The Hunt | Regulus Black

The Sword of Gryffindor

It wasn't difficult for James Potter to summon the sword, he had done it before, when he was a student at Hogwarts.

The locket rests on a tree stump, the four of them surround it, looking at each other for who should be the one to destroy the horcrux.

"So who gets to do it?" Sirius asks.

"It was Thea's idea" Regulus states.

"Fine" James rolls his eyes and passes the sword to Theodora.

She steps in front of the locket, that's resting on a tree stump. She begins to raise the sword and then strikes down onto the centre of the locket, her eyes are squeezed shut as she hears the devilish voices releasing from the locket.

Theodora is struck back by the power of the locket, she has fallen to the ground. Voices echo in the distance, faint at first, but growing louder and more insistent, distorted whispers that seem to crawl into her mind. They speak of her deepest fears and insecurities, bringing long-buried doubts to the surface. The locket's malicious influence lingers even as it dies, clawing desperately at her psyche in a final attempt to sow chaos.

Out of the fog, a dark figure emerges - faint, but unmistakable. They shift between ghostly shapes and full-bodied illusions, a previously sincere face she recognises from her past but twisted with malice. It steps closer, its eyes gleaming with cruel intent, and it speaks with a voice that is both familiar and wrong, dripping with contempt and disdain. While the figure is not real, the emotions it stirs are all too tangible - anger, regret, guilt. It's like the locket is trying to drag her back into the past, forcing her to relive her worst memories.

It's her mother, Diane.

Bright flashes of green and silver light cut through the haze, blinding and disorienting, as the dark magic of the locket fights its last, trying to hold on to the power it once had. The hallucination grips Theodora with a suffocating intensity, pressing down on her chest like a heavy weight.

Then, as quickly as it came, the vision begins to fade. The voices recede, the figures dissolve into smoke, and the oppressive darkness lifts. She's left in the aftermath, breathless, heart racing, the shattered remnants of the locket lying at her feet. Though it's destroyed, the lingering chill remains, a reminder of the evil she has just vanquished - but also of how close it came to breaking her.

Once it all fades away Regulus rushes to her side, while James grabs the sword.

"You did it Thea, it worked" He smiles as he helps her up.

Theodora cups Regulus' cheek in the daze of excitement, then retrieving her hand once she realises. James watches over the both of them as they linger rather close to each other.

"So what now?" Sirius questions.

"Now we find the rest of the horcruxes... and destroy them" Theodora replies with a nervous laugh at the end.

"We just need the place to work from then" James adds.

"The Black family home" Sirius and Regulus say in unison.

———

Regulus, Theodora, Sirius and James all apparate to the Black family home, 12 Grimmauld Place.

As the Black brothers enter there previous home, they notice an eerie coldness that they were all to familiar with growing up.

The hallway, bathed in shadows and where whispers of secrets seep. Dimly lit and broken sconces cast an eerie glow, illuminating portraits of late members of the Black family. Their eyes following your every step, as the wooden floors creek with each step taken.