grey area
The team begins hunting for the Horcruxes in earnest.
Because Regulus is the source of intelligence, Dumbledore relieves him from any additional Order duties, telling him to stick close to Voldemort and be on his guard.
Sirius siphons off some of his magic to Reg, so that his Occlumency shields are stronger. He paces the Manor and Grimmauld Place with a look of worry on his face.
Blair continues going on raids, aiming to stun and hex rather than kill and curse. Bella, however, starts looking at her strangely, so Blair begins using dark curses she learns from the family grimoire.
Blair dreads the day she sees Dan in battle.
-
Regulus informs them that Voldemort has boasted to him about having items from three of the Hogwarts houses.
“He doesn’t have any Gryffindor items,” James Potter assures them, rocking baby Harry back and forth in his cradle.
“How can you be sure, Potter?” Moody growls.
“Because I’m a Gryffindor descendant,” James replies in a neutral tone “We Potters, too, protect our own. Harry gurgles.
Remus suddenly stands up. “The Cup and locket!”
Everyone looks at him askance.
“Borgin told me that around ten years ago, Hepzibah Smith died, allegedly due to poison administered by her House Elf. She was a magpie, and she had all kinds of artifacts. Everything was accounted for except for Hufflepuff’s Cup, a family heirloom, and the Slytherin locket she bought from Borgin.”
“Moony, you’re a genius!” James exclaims.
“Guess working at Knockturn alley has some perks,” Remus replies wryly.
Dan squeezes Remus’s arm sympathetically. Being a werewolf, Remus has a difficult time finding a job, and has settled for being a clerk at Borgin and Burkes.
Dan, being a muggleborn, even the best in their year, isn’t faring much better.
Blair inwardly curses.
-
Regulus arrives at the Manor one evening, his face ashen, tears falling down his face.
Blair runs to her twin. “Reg, what’s wrong?”
“I’m so sorry!” Reg exclaims. There is a haunted look on his face.
“I tried to put a stop to it, but I couldn’t.” He starts weeping in earnest.
Sirius wraps a comforting arm around their brother. They settle into the embrace, giving Reg the time to process things.
-
Later on, Reg tells the Order that Voldemort commanded him to concoct a potion that would expose the drinker to their worst fears.
Severus gives him a condoling “Tsk.”
There is no antidote, Reg continues. He has tried all iterations, but nothing works. Reg gives Severus his notes, hoping he can come up with something.
Reg breaks down after this, telling them that the Dark Lord brought him to a cave off some godforsaken coast and that they tested the potion on a Muggle.
“The screams,” Reg tells them. “They were inhuman.”
He shakes.
“I almost found it merciful that You-Know-Who killed him right after.”
The Dark Lord leaves Slytherin’s locket in the cave.
Reg insists that if they do not find an antidote, he will have to be the one to drink the potion when they retrieve that Horcrux.
“It’s my responsibility,” he says grimly.
-
Severus does not find an antidote.
“You’re quite good at this, Black,” he drawls. “I simply cannot find anything to counter this.”
Blair places a warning hand on Sirius’s arm as he jumps in to defend Reg.
James Potter accompanies Regulus to retrieve the Horcrux. Blair is enraged that she cannot go with her twin, but she understands. It is too risky to have two spies exposed.
Blair insists, however, that she destroy the Horcrux. She reasons that she has the most control over Dark magic. Everybody agrees.
When Regulus and James return to Headquarters, Reg avoids everybody for a week. He jumps at the slightest sound.
Blair takes a vicious pleasure at conjuring fiendfyre to ruin the locket.
-
Bella is looking extra smug these days, whenever Blair sees her at the Malfoy Manor. Blair wonders why. It can’t be sex with the Dark Lord, she thinks wryly. Bella has already been doing that for the longest time.
She figures it out when she bumps into Bella at Gringotts, clutching at a discreetly-wrapped package. She hears Bella order the goblin on duty to bring her to the Lestrange vaults.
She rushes to headquarters. “Bella has one of the horcruxes.”
Sirius snarls.