CW: PTSD, trauma, conflict, mentions of snakes, manipulation

:THIRTY-FOUR:

Remus and Sirius made sure Harry was taken care of before they went back to 12 Grimmauld Place. They found Kreacher looking at old pictures of Regulus, talking in a low voice to them about what he'd done. The elf burst into tears when he saw Sirius though, running awkwardly back over and letting Sirius hold him.

It was strange, and their relationship felt a little stilted, but destroying the locket together changed them both. Sirius was incredibly mindful and patient with Kreacher, who had seemed to have become older and more fragile than he ever remembered the elf being. Kreacher leaned on the wizard's kindness as well, allowing himself to be taken care of as he slowly healed from the trauma.

What really tipped their relationship for the better; though, was when Sirius told Kreacher that he was to move with them when they returned to their flat. He did so on the pretense that it would be easier to take care of Kreacher if they lived together, but Kreacher understood the gesture for what it really was. He was hesitant at first, not wanting to leave the Black family home, but Sirius assured him that whatever Kreacher wanted to take with him, they would.

Remus, delighted with the idea of returning home, went on ahead of the other two to create a bedroom for Kreacher and his many treasures. It was a simple expansion charm, but Remus had to figure out how to make it look the same on the outside so the muggles wouldn't notice. He also, much to his own chagrin, had to explain everything to Petunia.

"So," Petunia said when Remus had finished explaining. "You're pulling Harry out of Hogwarts now, then?"

"Petunia-"

"No," She continued harshly. "We agreed that if anything else bad happened there we'd pull him out. There was a bloody massive snake, Remus!"

"Basilisk, technically." Remus said sheepishly.

"And what exactly is this - house elf? - you're bringing here?" Petunia looked crossly at her teacup. "Are they like goblins?"

"Not exactly," Remus explained about house elves and Kreacher. "I actually think you'll like him, Petunia."

She sniffed, but relented on that front. "I still think we need to enroll Harry somewhere else."

"Where, though?" Remus asked. "Durmstrang Institute is known for teaching dark arts, and Beauxbatons Academy of Magic is in France! Last time I checked, Harry couldn't speak French."

"We could send him to school with Dudley?" Petunia suggested. "And home-school him for the magic bits."

Remus sighed in frustration. "Sirius and I have already thought about that - we're lousy teachers. And Harry would kill us if we took him away from his quidditch team and his friends."

"He can't kill you if that school kills him first!"

They glared at each other for a few minutes, when Petunia's eyes unexpectedly filled with tears.

"I mean it, Remus." She said, her voice pitched with emotion. "I've already lost my sister. I didn't leave my old life behind just to lose Harry too."

Remis blinked, struggling to find footing now that Petunia was so upset. It was difficult because a large part of himself actually agreed with her. Finally, he settled for this.

"We'll discuss it when we're back together, alright? Sirius and Harry need to be involved too before we make a decision. And we have another meeting with Dumbledore as well, maybe he'll give us more information that helps us choose what's best for Harry."

Petunia scoffed at the mention of Dumbledore, but seemed appeased overall.

"Fine," She wiped at her eyes. "When will Sirius and Kreacher get here, then?"

Remus frowned. "You know, I'm not entirely sure -"

"Honey!" Sirius yelled, throwing open the door in a grandiose way. "We're home!"

"Master Sirius ought not to bang the door so harshly." Kreacher grunted from behind Sirius, shuffling into the room with his belongings in an expanded suitcase.

The elf looked appraisingly around the flat, impressed by the cleanliness. Sirius had explained that they lived with two muggles and that they were to be respected, but Kreacher wasn't so sure he'd manage that. Until he met Petunia - who seemed to share his values when it came to perfection and clean spaces. Much to Sirius' detriment and Remus' delight, Kreacher did immediately take to Petunia's ways.

They set him up in his new room, which Kreacher immediately turned into a cross between a bedroom and a Black family shrine. Sirius had put his foot down on the cursed objects and the majority of the family portraits, but Kreacher had managed to bring most of Regulus' treasures growing up. He'd also taken all of Regulus' old bedding to make new robes for himself. Kreacher now looked quite cozy, wrapped in a long-sleeved black toga and makeshift shoes.

Though Remus and Sirius dreaded it, their meeting with Dumbledore finally came.

"At least it'll be Christmas holidays right after," Remus said soothingly to Sirius as they headed out into the wintry weather.

"Yeah," Sirius growled. "We can get Harry away from that manipulative bastard."

Remus sighed. "That wasn't my point, Sirius."

"I know." Sirius looked fondly at Remus, kissing him on the cheek. "I appreciate the attempt at cheering me up."

They apparated to Hogsmeade, then walked as slowly as possible up to the castle. Harry met them at the entrance, grinning ear to ear.

"Hullo again!" Harry hugged them both. "Ron, Hermione, and Neville want to see you after your meeting with Dumbledore. They weren't happy when you two didn't even say hullo last time."

"Well, in our defense," Sirius said brightly. "We did have a rather long day, eh?"

