Chapter 15, With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility
Once out of the Great Hall, Hydra just ran for a few seconds, not even knowing where she intended to go, just being glad to be out of there. As she ran the lump in her throat grew until tears began to spill down her face, shattering the inner pressure. Due to everyone being in the Great Hall, the corridor ahead of her was thankfully abandoned and silent. Needing to be alone with her upset, she headed for the Ravenclaw common room. There she could cry without being seen, and once she'd gotten the tears out of her system, she could finally sort herself out. She wasn't usually one to be upset like this, but now she was quite upset.
"Hydra!" The loud frantic whisper came from James. At the same time,she heard his hurried footsteps behind her. The hand that grasped her upper arm, thin fingers digging hard into her skin did not belong to James, though. Hydra turned to see Daddy Kreacher in his guise of Echidna glaring at her.
"Hydra did not need to cause a scene like that after all the effort Kreacher and Master Regulus have gone through!"
Hydra let out a hysterical laugh. "All the trouble YOU have gone through? You're posing as a human woman, clearly not okay with being gay or being a bloody elf, and still calling him master! And him just being your bloody puppet and letting you do anything you like." She hurled the words wrathfully at her father as James stood by with his mouth hanging open.
"He gives you charge of everything and yet you call him master and are still clearly uncomfortable with things as they are! Hell he can't even be his own master with the choices he's made." She'd pushed him too far. Kreacher's hand came up with lightning speed and cracked hard across Hydra's right cheek so that her head rocked back. She let out a cry of shock as tears spilled down her face. Neither parent had ever raised a hand to her before. Then again, she'd always been the good one before. "I'm not sorry," she sobbed. "You can hate what I say all you like, but it's still true!"
"No it most certainly is not," Kreacher bit out. "Hydra understands nothing. Kreacher is proud to be Kreacher. He is proud of all he has done, and he is proud of Master Regulus, and he is proud to be with him. He does not call him Master because he considers himself a slave. It's a... a personal private name that Kreacher has for..."
"Hell if it's some nasty sex thing, you shouldn't use it in front of others, then," Hydra snapped. "That's rubbish and I hate it. He hates it too, but again, you're in charge, and he knows no one can make you do anything you don't wish to so you get your way in all things. He's weak and if that's going to be the case, the least you can do is be the strong one and be in charge and not have secret shame and issues over it."
Kreacher sighed. "That is not the way it is and Hydra knows it. She is simply trying to be hurtful, but Kreacher is smart enough not to fall for that. He is unfortunately aware of psychology due to Magritte, and Master Regulus and the Lestranges."
"He's referring to the fact that the family is sort of in group therapy together with Sortia's Mum as their shrink. Mag is really into Muggle psychology so they asked her to shrink them or whatever," Hydra told James dully. Somehow he was still standing there. She thought it was amazing that he hadn't run back to the Great Hall to get away from the drama.
"Oh," James said.
"Hydra is hurt, so she is trying to hurt back, but she does not understand," Kreacher said. "She does not understand what elves face, and she does not understand that we are trying to protect her. She does not understand that not all elves are like those she has encountered in her life. Some are silly and foolish, having allowed slavery to change or perhaps even diminish them.
Those humans who have only seen those elves could hurt Master Regulus for being involved with Kreacher, because they would not understand why. They would find it disgusting to be with a nearly simple minded being no matter how strong its power was, but many elves are not like Dobby or half of those working in the Hogwarts kitchens. Many foolish wizards are unaware of this, though, and they would wrongfully think ill of dear Regulus. They could hurt Kreacher. They would believe them both to be... freaks, and then they would come for the children."
Hydra stared at her father as if he'd gone insane. Perhaps he had, she thought dully. "Does Daddy Regulus think this is the case," she wondered. "Or is he simply too weak to stand up to you."
"Hydra will stop being disrespectful this instant," Kreacher snapped. "Regulus has never taken the threat as seriously as Kreacher does, but he, like Hydra does not know the life of an enslaved elf."
