Chapter 2
He looked around at the cobwebbed interior of his Great Aunt Dorea’s old home. It had been abandoned when she moved into the Potter family home when she got married.
“Kreacher find me a broom. I’ll handle putting my bags away.” Regulus said as Kreacher quickly rushed off to follow his masters orders while Regulus grabbed his trunk and bag and started the only mildly awkward task of dragging them up the stairs. He really took his magic for granted. He set his bags on the second landing and looked through each door to find a bedroom he thought was suitable. After peeking into the 3rd door he found a bedroom that wasn’t overly decorated with blacks and greens. He saw soft browns and grays. He assumed this was Dorea’s old room if what he remembered about her from when he was little. A gentle woman with a gentle heart.
He pulled the blanket off the bed, sending a bunch of dust into the air causing him to cough and sneeze. He dropped the blanket on the floor and was pulling the sheets off when Kreacher came into the room holding a broom in his right hand.
“Kreacher found a broom Master Regulus.” Kreacher said while holding it out for Regulus to take.
“Thank you Kreacher.” He said before surveyed the room.
“We have a lot of work to do to make this house liveable.” and with that they got to cleaning.
Pulling the hood of the cloak he wore over his face more to make sure no one could see him he walked close to the buildings on the left side of Knockturn Alley. Thankfully wearing a cloak big enough to hide your face was not uncommon to those who frequented Knockturn Alley so everyone who walked past him did not bat an eye. He peered under his hood to look at the shop names and windows not fully sure if he would find anything useful after checking in the past few shops After passing The Coffin House is when he heard it. A voice he hoped not to hear. He glanced over and saw her in front of Noggin and Bonce. Bellatrix Black. Or he supposed Bellatrix LeStrange now.
“-that's why I’m more trusted than you!” Her voice having an unsettling edge she’s had since childhood. He knew if he looked into her eyes he’d see dark holes void of emotion outside of insanity and bloodlust. A want to cause mayhem and torture for anyone she wanted to target. A bloodlust thats only gotten worse since the war started and she’s been able to kill and torture.
He wasn't surpised by what she was yelling. Bellatrix always had to be the best.
“Why would you?! He gave me a top secret mission!” From a wizard he believed to be Wilkes. Regulus couldn’t help but roll his eyes.
If it's top secret, why are you yelling about it in public?
Bellatrix laughed which just made her insanity more pronounced.
“He entrusted me with a valuable object! A personal one!” Bellatrix grinned with pride but it looked more like a lioness about to pounce for the kill. That made Regulus pause.
But I have the locket. What is she talking about?
Regulus felt his nose scrunch up. Something it always did when he was deep in thought which his mother never was able to punish out of him.
Don’t tell me…. There’s more? Did he really make two? Surely he wouldn’t be stupid enough more. Granted he was stupid enough to make one but why not make multiple. He is insane after all. And desperate to not die and desperate people do stupid things. But what could it be? Where would she hide it? Does she even know what it truly is?
Regulus didn’t know. All he knew was he had to get it.
“You’re not the only one entrusted with such an item Bellatrix” He looked from under his hood to see Lucius Malfoy joining the conversation.
“I bet mine is more important!” Bellatrix yelled like a child, something she’s always done. She always had to be the best growing up and if she wasn’t it was not pretty for the person she went after. She was ruthless and didn’t care who it hurt even her own family.
“I doubt that Bellatrix. He said it was a matter of life or death and if I were to lose such an object he’d have to kill me.” Lucius said smugly. How any could be smug about given a death threat Regulus didn’t know.
“He said the same about mine!” Bellatrix grinned like she won. Even though based on what they said it's the same level of importance.
Oh you’re fucking kidding. Three?! Just how many are there? If I have to go looking for 14 horcruxes I’ll kill The Dark- Voldemort myself instead of letting Dumbledore do it.
Regulus was beyond pissed. He had to somehow sneak into a place that will surely be heavily guarded and he still has to find out where the items were hidden and what the item was exactly. He's starting to think he bit off more than he could chew. Bringing in someone else was out of the question. He only knew a few people he’d trust enough with this information and he cared about them too much to endanger them like this. He would just have to do it himself. Not only that but he also was unable to find a book on destroying horcruxes. The only books that mention horcruxes simply mentioned them as dark magic in passing nothing in detail. At least not enough detail for what he needs.
All he knew now was there were three horcruxes possibly more and he had no idea how to steal the other two.
Once he was back in the mostly clean house he sat staring at the wall.
“Master Regulus? You’ve been staring there for a while, do you need anything?” Kreacher seemed hesitant to speak but his concern for his master outweighed his fear of punishment for speaking unprompted.
Hearing Kreacher’s voice brought him out of his deep thoughts.
“Just thinking Kreacher. With two more horcruxes things become more complicated. I don’t know how to destroy the one we have, I don’t know what the other two are or where they have been hidden. What if the hiding places are like the cave? Why give them to two people to hide instead of hiding them all in the cave or in a similar manner. I can’t understand his thought process and it’s frustrating.” Regulus ran a hand through his hair scrunching his nose again.
“I don’t even know if there are more horcruxes? You can only split your soul so many times before you’re no longer human. It wouldn’t surprise me if he gave up his humanity for immorality. But why? Why not just steal the Philosopher's Stone and use it to make the elixir of life? Why go through all this trouble?” He ran a hand down his face and sighed.
“I don’t think I’m ever going to figure this out, Kreacher. Maybe I should just tell someone else about the horcruxes. I don’t think I can do this.” Regulus said feeling at a loss of what to do.
“If anyone can its Master Regulus! Master Regulus is very powerful.” Kreacher looked mad at Regulus talking badly about himself.
“I don’t even have my wand Kreacher. How am I meant to destroy them without spells?” Kreacher didn’t seem to have an answer for him.
He stood up from his chair to pace around. “I should just focus now on getting the horcruxes. I should at least look in their houses first. Hopefully Narcissa didn’t change her wards and I’m still allowed in. But when to enter? I'll have to do it when they are not home.”
“Isn’t Mistress Narcissa having a baby? They have to leave to go to St Mungos.” Regulus looks over at Kreacher.
“Kreacher, you're a genius. If I remember correctly by what Narcissa told me last, their next appointment was July 31st which is tomorrow.” Regulus smiled to himself now glad he had some sense of a plan of what direction to go to next.