A/N: Urg! The past two months have been Grade A shitty, my friends. At the end of May, my company announced that they are selling off half the business units, so everyone has been very nervous about losing their jobs. It turns out it is very difficult to concentrate on creative writing when you're worried you're going to lose your job. I found out this week that I am staying, but they are letting almost half of my department go, so it still sucks. The people leaving are my friends.
However, finding out that I don't have to worry about my job has allowed some of those creative juices to start flowing again, and I started finishing up Chapter 18. I was setting my laptop up in my favorite chair when the stupid thing slipped off the chair and onto the hardwood floor, totally destroying it. So, this afternoon was spent at Best Buy picking out a new one, and starting the chapter over.
I wanted to post something today, as it's been so long since I've posted anything, so this chapter will be shorter than normal. I will try to get back to a more regular updating schedule. I won't post as quickly as I did in the beginning, but I will try to post weekly. Operative word there is "try". Anywho, thanks for sticking with me, guys. I hope you enjoy! :)
Chapter 18:
The night turned out to be very productive. The books that Esme and Carmen bought explained the Arithmetic principles behind creating "wizard's space". That is, space within other space. It pretty much destroyed any limits to the vampires' imaginations. They could create any type of room they wanted.
Everyone was most excited about the plans for the basement dungeons. They were located in the lowest level of the multiple basements, deep underground. The space was already massive, but deeply depressing. The plan was to remove all the cells and create a fair amount of space, making the room taller. The ceilings would end up being about 50 feet tall.
We figured out the charms needed so we could enchant the ceiling like the one in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. The ground would be covered with dirt and grass, complete with permanent cushioning charms. Then comes the three hoops on either side of the room. That's right, folks. There was going to be a legal sized Quidditch pitch in the basement at Grimmauld Place. There would be comfortable seating on either side of the pitch so that people could watch the games.
The room was large enough length wise that it would also fit a large in ground swimming pool, with diving boards, rope swings and slides. I decided that we'd let Neville and Harley decide on the landscaping around the pool to turn it into a tropical paradise. We even set aside some space to give Buckbeak some room to roam, and the ceilings were high enough that he could spread his wings when we weren't playing Quidditch.
The room was drawn up on a board, along with all the calculations needed to expand the space. The drawings were very professionally done, and made it easy to see how amazing the room would be. The same process was used for all other rooms as well.
In the end we had plans for all the rooms in the house, sans the occupied bedrooms, which we were going to create with the input of the person to whom the room belonged. All in all, there was a ballroom, dueling room, state of the art potions lab, library, greenhouses (which again would be set up with the help of Neville and Harley), drawing rooms, state of the art kitchen, bowling alley, multiple guest bedrooms/bathrooms, and my personal favorite, the media room.
Oh yes, the intellectual capacity of a room full of vampires is almost frightening. You see, a house like Grimmauld Place shouldn't be able to include a muggle media room. There is too much magic flowing through the house, causing the electronics to fry almost immediately. Emmett, however, was insistent that we figure something out.
After pouring over the Books on Runes and Arithmancy, we figured out how to suppress the magic in a room. It was truly a ground breaking concept. There were special Runes that had to be placed on specific points on each wall, which would negate any magic used in the space within. There were many ways to use this method, and I was looking forward to discussing them with others…Mainly Mad-Eye. We could possibly create some sort of device to surround Death Eaters when they attack that would disallow them to use magic. Then it would be just a matter of rounding them up and taking them away. First things first, though. Emmett needs Halo.
We picked a room on the edge of the house so that Emmett could run the cables needed to give the room electricity. Then it was just a matter of getting the electronics we needed, which would include arcade games. Pac-man was a must. Oh, and we could even have the internet! This was definitely an exciting room. It would totally mystify the purebloods who've never been exposed to muggle technology.
Around nine the next morning, I heard the humans moving around sleepily. I decided to make them breakfast while the vampires finished last minute tweaks to the designs. I was moving around the kitchen, excited to begin the renovations when I heard Kreacher grumbling behind me.
"Filthy half-breed sullying the name of Black and destroying my Mistresses' portrait. Disgrace, she is."
