Is It Over Now?

Chapter twenty

Ravenclaw's diadem:

Horcrux hunting, that was what James had called what they planned to do. It was something of a childish name for a series of actions that all but sought to kill them all.

Remus thought that it was perfect in a way.

It was dark when what was left of the Marauders snuck onto their old school grounds, the wards letting them walk right through in their animal forms. James and Sirius had been surprised at first when their friend had turned into a fox and not a wolf, but then they remembered that it was his Patronus form as well, and found it more fitting as they thought of it longer.

Foxes were cunning and tricksters, Remus was both of these things.

The three slipped back into their human forms once within the castles, knowing that a deer, a giant dog, and a colorful fox were quite the easiest things to hide, but the three had years of hiding within the castle in their human forms.

Remus couldn't help but wonder if they were always meant to do something like this.

The wolf silently handed the Filibuster fireworks in his pocket to Sirius as they approached an office that the three of them knew all too well. They knew that they would need a distraction should Filch come at the wrong time, and they couldn't expect Dumbledore to bail them out if they are caught.

The old man had told them the location of the Room of Requirement and how to get into it, but the rest was up to the three of them as the Headmaster wanted to keep his hands clean should they be discovered.

Bastard.

"Alohomora," James whispered as he waved his wand at the lock on the caretaker's office.

Nothing happened.

"Dumbledore must have had the magic on the locks changed when the war started," Sirius logically guessed as he looked at the unmoving lock.

"It would make sense given that Filch is a squib," James agreed. "Not even the castle would be completely safe for the old jerk. Does not change the fact that we can't really get in now without breaking the locks."

Remus sighed and rolled his eyes. "Move over," the man said as he pushed past the pair and knelt before the lock when they complied.

The wolf pulled out two thin picks and inserted them into the lock, feeling for the soft push and pull of it all. The act took the man a bit longer than it would have when he was younger, but soon enough the lock was coming undone with a soft click.

Remus pushed himself to his feet before turning to the other two Marauders and smirking at the surprise that he found there as he twisted the handle and the door opened with ease.

"After you."

They had a map to retrieve and then a Horcrux to find.

—-

Hufflepuff's Cup:

Pandora held her head high as she walked into the Wizarding bank, a black cat trailing at her feet. She knew that the goblins could tell what the other was, Regulus could too as he shifted back as soon as they were far enough into the bank. The deception wasn't for the goblins after all, but those outside that might recognize the man for who he is if given a good enough look.

"We're here to access the Black and Lestrange vaults," the witch said sweetly, holding her wand out for the creatures behind the high desk to see as Regulus did the same.

The goblins took them with sharp smiles and led the pair to the carts once they had been verified.

The woman sighed as they took off and nodded at the other wizard as they each flicked their wands at the goblins, knocking them out on one of them harder turns. Creatures like them were vain, but could be so easily bought if given the right motivation, one could never truly trust them.