𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐥𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 | √

⎡85⎦

I awoke the next morning from a terrible sleep, staring up at the shadowy ceiling and the cobwebbed chandelier. I was wrapped up in blankets on a sofa in the drawing room. A chink of sky was visible between the heavy curtains. It was the cool, somewhere between night and dawn, and everything was quiet except for Ron and Hermione's slow, deep breathing.

I sat up and looked at the floor. Ron had had a fit of gallantry and insisted that Hermione sleep on the cushions from the sofa so that her silhouette was raised above his. Her arm curved to the floor, her fingers inches from Ron's. I wonder if they held hands to sleep.

I glanced around for Harry. He was nowhere in the room. I bolted upright and untangled myself from the blankets. Jumping over Ron's body, I shook Hermione awake. Her eyes fluttered opened, and she looked at me.

"Hermione I don't know where Harry's is," I whispered frantically. Hermione sat up and got up from the other sofa.

"Come on," she said. "Let's look around."

She got up from her spot on the couch, and we looked around the house: in the bathrooms and closets and anywhere else we could search. Minutes passed, and we still couldn't find Harry. From a distance, we heard, "Harry? Hermione? Hazel, where are you? I think I've found something."

Hermione and I looked at each other, stopping our searching. Together, we raced out of the room where we heard Ron's voice. He brought us to ransacked room. I moved over the threshold, gazing around. The bedroom was small though it had a sense of former grandeur. The Slytherin colors of emerald and silver were everywhere, draping the bed, the walls, and the windows. The Black family crest was painstakingly painted over the bed, along with its motto, Toujours Pur . Beneath this was a collection of yellow newspaper cuttings, all stuck together to make a ragged collage.

"Lovely," I stated sarcastically.

Ron closed the door so that we could see the sign on it. It read:

Regulus Arcturus Black

"Regulus Arcturus Black," Hermione read.

"R.A.B," Ron concluded. We all stood there in amazement, looking at the sign. Together we all made our way to the dining room to reread the letter in the fake locket. We all sat down as Harry began to read.

"I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret.

I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match, you will be mortal once more.

R.A.B."

"R.A.B is Sirius's brother?" Ron asked.

"Yes," Hermione replied. "Question is, did he actually destroy the real Horcrux?"

There was an echoing sound behind us, and we all turned to look at it. The sound continued as we cautiously got out of our seats to look at the noise. Harry crept towards the door placing his hand on the knob of a cupboard. With a mighty pull, he yanked the door open and grabbed the house elf inside. The elf thrashed and made noises as Harry brought him over to the side of the table.

"You've been spying on us, have you?" Harry asked.

"Kreacher has been watching," Kreacher replied cowering.

"Maybe he knows where the real locket is," said Hermione.

Harry glanced at her, then realized what she meant. He went over to the table and grabbed the locket, dangling it before Kreacher's large eyes like a hypnotist.