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Regulus and Josie engage in idle chatter while strolling back to the castle after their Care of Magical Creatures class.
It is their last lesson for the day, except for Astronomy, which is a few hours away.
"No, because he is a good person, he's just misunderstood!"
"I agree, although he did kill thousands of people," Regulus replies.
They are discussing a character from a book they have both read.
"Yeah, well, I bet he looked hot while doing it, and he had reasons," she shrugs.
Regulus chuckles. "He looked hot while killing them?"
"Yeah! I mean, the way it is described..." She turns and gives him a playful smile.
He laughs again as they approach the doors leading back into Hogwarts.
They enter together and bid each other farewell, heading in different directions.
Josie dislikes relying on others, but she can't deny that her moments with him are the happiest.
After several minutes, she reaches her dormitory and notices that Dorcas is absent, probably with Marlene.
Two of her other dormmates are conversing on one of the beds. She offers them a polite but insincere smile before heading to her own bed.
"Hey, Potter!" one of them calls out, rising from the bed.
Josie turns around, arching an eyebrow.
"This came for you," the girl says, walking over and handing her a letter.
"Thank you," Josephine accepts the letter with another forced smile.
The girl returns her smile before returning to her conversation with the other girl.
Josie places her bag down (it had finally been fixed by Pandora) and sits on her bed. She glances at the other girls to ensure they aren't watching before opening the letter.
Of course, it is from Tom, specifying the meeting time.
She can't help but wonder how careless he is. Why would he send a letter to her dorm, especially without knowing if she'll be there?
She neatly folds the note and tucks it into her pocket, then her gaze falls on her bedside table, where she has stored the information she has acquired, along with the mysterious necklace she has found.
Josie knows she needs to research it, and perhaps Helena can help. She isn't sure what has sparked her belief in the necklace's significance, but she is determined to find out.
~~~
Josie anxiously awaits Dorcas' return. It grows considerably late into the night, and the other girls in her dormitory are fast asleep, yet there is still no sign of Dorcas.
