"We shouldn't be too long," Hermione hugged her parents tightly before giving her son a sloppy kiss.
"Be careful," Dorea told them as they stood in the foyer. They'd apparate as soon as they got outside.
James Sr. added, "I want you to keep your wands out and thoroughly check the house before you let your guard down."
Hermione appreciated their concern and advice, "We will, grandma, dad," Harry gave them a small smile. Dorea absolutely beamed at what Harry had called her.
Hermione slung her beaded bag over her shoulder, giving a wince as she heard all the books topple over. "Damn, they were in alphabetical order," Hermione muttered.
Emma hugged Hermione's legs tight, "Be careful, Mia. I love you."
"I love you too, Emma," Hermione smiled, hugging her back. "Keep an eye on James, alright?"
"I will!" she beamed at the older girl.
Hermione let go of her and stood beside Harry, lacing their fingers tightly together.
"You should go if you want to use the night as coverage," Charlus told them.
Hermione nodded. That'd be wise.
They walked outside after their last goodbyes as Hermione tightened her grip on Harry's hand, "Ready?" she asked him.
He nodded, "Let's do this."
He seemed to relax a moment and Hermione closed her eyes, apparating.
They teetered on the front step of Grimmauld Place a moment before they caught our balance. "Do you reckon any enchantments are on the doors?" he asked.
Hermione shook her head, "Only one way to find out."
He opened the door, stepping through first, and glanced around, before pulling his fiancee in, "Safe so far."
They only made it two steps before Dumbledore appeared at the end of the hallway. Hermione's breath caught in my throat. Order members? Hermione scurried back steps as Dumbledore moved at incredible speed, screaming, before disappearing in a puff of dust.
"Mad-Eye must have put up spells to keep Snape out," Harry muttered.
"I don't want another close call," Herminoe whispered. "Homenum Revelio." A second later, she lowered her wand, "We're alone."
They stared at the dark hallway before Harry and her explored a little, trying to find Regulus's room. It was the last place they ever thought to look.
"Sirius's room," he said, as the couple passed it.
Hermione nodded in acknowledgment, but stopped at a door. "Regulus Arcturus Black."
"R.A.B." Harry murmured. He opened the door and stepped inside. It was tidy, well organized, and black. Black covers, black wood, and black walls. Very morbid.
"Do you see anything?" he asked.
Hermione shook her head, opening a desk drawer and noticing there wasn't even dust, "Kreature must clean this place frequently. I haven't seen dust."
"Me neither," Harry admitted. He ran his hand along the top of a bookshelf and snickered, "Not even a dust bunny!"
Hermione frowned and found a few letters, "Harry, the locket?"
He passed it to her wordlessly and she unraveled the note inside, comparing the handwriting. "It's identical," Harry told her.
Hermione nodded in agreement and began to skim the letters. "These are just missions he had," she murmured.
"Like?"
"Burn down a Muggle village," her eyes narrowed in disgust. "How many people he had killed. Seven."
"That's not too bad, considering he was a Death Eater for two years," Harry insisted.
Hermione nodded slowly and then leaned away from the desk, "Nothing."
"It's not here," Harry sighed. "Who would know where?"
They met each other's eyes and knew immediately, "Kreature."
"Kreature," Hermione said gently, "Have you seen this locket before?" The locket dangled from Harry's hand, hovering over the elf. Kreature cowered from it, and spat at her feet.
"The Mudblood talks to Kreature!" Kreature wailed.
"Don't talk to her like that," Harry spat back. "Answer her."
"Harry, be nice," Hermione scolded.
"Kreature has seen one like it, yes," Kreature admitted reluctantly.
"Do you have it?" Harry asked.
"No!" he wailed. "No! I don't! Kreature couldn't fulfill Master's wishes! Kreature failed Master!"
"Regulus told you to destroy it, didn't he?" Hermione asked gently. "But you couldn't."
"Kreature tried everything, Mudblood. Kreature could not destroy the locket."
Hermione nodded. "It's the real one, then," she said to Harry. "We have to find it."
