During the Easters Holidays, all seven of them stayed in Hogwarts this year. Lily, James, and Sirius had no family left to go and others had decided to enjoy this last easter with friends at Hogwarts.
"James, I have a question," said Lily as she gave him a head massage. The other three marauders in the common hall were looking at James with jealousy while Mary and Marls were with Awe.
"Hmm," James didn't open his eyes as he sat resting against the couch.
She leaned in and whispered, "Why do you hide your feelings with your stupid smirk and infectious grin?"
James shrugged shoulders, "The same reason you hide your emotions with anger." Lily hit his shoulder and James chuckled. "It has to do with how I was brought up, I was taught to smile and laugh in all the conditions."
"They didn't mean you to hide your emotions, you have to let it out eventually," she said. "You should show and tell people how you feel."
"I can't hide it from you, so that's sufficient. You are the only one that matters," James looked up and gave her a genuine smile. Lily couldn't resist and leaned in to kiss him.
"Marls, I need a head message too," announced Sirius.
"I am not getting my chaser hands in oil and not in your long hairs," Marls screwed her face.
"Moony, a head massage, please," Sirius looked at Remus, who threw his book at him.
"Never, I am going to do it. I fear I may spoil your precious hair," snorted Remus. James laughed.
"You want a chocolate message, Padfoot?" snickered Peter showing his hands covered in chocolates to Sirius.
"I will come to it later," Sirius said rubbing his chin. He then walked and sat beside James in the same way as James. "Lily, me next."
James looked up at Lily and they both exchanged a mischievous smirk.
"Sure, Padfoot," said Lily. "Just a moment." She slid the oil bottle to James who did nonverbal magic on it when Sirius was not looking and returned it to Lily. "Ready, Padfoot?"
"Yes," said Sirius happily.
After a minute Sirius has all his hair standing and of a pink shade.
Everyone laughed and Sirius looked at all of them confused and ran up to his dorm to see his reflection in the mirror and then came back swearing loudly.
"That's what you get for being greedy," laughed James high-fiving Lily. "Not everyone can have what I have."
"Don't laugh, I have bigger hands and feet than you and so does Remus, we both have bigger hands and feet than you. And we're taller than you too," smirked Sirius and Remus snorted, while Peter busied himself in his food. James frowned at the two.
"What has the height to do with anything?" asked Mary looking at the boys with confusion, mirroring the other two girls.
Before Remus could whisper-tell her, Sirius shamelessly spoke loudly, "Bigger feet, bigger hands, and bigger di. . .wands, knobs."
The three girls screwed their faces while rolling their eyes.
"And there goes all the maturity," said Remus with a defeated sigh.
"But we're better than him," snorted Sirius.
James looked daggers at Sirius before shaking his head, "I don't think that saying is true. And for Merlin's shaggy pants, leave teasing me about it. I have a good tall height, it's you two who are extra tall."
"But still, you're shorter and so is yours," laughed Sirius.
"Stop it," hissed James turning red. "I have a very good one." But Sirius continued laughing.
"Leave him, will you? I know him better than you, Sirius and I should tell you, James has a very good one," said Lily proudly. "And you should also know that Mary and I heard Keeva talking about you, she was not satisfied with you."
Sirius stopped laughing at once while everyone snorted. "I should better start keeping it in my pants."
The others burst out laughing.
"Lily, we were thinking of you along with James could teach us to duel, the kind of that Dumbledore teaches you," said Marls.
"Yeah sure, we can," said Lily. "Right, James?" he nodded and stood up.
"Your turn now," he told her taking the oil from her and sitting beside her.
"You know how to give a message? And mind you, I have long hair," she said with wide eyes.
"I have given messages to Mum many times," James informed her. "Sit, I will give you."
Lily grinned and kissed him, "Thanks," she said sitting on the floor and enjoying as James gave her a relaxing massage.
"Snuffles, a message, please," requested Marls with pleading eyes but Sirius stuck out his tongue at her.
"I'm tired from studying," said Mary putting down her Herbology book and snatching Remus' book too from his hand and putting it down.
"Marls! My 10 galleons," said Lily happily. Marls shrugged and handed her the money. "We made a bet on whether Mary will ever get tired of studying or not."
"We made it in the first year and each year Lily lost ten galleons except for this year, this is the first time Mary has said she is tired of studying," said Marls.
"Such a good friend you both are," Mary said.
"Well, Remus hasn't said that till now," said James.