I decided to speak to the creature in order to try and reason with him. We were turning this dark old mansion into a warm, inviting home, and we didn't need Kreacher shuffling about bringing everyone down.
"Kreacher, what did you think about Regulus?"
"Master Regulus was a good wizard. He made Mistress proud and brought honor to the house of Black. Unlike Master Sirius and Mistress Isabella who bring disgrace!" Kreacher practically spat his response.
"Have you ever seen Regulus' handwriting, Kreacher? Would you recognize it if you saw it?"
"Of course Kreacher would!" he snapped. "Kreacher is a good elf! Kreacher cleaned up after Master Regulus many times and has seen his writing!"
"Good. Do you know how to read?"
He looked at me curiously, before shaking his head in the negative. "Would you trust me to read something to you? It's a letter that Regulus left for me," I asked.
He looked at me skeptically before he replied. "Elves have a spell that will read to us when our Masters leave written instructions. Kreacher could use the spell to read it."
I nodded and pulled out my pouch to retrieve Regulus' letter from the vault. "Now Kreacher, this letter is very special to me. I command you to treat it with respect, and to in no way harm it. Do you understand?"
"Kreacher understands. He will not harm Master Regulus' letter."
I handed him the letter, and his face betrayed his shock when he saw that it was indeed Regulus' handwriting. He cast the spell and a voice I'd never heard before began to read the words Regulus left for me long ago.
I began moving the prepared breakfast onto the table while the voice read the letter and noticed my Dad leaning against the door jamb with a faraway look on his face. When the letter concluded, Kreacher distraughtly ran from the kitchen. I watched him go, confused.
"The spell he used reads the words in the voice of the author. That was my brother's voice you heard. Kreacher probably thought you charmed the letter to look like his handwriting, but you couldn't have changed the author. He knows that Regulus wrote the letter, and that he wanted you be raised as a muggleborn. I imagine it is a bitter potion for him to swallow."
I walked up to him and gave him a hug. "I'm sorry you didn't get to say goodbye to him, Daddy. I'm sure he's found peace beyond the veil, though. He died knowing that he was doing the right thing, that he was helping the side of the Light. You'll see him again one day."
He hugged me back tightly and I could feel him smile at my words. "Thanks, Princess."
At that moment the rest of the humans trailed in following their noses to the food. The vampires were not far behind, eager to show Sirius their ideas for the renovation. Once everyone got settled into their places, the vampires began their presentation. To say that the humans were astounded would be a massive understatement.
"You came up with all of this last night? As in the last ten or so hours?" My dad asked in shock.
Kate beamed at him. "Yep! Vampires work fast. We'd already read a ton of books on wizarding architecture and interior design, so we had a lot of ideas floating around already."
He just smiled and shook his head while looking over the designs with the others. He loved every one of their ideas, which pleased my vampires immensely. Everyone was discussing the plans and more ideas we hadn't considered when I felt a tug on my sleeve.
I looked down, shocked to see that it was Kreacher vying for my attention. "May Kreacher speak to Mistress Isabella in private?"
He spoke quietly but all the vampires could hear, which drew their attention to the normally ornery and disrespectful elf. The shift in the vampires' attention alerted the humans as well. All eyes were now on the two of us.
"Of course, Kreacher. We'll go outside, yeah?"
"Thank you, Mistress."
Ooookay. That is not normal. All of the occupants of the room were gaping at the little elf's change in attitude. I was fairly gaping myself, but I followed him nonetheless.
We made our way out to the back garden where the future greenhouses would soon be erected. Kreacher extended his hand to return Regulus' letter. "I know what Master Regulus was planning that caused his death."
Okay, now I was definitely gaping. In fact, my jaw was in danger of permanent dislocation. I began to sputter in a most undignified way. "What…You know what he was doing? How he died?"
Kreacher looked to the ground with tears welling in his eyes. "Kreacher tried to be a good elf, but Kreacher couldn't destroy it! He tried everything, but nothing can harm it! Master Regulus' last order was for Kreacher to destroy it, but Kreacher can't! I promise Kreacher tried!"
The little elf was now wailing inconsolably. I dropped to one knee to bring myself down to his level and grabbed his little shoulders gently. "Tell me what happened, Kreacher. Maybe I can help you destroy whatever it is."
