The Truth Behind the Veil ✔️

Horcrux Number One

   Fawn blinked, the dark chamber coming into view. A slain basilisk body lay not even five feet from her, its head beside it, fangs still dripping with unused venom. Her body ached. Every muscle was cramping in protest to her resuscitation.

   Fawkes cooed softly to her right, tears still dripping down his face onto her healing wound. Of course, Phoenix tears had intense healing powers!

   It took a fair few minutes to move into an upright position but once she did, wished she hadn't. Regulus was laying on the floor behind her, eyes wide open, stiff as a board. His skin was still warm, he still had a pulse, but was definitely petrified. It would take months to get him back unless Professor Sprout had matured Madrakes ready.

    "Fawkes, get us out of here."

   Fawn pulled four fangs from the beast, stuffed them into her bag, grasped onto Regulus' stiff arm and took hold of Fawkes' tail with the other hand.

   They landed back into the bathroom, far more scathed than before. Fawn had been prepared to be petrified but hadn't taken into account that it could've just as easily been Regulus. Fawkes was gone now, probably to alert Dumbledore.

   "It's gonna be okay, Reg, we'll figure this out."

   Footsteps neared and the bathroom swung open. Dumbledore and McGonagall stared at the scene gobsmacked. "What on earth happened?"

   Fawn raised her head to face the two professors. "I killed the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets."

  "Y-You what?"

  Fawn was light-headed, she swayed slightly and said no more as the floor collided with her body once again.

   "The Chamber of Secrets," whispered McGonagall, "Did you know about this Albus?"

   Dumbledore's response was too fuzzy to make out. A groan escaped Fawn's lips as she came-to. Madam Pomfrey was fussing around her but nothing was clear. Sunlight shone in through a window. Pretty quickly she was able to discover that the room was the hospital wing.

   "Miss Briggs." Madam Pomfrey touched her face softly. "Miss Briggs, can you hear me?" She could only respond with a whimper from the pain that was shooting through her body.

   "You were bitten by a basilisk, it's a miracle you're alive."

   "R-regulus?"

    The healer paused, her brow furrowing in concern. "He was petrified. Professor Sprout is working on the Mandrake potion as we speak."

   "He'll be-be okay?"

  "Yes, he should be."

   McGonagall stepped forward. "Do you mind explaining what the hell you were thinking?"

   "Minerva," Dumbledore placed a hand on her shoulder, "let her rest."

   After many hours of taking terrible-tasting potions, Fawn was finally able to move around and explain. McGonagall, Pomfrey and Sprout were appalled at the news of Voldemort having horcruxes and Dumbledore's allowing Regulus to play spy at such a young age.

    "How did you discover all this?" Fawn went the route of explaining her finding in a curse-breaking book and through her correspondence with the youngest Black.

   "That still doesn't explain how you knew about the basilisk. We didn't even know about it. It's a well known myth but no one ever thought it to be true."

   "I heard the myth and thought it was worth a shot if it was the answer to destroying the horcruxes."

   McGonagall rubbed her temples. "If you were still a student I would expel you, and award a hundred-points to Gryffindor." Fawn chuckled weakly, knowing just how true that statement was.