"Kreature, do you know where it is?" Harry asked.
"He came in the middle of the night," Kreature spoke.
"Who came? Who took it, Kreature?" Harry demanded.
"Mundungus Fletcher," Kreature spoke.
"Find him," Harry ordered.
Kreature disappeared in a flash and pop.
Hermione relaxed and Harry sat with her at the table in the dining room, before rising and going to the kitchen. She didn't ask him what he was doing, but when he returned, two mugs of steaming tea were in his hands. Hermione took one, gratefully, and sighed as the warmth seeped through her fingertips. This house was so cold.
"What could Mundungus do with that?" she murmured.
"It's Slytherin's, it's probably worth a fortune," Harry answered, sipping the tea.
Hermione stared at the table, "Harry?"
"Hermione?" he returned in the same tone. Hermione glanced up at him and his smile immediately vanished, "Woah, what's wrong?"
"Do you remember what you said to me when you apparated to my house?"
"I... I said that you weren't really there."
Hermione closed her eyes painfully, tears threatening to spill over, "There was more, Harry."
"I don't remember. I was in so much pain..."
"You wanted me to kill you," Hermione whispered. She opened her eyes, "Why would you ever...? I could never do that to you, Harry. I couldn't... The world needs you, Harry, I need you..."
"I... I know. I'm sorry, I was just... I wanted it over," Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. He touched my arm, "Don't cry-"
"I thought you had given up," I interrupted. "I thought you had decided that the Dark Lord didn't matter. That you just wanted it all over." She glanced at his hand, resting on her forearm, his thumb making gentle circles. "I didn't blame you, really. It broke my heart to see you like that. And to have you ask me to do that, beg me," She wiped a tear away from her cheek. "I've never seen you like that. Not after Cedric, or Sirius. I was so... I was so worried!"
He set his mug down and took her into his arms, "Hey, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking right. I was so out of it. I didn't-"
"I've never seen you like that, Harry. Please, tell me why you think dying would solve any problems," she whispered.
He sighed, resting his chin on the top of her head as her face nuzzled under his chin, "I thought... I thought if I died, no one else would get hurt. He couldn't hurt anyone else for being close to me. It was selfish of me to think, I know." Hermione's heart clenched painfully at the thought of him dying. "I thought that if... if he couldn't hurt you, he'd lose. Obviously, that doesn't work that way. He would have hurt you guys no matter what."
"I love you, Harry. I couldn't imagine a day without you."
"I love you too, Hermione."
Hermione frowned at the hurt tone in his voice, "Harry..." he pulled away just slightly so she could see his face, "We're going to kill him."
"You're so hot," he murmured, his lips latching onto mine. Hermione giggled and kissed him back. But they were interrupted from going any further by a crack. Two cracks. Mundungus Fletcher was sent sprawling on the table and Kreature grabbed a candlestick holder, whacking him on the back with it.
"Kreature has found Mundungus, sir," Kreature growled, his eyes glowing with malice and excitement as he whacked Mundungus again.
"Why you little cretin!" Fletcher barked.
"Don't you dare, Fletcher," Harry interrupted as he was about to smack Kreature. Kreature grinned evilly and waved the candlestick menacingly.
"Potter!" Fletcher gasped in surprise. His eyes flitted to Hermione, "You're... you're supposed to be dead!"
"Boo," she said nonchalantly. "Thank you, Kreature. You did wonderfully."
Kreature didn't respond to her. Hermione didn't know if he was ignoring her or if it was because he didn't hear Mudbloods, but she saw a pleased look pass through his eyes. Maybe he wasn't so bad? The candlestick jabbed Fletcher once more.
"Have you seen a locket?" Harry asked, cutting right to the chase.
"Why?" Fletcher's eyes widened, "Was it valuable?"
Harry held up the locket, "It looks like this. Have you seen it?"
"Yeah, found it a couple of weeks ago," Fletcher said, Kreature giving a growl and stabbing him with his candlestick once more. Hermione had to fight the giggle at the sight of Kreature being menacing.