He lifted his face to mine with a look of unadulterated hope. "Really Mistress? You'll help Kreacher carry out Master Regulus' last wish?"
"I'll try, Kreacher. Just tell me what happened."
And he did. He told me how Regulus joined the Death Eaters at the insistence of his mother. How Regulus didn't really want to join, but didn't see any alternative. He said that Voldemort demanded the use of his house elf, and took Kreacher to a cave by the sea. He made Kreacher drink what sounds like a nightmare potion to check on a locket inside a basin.
Once he was satisfied, Voldemort replaced the potion then left Kreacher there to die, but he didn't realize that house elves can apparate through anti-apparation wards. Honestly, if elves can apparate inside Hogwarts, how on Earth did he think his wards would be any challenge to them? He probably didn't think about them at all. Elves are beneath wizards after all, I thought sarcastically. Bloody arrogant bastard.
When Kreacher returned home, he told Regulus what happened in the cave. Regulus was wary of the object, and after learning about the murder of his niece he made plans to go to the cave and destroy the locket. He then found out I was still alive, but decided to go ahead with his plans anyway. He never told Kreacher he'd rescued me first.
He had Kreacher take him back to the cave and he drank the potion himself. When he was finished he tried to take a drink from the lake, but was attacked by Inferi. His last act before being taken under by the animated corpses was to order Kreacher to take the locket back to Grimmauld and destroy it. It was a task Kreacher was unable to complete.
I was stunned speechless by the end of Kreacher's tale. My uncle truly was a good man, and a hero. He could have made Kreacher drink the potion again, but he didn't. He drank the potion and gave up his life to try and destroy something of Voldemort's.
"Wow, Kreacher. Regulus was a truly brave wizard. I'm proud to call him my uncle."
"Yes. Master Regulus was a good wizard. Master Regulus wouldn't like for Kreacher to be disrespectful to his brother, niece and their friends. Kreacher will be better, but please help Kreacher destroy the locket." He extended the cursed object to me, and I could feel the dark magic once it touched my skin. This was a very dangerous artifact.
"Okay, Kreacher. I am going to show this to Professor Dumbledore first to see what he makes of it. Then we will look into how to destroy it. I promise I will let you watch when we do it."
His ugly little face lit up into a rather frightening smile and he hugged my legs. "Thank you, Mistress! Kreacher will be a good elf! Kreacher will help the other half breeds to fix up the house!"
"Kreacher!" I admonished sternly. "You will not speak of my family that way. You may call them vampires, and you will never ever use the term Mudblood again. I know that it will be hard for you to break this habit, but you must try. I demand for my friends and family to be treated with respect."
"Yes, Mistress. Kreacher is sorry. Kreacher will stop using those words."
"Thank you, Kreacher. And thank you trusting me with Regulus' last wish. We'll find a way to get rid of this cursed locket, I promise."
Kreacher apparated away and I walked back into the kitchen, immediately gaining everyone's attention. "I'll need to explain this all to Dumbledore. Everyone can hear it then. I don't want to have to get into the whole thing twice."
Everyone nodded in understanding. While I was outside, the vampires decided they wanted to go out to Diagon Alley and muggle London to start shopping for necessities. I wasn't really up to it after what I learned about Regulus' death, so I told them to head out without me. I didn't really feel comfortable with Harry going out, either. In the end, Sammie and Harley decided to take most of the vampires out on their shopping excursion. Nicole and Daddy decided to stay and keep me and Harry company, so Edward and Kate decided to stay as well.
The six of us were chatting in the kitchen when I noticed that Daddy was anxiously glancing over at Kate every few minutes. I could tell that he was nervous about what I would think about his feelings towards Kate. I decided to let him know.
"Daddy, Kate was asking me about hippogriffs the other day. Why don't you take her upstairs and introduce her to Buckbeak?" I asked. Then I smiled and winked at him.
He barked a laugh, shaking his head. "Subtle, Princess. " He kissed my temple on his way out of the kitchen and whispered, "Thank you, Pumpkin," in my ear.
