thanks, but no thanks. I crashed there yesterday, you know, when you were at work," He explained quickly when Hermione's eyes widened in shock and annoyance, and continued, "Let's just say unsullied is probably not the word you should go with," He said and eyed her knowingly, a sly smirk lifting his mouth. "I mean, I could recognise my brother's scent from a mile away."

Hermione flushed bright red with anger and embarrassment. That bloody heightened sense of smell was causing her harm, yet again…

He stared at her with a contemplative look before he turned and disappeared to the stairs.

Hermione cursed inwardly and stood in place, staring numbly at the space his back had been only seconds ago. She sighed. While she didn't regret what had happened with Regulus, she had wanted to think things through before facing Sirius. And now everything had gone the opposite she had planned. Again.

Huffing with annoyance, she decided to head to work and focus on what was important. The Horcrux.

"Somewhere else you ought to be?" Viridian asked with an amused voice as Hermione glanced at the clock on the wall for what must have been the hundredth time and groaned in discontent when the damned thing wasn't moving any faster. It was still morning, and she had a long day ahead of her.

Hermione's eyes widened a bit. "No, sir, I apologise. I'm only finding it a bit hard to focus today," she said truthfully. She had been working with Viridian long enough to know he wanted her to be straightforward with him.

He glanced up from his notes and twirled a quill between his fingers, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Then I suggest you go to St. Mungo's to record the progression of our test subjects," he said matter-of-factly.

She almost gasped. He was the one who always took records and interviewed their test subjects in person. Not his apprentices. "Are you sure?" She asked with a hint of excitement seeping into her voice.

It would be both challenging and intriguing to document and observe the development on the spot. Not to mention do something else for a change, even though she loved working with potions research.

He nodded and waved his hand. "Off you go," he muttered and returned back to his notes. "Leave the results to Thomas when you're ready," He said, referring to one of his research assistants, "And then you're done for the day."

St. Mungo's had been somewhat interesting. As she got home after dropping the data to Thomas, Hermione's head was still spinning from all the information. She had tried to put in her best effort on writing her observations with the clinical results for Viridian. Their four test subjects, two men and two women, who all suffered from severe mental illness, had all been affected by the advanced healing potion. The progress was slow, but there was some progress at least.

"Hey," Remus greeted from the couch, where he was going through his class material, a weary look edged on his face.

Hermione's thoughts of work slipped from her mind as she smiled at her friend. "How are you doing?" She asked as she came to sit on the arm of the couch.

He shrugged. "Okay." He grunted and flipped through some pages of his textbook and cursed under his breath.

Hermione sighed. It was the second time that day when she had asked a Marauder how they were, and received only moody replies. Boys…She stood up and ventured towards the kitchen. "I'm going to see Dumbledore later," Hermione said as she put the kettle on. "Tea?"

Remus put his books down and turned to look at her with a curious look. "Why? Has something happened?"

"No, just have some business to go through with him…" She said evasively. She lifted an empty cup and gave him a questioning look.

"Oh, sure, thanks." He said and Hermione flicked her wand to levitate a tray with a teapot and two cups towards their sitting room. "So…It's something to do with your mission?" Remus asked tentatively as he took his cup between his hands and eyed her searchingly. Hermione sat down next to him and took a sip from her cup.

"Um…Yes. But that's all I can say on the matter, I'm afraid." She said with discontent. Remus nodded understandingly. They had talked about the raid and everything she could tell him about her mission. Which wasn't really that much. "So…I might come back late." She said vaguely.

Remus chewed the inside of his cheek. "Okay…Should I be worried?" He asked slowly and his eyes searched hers.

"No. I'm with Dumbledore." She said reassuringly. Unfortunately, even that knowledge didn't help her shake the restlessness that was coursing inside her. They sat in silence for a while, both staring ahead into nothingness, absorbed in their thoughts.

"I have to go and get ready," Hermione said eventually and stood up from the couch. She pressed a kiss on the top of Remus's head. "Try to take it easy, Remus. You can catch up on your schoolwork during the weekend." She said affectionately. Remus grunted in reply but smiled nonetheless.

"I'll see you tomorrow." She said and moved towards the stairs.

"Yeah. Take care, Hermione."

They were standing side by side, in front of the stone podium, where the locket was perched on the top of it.

