Tony didn't need to find out what Voldemort's Horcruxes were. He already knew them all. However, he couldn't tell Regulus everything at once. That kind of knowledge would be far beyond what a "prophet" could reasonably predict. After all, Tony was only pretending to be a prophet.
Instead, he allowed Regulus to uncover the Horcruxes on his own. If the time came to inform the Order of the Phoenix, Tony would provide an explanation for how the discoveries were made, crafting his "predictions" to align with what Regulus had already found. Tony wanted to keep this secretive facade to avoid drawing suspicion. Lies were tricky, and adding more would only make things riskier. To minimize exposure, he decided not to overcomplicate the situation.
However, if a Horcrux was directly in front of him, Tony had no qualms about revealing it to Regulus. That's exactly what happened when Hufflepuff's Cup appeared before Tony. Voldemort had entrusted it to Bellatrix Lestrange, just as Tony had foreseen.
At this time, Voldemort was distributing his Horcruxes among his most loyal followers. However, he didn't tell them what these items truly were. Their level of loyalty determined how securely they guarded their assigned object. For example, Lucius Malfoy carelessly let the diary end up in the hands of Ginny Weasley, whereas Bellatrix locked Hufflepuff's Cup in one of Gringotts' most secure vaults.
When Tony first saw the cup, he noticed something peculiar. It was different from the lich's phylacteries he remembered from his past life. The soul fragment inside was active, but it wasn't trying to possess anyone because Voldemort's main soul was still intact.
Tony considered using the [Lamp of the Otherworld] to extract Voldemort's soul fragment. However, he hesitated. What if the cup's curses sent a warning to Voldemort? The risk was too great. He decided to leave it untouched for now. The cup would remain within Bellatrix's vault, and when the time came, Tony planned to retrieve it from Gringotts. With his background and identity, he wouldn't need to break into the bank like Harry Potter had to.
When Regulus learned about the cup, he was thrilled. Knowing the location of two Horcruxes brought him one step closer to turning Voldemort into a mortal again. However, events took a sudden and dramatic turn.
Voldemort fell much faster than anyone anticipated. The Death Eaters had been gaining the upper hand when, suddenly, the Dark Lord vanished, and the Dark Mark went silent. This happened in less than a month, leaving Regulus stunned. The rapid pace of events was hard to process.
Before Voldemort's fall, Regulus had consulted with Tony about reaching out to the Order of the Phoenix. Tony advised him to share the news of the prophecy with his brother, Sirius, framing it as a leak from their uncle Alphard, who had been expelled from the Black family. Regulus hoped this would serve as a gesture of goodwill toward the Order.
Unfortunately, Sirius didn't take it seriously. He dismissed Regulus's attempt to connect, perhaps seeing it as an afterthought from his "cowardly" younger brother.
Soon after, devastating news reached Regulus: Sirius had been arrested. He had supposedly blown up a street, killing a dozen Muggles and his former friend, Peter Pettigrew. The Daily Prophet claimed Sirius had been a Death Eater all along, using his time in the Order as a cover to serve Voldemort.
Regulus didn't believe a word of it. He knew his brother well. Sirius might have been arrogant and rebellious, but he didn't have the cunning or patience for such deception. Sirius was a Gryffindor through and through, and lying wasn't in his nature. Yet during his trial, Sirius shocked everyone by confessing to all charges. It was as if he no longer cared what happened to him.
Meanwhile, Regulus faced his own challenges. A few days after Voldemort's disappearance, Aurors surrounded 12 Grimmauld Place. Despite the protective spells cast by Regulus's father, Orion Black, Regulus made a bold decision. He walked out of the house willingly, wand in hand, and surrendered himself to the Aurors.
This wasn't an act of desperation but a calculated move. Regulus had asked the Aurors to accompany him to another Black family estate before taking him to the Wizengamot for questioning. Intrigued, the Aurors, led by Barty Crouch Sr. and Alastor Moody, agreed.
When they arrived at the estate, they found something astonishing: more than a dozen wizards who had been presumed dead, including two members of the Order of the Phoenix and three Aurors. They had been prisoners of the Death Eaters but were now free, thanks to Regulus.
Regulus explained that he had secretly rescued these individuals while pretending to be loyal to Voldemort. Though he had become a Death Eater under pressure, he insisted he had never killed or harmed anyone. He hoped the Wizengamot would consider his actions and show leniency.
The rescued wizards, though traumatized, were forced to confirm Regulus's story. Despite being held under house-elf guard for months, they had to admit that Regulus had saved them. This testimony turned the tide in Regulus's favor.
In a surprising turn of events, Regulus was acquitted. The Wizengamot determined that his actions as a Death Eater had been necessary to infiltrate Voldemort's ranks and save lives. The Daily Prophet hailed him as a hero of the Dark Ages, calling his efforts "the greatest rescue" of the war.
Meanwhile, Sirius Black, who had fought openly against Voldemort, was condemned as a traitor and sentenced to Azkaban. The public believed the worst of him, unaware of the truth behind Peter Pettigrew's staged death.
The two Black brothers, once polar opposites in life, now found their roles reversed. Sirius, the rebellious Gryffindor, became a prisoner scorned by the wizarding world. Regulus, the dutiful Slytherin, emerged as a celebrated hero.
For Tony, this outcome was another step in his carefully crafted plan. As events unfolded, he remained a silent observer, waiting for the right moments to intervene and guide the future in his favor.
_________________________________________
More episodes are available in patreon
patreon.com/Jutsu_143