I beamed a smile at him, genuinely happy for his happiness. Nicole and Harry looked confusedly at their backs when they walked out of the kitchen. "They're mates," I explained bluntly.
Nicole and Harry just beamed their own smiles in answer. They both wanted my dad to find as much happiness as he possibly could.
We decided to introduce Harry to Spades, as he'd never played before and Nicole had become obsessed with the game. Nicole already practiced Occlumency, so I used the trick I'd learned yesterday with the Dementors to extend my shield to Harry, which caused Edward to pout.
I just grinned at him, "Not so easy when you can't see everyone's hand, is it?"
He grinned back. "We'll still win," he answered smugly.
We decided to play boys against girls, so Nicole was on my team. We thought it was unfair to pit two humans against two vampires. This evened out the playing field a bit. Harry quickly picked up the game and we played a couple of games before lunch. Nicole and I were the ultimate champions, winning 2 out of 3 hands. We promised the boys a rematch later.
Kreacher surprised us by preparing lunch for the humans. They were enjoying their food and we were all enjoying the company when a frantic Albus PWB Dumbledore stepped through the floo. "Harry is missing!"
He was looking frantically at Sirius' amused face when he looked around the table and stopped at the sight of Harry. "What is this, Harry? You are supposed to be staying with your Aunt and Uncle! The ministry sent you a notice on the use of underage sorcery, but the owl couldn't find you. The Minister is planning on trying you and snapping your wand. Everyone who isn't against you within the Ministry is fearing the worst!"
"Ah, crap! I completely forgot about that useless rule! Honestly, how are students supposed to learn if they can't use magic for three months out of the year? It won't matter anymore, though, Harry. They can't detect magic within a Fidelius."
"Miss Black, I believe you are missing the point! Harry can't stay here. It is not safe. He must go back to Privet Drive!" Dumbledore was speaking to us like we were errant children. Honestly, where does he get off?
"No, Albus. He does not have to go back to Privet Drive. Ever. I am his guardian and it is my right to decide where he spends his time away from school, not yours." Go Daddy!
"Sirius, we've discussed this. The wards over that house are the only ones strong enough to keep Harry safe. He must stay there. It is imperative. This is not up for discussion." He made motions for Harry to follow him, but Harry didn't budge.
"Why is it that you think those wards are so safe, Professor? Harry was attacked by Dementors when Nicole and I showed up to bring him back here. That doesn't sound very safe to me." My soft tone belied my barely contained raged. Who the hell does this old goat think he is?
"Dementors?" Wow, way to get all the facts before you barge in making demands, oh bearded one.
"Yes, I was walking home from the park with Dudley when two Dementors trapped us in an alley and tried to administer the Kiss to us both. I didn't realize that Bella and Nic were almost to us, so I cast the Patronus in order to save our souls." Harry explained his predicament calmly, but I could tell he was upset. Dumbledore seems determined to ensure he never gets a say in his own life.
"You did the right thing, Harry. Your stag was already chasing them away by the time we got there. If you had waited it may have been too late." I had an idea on how to deal with these ridiculous charges, and I'd discuss them with my fellow mischief makers when Dumbledore left.
He smiled appreciatively at me for my support and we turned our attention back to Dumbledore. "Miss Black is right, Harry. You had no choice but to cast the charm, but that doesn't change the fact that you must return to your family."
"He's with his family, now!" My dad and I chorused simultaneously.
Harry lowered his head to hide his massive grin from his Headmaster. I could feel his contentment at our retort, though.
"You are not blood relations. The protection in his blood must be recharged yearly. It is imperative to Harry's safety." Damn, Dumbledore is stubborn.
"How do you figure that, Headmaster? Voldemort used Harry's blood to create his new body. The same blood that runs through Harry's veins now runs through Voldie's. Even if the blood protection was still valid, I still wouldn't let you send him back there, even if I had to kidnap him myself. Those people are horrible to him. They are abusive and belittling. Voldemort stripped him of his parents and you're trying to strip him of everyone else who loves him! We won't stand for it! He is a kind and loving young man and deserves to be around people who love and appreciate him! You will never send him back to those animals that try and strip him of every bit of his self-worth ever again! You have no say in his care, and we will take it up with the Wizengamot if you try to take away Lord Black's right to make decisions for his godson!" I turned to my father who was smiling widely. "Right, Daddy?"
