Chapter Seven
Harry lay, sprawled upside down on his bed, listening to Draco and Hermione discuss books he'd never heard of and the squeals of laughter from outside and Danica, Nikka and Lily had a water fight on the parched lawn.
Kreacher was dusting the room, mumbling about how he didn't realise Hogwarts reading needed such Dark books.
"Have you seen this?" Draco said, holding up the heavy leather notebook they'd gotten from Dumbledore's office, "It talks about that… thing… you and Dumbledore were going to get was at a lake, or rather a small island in the middle of said lake. He thinks it was a locket."
Kreacher dropped the candle stick he was dusting, sending shards of glass scattering across the floor.
Harry sat up quickly, "Kreacher? What on earth is wrong?"
Kreacher looked pained at Harry, "Nothinks, master Harry." he clicked his fingers, the candle stick reformed for a second before shattering once again, Draco and Hermione diving for cover as glass shot across the room.
"Kreacher… you're shaking!" Harry gasped, "Come and sit down."
"I is a bad house elf, failed Kreacher did, he failed."
Harry watched in horror as Kreacher reached down, grabbing at shards of glass, pushing them into his palms.
"Kreacher stop! I order you to stop!" Harry yelled. He'd never given Kreacher an order before, he wasn't completely sure that it was going to work but was hugely grateful when it did.
Hermione flicked her wand, gathering the broken glass into a small ball that dropped itself into the bin with a crunch.
Harry picked his way across the book strewn floor and picked up the sobbing Kreacher, placing him on the bed and wiping the blood from his hands.
"I've never seen you act like this Kreacher." Harry said gently, as Hermione dropped a sweet smelling potion on Kreacher's hands, healing the cuts at once.
Harry, Hermione and Draco looked at one another.
"Do you know something about this locket?" Hermione asked gently.
Kreacher nodded, "Oh master Harry! You don't remember, you were only a… a baby and nots evens borns yet." he sobbed, "but its was so hard for Kreacher, in the early days."
Harry shuffled awkwardly, "I know Sirius was mean to you for a long time, but you don't like to say it since he got hurt. Is it about that?"
Kreacher let out another loud sniff, Draco handing him yet another handkerchief, "Yes-es and no-ses."
Harry took Kreacher's hands in his, "Kreacher, if you know something about the locket, or the lake… or anything like the locket, we need you to tell us. I know you had loyalties before mum and I came along, but for me and for Danica, we need to know."
Kreacher took a long, rasping breath and nodded, "Master Sirius was not nicest. He was very mean to Kreacher but Sirius's brother, he was very nicest to Kreacher. He never hit or shouted at Kreacher. But he was a Death Eater, joineded right after school. Made Mistress Black very proud. One day, Master Regulus tells Kreacher that the Dark Lord needs and elf, and Master Regulus has said use Kreacher sir! Master Regulus tolds Kreacher, 'you musts do what you is told and then comes straight home!'."
"What happened?" Hermione asked, barely above a whisper.
"The Dark Lord took Kreacher to an old lake, slices his hand to get through the stone. There was a boat, and the lake… was evil! Filled with evil things that should not be! They should be resting!" Kreacher let out another burst of tears.
"Inferi?" Draco asked.
Kreacher nodded, "Hundreds."
Harry felt his stomach twisting uncomfortably; Kreacher was still so scared, years after this had happened. What had Dumbledore been hoping to lead him into?
"Kreacher and the Dark Lord got in the boat, travelled across the lake." Kreacher continued, "In the middle bit of stone, there was a bowl, filled with potion. The Dark Lord made Kreacher drink it, all of it! It burned Kreacher from the insides. Such pain! And the things Kreacher saw! Kreacher has never been so scared apart from when Missy Danica was in danger and hurt and dying! When I has my nightmares abouts that… place, I sees Missy Danica bleeding when it happens long afters… most evils of potions. Once the bowl was all empties, the Dark Lord dropped a golden locket into the bowl and fills it with more potion! Then he leaves Kreacher, to die."
