Chapter 87: Reclaiming Lost Youth
The letter from Griphook came the very next day after Mag and Severus's visit. Regulus was impressed with the speediness of the response. As he opened the scroll, stamped with the seal of Gringotts, Kreacher looked eagerly on. He wondered if the goblins were always so prompt on personal matters or if Griphook did Mag a personal favor. The letter was brief and to the point, perfectly suiting the style of Griphook's personality as Regulus understood it. The news was a bit of a mixed bag.
"What does he say," Kreacher demanded, edging closer and peering intently up at the scroll in Regulus's hands.
"He says they have two very good healers that can probably do anything," Regulus replied.
"Good," Kreacher sighed in relief.
"They are twins, and their services are very costly, but that's no issue for us, of course," Regulus continued. Kreacher nodded. "And they're out of the country on Sabbatical at present. Griphook believes they shall be unwilling to return until they are ready. Also there seems to be no way for him to get in touch with them." The relief on Kreacher's face gave way to a scowl of frustration. "I have lived with it this long, and I can continue to do so until it's sorted," Regulus assured gently. "Besides, it gives Severus time to work on studying the potential contents of the potion. Even if he only partially manages to succeed, the healers could find any information helpful."
"Kreacher supposes," the elf growled sullenly.
"And we can distract ourselves with a bit of finally being able to live our lives," Regulus said, bending to kiss Kreacher. "Remember how we always planned to travel and take time to ourselves before everything went to hell with Voldemort? Why don't we do so now? It would definitely make the time pass faster while we wait on the healers to return, and you can charm something for Griphook to be able to locate us anywhere once they do."
Kreacher supposes so," the elf returned sulkily. "Kreacher would have enjoyed our travels far more were Master Regulus fully himself again, however."
"Well I shall try very hard to ignore this poison inside of me and be myself again just for you," Regulus promised solemnly. The doubt in Kreacher's eyes caused his spirits to sink at once, but as a man of his word, Regulus struggled against the feeling. "I promise," he insisted and Kreacher nodded reluctantly as his blue gaze rose to meet Regulus's own.
"And because I know how much you hate the way I do it, I'll even let you pack," Regulus coaxed, causing Kreacher's lips to twist into the slightest of smiles. "But first, we should make a travel list," he added excitedly. The idea was truly beginning to grow on him. He and Kreacher had once so cherished their plans of traveling together and finally being able to actually do it was something they hadn't had time to truly consider what with so much going on.
"We did speak of going to Greece," Kreacher said slowly.
Regulus smiled fondly at the memories of those long conversations in which they'd planned out their tour of the world back in the good old days. "Yes! And Haiti."
"Kreacher thinks he is also interested in seeing Guatemala."
Regulus nodded. "Indeed there should be some magical ruins there of interest. You are wise. What about Prague?"
Kreacher smiled, nodding. "Yes, the atmosphere there seems properly dark," he agreed. "I'll just grab a quill and parchment to get that list going," Regulus said eagerly. His spirits were rising with Kreacher's willingness to accept the distraction of at last embarking on their lost youth as it were. They were in the library, so parchment and a quill were close to hand on the desk. Regulus seated himself and neatly jotted down the places they'd decided upon thus far. "Where next," he asked Kreacher, who watched from an armchair across the room.
"We could visit Severus and Mag in Bulgaria if Master Regulus would like to get another look at the Durmstrang library," Kreacher suggested.
Regulus nodded eagerly, adding Bulgaria to the list. "I'll write them before we set off to ask if it's alright with them and if they have a particular time they'd like to have us in case we need to switch up the order a bit," he said. "Voldemort can't even ruin the lure of the Durmstrang library," he added with a grin. During his days at Hogwarts, he'd lamented for years about being stuck there rather than Durmstrang, and he would revel in examining its books at his leisure if allowed to do so. Voldemort had ruined enough, so reclaiming something that he'd tainted felt a bit empowering. The memory of breaking into the Durmstrang library with the Lestranges and Kreacher was not an unpleasant one. Nonetheless it still involved the books which, in the end, had helped him to discover what a monster Voldemort truly was. The memory of that may always be something he related to Durmstrang, but he would enjoy the place for its dark secrets regardless of that. Anything of value could be ruined if one allowed it to be, after all, so he simply would not allow it. "You won't mind returning there, will you," he asked Kreacher who shook his head.
"Kreacher does not believe so. We shall be surrounded by friends, after all, with many books of interest to enjoy." Regulus nodded, giving his best friend a smile of satisfaction. "I agree." After adding Portugal and Sweden to their travel list for being two of the oldest European countries in existence, they felt their travel list was complete. At least for the first trip. Regulus was writing Severus and Mag to ask if they might pay them a visit and when would be a good time when Dora returned from her evening hunt. When they filled her in on the current news she smiled softly. "I will be leaving this first trip to the two of you. I shall return to my home in Rome and you can catch up with me there when the goblin healers are ready to have a go at fixing Regulus if not before."
"But I thought you were traveling with us," Regulus protested and Kreacher nodded.
"Yes. Dora promised," he reminded.
Dora shook her head. "I did not promise to tag along on a youth revisited romantic trip. I promised we could travel together and we shall. That can be your second trip, but this sounds like one you two need to take alone."
"Very well," Regulus said, giving her a smile of appreciation.
He loved her for being so understanding. Of coarse they'd have been glad to have her along, but time alone was probably just what they could use right now. "When are you leaving," Dora asked. "I'll go on the same day."
Regulus hesitated. "Do you have a preference," he asked, not wanting to put her out when they'd asked her to stay with them longer in the first place.
