The Grey Lady
April 8th, 1981
Regulus and Pandora sat in Remus and Sirius’ living room, waiting to talk to them both. He had no idea if they would be able to help them, but if they wanted to sneak through their old school, Sirius and Remus were the people to ask.
Throughout the entire time Regulus had been at Hogwarts with his brother, it felt like there had been a never ending onslaught of the “Marauders” and their antics. They couldn't go a week without playing some prank on everyone or causing a scene somewhere in the centre of students. Sometimes Regulus thought they would go too far and often found that Slytherins were the main target of their practical jokes, but they were never all that funny. One prank Sirius and James had done, ended in the Slytherin common room being turned quite literally completely upside down. All of the furniture was sent flying up to the ceiling as students were thrown off of the couches and chairs they sat on. Regulus still hadn't known how they had even gotten into the common room, he didn't even see them, but he swore he heard them. He had known it was them and his suspicions were only confirmed when he went to the Great Hall for dinner that night to see Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter all snickering every time a Slytherin came into the room.
It was beyond frustrating dealing with them everyday and yet, when they graduated and Regulus was left still at school for another year, it felt quiet… unhappy almost. Like the soul of the school was missing. They had been such a big part of the school that he had never realized and with that, they knew the school like the back of their hands.
Granted, Regulus had learned the school quite well too, but in his own ways. He may not have known every secret passage or the best places to hide from Filch’s cat, but he knew when and where parts of the library would be the quietest, he knew the best tree to sit in the shade by the lake during the warmer months, and he knew of a hidden room on the seventh floor that always offered him a place to hide for a little while that he never told anyone about, that room was his own secret.
Remus came into the room with some full teacups as Kreacher carried in some milk and sugar for them. Placing it on the table, he smiled and gave a little bow, directing it at Regulus who nodded at him. Remus took a seat in the armchair and leaned back, letting out a small sigh.
“Where’s Sirius?” Regulus finally asked.
“He should be here soon, he said he had an idea to help you, but he had to talk to James.” Remus explained.
Regulus looked at him in surprise for a second.
“He’s not telling him anything!” Remus corrected. “He’s just asking to borrow something.”
Regulus took a deep breath, a tad relieved but not entirely sure how much he really believed that. He would just have to wait and see.
“So… you think the next horcrux is at Hogwarts?” Remus asked, trying to change the topic.
Regulus nodded.
“I’m still not entirely sure of it, but it’s worth a shot. Anything to just get this all over with…” Regulus said.
“Yeah… anything to get it all over with…” Remus repeated, sounding a little exasperated.
Regulus looked at him with just a twinge of concern, he looked tired - how Regulus had felt just a year ago, but he said nothing. He looked over to Pandora who looked back at him, seemingly having the same thought as Regulus, but again, neither of them said anything.
Then, the fireplace suddenly sprang to life, glowing a bright green for a moment as a silhouette appeared in the fireplace. Regulus shielded his eyes from the sudden flash of light as Sirius stepped out of the fireplace, holding some silvery fabric draped over his arm.
“I got it!” Sirius said as he stepped into the living room. “Oh good, you’re here. I had this idea when you said you needed to sneak around the castle a little more than usual.”
Regulus watched him cautiously as he walked into the room a little further. He pulled the long fabric off of his arm and held it up, shaking it out. The silvery fabric looked like it was a cloak completed with a large hood. It was thin and looked virtually weightless, how this was supposed to help Regulus, he had no idea.
“I think this ought to do the trick.” Sirius said, smiling at the cloak fondly as if memories were flooding back to him. “I’m surprised James let me borrow it, but he needs it back ASAP, so don’t be long with it.”
Regulus stared at Sirius with confusion.
“And what exactly is it?” Regulus asked. “It just looks like some weirdly shiny cloak.”
“That’s because it is a weirdly shiny cloak, Reg.” Sirius said confidently. “But that’s not all.”
Sirius held up the cloak, throwing it around his shoulders and wrapping it over himself. As he did so, the cloak vanished and so did Sirius’ body, leaving him as just a floating head in the middle of his living room.
Regulus’s eyes widened as he stared at his now bodiless brother. Pandora looked amazed at the cloak and Remus looked completely unchanged, like he had seen this a million times. Then, the realization suddenly hit him.
“JAMES HAS HAD AN INVISIBILITY CLOAK THIS ENTIRE TIME!?” He yelled in shock. He looked back and forth between Sirius and Remus. Sirius was grinning at Regulus as Remus just sat back, sipping his tea. “Is that how you guys were always getting into the Slytherin common room!? I knew it was you and James!”
