Our Own Man, Lockhart

"Shut up!"

The moment Lockhart said the word Horcrux, Bella's expression tightened. She hurriedly shouted to stop him from saying any more.

Clearly, Bella was the only one among these Death Eaters who knew Voldemort had a Horcrux. That was only natural, really, since one of them was stored in her vault.

The matter of Horcruxes was of vital importance to Voldemort, so it absolutely could not be revealed lightly.

But when the Death Eaters around them saw Bella's reaction, they immediately realized that what Lockhart had said must be true. Otherwise, Bella wouldn't have reacted so strongly.

"Lockhart! Go on!"

Once they realized Lockhart might know a genuine secret, the Death Eaters around him split into two camps.

Some were absolutely loyal to Voldemort and didn't want Lockhart to continue. They didn't want him revealing too many of the Dark Lord's secrets. Bella's family, the Lestranges, were among them.

But most of them were eager to learn more.

Of course, their loyalty to Voldemort might not have been in question. But most had joined the Death Eaters because they were vicious criminals to begin with.

They had no sense of morality whatsoever. They had submitted to Voldemort mainly out of fear and admiration for the strong, not because they believed in his cause.

Lockhart had always loved being the center of attention. Perhaps because his audience was so large, hearing the shouts rise and fall outside the cells actually calmed him down.

So he called out confidently, "That's right! Horcruxes!"

"The Dark Lord's soul is anchored to an immortal Horcrux, so I can guarantee that he's still alive!"

The Death Eaters in the nearby cells nodded to themselves. Most of them didn't know much about Horcruxes; they only had a general understanding of them as objects created through Dark