"I could leave tonight technically," Dora said. "It only takes me a moment to ready myself for travel and the hour is still early enough that I could get to Rome before sunrise."
"Especially with Kreacher apparating you," Regulus pointed out and Dora gave an embarrassed smile of chagrin. "I somehow keep forgetting that! A few thousand years being unaware of magic can do that, I suppose."
"Surely," Regulus agreed. Such wasn't nearly as difficult to imagine now as it would've once been. Now the concept of having thousands of years to accomplish things, to watch the world change, felt nearly normal.
"How about we leave tomorrow. It gives us all time to pack at our leisure." Dora nodded. "That sounds fine."
"Feel free to leave some of your things here, as you will be back," Regulus said and Dora chuckled. "Alright." Kreacher busied himself writing Kereston and Millicent to say that he would be away traveling for a time, then charming a sheet of parchment to find him where ever he was. He sent it to Griphook with a note of explanation so the goblin could write when the healers returned. After that he and Regulus headed upstairs to pack. Rather Regulus sat on the bed and watched Kreacher pack because he'd promised to do so. "You can at least put our things in the same trunks together to save space," Regulus suggested, and to his surprise, Kreacher nodded and acquiesced. In no time at all, their three trunks were packed and ready to go. When Regulus reached for his guitar case to place it with the trunks, Kreacher's lips tightened, but the elf made no verbal objection. Regulus sighed and drew his hand back, leaving the guitar case to rest in its usual place against the wall beside the bed. He wanted to make everything up to Kreacher and if leaving his beloved music behind would help in any way toward that, Regulus was ready and willing, even if he would miss his six stringed friend while away. "I won't bring the guitar," he told Kreacher with an apologetic smile.
The elf's face lit up and he smiled back in relief. "Oh! How nice! Does Master Regulus really mean it?"
"Of course I do!"
Kreacher rushed forward to embrace him, squeezing him tightly. "Good. Kreacher truly appreciates that!" Before Regulus could even decide if he wished to comment, Kreacher was pushing him back onto the bed and all verbal thoughts left his mind as he gave way gladly to needs of the flesh. Kreacher's body against his, the heat that always sprang to life between them in less than a second was an addiction from which he never wished to before. As Kreacher straddled him, grinding their erections together through their clothes, the elf reached down for Regulus's head. Long sinuous fingers tangled in Regulus's shoulder length black hair, drawing his face up so that their mouths could meat in a shared hunger. "Kreacher's," the elf growled against Regulus's mouth and Regulus groaned in ready consent. Nearly two hours later, the two lay naked and tangled on the thoroughly mussed bed, the darkness surrounding them like a welcoming blanket. "When is Master Regulus turning Kreacher into a vampire," the elf murmured, words nearly slurred in the wake of his lazy afterglow.
"Soon enough, but I want you to enjoy all those things to the fullest at least once that you may miss later," Regulus said. "For instance, I want you to enjoy the variety of international foods on this vacation. I never got to enjoy food from Portugal or Haiti, but you should."
"Kreacher does not want what Master Regulus cannot have," the elf declared, rising to a sitting position on the bed to add more punch to his declaration.
Regulus gently drew Kreacher back down to lie across his chest. "Why ever not? One of us should have the experiences for which we both once longed. I want you to have everything. Unknowingly or not, I accidentally caused you a great deal of suffering, and I wish you would allow me to at least attempt to make it up to you."
"Kreacher cares nothing for specialized foods if he cannot share them with his Master Regulus," he grumbled, but he did relax his body against Regulus's own rather than insisting on sitting back up again to make his point.
"But if you try them, you can learn to make them. Wasn't that what you originally wanted? To learn to make more interesting dishes?"
"Only to make them for Master Regulus," Kreacher said sadly. "He cares little to make them for himself. Not to mention if he is a vampire soon enough, it shall hardly matter what he learns to cook."
Regulus nodded. "True enough. I doubt you shall even enjoy cooking anymore after the change. Will you mind that," he wondered, suddenly concerned over the prospect of robbing Kreacher of his craft. He always felt the elf's power was far above that of wizards and the idea of Kreacher using it to cook and clean was insulting. Still if Kreacher felt otherwise, Regulus hated the idea of taking something from his friend that mattered to him.
"Perhaps a little," Kreacher admitted. "The benefit of joining Master Regulus in all ways will be worth it, however."
"Good," Regulus said, admittedly relieved to hear it. When he'd first returned, he was afraid that Kreacher would reject him due to his vampirism, so the fact the elf was willing to embrace it as well never failed to gladden Regulus's heart. "Speaking of cooking, though, we really do need to look into getting another servant when we return from our travels. I really don't like the idea of you serving anyone."
"But Kreacher enjoys looking after Master Re..."
Uninterested in whatever the elf was about to say, Regulus cut him off with a firm kiss. Rarely did things between them stop at one kiss and it was yet another hour before either was talking again. "I appreciate the fact that you like to look after me, but you are free now. I have given you clothes, and Mr. Potter has restored our home to us which you now own half of, so you can't be more free than that." Grinning, Regulus sat up and tossed his robe over Kreacher's head. "There, have something else, but stop undermining your own power." He couldn't help a chuckle that quickly turned into an outright laugh at the sight of Kreacher squirming under the enveloping robe which completely covered his head and most of his body. "You look so...fu...funny!" With a mock snarl, Kreacher flung the robe across the room and lunged at Regulus. Laughing the two tumbled across the bed where things quickly became heated for the third time that night.