Hogwarts Lion Girl

Remus took the parchment with trembling hands, and the remaining warmth on Sirius' fingertips made his heart tighten.

The ink on the yellowed parchment had smudged a little, but Regulus's neat and beautiful handwriting was still clearly visible.

He read word by word, and each word seemed to strike his heart, making a dull echo.

"Sirius, when you see this letter, I will have left here..." The familiar handwriting of Regulus came into view, but it told an unbelievable fact.

"I know you'll be angry and worried, but I have to do this..." Remus could imagine the determined look on Regulus' face as he wrote these words, and could also feel the determination between the lines.

"I owe this to you, and I also owe it to myself..."

Owe? Remus' heart suddenly shrank, and an ominous premonition came to his mind.

"Please don't come to me, and don't try to stop me..." Every sentence was like a final farewell, and every word seemed to be engraved on Remus' heart, making him feel a pang of pain.

"I have made my choice, and I will bear all the consequences..." The letter ended here, leaving only endless blankness and suffocating silence.

The parchment slipped from Remus's weak hands and landed lightly on the floor, making a slight sound, but it was like thunder exploding in the silent room.

Remus felt as if his heart was being tightly grasped by an invisible hand, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

He swallowed hard, his throat felt dry as if it had been burned by fire.

"Where...where did he go?" Remus' voice was terribly hoarse, as if it came from far away.

There was dead silence in the room and no one answered.

He could hear his own rapid breathing and feel the worried looks of Serena and Harry, but he was unable to respond.

The entire Black mansion fell silent, leaving only a heavy sense of oppression in the air.

Salina knew the answer. The boy was sleeping forever at the bottom of the lake in the cave, accompanied by those mummies.

……

The heavy atmosphere was like solidified syrup, flowing slowly in the Black mansion. Members of the Order of the Phoenix arrived one after another, and everyone's face was filled with grief and sorrow. However, this sad atmosphere did not dilute the despair that permeated the room.

Tonks was the last to arrive, running into the living room with her crimson hair flying behind her like dancing flames, her face showing obvious worry as she glanced around the room, finally landing on Remus.

"What happened?" Tonks walked over to Remus and asked in a low voice.

Remus looked up, rubbed his face tiredly, shook his head, and handed her the parchment in his hand.

"It's Regulus, Sirius's brother," he said, his voice hoarse.

Tonks took the parchment and read it word by word, her eyes gradually turning red. Regulus's beautiful handwriting was vivid on the paper, but it told a heartbreaking story. A young life, in order to atone for his sins, chose a path of no return.

She didn't know how to comfort Remus, so she could only stand beside him silently, placing a hand gently on his arm, giving him silent support.

The dinner was held in silence. Sadness was like an invisible rope, tightly strangling everyone's throat and making them unable to enjoy their food.

Salina looked at the food in front of her, but she had no appetite at all, and the same went for Harry.

Sirius locked himself in his room and didn't want to see anyone.

After dinner, Tonks offered to help Remus clean up the mess, but Remus declined, but Tonks insisted on staying.

"Let me do something for you." Tonks whispered, her eyes falling on Remus's tired face, "You haven't had a good rest for a long time."

Remus looked at her and finally nodded.

Tonks cleaned up the dishes quickly while Remus sat aside, staring out the window in silence. Night had fallen, the moon was obscured by dark clouds, and the whole world looked particularly gloomy.

……

Afterwards, the Order of the Phoenix held a meeting.

Lupin knocked gently on Sirius' door. There was no movement from inside. He could only lower his voice and said, "Sirius, I know you are in there. The Order of the Phoenix is ​​having a meeting and we need you."

After a pause, there was still no response. Lupin sighed and continued, "We are all sad about Regulus, but we need to face it together."

After a long time, the door creaked open and Sirius walked out with his head lowered. His messy hair covered his eyes and Lupin could smell the strong smell of alcohol on him.

Sirius patted Lupin's shoulder and the two brothers hugged each other silently.

The meeting was held in the study upstairs. Under the dim light, everyone looked solemn and sat around a heavy oak table.

Lupin lit several candles. The flickering flames illuminated the solemn expressions on everyone's faces. The air was filled with depression and sadness.

At the end of the meeting, Lupin picked up the locket. The heavy touch made his heart tremble. He looked around and saw the worried eyes of the Order of the Phoenix members. Everyone was breathing heavily. In the end, they unanimously decided to give the task of destroying the locket to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore frowned, and swept his deep gaze over everyone, and said in a deep voice: "So far, we have discovered more than one Horcrux of Voldemort."

With every word he spoke, the air around him seemed to grow heavier, making it hard to breathe. "This means that there may be other Horcruxes in corners we don't know about."

Sirius stood up suddenly and pushed the chair behind him away. The chair legs rubbed against the wooden floor, making a harsh sound, which was particularly abrupt in the silent room.

"My cousin Bella was once Voldemort's subordinate, and she was a trusted one!" He gritted his teeth and squeezed out these words, "Maybe she knows something."

These words were like a bolt of lightning that cut through the gloomy air. Everyone raised their heads, with a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

Tonks suggested, "Perhaps we could disguise ourselves and go to Azkaban to find out what she has to say."

"That's a good idea!" Moody was the first to jump out and agree. He said in a gruff voice, "We can pretend to be officials from the Ministry of Magic. Bella, that idiot, will definitely be fooled by us!"

Lupin thought for a moment and nodded: "It's a good idea, but it requires cooperation from all parties. We need to make a more comprehensive plan."

The room was filled with discussions, with everyone trying to find a feasible solution to Tonks's bold proposal. The flickering candlelight illuminated every worried face.

At the window on the third floor, Salina and Harry were not allowed to attend the meeting because they were underage.

Salina gently pushed open the window, and a cool night breeze blew in.

In the moonlight, Salina saw Harry frowning slightly, as if he was very worried about the content of the meeting downstairs.

Salina asked softly, "Harry, what are you worried about?"

Harry looked at the dark night sky outside the window and whispered, "I just suddenly felt that those people paid so much to defeat Voldemort... and even lost their lives. Then how did I survive?" His voice was full of confusion and bewilderment.

Salina comforted him, "You have also paid a lot, Harry. Your parents sacrificed their lives to protect you. Your mother used her life and love to create an unbreakable and powerful barrier for you."

Harry was silent for a while, then asked in a low voice: "Salina, do you think I am really the savior?"

Salina encouraged: "Harry, there is no need to deny yourself. You are brave and kind. You just need time to grow up. You are gradually becoming excellent. One day, you will become a true savior."

Harry looked at Salina gratefully and said, "Thank you Salina, I feel much better now."

Salina smiled slightly: "It's okay, we are friends."