"According to the grandparents, neither do you," Hydra snapped.
Kreacher's currently pretty human mouth tightened. "Kreacher has seen others. And Kreacher has had Sirius Black when the others were gone. Kreacher knows more than Hydra or Regulus or Hydra's grandparents."
"I hate feeling like we... That Loughness and I are wrong. Like you think something is wrong with us," Hydra sobbed, the upset suddenly returning at least three fold. Her father wasn't relenting, and he wasn't admitting what she knew was true. "You shouldn't have had us if you wanted to hide who we are. You raised us to be proud of our elf magic and to use it and to think of it as more and now you are hiding it," she wailed.
"Oh..." Kreacher reached to draw her into his arms, cradling her head on his shoulder as she wept out her upset. He rocked her as though she were a child, and hell perhaps she was. It was odd holding the woman's slender body and knowing it was Kreacher, but it moved like Kreacher, and spoke with Kreacher's tones and stroked her hair as Kreacher did, so Hydra just stopped thinking about it. "Hydra should stop doing this to herself," Kreacher murmured. "Kreacher does not intend for Hydra and Loughness to hide who they are forever. Just until it is safer, which should be relatively soon, considering."
"But you didn't know about all that is to come when you had us," Hydra pointed out. "You never mentioned hiding until we were ready to come to school here. Why did you have us just to hide us? I get you wanted heirs for house Black, but he didn't have to shag you in order to make us. It was a bloody test tube. So Daddy Regulus could've done the same with a witch," she pointed out. "What good is being Pure-blood squared if we have to hide it? You could've just made human children that could be free to be themselves. We may not be slaves, but we aren't free. Not really." And that was it. That was why she was so upset, she realized. Her feelings had instinctively known, but now her mind had the proper words to explain her raging upset.
"We did not want human children," Kreacher replied calmly. "We wanted children together. We wanted you. And though Kreacher is a bit ashamed to admit it, we did not think of the danger that our children would face being what they are until later. Kreacher is sorry, but he would never change a thing, for he loves Hydra and Loughness very much." Hydra heard his voice break at the end there which made her cry all the harder.
She felt sorry for making him cry, for hurting him, but she was hurt and she hated every aspect of this entire situation. "If anything happened to Hydra and Loughness, Kreacher could not live. Master Regulus could not live. We have gone through so very much already." The two clung together, sobbing in one another's arms until gradually their tears slowed, then dried. "I will try to understand," Hydra said. Her voice came out small and tired. That was alright, because it matched how she was feeling.
"Is everything alright?" Hydra and Kreacher whirled to see James's parents looking frazzled and worried.
"Sorry we're late," James's father said. "Although I somehow doubt either of you cared that much about it." Though he quipped, there was concern in his kind green eyes, so much like James's own.
"We were just having a family moment," Kreacher said. "Kreacher thinks it is fine now."
"Oh, Kreacher, it's you," James's mum said, giving a startled laugh. "Good one!"
"Yeah," James said. "For sure it was a good one. I said she was hot before I knew who she was. I'll never live that one down!"
And just like that things were alright again. James and his parents had smoothed things over simply being themselves, and Hydra would at least put some hard thought into what Kreacher had said. For now, though, it was time to go back and rejoin the rest in the Great Hall for Parent Night. Kreacher took Hydra's hand as they entered, and Hydra gave it a squeeze. "We should probably switch places now," Kreacher said, heading toward the Slytherin table. "Hydra shall wish to spend some time with Regulus and Echidna wishes to catch up with Loughness." When they approached, Regulus gave them a look of concern as he stood to meet them.
