Chapter 8
Regulus and Narcissa sat in silence for far too long as Dobby the house elf poured tea and summoned mounds of desserts that neither of them would be eating. When Dobby finally left, Narcissa let out a loud sigh, her head dropping into her hands.
“Four more, Reggie,” She whispered.
“You’re worried,” He said simply, unsure what to say. She looked up, still covering most of her face.
“Do you know why I decided to help you?” She asked, her voice low and conspiratorial.
“No,” Regulus admitted. He had given up trying to understand his family members, especially those as secretive as Narcissa.
“Almost seven years ago, I was told I could not have children,” she whispered, her shoulders trembling. “And yet, months later, I had Draco. Mon précieux miracle. I almost died the night he was born, and still, all I was worried about was him. He has been the only thing I care about since that day, and I will not lose him to a man with a senseless, egotistical score to settle.”
Regulus stayed quiet, letting Narcissa’s words hang in the air. He knew she wasn’t telling the full story, but it still settled somewhere in a previously untouched part of him. The part he ignored by insisting Harry’s situation was temporary, that the boy would be in a different, better home before they knew it.
“I understand,” he whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder. She dropped her hands, giving him a small smile. They took a deep breath in unison and stood wordlessly.
“Lucius will not be home for a few days. I will show you what I found, but the rest is up to you.” She took his arm and led him up to the highest spire in Malfoy Manor. The top of the staircase revealed a simple wooden door, heavily guarded with wards. With an elegant wave of her hand, the magic shimmered and allowed them both through.
Narcissa’s study was simple and elegant, just like her. The walls were a light cream-colored brick, lined with dark wooden shelves. Various trinkets, scrolls, and books sat in perfect rows. Opposite the door sat a desk currently overtaken by potions ingredients and bottles of shimmering memories. Behind it all was a large, stained glass circle window, displaying a singular daffodil against a night sky full of stars.
Regulus made his way behind the desk as Narcissa waved her hand again, summoning her Pensieve. It landed with a soft thump on the desk. She picked up one of the memories and poured in the softly shimmering, almost liquid-like thing.
“I will warn you, the memory is heavily altered. I could barely make sense of it myself,” She said, before stepping next to him and dunking her head in. Regulus followed suit, thrown off balance by the sudden plunging feeling.
The study gave way to a field, wind rolling over the soft blades of grass. The sun had just barely risen. At the peak of a small hill stood Peter Pettigrew, just behind the Dark Lord himself.
“You asked to see me, my lord?” Peter stammered, rubbing his hands together nervously.
“Yes,” Voldemort hissed, not bothering to face the other man. “Your friends, the Potters. I need to find them.”
“The Potters?” Peter squeaked. “W-whatever for, my lord?”
“It is not your place to question me!” Voldemort snarled.
The memory went fuzzy then, black spots danced over the scene and a loud buzzing drowned out the noise. It seemed like there was shouting, but it was impossible to truly tell.
Peter’s thoughts broke through the noise.
Hide
Die
With everything
Voldemort’s voice pierced through the white noise in Peter’s mind.
“It’s called a Horcrux. I am trusting you with this Peter. Don’t disappoint me again.”
Suddenly, Peter was alone holding something in his hand. Regulus tried to get a better look, but it was like trying to look at the sun directly. The memory faded, and Narcissa and Regulus rose out of the Pensieve.
Regulus frowned, running his fingers through his hair.
“I told you, it was heavily altered.”
“No, not altered. It was blocked out. It was shoddy work too. Certainly not the work of The Dark Lord,” Regulus muttered. “Peter must have done it himself.”
“The last thing he said, I had to uncover it myself. I might be able to get the rest, but I’m certain it was just about the Potters, and would be a waste of time.” Narcissa carefully removed the memory from the Pensieve with her wand before the bowl flew back to its shelf. She turned and looked Regulus up and down, concern tugging at her brows. “Of course, I could untangle it, but it will take a while.”
Regulus took a deep breath, mind already racing.
“Yes, yes I think we should uncover the rest, just in case. How did you find out about the other horcruxes?” Regulus moved on, not willing to acknowledge the feelings that rose up after that scene.
“That,” Narcissa said, summoning a cauldron that seemed to be heating itself, “Is another matter entirely. I was experimenting with Magical Bonds. I wanted to see if there was a way to link the Horcruxes and destroy them all at once.”
“And?”
“It’s still a work in progress. But I did make the link visible.” She pulled out a small, black leather journal from a locked drawer in her desk. As she dropped it unceremoniously into the cauldron. Silky green strands of magic exploded out, reaching into different directions, far past the boundaries of Malfoy Manor. Except for one, which crept up to Narcissa’s neck.
“I can’t see what they are, but I can tell you where. Well, I can tell you where for most of them. Do you see these two strands?” She pointed to two threads of magic that seemed to flicker and twitch, fading in and out like it was unaware of where it should go. “This potion is modified from a locating spell, one that only works on inanimate objects. The whole reason I made it a potion was to enhance the spell, but it’s still not strong enough to track these two.”
“He made living horcruxes?” Regulus asked, bile rising in his throat. “I wasn’t aware that was even possible.”
“Neither was I. I have an idea of what one of them might be. It would explain why he kept her so close, at least.”
“The snake?” Regulus guessed. Narcissa nodded.
“I’ll work on finding the living ones. For now, I think it’s best if you focus on this one. From what I can tell, it’s the easiest one to grab,” She said as she waved her wand, tugging at one of the green strands until it snapped and coiled in on itself, turning into a sphere. The sphere split in two, and both halves shot out suddenly, hitting both Narcissa and Regulus right between the eyes.
He blinked, his vision going spotty for a few moments. When he could see properly again, he felt a faint pull at his hand, like someone was trying to lead him out of the room.
“The spell will last until you reach the Horcrux, but I don’t know how well it will work across greater distances,” Narcissa warned. She sent everything back to their proper places before taking Regulus’s hands in her own. They were soft but concerningly cold. “I wouldn’t help you if I didn’t believe you would succeed but please, be careful.”
Regulus pulled her into a hug, which startled his cousin so much that she let out a small yelp. She did reciprocate after a few moments, resting her chin on his shoulder.
“Thank you, Narcissa,” Regulus whispered into her hair.
“Anything for you.” She pulled back just enough to look him in the eye, and for a moment, Regulus remembered when they were kids. She had been taller than him back then, and she always gave Regulus the same look she was giving him now; a look that said if no one else, they understood each other. Regulus appreciated it more than anything.
Regulus smiled at her and she pulled him in one last time before taking his hand again.
“Come along, now. The boys are being far too quiet for my liking.”
“Is quiet a bad thing?”
“When it comes to children, always. Don’t worry, you’ll learn soon enough.”