Weeks have passed in Number Twelve Grimmauld Place since Harry's arrival and now it was the beginning of last week of July. Order members were coming and going. Harry has not heard who the new leader was or whatever happened to his murderer. He noticed that Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were quiet around him, but they would rouse themselves to converse with him. They never talked about the Horcrux or Harry leaving. Something was wrong.
Harry kept himself busy by helping clean up whatever remained left to be cleaned, making the house fit for safe living. He played and fed Buckbeak up in Mrs. Black's room. Harry had far more interaction with Buckbeak than his actual friends lately. Even Kreacher, the house elf he inherited with the house and brought back from Hogwarts kitchens, had obliged only to Harry and took what the wizard said to heart. Harry even learned a few things about the Blacks and their history from Kreacher. Harry was conversing more with magical creatures than actual people. First he was a parslemouth, now he's the Lord of the Animal Kingdom. Yep, something was definitely wrong.
He was on the last landing down when he heard someone walking towards him. Harry stopped and pressed his body flat against the wall. There was a bang and a few seconds later the verbatim shrilling screams of Mrs. Black came.
"Sorry, sorry," Harry heard Tonks apologize as she picked herself off from the floor. "It won't happen again. Sorry."
"That's okay Tonks. Just be safe and I'll see you later," Remus' kind voice came through as he shut the curtains silencing Mrs. Black's screams.
"On you-know-when, right?" Tonks asked.
"Yes. Now go before they start searching for you," Remus said chuckling.
"Okay. I love surprises," Tonks said happily.
Harry could only fathom what happened next as he heard someone light jump and Remus made a sound, then another sound…He dreaded how long he stood there and what transpired, but he shook himself when he heard the door close. Harry walked down the last set of stairs, pretending to be oblivious of what happened between the werewolf and the Auror.
"Harry! I was wondering when you would show up," Remus said jovially with the largest smile on his face. Harry could tell that smile was not from seeing him.
"Hello, Remus," Harry said waving and continued walking away.
"Harry?"
"Yes, Remus? Is something wrong?" Harry asked turning his attention to the older man.
"Well…Actually I heard –"
"There's my new master…Serve him now I do. Not a pure-blood like my mistress and her brat, but he is like the Dark Lord when he was young…Yes, Kreacher agrees. Dark hair and pale skin. Kreacher heard from those mudbloods and traitors that he is almost as powerful…" They could easily hear Kreacher hiding next to the portrait of Mrs. Black. He was still speaking as if no one could hear him.
"Kreacher?" Harry asked forgetting about Remus.
"Yes, Master? There he is now…That Potter boy whom I must serve. Listen to him well I do and I only hope to mount my head with my family. Yes, maybe Master Potter boy will continue on traditions…Unlike my mistress' traitor of a son. He tainted this noble house with mudbloods and werewolves. Now there are vam-"
"I'll see you later, Harry?" Remus questioned him before Kreacher could continue.
"Yeah. Sorry, Remus, but what was it you were saying?" Harry asked Remus before glaring at the house elf.
"Oh, it's nothing. Perhaps we'll talk about it another time? I must be off now. Bye," Remus said quickly opening the front door. He didn't wait for a response from Harry as he disappeared from view as the door shut.
"Kreacher," Harry said still staring at the space where Remus had filled it less than a minute ago.
"Yes, Master? Here he is now with his scar. Probably going to make me do a menial job for the mudbloods and those blood traitors of their own kind," Kreacher mumbled.
"Be honest, mind doing something for me?" Harry asked the house elf in a pleasant tone.
"Of course, Master Harry. It is why I am here…to serve the Potter boy who still uses my mistress' home for those mudbloods."
"I was wondering if you knew of any known remaining items from the Hogwarts founders or something of high value like that…" Harry asked. Since he had nothing else to do but clean the house, he might as well finish what Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore started.
"No," Kreacher said purposely leaving out 'Master'. He looked up to see if his non-Black master had caught on. Instead, the young master looked to be in deep thought by the way he stared at the ground intensely while pacing. Something very, very, very deep in the neglected house elf made him feel sorry or rather pity his master. "But Kreacher has heard of a brooch that the blood traitor Ravenclaw though Kreacher does not know if it true."
"Okay. Do what you can to find out any more information, but do it secretly. No one else shall know of this. Understand?" Harry knew it was risky to send Kreacher out, but this time was different. Two men in his life are now deceased and it is up to him to make sure that no more will suffer because of him.
"Yes. The Potter-boy sends me on a mission and that traitor Dobby shall not know!"
"Do you understand me? No other living or dead creature will know about this."
"Yes, Kreacher understands," the house elf said before disappearing.