“Moony was there too, he was just quieter than us. He had all the plans.” Sirius laughed, nodding to Remus. Remus didn’t say a word but nodded in agreement when Regulus looked at him.
“I knew you two weren’t smart enough to pull all of that off on your own.” Regulus said, shaking his head. Remus let out a little snort.
“Hey! We are smart! Moony’s just… smarter…” Sirius said, defensively as he pulled the cloak back off of him, letting the silver fabric fade back into existence.
“Wait… what about Peter? All four of you couldn’t have possibly fit under that cloak.” Regulus said.
“Pete usually did the watching.” Sirius explained. “Let us know if anyone was coming. Was always too afraid to come in and help, but always wanted to help anyway.”
Regulus breathed out through his nose and rolled his eyes.
Of course he was the watcher.
“Anyways, as long as you wear this, you should be able to get through the castle unnoticed. I think you both should just about fit under it, but stay close together.” Sirius said as he handed the cloak to Regulus. “Oh and watch out for Mrs. Norris, I swear that cat can see right through that thing.”
Regulus nodded, making note of the cat.
“Got it, stay close under the cloak, be quiet, watch out for the cat.” Regulus listed off.
“I’d also offer you the old map we had, but someone got that confiscated in our last year by Filch.” Remus added, nodding to Sirius.
“I didn’t think he’d turn that corner so fast!” Sirius defended.
“Mhm.” Remus said before turning his attention back to them. “So, any idea where you’ll start?”
“Ravenclaw tower’s probably our best bet for now.” Regulus said, standing up from his seat. Pandora stood up with him. “But if James needs this back ASAP, then we should get going now.”
“No time like the present.” Pandora said cheerily, the excitement of their pending adventure all over her face.
Regulus and Pandora quickly said their goodbyes and left the flat into the side alley again. Doing a quick look around, they apparated to Hogsmeade near the edge of the village and met back up just out of sight of the school. The sun had mostly set and by the time they would get through the tunnel to the school, most if not all the students would have had to go back to their houses for the night.
Regulus quietly directed Pandora down the path to the Shrieking Shack and they went inside the old, creaky house where he directed her to the loose panel on the wall that revealed the tunnel back to the school.
“After you.” He said, gesturing for her to go in and she nodded, climbing into the tunnel as he followed behind, placing the panel back where it was.
They walked down the tunnel, Regulus following behind her because of its narrowness, and after a while they started to see the little glimmer of moonlight shining through at the end.
“When we get up there, don’t climb out just yet. Let me go first.” Regulus said as they approached the end of the tunnel.
Pandora gave him a questioning look, but pressed herself back against the tunnel as Regulus slid past her and to the exit. Keeping his head low, he reached out and found the knot in the tree’s trunk, giving it a good smack as the tree froze into place.
“Okay, come on, quickly!” He said, looking back to her and quickly climbing back out from under the tree.
They both ran far enough back from it so it wouldn’t be able to reach them anymore as Regulus pulled the cloak from his pocket. He shook it out and wrapped it around himself, holding it open for Pandora who was gazing at the Whomping Willow.
“Come on, we have to go.” Regulus whispered to her.
She turned her attention back to him, seeing him holding the cloak open.
“Right, right, let’s go.” She said as she quickly slid under the cloak beside him.
The cloak was a bit of a tight squeeze, but Sirius had been right, as long as they stayed close together, then they ought to be fine.
They crept their way towards the castle and quietly snuck inside. The castle seemed remotely quiet with the exception of a student or two quickly running by to get back to their dorms without being caught, too focused on themselves to notice them under the cloak. They kept moving, growing closer to Ravenclaw tower, hoping to find what they were looking for.
It had been Pandora who suggested they try and find the Grey Lady to speak with. She was afterall, the ghost of Ravenclaw. Regulus had never actually seen her in person from what he could remember. Everyone had always said she was a shy ghost, too wrapped up in her own melancholy to bother with anyone else, but Pandora was certain she would speak with her. According to her, they had had many conversations late in the night, just telling stories and talking, apparently the Grey Lady was somewhat fond of Pandora.
“I’m telling you, Reggie, she’s shy, but she’s kind when you get to know her.” Pandora whispered to him as they approached the tower. “This way, she’s usually over here.”
Pandora led him to the tower, but turned down a corridor next to it, rather than up the stairs. It was a long corridor that stretched far, lined with large windows that looked out over the castle grounds.
“There!” Pandora said, pointing ahead of them.
A ghost of a woman was sitting by the window, staring out it longingly. Her long white hair was draped over her shoulder and her dress was floor length and bloody.
