Up In Flames by Ruelle
We feel warmth in the cold corners
Eyes in the back of our heads
We roll out when the day's over
Chasing silhouettes
September 29th, 1979
Regulus anxiously paced the length of the sitting room, casting frequent glances at the Haven's skylights overhead. It had been hours since the Dark Lord took Kreacher, and although it would also be hours until the sun went down, all he could think about was what he would do if Kreacher didn't return by then.
Thus far, he had come up with nothing, as most scenarios led to someone getting killed. Confronting the Dark Lard was hardly a wise move. Searching for Kreacher was an option, but where would he begin looking? The Dark Lord's whereabouts were as mysterious to him as the rest of the Death Eaters, seeing as he came and went as he desired, often disappearing for months at a time.
"I don't understand," Theya leaned forward in the armchair to rest her elbows on her knees. "Why would You-Know-Who need a house-elf?"
"I can't make sense of it either." Ivy stared at an unfixed point near the fireplace, sounding equally as baffled.
"You don't think He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named would…" Theya cast a quick glance at Regulus. "Use him to make another Horcrux?"
He glared at her. "Can you not? That's the last idea I need crawling around in my head."
"I know," Theya winced. "But it's just so strange."
"Well spotted," he snapped.
"There's no need to bite my head off."
"Perhaps I'm just tired of your morbid fucking speculation. I don't want to picture Kreacher being used for Blood Magic, or his head on a spike somewhere."
"That's not fair," Theya protested. "Ivy had plenty of disturbing theories too."
"She isn't going on about it," Regulus retorted. "And she isn't working under the assumption that he's dead. He's not, I know it."
"How do you know?"
"I just do."
"Well, then," Theya rolled her eyes. "Guess there's nothing I can say against such irrefutable evidence."
"Enough," Ivy interjected. "You're giving me a migraine - and this isn't helping."
"By all means," Regulus glowered at the skylights. "Tell me what will."
"Making a plan. Surely, we can-"
A sharp pop cut her off.
Whipping toward the sound, he spotted Kreacher in the corner near Ivy's black mirror. Racing over, he skidded painfully to his knees in front of the house elf, who was sopping wet. He looked rather more sickly than usual and swayed where he stood.
"What happened?" Regulus demanded.
"Kreacher was brought to a cave," the house elf croaked.
"A cave?" He stared. "Tell me precisely what happened."
"The wizard took Kreacher to a cave and told him to drink a potion. He obeyed, as Master Regulus commanded. Kreacher saw-" He coughed raggedly. "Kreacher saw terrible things. He wanted to stop, but he was told to keep drinking. When the basin was empty, the wizard left Kreacher on the island. Kreacher was thirsty and crawled to the water. When he touched it, a dead body pulled him under. Kreacher was swarmed and then came back to Master Regulus."
"I ought to wring his fucking neck," Regulus growled. "Are you alright? Do you need water? Someone get him water! Sit down, Kreacher, rest."
Footsteps retreated behind him, while the house elf plopped to the floor with a wet squish. He wrung water out of the rags he wore and gave another rough cough.
Ivy knelt in the puddle. "Did the Dark Lord say why he wanted you to drink the potion?"
"He did not," Kreacher told her coarsely.
Theya's footsteps returned. She came into view and tried to pass the glass of water to the house elf, who turned his large yellow eyes to Regulus. "Master Regulus is not supposed to take care of Kreacher. Kreacher is supposed to take care of Master Regulus."
"Nonsense," he scoffed. "I do as I please, and it pleases me to ensure that you're alright."
Kreacher hesitated, before accepting the water from Theya. He drank it sloppily, half the contents spilling down his front. Once finished, he stared in disappointment at the bottom of the glass.
"Do you want more?" Regulus asked.
"Kreacher would like more water."
Theya retrieved the glass and jogged towards the kitchen again.
"Why do you think he wanted you to drink the potion?" Ivy tried again.
"Kreacher saw the wizard withdraw a locket from the basin when it was empty. Kreacher thinks the wizard wanted to look at it."
Theya returned breathlessly and handed the glass back to the house elf. He downed it immediately, in a similar fashion to before. This time when he was through, he set the glass down and hiccuped.
"A locket?" Regulus exchanged a look with Ivy. "What did he do with the locket?"
"The wizard put it back in the basin."
"Put it back in the basin…" Ivy muttered, as though to herself.
"You said there was a swarm of dead bodies?" Regulus pressed. "What do you mean?"
