~*~
"Well Remus, I must say that I'm impressed with what you've done with the place. It looks absolutely spectacular. And I'm not just saying that to tease you. I am really, genuinely impressed." He glanced around at the lights edging the windows, the holly that covered the shelves and the various snowman and Santa shaped knickknacks covering the various normally vacant surfaces.
"I've had a lot of time to do it in," Remus said as he set out a place of gingerbread cookies. "Seeing as it's growing more and more impossible to get a job. Have you heard about that new legislation?"
Sirius nodded, a grave look on his face.
"What legislation?" Draco asked with a mouth full of cookie.
"Don't you ever read the Prophet?" Theodore asked.
"It's a rag," Draco sniffed.
"Well it does have some uses." He delicately dipped his own cookie into a mug of cocoa. "Dolores Umbridge has been trying to push through anti-werewolf legislation that would make it harder for people like Remus to find employment."
"Harder?" Remus scoffed. "Try impossible. I can understand the need for disclosure of the condition for those with jobs that would make it relevant. But this goes far beyond that," he said with a shake of his head. "This is outright prejudice, designed to make us complete second class citizens. The need for safety is only a guise for hatred."
"Have the measures actually been passed?" Ginny asked as she reached for a couple of cookies.
"Not yet. But as I understand it, they have a great deal of support." Remus gave him a sad smile. "I'm afraid I don't have much hope of them failing and little still of getting a job if they do."
"Well don't give up yet," Harry urged, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. "I mean, as long as there's time, there's hope, right?"
"Fair enough," Remus admitted. "But without any serious opposition…"
"I'll talk to my dad," Draco interrupted.
"Your father?" Sirius looked at him. "You don't think he'd…"
"I'll ask him." He gulped and swallowed more cookie. "It couldn't hurt. Make it an additional Christmas present or something."
"Thank you Draco," Remus said politely. "I do appreciate it." He exchanged a look with Sirius and Draco frowned.
"Well maybe he will!" The boy frowned. "Maybe."
"So do you know anything about what you're getting for Christmas?" Harry asked in an effort to change the rather awkward subject.
"I can promise you he's getting a sweater. We all are, as usual," Ginny said as she finished draining her mug. "I snuck into Mum's room the other day and took a peak. Want to know what they look like?"
"I'd like mine to be a surprise, but thanks," said Theo with a smile.
"Maybe a hint?" Harry said, biting the leg off another gingerbread man.
"You can just tell me," Draco grinned.
"Hmm. A hint. Well, alright. Your sweater has red in it," Ginny said with a grin.
"And mine?" Draco asked impatiently.
"You're getting a black sweater with a yellow dragon in the center of it. At least I think it's a dragon. Bit lumpy and hard to tell," she smirked. "But I'm 87 percent sure that it's a dragon."
He nodded appreciatively. "Well at least that's one gift I know of. No idea about any others though. Mum had been pretty tight-lipped this year and I haven't really had the time to go snooping, especially since I was Petrified until a short while ago. Not that I'm blaming anybody," he added quickly when he saw the look on Theo's face.
"I don't know for sure, but I think it would be a fairly safe prediction to say I'm not going to get anything from the Dursleys," Harry said. "Nothing or something that's worth next to nothing."
"That's why you've got me," Sirius said, clapping him on the shoulder. "But it's going to have to be a surprise," he told his godson with a wink.
Further conversation was interrupted by a series of angry thumps coming from upstairs.
"Kreacher," Sirius glowered.
"He's usually pretty quiet," said Remus with a blush. "Stays out of the way. He doesn't much care for me but he isn't very malicious. The hols seem to put him in a bad mood for some reason, though."
"I'm going to go up to talk to him," Draco said, picking up the plate of cookies.
"If you like," Sirius shrugged. "Think it's a lost cause, though."
"Still," Draco said and left it at that.
While the rest of the group continued to chatter in the kitchen, Draco worked his way up the creaky stairs. There was no sign of the dust and grime that used to plague the stairway and everything was bound with tinsel and loops of holly, but the house still showed its age. Balancing the cookies and a cup of milk, he wound his way to the room where he guessed Kreacher was going to be.
"Kreacher?" He rapped on the door to what used to be Regulus' room. "Can I come in?"
There was a grumbling noise but the door swung open a moment later. "Only for a Black," he muttered.
"I brought you these," Draco said, holding out the cookies and milk. Kreacher took then and sat down on the bed with them while Draco stepped in. "You were really fond of Regulus, weren't you?" Kreacher only glared at him and munched a cookie. "Is that why you're so upset at the holidays? Because you miss him?"
"Master Regulus was very good to Kreacher," the elf said stiffly and Draco nodded.
"He was a very good Seeker, wasn't he?"
Kreacher nodded feverishly, spilling cookie crumbs on the neatly pressed bedspread. "Master Regulus was very good. Master Regulus could have played for a professional team but…"
"The war?" Draco whispered, seeing a brief tear in the elf's eye. Another curt nod and the elf fell silent. Draco allowed his eyes to wander all around the room, seeing all of the yellowed clippings and photographs of the dark-haired boy. "Did you do all of this?"