"Except for potions," interrupted Peter.
"Yeah, except for Potions," confirmed James pulling Lily up in his lap.
"Let's play some games," Sirius rubbed his enthusiastically. "It will be a good distraction."
"We don't want to be distracted, Pads," James shook his head. "Besides I have the best thing to distract myself," he smirked and began kissing Lily. They were hit by a cushion and then only stopped kissing but James continued to play with the hem of her jumper and received warning looks from her but then blushed when she felt him.
"Really James, now," she whispered.
"Not my fault, it's your fault, you're moving too much," he said pulling her into his chest and she giggled.
"What game?" asked Mary.
"Tell the most daring thing you have done," said Sirius to the group. "I will go first, kissed a very pretty stranger lady full on the face in the middle of Diagon Alley," he said proudly.
Lily and James burst out laughing and the others looked at them as if they were mad.
"It was. . . Tracey, right?" asked Lily, James nodded and then they laughed harder.
"Oh. . . yes, now I remember," and Peter began laughing again.
"What's so funny?" asked Sirius.
"Well actually, she said that it was the worst kiss of her life, as she had mouth ulcers and that you were lucky that her husband wasn't there," laughed James. "She said you were a lunatic pervert."
"How do you know?" asked Sirius.
"I know a lot," winked James
"Okay, I will go next, I punched two boys over the summer, in the middle of Manchester for stalking me, I might have broken their jaws too," said Marls proudly. "Also I made out with a hot muggle in a muggle pub bathroom."
"I shouted at Filch when he said I should not be out after curfew," said Mary and everyone looked at her wide-eyed, no one expected her to shout at any elder.
"She was on patrol that night," Remus informed them.
"But still," reasoned Mary. "Also I snogged during patrol and was moments away from getting caught by McGonagall."
Lily and James looked at each other and smirked.
"I played the piano in front of the whole pub," said Peter proudly.
"Because I took you there and offered you that if you'll play the piano, I'll help you get a date," said Sirius.
"We have a good pub in our neighbour, Remus, we took you there," said Peter, and Remus nodded. "Well, as everyone is saying two things, I will say two as well, I jumped in front of the fire and saved two muggles when death eaters put the building on fire."
"That was a daring thing," everyone said, and Mary patted Pete's back.
"The most daring thing and also the stupidest thing I did was to stay out of the silver cage moments before my transformation, it was when I was at home for summer, the cage was in an old hut a few miles from my village. I was seeing how much I can control myself," Remus sighed. "And the other thing would be asking out Rosemarta in front of the whole pub in the fourth year."
"We were good at giving dares back then," Sirius said to James who nodded.
"You two are left," said Marls.
"I know what'll be of Lily," said Marls, "Being fingered in Potions class last year."
The three Marauders looked at James and Lily in shock, both of whom had gone red.
"That was not the most daring thing of my life," shouted Lily before Sirius could say anything.
"Then what?" asked the others. Lily looked at James and then said, "The most daring thing was looking straight at Voldemort's eyes and shooting a spell at him."
"What? When?"
"It was that night when James got injured, we didn't tell you but Voldemort was moments away from killing us."
"That's right, and it was a really powerful spell too, he was pushed back," said James.
"I got the strength because I wanted to save you," Lily smiled at him.
"Let's see what James has got," said Mary excitedly.
"I think the most daring thing I did was to save two death eaters, to set them free," sighed James. " It took a lot of mental courage to do that. And the other thing besides that might be killing a death eater . . .no. . . it was when I guessed Voldemort's next move and pushed Lily and myself out of the way of the killing curse knowing very well that if I was wrong then I had just led Lily to her grave."
They were all silent for a moment then Sirius spoke, "Tell some dirty thing like us, what was the most daring thing involving fun."
James thought for a moment and then looked at Lily who shrugged her shoulder, "Well. . . last summer, Lily and I had gone to see a movie, and it turned out to be boring and luckily we were sitting in the darkest corner and there were only a few people in there and all of them far away from us, and as a precaution, I always carry my cloak so. . . we just had to use the muffliato charm because the movie sound was not loud enough."
Lily gasped at him and hit him, "This was not necessary," she hissed.
"It was you who was making all that noise and forced me to use the muffliato charm," he whispered.
"Not my fault, your fault, you move too hard," she said repeating his words from earlier and making him laugh.
It was then that they heard some noises from the boys' dorm and then some groaning. They all got alert at once.