"Kreacher was pulled into the lake by a decayed hand," the house elf rasped.
"Inferius," Ivy said slowly. "I read about them when I was trying to research Death Magic. They're corpses, reanimated by Dark wizards to do their bidding. Isn't that right, Kreacher?"
"Kreacher thinks so," he answered hoarsely. "When he was under the water, they came from all sides to drag him to the depths."
"How many do you think there were?" Theya stood just behind Regulus and Ivy, her brow furrowed in concentration.
"Kreacher would guess hundreds, perhaps a thousand."
The trio let out sounds of disbelief and shared a look of horror.
Ivy gaped. "A thousand?"
"The lake Kreacher saw was wide and deep. There were many bodies."
"Fucking hell," Regulus leaned back onto his heels. "I knew the Dark Lord was a raving lunatic, but this is…" He shook himself. "Kreacher, I want you to return to Grimmauld Place. Do not tell anyone what happened today, or that we spoke of it. Stay hidden and don't leave unless commanded to or called upon. Rest until you feel better."
The house elf got to his feet. Giving a bow, he vanished with a sharp crack.
Regulus ran a hand over his face, staring at the puddle Kreacher left behind.
"The locket's a Horcrux," Theya rubbed her lips together. "Isn't it?"
"Got to be." He tugged at the hair on the back of his neck. "I can't imagine the Dark Lord is merely collecting jewellery."
"That would certainly be a sight," Ivy said mirthlessly. "Well, what do we do now? Clearly, he checks up on his Horcruxes. If we manage to nick the locket and get out of there alive, what's stopping him from turning up the next day and discovering that it's gone?"
"Nothing," Regulus said morosely. "Nothing at all."
"What if…" Theya looked pensive. "What if we get a fake? A copy of the locket? We could switch them."
"Kreacher might not have gotten a good enough look at the locket," Ivy pointed out. "To provide a description."
"Despite how he looks," Regulus said. "He's got pretty keen eyes. Besides, have we got any other ideas? I don't."
"Me neither," Ivy sighed. "Assuming we can get a solid description from Kreacher, we'll have a copy made. Then what?"
"Kreacher had no problem getting out of the cave," Theya said thoughtfully. "I'm betting he could get us in too. And so long as we don't touch the water, we won't trigger the Inferi. Right?"
"Sounds like it," Regulus replied. "But one of us would still have to drink the potion. If there was an alternative way to get the locket, surely the Dark Lord would've done it. He wouldn't have involved Kreacher if he had a choice."
"We could always go to the cave," Theya said. "While we wait for the locket to be made. Scout it out, see if there's a loophole."
"While surrounded by a thousand reanimated dead bodies?" Ivy shook her head. "Not a good idea. It sounds like if anyone goes under, they're as good as dead. Going once is risky enough."
"Hold on," Regulus frowned. "I think Theya's onto something. If Kreacher can pop in and out at will, he could take me there to check things out beforehand. So long as he and I stay close, we can test out the potion, the boundaries of the cave. If we do something that triggers the Inferi, we can just leave."
"Absolutely not," Ivy got to her feet and folded her arms commandingly. "It's too dangerous."
"He wouldn't be going alone," Theya told her. "I'd be with him. You, too."
"Actually," Regulus stood as well. "It'll just be me and Kreacher."
Both witches let out furious sounds of protest.
"It's safer that way," he spoke over them. "The more people mucking about, the harder it'll be for Kreacher to get everyone out safely."
"I won't allow it," Ivy said definitively.
"You don't have to," Regulus shrugged. "Because I'm doing it, regardless of whether or not you approve. I will see if I can find loopholes while the locket is being made." Ivy looked like she wanted to argue, so he added: "You have my word that we'll leave the second anything goes amiss."
Ivy clenched her jaw and stalked closer to point a finger in his face. The gesture would've been threatening if she wasn't shaking. "You are holding his hand. The entire time."
Theya appeared by her side to point a finger at him too. "And if you see so much as a ripple in the water, you leave. No questions asked."
"Done," Regulus said easily. "I don't want to die any more than you want me to."
"Good," Ivy leaned forward to give him a quick peck before backing off. "Now, where are we going to get a copy of the locket?"
"Our parents can help with that," Theya said. "They'll know someone. And if they don't, they'll know someone who knows someone."
"Alright," Regulus headed for the door to the garden. "Let's go talk to them."
