Destroying Horcruxes, retrieving Regulus's body—Dumbledore and Hodge seem to have other plans.
"Oh," Hermione said, tossing her thick, bushy hair in mild irritation. She sat on the bed, shoulders slightly hunched. "So I missed all these important things… If I'd come back a few days earlier, it would've been perfect. Still, France had some fascinating magic—I've completely rewritten my History of Magic paper."
Harry and Ron exchanged a glance but didn't press her on what "fascinating" magic she'd found.
Hermione had returned from her holiday in France two days ago. After a day of rest at home, she'd planned to contact her friends. She'd first called the Dursleys, pretending to be a community worker, and confirmed Harry wasn't there. Then she'd gone alone to Grimmauld Place, though she couldn't pinpoint the exact location. While wandering nearby, she'd luckily run into Harry taking out the rubbish.
By now, Harry and Ron had filled her in on everything that had happened.
"Nothing worth seeing," Ron said. "The cave was full of disgusting, wriggling corpses. It was thrilling at first, but once the cleanup became a chore… Well, at least after we found Regulus, Dumbledore torched the rest of the Inferi with one blast."
Hermione's eyes flickered, as if picturing the scene.
"Regulus's funeral is in a few days," Harry said. "Sirius has been busy with it. You know—invitations, venue setup, preparing speeches, all that."
Hermione let out a soft sigh.
"How's he holding up?" She'd learned about Regulus's story: born into a rigid, decaying pure-blood family, yet he'd traded his life for a Horcrux and the life of a house-elf. As far as she knew, Sirius had once lumped his brother in with the Death Eaters—"a stupid idiot"—tied to the Black family he'd desperately wanted to escape, refusing to even mention him.
"He's okay," Harry said. "Besides the funeral, Sirius is researching the Black family tapestry—the one on the second-floor wall. His focus is on the people who were blasted off. In his words, 'Every time the family produces someone halfway decent, they disown them.' Sirius wants to find those names and put them back."
"Clearly," Hermione said softly, "Regulus's actions have affected him deeply."
"He's finally seeing himself as part of the Black family, which is why he's doing this… I think Hodge gave him the idea. He promised Kreacher he'd write a book about the Blacks."
Ron suddenly perked up.
"What if it goes the other way?"
"What do you mean?"
"The tapestry!" Ron said excitedly. "The disowned get their names back, and those crazy, evil old fossils…" He mimed firing a gun.
Harry immediately pictured the scorched holes on the tapestry. Knowing Sirius, it was very possible.
"Either way, Sirius is finally pulling himself together," Hermione said with a smile.
"Yeah," Harry nodded, relieved. Lately, Sirius had carried a strange gloom, even after his name was cleared. Harry had noticed but didn't know how to help. He'd asked Dumbledore, who only sighed.
"Harry, Sirius's friends, family, honor, passion, and desires all ended over a decade ago. To start anew, he must find his own reason to live."
"Reason to live?"
"The meaning of life is as vital as the meaning of death. Both are questions we ponder our entire lives." Dumbledore's wise eyes had held an emotion Harry couldn't grasp.
"Hermione, you okay?"
Harry snapped out of the memory at Ron's question. He looked at Hermione and saw her frowning in thought.
"Harry," she said, ignoring Ron and turning to him intently. "You just mentioned Regulus's funeral?"
"Yes."
"Dumbledore knows about it?"
"Of course—"
"That's odd, then." Hermione bit her lip, wrestling with a complex idea.
"What's odd?" Ron asked, confused. "You think Dumbledore would object to a funeral for Regulus? Sure, it's over a decade late, and he was turned into an Inferius, but I doubt Dumbledore would stop it—"
"It's not that," Hermione said. She glanced around, then beckoned them closer and lowered her voice. "Think about it: where was Regulus's body found? The cave—the Dark Lord's Horcrux hiding place. Doesn't that mean Dumbledore doesn't mind if Voldemort knows someone is collecting Horcruxes? Isn't that telling?"
Harry and Ron's eyes sharpened.
"And think further: just from what we know, there are multiple Horcruxes—the diary, the locket," Hermione's voice dropped even lower, "plus what Ginny told us… This proves Voldemort made several. As long as one remains, he can keep coming back…"
Harry swallowed hard. Hermione's words sparked something.
"That means… Dumbledore has all the Horcruxes? Or at least knows their exact details? Appearance? Number?" A flash of insight hit him. "Wait, I didn't tell you this: a few days ago, Dumbledore took me to see a retired professor named Slughorn. He was Dumbledore's colleague for years, retired over a decade ago. Dumbledore taught Vol—Voldemort himself. That could mean…"
"Professor Slughorn likely played a key role in Voldemort's path to immortality," Hermione finished.
Harry exhaled long and slow.
He'd wondered why Dumbledore was so confident he could convince Slughorn to return to teaching. If… Slughorn had helped a young Voldemort… If he was, as Dumbledore said, "not bad at heart, just fond of luxury and collecting famous or talented students"… If his first-meeting remark—"Lily Evans was one of the brightest students I ever taught; I deeply regret what happened to her"—was sincere… then it all made sense.
"What are you two on about?" Ron asked.
"The war is about to begin," Harry said.
"Didn't it already?" Ron muttered. "Back at the station, just wearing Quirrell's skin."
"But this time, Dumbledore will strike first," Hermione said, a mix of nerves and anticipation in her voice. She'd already suspected part of the plan when she learned Dumbledore hadn't stopped Sirius. She looked at Harry. "If I'm right, that cave is the chosen battlefield. Speaking of—where's Hodge?"
Harry's expression faltered.
"He's… probably with Dumbledore."