"Where is it?"
"I don't have it!" Kreature back Fletcher up into a corner. "Sold it!"
"To who?" Hermione demanded. Who would buy such a thing? If the Dark Lord had it...
He scrambled back at her wand that she had pulled out of her pocket, knocking over stacks of papers that Kreature kept - that the Order had kept. Fletcher glanced down in surprise, his short, stubby stature not making him look any more vulnerable than the stolen gold rings on his meaty fingers. "To her."
He pointed at the Prophet that was staring straight up at them, and Hermione felt herself blanch. She met Harry's eyes, "Umbridge."
Hermione was back to staring at Fletcher, "When did you give it to her? How much?"
"She came waltzing up to me, asking me if I had anything good," Mundungus Fletcher explained. She could smell the alcohol on his breath from where she stood, and knew he was drunk, which either meant this story was completely false, or it was the truth. "I showed her what I had, and she bought that locket. Ugly thing, if you ask me. Wanted it gone. Gave me a bad feeling. Got fifty galleons for it."
"Hermione..."
"We have to find Umbridge," Hermione murmured.
"We will," Harry promised. "What do we do with him?"
"Kreature wants him," Kreature growled, his candlestick jabbing him once more. This time Hermione managed a small giggle of amusement to escape her.
"He can't know I left the Dursley's," Harry murmured so Fletcher couldn't hear. "We have to ..."
"Erase his memory?" Hermione finished.
He nodded, and Hermione wisely took a step forward, "Allow me. You have the trace."
"What are you going to do?" Fletcher gasped. "You can't kill me!"
"Obliviate," she murmured, concentrating hard on the memory she wanted to erase. Anything of tonight with Kreature, Harry, and herself. As Fletcher slumped to the ground, passed out, Harry spoke to Kreature, "Dump him where you found him, please. And then come back here immediately afterwards."
Kreature grumbled something, but obeyed, disappearing with the thief in a crack.
Harry touched Hermione's arm and she lowered her wand, "How are we going to get to Umbridge?" she whispered, her brain going miles a minute to think of some decent plan.
"I don't know," he admitted. He glanced at her bag, "Research?"
Hermione bit her lip, "No... the better question is, how are we going to get into the Ministry without getting caught?"
"Is the Floo network traced here?" Harry asked.
"No doubt watched by the Order," Hermione admitted.
"Then we've only got one way to tell your parents and my grandparents that we're coming back empty handed," Harry informed her. And then he conjured his wand, and said strongly, "Expecto Patronum!"
A large silver stag came galloping out, and it came to a halt by the fireplace before slowly turning around and walking towards them.
"How do you do voice messages?" Harry asked. "Like Tonks and Dumbledore."
Hermione frowned, "I think you just talk to it. But you have to keep it short."
Harry nodded and spoke to the stag, "Coming back. No locket, but an idea."
And it bowed lowly, bending its blue knees to the ground like a hippogryff and then it was gone in a puff of magical smoke. When Kreature came back ten minutes later, they told him that they'd find the locket, but he could keep the fake. He was ecstatic and even shed a few tears.
"But you can't leave this place, Kreature. You can't tell anyone about us," Harry warned. "Or what we were looking for."
"Kreature understands... master," Kreature grumbled, staring at the locket with a hint of wonder. Wonder and appreciation.
"Thank you, Kreature. You helped us with a lot tonight."
He nodded, his large eyes slowly glancing up at Hermione, before he croaked, "The Mudblood speaks to me!"
Hermione giggled, finding that after all this, he still referring to her as the Mudblood funny. "No on can know we're here, or that we're together, or where we're going," Harry spoke, not finding it funny at all. "Got it?"
"Kreature understands," Kreature repeated.
Hermione took Harry's arm, then the mugs and placed them in the kitchen sink, before pulling him into the hall. "Goodbye, Kreature. We'll see you shortly."
As soon as they reached the landing, they apparated.
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Another chapter! Reviews are most welcome(: