Grimmauld's Home for Unsafe Learners

Chapter 4: The Brother

June 1983 - June 1984

TW: self-harm, abusive parents/guardians, attempted suicide, abortion, implied rape

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After Regulus had gotten the Ellis twins settled in, Regulus went into Harry's room to talk to him.

"Harry," Regulus said when he knocked on the doorframe. The door was open, but Regulus still didn't want to just barge into the room.

"Hi, Reggie." Harry said, looking up from his book. Harry was very interested in Parselmagic, so he had grabbed whatever books he found on it from the Black Library. Right now, he was reading 'The Advantages of Parselmagic' also by Gwenith Erwood.

"How's the book?"

"Good! It's really interesting. Did you know Parselmagic is easier to do non-verbally and without a wand than normal magic?"

Regulus smiled and sat on Harry's desk chair.

"I did not. But I have to ask you and tell you something very important. How did you destroy the diary when you were in the Chamber?"

Harry looked confused but answered, "I stabbed it with a Basilisk fang."

"How did you get the fang?"

"Once I killed it, I grabbed it from its mouth."

"How'd you kill it?"

"I stabbed it through the roof of its mouth with the Sword of Gryffindor."

"Okay. So, the Sword is impregnated with Basilisk venom. Meaning now we know that Basilisk venom and the Sword can destroy them."

Harry was getting confused now, "Them? Reggie, what's them?"

Regulus sighed and looked down at his hands, "You know how I told you I was afraid of water?" He waited until Harry nodded, "I'm going to tell you the story of why. And do not freak out." Regulus rolled up his sleeve and showed Harry the Dark Mark, "This is the Dark Mark. It's the Dark Lord's way of branding his Death Eaters. My mother made me take it when I was seventeen, right out of Hogwarts. It was all fine and dandy because I grew up hearing about how great the Dark Lord was and how amazing it'll be when I finally join his ranks. When I was 18, the Dark Lord wanted Kreacher to retrieve something for him. I didn't want him to go alone and went with him.

"It was a cave that was completely water besides a small island in the middle. The island had what we needed. We took a boat over the water. On the island was a bowl and a locket inside, but to get the locket one must drink all of the water that was in the bowl. Except, it wasn't water, it was a potion, the Emerald Potion, that induces fear and delirium, causes intense stomach pain and extreme thirst to the drinker. I told Kreacher that I would drink the potion and he would take it back here and leave me. I drank the potion. It was so horrible. I begged Kreacher not to make me drink any more, but he couldn't let me stop once I had started. It took a while, but I managed to finish it. Kreacher took the locket and replaced it with a fake we had made. When I tried to get water from the lake, I got dragged into the lake by Inferi, they're... zombies. They're dead humans who got reanimated by a witch or wizard using Necromancy. They feed off of humans. I was in there for a long time. But I somehow made it out, even today, I still don't know how.

"The locket is a Dark object known as a Horcrux. It contains a piece of one's soul. The Dark Lord made many, we're not sure how many. Three that I know of for sure. The locket and the diary are two of those. The last one... is you. When the Dark Lord came into your home as a child, he made a Horcrux by accident and the piece of his soul made its way to the nearing living thing, you."