Harry laughed, walking with them to Dumbledore's office.

"Yeah, I suppose so." Harry stopped at the entrance. "The password's 'licorice wand', by the way."

"Thanks, kiddo." Sirius ruffled Harry's already messy hair.

"We'll be right back, alright Harry?" Remus smiled reassuringly at him.

"Let me know if Dumbledore found out anything about Dobby!" He called after them as they went up the staircase.

The office looked exactly the same, right down to the irritatingly calm headmaster sitting at his desk.

"Welcome," He said warmly, gesturing to the chairs in front of himself. "Would either of you care for a toffy?"

"No, thank you." Remus said politely, speaking for both of them. "Did you happen to find out who Dobby serves? Harry asked us to see if you'd found anything out yet."

"As a matter of fact, I have." Dumbledore smiled. "Dobby serves the Malfoy family, which complicates matters."

"I don't think I have to tell you, but the Malfoy family has become rather powerful within the Ministry. I've contacted Amos Diggory for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, who will hopefully be able to question Dobby about his family's involvement with the Chamber of Secrets."

Remus nodded, though Sirius looked concerned.

"Won't Dobby punish himself if he talks about his family's secrets?" He asked roughly. "And since when has the Ministry taken the word of a house elf as fact over a wizard?"

"I didn't know you cared about the rights of house-elves." Dumbledore said curiously.

"But no, he will not punish himself - there are certain loopholes in the contract between wizarding kind and house elves - so that Mr. Diggory will question Dobby without issues. And if his testimony is what I believe it will be, then it will be backed up by myself and the diary in my possession."

Here Dumbledore chuckled slightly. "I do believe there will also be several less savory items in the Malfoy's possession that may make our jobs easier."

"Right." Sirius looked mollified.

"Now," Dumbledore continued, his face growing more somber. "To the point of the matter - the diary and the locket. I need to firstly explain that both come from Lord Voldemort, and what they are. Then we will discuss how best to move forward with this information.

And Dumbledore went on to explain what a horcrux was in essence, along with the evidence that Lord Voldemort had managed to create more than one. He finished by explaining that he believed there would certainly be more horcruxes hidden somewhere.

"I will be using my resources these coming months to track down as much knowledge as I can regarding Lord Voldemort's life and possible horcruxes."

"It's hard to imagine," Remus murmured. "That at one point, Voldemort was a child."

"Yes," Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "I will inform you both once I have collected information that will help us know how to proceed. But I would also like to make a request."

Sirius perked up at the last sentence, having previously been looking at his hands while he processed the information they'd been given.

"While we are sorting this out," Dumbledore said calmly, ignoring Sirius' glare. "I would like the assurance that Harry will remain at Hogwarts where he can be protected."

"Protected?" Sirius scoffed. "Right, like he was protected last year?"

"How did you know we were considering removing him from Hogwarts?" Remus asked instead, looking shrewdly at Dumbledore.

"It was an educated guess." Dumbledore admitted. "But I'm afraid that is my condition to help you both."

"The boy needs a magical education, but he also needs to be monitored as he grows up. You both tried to hide his gifts from me, but those gifts are not the only thing that Harry's scar might be the cause of as he matures. We have never before seen anything like the magic Harry and Voldemort share - they are, through that scar, connected."

Remus shared a weary look with Sirius, who looked alarmed. Nodding once, Remus spoke for them both again.

"Alright, we agree to your condition." He acknowledged. "Harry will continue learning at Hogwarts."

"Excellent." Dumbledore clapped his hands together and stood up. "Now, I'm sure Harry will want to spend time with you both. I will keep in touch."

They were almost out of the office when Sirius stopped and looked at Dumbledore.

"Is Colin awake now?"

"Yes," Dumbledore smiled. "He's gone back to classes and would be very happy to meet with you both."

"Alright," Remus took hold of Sirius' shoulder. "Thank you, Dumbledore."

They didn't talk about it during the whole of the afternoon, as Remus and Sirius spent time with Harry. He was thrilled to have them both around, showing them all of his favorite places and bringing them up to the Gryffindor common room. There, they were practically tackled by all of Harry's friends and by Colin Creevey. He was so thankful and happy that Sirius practically melted.

Only when they had settled in for the night at the Three Broomsticks did Remus and Sirius address the elephant in the room. It was Remus who spoke first, after casting privacy wards.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" He asked, partially hoping he'd just misunderstood.

But Sirius nodded solemnly. "Dumbledore thinks Harry is a horcrux."

Notes:

Big yikes for our main characters this chapter.

I'm not going to follow Dobby and the Malfoy's case because our characters will be very busy, but Dobby will return later because I love him.

I also didn't realize I needed Kreacher and Petunia to be friends until it was put in front of me. It seems like a bit of a stretch, but their ability to become friends just shows how far their prejudices towards each other have fallen away. Petunia is no longer biased against magic or afraid of magical creatures, while Kreacher is no longer surrounded by people who hate muggles. He can form his own opinions now, with the guidance of Sirius.

Happy Reading!