"Was there someone when you went up there, Sirius?" asked James standing at once and his wand out with instinct.
"No," said Sirius.
"It sounds like some elves screaming something," said Remus.
"And someone is groaning in pain," said Lily.
"Stay behind me," said James walking up the stairs. "There's not many left behind for holidays, and those who are, are out in the great hall."
James looked at others as he stood outside his dorm room, they could hear two voices inside, and then with a nod, he opened the door.
Standing in the middle of the room was a house elf, with a locket in his hand and a panicked expression on his face.
"Master Regulus, Master Sirius. Master Regulus asked Kreacher to take him to Master Sirius," the house elf was saying.
James' eyes were initially focused on the locket which he recognized but then his attention shifted to the groans coming from Sirius' bed, there lying ashen-faced was Regulus Black, muttering something to "leave him", "save him", and "not Julia".
Sirius ran to Regulus at once, followed by others. "What happened, Reg? I thought you were at home." In response, Regulus groaned and took hold of Sirius' hands so tightly that Sirius' hands turned white.
"Water. . . save him. . .water . . . I want water. . leave her," Regulus groaned, his eyes not opening.
Remus rushed forward with a goblet full of water and helped Regulus drink it, he calmed a little after drinking water. But continued groaning in pain.
"Master Regulus. . . asked not to speak to anyone . . .to take him to his brother. . .and if he dies. .. to give Master Sirius the locket and ask him to destroy it . . ." the house continued saying looking at Reg with a worried expression.
"He is injured, James, Reg is injured," Sirius cried looking at scars and cuts on Reg's arms and face, his shirt and robe were all soaked in blood.
"We'll heal him, I will get Dittany," said James looking between the elf and Regulus.
"That's inferi injury, James, dittany won't work on it," Mary rushed forward and examined the cuts. "Quick get the potion we used on James. Marls there's a book in my bag about injuries by dark creatures bring it. Remus and Pete go and get Poppy. We can't move Reg as it'll spread the infection."
"No, don't tell anyone else or it'll be vain . . . no one else should no I am alive, please . . . no other soul," groaned Reg pulling Sirius' hands closer to him. "Sirius, no one else, please. Let me die but no one else can know."
"But you're injured badly, what happened?" asked Sirius tears falling through his eyes.
"In the name of our love, if you love me even a little bit, please don't tell anyone else. . . the dark lord will find out then no one can kill him . . . I betrayed him, they might know by now. . give them all an unbreakable vow if needed but don't let anyone else know I am here."
"James, please, help," Sirius turned to his other brother not understanding what to do.
"I think Reg is right, the situation is much worse than we can even imagine," said James running his hands through his hair.
"But he will die, James," said Mary. "Apart from cuts there's something else too, something else is wrong too." Regulus passed out and was breathing heavily as Mary performed spells on him.
Lily acted wisely, "How did you find Regulus? What happened to him?" she asked to the house elf.
"The Mudblood touched Kreacher, he will not allow it, what would his mistress say?"
Lily moved back shocked at the house elf and gasped, the next moment James was holding Kreacher by his dirty cloth in the air.
"How dare you!" snarled James.
"James, NO!" Lily cried. "Leave him, he is just an elf."
James snatched the locket from the house elf and then placed a muffliato on the room as soon as Marls returned with Mary's book, and turned to Sirius, "Ask him what happened and how did he get the locket. He'll answer you."
"Tell me, you filth, what happened to Reg?" snarled Sirius. "I order you."
"When holidays began, Master Regulus came down to the kitchen to see Kreacher. Master Regulus always liked Kreacher. And Master Regulus said . . . he said . . . "
The old elf rocked faster than ever.
" . . . he said that the Dark Lord required an elf."
"Voldemort needed an elf?" Sirius repeated shocked, looking around at others, who looked just as puzzled as he did. James held up his hand to silence him. All the while Mary continued treating Reg with help from Marls and Peter.
"Oh yes," moaned Kreacher. "And Master Regulus had volunteered Kreacher. It was an honour, said Master Regulus, an honour for him and for Kreacher, who must be sure to do whatever the Dark Lord ordered him to do . . . and then to c–come home."
Kreacher rocked still faster, his breath coming in sobs.
"So Kreacher went to the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord did not tell Kreacher what they were to do but took Kreacher with him to a cave beside the sea. And beyond the cave was a cavern, and in the cavern was a great black lake . . . "
James realized what place Kreacher was talking about, and cursed himself for not thinking of finding that cave and looking for Horcrux there. He looked at Lily but the look on her face told him that she didn't remember him telling her Voldemort coming here with Aisha to torture kids. He has seen that memory a few times and each time has cringed.
