The Search Is Over,
Chapter 111, The Dead of House Black
Kereston and Ariana were waiting in the library when Kreacher and Regulus returned home. Ariana leapt to her feet with a warm smile as soon as the two entered hand in hand.
"I wanted to thank you so much again for helping me to find my father! I'm staying at the Hog's Head with him indefinitely, so I hope to see you all often even after our business is concluded."
Regulus smiled warmly.
"Ariana, it's so wonderful to hear that it all worked out!"
"Yes," Kreacher murmured, nodding.
"Kreacher?"
Kereston spoke suddenly, her tone sharp with concern.
"Are you well? Why you look so pale."
Kreacher flashed a quick glance to Regulus before returning his steady gaze to his small blonde friend.
"Kreacher is fine," he assured.
"Kreacher is simply a vampire now," Regulus added dryly, feeling it best to get that bit over with.
"That's why we're late, Ariana. I apologize for that, but Kreacher decided to change the plans this evening without giving me much notice at all."
Kreacher squirmed, but he was unable to keep the slight grin from his face.
"Kreacher did not exactly plan it either. At times, he can perhaps get carried away," he explained.
Ariana blinked.
"You are a vampire now, aren't you! It shows how distracted I am that I didn't even notice! Some necromancer I must seem."
Regulus gave her a small, understanding smile.
"It's alright. We all have reasons to be a bit distracted."
"So now you're well and truly Nosferatu," Kereston said, rising to give Kreacher a firm hug and fond kiss on the cheek.
Grinning and blushing, Kreacher hugged her back, chuckling a little at the Nosferatu reference.
"So you're what, their Renfield," Ariana asked Kereston, who gave a slight smile and shrugged.
"I'm here to help if they need it with whatever they can't attend to during the day. Unlike Dracula's Renfield, I don't give or receive blood, and nor do I have an interest in doing so."
"You also seem a bit more sane," Ariana stated cheerfully.
"Only a bit," Regulus asked, arching his brows.
"She seems quite sane to me."
Ariana chuckled.
"She lives here in this delightfully spooky old house and seeks to be Minister For Magic some day! She can't be completely sane."
"I'm perfectly sane. Just a Slytherin," Kereston said with a small amused smile as she resumed her seat.
"Slytherin," Ariana murmured.
"That's a Hogwarts house thing, right?"
Kereston nodded.
"You're in a room full of proud former Slytherins. Well Kreacher didn't attend Hogwarts, but if he had he'd most definitely have been in Slytherin house."
"Most definitely," Regulus agreed and Kreacher proudly nodded.
"What makes someone Slytherin," Ariana asked.
"Ambition, resourcefulness, determination, and cleverness," Regulus answered at once.
All were character traits his family prized, after all so he was quite familiar with them and proud to have all of them in spades.
"I wonder if my father was a Slytherin," Ariana mused.
"He and I still have so much to talk of and learn about one another!"
"His brother Albus was in Gryffindor so I would guess he was as well, but I don't know," Regulus replied as he and Kreacher moved to the sofa, taking a seat side by side, their hands still clasped.
Kereston was shooting Kreacher sidelong curious looks, and he was grinning at her like the cat who'd just drunk the blood of the poor canary. Regulus guessed she'd have lots of questions later concerning how he was finding vampirism.
With a sudden stab of regret, he wondered if Bella and Rod might have had the same sorts of questions for him back in the day, had he been able to remain in contact with them after Dora turned him.
If he and Kreacher had gotten to meet up after the lake incident was completed as he'd planned, perhaps things could've been very different. Though destroying the Inferi had honestly seemed like a brilliant idea at the time, in hind sight it was rather ridiculous and the attempt had cost him far too much. In trying to take something more from Voldemort, he'd ended up taking from he and Kreacher instead.
While Regulus got himself quite lost in thought, Kreacher, Ariana and Kereston chatted about the four Hogwarts houses. When the topic wound down, Ariana's face became serious as she turned toward Regulus.
"Are you ready to speak to your parents," she asked almost gently.
Regulus glanced at Kreacher, hesitating.
"If you'd like to put this off, I can pay Ariana to return another day. You are still processing the change and..."
"You don't have to pay me," Ariana assured.
"Kreacher can do it now," the elf said firmly.
"If Master Regulus could go into that lake on his first night as a vampire, Kreacher can speak to the spirits of his former Master and Mistress."
He held his chin high as he spoke.
"As I recall, that day wasn't exactly one of my great successes," Regulus said, glancing down in embarrassment that he didn't bother hiding.
"Well that may be so, but Kreacher can manage," the elf said.
He gave Regulus a slight smile, obviously mollified on some level that Regulus frankly admitted his poor choices on that fateful day.
"Very well, then," Ariana said, giving a brisk nod.
"We can go to their graves, or I can attempt the summoning here if you have an item belonging to each of them. Preferably something they used frequently or cherished."
"I think I can find something," Regulus said, rising to his feet.
