Kreacher's Master
— and the locket, Master Regulus's locket, Kreacher did wrong, Kreacher failed in his orders!"
Harry reacted instinctively: As Kreacher lunged for the poker standing in the grate, he launched himself upon the elf, flattening him. Her scream mingled with Kreacher's, but Harry bellowed louder than both of them: "Kreacher, I order you to stay still!"
Hermione saw the elf freeze and Harry released him. Kreacher lay flat on the cold stone floor, tears gushing from his sagging eyes.
"Harry, let him up!" Hermione whispered somehow feeling the elf's pain.
"So, he can beat himself up with the poker?" snorted Harry, kneeling beside the elf. "I don't think so. Right, Kreacher, I want the truth: How do you know Mundungus Fletcher stole the locket?"
"Kreacher saw him!" gasped the elf as tears poured over his snout and into his mouth full of graying teeth. "Kreacher saw him coming out of Kreacher's cupboard with his hands full of Kreacher's treasures. Kreacher told the sneak thief to stop, but Mundungus Fletcher laughed and r-ran. . . ."
"You called the locket 'Master Regulus's,' " said Harry. "Why? Where did it come from? What did Regulus have to do with it? Kreacher, sit up and tell me everything you know about that locket, and everything Regulus had to do with it!" Harry ordered the elf.
The elf sat up, curled into a ball, placed his wet face between his knees, and began to rock backward and forward. When he spoke, his voice was muffled but quite distinct in the silent, echoing kitchen.
"Master Sirius ran away, good riddance, for he was a bad boy and broke my Mistress's heart with his lawless ways. But Master Regulus had proper pride; he knew what was due to the name of Black and the dignity of his pure blood. For years he talked of the Dark Lord, who was going to bring the wizards out of hiding to rule the Muggles and the Muggle-borns . . . and when he was sixteen years old, Master Regulus joined the Dark Lord. So proud, so proud, so happy to serve . . ." just as Kreacher was speaking, somewhere in those said words it felt like more words were unsaid.
"And one day, a year after he had joined, Master Regulus came down to the kitchen to see Kreacher. Master Regulus always liked Kreacher. And Master Regulus said . . . he said . . . The old elf rocked faster than ever.
". . . he said that the Dark Lord required an elf."
"Voldemort needed an elf ?" Harry repeated, looking around at Hermione, she was as puzzled as he was.
"Oh yes," moaned Kreacher. "And Master Regulus had volunteered Kreacher. It was an honor, said Master Regulus, an honor for him and for Kreacher, who must be sure do whatever the Dark Lord ordered him to do . . . and then to c-come home." Kreacher rocked still faster, his breath coming in sobs.
"So Kreacher went to the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord did not tell Kreacher what they were to do, but took Kreacher with him to a cave beside the sea. And beyond the cave there was a cavern, and in the cavern was a great black lake . . ."
The hairs on the back of Hermione's neck stood up. Kreacher's croaking voice seemed to come to her from across that dark water. She had heard from harry what had happened as clearly as though she had been present.
". . . There was a boat . . ." Of course there had been a boat; Harry had told her and Ron about the boat, ghostly green and tiny, bewitched so as to carry one wizard and one victim toward the island in the center. This, then, was how Voldemort had tested the defenses surrounding the Horcrux: by borrowing a disposable creature, a house-elf, easy to forget and far more easier to make them obey.
"There was a b-basin full of potion on the island. The D-Dark Lord made Kreacher drink it. . . ." The elf quaked from head to foot.
"Kreacher drank, and as he drank, he saw terrible things. . . . Kreacher's insides burned. . . . Kreacher cried for Master Regulus to save him, he cried for his Mistress Black, but the Dark Lord only laughed. . . . He made Kreacher drink all the potion. . . . He dropped a locket into the empty basin. . . . He filled it with more potion.
"And then the Dark Lord sailed away, leaving Kreacher on the island. . . ."
Hermione's heartbreak for the elf .
She did not know how Kreacher had escaped but she thanked the gods
"Kreacher needed water, he crawled to the island's edge and he drank from the black lake . . . and hands, dead hands, came out of the water and dragged Kreacher under the surface. . . ."
