Harry Potter belongs to J. K. Rowling, I am just playing in her world
Black and Potter!
Previously
"Why Mistress Black's Luna has Master Reggie's note?" Kreacher asked staring at the note that had been handed around the table and Luna was currently holding.
"Regulus Black, if his middle initial was 'A'." Hermione pondered aloud.
"Kreacher, do you know anything about this and the other locket it was swapped with?" Heather asked looking at Kreacher, while tapping the locket. Getting Kreacher's attention off of Luna as he looked like he was about to attack her. In order to get the note she held.
"Please Mistress Black. Master Black promised me to not say. Don't make me break Master Black's promise, please."
Kreacher looked so dejected and miserable and Heather couldn't find the heart to force him when he had been so wonderful for the last two days. "It's alright Kreacher I won't force you to break your promise."
"Heather we need that information." Her dad pointed out.
"Let's look at the drawing room tapestry first. We will find Regulus's full name on it. It is wise to first see if he even had a middle initial of 'A'. After that if we confirm that this note is from him. Well then we can decide what we need to do." Heather replied. Heather knew she was stalling, Kreacher had already claimed the note as belonging to Sirius's younger brother, but hopefully she would think of something while distracting everyone else.
All she could think about was of the poor relationship between Sirius and Kreacher. How that coupled with being controlled by a portrait, likely led to the house elf lying. She wanted to prove that a partnership was possible between witch and house elf. Heather then left the dining room. She crossed the second floor landing and entered the drawing room with the others, including a wretched Kreacher, following.
Mum noticed the entry first, and drew everyone's attention to it. 'Regulus Arcturus Black born April 23, 1961 died October 8, 1979'.
Heather feeling pressure from the rest of the room's occupants, stood in front of Kreacher. "There has to be another way to find out where the actual locket is without making Kreacher break his promise." She pled for someone to agree with her.
Hermione stood beside her best friend. "We will find another way."
"Heather you are Kreacher's Mistress and that means you are able to reason with your house elf. Even if you choose to have the information shared in private. It will not violate the prior promise. Heather you can modify any prior Master's promise. The current bond of you as Kreacher's Mistress is absolute."
Heather didn't like the knowledge that she could trump prior promises that seemed like a master and slave bond. Not a symbiotic one. She was thinking of how to disagree without saying it badly. When her dad came to her and gently held her. He lifted her head that had fallen to look at the floor in frustration, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Heather, I know you don't want to hurt Kreacher but it is imperative we find the real locket. We need to destroy it. We just…
"Mistress Black wants to destroy the other locket?" Kreacher asked Heather hopefully perking up from his disheveled state, and coming around from behind his Mistress's back to see her face.
"Yes Kreacher, I must destroy the locket that Master Black swapped this one with."
"Mistress Black can promise to destroy locket?" Kreacher asked. The poor little thing now was almost looking giddy and happy.
"I have to find a way to destroy it Kreacher. I promise I will destroy it and I have already destroyed another one of these things before."
It was quite surprising to find they were already in the same room as the actual locket. Kreacher had moved to the desk opened a drawer. He placed his finger inside the drawer obviously pressing an internal catch and a decorative panel of the desk opened. Reaching into the small opening Kreacher extracted a similar locket to the one they had been discussing around the dining table. After closing the panel to hide the secret compartment once more he handed the locket to Heather.
Voldemort tried to remain calm. With having already lost several followers. It wouldn't do to let his anger take more resources from him. He was finding it hard to not allow his frustration to take control. He needed his potion master. He would just let him know how much he had disappointed him. Of course he would let him sweat for a while first. His mind wanted to drift on to other topics that were annoying him.
If only the team he had sent to kill Bones had succeeded. However, she now had been handed power that put his plans for taking over the ministry in to jeopardy. He had known that she was a problem that needed to be eliminated. So how to take the ministry, remove Bones and get behind those wards.
Voldemort remembered sitting in the Black's drawing room. How he disliked having to act polite to the useless witch that was giving her son, Regulus to him. He was seeing the Black's family drawing room. There was a house elf, just like the one he had used, handing a locket to Potter. No! It couldn't be. That elf was dead. His locket was safe. He lashed out at Potter.