Without warning, Pandora slipped out of the cloak and walked up to the Grey Lady, a small smile on her face as she calmly approached the ghost.
“Helena?” She said, gently. “It’s me, Pandora. How are you?”
The ghost looked up at her a little surprised at first, but her face softened seeing Pandora.
“Pandora! It’s been too long, what are you doing here?” Helena asked, sitting up from the window.
“I’ve been well, I’m married now.” She said, showing her the ring.
Helena gazed at the ring for a long time, her expression growing a little more sad again. She let out a sigh.
“It’s beautiful, Pandora.” She said a little sadly. “Congratulations.”
‘Thank you…” Pandora said gently. “I did come here because I have a question for you and I’m really hoping you’ll be able to help.”
The ghost looked up at Pandora again with curious eyes.
“My friend and I are looking for something and we’re hoping you might know where it is.” Pandora said.
Helena’s look changed from curiosity to understanding, then to annoyance.
“The diadem, I suppose, is what you’re looking for… That damn thing…” She said, the anger growing in her voice. “Everyone always wants to know where that thing is… They always promise it will never be used and then what? They use its power to get what they want.”
Regulus watched from under the cloak as he could see their chance slipping.
“No! No! Helena, I would never-”
“That’s what they all say!” She yelled, cutting her off. “He told me he would get rid of it, take that devious object away so no one would ever be able to use it and then what does he do? HE DEFILES IT!”
“No! No! Helena, please! You know I have no bad intentions! I never have!” Pandora pleaded, trying to win her back, but she was losing.
“Everyone always tells me that. I’ve always hated that thing… I can never let anyone get to it again.” Helena said, shaking her head.
Pandora looked like she was at a loss for words as she stared at the ghost. Regulus watched for a moment, seeing their chance fleeting, he threw the cloak off of himself.
“We want to destroy it!” He yelled out in a last ditch effort.
Helena and Pandora both looked startled as they looked over at Regulus now fully visible.
“We know what he did to it and we know how awful it must be for you.” Regulus tried to reason. “We want to help, we really do. But we can’t unless you tell us where it is.”
Helena stared at him, it was hard to read her face or know what she was thinking, but he continued to look at her with pleading eyes. She looked away from him and he felt his heart sink as she sat back at the window. Another moment passed, then she looked back at them.
“He took it where no one would find it. In the room where everyone goes to hide.” She said softly as she gazed back out the window again.
“Thank you.” Regulus said back, feeling a little relieved. He looked back to Pandora as he pulled the cloak back over his shoulders. “I know where it is.”
Pandora slid back into the cloak and they continued on again. They quickly ran through the halls of their old school, avoiding any sign of people who might be around and eventually found themselves out of breath as they reached the seventh floor. They stood for a second to catch their breath, but carried on as Regulus led them to the end of a corridor with a wall that was completely blank. Regulus stopped and closed his eyes for a moment, thinking hard to himself in front of the blank wall.
I need to find the diadem. I need to find the diadem. I need to find the diadem.
When he opened his eyes, a large door began to form on the wall as the bricks shifted out of the way. He watched as the door settled in front of them, then took a quick look around before he pulled the cloak back off of them again and stuffed it back into his pocket. He walked towards the door, Pandora following close behind and took a deep breath as he looked back at her and pushed the door open.
“Woah…” Pandora said as her eyes widened, looking into the room behind him.
He turned around and his eyes widened just the same as he looked into the room that stretched further than his own mind could comprehend. Inside the room was filled with thousands, if not millions, of random shelves, broken objects, and assortments of old and long forgotten items. It looked like the place where all lost things go to die.
“I don’t know how sure I feel about this anymore.” Regulus said, looking into the room. “How are we supposed to find a small diadem in all of this?”
“Well… all lost things always find a way back to us in the end… even in ways we may not expect.” Pandora said, still gazing into the room. “I suppose we just go in and look.”
Pandora pushed past him into the room and continued further in, leaving him standing at the door until he ran after her to catch up and the door closed behind him. His eyes ran over everything quickly as he caught up to her, looking out for any sign of a crown.
“Alright… a diadem… diadem, diadem, diadem…” Pandora muttered to herself as she looked high and low through the piles of random items. She stopped and straightened herself up and quickly looked back at Regulus as she came to a fork in their path. “Which way then?”
“Uhhh…” Regulus looked around at their surroundings, unable to see past the towers of trash and lost things. “You go left, I go right?”
“You got it.” She said as she wandered off down the left path. “Shout if you find anything!”