"How did you get away?" Harry whispered.
Kreacher raised his ugly head and looked at Harry with his great, bloodshot eyes. "Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back," he said.
"I know — but how did you escape the Inferi?" Kreacher did not seem to understand.
"Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back," he repeated.
"I know, but —"
"Well, it's obvious, isn't it, Harry?" said Ron. "He Disapparated!"
"But . . . you couldn't Apparate in and out of that cave," said Harry, "otherwise Dumbledore —"
"Elf magic isn't like wizard's magic, is it?" said Ron.
"I mean, they can Apparate and Disapparate in and out of Hogwarts when we can't."
There was silence as Harry digested this. How could Voldemort have made such a mistake? But even as he thought this, Hermione spoke, and her voice was icy.
"Of course, Voldemort would have considered the ways of house elves far beneath his notice, just like all the purebloods who treat them like animals. . . . It would never have occurred to him that they might have magic that he didn't."
"The house-elf's highest law is his Master's bidding," intoned Kreacher. "Kreacher was told to come home, so Kreacher came home. . . ."
"Well, then, you did what you were told, didn't you?" said Hermione kindly. "You didn't disobey orders at all!" Kreacher shook his head, rocking as fast as ever.
"So what happened when you got back?" Harry asked. "What did Regulus say when you told him what had happened?"
"Master Regulus was very worried, very worried," croaked Kreacher. "Master Regulus told Kreacher to stay hidden and not to leave the house. And then . . . it was a little while later . . . Master Regulus came to find Kreacher in his cupboard one night, and Master Regulus was strange, not as he usually was, disturbed in his mind, Kreacher could tell . . . and he asked Kreacher to take him to the cave, the cave where Kreacher had gone with the Dark Lord. . . ."
And so they had set off. Hermione could visualize them quite clearly, the frightened old elf and the thin, dark Seeker who had so resembled Sirius. . . . Kreacher knew how to open the concealed entrance to the underground cavern, knew how to raise the tiny boat; this time it was his beloved Regulus who sailed with him to the island with its basin of poison. . . .
"And he made you drink the potion?" said Harry, disgusted.
But Kreacher shook his head and wept. Hermione's hands leapt to her mouth: She seemed to have understood something.
"M-Master Regulus took from his pocket a locket like the one the Dark Lord had," said Kreacher, tears pouring down either side of his snoutlike nose. "And he told Kreacher to take it and, when the basin was empty, to switch the lockets. . . ."
Kreacher's sobs came in great rasps now; Harry had to concentrate hard to understand him.
"And he ordered — Kreacher to leave — without him. And he told Kreacher — to go home — and never to tell my Mistress — what he had done — but to destroy — the first locket. And he drank — all the potion — and Kreacher swapped the lockets — and watched . . . as Master Regulus . . . was dragged beneath the water . . . and . . ."
"Oh, Kreacher!" wailed Hermione, who was crying. She dropped to her knees beside the elf and tried to hug him. At once he was on his feet, cringing away from her, quite obviously repulsed.
"The Mudblood touched Kreacher, he will not allow it, what would his Mistress say?"
"I told you not to call her 'Mudblood'!" snarled Harry, but the elf was already punishing himself: He fell to the ground and banged his forehead on the floor.
"Stop him — stop him!" Hermione cried. "Oh, don't you see now how sick it is, the way they've got to obey?"
"Kreacher — stop, stop!" shouted Harry.
The elf lay on the floor, panting and shivering, green mucus glistening around his snout, a bruise already blooming on his pallid forehead where he had struck himself, his eyes swollen and bloodshot and swimming in tears. Harry had never seen anything so pitiful.
"So you brought the locket home," he said relentlessly, for he was determined to know the full story. "And you tried to destroy it?"
"Nothing Kreacher did made any mark upon it," moaned the elf. "Kreacher tried everything, everything he knew, but nothing, nothing would work. . . . So many powerful spells upon the casing, Kreacher was sure the way to destroy it was to get inside it, but it would not open. . . .
