AN: Once again I am not JK Rowling.
Sirius POV
I led Hermione to our seat and held her hand throughout the whole ceremony. She sniffled softly and smiled as her friend got married. The moment it was over Hermione turned to me a smile on her face. "We should go congratulate them."
"Maybe later I think we should call Kreacher." I said as I led everyone toward the edge of the tent. Harry, Hermione, Ron and I sat down and I nodded at Harry.
"Kreacher." Harry called in a firm voice.
The elf appeared with a small pop and bowed low his nose touching the ground. "Master, with the blood-traitor Weasley and the Mudblood –"
"I forbid you to call anyone 'blood traitor' or 'Mudblood,'" Harry growled his eyes flashing. "I've got a question for you," Harry said a strange look in his eye, "and I order you to answer it truthfully. Understand?"
"Yes, Master," said Kreacher, bowing low again his lips moving.
"Two years ago," Harry said "there was a big gold locket in the drawing room upstairs. We threw it out. Did you steal it back?"
There was a moment's silence, during which Kreacher straightened up to look Harry full in the face. Then he said, "Yes."
A huge smile spread across my face and Hermione's eyes sparkled. "Where is it now?"
Kreacher closed his eyes as though he could not bear to see their reactions to his next word.
"Gone." All our faces crumpled into defeat.
"Gone?" Harry echoed softly "What do you mean, it's gone?"
The elf shivered. He swayed.
"Kreacher," Harry said fiercely, "I order you –"
"Mundungus Fletcher," croaked the elf, his eyes still tight shut. "Mundungus Fletcher stole it all; Miss Bella's and Miss Cissy's pictures, my Mistress's gloves, the Order of Merlin, First Class, the goblets with the family crest, and – and –"
Kreacher was gulping for air: His hollow chest was rising and falling rapidly, then his eyes flew open and he uttered a bloodcurdling scream.
"– and the locket, Master Regulus's locket. Kreacher did wrong, Kreacher failed in his orders!"
I reacted instinctively and wrapped my arms around his little body before he could start hurting himself.
"Kreacher, I want the truth: How do you know Mundungus Fletcher stole the locket?" Harry asked his eyes slightly mad.
"Kreacher saw him!" gasped the elf as tears poured over his snout and into his mouth full of graying teeth. "Kreacher saw him coming out of Kreacher's cupboard with his hands full of Kreacher's treasures. Kreacher told the sneak thief to stop, but Mundungus Fletcher laughed and r-ran …"
"You called the locket 'Master Regulus's,'" I said slowly thinking. "Why? Where did it come from? What did Regulus have to do with it? Kreacher, sit up and tell me everything you know about that locket, and everything Regulus had to do with it!"
The elf sat up, curled into a ball, placed his wet face between his knees, and began to rock backward and forward. When he spoke, his voice was muffled but quite distinct in the silent, echoing kitchen.
"You, Master Sirius ran away, good riddance, for you was a bad boy and broke my Mistress's heart with his lawless ways. But Master Regulus had proper order; he knew what was due to the name of Black and the dignity of his pure blood. For years he talked of the Dark Lord, who was going to bring the wizards out of hiding to rule the Muggles and the Muggle-borns … and when he was sixteen years old, Master Regulus joined the Dark Lord. So proud, so proud, so happy to serve …
"And one day, a year after he joined, Master Regulus came down to the kitchen to see Kreacher. Master Regulus always liked Kreacher. And Master Regulus said … he said …"
The old elf rocked faster than ever.
"… he said that the Dark Lord required an elf."
"Voldemort needed an elf?" Harry repeated, looking at all of us confused. Why would Voldemort need an elf?
"Oh yes," Kreacher moaned. "And Master Regulus had volunteered Kreacher. It was an honor, said Master Regulus, an honor for him and for Kreacher, who must be sure to do whatever the Dark Lord ordered him to do… and then to c-come home."
Kreacher rocked still faster, his breath coming in sobs.
"So Kreacher went to the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord did not tell Kreacher what they were to do, but took Kreacher with him to a cave beside the sea. And beyond the cave was a cavern, and in the cavern was a great black lake … "
My stomach churned horribly.
"… There was a boat …"
It sounded just like what happened to Harry and Albus.
"There was a b-basin full of potion on the island. The D-Dark Lord made Kreacher drink it …"
The elf quaked from head to foot.
"Kreacher drank, and as he drank he saw terrible thing … Kreacher's insides burned … Kreacher cried for Master Regulus to save him, he cried for his Mistress Black, but the Dark Lord only laughed … He made Kreacher drink all the potion … He dropped a locket into the empty basin … He filled it with more potion."
"And then the Dark Lord sailed away, leaving Kreacher on the island..."
"Kreacher needed water, he crawled to the island's edge and he drank from the black lake … and hands, dead hands, came out of the water and dragged Kreacher under the surface … "
"How did you get away?" Harry whispered softly.
Kreacher raised his ugly head and looked Harry with his great, bloodshot eyes.
"Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back," he said.
"I know – but how did you escape the Inferi?"
Kreacher did not seem to understand.
"Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back," he repeated.
"I know, but – "
"Well, it's obvious, isn't it, Harry?" Ron said. "He Disapparated!"
