The Search Is Over,
Chapter 94, Exciting Times
Kreacher was eagerly waiting beside Regulus's coffin at sunset. As soon as the lid shifted, indicating Regulus was in the act of beginning to push it back, the elf was already talking.
"Kreacher has decided to work with Blaise Zabini and Gellert Grindelwald on enchanted items. He is rather excited about it. He was rather surprised to be so interested, but he finds their own excitement is contagious, and Kreacher finds himself eager to see what he can do with them when we combine our magic."
As Kreacher spoke, Regulus sat up, blue gaze attentive in the dim light as he listened.
Not at all for the first time, Kreacher noticed just how much he loved it when Master Regulus looked at him with that expression of attentive focus. As if Kreacher was the only person in the entire world. It made him feel singularly special and always had.
"That's wonderful," Regulus said warmly.
He smiled as his intelligent eyes lit with pleasure.
"I'm so excited for you! And for the results of all that shall surely come of this venture. I can't wait to see what items you all end up crafting, and of course the process involved in all that the three of you do!"
He chuckled, giving his head an incredulous shake as he rose.
"Just think, Kreacher! Back when I was attending Hogwarts, could you ever have believed that you would work with Gellert Grindelwald himself some day in the future?"
Kreacher chuckled as he shook his head.
"Indeed Kreacher would not!"
So many things had changed for the better after all they'd been through. Sometimes it nearly made the dreadful seem not so relevant to Kreacher so long as Regulus didn't fall into another episode of pointless despair. His depressions always made Kreacher feel helpless and tangled up inside. He didn't understand why his dearest could not just let the past go and take joy in all they currently had and the fact that they were together again and had survived it all.
Before Kreacher and Regulus could begin planning how they would spend their evening together, the door chime rang out, filling the manor with its solemn tones.
"Are we expecting anyone," Regulus wondered.
"Kreacher didn't think so," he replied.
Together they went to see who their surprise visitor was. As it happened there were three of them.
"Hi, Prats. We thought it was time to catch up. It's been a few weeks," Bellatrix drawled.
Kreacher couldn't help grinning at the three Lestranges. They were rough around the edges, but they were family and had always treated him well.
"Kreacher has news, actually," he said, stepping back so that Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan could enter.
He found that in spite of telling Regulus of the new venture, he was still practically bursting with excitement, and eager to share the news again. As Regulus led the way to the library, Kreacher explained how he would be working on combining elf and human magic to make enchanted items with Gellert Grindelwald and Blaise Zabini.
"You're working with Grindelwald," Bellatrix practically squawked.
Grinning with unabashed pride, Kreacher nodded.
"They asked Kreacher specifically."
"That's bloody brilliant," she breathed.
"I'm so proud of him," Regulus said with a smile as they entered the library.
"He's finally getting the recognition he deserves."
"Well, do you think you could arrange for us to meet them," Bellatrix asked Kreacher as everyone took seats.
"Kreacher doesn't see why not," the elf agreed readily.
"They shall be here to work Monday morning, and they should be here for several hours. Just be here, and Kreacher shall make introductions."
He noticed that Kereston was nowhere in sight and idly wondered where his friend was. She enjoyed the library so was often there reading with he and Regulus. Perhaps she had some sort of project to do for the Ministry, though she hadn't mentioned it. Then he recalled that the Lestranges seemed to make her nervous, so assumed she preferred not to socialize. While he thought them quite nice, he respected the reputation they'd earned. Hopefully Kereston would allow herself to get to know them eventually.
"Thanks," Bellatrix said enthusiastically, bringing Kreacher's mind from Kereston to the current conversation.
"I can't believe I'll actually be standing face to face with Gellert Bloody Grindelwald Monday Morning~!"
Her eyes lit with an eager exhilaration and for a moment, she nearly looked carefree and young again. That made Kreacher smile. He was glad that he could bring such an expression to Bella's face. All three Lestranges were looking far better from their stint in Azkaban, but they were still thin and to him a bit faded. They were slowly improving though, and in time they would be just as they once were. He was sure of it! Like he and Regulus, they were fighters, after all.
