Ravens and Asphodels | Harry Potter Marauders Era (Regulus Black x OFC)

The Beginning of the End

27 August 1980

Diana didn't hate going to Gringotts. She just didn't like it very much.

Gringotts was a large multistoried white building near the intersection of Knockturn Alley and Diagon Alley. To reach the bank's atrium, one had to pass through a set of bronze doors and then silver ones, each including a security checkpoint. Diana's least favorite part about the bank was the carts. To get to your vaults, you had to take a speeding cart operated by one of the goblins, and they never failed to make Diana feel nauseous.

Usually, Diana avoided having to go to her family's vaults, but, today, she and Regulus were headed to the former vault of Bellatrix Lestrange née Black. Of course, it was one of the most secure vaults in the bank, meaning a required a cart trip.

Once Regulus and Dina proved their identity to the goblin named Griphook, they boarded one of the carts and were off to the Lestrange vault.

While on the coach, they passed through a charmed waterfall that soaked the couple. Griphock happily explained that the waterfall cancels all enchantments and magical concealments and would have thrown the cart off the tracks if Regulus of Diana had been wearing enchantments or magical concealments.

Diana was the first to admit that her specialty was not Goblin mannerisms, but Griphook certainly seemed to look pleased with the sight of her and Regulus soaking wet and miserable.

They finally were able to get out to the cart but were informed that this was not the end to their journey into the bowels of Gringotts and were led by the goblin past a giant half-blind albino dragon. Regulus and Diana were both horrified at the sight of the dragon but looked at one another and seemed to agree that they had more significant issues to deal with right now. Perhaps once they destroyed the crazed Dark Wizard, they could try their hand in creature advocacy.

They finally reached the bloody vault and were lead inside. They were greeted by hundreds of artifacts, some of Black family origin, which must have been gifted to Bellatrix upon her wedding, while others bore the Lestrange family crest.

Although Regulus was interested in returning the Black family pieces to the Black Family's vaults, something else caught the couple's eye.

There was a small golden cup with two finely-wrought handles with a badger engraved on the side and a few jewels on one of the shelves in the back of the vault. The cup was displayed proudly, but the thing that caught Regulus and Diana s attention was how similar the magic coming from it felt to that which has come from the locket Regulus, Sirius, and Dumbledore had retrieved from the cave.

Diana almost groaned out loud. She was pleased that they had found the thing, but now their theory that Voldemort had made more than one Horcrux was no longer a theory but a fact. Who knows what other items the man destroyed by placing a piece of his soul into it.

Diana went to grab the cup, but Regulus stopped her and informed the goblin that they wanted the cup.

Later, when the cup was securely in their possession, Regulus explained that sometimes in the more secure family vaults, the Gemino and Flargeante charms were used on particular objects as a safety measure to protect against thieves. When the item is touched by someone who didn't cast the charm, the thing would multiply rapidly and burn the person until eventually they were crushed or scorched to death.