Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor am I attempting to make any personal gain from this story.
Harry Slithers-in: Goblet of Fire: Chapter 3: The Locket
Kreacher sat on the floor looking at Harry. Sirius stood nearby with a look of surprise on his face.
"I don't know how Professor Dumbledore destroyed the diary, but I do know something else that will work. Basilisk venom; and I know where I can get a supply of it. Before I do that, though, I would like to know more about why Regulus wanted you to destroy it," Harry explained.
"Harry," Sirius began, "where can you get Basilisk venom from? And don't say from a Basilisk. For Merlin's sake, don't say from a Basilisk." Harry noted Sirius seemed to be on verge of panicking.
"I've got a Basilisk fang in my trunk," Harry explained. "Back in my second year the Chamber of Secrets was opened and a number of students were petrified. Tracey and I found the chamber's entrance and I led Professors Dumbledore and Snape into the chamber. I was there only to open the chamber; the Headmaster actually killed it. After it was dead we each took a fang as a souvenir. I took one for Tracey as well. Mine has been in my trunk ever since."
Sirius seemed relieved with Harry's explanation. He relaxed so Harry returned attention to Kreacher. "Kreacher, please tell me about why Regulus wanted you to destroy the locket?"
"Kreacher," Sirius said, "I want you to answer Harry's questions."
Kreacher began. "Master Regulus was proud of the Black name and the dignity of his pure blood. He talked of the Dark Lord, who was going to return wizards to their rightful place of power over the mud-bloods and muggles. When he was 16 years old, Master Regulus joined the Dark Lord. He was so proud to serve his Master.
"One day, about one year later, Master Regulus came to see Kreacher in the kitchen. Master Regulus always liked Kreacher and Kreacher liked Master Regulus. Master Regulus said to Kreacher that the Dark Lord required an elf."
Both Harry and Sirius were startled to hear this. "Why did he need an elf?" Sirius asked.
"The Dark Lord needed to test a new potion." Kreacher replied before continuing. "Master Regulus said he would be honoured to offer Kreacher and it would be an honour for Kreacher to accept. Master Regulus told Kreacher to do whatever the Dark Lord ordered him to do; and then to come home."
As he was speaking Kreacher was rocking back and forwards clearly very nervous. Harry and Sirius remained silent while the elf composed himself.
"Kreacher went to the Dark Lord and the Dark Lord took him to a cave near the sea. Beyond the cave was a cavern, and in the cavern was a great, black lake. There was a boat. The Dark Lord told Kreacher to get aboard. The Dark Lord took Kreacher to an island in the middle of the lake. On the island was a basin filled with a potion that the Dark Lord made Kreacher drink."
Kreacher was visibly shaking by now and Harry wondered if perhaps they should stop for a while. Before he could voice this opinion, however, Kreacher continued.
"The potion made Kreacher see terrible things… Kreacher's insides burned… Kreacher cried for Master Regulus or any other to save him but none came. The Dark Lord laughed… he made Kreacher finish the potion. The Dark Lord placed a locket in the basin and refilled the potion.
"Then the Dark Lord sailed away, leaving Kreacher behind.
"Kreacher needed water. Kreacher crawled to the edge of the island and drank… hands, dead hands, came out of the water and dragged Kreacher under…"
"Inferi," Sirius whispered. Harry wondered what Inferi were but decided that could wait until later. After giving Kreacher a moment to recover he asked, "How did you escape?"
Kreacher raised his head and looked at Sirius. "Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back," was all he said. Sirius nodded.
"The house-elf's highest law is his master's bidding. Kreacher was told to come home, so Kreacher came home."
Harry now realised exactly what the previous statement meant. Because Regulus had ordered Kreacher to return he had been able to do so despite the Inferi.
"Kreacher, what happened when you got back?" Sirius asked.
"Master Regulus told Kreacher to stay hidden, and not to leave the house. Master Regulus was worried for Kreacher.
"Days later Master Regulus came to find Kreacher in his cupboard. Kreacher could tell Master Regulus was very worried. He asked to take him to the cave where Kreacher had gone with the Dark Lord."
"Did Regulus make you drink the potion?" Sirius asked but Kreacher shook his head.
"Master Regulus took a locket from his pocket and told Kreacher to take it and, when the basin was empty, to swap it for the one in the basin, and then to leave and never tell Mistress what happened or where they had gone."
Kreacher was sobbing loudly by now, making him difficult to understand, but it was clear what had happened next. Regulus drank the potion and was taken by the Inferi while Kreacher returned to Grimmauld Place with a locket he had been ordered to destroy – the same locket Harry had found.
"I'll go get the fang," Harry said. Sirius nodded. Harry noticed he seemed deep in thought.
When he returned with the fang Kreacher was sitting on the floor while Sirius was standing nearby. "Kreacher," Harry said, "I am going to open the locket and when I do you are to stab it with this fang. Do you understand?" Kreacher nodded and Harry gave him the fang as Sirius watched.
