~some people should have stayed in the past~
----------
****
Dear Talea,
Hogwarts has turned into a horrible place but remember that it is not your fault, he didn't wanted to stay. There's a new headmaster, his name is Antonin Dolohov but thy call him the devil. He is a cruel man and lead by Voldemort to control the school and therefore a big part of the wizarding community. I fear that his next move might be taking over the Ministry.
Dolohov has several assistants like other death eaters but also seventh year Slytherins, their parents are most likely death eaters too. They are teaching the kids dark arts and torturing methods but I am afraid that we're not able to do anything against them.
The teachers are trying to keep the students save but the death eaters are working with harsh punishment that we cannot always prevent. It is good to see that the students are taking care of each other, our nurse knows that they are sneaking remedies out of the infirmary but she doesn't stop them.
I hope that you are all in safe and keep the gemstone with you at all times.
Yours sincerely,
Grace Camplyn
Talea grabbed the chain around her neck tightly. Sirius and her had attached the stone to a chain, she didn't knew what the stone was for exactly but she had kept her promise and held it close, just like Sirius did.
She was worried about the students at Hogwarts and determined than ever to stop Voldemort from causing more damage to the world. They were still staying at their department but as soon as they came back from work, they worked through all the possibilities of where another Horcrux could be.
But it seemed like she finally understood where to start. They had already destroyed three Horcruxes. Slytherins locket, Riddles diary and the Gaunt's ring. These objects all carried a meaning and Talea decided that the other ones would also have a reason behind them.
She tried to find some information with her seer abilities but she hasn't received any all this time, until now. It wasn't precise but Talea knew that at least one of the Horcruxes had something to do with Hogwarts.
"But which object has a clear connection to Hogwarts?" asked Peter after she told them her thoughts. James and Remus were seated on the couch, Peter resting in an armchair while Talea and Sirius sat on the floor in front of the warming fire.
"Well, Slytherins locket has a connection to the school. It's an important object of one of the founders" stated Remus.
"Didn't Gryffindors sword belong to Godric Gryffindor himself?" asked James.
Talea nodded her head in thought "Yes but there's no way that Voldemort could have turned it into a Horcrux. It has been in Dumbledore's office so how would he be able to steal it and place it back into the shelf, right in front of Dumbledore's eyes."
James agreed and brushed a hand through his hair. "If Gryffindor and Slytherin had a symbol, do you guys think that Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff also had something like this?" asked Sirius.
"We could try to find out but I don't have a book about Hogwarts-"
"Honestly, has none of you read 'Hogwarts a history'?" interrupted Remus with a sigh.
James scrunched up his nose "Have you ever seen us read?"
Remus rolled his eyes and stood up "I'll be right back."
A few moments later Remus appeared in the doorframe with a book in his hand and let himself fall back onto the couch. "Alright, there are some myths about certain objects of the founders, let's see..." he flipped through the book.
"Ah, here it is. Hufflepuff's cup.
The cup was a creation of Helga Hufflepuff, the celebrated Founder of Hufflepuff House. It was described as a shining golden cup with two finely wrought handles on either side and a badger engraved on its surface. The cup was said to possess many magical powers, though the exact nature of those powers is not known. Hufflepuff was brilliant with food-related charms and with house-elves, so the cup may have been the very first dining utensil at Hogwarts to assist in the magical transportation of food from the House-Elf Kitchens. The cup remained with Hufflepuff until the time of her death."
"A cup?" asked Peter sceptically.
"It would make sense that Voldemort would have turned into a Horcrux," said Sirius.
"Where is it now?" asked Talea.
"I suppose it was handed down in the family but I don't know of their bloodline" answered Remus.
"Does Ravenclaw have such an object?" asked James "I bet someone knows of any descendants of the Hufflepuff's."
"Ravenclaw's Diadem, also known as the Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw, was the only known relic once belonging to Rowena Ravenclaw, the founder of Ravenclaw House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Etched upon its surface was Ravenclaw's famous quote: "Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure."
It was said to enhance the wisdom of its wearer, which is Ravenclaw House's most treasured attribute. It had a blue sapphire shaped like an oval.
It is said that Rowena's daughter, Helena, has stolen the diadem but no one knows where it is."
"A cup and a lost diadem, lovely "muttered Peter.
