Chapter 28
May 30, 1993
12 Grimmauld Place roughly pushed 11 and 13 aside as Emily and Sirius appeared together on the front steps.
With a wave her wand, Emily opened the large front door, revealing a long, dark hallway. Another wave and the gas lamps lit up in a line into the entryway, ending at the magnificent crystal chandelier. Silver snakes shone on the wall paper. The green carpets were as vibrant as the day they were put in. Portraits in platinum frames awoke and glared at her as she stepped inside and strode confidently down the hall.
"It's her."
"That time of year already?"
"Not according to my lunar calendars."
The largest of them all hung in the entryway - the portrait of Walburga Black.
The old witch winced at the sudden light and sneered at Emily upon seeing her - the usual greeting - but when she spotted Sirius her eyes bulged from her head in shock.
"YOU!" she shrieked at once, her face turning a dark scarlet. "BLOOD TRAITOR-"
Emily threw a silencing spell at the portrait and closed the curtains before she could say more.
Sirius scowled in contempt, his hands balled into fists at his sides, and said, "You put up this piece of rubbish? You've spoiled the good of her being dead."
"It wasn't me," she said and turned away, continuing up the stairs quickly.
"Oy!" Sirius called out, running after her. She reached the first floor and rounded to the second set of stairs. "Wait for-"
'Crack!'
"-Bloody hell!" he screamed, followed by a loud 'thud!'.
Emily stopped and looked over the railing, worried, then sighed in relief.
Kreacher was at the top of the first flight of stairs, glaring down at Sirius, who made it halfway up the first flight of stairs before falling back against the wall, clutching the railing tightly. He looked horrified at the sight of the house-elf.
"Merlin's balls, you're still alive?" Sirius exclaimed, "I thought you'd be a head on the wall by now."
Emily pursed her lips, unconsciously glancing at the house-elf heads mounted above the staircase and the empty space on the end waiting for Kreacher.
"Yes, Kreacher heard his mistress correctly," he muttered under his breath like they couldn't hear, "The blood traitor filth is here. Kreacher thought he had been imprisoned, but he's here with Mistress Emily..."
Sirius let out a laugh of disbelief. "Filth? That's rich coming from you. Gone mad too I see."
Emily ignored the tension and calmly said, "Kreacher, let Sirius by, we're in a hurry."
The elf's face darkened like he wanted to refuse, but he stepped aside and bowed, though not very deeply. As Sirius passed Kreacher said, "A blessing my mistress isn't alive to see this. What is Mistress Emily thinking?"
"We're here for the locket, Kreacher," she said, ready for the question. "We've found a way to destroy it. Our work for Regulus may soon be over."
The elf's eyes widened more than she thought possible for him and she swore she saw relief flash across his face, but he disappeared and appeared in front of her in a bow before she could verify, and said, "What do you need Kreacher to do, Mistress Emily?"
"Nothing," Sirius said before she could answer and put an arm around her waist, glaring down at Kreacher. "I'm here to help her end things."
The house-elf's face became uglier and he muttered darkly, "The blood traitor is still trying to steal Master Regulus's things."
Sirius's grip on her tightened and he yelled, "Go back to the hole you crawled out of, you miserable pest!"
Kreacher's body became rigid and he disappeared with a loud 'crack!'
Emily's eyebrows rose in surprise. "He listened to you."
"Of course he did. That's what house-elves do."
She tsked and stepped away from him, continuing up the stairs. "You were disowned, so I thought you'd lose your hold over this place, over Kreacher, but that's not the case. Your connection here is unbroken, despite all your mother's efforts to erase you from the family tree."
"Brilliant, just what I wanted," he said sarcastically, following her, "Knowing that makes me want to run away all over again."
A distant memory crossed her mind and her lips twitched. "Well, luckily we don't need to fly out the window to escape this time."
"Hey now, don't go shooting that option down just yet," he said, some tension leaving his voice. "Could be fun for old time's sake. Let's fly away and go where no one will find us. I may still have a spare broom hidden around here somewhere."
She imagined flying off into the night, away from all of her responsibilities, his arms wrapped around her securly, and felt tempted. Then she shook her head, refocusing on her resolution to destroy the horcrux and finish Regulus's work. She couldn't run away now.
"You know I hate flying," was all she said.
"Thought you weren't afraid of anything," he said and she could practically see the smirk on his face.
"I'm not afraid of flying," she said, walking faster, rounding the final set of stairs. "I merely find the experience unpleasant. I only fly when absolutely necessary."
Sirius laughed, back to his usual self, and said, "You can be honest with me. I remember the death grip you had on me when we left this place together."
They reached the fourth floor and stood before the doors to Sirius and Regulus's old bedrooms.
"I admit I'm afraid," she said and went to Regulus's door, "But of worse things than flying."