Heather suddenly hissed and dropped the locket grabbing her head. She had experienced sharp pain from her scar. When she pulled her hand away from her scar there was some blood on her hand. The pain was the same as when she had been in Voldemort's presence, the bleeding used to only occur when she had been looking through his, or his familiar's eyes. It was a horcrux alright, she didn't like that she seemed far more vulnerable to them though. The diary had never done this and she had written in that. "I don't think we should touch it."
"Well you definitely shouldn't. Come here let's get the scar cleaned up." Hermione said grabbing Heather.
"Kreacher hurt Mistress."
As she was being pulled from the room Heather twisted back, "You will not punish yourself, Kreacher."
Heather returned to be informed Kreacher had returned the locket back in to its secret compartment until they had a method to destroy it. He'd done it before anyone had thought to tell him not to touch it. It hadn't appeared to hurt him. Just in case she had told him that the locket shouldn't be touched again until they were ready to destroy it.
She was happy that the promise to destroy the locket earlier had allowed Kreacher to find a reason to overcome the promise to not talk about it. Especially as she had been worried that if push came to shove she might have abused the power she had just discovered she apparently had. Would she do whatever she had to, in order to get what she needed? Was she that ruthless? Was she evil?
The worries gnawed at her and her biggest concern was that the self-questioning might be from Heather. When she had been Harry she hadn't given a second thought to what she did. Now when she looked back on events from the past she found herself constantly looking for how she could have done it differently. There were even events with the Dursley's where Heather pointed out his curt response had been rude or lacking respect that likely exacerbated the situation. Had she made herself weaker by embracing Heather? The prophecy quoted 'he'. Could only Harry destroy Voldemort? Was that why the horcrux was able to attack Heather where the diary had not been able to hurt Harry?
Now she just had to work out how to keep her promise to Kreacher and destroy it. However, fear was challenging her because what if she couldn't? She had said she destroyed one before, but she didn't destroy it. Harry had destroyed the diary, not her. During her introspection she realized she had seen the locket before. In fact she had held it before when she was Harry and it hadn't attacked him.
"Hermione we had that locket the other summer. Do you remember we were looking through the items in the desk? It was one of the items that were determined to be cursed and placed for throwing away."
"Kreacher kept it safe. Master Reggie gave it to me to destroy. After everyone sleep after throwing it away, I took it. I hid it. After lockdown wards and good Mistress Black here protect house and let me clean house. I placed it back in here, still hoping to destroy it. Now Mistress Black promise will destroy the locket." Kreacher hopefully looked at Heather.
"Thank you Kreacher for keeping the locket safe and I will find away for it to be destroyed."Kreacher beamed at her, which Heather thought was a bit scary actually. Internally she was in meltdown. It was the same locket. Against a horcrux she was weaker.
"Heather there is a problem." Luna stated. While everyone had been concentrating on the house elf and horcrux Luna had been poking around the drawing room looking at what ever took her fancy. "You're on the tapestry."
"Yes, I know that Luna. My paternal grandmother was Dorea Black that married my dad's father to become a Potter. I already saw that before during the summer we spent here." Heather replied.
"I am not talking about that entry for Harry James Potter. I am talking about this one for you." Luna pointed to a line that came down from one of the scorched off names that was just to the left of Regulus's entry that they had looked at earlier.
The odd thing was that the date of birth was toggling between four dates, one moment stating July fourteenth of this year, today. The second date was two days earlier on the twelfth. The third was the nineteenth of September, nineteen-seventy-nine and the last was July thirty-first of nineteen-eighty. A cold shiver went down her spine as she read the name 'Heather Jabbah Black'. Apparently she was according to the tapestry the daughter of Sirius Orion Black. It was his name that had previously been at this location on the tapestry where now only the scorch mark was. Heather clearly recalled Sirius proudly showing the scorch mark of where his name had been the last summer they had spent at the house. Telling her it was burned off by his mother when he had run away from home.