"Grace has told me that Helena's ghost is in Hogwarts" explained Talea "She isn't seen that often, she is said to be quite shy but if we'd find a way into Hogwarts, we could ask."
Remus let out a snort "Yeah sure, let's get ourselves killed to ask a ghost where a lost diadem is, even though we do not know for sure that it is a Horcrux."
"Do you have a better idea? It's not like we have a lot of options, Remus." Talea let her back hit the wall with a huff.
Sirius turned to her "Well, we could try to find the cup first, before getting killed."
Remus pointed at Sirius and looked over to Talea "That is a better idea."
"Fine."
****
It turned out that there were actually still family members of the original Hufflepuff lineage. Hepzibah Smith was a witch who claimed to be a descendant of Helga Hufflepuff, the only problem was that she died a few years ago.
Peter always had a way with gossip and was able to receive information in no time. He found out that Hepzibah had a nephew, called Adrianus Smith. He was a middle-aged man, working as a healer in St. Mungos but Talea and Peter decided to pay him a visit at his home.
It wasn't hard to find out his address, Peter told a guy at the reception of the hospital that he wanted to thank him in person for his excellent healing that cured Peter's illness. Peter was never ill and they could've simply looked it up in their archives but it seemed like they had a small security problem and trusted the boy immediately.
They walked up to a small house, it seemed cosy and welcoming, reminding Talea of the small cottage, where Remus, Lyall and Hope lived. She looked over to Peter one last time before knocking on the door.
A few moments later a chubby man opened the door, a kind smile stretching across his face as he asked "Hello, can I help you?"
Peter nodded "Yes, we are researching historical artifacts and we got informed that you are one of the last decedents of the Helga Hufflepuff. We would like to ask you a few questions about the Hufflepuff's cup, Mr Smith."
His smile faltered for a second but he opened the door fully and invited them in "Alright, come in."
He guided them through a small hallway into a living room. A fireplace warmed the room and the wooden floor creaked under their feet as they sat down on a soft sofa. Smith sat down in front of them in an armchair.
"Tea?" asked the man but both of them refused, he leaned his arms onto the armrests and asked "So, what do you want to know exactly?"
"Can you tell us a bit about the cup?" asked Talea, not wanting to seem too interested in its current whereabouts.
"Well, I assume that you already know that the cup was a creation of Helga Hufflepuff. I remember seeing the cup once, when I was a child. My aunt, Hepzibah Smith was very rich, she was an avid collector of magical antiquities, including objects that belonged to the founders of Hogwarts. I remember that she told me about another object..." he paused for a second, as if he was trying to remember "I don't remember what she called it exactly but it seemed to be some object that belonged to Salazar Slytherin.
She always hid them away, she said they hold too much value to be shown to the world but one time, I pestered her with questions about it until she decided to show it to me. The cup was golden, with two handles on either side and a badger engraved on its surface. She said that she hadn't found out about its powers but it seemed to have a connection with the house elves that worked at Hogwarts."
"Mr Smith, do you know where it is now? I thought that if you were the nephew of Hepzibah you would inherit the objects" Peter tilted his head slightly.
Adrianus let out a deep sigh "Oh, it is horrible story. As you know my aunt passed away, we found her dead. We didn't knew the cause of her death but we found her elderly house-elf, Hokey, crying in the kitchen and when we asked her what happened, she said that she recalled mistakenly putting poison in my aunt's cocoa. At first my we believed it but then my mother realised that the cup and Slytherins object were missing shortly after."
"Do you know who could've taken it?" asked Talea.
Smith eyes started to widen "Oh, I think I do" he leaned closer to them "My aunt was always searching for new objects, she didn't care where to get them, she just wanted to have them. So, she was a frequent customer of Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley.
She told me about a young man that worked there, he shared her interests of old objects and one day, she invited him over. And a few days after she was dead. And the boy? He disappeared completely, never heard of him again." He leaned back in his chair "My mother wanted to find him till her death but she didn't. I am not even completely sure if he took the items or if he killed her but I think it gives me someone else to blame than the poor house elf that never made a mistake. And my aunt never drunk cocoa, she despised it even."
"Have you told this story to the Ministry?" asked Talea.
"My mother did, but they dropped the case, after all they had the testimony of Hokey" Mr Smith shrugged.
Talea frowned "Do you remember the boy's name, Mr. Smith?"
"Oh yes, Tom Riddle was his name."