Mortem . Sirius Black

chapter ninety-four

January 12th - Malfoy Manor

Lucius Malfoy was sitting in the meeting room of Malfoy Manor, looking up at Tom Riddle, who was pacing in front of him, "Lucius, my dearest friend," seethed the Dark Lord, "I tasked you with the protection of my library, specifically because I have faith in your abilities and you have proven yourself to be a faithful follower,"

Lucius gulped, "Yes, my Lord," 

Riddle turned to look at him, the blonde man shifting under the scrutiny of his gaze, "So tell me how exactly, four teenagers got passed the fifteen men you had posted there?" 

"I don't know, my Lord," replied the other man, "But I got there just before one of the guards died, apparently, Avery and Mulciber are working with her," 

Riddle let out a loud laugh at that, a sound that could almost be described as manic, "I never thought you to be stupid, Malfoy," he snarked, "It's a ploy, a good one, but fake. Using my own plan against me, polyjuice potion, yes, she's smart, very smart, but she won't win. Not this time, at least," 

He paused, taking in a breath and collecting his thoughts, "The Potter boy and Black were there, but the other two, no, that wasn't them," 

Lucius cleared his throat, "So who was it?" 

Who was it indeed, thought Riddle. It could, of course, be Lupin and Pettigrew, the other two Gryffindors the girl was so taken by, but that made no sense. It was four against fifteen, and the way the guards had been killed was brutal, and rather advanced Dark spells, spells the four boys coulnd't have known. 

Anger like no other coursed through him once he realized that it was probably Nephera under the potion. Once again, she had evaded him, once again, she had gotten what she wanted. 

At the realization that it must've been Nephera that was there, his blood ran cold. The girl barely missed anything, nad if she found- 

He shook his head quickly. She couldn't have found it, he would've known if she had, but still, the thought was enough to leave him seeking for confirmation, "That journal I gave you, is it safe?" he asked, his eyes boring into those belonging to the blond man 

Malfoy nodded, reaching for his coat pocket, "I made sure, I have it right here, my Lord," 

At the sight of his horcrux, Tom let out a breath of relief. So Nephera hadn't gotten her hands on it, good. 

But still, there was a voice in his head that repeated the phrase yet. 

She hadn't gotten her hands on it, yet. 

Hundred of miles away from the Manor, four teenagers were sitting in the Room of Requirement, three of which were filling the fourth on what they had learned the previous day. 

The thought of horcruxes was an unnerving one, not only the way they were made, but also because Nephera was certain that Riddle had accomplished it. It was the only thing that made sense, the only explanation that connected both the founder's objects with what her father had told her, that Voldemort was trying to cheat death. 

The question that resided in her mind at that point was not whether or not he had managed to create the horcuxes, but rather how many he'd managed to create. If he planned to put pieces of his soul in the diadem and the cup, whose to say he hadn't made more? 

She discussed all this with the two Gryffindors and the other Slytherin in the room, all of which listened intently. 

"So you think he's managed it?" asked James 

The brunette nodded, "Explains the objects," she replied, "Do you think Nott knows about them?" 

"Maybe," answered Regulus, "Could have something to do with what he's meant to hide, that mission of his,"