Emily stopped an arm's length away from the door and stared at the sign she faced every time she returned.
'Do Not Enter Without the Express Permission of Regulus Arcturus Black'
Her stomach turned, an uneasiness filling her, and she suddenly felt nauseous. She took a deep breath to quell the sensation.
"You alright?" Sirius asked, touching her arm gently.
Instinctively, she brushed him off and said, "I'm fine."
Then she waved her wand and the door opened.
The room was just how Regulus kept it. Decorated with fine furnishings, emerald and silver wall hangings, and a large wooden four-poster bed. The Black family crest was painstakingly painted above the headboard - the family motto 'Toujours Pur' written beneath, with newspaper clippings about Voldemort plastered on the wall around it.
Her eyes lingered on the bed briefly before she crossed the room to a large leather trunk sitting against the far wall - Regulus's old trunk.
Sirius followed and paused when he passed the desk, lingering to examine the photos atop and hanging on the wall.
"I can't believe you can come back here so easily," he said, not looking away from the photos.
"This is the safest place to hide the locket..." she said and kneeled before the trunk, running a hand over the 'R' on the lid. "I like to come by to check on the horcrux and Kreacher. He's all alone watching over things and needs my help too."
"You shouldn't waste any time on him," he said, sounding annoyed, "He'll betray you the second he gets the chance."
"You don't know that," Emily said, turning to look at him, waiting for him to look at her, but he didn't. "Maybe if you weren't cruel to him he wouldn't be so cruel to you. Regulus was always kind to Kreacher, no matter what."
Sirius stiffened and said, "So it's my fault he's been awful to me my whole life?"
"Of course not, circumstances were different then, but now you can at least try to-"
"No," he snapped, "He's still completely brainwashed by my mother. When I was little he would turn me in all the time, knowing I'd be punished. He enjoyed it. I know he did. There's nothing good in him at all. He can drop dead for all I care."
Emily's mouth twisted and she returned her attention back to the trunk.
"He hardly had a choice, knowing your mother," she said and tapped around the sides and lid of the trunk in a special order with her wand. Suddenly dozens of glowing runes appeared. She watched impatiently as they slowly faded one by one. "He was as helpless as you were-"
"I wasn't helpless," Sirius said, his voice rising, "I saw this family for what it really was, a cesspool of lies and manipulation, so I left."
"Fine, just him then," she said evenly, her eyes still glued on the trunk. She counted twenty runes left. "Kreacher only knows serving the family, and he's still trapped here because of what he knows, constantly punishing himself for not saving Regulus or destroying the horcrux sooner..." she trailed off, watching the last few runes disappear, suddenly unsure of what point she was trying to make.
The lid of the trunk opened by itself and she stood as the bottom unraveled into a winding staircase leading down a deep, dark well. She flourished her wand and lanterns along the walls of the enchanted trunk came to life, illuminating the many levels of different elegant black shelves containing all of Regulus's belongings.
"Two peas in a pod you are," Sirius said, suddenly closer, and her heart jumped, "Both still trapped in the past, guilty over Regulus's mistake, and obsessed with this awful place."
"Well don't worry," she said and stepped into the truck, "It'll all be over soon."
He went to follow her, but she held up a hand and said, "No, wait here."
"What? Why?"
She pursed her lips, her uneasiness getting stronger thinking about Sirius looking through Regulus's trunk and making comments. He wouldn't be able to help himself. She was unsure how to explain that, so she said, "I want to do this alone."
Ignoring the exasperated look he shot her, she turned away. Luckily he listened, staying in the bedroom as she descended the stairs. Halfway down she looked up and saw the opening, so far away, like a small window. Sirius wasn't there anymore. She looked away and kept going.
The deeper she descended the stronger the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach became.
When she reached the bottom she felt a faint 'thump' 'thump' 'thump' brushing across her skin, almost seductively, pulling her in, and goosebumps erupted everywhere. She approached a tall shelf molded into the wall containing a black marble pedestal. Displayed on top in a glass case was Salazar Slytherin's golden locket - Lord Voldemort's horcrux.
Emily lifted her wand and the glass melted away.
Taking a step closer, just in front of the pedestal, her eyes traced the jeweled 'S' on the front of the locket and suddenly a greedy thought slithered into her mind
You're mine.
Her heart pounded as she reached out, running her fingertips over the chain, wrapping her hand around the locket, and she pulled it from the pedestal. The gold was warm. Warmer than a normal piece of jewelry should have been. Heavier as well. It was as if she was holding a heart in her hand - the Dark Lord's heart.
"I have you now," she said, her thoughts spinning too fast to contain, a twisted curiosity building inside of her. "It's fitting that a Slytherin should do this. That I do this..."
