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“No, Regulus, it will be alright!” Hermione tried to sooth him, but the potion had him in its grips.
His fingers curled like claws as he ripped at the roots of his hair. “Not Sirius… No no NO NO NO!!”
She scooped up another cup of potion. “You have to keep drinking, it will all be over soon, I promise.”
The more he suffered, the more her resolve began to waver, but they were so close. Carefully she held the cup to his perfect, pale pink lips, and tipped it back. “There you go, just a little bit more to go, and then we will go see Sirius.”
Regulus gulped down the potion, as if he was anxious to see his brother, and a little dripped down his chin. Gently, Hermione wiped the drops away with her thumb and then scooped up the last cupful of potion.
Stormy grey eyes held hers as he swallowed deep pulls of the foul potion. After the last gulp, his eyes took a far off, unfocused quality. “He’s dead… mother’s killed him… my fault…”
“No! Sirius is alive, Regulus, I swear it!” Hermione twisted away from him, for only a moment, to grab Slytherin’s Locket from the basin. Quickly, she stowed it in her beaded bag and–
SPLASH!
Horror flooded her senses as she watched Regulus thrash and fight against the Inferi that were trying to pull him under. With only a seconds hesitation, Hermione was running towards him with all her might, but was forced to slow down so she wouldn’t slip on the wet stones. By the time she had reached the waters edge, he had been pulled under completely.
Quickly, she cast a Bubblehead Charm, then dove in after him. Fortunately, she was not immediately attacked by Inferi, as they were distracted with their quarry, and she was able to get a grip on his ankle before she felt the first slimy fingers claw at her.
Hermione didn’t try to fight it, and instead focused on her wandless and wordless magic. GRipping the ancient and thoroughly crooked skeleton key clipped to her belt with all her might, she thought of the incantation.
Portis!
With a forceful pull behind her navel, she was wrenched from the murky water of the cave and slammed into a hard cobblestone floor a second later. The relief of having Regulus with her was immediately dampened by the sight of a dozen or so Inferi slipping and scrambling as they lunged for the waiting members of the Order of the Phoenix.