"Before we go," Theya cleared her throat and he paused. "I need to say something. I know you two don't think it's a good idea to get Severus involved-"
His stomach sank.
"-but I think this is further evidence that we need to bring him into the fold. We're going to need all the help we can get - and not just because of the Inferi. Could said that there are five Horcruxes. We have the diadem, and soon we'll have the locket, but that's still three we need to locate and get our hands on. If You-Know-Who went to Regulus about this Horcrux, who's to say he hasn't gone to other Death Eaters as well? Severus could have heard something useful or he too may have been approached by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
"He isn't ready," Ivy said firmly.
"Theya," Regulus said reluctantly. "You have some good points, I won't deny that. But we don't know what he'll do, he-"
"That's just it!" Theya said excitedly. "We don't know what he'll do! Finding out that we're all in on this might be the push he needs to change his mind! And he might have invaluable information that he's been afraid to share."
"Or, he might not," Ivy said tightly. "He might turn tail and run."
"He wouldn't betray us to You-Know-Who," Theya baulked. "If you think he would-"
"I don't think he would," she conceded. "But he told me in his own words that he doesn't want to take the risk. I understand that you love him, that you want him to know, but he is not the person you want him to be. Not right now."
"We'll bring him in eventually," Regulus tried for a soothing tone. "When he proves he can be trusted. Until he does, telling him would endanger us even further; Ivy's already under suspicion, we don't need more to worry about."
"It's not going to happen," Ivy placed a hand on Theya's shoulder.
Theya levelled Ivy with a contemptuous look, grabbed her wrist, and threw it away roughly. Breathing hard, she turned on a heel, her face red with anger.
Sweeping past Regulus, she rammed her shoulder hard into his, and exited through the garden door without another word.
October 6th, 1979
Half-slumped in a chair at the Greengrass's dining table, the morning sun blared through the window, warming Regulus's skin and turning the insides of his eyelids orange. It would be enough to make him dose off, if Theya and Ivy weren't bickering over their breakfast of eggs and fried bread. He'd tuned out a while ago as he, like Severus, knew when to stay out of it.
Which was always.
Cracking one eye open, he watched Severus fixate on his meal as though it were the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen. He couldn't very well blame him, especially when he heard: You ruined my favourite jumper, I ought to hex you!
Theya had been in an undeniably nasty mood for the past week, picking fights whenever she got the chance. Just that morning, she'd yelled at him for eating too loudly, then chewed Severus out for defending him. Regulus had chosen not to engage after this and was currently contemplating leaving, despite his best mate only being in the country for the next few hours. Meanwhile, Ivy was having none of it, and had resorted to biting back.
He watched a delivery owl swoop onto the windowsill and peck at the glass.
Regulus met the owl before anyone else had the chance; he would gladly read the boring old Daily Prophet cover to cover if it meant he wouldn't be involved in their jumper-related argument.
Opening the window, he dug around in his pockets for some change. Scrounging up the payment, he forked it over and took the newspaper with a sigh of relief. He was about to turn to the Quidditch section, when something caught his eye.
DEATH EATER UNMASKED AND SENT TO AZKABAN
The Ministry of Magic announced early this morning that Death Eater, Peter Pettigrew, was apprehended in the wizarding village of Wimbourne. In the early hours of October 6th, a disturbance involving the use of Unforgivable Curses was reported to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Aurors arrived at the scene of a vicious brawl involving five individuals, and officials attempted to Stun the perpetrators. Three of the participants were reportedly trying to mediate a duel between Peter Pettigrew and one Sirius Black. Pettigrew and Black are reported as having tried to flee, and in the process, revealed themselves as Unregistered Animagi.
Once in custody, Pettigrew was found to have a Dark Mark, bequeathed to him by You-Know-Who. Previously unknown as a Dark wizard, Pettigrew was recently fired from his position at the Portkey Office for a breach of security, which is now thought to be connected to other Death Eater activity. Pettigrew faces a lifetime sentence in Azkaban for his crimes and association with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
Sirius Black, however, faces three years in Azkaban for his status as an Unregistered Animagi. While Black was seen by witnesses using Dark magic against Pettigrew, no Mark was found on him.
Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Bartemius Crouch, had this to say: "Our understanding is that Black discovered Pettigrew for what he was and attempted to detain him. It is for that reason that Black is not believed to be associated with You-Know-Who, Dark Arts practitioner though he may be. Furthermore, it is the belief of the Ministry that drastic measures need to be taken in order to win this war. Thus, I have taken a page out of Black's book and officially authorised Aurors to use Unforgivable Curses on Dark wizards if they deem it necessary."
