Starry skies and Gardenias

Chapter 127

Isabella moved her gaze around the room, Snow Wiffle was sleeping peacefully. Good for him.

She glanced at the grandfather clock. Dinner must have started a few minutes ago. 

She could have used this time to catch up on something. Maybe check up on the lucky potion, but here she was sitting silently with Black, who was sleeping, the idiot.

He said he wanted to be let in on the plan. Well, he'd figure it out soon enough anyway.

"I was here to apologize," Isabella muttered. "I did go a bit overboard,"

"A bit?" Black scoffed. "Major understatement,"

Isabella bit back her sharp retort, and said, "I just wanted to let you know that I'm really sorry,"

"It's fine," Black mumbled. "Now, shush, for a bit,"

"31-10-81," Isabella said a while later, causing Black to open his eyes.

"What?" he said.

"That's the code to open the door," she pointed at the locked door. "And the cabinet under the table. It is the date the First Wizarding War ends,"

"The potion I'm making in the locked room, it is Felix Felicis,"

Regulus had anticipated this. Not the Liquid luck part, but that he would be utterly baffled when she did give him the answers he wanted.

"Why are you tell me this?" he said.

"Because you wanted to know," Jefferson answered promptly.

Regulus opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again.

Felix Felicis. . .Even she didn't trust everything to go well without the aid of extra luck.

"Where on earth did you get the ingredients for the potion?" Regulus asked.

"I snuck out during the summer," Jefferson said. "I had taken some Polyjuice potion from when we made it in Slughorn's Saturday lessons. I took it to turn into an old muggle woman for a bit and then went to Knockturn alley past midnight. Confunded the shopkeeper a bit, threatened him too, a bit. And managed to get a good deal for the ingredients,"

". . .So, basically black-market?" Regulus said.

"Obviously," Jefferson said. "Where else would you get those ingredients?"

Regulus sat straighter in his chair, a frown on his forehead as he thought hard.

"You said first wizarding war," he said slowly. "Meaning there is another one?"

Jefferson nodded.

"The first one, Voldemort doesn't exactly die," she explained.

"Because of his Horcruxes?" Regulus asked. She nodded again.

"They figured it out only later, and they will manage to win the second war," she said.

"Who is this they?" Regulus said eagerly.

"The Chosen One and his friends," Jefferson said.

Regulus sighed. She was obviously going to give him answers which won't make any sense. Who the hell was the Chosen One?

"Back it up a bit," he said. "First war ends in four years or so? We have to fight till then?"

"Not really," Jefferson said. "We can try to make it faster. I am not sure if it will work though,"

". . .What happens to all of us?" Regulus asked slowly. "Do we all survive the war or something?"

"Three of us, probably," Jefferson said. "You are supposed to die first. 1979,"