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"Reyna, what happened?"
As George poses a question to the witch, she remains fixated on the dancing flames within the fireplace. Her face remains stoic, devoid of any discernible emotion or reaction. Despite his question, there is no response from her.
"Reyna?"
"He's still alive," Reyna murmurs.
"Who?"
"Caleb,"
"What?!"
As George takes his seat beside the witch, he notices an object in her hand. Upon closer inspection, he realizes that it is a photograph that he had taken of Reyna and Caleb in the abandoned classroom. Both of them are beaming with joy, their smiles wide and infectious.
"It looked like him," Reyna murmurs. "But he was so pale and his hair was blonde"
Reyna walks towards Walburga's bookcase, her hand reaching for the intricate lock on the cabinet. Despite the warning from Sirius about the dark magic contained within, Reyna knows that this cabinet could hold the very answers she desperately seeks.
With a steady hand, she deftly unlocks the cabinet and pulls open the doors, her eyes scanning the shelves for any sign of the knowledge she requires.
Reyna's fingers trace over the book, her eyes scanning the titles for something that could remotely be relevant to what she needed to know. Her eyes stop on a black book with silver lettering on the spine, 'Necromancy and magic for those beyond the grave'.
The witch walks back to her spot beside George, her fingers eagerly opening the ancient book. The musty scent of the aged pages wafts up to her nose, delightfully overwhelming her senses as she dives into the text.
It is a common misconception that Necromancy is limited to the creation of inferi and charmed skeletons. In reality, with the proper ritual, it is feasible to bring someone back to life. However, it is important to perform the ritual in a precise manner to ensure that the resurrected individual will obey the commands of the one who summoned them from the realm of the dead.
One potential challenge that arises when an individual is resurrected is the issue of encountering someone they had a strong emotional bond with prior to their death and subsequent resurrection. Regardless of their loyalty to the one who resurrected them, a bond of love - be it romantic or platonic - can prove to be stronger. This can present a complex situation that requires careful consideration and management.
"So someone bought Caleb back?" George asks.
"Yeah, a death eater," Reyna murmurs. "And I have my bets on who it was"
"But you can break that bond," George replies. "No one was closer to Caleb than you, you can bring him back, Reyna"
"If they know all of this, I'm not going to be able to get close enough for that to happen"
"If anyone can do this, it's you, Rey,"
The witch remains silent, choosing instead to lean her head against George's shoulder. Gradually, her eyes start to droop shut as she finds solace in his warm embrace.
︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿︵‿︵︵‿︵‿︵‿︵
As Reyna slowly awakens, she feels a slight pressure on her waist. She shifts her gaze towards her bed and notices George sleeping next to her, his mouth slightly ajar as he emits soft snores.
As she gazes upon the dishevelled state of her room, she realises that her floor was covered with countless books from Walburga's bookcase strewn about haphazardly on the floor. The memories of her and George poring over the pages of those very same tomes after she had awoken from her nap come flooding back to her mind.
"Morning," George rasps.
"You drooled on my pillow," Reyna whines. "And Scout"
The niffler huffs angrily at George who chuckles before scratching the niffler's stomach. Scout's annoyance vanishes instantly, the creature letting out small purrs of happiness.
"I think he's over it," George grins at Reyna.
As the witch hums in reply to Reyna's concerns, she carefully begins organizing the array of books and notes that Walburga had amassed. Despite the progress they made the previous night with George's help, Reyna couldn't shake the feeling that there was something critical they were missing.
That missing piece of information could be the key to bringing back her beloved Caleb, the one who always knew how to comfort her and make her laugh, even during their occasional spats. But now, Caleb needed her more than ever, and Reyna was determined to leave no stone unturned until she found what she was looking for.
"Come back to bed," George murmurs.
"We need to keep searching these books," Reyna replies. "We're missing something"
"And we'll find it,"
"How do you know that?"
"Because you're Reyna bloody Lupin and you never give up,"
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