Regulus's gaze lifted to the moving photographs.
Pettigrew was thoroughly beaten, with all manner of injuries covering him. One of his arms was tucked against his stomach, as though broken, while his other held the prisoner number. He was clearly petrified and evidently on the verge of tears. His body tremoured, one patch of mousy brown hair dense with what looked like blood.
Sirius seemed quite the opposite; calm and unharmed aside from a gash on his collarbone. He glowered at Regulus, a muscle feathering in his jaw as he held the inmate number steadily. His long black hair was stringy with sweat and hung over his eyes. Tilting his head backward, he maintained eye contact and blew the hair out of his face.
Turning back to the others, who were still arguing across the dining room table, he laid the Daily Prophet out flat and slid it to the middle of the wood. "Look."
Theya's head whipped in his direction. "We're in the middle-"
"I don't care," Regulus cut her off. "You're going to want to read it."
"As if the Daily Prophet reports anything worthwhile," Theya huffed. Still, she leaned forward to peek at the paper, before abruptly getting to her feet. "Is that who I think it is?"
The paper was in front of her eyes for no longer than a second before Ivy snatched it up. Severus, apparently having caught a glimpse of the front page, abandoned his breakfast to stand behind her. Theya scuttled over as well and the three of them disappeared behind the article.
Severus was the first to finish reading, and when he did, he let out a derisive laugh. "Serves them right. But what I want to know is how Black figured it out."
Three other individuals were involved, he wanted to say. One of them was definitely Lily Potter.
"I suppose when you've got Marks like ours," Ivy was still scouring the article. "All you need to do is pull up our sleeves to find us out."
"Really," Theya poked her head out from behind the newspaper, anger momentarily forgotten. "I'm shocked no one's unmasked more of you that way. Choose to wear a short-sleeved shirt on the wrong day and you're done for."
"Not us," Severus lifted his left sleeve to reveal a bare forearm. "Thanks to Ivy. Honestly, though, how do you think Pettigrew was discovered?"
Theya, apparently remembering her fury, glared at Regulus and Ivy, her voice taking on an edge. "Maybe he caught on when Pettigrew was fired from the Portkey Office. After all, you can only excuse so many coincidences before you notice a pattern."
Regulus narrowed his eyes at her.
Ivy didn't seem to have heard her, as she was still flipping through the paper, presumably searching for more details. "Think the Dark Lord will try to get Pettigrew out of Azkaban?"
Severus scoffed. "His only purpose was to spy on the Order. He hasn't got a single other talent to make use of."
"Pettigrew is done for," Regulus agreed.
"And, anyway," Theya added dryly. "I don't think He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is the type to care if his underlings wind up in prison."
While Severus and Theya returned to their seats, Regulus rounded the table to look at the Daily Prophet, which she'd finally set aside.
Studying Sirius's face, he wondered what his brother had been thinking at the time of the photograph, what he'd been feeling. His chest hurt upon discovering that he didn't have a clue.
Years ago, a single glance would have told him everything he needed to know. During their childhood, Regulus could practically read his mind without so much as a Legilimens.
Now, he couldn't glean anything except for the obvious. He didn't know whether Sirius had a significant other he was yearning for, or if he was worried about how cold Azkaban would be. He didn't know if there was a mate's wedding approaching that he would no longer be able to attend, or if the prospect of Dementors scared the living shit out of him. He couldn't tell whether Sirius was putting on a brave face or if he was truly undaunted.
All he knew, was that a man bearing the face of his brother, was going to prison.
October 14th, 1979
Ivy Apparated onto the front walk of Malfoy Manor. In doing so, she realised that she'd never seen the outside of Narcissa's home before, as she'd only ever Floo'd over.
Standing there in the light rain with the hazy sun overhead, she was distinctly reminded of Selwyn Estate. The grounds were clearly extensive and well kept, the hedges neatly trimmed and the sculptures neither cracked nor weathered. Ivy was certain that if she went exploring, she could be convinced that she was indeed at her ancestral home.
The idea was haunting, so she made for the front door.
Stepping inside was a welcome relief, as the interior of Malfoy Manor didn't remind her at all of the Estate. It certainly looked more lived in, though this wasn't a surprise since her former home had been practically abandoned.
