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The Moment It Began by sindie11 [Reviews - 0]

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After turning down sherbet lemons from the headmaster, Regulus and Severus were preparing to leave when Regulus's Dark Mark suddenly burned. Clutching his arm tightly, the pain shooting down his arm, he exchanged a concerned look with the other two men in the room.

"Do you think he suspects?" Regulus asked. "Would he know if the Horcrux has been destroyed?"

"I don't think so," Dumbledore replied. "That part of his soul was severed from the rest of him. You must go, though, Regulus. If he is calling, you had better not delay another moment."

Giving a quick nod, Regulus Flooed out of Dumbledore's office, gone in a flurry of robes and flame. Severus regarded Dumbledore in silence, waiting for the old wizard to speak.

"I must reiterate how proud I am of you, Severus. Your quick thinking both saved us from a potential Dementor attack, and you have successfully destroyed a Horcrux."

"Thank you, sir," Severus replied, feeling rather good about his accomplishment. His mind, however, drifted to Regulus. "Is he... safe?"

"You mean Regulus?"

Severus nodded.

"As safe as he can be, I suppose," Dumbledore admitted. "I have been teaching him Occlumency, of course. He is not very high in Voldemort's ranks yet and so isn't privy to everything, but he is proving valuable."

Severus scowled. Yes, the valuable spy.

"Was there something you wished to discuss?" Dumbledore posed, feigning curiosity.

"Nothing beyond the obvious: that we can use Dementors to destroy the Horcruxes and that I cannot help but be suspicious that Voldemort called a meeting right after the raid on the Malfoy house."

"The raid was successful, and as I said, I do not believe Voldemort would be aware his Horcrux has been destroyed. It is late, my boy. Surely Lily is up waiting for you..."

"Then good night, sir," Severus said, going toward the fireplace. He took a pinch of powder, and just as he threw it into the grate and announced his destination, he heard Dumbledore utter, "Good night, Severus."

Worn out from the evening, Severus was grateful to be stepping into the familiar surroundings of his sitting room. Lily was sitting on the sofa, a book clutched in her hands. The moment he entered, she placed it aside and stood, anxious to know how the raid had gone.

"It was a success," Severus said with a smile.

"That's wonderful!" Lily exclaimed. "So, what happened?"

"We found the diary with the help of house-elves, and I had the idea on the verge of almost getting attacked by a Dementor to feed the Horcrux to it. It worked."

"A Dementor?" Lily asked, shocked. "What was a Dementor doing there?"

"Probably guarding the Malfoys' sacred possessions," Severus assumed.

"Well, anyway... wow! That was brilliant thinking on your part, Sev!"

Lily was beaming, and Severus found she was more beautiful than ever. He gazed down at her slightly bulging belly, placing a hand there.

"And how is our baby doing?" he asked, grinning.

Lily's smaller hand covered his. "Just fine, Sev; just fine."

x x x x x

The hour was either really late or really early, depending on how one interpreted it. While dawn was still a couple of hours away, lost in the night's early morning hours, Regulus returned to Dumbledore with news from the Death Eater meeting.

"I have mixed news," the young man said in way of greeting.

Dumbledore nodded, indicating for him to continue.

"Which would you prefer first?"

"I often find it is better to get the bad news out of the way first," Dumbledore said with a long sigh. He was feeling every bit as exhausted as Regulus from the long night.

"The bad news is... the Dark Lord seems to know who the prophecy is targeting..." He trailed off, ashamed, blaming himself for bringing news of the prophecy to his master in the first place.

"And who does he think it means?" posed Dumbledore, already strongly suspecting, even knowing, the answer to that question.

"The Snapes," Regulus replied morosely. He looked like he wanted to inquire further, but Dumbledore held up a hand, silencing him.

"How did Voldemort come to this conclusion? Do you know?"

Swallowing nervously, Regulus stuttered, "I- I have no idea."

The young man felt a push on his mental barriers and knew that Dumbledore was surveying his mind for any lies or deceit. When the aged wizard seemed satisfied, he relented.

"Very well," Dumbledore sighed again, feeling his insides turn cold. The thought of having to inform Severus and Lily was not something he was looking forward to. Of course, he had assumed the prophecy could only mean Severus and his unborn child, but Voldemort hadn't yet figured that part out at the time.

Dumbledore watched Regulus as he fidgeted in the chair, shifting his weight from one side to the other, obviously uncomfortable.

"Well, now that we have the bad part, let's hear the good news you bring me, Regulus," Dumbledore stated in an overly patient tone.