"Yes! Because Master Regulus should not be… I will remember Master Regulus!"
"Remember him?" Draco asked softly. "What did he do? If it's too hard you don't have to tell me, but if you want to talk about it…"
Kreacher's long, thin fingers clutched Draco's robe and he started to sob.
~*~
"…Cho will probably be our Seeker again, and Fred and George have really been pushing me to go out for Beater, but I'm not sure…"
"Everybody!" Draco interrupted Ginny mid-sentence with a shout as he tumbled down the stairs and threw a heavy object onto the kitch table with a clunk. "We need to get to Hogwarts, now," he gasped.
"Get to Hogwarts?" Harry looked at him. "What's the matter? You're all flushed!"
"Regulus!" He panted. "Sirius… your… Regulus, you… he wasn't… he died…"
"I know he died," Sirius said. "Years ago. Got in a little too deep. What's that got to do with…"
"He turned!" Draco burst out. "He turned and… and… that…" He pointed towards the object.
"What is it?" Nott asked and reached for the object, a heavy silver locket.
"Don't touch it!" Draco screamed and everybody froze. "Don't touch it. It's not safe. It's another one of those… it's… we have to destroy it."
"Draco," Sirius said, putting down his mug and walking over to the boy, "what on earth is going on?"
"Kreacher!" Draco screamed. "Kreacher, please come down here." The elf popped next to his side. "Kreacher, tell them what you told me. About Regulus. Tell them all of it. They have to know. Please."
"If Master Draco wishes…"
"Please, you have to," he begged.
Uncertain, the elf shuffled forward and launched into a lengthy tale that left the whole table silent and Sirius pale.
"Reggie?" He murmured. "He was… Oh God," he whispered, his eyes shining. "All these years, all this time I've been…" He turned away.
"He wanted it destroyed," Draco said firmly. "That was his wish. And right now, I know of only one thing that can do it." He looked at Harry. "Think you're ready for another trip into the Chamber?"
"If it means getting rid of something that dark? Definitely," Harry nodded. "Even if it's not a Horcrux, it sounds like something that should be gotten rid of."
"I tried," Kreacher mumbled. "Tried to follow Master Regulus' orders…"
"I know," Draco said consolingly. "I know. Not your fault. But we need to do something about it before it hurts somebody like that diary hurt Theodore."
"Let's not waste time them. If we Floo there and hurry, we can get back to your house in time for dinner," Harry told Draco.
"Actually – Draco, I have an idea. As long as we're gong down into the Chamber, why don't you try to get that sword that fell out of your hat from your father?" Nott asked.
"Why the sword?" Ginny asked.
"I've been doing a little research on the weapons. Well, at least I tried before we left Hogwarts. If I'm not mistaken, it's a goblin-made sword. Which it turn means that it should have some very interesting properties that I would like to test out. I'll have to grab a pair of dragon's hide gloves from the Weasley's though."
"Right then. I'll go get the sword, you get the gloves, and then we all head to Hogwarts and meet up in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom?"
"Sounds good to me," said Ginny with a nod.
"And Kreacher, if it's not too much trouble, would you accompany us and carry the locket?" Draco asked. "You seem to be resistant to its effects. I'm worried that if any of us try, it will hurt us."
The elf nodded eagerly, his long ears flapping. "Anything for Master Regulus' final wish."
~*~
"This place isn't any less creepy the second time around," Ginny murmured, looking at the carvings on the side.
"Yeah, but at least this time we know the snake is dead," Harry replied, holding his glowing wand with one hand and the sword with the other. "Otherwise I'd be a lot more nervous."
"And you're sure that there will still be basilisk venom?" Sirius asked Draco.
"Should be. That stuff is very potent and doesn't dry up for a very long time," he said. "Should be more than enough to destroy that thing and test out Theo's theory with the sword."
"Keep in mind that we will have to be very careful with the sword once the venom becomes a part of it. Accidental cuts with it could poison the user just as easily."
"I'll try not to run through the house with it," Harry teased.
"I'm serious!" Theo frowned.
"I know, I know. I'll be careful. I promise. Now I need to focus…" He hissed and the doors creaked open for them.
"Still can't figure out how we brought her down," said Draco, shaking his head when they saw the basilisk corpse.
"Well you were the ones who did it," Ginny laughed. "If you don't know, who would?"
"So long as it's dead, I don't care how it got done," Harry replied. "Alright, got the sword. What should I do now?"
"Set it down next to that fang," Theo said, pointing then pulling on the gloves. "Good. Like that." He took the fang and stabled it into the sword.
"Is it working?" Draco asked, looking on.
"I think so. There was a brief flow of venom but I don't see any on the floor, so I think it's safe to assume that the sword has absorbed it." He pushed the snake's head aside and carefully picked up the sword by the handle. "Only one way to know for sure though. Who would like to do the honors?"
The kids looked at each other nervously.
"I'm guessing the locket won't like being attacked, will it?" Ginny asked. "I mean, Riddle's soul seemed pretty agitated at attempts to destroy him."
