Unravelling the Web
The dimly lit sitting room of the Potters’ cottage was cluttered with books, parchment, and half-empty cups of tea. The five of them—James, Lily, Sirius, Marlene, and Remus—had been at it for hours, poring over texts, cross-referencing the journal, and piecing together the puzzle that Hermione had left behind.
It was exhausting.
It was exhilarating.
And it was terrifying.
“We’ve confirmed five Horcruxes,” Lily said, running her finger down a list they had compiled. “The diary is with the Malfoys, the Gaunt ring is hidden somewhere. We also figured out that his grandfather was obsessed with Slytherin, and in Hogwarts: A History it says that he had a locket. But the locket is missing. If my suspicion is correct, of him using the Founders' objects, we still need to find Hufflepuff's cup and Ravenclaw’s diadem.” She glanced up. “That only one more to identify.”
Remus added. “He couldn’t take the sword of Gryffindor because that only is revealed to a Gryffindor in need. Or it is currently with Dumbledore, who will know that we are up to something, great.”
Sirius, who had been staring at a book on Dark magic, tapped the table impatiently. “That last part—the final piece of his soul being inside a living creature—that’s what worries me.”
Marlene nodded. “It means even if we find and destroy the objects, he still won’t be gone.”
James rubbed his temples. “Let’s focus on what we can handle right now. Finding the Gaunt ring should be our priority.”
Lily closed the book she had been scanning. “The Gaunts lived in Little Hangleton. I found Ministry reports of Marvolo Gaunt being arrested years ago, so the house still exists. But if Riddle did hide something there, he likely cursed it to hell and back.”
Remus sighed. “That means we need to be careful. We can’t just go storming in.”
Sirius smirked. “But it does mean we get to break into an abandoned house, which is very on-brand for us.”
James rolled his eyes. “We’ll plan the trip soon. For now, let’s go back to the journal.”
Marlene turned the pages, looking for new entries. The ink shimmered faintly before more words materialized.
Loyalties are never as clear as you think they are. The people you trust today may not be the ones standing beside you at the end. And the ones you least expect may become the difference between survival and destruction.
A heavy silence followed.
Sirius frowned. “That’s not exactly reassuring.”
Lily’s eyes flicked to the names Hermione had listed previously. “She already warned us about Peter,” she murmured. “But there are others on this list we haven’t figured out yet.”
James leaned forward. “Let’s go through them again.”
Marlene read aloud, voice steady. “McGonagall, Moody, Potters, McKinnon’s, Parkinson’s, Greengrass, Lestrange’s, Malfoys, Pettigrew, R.A.B., Blacks, Tonks, Snape, Dumbledore”
They stared at the names, the weight of them pressing heavily on the room.
“Dumbledore and Peter were crossed out,” Remus pointed out. “So, we already know that Hermione either lost trust in them or is warning us to stay clear of them at this time.”
James scowled at the name Pettigrew. “We don’t need more proof about Peter.”
Marlene felt a prickle on the page as if the ink was shifting. Slowly, before their eyes, Pettigrew’s name faded, then was crossed out.
But then, to their surprise, Lestrange’s name was also crossed out—but far more harshly, as though the writer had pressed down angrily.
Lily shivered. “Whoever wrote that wanted to make sure there was no doubt.”
Sirius muttered, “Yeah, well, Bellatrix is as loyal as they come—to Voldemort. She’d die before betraying him. Plus she’s a crazy bitch.” His voice was edged with something darker. Something personal.
James exhaled sharply. “That still leaves a lot of names we don’t know how to place yet.”
Then, right before their eyes, two more names subtly changed.
R.A.B. and McGonagall were suddenly underlined.
Marlene’s breath caught.
Sirius stared at the initials and whispered, “I’m such a prat, it’s Regulus.” Staring at the initials. “R.A.B.— that is my brother's initials. I wonder why Hermione didn’t spell his name out.”
Marlene reached over to pat Sirius’s hand to comfort him and said, “Don’t beat yourself up. We all make mistakes.” Sirius squeezes her hand back for a quiet thanks.
Lily nodded. “And McGonagall? That means she’s… what? Someone we should be trusting more than we thought?”
James leaned back in his chair. “I always knew she was on our side, but this…” He shook his head. “Hermione underlined her name. That means she’s more important than we realized.”
Remus tapped the journal thoughtfully. “Regulus’s name being underlined instead of crossed out means he’s not an enemy. Maybe he knows something about the Horcruxes.”
Sirius’s jaw clenched. “I haven’t spoken to Regulus in years. The last I heard, he was a Death Eater.”
Marlene studied the journal. “Maybe that’s what changed.”
Sirius scoffed, but there was something unreadable in his expression. “If Regulus did anything against Voldemort, he’s either in hiding or already dead.”
A heavy silence settled over them.
James finally spoke. “So, what do we do?”
Marlene shut the journal. “We find the Gaunt ring first. Then we figure out where Regulus is and where he stands.”
Sirius ran a hand through his hair, his expression conflicted.
Marlene squeezes his hand. “If he is on our side, Sirius, we need to know.”
Sirius exhaled and nodded. “Fine. But we don’t trust him blindly. Even though it seems to Hermione that we can trust him, he still chose to be a death eater.”
James smirked slightly. “We don’t trust anyone blindly anymore.”
Marlene looked at the journal one last time, the names now etched into their mission.
The war had just shifted.
And they weren’t going to let history repeat itself.