" . . . There was a boat . . . There was a b-basin full of potions on the island. The D–DarkLord made Kreacher drink it. . . ."The elf quaked from head to foot.
"Kreacher drank, and as he drank he saw terrible things. . . Kreacher's insides burned . . . Kreacher cried for Master Regulus to save him, he cried for his Mistress Black, but the Dark Lord only laughed . . . He made Kreacher drink all the potion. . . He dropped a locket into the empty basin . . . He filled it with more potion."
"And then the Dark Lord sailed away, leaving Kreacher on the island . . . "
Lily gasped and clutched her fist angrily.
"Kreacher needed water, he crawled to the island's edge and he drank from the black lake . . . and hands, dead hands, came out of the water and dragged Kreacher under the surface . . . "
There was a pause as Kreacher looked from the locket in James' hand to Regulus.
"Kreacher was told by Master Regulus to come home, so Kreacher came home. . . . "
"So what happened when you got back?" James asked. "What did Regulus say when you told him what happened?"
"Master Regulus was very worried, very worried," croaked Kreacher. "Master Regulus told Kreacher to stay hidden and not to leave the house. And then . . . it was a little while later . . . Master Regulus came to find Kreacher in his cupboard one night, and master Regulus was strange, not as he usually was, disturbed in his mind, Kreacher could tell . . . and he asked Kreacher to take him to the cave, the cave where Kreacher had gone with the DarkLord. . . . and . . . . and then. . ."
Lily's hands lept to her mouth and she exchanged a knowing look with Mary.
"M—Master Regulus took from his pocket a locket like the one the Dark Lord had," said Kreacher, tears pouring down either side of his snoutlike nose. "And he told Kreacher to take it and, when the basin was empty, to switch the lockets . . . "Kreacher's sobs came in great rasps now; James had to concentrate hard to understand him.
"And he orders—Kreacher to leave—with the locket . . without him. And he told Kreacher— to go Master Sirius— and never to tell my Mistress—what he had done—but to ask Master Sirius to destroy— the first locket. And he drank— all the potion— and Kreacher swapped the lockets— and watched . . . as Master Regulus . . . was dragged beneath the water . . . and . . . old Master Black has. . . asked to look . . . after his sons and . . . his last order. . . to Kreacher. . . to do whatever . . . Kreacher could do. . . to save his sons. . . both young masters. . . "
"Regulus," breathed James running his hands through his hair.
"Dad. . .dad asked to save us. . . " croaked Sirius.
". . . So. . . Kreacher did as ordered by his old brought. . . Master Regulus too . . . Kreacher failed to obey orders . . . Master Regulus is dying. . ."
"He will not die," barked Sirius. "Get Poppy, she'll save him."
"NO! Master Regulus has forbidden Kreacher not to tell anyone else. . . aside from Master Sirius. . . . and to make sure no one outside his circle knows . . .I can't let anyone else know that Master Regulus is here. . . Master Regulus has forbidden."
"I am your master too, you shitty elf," growled Sirius. "I still have more authority than Reg. . . I will go and call Pomfrey."
Kreacher began hitting his head against the wall. " Kreacher can't disobey senior master"
"James stop the elf, he'll die," Lily cried as Sirius began walking out of the dorm.
But James ran to Sirius, grabbed him, and pulled him back, "Wait! Sirius, don't act foolishly."
"I don't care, I can't let my brother die from that potion over some locket," shouted Sirius.
"I know, and I too don't want him to die but this is no ordinary locket," said James showing him the locket. "Regulus has betrayed Voldemort, he is in danger and no one else can know about this locket."
"I don't care," cried Sirius. "I don't want my brother dead."
"Look, calm down, okay?" said James. "I promise you, I will go and get help and do whatever it takes to save Reg, he's your brother and so he's my brother. Trust me, Sirius, please, I will get help, you stay here with Regulus."
Sirius looked at James and then nodded, "Just save him."
James bit his lips and nodded and then turned to others, "No one else should know Reg is here, no matter what. If anyone wrong founds out this then we all are doomed and we may never be able to defeat Voldemort. Am I clear?" The others nodded.
"Dumbledore," suggested Remus. "He can help only, we can only trust him."