"It's still shocking that he's alive in some ways, yet in others not at all surprising when you think about it. He's Fucking Grindelwald," Rabastan opined.
Bellatrix and Rodolphus nodded their mutual agreement.
"I suppose Kreacher and I are nearly used to it by now, but I understand the sentiment," Regulus said.
"Soon, though, to Kreacher Gellert Grindelwald will just be a work partner."
He smiled proudly at Kreacher as he spoke, and for that instant, Kreacher felt like the brightest star in the sky. In the end, Regulus's high opinion would always matter to him more than anyone else's, even that of Gellert Grindelwald.
Blaise and Gellert arrived at 12 Grimmauld place around ten Monday morning. As soon as the door chime rang out, Bellatrix leapt to her feet.
"I'll get it," she said, and tore from the dining room where she and the other two Lestranges along with Kreacher were having morning coffee.
Rodolphus and Rabastan hurried after her. Kreacher hung back and allowed her to open the door to them, a slight smile of amusement curving his lips.
"Get inside quick," Bellatrix told Blaise and Gellert in way of greeting.
As she spoke, she stepped back and flung the door wide.
They acquiesced, walking quickly inside, and she hastily shut the door behind them. As the Lestranges were technically supposed to be dead or in Azkaban, Kreacher was pleased to see Bella being careful not to be seen by the outside world.
"Bellatrix Lestrange," Blaise asked.
His usually composed nearly bored expression, almost looked surprised!
She nodded, giving a mad grin that was full of silent laughter.
"Who else has this hair, I ask you," she demanded, tossing her wild locks over one shoulder.
"Mine is better," Gellert declared, giving his own blonde locks a flip and Bellatrix smirked, rolling her eyes.
Pleased that everyone was already getting on, Kreacher smiled from where he hovered out of sight in the shadows of the front hall.
"Isn't anyone bloody dead," Blaise demanded!.
"I am quite certain that Sirius Black is extremely dead," Bellatrix said firmly, expression most definitely self satisfied as she made her proclamation.
"May his foul soul writhe in eternal spiritual torment," Kreacher chimed in, at last approaching to stand behind Bellatrix.
"Kreacher sees that Blaise and Gellert have met Miss Bella," the elf observed.
"I'm late for work, but I had to pop in to meet Gellert Grindelwald," Bellatrix explained.
"When Kreacher said he was actually working with you, my family and I simply couldn't resist! If you're ever ready to take on the filthy Muggles again, count the Lestranges in."
For an instant, the glitter in her eyes put Kreacher not unpleasantly in mind of the good old days.
"That's right," Rodolphus agreed, coming to stand at Bella's side. Rabastan moved up to stand beside his brother, giving Blaise and Gellert a nod of greeting.
"That's my husband, Roddy and the runt there is our little brother Rabastan," Bellatrix said in way of a casual introduction.
"Nice to meet you," Gellert said, unfazed by the entire affair. Meanwhile, judging by his mildly stunned expression, Blaise was still struggling to sort out how Bellatrix was alive and how all the Lestranges were out of Azkaban.
"While the offer is kind, I am nothing like your Dark Lord was," Gellert told the Lestranges with a slight inclination of his head.
"Good," Bellatrix said, then swept out the front door without another word, the two men following behind.
Once they were outside, the sound of three consecutive cracks indicated all three had just apparated away.
"You must explain if I am to concentrate on work at all today," Blaise told Kreacher.
"Powerful wizards simply do not die easily," Kreacher replied, smiling slightly as he repeated the words Gellert himself had spoken more than once.
"The Lestranges were captured during the battle of Hogwarts by Ministry officials who recruit for something called Black Ops."
Kreacher chuckled.
"Considering Miss Bella used to be a Black it seems fitting to Kreacher, it does."
He chose to allow Regulus to share the part he'd played in that if he wished to do so.
"But the papers said Molly Weasley killed her, difficult as that is to grasp," Blaise said, arching elegant dark brows.