Kreacher punished himself, he tried again, he punished himself, he tried again. Kreacher failed to obey orders, Kreacher could not destroy the locket! And his Mistress was mad with grief, because Master Regulus had disappeared, and Kreacher could not tell her what had happened, no, because Master Regulus had f-f-forbidden him to tell any of the f-f-family what happened in the c-cave. . . ."
Kreacher began to sob so hard that there were no more coherent words. Tears flowed down Hermione's cheeks as she watched Kreacher, but she did not dare touch him again. Even Ron, who was no fan of Kreacher's, looked troubled. Harry sat back on his heels and shook his head, as if trying to clear it.
"I don't understand you, Kreacher," he said finally.
"Voldemort tried to kill you, Regulus died to bring Voldemort down, but you were still happy to betray Sirius to Voldemort? You were happy to go to Narcissa and Bellatrix, and pass information to Voldemort through them. . . ." his tone dripping with venom and feeling of betrayal.
"Harry, Kreacher doesn't think like that," said Hermione, wiping her eyes on the back of her hand. "He's a slave; house-elves are used to bad, even brutal treatment; what Voldemort did to Kreacher wasn't that far out of the common way. What do wizard wars mean to an elf like Kreacher? He's loyal to people who are kind to him, and Mrs. Black must have been, and Regulus certainly was, so he served them willingly and parroted their beliefs. I know what you're going to say," she went on as Harry began to protest, "that Regulus changed his mind . . . but he doesn't seem to have explained that to Kreacher, does he? And I think I know why. Kreacher and Regulus's family were all safer if they kept to the old pure-blood line. Regulus was trying to protect them all."
"Sirius —"
"Sirius was horrible to Kreacher, Harry, and it's no good looking like that, you know it's true. Kreacher had been alone for a long time when Sirius came to live here, and he was probably starving for a bit of affection. I'm sure 'Miss Cissy' and 'Miss Bella' were perfectly lovely to Kreacher when he turned up, so he did them a favor and told them everything they wanted to know. I've said all along that wizards would pay for how they treat house-elves. Well, Voldemort did . . . and so did Sirius."
Harry had no retort. As he watched Kreacher sobbing on the floor, he must have remembered something, because under his breathe mumbled" I do not think Sirius ever saw Kreacher as a being with feelings as acute as a human's. . . ."
"Kreacher," said Harry after a while, "when you feel up to it, er . . . please sit up."
It was several minutes before Kreacher hiccupped himself into silence. Then he pushed himself into a sitting position again, rubbing his knuckles into his eyes like a small child.
"Kreacher, I am going to ask you to do something," said Harry. He glanced at Hermione for assistance. He wanted to give the order kindly, but at the same time, he could not pretend that it was not an order. However, the change in his tone had gained her approval: She smiled encouragingly.
"Kreacher, I want you, please, to go and find Mundungus Fletcher. We need to find out where the locket — where Master Regulus's locket is. It's really important. We want to finish the work Master Regulus started, we want to — er — ensure that he didn't die in vain."
Kreacher dropped his fists and looked up at Harry.
"Find Mundungus Fletcher?" he croaked.
"And bring him here, to Grimmauld Place," said Harry. "Do you think you could do that for us?"
As Kreacher nodded and got to his feet, Harry had a sudden inspiration. He pulled out Hagrid's purse and took out the fake Horcrux, the substitute locket in which Regulus had placed the note to Voldemort.
"Kreacher, I'd, er, like you to have this," he said, pressing the locket into the elf's hand. "This belonged to Regulus and I'm sure he'd want you to have it as a token of gratitude for what you —"
"Overkill, mate," said Ron as the elf took one look at the locket, let out a howl of shock and misery, and threw himself back onto the ground.
It took them nearly half an hour to calm down Kreacher, who was so overcome to be presented with a Black family heirloom for his very own that he was too weak at the knees to stand properly.
When finally he was able to totter a few steps they all accompanied him to his cupboard, watched him tuck up the locket safely in his dirty blankets, and assured him that they would make its protection their first priority while he was away. He then made two low bows to Harry and Ron, but stared in Hermione's direction as if trying to figure out something then giving her what might have been an attempt at a respectful salute, before Disapparating with the usual loud crack.
