Lollipops ↬ Sirius Black

Lollipops - Chapter 42

"Alright, Kreacher, you may go back to Grimmauld Place. I trust you to be quiet about what you saw take place today," Regulus said calmly to his house elf, just as they arrived at the outside of the Hogwarts Castle.

"Yes, master," Kreacher murmured obediently, and with a pop, he disappeared, leaving Regulus and Naomi to a silence.

"Let's go in the castle, then," Regulus hesitantly murmured to Naomi, who was silent and distracted by her thoughts.

She faintly nodded, but she was so distracted that she hardly deciphered Regulus' words. She couldn't believe what had happened tonight, and what she had witnessed. It was supposed to be a lovely night, in which she told Sirius about her curing, but instead, she witnessed someone die; a person she was once close to. It was hard.

It was dark in Hogwarts castle, and you could hardly see a thing. The moon cast a dim light over everything. Meanwhile, Naomi began to speedily walk, leaving Regulus to hastily scramble after her.

"Where are you going, Naomi?" He concernedly asked her.

"Dumbledore." She gave him a short, one-worded response.

"But, why?" Regulus asked, baffled. "Do you think we can trust him to tell him what's happened?"

"Reg," Naomi tiredly looked at her friend. "Who else could we confide in? We need to tell him so he can help us, so he can help you. You said it yourself, the Death Eaters will know what happened in just a matter of time, and then they'll be out for your blood."

Naomi was sure that it was the worn out look on her face, or the misery in her eyes, but regardless, Regulus cast her a defeated look before agreeing.

The walk through the halls was brief and speedy, and when they reached the stone statues in front of Dumbledore's office, they were demanded to give the password in order to be let in. Regulus guessed quite a few candies before they were finally given access to the office.

Together, they walked downstairs. With a wobbly and unsure breath, Naomi lightly knocked on Dumbledore's door. She could hear light voices coming from inside the office, and she quickly became confused. Who would be in Dumbledore's office at such a late time?

Before she could retract her hand from the door, it came flying open, and she was met with the face of the headmaster.

"Ms. Serdeys, and Mr. Black, there you are," Dumbledore softly mused, as if he'd been waiting for them. "Well, do come on in."

When he opened the door wider, Naomi was shocked by who she saw.

"Sirius?"

"Naomi!" Sirius surprisedly jumped, standing up from his seat at once. "Where did you go? I was worried sick for you!"

"How did you know I even left in the first place?" She confusedly asked, walking over to him.

"If the two of you could please settle down before you bombard one another with questions," Dumbledore politely requested, a twinkle in his eye. "Now, I understand that you guys are both disoriented, but first and foremost, I must be informed of everything that happened."

He glanced towards Naomi and Regulus.

Naomi took a deep breath before beginning right from the start, telling the whole truth and leaving out no details. "It began when I was roaming the halls after curfew..."

She told Dumbledore and Sirius everything; from the moment that she overheard Drew and Regulus talking, up to the moment that Kreacher brought her and Regulus back to Hogwarts.

When she finished telling her story, Dumbledore let out a slow, thoughtful, and deep breath. "It is exactly as I feared; Voldemort made Horcruxes in order to continue living."