Starry skies and Gardenias

Chapter 68

"It's been a month, Regulus," Marcus snapped. "Valerie isn't responding. She's done playing this stupid game. I don't know why you keep doing this?"

Regulus put his latest painting away. 

"I'm not doing it for her," he said sharply. "I'm doing it because I like it,"

"And that is why you are singing it with an 'R'?" Marcus said testily. "Just like you did for the paintings you sent her?"

"What has that got to do with you?" Regulus snapped. "She must be older than me, if she is so busy,"

"Have thought that she could have graduated from Hogwarts? Finished her seventh year?" Marcus said incredulously.

"Yes," Regulus said shortly, his face falling. 

Marcus sighed. 

"Do whatever," he said dismissively. He had enough of trying to talk sense into Regulus.

Isabella hadn't been bothering with the library, because she was busy trying to get to read the third book in the series. 

The second book was very easy to access. She got it right on her first try.

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,"

But the third book was very tricky. 

She supposed it would have something to do with Sirius Black and so she tried all different possible titles.

"Harry Potter and the Knight Bus,"
"Harry Potter and Sirius Black,"
"Harry Potter and the Marauders Map,"
"Harry Potter and His Third Year of Troubles At Hogwarts,"
"Harry Potter and the Time He Found Out Remus Lupin Was  Werewolf,"
"Harry Potter and the Major Plot Twist,"
"Harry Potter and the Dementors,"
"Harry Potter and the Time He Snuck Into Hogsmeade When He Wasn't Supposed To Because There Was Criminal Out To Kill Him,"

It had been a month into the new term, and Isabella was stuck neck-deep in school work and Quidditch practices, and the damn book simply refused to cooperate.

Isabella had also discovered a lot from the first two books. 

Voldemort goes to kill a baby Harry, because, Isabella knew, of a prophecy. But Harry was protected by his mother's sacrifice and love and hence Voldemort was defeated. A part of Voldemort's fragile soul would latch itself into Harry, making him a parseltongue.

. . .Meaning, Harry was a Horcrux too. 

Isabella didn't know if she should be called Riddle an idiot for not knowing this. 

He must have gotten a bit over in his head. But honestly, this was a very dumb mistake to make. 

A few things that have to be sacrificed when making a Horcrux, was stability and humanity. . .even in literal terms. 

Dehumanisation is common, and the way Voldemort looked right now, Isabella supposed he had made more than just one Horcrux.  . .But he did look in better shape than he was after being defeated by Harry. 

The next basic thing was that the soul would be very fragile and crumbling. A soul is supposed to be whole and stable. If anything goes wrong, the soul will continue suffering the damages. 

In another hand, Isabella felt it slightly weird, how Harry saw the people she knew personally as nothing more than a vague memory, as side characters.

To Isabella, James and Sirius were a few of her closest acquaintances. She knew Lily Evans and her bright smile from the common room. And all Harry knew about them was that they died to protect him. To him, they were something he could only see in the Mirror of Erised.