"Wouldn't be fair to demand one of us do it about another," Harry mused. "Maybe we should draw straws?"
"I'll do it," Sirius broke in. "I'm the adult here. If there danger I should be the one to face it. Not that I think you're incapable, but I don't think you should have to." He took the sword from Theodore. "I'll bear the responsibility before I sit by and let any of you put yourselves in harm's way. Kreacher?" He looked abashedly at the elf. "Please put it on the ground in front of me."
Silently, Kreacher took the item out of his pocket and set it carefully down. Sirius took a deep breath and marched up towards the heavy locket, and lifted the sword about his head. He brought it down with a furious clang, but the locket by all accounts seemed unharmed.
"Maybe I was wrong," Theo whispered. "Maybe the sword didn't…"
"It has to be opened," Harry murmured, entranced by the emerald 'S' on the cover.
"What?" Ginny looked at him.
"It's a locket. To make it vulnerable it has to be open," he said, hissing the last.
The locket sprang open and a smoky apparition floated out and formed into…
"Remus?" Sirius whispered.
They didn't believe you. Didn't trust your innocence. Everybody you thought were your friends, they never stood up for you, never saw to it that you had a fair trial. As far as they were concerned you could have rotted in there, died in there, you would be in there still…
"It's a trap, Sirius!" Draco called out. "Stab it!"
"Don't listen to it!" Harry echoed. "Use the sword! Don't let it sway you!"
Sirius was still as the smoke reached closer and closer, taking the shape of James Potter.
…and you couldn't even save me! I trusted you and you let me down, let my family down, made Harry into an orphan. And you couldn't control your adolescent anger, went after Peter right into a trap instead of keeping your head and explaining everything, allowed Harry to go off to those miserable in-laws of mine…
"Hurry up!" Ginny called out. "Should we do something?" She looked at the others.
"I'm not sure it's safe to try and get the sword away!" Theo murmured.
"Fight it, Sirius!" Draco screamed louder. "We love you, your friends love you, that thing is full of it, don't listen and just smash it!"
Peter formed last of all, twisting his hands, twitching and laughing.
To think that I defeated you, fooled you, sent you to that prison in my stead! I, dumpy little Peter! The one you always mocked while we were in school the one you never took seriously, I got the better of you in the end, didn't I? I got…
"Sod off," Sirius growled and stabbed the open locket.
There was a flash of red light and a splitting sound, and then all was still. Sirius turned around and gave them all a lopsided grin.
"Two down," he laughed. "Now let's hurry up and get home before somebody finds us here or we miss dinner." He mussed Draco's hair as he walked back. "Your mother is making roast tonight and I fully expect you to slip me some underneath the table."
~*~
One, created so long ago, was not easily felt. Two would have been slightly more noticeable. But two Horcuxes within less than a week and Voldemort, disembodied though he was, could feel the reverberations. And he was furious. Peter Pettigrew quivered at the shadows in the forest he was hiding in, his master's rage a blanket all around him.
Fool! Idiot! I have had enough waiting.
"I am sorry, my lord!" He stammered. "What pains you? What is it?"
They are finding them! Finding them and… I must get to her. You will help me.
"Her who? Who do you need?"
A better servant than you, a loyal and competent servant.
"Where is it you need me to go master?" He asked, resigned.
Azkaban. We will head to Azkaban.
"Azkaban?" Peter paled. "The wizard prison? The one with all the Dementors?"
Don't be daft. Of course that Azkaban. I do not care what havoc you cause there or what damage is done. But you are to bring, in your Animagus form, a wand to one of my finest supporters. Get her the wand and she will do the rest herself.
"Her who? And where will I get a wand?"
Use your brains for the wand. Steal one from a store or a wizard or however, I don't care! So long as you get it to Bellatrix Black, she will be more than able to do the rest herself.
"And getting to Azkaban?" He squeaked. "I can't well fly there and from down here it would take months to travel up…"
Then you had best brace yourself for a journey. Now enough. Your whining sickens me. I want results before they succeed in finding them all!
Still unsure of what was going on, Peter felt silent, berating himself for the life he'd chosen but without the strength to break free from it.
~*~
"Just in time!" Narcissa smiled, setting the roast on the table just as Draco and Harry walked into the dining room with Dragon at their heels. "I was beginning to worry that you two were having too much fun out and about and here's going to make it back."
"Always make it back for your cooking, mum," Draco said with a grin and Dragon barked.
"So did you two get up to anything interesting today?" Lucius asked as he served himself some vegetables.
"Oh, this and that," Draco said with a shrug. "A little exploring, a little shopping."
"Just hanging out," Harry agreed.
"Well, tomorrow is Christmas Eve so it should be a little more exciting," Narcissa smiled. "Potatoes?"
"Yes, please," said Harry, taking the bowl from her.
~*~
A/N: One more chapter as I continue my posting frenzy in honor of my eighth year on this site. You got a few more big events this chapter including the set up for the upcoming year. Only a few more of those to go and we'll soon be coming up on the third year! More on that as this story draws to a close. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and as always, comments, criticisms, suggestions, rambling and whatever else you'd like to put in a review are welcome. :)