Paradox | T. Riddle ✔

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Eleanor was at her wit's end with rage at Lord Voldemort but was controlling herself because she did not want to act stupidly and give him an advantage over her again. The fire of vengeance had only been burning brighter ever since she had found out that he hadn't kept the deal. But lashing out at him would be of no use.

If he was a serpent then she too had to use his own strategies to be able to defeat him. So acting rashly wasn't going to get her anywhere and she knew that.

First and foremost, she knew that on her own she was no match for Riddle who had now amassed an unbelievable amount of Dark magic within him. If she faced him alone, she would definitely get defeated.

Therefore, she needed to find people who were against him and instill their help in vanquishing the Dark Lord.

And so far, there was only one person who knew could be of some help in that situation.

She had to find Sirius Black.

She had a hunch that Sirius and his friends were definitely part of some organization that was fighting against Lord Voldemort and his cronies. There wasn't much she had heard due to the wizarding world in constant fear of the Dark Wizard, but she knew there was an organization standing up to him.

So she decided to approach Sirius and ask him to help her become a part of that organization. There was a chance he would have found out about his brother's disappearance already and so she would have to tell him the truth to make him believe that she really wanted to be on their side.

She was a Slytherin, a pureblood, a woman betrothed to a top-tier Death Eater. Anyone would suspect her motives for joining such an organization. But out of them all, she had the most reasons to do so.

Her family's massacre, her fiance's disappearance as well as the torture she had sustained at the hands of Tom Riddle were all valid reasons for her to choose the other side.

However, finding Sirius Black wasn't an easy task.

She had cut off all contact with him after he had graduated from Hogwarts and had no idea where to find him. Even in their Hogwarts years, the only interests the two had shared were pranking each other and they could be deemed as acquaintances but not close enough as friends.

When finding Sirius was becoming difficult and time was already running out, she decided to look for Remus Lupin instead. It was a given that any member of the Marauders would know where Sirius was but with Remus, it would be easier for her to confide in him.

She might not have known him any further than she knew Sirius but she had a perception that he was the understanding and sympathetic one out of the four. If she could manage to convince Remus, he would definitely help her in persuading the others as well.

She managed to get hold of an address to his parents' home and went to pay them a visit, hoping they would know where Remus was or give her some information on how to reach him.

However, in that case luck was in her favor because when she reached the place and rang the doorbell, the door was opened by Remus himself.

The young man's face was engraved with scars, somehow even worse than those he had had in his school days. But his soft hazel eyes were just as kind as earlier, showcasing that despite the scars and the roughed-up appearance, he possessed a gentle soul.

Seeing her standing outside made his eyes flicker in caution and his grip tighten on his wand. After all, they were standing at the brink of war and destruction so people tended to be twice cautious.

"Mister Lupin, I have no foul intentions. I just came here hoping to meet you. If you could please spare some of your time for me, I'd be very grateful."

He withdrew the wand when he saw she was alone and there was nothing threatening about her stance. But he was surprised why she would come all the way to a little village just because there was a flimsy chance for her to meet him there.

Still he politely stepped aside to let her enter and opened the door wider, "I apologize. Please come in."

She followed him inside in silence as he led her to the parlor. She noticed that the house was small but well kept, having a very rustic feel to it. Though it was obvious that Remus didn't live there and had just come to visit his parents.

"What would you like to have? Tea, coffee?"

She shook her head, coming straight to the topic, "I appreciate the hospitality but I'm afraid I have very little time. I have to ask a favor from you and I have come here because you're the only one who can help."

His brow raised in a skeptical look, surprised that Eleanor Troy thought he could be of any help to her, "what favor?"

"I have to get in touch with Sirius. You're the only one I know who can help me meet him."

He observed her closely as if trying to assess her intentions, "and why do you want to meet him?"

"I... I have to tell him about Regulus," her tone got a bit unsteady as she voiced out his name, "I don't know if any of you are aware but Reg has been missing for more than a week now. And we have no idea whether he's even..."

She couldn't complete the sentence as her eyes welled up and she had to look away, forcing herself not to break down. Remus's expression softened at her pain because he knew what it felt like to lose a loved one.

Hence he stood up and filled a glass of water, offering it to her along with his silent condolence.

She accepted the glass and took a few sips, willing herself to calm down. Remus gave her time to settle and then asked, "are you aware who is the cause of Regulus's disappearance?"

Her eyes flashed in rage as she spoke up, "Lord Voldemort."

Remus was shocked to hear her say that name out loud. Aside from a very few members of the Order, no witch or wizard dared to say that name out of fear.

Yet Eleanor's voice was laced with hate and anger as she had said it and Remus being an avid observer could feel that there were deep layers to that hatred. It was clear that Reg's disappearance wasn't the only reason to it.

But then he recalled the massacre of the Troys by the Death Eaters and his expression turned more solemn.

"I know you all are part of some organization that is standing against Voldemort," she resumed, taking him by surprise once again, "I want to join it."

He was silent as if pondering over her words.

"If there's any way to stop him from ruining more lives, if there's any way to put an end to him, I'll do my level best to contribute. I have already lost a lot due to him, I don't want anyone to suffer a similar fate."

Remus could see that she was not putting up a pretense and her words though fierce were quite genuine.

"So you would want to meet Sirius as soon as possible," he spoke up at last, making up his mind to call Sirius to his place right then. He intentionally did not confirm her assumption about the Order's existence as he thought it would be better for him and Sirius to decide together whether she should be trusted or not.

"Yes, please. I already told you I have no time to waste."

He nodded, conjuring his Patronus to send Sirius a message. Eleanor watched as the silvery wolf emerged from his wand and passed through the walls, departing in search of the eldest Black son.

"I've sent him a message, he will be here soon as he receives it."

She breathed out in relief, "thank you so much, Mister Lupin."

"No need. And you can call me Remus," he spoke kindly, watching her tense features ease a bit, "now would you like to have tea in the meanwhile?"

He had asked her again and it would be impolite to refuse him twice so she nodded in affirmation, "as you see fit."

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