"Is everything alright," he asked, concern on his still youthful features. It was then that Hydra recalled her face. She surely had a red mark on her cheek. Kreacher shook his head, correctly reading her expression. "Kreacher covered it in illusion," he murmured, bending to speak into her ear. Hydra supposed that was an easy out, but she didn't care. She had said some dreadful things about Daddy Regulus and Daddy Kreacher, and she was at least starting to feel sorry about that. "It is fine now," Kreacher told Regulus. Giving Hydra's hand a final squeeze, he moved to stand at his partner's side. Hydra stared for a moment, unable to help herself. They made for a pretty young couple, but it didn't look right to her.
"Good," Regulus said, face relaxing. "I missed you," he added, slipping an arm around Kreacher/Echidna's waist.
"Echidna missed Regulus as well," Kreacher replied, momentarily resting his head on Regulus's shoulder. Both of their faces were so alight with love, that Hydra didn't see how Daddy Kreacher could be ashamed of anything. Perhaps she was wrong about that, but what did they expect her to think or feel under such circumstances?
"Where is Kreacher, then," Draco asked. He sat at the Slytherin table chatting with Harry Potter of all bloody people. Now that was weird. Hydra supposed with their children being such close friends, it was only logical, but still. A Potter! She tried to avoid even looking in their direction as Daddy Regulus turned to reply to the question.
"Kreacher has so many research projects going that he opted to stay home," Regulus said. "He supposed I could manage without him for a night." The two truly were never seen apart, so it was only normal that people should wonder. Did Draco not suspect who Echidna was, though? Likely not from the confused side eye he was giving her.
"Tell him I said Hi," Harry said. "I did always enjoy my interactions with Kreacher so. It's a shame he didn't come to visit with everyone." As he spoke, Harry Potter stared directly at Echidna who choked a little when the man spoke of enjoying their interactions, because he clearly hadn't.
After a moment, Kreacher's lips curved into a smile. "We shall make sure he knows," he promised and Regulus nodded.
"Well you just sit right down here and talk to me in his stead," Harry told Echidna cheerfully. "I'll just pretend you're him."
At that, Loughness burst out laughing as did Sortia, while Draco and Scorpius looked confused. Daddy Regulus had a fond spot for Harry Potter for returning #12 Grimmauld Place to him when he'd asked for it upon announcing himself to Harry as being alive and back after Voldemort's death. He'd given Harry any and all belongings of Sirius's in the manor and Harry had willingly returned everything else.
He was aware of Regulus and Kreacher's relationship as well. The only thing that had ever upset Regulus about Harry Potter was the way the boy admitted to simply dropping the Resurrection Stone in the bloody Forbidden Forest for anyone to find. This was clearly a stupidly dangerous thing to do because anyone, could literally be anyone! Regulus had gathered their group of friends including Kereston, the Lestranges, Grindelwald, Mag, Severus and Dumbledore to track the stone with Nifflers. Now it was back in Dumbledore's hands thanks to Daddy Regulus's ingenious ideas. Once more Hydra felt sorry for insulting his worth earlier when she'd been so very upset. Glancing over at Loughness, who was still grinning in amusement at the banter between Daddy Kreacher and Harry Potter, she wondered if he felt at all as she had earlier. Had he minded Kreacher unexpectedly showing up as Mummy Echidna?
"Come. Let us go and join James and Guillermo," Regulus said, taking Hydra's hand. "It shall be lovely to catch up with them as well as their parents." She nodded and they headed across to the Ravenclaw table. Regulus walked slowly, though, so that he had time to ask Hydra a question. "Are you sure everything is alright?"
Hydra hesitated, then shrugged. "I suppose it will be." She was certain that Daddy Kreacher would fill him in later, so it wouldn't be a secret. Would he tell Regulus the horrid things she had said? Perhaps not. "I do love you, no matter what," she said in a rush.
Regulus gave her a smile, though his blue eyes still held a tinge of concern. "You too, Sweetheart." As they approached the Ravenclaw table, James's and Guillermo's parents greeted Regulus warmly. Both were well into their meals and quite enjoying them. Hydra was glad the Daddies had switched places, because if anyone complimented the food that Kreacher definitely considered inferior, there would surely be drama.