Unfortunately, however, she was still required to visit the Estate every now and then, as Death Eaters and Narcissa occasionally Floo'd in to find her. She always knew to expect this intrusion when Minsty popped to her side with an apologetic look on her face, though it was simple enough to Apparate into her childhood bedroom and walk down the stairs, seemingly having been there the entire time.
Hanging her cloak on the rack near the door, she left the foyer and entered the hallway. Smoothing down her pitch black robes as she went in the direction of her bridal shower, she slowed upon rounding a corner. The drawing room was just there and she could hear laughter filtering out of the archway.
But.
She could also hear whispering. And there was a tug in her gut, beckoning her to bypass the archway and continue on.
Ivy felt stupid.
Terribly stupid, for not having put it together previously.
After all, whispering and a tug in her gut meant that a Horcrux was nearby, and the first time she'd felt one calling to her had been in this very corridor. Somehow, she'd never thought to reconcile the two ideas. It had occurred to her that the whispering of the diadem and Malfoy Manor were connected when she discovered the Come and Go Room at Hogwarts, but she hadn't thought about it since.
Really, she was stupid.
And what she was going to do next might be even stupider.
Ivy hurried down the hallway, though she was sure to keep her footsteps quiet. Passing the archway, she looked directly in to find that none of the high society ladies were so much as turned in her direction.
Rounding the corner as the whispering loudened and the pull in her stomach intensified, she went to the end of the next corridor. Going left, she walked on until she realised that the Horcrux symptoms had reversed. Evidently, she'd been too confident in thinking that she knew where she was going.
With a huff, she turned on a heel and stalked back the way she'd come.
As she went, she watched a door at the far end of the corridor open.
Rodolphus Lestrange walked out. Shutting the door behind himself, he stayed where he was. Playing with something in his hand, he stared at the door as though in deep thought.
"Shit," she hissed under her breath.
Hastening her speed, she hoped that she would be able to vanish before he spotted her, but just as she was about to disappear from his line of sight, he looked up. A pleased grin spread across his face and he pocketed whatever was in his hand.
Ivy ducked around the corner without so much as a nod of greeting. She was all of two metres down the way before she heard him following her. Dread settled in at the prospect of being forced into more polite conversation.
"Running away from me, are we?" Rodolphus appeared by her side to smirk at her sidelong.
"I have a party to get to," Ivy told him blandly.
"I'm happy to escort the guest of honour to her celebration." His voice was a low, flirtatious rumble.
"I thought," she drawled. "This was supposed to be a hen party."
"I'm on my way out."
"Why stop by in the first place?" Ivy's skin crawled as they turned down the corridor and the archway came into sight.
"Nosy, aren't we?"
Heaving a pointed sigh, she was about to flee into the party when Rodolphus blocked the entrance, effectively keeping her in the hallway.
"What is it?" Ivy asked through gritted teeth. "What do you want?"
"A friendly conversation." Rodolphus cocked his head, blue eyes glittering with amusement. "Is that really too much to ask?"
"Yes, yes it is," her temper flared. "I'm at my bridal shower, a month away from my wedding, and you're here trying to flirt with me again. Piss off already, before I decide to Avada you - I've done it before, I'd be happy to do it again."
He laughed heartily, as though her anger was just the entertainment he'd been seeking. "Don't worry, Ivy, I am pissing off. For a few months, anyhow. That's all I was going to say; the Ministry's sending me out of the country for a job."
"And good fucking riddance." She lifted her foot and jammed her high heeled boot into his shoe, as hard as she could manage.
When he keeled over with a yelp of pain, Ivy stepped around him to enter the drawing room, satisfaction glowing in her chest.
Regulus's palms were pressed flat against the table and he leaned his weight onto the Haven's two person dining set. An illustration he'd drawn earlier was resting on the wood, and he studied the depiction of the locket. He'd never been a particularly skilled artist, but according to Kreature, the drawing was accurate to his memory of the Horcrux.
Of course, they'd gone through five sketches before landing on the oval locket with an S at its centre. The letter looked like a winding serpent and was inlaid with stones. The exact size of it was uncertain, and the house elf had noticed finer details on the necklace, but struggled to describe them.
The depiction was as good as Regulus was going to get, but disappointing nonetheless.
A door distantly slammed closed, followed by: "Ivy! You home?"
Instead of going to find Theya, he remained where he was and didn't reply, in hopes that she and her loathsome moods wouldn't find him.