"That wasn't on the tapestry earlier when we were looking at Sirius's younger brother?" Heather nervously asked.
"I think we would have noticed the changing dates. It is pretty eye catching?" Hermione added what everyone was thinking.
"That flippin' name has to be one of Moody's!" Heather angrily stated. "That better not be my name. Sounds like that giant slime ball monster that ate tiny young creatures alive and enjoyed watching things die."
"If you are talking about the smuggler boss from 'Star Wars' that doesn't have the last 'h'." her dad stated then hopefully added." So if you stress the 'h' giving it a long 'ah', it sounds completely different."
"You didn't choose that name, dad did you?"
"No baby, I did not choose it but it sounds rather sophisticated and elite. You are being distracted by this though. I think we should discuss the horcrux we have found and worry about the tapestry later when we have more information."
Though Heather wanted to worry about why a name, starting and ending Heather and Black, with both Hermione and her birthdays amongst several changing dates of birth that now was on the tapestry she reluctantly agreed that it would be pointless guess work. Unfortunately just because she understood they should concentrate on the horcrux that just landed in their laps, didn't miraculously allow her do so. Two problems were now plaguing her. Realizing she had missed a question she asked dad to repeat.
"I was asking how you destroyed the other horcrox."
"Oh, I just took the broken off piece of basilisk fang that had got lodged into my arm when the basilisk had bit me and stabbed it into the diary a few times." Heather informed them not noticing the concerned faces around her. They were anxious at the lack of worry about her own life as she blithely explained how the prior horcrux had been destroyed.
"Please tell me the being bitten first is not a necessary requirement in using this method of destruction." Mum frantically requested.
"Nope, but I didn't think to keep hold of the fang. So at the very least we would have to get another fang from the dead basilisk under Hogwarts." Heather stated.
"We will research to see if we can find any other method." Hermione added, looking to both Luna and Heather to get them on board with the research.
"Is there a need for magic that would prevent both of us helping in that research?" Mum asked.
The query reminded Hermione that they also had a whole library available to them here, one that might not be safe. "Actually that would help as you could free us up to search the library that wouldn't be as good an idea for you to enter, as the prior owners were rather anti-muggle."
"That is an understatement." Heather added.
"Right so tomorrow we research on other methods to destroy the horcruxes. As Dumbledore wanted the information kept at a minimum we don't share what we are specifically researching with the rest. We will also try to work out what the other three might me. Heather, preferably this evening, you need to write a letter to let Moody know about the tapestry and see what he thinks it means. Anything else we should worry about?" Dad said.
"If we are now not including Ron, and we want this information kept secret. …Well, so there isn't a risk if he gets angry when we inform him of his non-inclusion. I think I need to study up on the oblivation charm." Hermione added, while looking guiltily at Heather and wondering how she would react.
"Unless you want to learn it, we can save time, if you just tell me what you want Ronald to forget." Luna let them know. She then looked around at everyone staring at her. "I forget you haven't really met my dad. But Hermione and Heather, he was in the same room as we discussed the prank we intended to pull on your parents when we arrived here and he saw what I was wearing when we left. Did you think that was appropriate behavior for a dad?"
"Luna! You have not been obliviating your own dad when you feel like it?" Hermione scandalously asked, dreading the response.
"What! No but since mum died, dad really isn't all there and if he kept on being charged with breaking the international statute of secrecy then not only would the fines get problematic, but he would likely not be able to operate as a reporter. I made it my number one priority to learn the obliviate spell to cover up when he did or said something he shouldn't in front of muggles, so the authorities didn't need to be bothered."
"But, but the trace!" Hermione lost for words exclaimed.
"As an international reporter I got my first waiver filed a couple of years ago. I didn't need to renew it this summer as I found out last Christmas that my trace was inactive."
Now everyone was gaping at Luna. "Luna, why did you take the polyjuice potion?" Mr. Granger declared trying to ignore the apathetic attitude of the right's of muggles' memories that even their own daughters and girlfriend apparently had, let alone the rest of the magic folk at large held.
