The day he died was the day every light disappeared. The letter appeared in front of her, while she was outside working in the garden, together with a something, wrapped in newspaper. Pandora opened the letter. “When you read this, I am dead.” She didn’t know what she had expected, but it wasn’t this. Her heart shattered and it felt like all light disappeared. “No”, she whispered. “Not him… Not my Regulus.” The young woman closed her eyes, trying to hold back her tears. She kept reading.
“I’m sorry Pandora. I never wanted this. Trust me, I don’t want to die. But if this gives us… gives you a chance to survive this war, then I’m happy I did this.
Dora, I’m so sorry I have to give this burden to you, but you are the only one I can trust with this. Voldemort has something called horcruxes. They make him kind of immortal. The thing I sent you with this letter is one of those. You have to find a way to destroy it, Pandora. It’s the only way to win this war. I wouldn’t give this burden to you if I didn’t have to. You’re the only one left, who I can trust. Cas and Evan are dead, Barty has lost his mind after your brother died and I can’t go to Sirius or anyone of their side.
Please Dora I wouldn’t ask this of you if it wouldn’t be the only way.
I love you. So so much. I’ve always loved you. I’ll look after you always. I’ll always be there. Just look at my Star, Dora. I showed you where it is. Don’t forget me please. Please. I wish I could stay with you. I’m sorry, my flower. I’m sorry.
I love you
Regulus <3”
Pandora was shaking by the time she was finished reading the letter and tears were falling down her cheeks. “No!” she sobbed, pressing the letter to her chest. “NO! Not my Reggie. Not my star. No….” Her voice was shaky, barely loud enough to be heard. The young women slapped her hand over her mouth, trying to suffocate her sobs. She wrapped her arms around her body, holding the small bump, where her child grew. “You were supposed to be their godfather… you were supposed to meet them.”
“Panda?”, a voice called. As Pandora looked up, she saw her husband walking towards her. “I wanted to –“, he stopped. “Oh love. What happed?” He ran to her side and wrapped his arms around the sobbing woman. “He… He’s … dead”, Pandora whispered. “Regulus is dead.” Xenophilius was quiet. “Oh Panda”, he said after a few seconds. “I am so, so sorry.” Pandora turned to hide her face in her husband’s chest. Her tears drenched his shirt, but he just held her. She was shaking and her hands were clenched, leaving marks on his shoulders, where she was holding onto him.
“Shhh. It’s ok darling. Its ok”, he whispered, holding her, comforting her. The witch was still sobbing, not able to stop. “He was supposed to be their godfather. He was supposed to be there for them”, Pandora sobbed, her voice broken, quiet. “I know, Love. I’m sorry. It’ going to be ok. It will be ok.”
It never was ok.
Even years later, Pandora never was the same. The death of her best friend, of her brother in anything but blood changed her. She became more quiet, and more tired. She often spent hours over hours in her study, trying to find a way to destroy the horcrux.
“Mama?”, Lunas voice sounded through the thick wood of the door. “Mama, are you in there?” Pandora looked up and hastily closed books and threw a blanket over the horcrux, laying on the floor. She stormed to the door and ripped it open. “Yea kiddo?” “Dad asks if you come down and eat with us today?”, her daughter asked, her eyes big with hope. Pandora sighed: “yea… I’m coming down today, Luna. I’m sorry I didn’t the last few days.” She stepped out of the dark study and locked the door behind her. “Come on, let’s go downstairs and eat.”
Pandora sighed, as she saw the look on her husband’s face. The woman knew what was about to come later.
She was right. As soon as Luna was in her bed and asleep, Xeno pulled her into the living room. “What is wrong with you?”, he shouted. “It’s been four days since you last ate with us! You promised you wouldn’t abandon us! You PROMISED! You promised Pandora.” The young woman flinched: “I just forgot the time.” “Four days in a row?” “Yes! I’m working, OK?”, Pandora screamed. “Work? You’re trying to destroy something that can’t be destroyed!” “You don’t know that!” “Well what I know, is that you DEATHEATER FRIEND fucking DIED trying to destroy this thing! HE WAS PROBABLY LYING AND TRYING TO KILL YOU!”, Xeno screamed. Pandora froze. “What. Did. You. Say!”, she asked coldly. Her husband just shook his head. “You know exactly what I said!” “HE WAS MY BROTHER! HE NEVER WOULD HAVE DONE ANYTHING THAT WOULD BRING ME IN DANGER, IF HE DIDN’T HAVE TO!” the young woman stormed to the door. “Panda… wait! I didn’t mean it…” her husband called after her. “Oh, you meant it! Don’t try to lie to me Xeno!”, with these words she left the room.
The witch ran to her study. The big door slammed shut with a loud noise. Pandora shoved books and glass bottles, who broke and spilled potions on the floor, away and ran to the blanket under which the locket was laying. She took it and threw it on a desk. “Bombarda!”, she shouted. The curse flew at the horcrux, leaving it laying in the remains of what was once a desk. “BOMBARDA MAXIMA!” Again, the horcrux was still laying there, looking like the curse never touched it. “Why!”, Pandora screamed. “Why won’t you break?” Hot tears were running down her face. “Please! Just break!”, she begged while firering more and more curses at the locket. The, once so tidy, study was now looking like a battlefield. Almost all the furniture was laying around in shambles and the floor was scared with ash and rips. And in all that, was the locket, looking as perfect, as it was before the first curse was fired.
“Pandora?” a voice broke through the silence of the woman staring at the locket in disbelief. She turned around: “Xeno? What are you doing here?” She looked at him like she couldn’t believe he was there. Her blonde hair was tangled and her eyes were sunken into her face and blood was dripping out of a cut on her cheek. “Stay away Xeno!”, she ordered. “This is my thing!” “I’m not gonna let you kill yourself!”, her husband said. The young woman just turned around and fired another series of curses, one more evil and complicated then the last, at the hocrux.
Nothing happened.
“Fuck!”, she exclaimed. As turned to face the man, still standing in the doorframe, a curse was reflected back at her and suddenly everything stopped. It felt it was hours until the woman had touched the floor. Xeno was running to her, taking her hand and begging: “Please. Panda, wake up. Please don’t be dead. Panda I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry Panda, I’m sorry.” He kept begging, not seeing his daughter, who was standing in the door. The woman on the floor opened her eyes: “Tell her I love her, ok?” “No. Pandora don’t say that. Please you’re not going to die”, the man was crying, his tears falling onto Pandora, like in all the movies. Pandora was just smiling and then closed her eyes forever….
The last thing she ever heard was her daughter asking: “Mama?”