XVIII. A Touch of Dusk

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A dizzying edge of familiarity beats through your veins as you keep your eyes firmly locked on the teacup in front of you. Instead of the soft cranberry glass from last time, the Contessa dished out stout porcelain cups with curved handles, small forget-me-nots wrapping around the diameter of the ivory cup.

As your tea continues to steam, you could feel a dense tension curl around every inch of the atmosphere. Regulus sat to your right, appearing to try and distract himself by burying his face in his tea cup, while Luna sat to your left, finger tracing the floral design of her cup absentmindedly. Across from you, Sirius sat, eyes unseeing and mouth still uncouthly agape.

The Contessa sat patiently at the head of the table, eyes flickering between you and Regulus, and frowning every so often as she observed Sirius' paralyzed state. Harry sat next to his Godfather, green eyes sitting as wide as prophecy orbs behind his round glasses. Hermione was biting her lip as she tried to restrain herself from interrogating you, hand wrapped tightly around Ron's wrist as she attempted to rein in the sputtering boy.

Sirius had gone into a state of shock after Regulus greeted him, perhaps short circuiting after realizing that the boy was not a figment of his imagination or a product of a sudden lapse of delusion. You were positive that the older man would have collapsed if not for Harry's fast reflexes and initiative to move him to the tea room.

Sirius leans forwards suddenly, hair swinging wildly at the sudden motion as he suddenly blurts out, "What the hell?"

The Contessa places her cup down on her saucer with a resounding click before she hums, "Indeed, as Lord Black so eloquently voiced, what exactly is going on?" She immediately sets her eyes on you and you feel your shoulders freeze at the sudden rapt attention.

You turn to share a quick look with Regulus, and the boy offers you an assured nod, clearly giving you the greenlight to disclose what you thought was necessary. Turning to face the Contessa, you stew in your thoughts for a few moments as you try and string together an explanation.

"What I'm about to tell you all—it's quite unimaginable, but we plan on publishing many of our findings soon, so there is no point in sugarcoating it." You inhale deeply and clasp your hands together in apprehension, "When Dumbledore passed on, he left a note in his will for me. It was a suggestion that I visit an old friend of his in Norway, and that I may find some answers to my concerns."

The trio nod, readily dredging up the memory from Bill and Fleur's wedding day, and you see the Contessa raise her eyebrows imperceptibly at the admission. You feel Luna reach over and rest her warm hand atop of yours as you continue, "Well, I went with Luna, and we met up with the man. Over the span of the few months of my absence, we discovered some enlightening theories."

Sirius is now wholly aware, his unwavering gaze prodding you. You turn to look at the man, a frown washing over your expression, "These theories happened to overlap with something I had told the man in passing," your eyes flicker over to Harry, "Dumbledore had taken Harry and I to a cave the day he was killed. In this cave, we encountered Voldemort's army of inferis and a locket."

Harry perks up at your words, and begins to shoulder the task of recollecting, "It was supposed to be Voldemort's locket, but when we investigated it over the summer, we found out that it was a decoy," the boy pauses before inclining his head towards Regulus, "one that was made by Regulus."

You nod and suppress the smile threatening to appear on your face as you see Regulus' wide eyes, clearing your throat to resume your delineation, "Yes, and so we both worked out the fact that Regulus had...died in the cave when he swapped out the lockets, and as a result, became one of the inferis."

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