As a really old house elf popped into existence, Harry also came in claiming that he couldn`t sleep. Severus had hoped to not involve the boy in all this, but didn`t think he would have any success in keeping the boy away from this discussion at least so he grudgingly let the boy stay.
Kreacher was cowering in front of Sirius who in his eagerness to get answers was treating the old elf in a bad way, and in the end Harry stepped in saying "don`t yell at him Sirius, just tell him to answer questions truthfully and then let Dad do the questioning." Black sourly agreed to this and withdrew to the other side of the room, while Severus asked in a soothing manner "Dobby said you have a locket that he thinks is dark, could we see it?"
Kreacher gave him the locket but broke down sobbing "kind master Regulus died for that locket, and Kreacher couldn`t destroy it as master asked him to". After sobbing a while the elf finally managed to calm enough to tell his story of how his master had asked him to help him fetch and destroy the locket, and how Regulus had died to acquire the item. "That was just the saddest story ever" Harry said to the old elf, "but my dad Sirius, Remus and Jen will help won`t you?" At hearin gthis the old elf perked up a bit. Patting the old elf in a consoling manner Jen said "That locket is indeed a Horcrux and my father told me how to destroy such items yes. It isn`t too easy but doable, just too bad we don`t have a basilisk handy"
Harry looked up hearing this "we might have at least a dead one, I talked to a portrait of Slytherin that I found in an abandoned classroom. He told me he`d had one hidden in the chamber of secrets when he was alive, it has probably died by now but the remnants should be there.
The adults just looked disbelieving at him and each other, Slytherin had actually told the boy he`d had a basilisk. How on earth had that turned up in an everyday conversation? But they didn`t see why they shouldn`t believe what Harry was saying. There was only one problem: no one alive knew where the chamber of secrets was. They`d have to hope the portrait that Harry had befriended knew and would tell them.
Hours later they had all but given up on Dobby and Harry had gone back to bed, when the elf appeared. "Dobby is sorry master Black, Mr Lupin and professors, Dobby came back when old Kreacher was telling his tale and didn`t want to interrupt. I have just been with the old elf, who I thought was too distraught to be left alone. I hope Dobby didn`t do wrong?
Black seemed ready to yell at the elf, but Lupin trod smartly on his foot giving him a pointed look so he said in a forced calm manner "you might have let us know you were back, did you succeed?"
Dobby brightened and held out a small book "here it is master; I hope it is one of the bad things you were looking for. By the way I just remembered once mistress Narcissa had her sister visiting she was bragging about being given something valuable by he who must not be named. Maybe she had one of the bad things master?"
"Fantastic luck that Narcissa sent you that elf" Jen said after she had confirmed that the book was indeed a Horcrux, "he just handed us at least two of the items we were looking for."
"Yes it was lucky" agreed Black, but I`m sure she sent him mostly to keep in my good books." Seeing the others look at him strangely he continued "I offered to reinstate her and Draco in the Black family; I know from Severus that Lucius had plans for killing them, and this would help keep them safe from him".