Kreacher moved to follow and he gestured the elf back down onto the sofa.
"I can find something. You stay here and relax."
Kreacher nodded dubiously, and Regulus grinned as he bent to kiss the elf's cheek.
"You think I'm completely useless in practical matters, but I'm not," he murmured in Kreacher's ear, then apparated upstairs before the elf could form a snarky response.
With a sinking feeling of sadness growing in the pit of his stomach, Regulus hurried into his parent's bedchamber. As he'd suspected, each had a hairbrush lying on Walburga's dressing table. Both were made of heavy silver. Hers was more ornate with scroll work on the back and handle, and as he'd suspected, the bristles still held long strands of her gray hair.
Exactly when had his beautiful mother's lustrous black tresses turned gray? Biting back a sob he turned his attention to the brush that had belonged to his father. Heavy silver like that of his wife's, the two were clearly a matching set, though Orion's was far less ornate. It held several strands of short black hair. Hair should even be more personal than a prized possession, he reasoned, snatching one up in each hand and apparating back down to join the others.
"Ah that's perfect," Ariana said, smiling happily as she stood to take the brushes.
Regulus shot Kreacher an 'I told you I'm not useless,' look.
"Wise brilliant Master Regulus," he murmured when Regulus resumed his seat on the sofa.
"I should go," Kereston said, rising from her chair."This is a private family matter. Good luck, Regulus...Kreacher. I hope that speaking with Walburga and Orion is all you hope it is."
Regulus and Kreacher murmured their thanks as the blonde slipped from the room.
"Kreacher would've liked for them to meet Kereston, but he supposes we have many weighty matters on which to speak, so it shall have to wait."
Regulus nodded in agreement with the wisdom of that.
"What are their names," Ariana asked.
"I need those to summon them."
"Of course," Regulus nodded.
"My mother is Walburga Black, and my father is Orion Black. Is there anything else you require," he asked.
Ariana shook her head.
Still holding Orion's hairbrush in one hand and Walburga's in the other, she closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath before speaking in a clear, resounding voice.
"I, Ariana Dumbledore summon the spirits of Orion Black and Walburga Black. Bestir yourself from your current activities and come to me!"
They all waited with bated breath. Then they waited a bit more. They waited for nearly a full minute before Ariana let out an exasperated exhalation.
"What is happening," Regulus asked pensively.
Kreacher leaned forward with a worried expression, then began peering around the room as if searching for the spirits of Orion and Walburga.
"They are hesitant," Ariana replied.
"It's as if they are afraid to return. I presume they died under unpleasant circumstances?"
"Yes," Regulus said quietly.
"I may need other items to use along with these hairbrushes," Ariana requested.
"Perhaps favorite possessions that brought them true happiness."
Regulus considered for a moment, then smiled as an idea suddenly occurred to him. He rose from the sofa, drawing Kreacher along by the hand to come with him.
"Would we do? If you held our hands or something? They loved us both very much and I'd like to believe we brought them happiness."
He swallowed down a lump of emotion, smiling in relief when Ariana smiled and nodded.
"The both of you as an anchor should work wonderfully! What a creative idea!"
Kreacher beamed.
"Master Regulus is the most brilliant creative wizard there ever was," he proclaimed.
Regulus couldn't help glancing away in embarrassment even though the compliment was pleasing. He hadn't been very brilliant when it had most counted, and that was more than difficult to forget.
When Ariana clasped each of their hands in one of hers, leaving the hairbrushes side by side on her lap, Regulus felt his pulse jump. It was finally about to happen!
"Orion and Walburga, your son Regulus and your elf Kreacher are here and are asking to speak with you."
Ariana spoke in the same resounding voice she'd used earlier. As had happened earlier, the silence stretched as they waited. This time, however, the wait wasn't nearly as long. The temperature in the room dropped, and when Regulus glanced around, he could see wispy mist like forms coalescing. One was beside Kreacher and the other beside him, flanking Ariana. At first they were just long, thin, vague shapes. Ariana sat stock still, a stony, set expression on her face. Regulus had the feeling she was lending her strength to the apparitions at her sides.
Bit by bit, they grew more defined, until the one beside Kreacher took the shape of Orion and the one at Regulus's own side was clearly Walburga. She looked young once again, however, and to Regulus's relief, nothing like the sick old lady in her portrait. Both she and Orion were transparent, but only a little.
"Regulus? Is that truly you, Baby? And Kreacher?"
Walburga's voice sounded just as Regulus remembered it, though with an otherworldly breathy sort of undertone that he would later find difficult to describe.
"I told you he couldn't be dead when we were unable to find him," Orion said, peering across Kreacher and Regulus to frown at his wife.
"Shut up, Orion," Walburga snapped.
"I am trying to speak with my child."
Regulus's eyes widened, for he'd never heard his mother speak to his father in such a tone.
"She's been like this off and on from the moment I explained what happened, shortly after she arrived in the spirit realm," Orion reported dryly, glancing between Regulus and Kreacher as he spoke.