Where Do I Go From Here?

Number Twelve Grimmauld Place had not changed one bit. As Harry and his friends walked down the long corridor that led to the door to the basement kitchen, Harry was glad that the curtains over the late Mrs. Black's portrait were closed. They kept as quiet as was possible, not wanting to give the picture any reason to start her ranting.

Once they entered the kitchen, the smell of stale air grew even stronger. It was all too obvious that the house had not been used for some time, not even for an Order meeting, what with Dumbledore being dead now and everything.

"Nice place you've got here, Harry," remarked Ron wryly, eyeing the kitchen's filthy cabinets and walls up and down.

"Hey, I didn't ask for it," replied Harry defensively.

"But surely you're glad this house is in your possession and not Bellatrix Lestrange's?" Hermione questioned.

"Well, of course I am," Harry said with a drawn-out sigh. "But seeing it only reminds me of Sirius being locked up in here. I'm beginning to wonder if even coming here was a good idea after all."

"We had to start somewhere," Ginny pointed out softly. "Here's as good as anywhere."

"And the Blacks were a prominant Pureblood family, don't forget," added Hermione. "They may have some information on horcruxes."

"Or one might even be here," Ron joked.

Thoughts of pouring through countless books left Harry's mind with Ron's one statement. "Wait, you might be right," Harry said, literally stopping in his tracks as he paced.

The others remembered it, too.

"The locket!" they all exclaimed.

Harry recalled seeing a golden locket in the summer before his fifth year, one that no one could open. Just as soon as he tried to remember where they had found it inside the house, his heart dropped like a boulder.

"Bugger!" he swore loudly, pounding his fist on the table. "We threw it away! Don't you remember?"

They others felt their hearts sinking as well, but then Hermione gasped with the realization that there still might be hope. "But didn't Kreacher take some of the things we tried to get rid of and save them in his little hovel?"

This rollercoaster that Harry felt he was riding simply wouldn't stop. His eyes lit up and he nodded. They practically dashed to the place where Kreacher had once claimed as his bed and secret place. Inside were old photographs, many ancient trinkets, and an assortment of what Harry believed to be mere useless junk.

"It's not here," he mumbled, slumping defeatedly into a nearby chair. "But it had to have been here!" Harry felt his temper hanging by a fragile thread, and it was ready to break at any moment. He frantically searched his mind for anything regarding the missing locket.

"Mundungus Fletcher!" he suddenly erupted, now very angry, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

"What?" Ron and Ginny asked. Hermione quickly realized to what Harry was referring, but before she could formulate a response, Harry continued, "I saw him that day outside the Hog's Head! He had nicked Sirius's stuff and was selling it like he always does with stolen goods! That bastard... I swear..."

Harry felt only rage at the thief. Now how would he ever find what he was looking for?

"It could be anywhere," Ginny muttered hopelessly.

As was usual, Hermione had an idea. "Wait, Harry, do you have the letter with you? You know, the one you found in the fake locket?"

Harry jerked his head in affirmative and ripped the paper out of his pocket. Hermione scanned it and nodded. "It's as I thought," she whispered. "Look."

Harry, Ron, and Ginny all looked at the initials: "R.A.B."

"Yeah, so?" Ron asked. "We already knew that."

"No," Hermione insisted. "Can't you see it? R.A.B.? He referred to Voldemort as the 'Dark Lord,' but he was clearly defying Voldemort, too. This man had to have been a Death Eater, but he changed sides."

"Don't try and tell me you think it's Snape," Ron said, aghast. "He was never really working for Dumbledore in the first place."

Hermione sighed loudly. "No, it's not Snape. It's Regulus A. Black. Remember what Sirius told you, Harry, when-"

"When Regulus wanted out, he was killed shortly thereafter," Harry finished.

"Well, what if Regulus somehow found out about the horcruxes and made it his mission to destroy one before he was found out? The man who wrote this message obviously didn't think he had long to live."

"That... could be possible," said Harry slowly. "That would explain why we saw the locket here."

"Exactly," Hermione affirmed. "If this is true, then that's one less horcrux you have to worry about."

Ginny reached for Harry's hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "See, Harry?" she whispered into his ear. "You've got us to help you along this journey."

Suddenly feeling much calmer, Harry relaxed and allowed himself to smile. "Yes, I do have you."