Harry sat near Kreacher and concentrated on the serpent motif on the locket. "Open," he said in Parseltongue. The locket clicked and swung open. Kreacher drove the fang into the locket which screamed and began emitting a thick, noxious smoke that everybody backed away from. After a minute or so the smoke cleared and the ruined locket lay on the floor, the carpet around it burned away and the floorboards showing clear signs of damage.
Sirius picked up the ruined locket. "I will put somewhere safe until we can dispose of it properly." Harry nodded.
Next morning Sirius ordered Kreacher to bring a tray and a dozen silver goblets into the drawing room. After these were placed in a leather bag Sirius asked Kreacher to take Harry and himself to the cave where Voldemort had hidden the locket. Sirius explained they were going to retrieve and take a sample of the potion to the Ministry for analysis.
"I think we are ready to leave. Can you take us right to the interior of the cave?"
"Kreacher is unsure of that but Kreacher will try."
Harry and Sirius each took hold of one of Kreacher's hands and Kreacher disapparated, appearing outside a small cave on the coast. "Kreacher cannot take you any further. There is a magical barrier against that wall that Kreacher cannot take Master through."
"That's fine Kreacher. This is good enough," Sirius said as he examined the wall. Harry was also examining the wall, looking for some sign of an entrance.
"There's something here, Harry," Sirius said. "It appears as though we need to give the door something before it will open. Probably a password."
"More likely blood," Harry said. "It seems to be the sort of thing Voldemort would do." Harry pulled out a small knife and cut his finger before Sirius could stop him and wiped the blood on the stone.
Immediately an archway started glowing in the wall, allowing the group to enter. A narrow path run round the edge of the lake which they followed until Sirius, in the lead, told them to stop. His hand groped around in the air until he grasped hold of a chain and began hauling something towards them. The something turned out to be a small boat. It was obvious they would not all fit into it so Harry and Sirius boarded it leaving Kreacher to apparate over to the island while carrying the bag.
Kreacher was waiting for them on the island. When they arrived Harry took the tray and goblets out of the bag and placed them on the ground before Sirius picked up one of the goblets and dipped it into the potion. He carefully placed the full goblet on the tray, making sure not to spill anything and picked another goblet. After doing six times Harry heard the goblet scrape the bottom of the basin. Sirius felt around finally finding something at the bottom which he attempted to pick up. This proved unsuccessful so he put the full goblet down and picked up a new one. This time he was successful and scooped another locket out of it.
"That is Master Regulus' locket. The one Master exchanged for the evil one," said Kreacher when he saw what Sirius was holding.
Sirius put the locket on the ground and began emptying the goblets back into the basin. He kept one goblet full and placed a magical seal over the rim to prevent any leakage.
Sirius then examined the locket. After opening it Sirius handed a note to Harry before giving the locket itself to Kreacher. "As I promised you, this is yours to keep," he said.
"Kreacher can keep this?" The elf seemed to be in awe.
"Yes. It's yours, Kreacher. Can you take the tray and goblets back to Grimmauld Place while Harry and I have a chat?" Sirius asked.
Kreacher quickly put the other goblets in the sack and disappeared with a crack. Harry and Sirius climbed into the boat and returned to the path. They then walked back to the entrance while talking.
"What is an Inferi?" Harry asked as they walked.
"Inferi are animated corpses. Voldemort probably killed people with the specific purpose of turning the bodies of those who opposed him into his undead servants. It seems like something he would do."
Harry had to agree. His level of disgust at Voldemort increased with this news. "So they are something like the zombies in muggle movies and books," he said.
"That is a good comparison, yeah."
When they reached the stone archway it had closed itself. "I will cut myself this time, Harry. I don't want you doing anything like that again." Taking out a silver knife, Sirius sliced the palm of his hand.
Once they were outside he cast a healing spell on himself just as he had done for Harry earlier. Then he apparated Harry back to Grimmauld place and led him to the kitchen. Once they were both seated he said, "Harry, I'm very worried about this. That locket seemed to have a mind of its own and you told me the diary possessed its previous owner. That isn't normal even for a cursed object. I think we are dealing with something far more dangerous."
"Do you have any idea what?" Harry asked.
Sirius thought for a moment before replying. "I have an idea, but I need to speak to someone at the Ministry first. With the World Cup starting tomorrow that may take a while. I promise you, Harry, that when I know more I will tell you everything. For the moment leave this to me, and don't mention it to anyone; not even Tracey. Agreed?"
"I think you're right," Harry replied. "I think the fewer people who know about this the better. If you are right do you think we should tell Dumbledore?"
"Yes. Dumbledore is one of the few people who does need to know. I wonder if Snape can be trusted to do the analysis of the potion. That way even fewer people will need to be brought into it. Anyway; a quick snack then bed I think." Harry agreed.
Sirius made them a light meal before he and Harry went to bed. They would have an early start tomorrow and wanted to get a reasonable sleep in between. The Quidditch match didn't start until the evening but they both knew there would be a lot of activity to keep them entertained before then, and they both wanted to make the most of it.