What a Riddle

dark days

My dear friend,

I don't know if this letter will find its way to you or how it will find you, but I hope you and the others are well in these dark times.

I don't have much time to write, the others have gone to the ground and I only hear rumors of your whereabouts.

There is information I uncovered in the books and writing left to me by Dumbledore. It tells of six Horcruxs. Two of which have already been destroyed. The remaining four, one of which I hear you have currently, which means three more are still hidden. Or better said were hidden. The following locations are almost impossible to get into, but you and the others seem to specialize in the impossible. Bellatrix Lestrange Gringot's bank vault holds one of the remaining Horcruxs; Hufflepuff's goblet. The next one is my Father's beloved snake; Nagini, who never leaves his side and the last is Ravenclaw's diadem, which is said to be hidden. Somewhere on the grounds of Hogwarts. I believe I know where and when I return to Hogwarts for this year, I shall look for it and means to destroy it.

But that is not the most disturbing news, my friend. I ask for your discretion and that I may confide in you. That there is a seventh Horcrux. One that only Dumbledore knew of and it feels only right for you to know. Somehow, my father created another that night he killed Lily and James Potter. A piece of my father's soul lives in Harry Potter. I can not convey how sorry I am to have found this out. To stop this war, the boy who lived must die. I wish I had written to bring good news.

Look out for yourselves and watch each other's backs. There are plenty of bounty hunters roaming England catching anyone who tries to defy my father.

Your friend,

Cani

P.S. I don't know if you know, but to destroy a Horcrux, you need a goblin-made weapon or something with the same potency as basilisk venom.

I stretched my hand. It hurt from writing quickly, but it was imperative that Hermoine gets this information. It was the dead of night, and the only sounds were Draco's soft breathing from the bed and the impatient hoots from the elf owl. I managed to get the small and difficult-to-capture owl from Hagrid, who named her Vega. Not that I was replacing Charon, my charcoal Great Horned Owl. He was fast and fierce, but I worried that now people were tracking owls that mine would be recognizable. 

I tied the letter to its small leg, and it took off quickly into the night already seemingly knowing its destination. Ulysses and Charon watched me contently as I silently shuddered the window and grabbed the candle from the desk using it to find my way back to the bed.

I blew it out before curling up into Draco's warm embrace.

"You think the owl will find them?" Draco mumbled sleepily.

"I don't know," I said honestly, "but Hagrid swears this is the best tracking owl he's ever seen."

Draco hummed before wrapping his arms around me, pulling me close. "I'm just glad you're back in bed," he grumbles before his breathing evens out again, and I follow shortly after.

~~~

When school started up again Draco and I did our best to protect the younger students from the death eaters that were now teachers. More than once I guided and hid first and second-year Griffindor students to McGonagall to avoid the cruelty of the Carrows and by the first few weeks, the head of Griffindor became accustomed to me herding in a bunch of terrified students at odd and random times.

In any free time I got I searched for the diadem in the room of requirement. It took months of sorting through the disregarded junk but I found it. I kept it hidden in my robes at all times as I now threw myself into researching something I could get my hands on. I read through Dumbledore's writings again noting things of interest but nothing seemed to say 'I help destroy souls'.

It was frustrating and if glares could destroy things the stupid piece of jewelry would be in thousands of pieces by now. I stared at it in Draco and I's shared bedroom in the Slytherin dorm.

My thought is only broken by the small knocks on a window. Looking around I spot Vega knocking at the window. 

I rushed to the bird grabbing the letter with high hopes.

Cani,

Sorry I didn't write sooner, your little owl was stubborn and wouldn't allow me to come close. 

The news you bring is deeply disturbing and I see why it was kept a secret. I have elected to do the same even though it pains me. He is so determined and I'm afraid it would affect his resolution.  

We have destroyed the locket and working currently on a plan to get the goblet out of Gringots. I don't suppose you would have any suggestions, though I suppose you are busy trying to find the diadem. If you haven't already found it. Which then only leaves the snake to be dealt with. 

You and Draco take care.

Sincerely, 

Otter

I smiled for the first time in a long time before stashing the letter in a loose brick by the window. Vega had already flown off to who knows where but I thought I could find her if I needed to. 

"You found it?" Draco asked as he came into the room.

"Now I just have to figure out how to destroy it" 

"There has to be something in the castle" Draco comforts as he moves beside me placing his hand on my lower back. 

"In the castle?" I mumbled to myself trying to think of a solution "The basilisk!" I exclaimed "You are a genius" I kissed Draco before rushing out of the room.

"Where are you going?"  he called after me

"The chamber of secrets" I yelled back already halfway down the stairs.