James took out the map and swore loudly, "Bloody Hell! He's not here in the castle."
"Why does he always go out when needed most," Sirius hit the wall.
"What now?" asked Marls.
Everyone was automatically looking at James and he felt the pressure of leadership on his shoulders. He ran his hands through his hair as his mind raced through several possibilities.
Sudden awareness of what he was holding, of what lived in the locket hit James and he looked closely at the locket, he realized there was a part of Voldemort's soul living behind the little golden doors. He felt that dark-negative energy radiating from it very lightly.
"James, he hasn't got much time, whatever was in that potion has hurt him internally and the inferi injury isn't healing properly due to it, we've to do something fast. I can't heal him," said Mary.
"Give me a moment," said James as he clutched the locket tight again in his hands and thought of how to save Regulus. It was now that he could feel the locket. Was it his blood pulsing through his veins that he could feel, or was it something beating inside the locket, like a tiny metal heart?
It's still afternoon and what was the only possible way is very risky and could lead to his capture and death but one look at Sirius' face, his best friend, his brother, tells him that Sirius would die for James, and James decides that if risking his own life can save Regulus then it was worth the effort.
"I have got a plan, I will bring help, and they'll not know what's going on," said James finally. He then turned and looked at Kreacher curiously, "How did you bring Regulus here?"
Kreacher didn't say anything and stood there looking at Regulus.
"Answer him," growled Sirius.
"I apparated Master out of the cave but couldn't cross the Hogwarts barrier with Master, so I went to Hogsmeade, then Master told me about a secret passage that Master Sirius had shown him, so I brought him in through that, and once inside, I apparated Master here," Kreacher replied.
"Make sure no one sees him here," James told others and then walked towards Lily and leaned in while taking her hands. "Take care of it, it's a Horcrux, it has dark magic around itself."
Lily took the locket and nodded while looking at James with her caring and worried eyes. "What's your plan? Where are you going? I will come with you."
"No, you can't. I can't take anyone with me," he replied kissing her forehead.
"Why?" she asked, her heart thumping hard against her chest.
"I will be safe," he assured her and left. Peter began to follow him but James stopped him. "Stay here, Wormtail, stay alert. I can't take you, you'll be of no use."
"Kidnapping a healer from St. Mungo's in the middle of the day should be an easy task for the son of night, Thanatos, huh?" James asked himself as he left the castle as Thanatos.
Lily hated James when he acted like this like he was responsible for everyone around him, that he was responsible for everyone's protection and that it was his duty to take the leadership. She hated it when he took actions without telling, she hated it when he acted recklessly and would say that Sirius was the most reckless person. She hated him for managing her to get her on board with these things.
Lily hated being selfish but she couldn't sit and watch James putting himself in danger for others it was this quality that she loved the most too, he was a loyal and caring friend and a responsible leader.
The most Lily hated about him was him leaving her behind. She has realized that though she may be caring and gentle she is selfish too and she likes being selfish when it comes to James, she liked being the most selfish girl she would happily let him go and enjoy his friends but she would not be happy at all when it might be possible that his life is in danger.
Three hours passed and he hadn't returned yet. Sirius was pacing the room not able to sit in a place. The others sat quietly while Mary continued healing unconscious Regulus from time to time.
The locket in Lily's arms was giving her an odd sensation now that she had held it tightly for so long, she felt irritated and wanted to blame them all for James being in danger out there. She wanted to shout at them all though she knew it wasn't their fault and they were just as worried as she was. After another thirty minutes she realized she could no longer be patient, was it because of the locket? Probably.
She thought of putting it in James' trunk but then it might get displaced, she should wait for James and then decide what to do with the locket but she can't hold it any longer. She looked at Peter who was sitting next to her and decided to give it to him for some time and then will take it back.
"Wormtail, can you please take care of it? It's very important, we can't lose it," she said to him. Peter nodded and took it, she felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted from her chest. She looked at Peter who unlike her wore the locket around his neck.
"Want my hands free," he told her taking out a chocolate breaking it in half, and giving it to her, she smiled at him. "It's Moony's but don't tell him."
"The locket is bad, don't wear it too long, it will make you feel bad, at least it did to me," she told him and he nodded.
"We can wear it for an hour in a go, then."
Lily though now feeling much better was still worried for James, Merlin knows what that boy is up to.
Then after another thirty minutes his Patronus, the stag arrived in the middle of the room and spoke in his voice, "Got a healer. Clear the room. Transfigure the room and all of your faces. Especially Reg's. I will be there in ten minutes. Don't use real names then."