The pulse from the locket seemed to quicken, like it was listening. Her body buzzed with so many conflicting emotions. They needed to get rid of the locket, but now she knew she could research it without Voldemort knowing. She wanted to know more. To be the one to conquer the locket. Not Harry. She could spare him from this.
She replayed Harry's memory of standing in front of the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets and imagined how it must have felt speaking a language two others in the history of their kind were versed in. Wondering if she could at least use one word.
Reality faded away. Her eyes traced the 'S' over and over, her body swaying, almost like she was entering a trance. The phrase she stole from Harry's mind was just on the tip of her tongue. She replayed the hissing in her head and wondered if the command would pass for Parseltongue coming from her.
"Emily?" Sirius's voice echoed down the well and her body jolted like she was hit by cold water. "Are you alright down there?"
'"I-" her voice broke and she cleared her throat. "I have it! I'm coming back up!"
Taking a deep breath she made the ascent to the bedroom.
Sirius was waiting for her at the lid of the trunk, his face void of emotion, and held out a hand to her. She put her wand away and stepped out with his help, the locket clutched in her free hand.
"Is that it?" he asked, trying to get a better look.
"Yes," she said and lifted the locket for him to see, her fingers sore as they uncurled.
As he looked she noticed he was holding a framed photograph from the desk. She recognized the scene instantly. Slytherin house was gathered in the common room to celebrate a victory for the Slytherin Quidditch team. Students were pushing for a chance to be in the front with the team. Regulus was in the center holding up the golden snitch, a triumphant smirk on his face. And she was beside him, smiling and looking up at him like she was trying too hard to prove she wanted to be there.
But she remembered that day. Leaving the game to find a quiet place to read, only to run into Sirius in the stairwell. She remembered how he confessed to her, kissed her. And how she questioned him and rejected him to stay with Regulus.
Her heart throbbed and the locket seemed to get warmer in response, reminding her they needed to leave.
That's when Sirius noticed her looking and lifted the photo, explaining himself without prompting.
"I noticed the team - what year this was from - and then I saw you with him..."
At first she thought he meant Regulus, but he pointed to the person standing behind her.
Rabastan Lestrange.
As the photo moved he placed his hand on her shoulder, his fingers brushing her neck, and her skin crawled as if she was there again. After a moment her photo-self subtly brushed him off and stepped closer to Regulus, basking in the cheers and excitement with him, even though she knew first-hand how uncomfortable crowds made her.
"Regulus was bad enough," Sirius continued, sounding more irritated by the second, "but I never understand how you could stand being around that bastard after everything he did to you."
"Tried to do," she corrected, controlling her voice, pulling up her mental barriers to block the onslaught of unwanted memories. She took the photo from Sirius and put it back on the desk. "And I didn't have a choice. We were housemates and he was Regulus's best friend-"
"Best friend, right," Sirius scoffed and frowned at her, looking ready for a fight. "Regulus knew the sick things Lestrange did to you and went on to make him his best man-" he grabbed her wedding photo and showed her like she wasn't painfully aware. "And this was right before he attacked you again."
"I know, I was there. I don't need to relive this," she said, her tone icier, and ripped the photo from his hand, putting it face down on the desk. Her other hand tightened over the locket, a pain rising inside of her, and she said without thinking, "And don't forget Rabastan wouldn't have attacked me again if it wasn't for you."
He looked like she slapped him and she felt oddly satisfied, until he said, "I was only trying to help you after Regulus and the rest of them ruined you."
"Ruined me," she repeated, a cold fury rising. "So that's what you really thought of me."
"No, don't twist my words," he said, reaching out for her, but she took a step away. That only made him more upset and he exclaimed, "You were literally dying because of him! All for this-"
Before she could react he grabbed the locket from her grasp.
"- For this thing," he finished and stared at the locket angrily, like he was facing an enemy he wanted to duel.
"No, Sirius, give it back!" she cried, reaching out, but he held it away from her.
"Regulus shouldn't have given you this burden," he said quietly, resentment bubbling up in his voice. "And I shouldn't have left you that day. I shouldn't have let you marry him for this."
Something inside her cracked and she struggled to pull up another mental barrier as unwanted emotions bombarded her. "Sirius, stop this, why are you bringing this up now?"
"You never want to talk about this, like I'm not allowed to know anything to do with Regulus or the rest of those snakes," he said and something in his eyes changed, becoming darker the longer he stared at the locket. A hollow look entered his eyes that reminded her of the day he left Azkaban - only a shell of himself. "but we're in the perfect place to talk about him. You shouldn't have tried to save him. He was always going to fight for pureblood superiority, but you never believed that garbage - you just wanted to get back at your family - like how I did - but you should have walked away from their side after Hogwarts. You should have been fighting with us, not pretending to be against us. You could've been happy instead of getting wrapped up in Regulus's mess. You could have chosen me..."