Leaving her to holler Ivy's name aimlessly, he listened to her go upstairs. Straightening, he folded his arms and placed a hand over his mouth contemplatively. He was almost certain that he'd seen this locket before, but couldn't place where he would've come across such a thing. The longer he stared at the serpentine S, the more convinced he was that it already lived somewhere deep in his memory.
Hearing footsteps approach the sun-filled kitchen, he didn't look up when they reached him. "I'm sick of rowing with you, so I suggest you bugger off."
"I wasn't going to row with you," Theya said venomously.
Regulus snorted.
She sucked in a breath.
"Don't," he snapped. "One more unwarranted tongue lashing and I'm going to lose it on you. And I mean really lose it on you, Theya, I'm sick of this shite."
Apparently thinking better of testing his patience, she resorted to mumbling incomprehensible words under her breath. She lifted a satchel from over her head and dumped it on one of the chairs. "Where's Ivy, then?"
"Bridal shower," he said shortly.
Theya made a contemptuous noise and leaned a hand against the table. "Is that supposed to be the locket?"
"Not much to go on," he grumbled. "I know. But this was the closest I could get to what Kreature described… He and I went to the cave earlier."
"Find out anything new?" Her snotty tone shifted to a lighter one. "You've been, what, twice now?"
"Three times counting today. I finally managed to get rid of the invisible barrier over the basin. Tricky spell, but I think I've got the hang of it now. I tried to make the potion clear, to get more details on what the locket looks like, but it triggered the Inferi."
Theya's eyes went wide. "Are you-?"
"Fine," Regulus assured her. "We left before they could even crawl out of the water. Anyhow, we'll go back again soon to see if there's a way to vanish the potion without needing to drink it. I don't think it's going to work, though, it seems like any sort of tampering stirs the Inferius."
"You-Know-Who just has to be clever on top of it all." Theya shook her head in indignation and eyed the illustration. "I can't shake the feeling that I've seen this before. Does it look familiar to you?"
"Yeah," he rubbed his forehead. "Kreature said that more details were etched into it, but I don't know how to draw half swirls that sometimes connect. It's too vague."
Theya chewed her lip. "How much of your book collection is in the library upstairs?"
"All of it," he said absently. "Moved the last in a few weeks ago."
"Textbooks too?"
"Yeah," Regulus raised a brow. "What're you getting at?"
"I think I've seen that locket, or something similar, in a book. No clue which one, but if I'm right about having seen it before, it would've been when we were at Hogwarts. I haven't read a thing since we were in school." Theya backed away down the hall. "I'll let you know if I find anything."
He watched her go, half-heartedly hoping that she was correct.
It seemed to him like a long shot, but then again, he too was almost positive that he'd seen it before. Even so, he couldn't imagine how some grubby old locket would've ended up in a Hogwarts textbook, and he didn't recall any sort of magical necklace being covered in school.
Even Rowena Ravenclaw's Lost Diadem was hardly mentioned.
Regulus gave a jolt as he realised where he had seen the snake-like S before.
Folding the illustration haphazardly, he stuffed it into a pocket and hurried down the corridor.
Entering the sitting room, he was almost blinded by the sunlight coming in from above, but ignored the sensation of his retinas being singed.
Headed for the staircase, he halted at the bottom to stare at his and Ivy's Slytherin ties, which had been framed on the wall. At the very bottom of both green and silver ties was a small, serpentine S that was suspiciously similar to the one he'd drawn.
He didn't exactly know what it meant, but it was something, so he raced up the stairs, bound for the library. "Theya, I think I found something!"
The golden-haired witch was cross-legged on the floor of the small library, surrounded by books of all sizes and colours. It seemed like she'd swept everything of interest onto the ground, and in a rather manic manner, as some were half-opened and discarded.
"Whatever you found," Theya grinned up at him. "I promise, my discovery is better."
There was a book open in her lap, and she held it up for him to see. The right page was covered in scholarly text, while the other had a medium-sized drawing of a locket.
Digging in his pocket, he withdrew his own illustration and knelt beside her.
Comparing the depictions, his heart leapt.
Regulus's sketch was awful in comparison, but the main elements were the same: an oval shape, the snake-like S, and stones embedded within. The formal drawing was in full colour, revealing the adornment to be gold, and the stones to be a deep green. Round, less impressive stones encircled the S around the locket's edges, and lining the inside of those stones was exactly what Kreature had described: half swirls that sometimes connected.
