𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒔 ☆ 𝑅𝑜𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑦𝑛 𝑃𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟

𝑌𝐸𝐴𝑅 𝑆𝐼𝑋 ☆ 17

For about ten seconds, Rosalyn and Dumbledore stood either side of the pensive basin, looking at each other. "Sir..." Rosalyn trailed off. Dumbledore held up a hand and led her over to his desk.

"This is beyond anything I had ever imagined," he told her.

"You mean to say he succeeded, Sir? He made a horcrux?"

"Oh yes he succeeded," Dumbledore looked straight at her. "But not just once."

"What are they, exactly?" Rosalyn furrowed her eyebrows.

"Could be anything, from common to extravagant items," Dumbledore looked in his desk and brought out a familiar and an unknown object. "A ring for example-" he showed her a silver ring with a big stone in it. She also noticed the stone had a big crack in it "-or a book." He showed her a familiar book with a big hole in the front, and the recognisable three words Tom Marvolo Riddle embossed in gold on the front.

"Tom Riddle's diary?" Rosalyn asked. "Is that a-?"

"It's a horcrux, yes," Dumbledore nodded along with her. "Four years ago in the chamber of secrets when you and Harry saved Ginny Weasley's life, I knew this was a different kind of magic. Very dark, very powerful, but it wasn't until tonight I realised just what we were dealing with."

"And the ring?" Rosalyn asked again.

"Belonged to Voldemort's mother, difficult to find, even more difficult to destroy," he held up his black and withered hand.

Rosalyn made sure. "So if you could find them all, if you could destroy them-"

"One destroys Voldemort," Dumbledore nodded.

"But how d'you find them?" Rosalyn had hit a roadblock. "They could be hidden anywhere, couldn't they?"

Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "True, but magic, especially dark magic, isn't very forgiving."

After a short pause, Rosalyn asked a much asked question. "Is that where you've been going, Sir, when you leave the school?"

"Yes," Dumbledore told her. "And I think perhaps I've found another, but this time I cannot hope to destroy it alone.

"Once again, I must ask too much of you, Rosalyn." The red haired girl looked into his eyes and nodded. She wanted to do this, whatever it was.

☆☆☆

A lot happened in the week that followed. First, Dean and Ginny had broken up. It was bound to happen eventually, but now they weren't talking and this had torn a huge rift between everyone. Second, Dumbledore had sent Rosalyn a letter, saying that he had found a new horcrux and at midnight on Friday (that day) she was to join him at the Astronomy tower. And third, contrary to the first thing, Harry and Ginny had got together, leaving a jealous Dean and an irate Romilda Vane behind. This had surprised Rosalyn a lot, but seeing how happy her brother and adoptive little sister were together made her smile. It was like what she had found with Neville.

Either way, it was ten to midnight that night, and Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione were all in the library, as they had headed there after they had bade goodbye to Rosalyn.

It was only her and Neville in the common room.

"Be safe," Neville told her. "Please, Rosie, I- I know you have a knack for getting into trouble-"

Rosalyn giggled. "I don't have a knack for getting into trouble, trouble has a knack for finding me."

Neville smiled. He loved her more than she would ever know, he decided in that moment. His face softened. "Seriously, though, Rosie. I couldn't bear it if something happened to you. I love you."