Emily stared at him, waiting for him to say more, to look at her, but he didn't. Instead he became more lost in thought - very unlike him - and she said gently, "I know, but we can't change the past, Sirius."
"And what about the future?" he asked, an edge to his tone, like he was reacting to negative news before she even said anything, "Do you even think about our future together?"
"I think about the future constantly," she said evenly, glancing between Sirius and the locket. He was holding it so tightly, watching it so intently, and that concerned her greatly. "But right now we need to get out of here."
His jaw clenched, the veins on his neck bulging. "So this conversation doesn't matter to you?" he asked, his voice low and menacing, and a shiver of fear went down her spine.
"I didn't say that," she said and stepped towards the door, hoping he'd follow. "We'll talk about this later, in private."
"Stop running away from me!" he yelled and grabbed her arm, his grip tight. She grabbed both of his arms in return, her defenses kicking in.
"I'm not," she said calmly, taking note of how the gold and jewels of the locket unnaturally shined and how Sirius's body shook. "We got what we came here for, we can go."
"What you came here for. I'm lucky you agreed to bring me with at all. If Dumbledore didn't force you, I'm sure I'd be waiting up for you. Here I thought we were equals. That you wanted to change. To live differently."
"I do-"
"No you don't!" he yelled, finally looking at her, a crazed look in his eyes. "This bloody locket is all you ever think about. You're only giving me half of you, but I want all of you, Emily. But you don't even think about a future with me, do you?"
The question struck her in an odd way and her throat tightened. She was unprepared for this conversation. And there were currently more pressing matters to worry about. Like how tightly he was holding the locket. She knew she couldn't wrestle it from him, he was too strong, and she didn't want to fight her way out of this.
"Sirius," she said softly, running her hands over his arms, trying to remain calm and come off as comforting. Though she was genuinely surprised, and concerned, by how cold he felt. She stepped closer, leaning into him, and he relaxed slightly.
She looked into his eyes and felt misery and fear so strongly her breath hitched. She threw another mental barrier up, her head tingling painfully, and focused harder on keeping these dark emotions at bay. They were getting caught up in the horcrux's dark magic. It was feeding off them, pushing them to fight. This was only happening because of the horcrux.
Her hand trailed down his arm, her fingers subtly brushing over the locket. It was so warm, like it was stealing heat from Sirius.
"I'm sorry," she said and grabbed the locket. It slipped from his hand and she clutched it close to her chest, backing away towards the door. "We can't do this right now. Let's go."
He looked betrayed, then a sort of resignation settled over him that disturbed her more than his anger. He no longer had the locket, so the effects should have subsided, but he was still upset. More withdrawn than she had ever seen him. Defeated even.
What's it done to him?
"Right, of course you don't have time for me," he said and took a deep breath, finally calming down. "You've done fine without me so far. Don't let me get in the way now. Not like I know anything about the plan you definitely have cooked up. Why fill me in now? Though I've been wondering, only a Parsletongue can open it, right? Are you going to get Harry involved right after the chamber fiasco?"
"No!" she said, bewildered by the sudden accusation. "I'm going to spare Harry from this. I didn't tell you anything because I don't even know for sure if my plan will work."
"Tell me how you expect to open it."
"I'll just..." she paused, suddenly a loss for words, and felt an uncomfortable pull from the locket, the pulsing practically in sync with her heartbeat, as if encouraging her to do something. "I can..." The locket wanted her, she was sure of it. An irrational desire rose and she said, "I'll open it myself."
He laughed unkindly, the sound piercing her heart, and said, "Well, I must've missed when you suddenly learned Parseltongue."
She glared at him, holding the locket closer.
"Been spending a lot of time with your garden snakes?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Stop it."
"Ah, almost heard a hiss there," he said and laughed again. "I can't wait to watch you try, that's for sure."
Her defenses rose, followed by a dark cloud of doubt. Salazar Slytherin and Voldemort enchanted the locket. Did she really think she was as powerful as them? She probably wouldn't be able to do anything to destroy the horcrux. She wasn't special. She was nothing. The only weapon they possessed needed to be wielded by a Gryffindor. She was useless. Just a dirty little snake pretending to be something she wasn't once again.
Looking at the locket she felt the strongest pull yet and thought about how Harry opened the chamber. If she couldn't do this then Harry would need to open the locket. A sudden protectiveness rose and she wished more than anything she could spare him from another encounter with Voldemort. She was immersed in his memories again, imagining the way he would say the command. She heard the sound clearly in her head. Her vision of the locket blurred and she held it close to regain her focus.
That's when she saw something through the jewels and her curiosity spiked. She let out a breath, hissing in the way she kept thinking of, knowing there was no way-
The locket clicked.
Emily's eyes widened when the horcrux opened in her hand, revealing a dark brown eye staring straight at her.