"Its Salazar Slytherin's heirloom," Theya said excitedly. "Not terribly famous, but well-known enough to have a mention in Hogwarts: A History."
"It's the same locket," Regulus frowned. "But you can't be suggesting he got ahold of the real one. How the fuck would the Dark Lord have access to something like that?"
"Dunno," she shrugged. "But he managed to get his hands on Rowena Ravenclaw's Lost Diadem. Who's to say this isn't real as well?"
Theya, as usual, had a very good point. And if it was the case, then that meant-
A door slammed downstairs.
Exchanging a look with Theya, they got to their feet and headed back to the first floor.
Ivy was hanging her cloak on the rack beside the garden door, and jumped as the two of them swarmed her. Caught up in their excitement, Regulus feverishly told her what they'd discovered, while Theya thrust Hogwarts: A History into her face and let out the occasional squeal.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Ivy cut them off with a look of bewilderment. "You don't mean to tell me that the Dark Lord acquired not one, but two founders relics and stuck his mutilated soul into them?"
"Yes!" Regulus and Theya hollered at the same time.
"Holy fucking shit," Ivy gawked. "But that's- that's- I mean, it's-"
"Completely fucking barmy?" He suggested.
"Loony as all hell?" Theya added.
"All of the above." Ivy stared at them, before her face went slack. "You don't think-"
"Yes, I do," Regulus nodded seriously. Not for the first time, he knew precisely the conclusion she'd come to, without having to ask.
Theya, however, just blinked. "Huh?"
"Well, he's one arrogant sod, isn't he?" Crumpling up his drawing, he tucked it into a pocket. "We have proof -or, we will soon- that he made Horcruxes out of two founders' artefacts, so it stands to reason that two of the other Horcruxes might've belonged to Helga Hufflepuff and Godric Gryffindor."
"Who the hell is this wizard?" Theya looked reluctantly in awe. "Not only did he go after long-lost Hogwarts relics, but he actually got his hands on them - and turned them into Horcruxes! He's batshit, don't get me wrong, but also…"
"Impressive," Ivy nodded.
Regulus shook his head in disbelief and collapsed onto the blue sofa.
"What I would give," Theya ran a hand through her golden hair. "To see who he was before all of this. Assuming that there was a before."
"There has to have been," Ivy sounded deep in thought. "I mean, the Dark Lord hardly even looks human. I can't imagine him walking down a Hogwarts corridor looking the way he does now."
"Not to mention," Regulus said. "We learned all about humanoid species in school - none of which look anything like him."
"Should've asked Slughorn more questions when we had the chance," Theya sighed.
"I suppose so." Ivy frowned, before her eyes widened. "Oh, Merlin, I almost forgot! I know where another Horcrux is!"
"What?" Regulus sat bolt upright on the sofa.
Theya swatted Ivy on the arm. "How do you almost forget something like that?"
"Excuse me," she rubbed her arm. "For getting caught up in your insane discovery."
"Ex. Plain." Theya enunciated.
"Well," Ivy frowned. "Remember how I was feeling kind of ill when Narcissa hosted Avdima's funeral at Malfoy Manor? I was there earlier for my bridal shower and felt the same thing. I heard the same whispering. Horcrux whispering."
"I knew it!" Theya burst out. "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has gone to other Death Eaters about his Horcruxes!"
Regulus pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned under his breath. That was one of the annoyingly well-reasoned points she'd made when trying to convince them that they needed to tell Severus.
However, before she could start in on them again, he got to his feet. "Alright, we know where two Horcruxes are now. We've already begun the plan for the locket, I say that we keep our focus on that for the time being. Then once we've got it, we can figure out Malfoy Manor."
"The faster we get our hands on them," Theya said slowly. "The faster all this will be over. I, for one, want this done as quickly as possible."
"Believe me," Ivy said tiredly. "We all do. But we can't afford to make mistakes. The more things that divert our attention, the more likely we are to miss important details. Getting the locket is already proving to be a pain, and immensely dangerous; I don't think we should bite off more than we can chew."
Theya looked rather sour, but after a moment, she deflated. "That makes sense."
"Then it's settled," Regulus nodded. "Iv, did you learn anything else while you were at the Manor? Anything about what the Horcrux might be or… well, anything of significance, I suppose."
"I didn't." She looked disappointed, though her face broke into a smile almost immediately. "But Narcissa's finally pregnant. She's due in June."