"My cousin, Bellatrix, has one of the Horcruxes in her possession. She was so proud, she told me, that the Dark Lord had entrusted her with one of his most precious treasures. I don't think she knew what it was, but apparently she was told to guard it, to keep it safe."

"That is interesting news," observed Dumbledore. "I assume she shared this information with you because you are her kin?"

"Most likely."

"She didn't happen to say what the item was, did she?" Dumbledore inquired, already having his own suspicion that it was either the Cup of Hufflepuff or something belonging to Ravenclaw. He had only recently managed to procure the memories of Hokey the house-elf, showing a young Tom Riddle visiting Hepzibah Smith.

"No," Regulus replied, rubbing at his eyes. "Sir, if you don't mind, may I please go now? I haven't had a wink of sleep all night, and-"

"Of course, of course," Dumbledore said, waving the young man off. "Go rest up."

Regulus stood and made for the fireplace.

"You have done very well, my boy," Dumbledore told him, causing Regulus to stop in shock.

Turning to face the headmaster, Regulus murmured, "Th-thank you, sir."

Dumbledore gave him a small smile of acknowledgement, and Regulus stepped through the grate.

x x x x x

Later that day after returning from work, Severus and Lily were going about their usual routine for dinner. Dumbledore's calling on them during the meal had become a fairly common occurrence, so Severus wasn't surprised when he heard the headmaster's voice coming from the sitting room.

Slightly annoyed at being interrupted, Severus stood, muttering to himself and telling Lily to remain where she was seated.

Stepping into the sitting room, Severus asked, "How many times are you going to interrupt our dinner, Dumbledore?"

"My apologies, Severus, but this is important. I wouldn't waste your time on frivolity."

Severus thought the truth otherwise, but kept from commenting. "You may as well step through," he said dryly, indicating for Dumbledore to be seated upon his arrival.

Dumbledore graciously acquiesced and entered Spinner's End. Seating himself comfortably on the couch, he stated, "Regulus visited early this morning with news about Voldemort."

"Did he know about the Horcrux being destroyed?" asked Severus anxiously, taking a seat in the armchair.

"No, fortunately, that was not a problem," Dumbledore began to explain. "What is troubling is that he has somehow figured out that the prophecy means you and your family, Severus."

Feeling his insides go cold, Severus tried, regardless, to keep his voice neutral as he replied, "I see." He paused, trying to grasp this newfound information. "And how did he find out?" he asked.

"I do not know," Dumbledore said, his brows creased with worry for the younger man sitting across from him, "but, Severus... are you okay?"

"Just- just give me a minute." Severus stood and exited the room. Finding Lily cleaning up in the kitchen, Severus stopped in his tracks.

Seeing the distraught expression on his visage, Lily halted what she was doing and crossed the room. "What's the matter, Sev?"

"Dumbledore just informed me that Voldemort knows who the prophecy is targeting... me and our child, of course. I don't know how he found out, but there you have it," Severus said softly.

Although his tone was controlled, Lily knew it was a deception. She could detect the slight waver, the disquiet on the verge of letting loose.

"Oh, Sev, I'm sorry," Lily murmured, remorseful and concerned. "I'll come with you." Taking his hand, which trembled a bit, Lily walked with her husband into the sitting room.

She perched herself on the arm of the chair Severus was occupying again, awaiting further news from Dumbledore.

"I trust Severus has told you?" he questioned.

"Yes," Lily replied, unconsciously placing a hand on her stomach, as if protecting the baby.

"You realize what this means, surely? You will need to be extra careful whenever leaving the house. In fact, I would discourage any unnecessary forays-"

"Forays?" Severus asked indignantly. "We barely do anything but go to work and Order meetings and battles nowadays, anyway. I'm not going to simply hide in this house like a coward."

"Just be careful, both of you," Dumbledore warned. After a heavy silence, he added, "However, I do come bearing a bit of good news."

"Good news?" Lily asked auspiciously.

"Yes, good news," Dumbledore confirmed, smiling slightly. "Regulus was told by his cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, that she is currently in possession of one of the Horcruxes, most likely the Cup of Hufflepuff or something belonging to Ravenclaw, which I do not know the identity of. She is unaware of its value and power, but Voldemort has entrusted her with its safekeeping."

"Excellent," Severus breathed, glad to know the whereabouts of the fourth Horcrux. "Once we find it, we've only one left to go, and since we now have a method of destroying them, we're well on our way to destroying that bastard."

"I certainly hope so," Lily said quietly, watching her brave husband with a mixture of admiration and unease.

The Moment It Began by sindie11 [Reviews - 0]

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