Assumption // Regulus Black

51

A/N: I posted an announcement, but I won't be posting for a week or so!

Regulus

Thalia and I spent the next few days researching horcruxes in the library at night. There were a surprising number of books on how to make the magical objects, and yet we had found nothing on how to destroy them. 

I was currently reading my fourth textbook, jotting down an occasional note when I saw fit. Thalia sat next to me, her leg pressed against mine beneath the table. She was writing something down. I admired how determined she looked before resuming my research.

"I found something," she spoke abruptly.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, look at this," she slid his book over to me and pointed out a paragraph. 

I tried to make out the words, but there was a strategically placed ink splatter over the sentence she was trying to show me.

"This looks like someone wanting to hide a sentence," Thalia echoed my thoughts. "It's in a chapter about basilisks."

"Basilisks?" I smirked, "Are you starting to warm up to the idea of getting one as a pet?"

"Maybe," she smirked back, "But I was hoping to find more about Slytherin."

"Sure," I winked before turning back to the page, "Logos reveilles."

The ink-spotted paragraph glowed before words poked through the ink revealing...

Basilisk venom is one of the most dangerous and powerful magical substances. While it has many uses, one of the most notable is the ability to inhibit dark magic. The venom can also be used in the following potions...

"You don't think-" I started.

"-That the venom could destroy a horcrux?" Thalia raised her brows, "I don't see why not. It doesn't explicitly mention it, but horcruxes are the epitome of dark magic, right? So maybe the venom would inhibit it or destroy it altogether. My guess is someone covered the sentence for a reason."

"Ok," I nodded, "Just one slight issue: my basilisk is on a cruise right now, so I don't know that she'll-"

"I get the point," Thalia rolled her eyes, biting back a smile, "But that's the best lead I got."

"It's a good one," I admitted, "I just wish we had access to basilisk venom. That's not really something you could find either."

"Doesn't really seem like your typical Dragon Alley purchase," Thalia added with a smile.

"That's not even a Knockturn alley purchase," I nodded, "Or a Black Market thing for that matter. I don't know that anyone has ever actually seen a basilisk in hundreds of years. For all we know, they might not even exist."

"Huh," Thalia nodded in agreement. The two of us sat in the dark, thinking on the subject. "Hey have you talked to anyone yet about destroying the locket?"

"No," I swallowed, "I won't be able to until we're out of school."

"Ok," she nodded, "Let me know who you come up with."

"Sure," I smiled tightly. 

I hated lying to her. I hated lying to the girl who was pouring her heart out researching with me at two in the morning.

But my guilt eased a bit as I found myself watching her read. Instead, other emotions distracted my thoughts. I admired how the shadows reflected over Thalia's features, how she twirled her hair absentmindedly, how she tapped her quill, how she bit her lip in concentration.