Sometime after Kreacher left, Harry and Ron both stood up and went into the living room to get back at the much-awaited rest after such an emotional troll.
Hermione rather than following them went upstairs towards the top most floor to find out more about the 17-year-old boy who was just a mere a passing thought yet held the most important key in fighting the war against Voldemort.
His room was as Slytherin as it could get dark emerald green and black as major theme in the room , yet the room was not dreary in all. It felt like the calm she felt as watching the night sky with her father.
How stars keep themselves hidden away when not needed same could be said about the last occupant of the room.
He knew how to hide away in crowd yet shine the most only when needed.
Maybe he learnt that by hiding from family, friends if he had any but most of all sometimes hiding himself from himself also.
Hermione knew all about it.
She was hiding about the war from her family. She was hiding from her friends by not telling them about obliviating her parents. But most of all she was hiding from herself as she has been telling herself everything will be fine. But will it be? She didn't know.
As Hermione moved towards the bed she notice the room maybe as Slytherin as it could get but it also represent the traditional aspect of the Black family. The detailed carving of constellation on bed were a of way keeping family near him. At the least that's how she can see it .
Even Bellatrix has a spot in the galaxy of Regulus Black though as the farthest start yet she has a spot.
The center of the said galaxy is reserved for a special constellation as it shined the most in the mountain of dust that had gathered around it. That is Canis Major and the brightest star within its Sirius.
The flawless and unique charm work has Hermione in awe. The defined carving in the black colored furniture gives one the comfort of sitting under the night sky and enjoying the calm of night and star gazing, a way of feeling peace through family. A way of reminding one self of what is important and what will always be priority.
"Maybe Regulus was not as lost as Sirius thought, maybe he was trying to find his north star again, a way back towards the only person who has always guided him. Who ran with him in halls of this house. Who was till the end the center of his world."
Hermione moved from the bedside towards the book shelves. Several different types of books were shelved in random subject or order. Some of them were shelved by subject such as creature, potions, plants, spell creation etc.
But the order in which they were shelved was different for each shelf.
Some were arranged by publishing date some by alphabetical order of author, title or publication house others by the edition and print date.
She found the shelfing patten not only unique but intriguing also. Due to her bibliophilic nature, she felt more drawn towards it.
She notices that the 8 shelves of books had a creative patten of its own. Each shelf has a unique alignment of books with some books out of order.
After involving herself in such an eccentric puzzle Hermione couldn't back out so she started working. As time started to tick off she made progress with the shelves.
During the process she realized that it was quite odd for a person to have such books out of order and for a elf who worshiped the ground Regulus walked on to make such mistake.
So, she kept odd books separate on the floor.
She knew that the world she called her home from past 6 years has proved her that is it not as it always seems. And one should always look twice.
So, she started working diligently.
Every out of order book was of a mundane subject but the notes within it was not. With each shelf she felt that she could understand Regulus more and more.
The books were of mundane subject but notes with them were anything but.
1st shelf odd books were
Biography Eldritch Diggory (Dementors)
Matting pattern of species rarely found on English soil (Acromantulas )
France and its tolerance towards non humans (Giants)
This was the list of creatures Voldemort allied through bargain .
2nd shelf contained
The curse of the moon and the sun (werewolves and vampires)
List of creatures to gain control or support of.
3rd shelf
History of Ministry of Magic by Cassandra Macmillan
This has different departments marked (creature law , DMLE, archives, DOM etc.)
4th shelf
Protean Charm
Apparition
Blood wards
(Dark Mark)
5th shelf
Patronus Charm
Fiendfyre
(Magical Guardians )
6th shelf
Spell creation
Spell alteration
Non verbal spells used in 14th century.
(Dual Preparation)
7th shelf
Venoms (Basilisk )
Portions (lethal)
Antidotes (all)
(possibility of poison )
8th shelf
Soul magic
Purest soul
Houcrux
(answer to many questions)
Just by seeing the title of books and their hidden meaning has Hermione in shivers, how one single wizard has prepared himself for war and how to protect his family.
After all of this only one thought remained in Hermione's mind.
"Who were you Regulus Black? How come have you not survived this war?"