The Unraveling Truth
The next day arrived, and with it came the understanding that the journal was not explaining anything. Marlene, after getting ready for the day, looks at the journal that is glowing lightly, just waiting to reveal more of the future. The weight of what was revealed the previous night was a lot to process, but the fear of not knowing who to trust was now apparent.
James sent a patronus earlier to say that we should keep looking into the journal to see if it will reveal more. Sirius and Marlene step up to the fireplace to floo to Godric’s Hollow. When they arrive, they see James, Lil, and Remus there drinking coffee and tea.
Lily stands up and says, “Would you guys like coffee or tea?”
Sirius smirks, “Maybe a little more than coffee.” Marlene chuckles and then hits his arm.
Lily smiles and says, “One black coffee and one tea then.”
Marlene and Sirius find spots to sit and wait in silence. Lily brings them their drinks and then sits back down.
The weight of the journal pressed against Marlene’s lap as she sat cross-legged on the floor of the Potters’ sitting room, her back against the couch. The fireplace crackled softly in the background, casting flickering light across the tense faces around her.
No one had spoken for a long time.
The revelations from the journal had left them shaken. Peter’s betrayal, Dumbledore’s calculated sacrifices - it all painted a far darker picture of the war than they had ever imagined.
James had his elbows on his knees, hands clasped together, staring at the floor. Sirius sat on the hearth, knees drawn up, fingers drumming restlessly against his boot. Lily had moved to the corner, flipping through a book she had grabbed from the shelf, her face pale with concentration. And Remus, ever the quiet strategist, leaned back against the armchair, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.
Finally, Marlene exhaled and turned the page. The ink shimmered faintly before settling into solid words.
The war isn’t just about Voldemort. It's about what he created. Horcruxes. Every time he murdered another person, he tore himself apart and put it into a vessel. He deliberately created Horcruxes—objects imbued with pieces of his soul—to anchor himself to life. These objects are terrifying and very hard to defeat. The Horcruxes must be destroyed, or Voldemort will never truly die. There are 7 pieces in my time. In your time, there should be at least 6.
Marlene frowned. “What the hell?”
Lily bit her lip, scanning the text. “It says here… Voldemort split his soul. More than once.”
James looked sick. “That means there’s more than one piece of him out there. How is that even possible?”
She glanced up at the others, feeling the full gravity of the words sinking in.
Sirius let out a slow, bitter breath. “So even if we kill him, he’ll just—what? Come back?”
Lily nodded grimly. “As long as even one of those Horcruxes exists, he can regenerate.”
James shook his head, running a hand through his messy hair. “And no one in the Order knows this?”
“No one in the world knows this,” Marlene muttered.
Remus leaned forward, his eyes sharp. “Then we have an advantage. If we find and destroy them first, we cripple him before he even realizes what’s happening.”
James narrowed his eyes. “Did Hermione list what they are?”
Marlene flipped through the pages, scanning frantically.
This is what we have discovered, whichgivese you a head start. As you find them, the journal will reveal what it is or where it is at.
-Tom Riddle’s Diary (LM help)
- The Gaunt Family Ring, hidden but dangerous
- A locket, lost but not forgotten.
- A cup, sealed away
- A diadem, thought to be lost to time
- A living creature
Lily pressed a hand to her mouth, her breath hitching. “Merlin.”
James frowned. “A living creature?”
Marlene turned the page, but the ink blurred. “It’s not revealed yet.”
Remus sighed, rubbing his temples. “That’s comforting.”
Sirius scoffed. “So we have a bloody scavenger hunt for Voldemort’s soul. Brilliant.”
James leaned forward. “But we know more than he does now. If we start searching now, we get ahead of him.”
Marlene nodded, determination hardening her resolve. “We need to start with what we do know.” She tapped the journal. “The diary is the only one by which means they are important. “LM” what could that stand fo?.
Sirius deadpanned look, “LM……Lucius Malfoy, seriously.”
Remus was frowning, staring at the words. “If we follow this logic… the other Horcruxes are hidden in places important to him. And Abraxas Malfoy is one of Voldemort’s original Death Eaters. It is possible that we can get the diary through Lucius.”
Sirius nodded. “The ring. Didn’t his family come from some cursed old bloodline?”
Marlene scanned further. “It mentions the Gaunt family.”
James’s expression darkened. “We need to track down their old home.”
Sirius scoffed. “Sounds like a real pleasant field trip.”
Marlene turned another page, expecting more details about the Horcruxes. Instead, she found another hastily scrawled note.
Trust people you least expect. And don’t trust some you keep close.
A heavy silence fell over the room.
James looked around at the others. “We already know Peter is working against us.”
“But that means there’s someone else we should be trusting that we aren’t,” Lily murmured, worry creasing her brow.
Remus crossed his arms. “It could mean someone inside the Order. Or someone on the other side.”
Marlene grimaced. “You’re saying one of the Death Eaters could turn?”
Sirius scoffed. “Unlikely. That lot would rather die than betray their own.”
Lily, who had been quietly staring at the fire, spoke. “Not all of them.”
James frowned. “Lily?”
She turned toward them, eyes thoughtful. “Think about it. We assumed Snape was loyal to Voldemort. But what if he wasn’t?”
Sirius made a disgusted noise. “Snape? You think Snivellus is the one we should trust?”
Lily hesitated, biting her lip. “I don’t want to trust him, but… if Hermione’s message is right, then maybe there’s more to him than we thought.”
Remus exhaled. “We’ll keep that in mind. But for now, let’s focus on the Horcruxes. That’s our priority.”
Marlene nodded, tapping the journal. “We’ll start with the Gaunt ring.”
James met her gaze. “And after that, we find out who else is playing us.”
Sirius leaned back; arms crossed. “And we do it before they destroy us first.”
Lily closed the book gently, but its weight lingered in the room.
They had just stepped off the path Dumbledore had set for them.
And there was no going back.