Chapter 29

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

A/N: I apologise - again - for the long wait. I've been trying to do too many things lately and every time I sit in front of my laptop I lack inspiration... I know where the story is going, I know what to write... but I need motivation. This chapter is quite short but needs to be posted. I hate too many changes of P. in a single chapter so I couldn't really have ch29 and ch30 (almost completed) together...

Trust

...

"Are you a Gryffindor or what?" I asked him with a smirk.

He glared at me for a moment before muttering "Kreacher!"

...

The thin, wrinkled House-Elf appeared with a resounding crack! barely a second after Sirius had called his name. He cast a look around himself, scowled proudly at the other elves in the room, then turned his large eyes on his Master.

"Master Sirius," he said, bowing low in greeting. "Kreacher is at your service."

Sirius stared at him in disbelief. I could sense his uncertainty on how to phrase our request. James seemed to have finally understood what was going on and sent me a small smile. Remus, however, had still a puzzled look on his face and eyed the elf wearily.

"Is this your Mother's elf, Sirius?" he asked perplexed. "Is this the elf you always used to complain about years ago?"

"Er, yeah..." Sirius muttered weakly.

"He doesn't look that hostile," Remus commented lightly.

"I'll agree with that if I'm alive this time tomorrow," Sirius said eyeing the elf suspiciously. Kreacher didn't react to Sirius's words, just kept staring at him, patiently awaiting for orders.

"Come on, Sirius," I nudged at him encouragingly. "There's no time for old grudges right now."

Sirius glared at me irritated.

"If this goes wrong and we all die because of it, I'll -"

"You'll haunt me forever and ever, yeah, OK." I cut across him impatiently. "Get a move."

"Get a move?" Sirius seethed, furiously clenching his fists. "Do you even realise how many things can go wrong? Can't you see what you're asking me to do? Putting my best friends' lives at risk and your own life at risk by trusting my house-elf?"

I'd never thought about it his way. There was nothing I could say without sounding selfish and careless.

"Sirius, mate," said James, "I see your point but we've run out of options. Kreacher knows the locations of the two manors. He's our only way in."

At last, Remus's eyes lit up in understanding. From his reaction, I could see he wasn't against the idea. Even Sirius noticed that and it didn't make him happy. He stared at me hardly. His stance was of a man that wasn't ready to back down yet.

"But -" he started.

"No, Sirius," I interrupted him before he could utter another word, "I trust Kreacher."

Sirius's only reaction was a painful grimace. The elf looked at me curiously instead. It must have been a peculiar thing for him to hear since Regulus's death.

"Kreacher does what Master asks," he croaked, his large eyes back on Sirius. "Master is helping Kreacher destroy the locket. Kreacher does not forget."

Sirius seemed to be fighting an internal battle. He glanced at James, who nodded subtly. Then turned to Remus who shrugged as if to say "I don't really like it but there's no other way."

"You win," he told me bitterly.

I frowned at him and wrote myself a mental note: Do not push him to the limit again today. I might have 'won' yet didn't feel good about it. There was too much at stake and I was frighteningly aware of it.

Sirius took a deep breath and got down to explain the plan to Kreacher. The old elf silently listened and nodded every once in a while with his large bald head.

Sirius's voice didn't sound right. It was clipped and edgy, extremely unusual for a man like Sirius. He'd always been the careless joker, the reckless rebel. He had indeed changed. And I wasn't entirely sure I liked that too much.

In the meantime, James and Remus had conjured a couple of chairs and sat down. I leaned onto the wall, my arms crossed. An overenthusiastic elf appeared at our side with a tray laid with freshly baked almond biscuits and mugs of steamy hot chocolate.

Remus reached for the hot drink gratefully while James politely refused. The young father had been staring at his wedding ring for a while, his head lost in thought. I couldn't really understand what he was feeling... I wasn't married, neither had a child. Yet I felt a stab of pain in my chest as I listened to Sirius's odd voice.

I hadn't noticed the elf with the tray standing beside me. I picked up a biscuit even though my stomach seemed to be doing summersaults.

"Could you do this for us Kreacher?" Sirius finished wearily. "Please?" he added as an afterthought.

"Yes, Master Sirius," Kreacher croaked. "Kreacher can tell two elves where Miss Cissy lives and take Master Sirius and Miss Jemma to Miss Bella."

Sirius eyed me for a moment as if to say "I told you so." I didn't pretend I hadn't heard the loving tone the elf used naming the two witches.

"Remember what Harry does in Half-Blood Prince," I said to him, hoping he'd understand. Sirius had thought hard for a moment before nodding.

"You are forbidden to tell anything to the Lestranges or the Malfoys, to communicate with them in any way, no notes, no words... absolutely nothing," Sirius told the elf. "Is it clear?"

"Yes, Master," Kreacher said. I was relieved to see his demeanour had been neither deceitful nor antagonistic.

...

James and Ember were already hidden under the Invisibility Cloak. A young scruffy elf who'd volunteered for the mission was grasping Remus's right hand. The creature looked both excited and terrified. I really hoped he was up to the task as Remus did need as much help as possible to find the Horcrux.

I was holding Kreacher's hand with a sense of terrible foreboding. Sirius was at the elf's other side sending me preoccupied glances.

We were ready. Sort of.

I found myself praying to see them all again - alive - in a few hours.

"This is it," James's voice said out of no where. I held my breath. "At my three. One...Two...Three!"

The sudden feeling of apparition didn't surprise me as much as the realisation that we were about to...

A/N: Thanks to my faithful followers. It's amazing knowing you're still reading The Circle after all this time!

Reviews are always welcome :)

JDA