"You know it, Princess! Harry is not your responsibility, Headmaster. If you can't accept that, I'll revoke your use of Grimmauld as Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix and ban you all from entering this home. After all, you are the secret keeper. Harry should be perfectly safe as long as you don't reveal the location of this house. I'll even look into alternate schooling for Harry if need be."
I decided to drive the final nail into the coffin and put this issue to rest. "Besides, the wards around the house have already fallen. I felt them fall when I was packing up Harry's belongings."
The Headmaster gaped at me in horror. "The wards fell?"
"Yes, I replaced them with some custom wards that The Skirts developed, and we will be alerted if anyone tries to break them. The Dursleys will have just as much protection now as they did when Harry lived with them. I wouldn't leave them as sitting ducks, even if they don't deserve our protection."
Dumbledore looked both relieved and agitated at the same time. I could feel that he was upset over having his plans ignored. He definitely wasn't used to that. Well tough cookies.
He finally nodded his head resignedly. "Very well. Harry, you'll need to go to the Ministry tomorrow for your trial. I'll give Sirius the details and we can go over the safety precautions." He motioned for my dad to lead the way to speak privately, but I wanted to ask him about the locket first.
"Professor?"
"Yes, Miss Black."
I pulled the locket from my pocket and laid it out on the table. "I spoke with Kreacher earlier. I let him read the letter Regulus left me in an attempt to change his attitude towards us. He told me that he knew about the mission that led to Regulus' death. He was with him." I looked to the others in the room. "I'll go ahead and tell the story now, since the Professor is here, but you all have to fill in the others. I don't want to have to retell this sad tale again."
The agreed and I moved closer to my dad and took his hand while I repeated the story Kreacher told me. Dumbledore was visibly shaken by the end of the explanation and eyed the locket with undisguised trepidation.
"What is it, Professor? Why couldn't Kreacher destroy it?"
"I don't know, Miss Black."
"You're lying. You can't lie to me with my new vampire abilities, Professor. You know what it is. Please tell us. Let us help you. That bastard has taken the lives of so many people that we love. My uncle died to retrieve this blasted object. We have a right to know what this is about."
Dumbledore sighed heavily. "Very well, Miss Black. This is a Horcrux."
Nicole, Daddy and I gasped in horror, while Harry asked, "What's a Horcrux?"
A/N:
First off – Big thanks to my reviewers! You guys always make me smile and I totes appreciate you!
TorchwoodIsAwesome, Lara, Ittybittyelfy, Sakura Ichigo Morihiko, Maria1415, SuperGirlFromCali, deathgeonous, Madeline Cullen, idon'tedit, XxHelixRiderxX, carj89, Smile-Evily, Amerilia Lily Lotus, 'Lil Obsessed, AFlawInCourage, lunarwing, bloodyalanna, Dreamsb223, WriterOfTheGods, DreamerHorse, vivx-chan and Angel JJK!
Okay, I put up a poll on my profile. I've been getting mixed requests asking, "Please keep the HP couples canon!" and "Please don't let Harry end up with Ginny!"
I personally don't like the canon pairings, but I was planning to keep them canon as they aren't really a focal point of the story. However, if you guys want me to stray from canon, vote in the poll and I'll pair them up differently. If you wanted them non-canon, I'd probably do Harry/Hermione, Ron/Luna and Neville/Ginny. Just let me know what you prefer!
I also mentioned in the last chapter that I might include a Sirius POV. In the first draft of this chapter I wrote a lot of Sirius' POV, but I wasn't really happy with it. I'm afraid my computer wasn't either and that's why it decided to slip off my chair and off itself. Honestly, did it have to be so drastic? Anyway, I will probably still do it, as I'm interested in his side of things, but I don't want to include it in this story. I'll probably end up doing an outtake for it. I'll let you guys know when I post something.
And who saw the final Deathly Hallows? I went to the midnight IMAX 3D showing, and it was awesome! I thought it was a great way to end the franchise!
Alright, I think I'm finished with my blabbing. Thank you all for reading and please let me know what you think! Thanks!