"But … you couldn't Apparate in and out of that cave," Harry said, "otherwise Dumbledore –"
"Elf magic isn't like wizard's magic, is it?" Ron said "I mean, they can Apparate and Disapparate in and out of Hogwarts when we can't."
Hermione sat up her eyes flashing. "Of course, Voldemort would have considered the ways of house-elves far beneath his notice … It would never have occurred to him that they might have magic that he didn't."
"The house-elf's highest law is his Master's bidding," Kreacher intoned. "Kreacher was told to come home, so Kreacher came home … "
"Well, then, you did what you were told, didn't you?" Hermione said kindly. "You didn't disobey orders at all!"
Kreacher shook his head, rocking as fast as ever.
"So what happened when you got back?" Harry asked. "What did Regulus say when you told him what happened?"
"Master Regulus was very worried, very worried," Kreacher croaked. "Master Regulus told Kreacher to stay hidden and not to leave the house. And then … it was a little while later … Master Regulus came to find Kreacher in his cupboard one night, and Master Regulus was strange, not as he usually was, disturbed in his mind, Kreacher could tell … and he asked Kreacher to take him to the cave, the cave where Kreacher had gone with the Dark Lord … "
"And he made you drink the poison?" Harry asked, disgusted.
But Kreacher shook his head and wept. Hermione's hands leapt to her mouth: She seemed to have understood something.
"M-Master Regulus took from his pocket a locket like the one the Dark Lord had," Kreacher said, tears pouring down either side of his snoutlike nose. "And he told Kreacher to take it and, when the basin was empty, to switch the lockets …"
Kreacher's sobs came in great rasps now; I had to concentrate hard to understand him.
"And he order – Kreacher to leave – without him. And he told Kreacher – to go home – and never to tell my Mistress – what he had done – but to destroy – the first locket. And he drank – all the potion – and Kreacher swapped the lockets – and watched … as Master Regulus … was dragged beneath the water … and …"
"So you brought the locket home," Harry asked slowly. "And you tried to destroy it?"
"Nothing Kreacher did made any mark upon it," moaned the elf. "Kreacher tried everything, everything he knew, but nothing, nothing would work … So many powerful spells upon the casing, Kreacher was sure the way to destroy it was to get inside it, but it would not open … Kreacher punished himself, he tried again, he punished himself, he tried again. Kreacher failed to obey orders, Kreacher could not destroy the locket! And his mistress was mad with grief, because Master Regulus had disappeared and Kreacher could not tell her what had happened, no, because Master Regulus had f-f-forbidden him to tell any of the f-f-family what happened in the c-cave …"
I leaned back in my seat completely shocked. Regulus. My little brother who only cared about the Dark Arts and pleasing our parents had tried to kill Voldemort in the end.
"I think that's enough for now." Hermione said looking around at the people dancing. That's right we were at a wedding. Some people were giving us strange looks because of Kreacher weeping at our feet.
"Just one more thing. Kreacher I want you to go look for Mundungus Fletcher and bring him to the forest of Dean. We'll be camping there."
"Find Mundungus Fletcher?" he croaked.
"And bring him here to the forest of Dean," said Harry. "Do you think you could do that for us?"
As Kreacher nodded and got to his feet, Harry suddenly pulled something out of the little bag from Hagrid.
"Kreacher, I'd, er, like you to have this," he said, pressing the locket into the elf's hand. "This belonged to Regulus and I'm sure he'd want you to have it as a token of gratitude for what you –"
"Overkill, mate," Ron said as the elf took one look at the locket, let out a howl of shock and misery, and threw himself back onto the ground.
It took Kreacher awhile to calm himself down and finally disapparated with a little pop. We were all quiet obviously in deep thought.
"Sirius why don't we dance." She whispered pulling on my arm.
"Sure why not." I said leading her out onto the dance floor. Hermione pressed herself close to me and rested her head on my shoulder.
"You doing okay?" Hermione asked watching me closely.
"Yes – no – its all so confusing." I muttered shaking my head. Finding out little Regulus had actually changed at the end is... mind boggling."
Hermione pressed herself closer trying to give me some comfort. "I love you and I believe you loved him too."
She was right. I did love my brother. Even if it had taken him longer to switch sides. "Your right I did."
"I know Hun I can feel it." She said smiling cheekily. I barked a laugh and kissed her nose.
Something large and silver suddenly came falling through the canopy over the dance floor. Graceful and gleaming, the lynx landed lightly in the middle of the astonished dancers. Heads turned, as those nearest it froze absurdly in mid-dance. Then the Patronus' mouth opened wide and it spoke in the loud, deep, slow voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt.
"The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."
It was absolutely silent for one long moment and then everyone started screaming at once.
"I love you!" Hermione yelled pressing a fierce kiss against my lips. I clung to her desperately for one moment then pushed her away.
"I love you too. Go!" I yelled shoving her towards Ron and Harry who were shoving through the crowd trying to get to her.
"Take care of my parents!" She yelled as Harry grabbed onto her arm.
"I will!" They disapparated away and I turned and threw a hex at a death eater who landed next to me.
AN: Please Review!