Regulus turned to the right path and started his walk down there. He found himself crouching, as he looked under tables and through shelves, pushing things carefully out of his way, trying not to drop a tower of boxes on himself. He looked around for what felt like hours, though he didn’t feel like he was getting anywhere. Not only that, but he had no idea where Pandora was in all of this. All he could see was a large pile of books ranging in how old they were, a lot of them seemed to be textbooks.
“Panda, I’m getting nowhere here!” He shouted out. When he got no reply, he shouted again. “PANDA?” Still nothing.
He groaned to himself and rolled his eyes as he started trying to walk back to where they had split. He started to realize that the further he went the more he felt lost. He was losing his way through the room, starting to feel disoriented the more he moved. He stopped where he was and looked around for anything that might help. To his left was a stack of boxes he hoped were sturdy enough as he climbed up them to get a better view. The stack wobbled as he climbed and he stopped for a second, steadying himself again and continuing a little higher until he could somewhat see over the sea of lost items.
He spotted Pandora far off on the other end, looking through stacks of more things he could barely make out. He yelled for her again, but she didn’t seem to hear him, they were so far away. His eyes scanned everything around him and Pandora before she finally looked up and noticed Regulus.
“What are you doing!?” She yelled to him, her voice very faint.
“Trying to find you!” He yelled back.
She looked back at him confused, like she couldn’t hear what he was saying. He looked around for anything to help, but then his eyes fell on something, not far off from where Pandora was. In the distance was a large cabinet and just next to it was an old bust with what looked like a silver and blue tiara sitting poorly on top. He squinted his eyes and leaned forward, trying to get a better look at it. When he looked back to Pandora to try and move her attention towards it, she had disappeared again and he quickly looked around, but she was nowhere to be seen. He looked back to where he saw the tiara and leaned some more, trying to look at it.
That has to be it.
He leaned a little more, then he felt the boxes shake and next thing he knew, he had lost his balance and was falling through the air, straight towards the floor.
“FUCK!” He yelled as he slipped and began to fall.
He closed his eyes and waited for the impact as he suddenly felt himself stop with a jolt. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the ground just beneath him, he was just barely floating above the ground. Then, he dropped again, hitting the floor with a small thud as he let out a grunt.
“See, this is what I meant…you’re an idiot.” Pandora said, standing over him as she put her wand away. “You’d be dead without me.” She held out a hand to him and helped him back to his feet.
“I saw it.” Regulus said, brushing himself off. “I swear I saw it back where you were. It was sitting there on a statue.”
Without waiting another moment, he ran off, trying to remember the path he saw from above and make his way back to where Pandora had been. She sprinted behind him, keeping him from going the wrong way and they eventually found their way to where she was before.
“Where was it… where was it…?” He muttered to himself as he frantically looked around.
“Over here, Reg!” Pandora finally shouted. He ran towards her voice and found her standing in front of some old statue with the tiara on top. “This has to be it, right?”
“It has to.” Regulus repeated, pulling his silk cloth from his pocket again. He reached up and grabbed it with the cloth and pulled it off of the statue.
Slowly turning it over and looking at it carefully, he saw the letters “R.R.” carved into the inside of the tiara. This was it, the lost diadem.
“Let’s go.” Regulus said.
Without a question Pandora led them back out of the mess of lost items, Regulus close on her heels as they raced back to the door. When they reached the door, he quickly pulled the cloak from his pocket again and threw it over them both and they left just as quickly, heading straight back for the tunnel under the Whomping Willow.
When they came out of the tunnel from the other side and into the Shrieking Shack, Regulus was ready to get out, but Pandora stopped him.
“What are you doing? We need to go.” Regulus said to her.
“Remember what happened to you with the ring? And what happened with the locket? And the diary?”
“Yeah, yeah, what about them?”
“Do you really wanna bring more of that home?” She asked. “Let’s just break it here. Now. You have the fang, don’t you?”
Regulus reached into his inside pocket and pulled out the fang that was starting to look a little worse for wear. He held it out to her and she slowly took it.
“Well, if you’re so eager, go ahead.” He said, as he put the diadem down on an old table.
She looked at the fang then at Regulus and took a breath and nodded. It only took one hard swing at the diadem for her to split it in half as it screeched out. A large blast of black smoke burst from the diadem, sending them flying back in different directions. He let out another grunt as he hit the wall and fell. He looked up to see the smoke flying out and could have sworn he saw a face in it. Then, it dissipated as soon as it had shot out. Regulus looked around and saw Pandora pulling herself back up.
“So much for not getting hurt, right?” Regulus said with a small grin.
“Yeah… right…” Pandora said, rolling her eyes as she let out a small laugh.