"During that fight, Miss Bella was hit with a stunner from behind which caused her to fall. The official that knocked her out then proceeded to shout about how Molly Weasley had saved the day, so everyone believed it including Molly Weasley herself, who was indeed trying to kill Miss Bella," Kreacher explained.
"I see," Blaise said, nodding.
"But why does the Ministry trust the Lestranges enough to hire them for Black Ops work? I mean they're the Lestranges."
"They are good at what they do and the Ministry didn't have anyone better...In fact everyone they had was far worse. They did finally try to set their own Black Ops on Voldemort's trail, but they couldn't find him much less bring him in. They at last were forced to open their eyes and finally understood what sorts of people they needed working for them," Kreacher said.
"Yes, but that doesn't explain the trust factor," Blaise said.
"Why does the Ministry trust the Lestranges not to run away at the very least."
"The Ministry has made the Lestranges take unbreakable vows. They have also promised to pardon them for their crimes if they work them off for forty years. They merely have to do so in disguise or unseen. The world believes the two men to still be in Azkaban and Miss Bella dead."
That bit Kereston had told them when she'd gotten the information from an Auror friend of hers.
Though Regulus had not commanded the head Auror to do this, it was nice to see the man working within the framework that had been vampiricly set for him. Especially when it so obviously benefited the Lestranges. Regulus said for the suggestion to have taken so well and been incorporated into the man's own reasoning, it was likely something he, at least in part agreed with.
Blaise gave a dry chuckle.
"I'm sure they bloody do. If general society knew the Lestranges were out, they'd soil themselves repeatedly on a daily basis."
"Are they truly that bad," Gellert asked, expression doubtful and a bit amused.
"They seemed relatively harmless even if they didn't recover from their stay in prison as well as I did."
"They tortured the Longbottoms for information until their minds broke so badly that they can no longer function," Blaise said with a casual shrug.
"Who are the Longbottoms," Gellert asked.
"Are they relevant?"
Blaise shrugged again.
"Not truly. Blood traitors and wizarding trash basically," he said, making a casually dismissive gesture with one long, elegant hand.
"It's just the lack of control in the act that sort of bothers me.
Gellert nodded in understanding.
"It wasn't like them truly," Kreacher muttered.
"It was hardly their faults, was it?"
Would there ever come a time when such thoughts didn't thrust his mind back into an unpleasant past? He couldn't defend the Lestranges fully without telling things that Regulus did not wish shared due to the fact he couldn't help the Lestranges so didn't want to risk doing more damage. He likely would not want others knowing more about the Lestranges than they themselves did if it wasn't entirely necessary.
"They were always good to Kreacher, especially after Master Regulus..."
The elf trailed off, face crumpling as his long fingered hands twisted at the long black tunic he now wore.
How he hated thinking of such things much less speaking of them. Remembering times when the Lestranges were so kind to him after Regulus was presumed dead hurt more than he expected. Suddenly Kreacher needed to see Regulus just to be certain he was truly still here with him.
"Kreacher needs to check on Master Regulus's sleep...Just to assure himself. The library is down the hall and two doors to the right. We will work in there today, Kreacher thinks," the elf said, gesturing them in that direction before apparating upstairs, into the bedchamber he shared with Regulus.
Mortis sat calmly beside the coffin, keeping watch as he was wont to do. Kreacher peered around the dim room, assuring himself that not even a sliver of sunlight was getting past the new heavy curtains and darkening charms he'd added to the room. Crouching beside the coffin he eagerly turned back the lid and peered inside at the beautiful beloved face. Not until the sigh of relief exited him, did he realize how agitated he'd so suddenly become just from the thoughts in his own silly head! Regulus's face was peaceful in his rest and it made Kreacher's heart tighten with love. Bending he kissed the cool lips once then whispered into Regulus's ear."Kreacher loves his Master Regulus so very dearly."
He gently closed the lid of the coffin, then stroked Mortis's head in farewell. Standing, he apparated out and joined Blaise and Gellert in the library, once again eager for their work day to begin.