"I thought we already covered that. Absolute best dish of fish cooked ever by one of my girlfriends." Luna stated causing Heather to blush.
Dan wanted to end this meeting and escape the madness, but knew he needed to ensure there was nothing else that should be covered. "Right moving on, is there anything else we need to discuss or think about now?"
"We had mentioned it in passing and then keep forgetting, but Kreacher I am really thankful for everything you have done and am not doing this because I think you are inadequate. However, in case we need to quickly pop somewhere I don't want us stuck with limitations. I would like to get some more house elves here so we are not restricted. You are a fantastic house elf you don't mind do you?" Heather asked while looking at Kreacher.
"Mistress Black can have as many house elves as Mistress needs." Kreacher said completely uncaring.
To think she had worried she would hurt his feelings. "Do you need to get them?" Heather inquired, and after Kreacher's nod. "I allow Dobby and Winky to enter the Black lockdown wards. They are at Hogwarts." Instantly Kreacher was gone and within a few minutes returned with a shriveled lump of cloth and a hyper Dobby that instantly latched onto Hermione.
"Greatest Wizard Master Potter's Hermy, where Greatest Wizard Master Potter? Winky dying must bond now!"
Well aside the look from Dobby when he finally understood his idol was now a witch. Heather felt the request to have 'Hermy' bond with Winky then Dobby leaving with Winky right after, to get her better a slight against the new her. Dobby had adamantly declared he needed no help in taking care of the house elf. It was disturbing. No, she had to be truthful even though the hyper always praising house elf had been annoying, the current almost ignoring caused a painful loss. Hopefully it was shock, because she didn't want a second hit against being Heather. Dobby was important and it hurt.
With the meeting wrapped up the girl's left for the fourth floor. Reaching it the three of them nervously shifted about and rather embarrassed looked at each other to decide if they should go to their new individual bedrooms or the shared master suite for the night.
Breaking the tension Luna exclaimed. "Well considering you two got to sleep with each other last night. I want to sleep with you both tonight." She then nonchalantly entered the master suite leaving the door open and expecting them to follow her.
The second that Voldemort found himself back in his own body he was moving. That couldn't be the locket. It couldn't, but he must know if Potter somehow knew of his horcrux. Had Potter learned them from their linked minds? He needed to check the cave. As he was leaving, Severus arrived.
Severus had been preparing his shields knowing that he was being called for providing inaccurate information. He was sure that he had been taken in to the complete confidence with Dumbledore. However, his doubts were heightened now with this new bastard Black that stopped Narcissa from claiming Prima Black.
The mutt couldn't even die without attacking him. He had tormented him throughout his schooldays. Ensured he had no enjoyment and reprieve from the abuse his father provided during the holidays. No his years at school thanks to Black and Potter were hell. They caused him to lose Lily. They drove him to join the death eaters and have a master that was likely to kill him if he didn't get his shields working.
Black and Potter, he loathed them. Now even dead they somehow each have a brat, ensuring that he is tortured. If they had never been at Hogwarts he would have married Lily. His schooling would have been, well even if not great, it would not have been that, what it was. Lily was smart enough that perhaps she could have found a way to enable his mother and himself to escape his drunkard father that killed her.
It was always Black and Potter. The two always thick as thieves would be flaunting themselves as the 'marvelous' Marauders with their stupid childish attitudes. Ones that Dumbledore allowed them to keep and laughed along with them, giving minimal detentions, if any. For nearly killing him they should have been expelled, but Dumbledore favored them. Black and Potter believed that Hogwarts was theirs, and they lorded it over everyone. Why did the majority of children think the idiotic boisterous bullies were cool?
Forcing his errant thoughts behind his shields he swung open the door and nearly crashed into the Dark Lord. Falling to his knees he stammered. "M…my Lord." Severus prepared for the pain that he knew was coming but the Dark Lord swung passed him and strode away from him. Panic won the battle between the other emotions of surprise, confusion and relief. If the Dark Lord ignored the person he had requested for a failing assignment then something must be very wrong. His whirlwind thoughts arose from his shields and he internally yelled 'Black! Potter! What idiocy have you done now?'
