black coffee | remus lupin [2]

92. the plan

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AN HOUR LATER, NICOLAS RETURNED BACK HOME WITH A CERTAIN LOOK OF WORRY ETCHED ON HIS FACE.

The family had spent the entire time while he was off seeing the Dark Lord in the living room, barely making a single sound as they panicked on the inside. They all stood up from their seats as he entered the room, scared that it was anyone but him. But it wasn't.

"I was right," Nicolas said straight away. "Bellatrix saw you guys leave Grimmauld Place. They know that you know that...they know."

"Shit," Claudia cursed, turning to Regulus as panic struck her face. "What're we gonna do?"

"It's gonna be okay," Regulus said assuringly, hiding his own panic as well as he could. "What're they planning to do, Nicolas?"

"They're already looking for you," he said. "Everywhere. They're going to see your grandmother, Claudia. And your mother, Reg. They're also guarding Grimmauld Place."

Claudia buried her face in her hands as Regulus placed a comforting arm around her shoulder. "How much time do we have, Nico?"

"I don't know," he said. "But I don't think they'll show up here just yet. I'm not exactly suspected to be helping you. But we have to be careful, so I don't think we can spend the night here."

"Then where are we supposed to go?" Asked Cora as Nicolas sat down, which made the others do the same, Claudia and Regulus sitting tightly together to minimise their stress.

"That's the thing," Nicolas said. "We have to separate."

"What? Why?"

Nicolas shared a look with Regulus, "We've been planning this for a while."

"Oh, for Merlin's sake! Planning what?! Just tell us already!" John asked.

"There's two Horcruxes left," said Regulus. "If we try our hardest to find them, and destroy them, he won't be so difficult to kill."

"Yeah. A while ago Regulus and I discussed just leaving everything to search for them," explained Claudia. "To go on some sort of hunt. We just didn't know when the right time would come. But...now, since they're all looking for us, it might be a better time than ever. We asked Nicolas if he thought it was a good idea on Christmas, and he said that he wanted to come with us."

"I don't understand," said Ella. "You guys are just gonna leave and go one some sort of death-trap-of-a-hunt for items you have no idea how to find?"