A/N: For QL, Chudley Cannons, chaser one. I had to write about house ef using the prompts: (dialogue) "You know, I don't really need you.", (setting) lake, (dialogue) "I'll survive. I always do."
Thanks to Annie for editing!
929 words
Kreacher still had nightmares about the place. It was cold, musty and dark. Kreacher hated the dark.
He was forced there, twice, forced to see horrible images from his past the first time and forced to see his master die the second time.
Kreacher had to forever keep it a secret, for that was his order.
"Tell no one of what we're doing." When Kreacher looked worried about Regulus's plan, Regulus gave him a reassuring smile. "I'll survive. I always do." It wasn't the first time Kreacher was lied to, but it was the hardest lie he'd heard.
Even so many years after, he still tried to destroy the locket, and he still visited the lake, in dreams.
It was a terrible place, one that would fill Kreacher with a feeling of despair for days on end with the mere sight of it. A place that made Kreacher want to die.
Kreacher vividly remembered his first visit to the lake.
Regulus had appeared at Kreacher's cupboard one morning.
"The Dark Lord requires an elf," he had said, looking slightly terrified. "It is a great honor, Kreacher. I volunteered you. You must do it."
Kreacher felt the power that bound him to the Blacks in Regulus's words. He would have to obey.
The next day Kreacher and Voldemort went to the lake. Voldemort strolled up to the edge of the lake and pulled a non-existent chain from the air. A boat rose from the abyss of the water when Voldemort pulled the chain.
The pair climbed into the boat and they made their way across the lake. They got to the hill unscathed; the only thing blocking the way were lifeless corpses that Kreacher hated seeing. Voldemort deflected them with a flick of his wand, though.
On top of the hill there was a bronze basin and as they approached, Kreacher saw a shimmering green liquid inside it.
Voldemort turned to Kreacher uttered one word, handing him a goblet. "Drink."
Kreacher took a tentative sip and immediately the memories started flowing in.
He saw horrible things from his past, things he wanted to forget and by the time the basin was half empty, Kreacher wanted to die.
Voldemort put a locket into the basin when it was empty and left, leaving Kreacher on the banks of the lake to sip water before returning home.
When Dobby felt alone, he liked to go visit the lake. The visits became quite regular because he often felt alone.
He would stare into the depths of the black lake, thinking about how far it went, how long it would take for him to reach the bottom, and if he could even reach the surface if he went in. Dobby didn't even know if he would be able to keep afloat in the lake; he didn't know how to swim.
Dobby was so alone in his life, he found himself thinking about how easy it would be to jump into the lake and never come back up for air.
Dobby wished more people visited him.
Harry Potter came a few times, along with Hermione and Ron, and there was the occasional student who came into the kitchens for a snack, but other than that, Dobby was alone.
All Dobby had was the other other house elves, who treated him like an outcast for wanting pay and vacation days.
Dobby hardly liked his job, cooking and cleaning for the students. The house elves always worked behind the scenes, never seeing humans, leaving Dobby to be alone.
Dobby even longed for the days when he worked for the Malfoys.
Dobby and Draco had a complicated relationship.
The were labeled as master and servant, but sometimes, when Draco's father wasn't watching, they were playmates, playing whatever game Draco's imagination came up with.
Sometimes they were in Hogwarts, but they were undercover spies sending information out from inside the school. Sometimes they were pirates sailing the high seas, but they could also speak to all different animals.
Those moments were the best moments Dobby knew, even if they were only fleeting. Dobby was at least with someone.
Winky needed something stronger to numb the pain.
Butterbeer was strong, but for Winky it wasn't strong enough. She still cried every night, sleeping in a pool of her own tears. She kept on thinking of those words.
"You know, I don't really need you."
Her master didn't need her anymore. Winky was abandoned. She would always be alone.
In the day she would stare into her butterbeer bottle, wishing she could jump into the neverending lake of her drink, wishing she could be swallowed with her drink.
Winky wanted a master again. Technically, Dumbledore was her new master, but Winky still refused to accept it. She never took care of him, the way she did with Mr. Crouch.
Winky had all of his files kept in a drawer, ordered so she knew where each one was. Mr. Crouch was sometimes so careless, he left his files anywhere and ended up losing him. That's where Winky came in.
If not for Winky, Mr. Crouch would be a mess. He would have no idea where to go, how to go there or why he was going there.
But Winky was more than an assistant. Mr. Crouch sometimes had bad days, where his brain switched off and he shut down. Winky managed for him those days and made sure he was able to pick up for the next day. Winky was his backbone through all of his hardship with work or with his family.