To Kill You With a Kiss

Chapter 25

Harry looked down into the swirling waters of the Pensieve. The time turner sent little golden ripples pulsing through the glittering water. By his side, Tom uttered a soft spell in a language Harry did not recognize: "U temti rishar takki-me huttah..."

Dumbledore glanced up from his work for a brief moment and smiled before bending over his parchment again.

Harry drew his breath deeply. "So when I enter into this memory, I will be Regulus Black?"

Tom nodded. His face was pale. "I believe so, yes. The memory I just enchanted is his, after all. You should be able to see the past through his eyes. But remember, my love: This time you will not enter a mere recollection of the past. This time, you will enter the past itself, just like you did when you first came to Hogwarts as Elias Black. And because your visit to Little Hangleton is real, you will be able to change that past into anything you want. You have the power to draw your wand and kill the unsuspecting Dark Lord. But remember, my love: He also has the power to kill you. Be careful."

Harry nodded wordlessly. His glance flickered over to the dark-clad Voldemort, who hovered silently by Tom's side. The luminous mist from the Pensieve cast a light silvery sheen over Voldemort's black cloak. The Dark Lord looked up, and his eyes met Harry's for a moment. There was a strange soft look in them that reminded Harry, irresistibly, of Tom.

"One of us must die at the hand of the other." Voldemort's voice was calm and even. "This is how it has to be, Harry."

The door to Dumbledore's office creaked open behind them. Harry turned around, startled, and saw Alphard Black linger hesitantly in the doorway.

"Another visitor this evening?" Dumbledore smiled at the Slytherin boy. "Have you come to explore memories of the future as well, Alphard?"

Alphard blinked in surprise. He looked uncertainly at Dumbledore for a moment, then he shook his head. "No, professor. I... I have come to tell Elias something."

"Ah, I see. Well, in that case, just pretend I'm not even here." Dumbledore began writing again.

Alphard turned to Harry. "I have been thinking about what you are about to do, Harry, and I think you need to know what happened to Regulus in the days that followed the events of that memory."

"Regulus Black was murdered, yes." Voldemort spoke quietly.

Alphard flinched. He did not meet Voldemort's gaze. "Yes, I know. But there is also something else... My nephew Regulus Black had a secret, you see. A secret from you. A secret from the Dark Lord. I was reluctant to mention it at first, especially in front of Tom and... and you... but I have come to realize that it is something Harry should know."

"Regulus Black kept a secret from me?" Voldemort studied the face of the pale Slytherin boy intently. "What sort of secret?"

Alphard drew a deep breath. "He had discovered that you had created horcruxes."

Voldemort and Tom glanced at each other for a moment. "So Regulus Black knew about that?" Tom's voice was a whisper.

"Regulus knew, yes." Alphard's gaze traveled hesitantly to Dumbledore, but Dumbledore appeared quite immersed in his work. "And he was able to steal one of the horcruxes, a silver locket."

"Regulus had the silver locket?" There was a sharp edge to Voldemort's voice now. "How is that possible? Even if he guessed where it was hidden, he would not have been able to retrieve it."

"A loyal house elf helped him get to the cave," whispered Alphard. "The house elf helped him replace the true horcrux with a fake. But Regulus was swept under the waves, down to the waiting inferi..." He swallowed.