All the tension in the room vanished with the stag, James was coming, and that too with a healer. Soon the room no longer seemed the same, and everyone's faces were different too.
There was a knock on the door, Remus opened it but no one was there then Thanatos appeared from beneath the cloak with a lady who was blindfolded, her uniform told them all that she where she worked.
"Does she know how to heal?" asked Sirius.
"She is the head healer at St. Mungo's," said James taking out a box and putting it on the floor, "and this is all her accessories." He then removed the blindfold. "You have to heal him, he's injured by inferi and a dark potion, about which I told you."
The woman looked at Thanatos with a pale face and then at Reg before nodding and walking over to him to examine him.
"How did you convince her to come?" asked Marls. "She'd have been unreachable and very busy."
"I . . . um. . ." James rubbed the back of his head.
"He kidnapped me from my office in the middle of the day," said the healer.
"He did what?!" asked Lily horrified. "There is strict security around St. Mungo's."
"That's why it took so long," said James sheepishly.
"He is injured too, I saw it, a few death eaters arrived outside St. Mungo's, and we came within a hair's breadth of losing our lives," said the Healer while examining and healing Reg.
"Let me see," said Lily.
"It's nothing compared to what I usually get," protested James.
"You get this kind of injury usually? Dear Mungo, you need to be more careful," said the Healer.
"And you need to do your work. I can't believe you are the head healer, you talk too much," said James irritatedly. He then looked at Lily and it looked as though she had seen someone dead. He walked over to her and cupped her face. "What happened to you? You look pale. I thought you were good at Transfigu"
"I am feeling better and lighter now," Lily told him leaning into his touch and then whispered "The locket was dark, it made me feel bad and heavy. I wanted to shout at them all for. . .for some reason."
"Where is the locket?" he asked.
Lily looked past James' shoulder at Peter who had fallen asleep while sitting. James followed her gaze, walked to Peter carefully took the locket from him wore it himself and felt the heaviness Lily was talking about.
"We can't keep it like this with us," Lily eyes at the locket on his chest worriedly.
"I will give it to Dumbledore soon," he whispered.
After two the healer stood up and turned to Thanatos, "I am done, his health is stable but he needs to be . . ." she took out four small bottles, "given all these potions every three hours for the next two days."
"When he'll be up?" asked Sirius.
"After ten to fifteen hours," she replied. "Now, what about me? I am staying here as your captor or you are taking me back?"
"I am taking you back my dear Healer," James mocked bowed. "But you'll have to talk less about how much you have to work at St. Mungo's in the name of Mungo and also I am not interested if your husband thinks that you're having an affair with your patient."
"But he thinks so," argued the healer, she was about to speak more but James silent her with a flick of his wand.
"Listen you'll not tell what happened here and when others will ask why I had taken you, you will say that I was protecting you from a Death Eater. Okay?" she nodded.
"I will come back soon," he kissed Lily's forehead and handed her the locket back.
James returned after thirty minutes only. "I ensured she was at a safe place before leaving," he told others while removing his cloaks. "Bloody death eaters are patrolling all around the St. Mungo's."
"How many were there?" asked Marls.
"Twenty, I thought of having fun with them but then decided against it," chuckled James.
"Good, because if they wouldn't have killed you then I would have," said Lily, James grinned at her.
"I have talked around a bit, Reg has declined Voldemort's call and now they think he has betrayed them," informed James. "The only thing we can do to save him is declare he's dead and send him into hiding."
"Where we hide him?" asked Sirius.
"First, order Kreacher not to tell anything about today to anyone and that to tell everyone that Reg has run away and is probably dead," said James. "We'll talk to Dumbledore, he will inform the world that Reg is dead. My house is empty and free to use, Pardey will look after Reg."
The next day Reg agreed with the plan. "Just call Julia here, I have to tell her I am fine. My mirror broke when inferi attacked me. She will be sad if she will find I am dead."
Under the cloak, Julia arrived to meet Regulus and after thirty minutes of talking, she left with teary eyes.
Dumbledore talked to Regulus afterwards and then agreed on their plan. "You did a very excellent job, Regulus. I am so proud of you." He said to him while examining the locket.
"Professor it's closed, Tom opened it and then used it to place his part," James told him and after a few minutes of examining the locket, he agreed with James.
"Looks like we'll need you to kill this," said Dumbledore.