"Now, before I start, I ask for everyone to clear their minds, and focus on protecting it with walls and barriers," Dumbledore said softly, his wand at the ready. They had agreed that the moment after Dumbledore had uttered the words in Parseltongue in order to open the locket, he would step away from it, so that the cursed heirloom would attack the others instead. That would give the Headmaster the advantage to cast Fiendfyre and destroy the object once and for all.

Everyone nodded and took their positions; wands lifted and focused expressions. Dumbledore took a steadying breath and hissed to the locket.

They stood in place and stared at the locket in anticipation.

Nothing happened.

"Perhaps it was the wrong word…" Fabian muttered, and Gideon nudged him on the ribs.

"Fuck, Gid…Stop mauling me!" Fabian hissed quietly. McGonagall glanced at Dumbledore with an anxious look on her face.

Then it happened.

"Minerva…"

McGonagall gasped and whirled around to search the man who had uttered her name.

"Robert?" She asked, her voice a mix of worry and suspicion.

"Help me…Please!"

"Robert!" McGonagall called her missing brother with horror, her voice now louder, her breathing quickened. She took a tentative step towards the locket.

"Minerva, don't! It's not him!" Gideon shouted in panic, and then all of them, except McGonagall were blasted several feet away from the locket.

"Help me…sister, please," The voice wailed in agony.

Groaning from the pain of hitting her head on the unrelenting rock, Hermione blinked and squinted groggily at her former Head of House, who took another step towards the stone podium, her hand hovering over the locket. Wincing with discomfort, she pushed up to sit. "No…" She whispered.

Hermione heard her heartbeat thrumming in her ears, her head was pounding with pain, and she was fairly sure she had hit her head pretty badly, as she touched the back of her skull and found her hand sticky with blood. "Shit." She breathed and hazily looked around her. Dumbledore was unconscious. So was Gideon. Fabian was groaning on the other side of the cave.

"Minerva, no…" Fabian moaned struggling to get up on all fours. Another forceful wave erupted from the middle of the cave, heading towards Fabian. He yelled and tried to pull up a shield charm but wasn't fast enough.

"Fabian!" Hermione screamed in terror when the man was flown across the cave, straight towards the rock wall with a sickening crunch. Another wave came towards her, and it barely missed her as she threw herself on the side, moaning in pain when her body hit the ground. She could taste blood in her mouth. She quickly scampered up and was relieved to find her wand safely between her fingers.

It was now, or never.

She took a deep breath and waved her wand in an intricate pattern. At the same time, Hermione saw McGonagall conjure another set of cursed flames. A fiery lion flew from the tip of her wand, soaring beside the chimaera which had erupted from Hermione's wand. The locket was fighting against them, and both Hermione's and McGonagall's focus faltered after another wave of magic came from the Horcrux.

"MINERVA, MOVE!" Hermione screamed, and the other witch turned around, her eyes widening in terror.

Hermione was struggling to put out the flames before they reached McGonagall, and she could see her former Head of House was trying to do the same thing. Hermione gritted her teeth and focused all her willpower into keeping the flames from hitting McGonagall. She almost succeeded. The fiery lion scraped the back of her old Head of House lightly, but it was still enough. With a howl of torment, McGonagall fell to the ground, crawling in obvious pain, away from the stone podium. "Oh, gods!" Hermione gasped, managing to extinguish one of the curses.

"Do it!" McGonagall choked, writhing helplessly as the burn of the curse took over. Hermione knew exactly how it felt. It felt like agony. It felt like thousand flames were burning through one's skin, even though the flames had already succumbed.

Shaking uncontrollably, her face wet with tears, sweat and blood, Hermione controlled the remaining cursed flames, now in the shape of a serpent, and forced them to dive straight into the locket.

As soon as the flames touched the locket, the cave was filled with loud screams of terror and torment, cries of suffering that made Hermione's skin crawl and her head spin. The sounds grew louder, and louder, and she knew something was about to happen. Hermione tried to brace herself for the finale, but nothing could've made her ready for it.

A loud explosion erupted from the middle of the cave, and the whole cave shook.

Then the roof started to crumble down.

"NO!" Hermione screamed and with her last powers, she extinguished the cursed flames before she passed out.

A/N: Two cliffhangers in a row was not intentional, by the way...I'm sorry! :)