"But Regulus had told you to go home." Harry said softly.
Kreacher nodded sadly, "Yes. I neededs a drink, and the evil… pulled me into the waters. I coulds not breaths! But I had to go home, so some how I managed. For many years I wishes I did not."
"Why? What happened next?" Draco asked. Regulus had died, or rather disappeared before he was born, and he had a feeling he was finally going to find out what happened.
"Kreacher got home and was found by Master Regulus. He was so cross! Not with Kreacher but with how hurt Kreacher was!" Kreacher explained, "When Kreacher was all better, Master Regulus said to Kreacher 'we're going back to the lake'. Kreacher didn'ts wanted to go but went with Master Regulus. I told him how to get into cave and find the boat."
"Did Regulus make you drink the potion again?" Hermione asked.
Kreacher shook his head fiercely, "NO! No! Bad girl! Master Regulus told Kreacher that he must take the locket when we gets it and puts a fake ones in its place. Then Kreacher must take it home and destroy it as soon as possibles! MASTER REGULUS dranks all of the potion, screamings so badly! Kreacher watched Master Regulus get dragged under the water and lost forever. Kreacher did as he was told! Kreacher took the locket with the big S snake and went home, never even telling Mistress Black what happened, no matter how much she cries for Master Regulus to come home."
"Did… did you manage to destroy it?" Harry asked, forcing himself not to hold his breath.
Kreacher shook his head sadly, "No. I tried Harry I trieds! But nothings I did had any effects! It just stays, all shiny and golden and mocking."
"We want to destroy the locket, but you mustn't tell anyone." Harry told him, "But it's what we're trying to do. I'm sorry to put more secrets on you, and I promise that it wont always be a secret, but for now it has to be. We were going to have to go to the lake-"
"No! No no no no no no no no no!" Kreacher pleaded, "Do not go to the lake! It is an evil place!"
"Well we wont have to now." Hermione said, trying to cheer up the very upset Kreacher, "Now you have the locket from there already."
"Did you bring it with you?" Draco asked, "Is it here?" trying not to get his hopes up.
Kreacher shook his head, "Nos… I hides it, in attic of Grimmauld Place yearses ago. Master Harry and Missy Danica get into all things and Kreacher would not wants them to get hurt."
Harry thought for a moment, they needed that locket!
"Kreacher…" Harry took a deep breath, "you don't have to, but do you think you could go and get the locket for us? Maybe?"
Kreacher looked glumly at the floor, "I do nots think it is in attic any more."
"Where is it then?" Draco asked, their one lead seemed to be going up in smoke.
Kreacher looked angrily at his fingers, "Mundungus Fletcher! I thinks he stoles it!"
"Why do you think that?" Harry asked. Mundungus was hardly his favourite person in the world but they needed to be sure before they confronted him.
"Mundungus steal loads of things! I caught him emptying in the box that the locket was in last year and he laughs at Kreacher! When Kreacher looks, the locket is gone." Kreacher sobbed.
"Why didn't you tell mum?" Harry asked, anger building inside him at the thought of Mundungus stealing their things while they were grieving Sirius.
"I couldn'ts! I had to keep the locket a secret!" Kreacher pleaded for them to understand, "I could only tells Master Harry, Draco and Hermione as you is going to destroy it, as Kreacher was meant to and failed, like a bad elf."
"You're not a bad elf." Harry said kindly, "Thank you for telling us. I promise that we will destroy the locket, for Regulus."
Kreacher smiled, "Thank yous, many many thank yous. Kreacher needs to go and lie downs."
"You go and rest Kreacher." Hermione said gently.
The three of them watched Kreacher leave the room before looking worriedly between the three of them.
"What are we going to do now?" Draco asked, "The locket could be anywhere! And our one lead, the lake, is toast!"
"I'm glad it is." Harry said fiercely, "That place sounds awful! I'm glad we won't have to go there."
Hermione squirmed slightly, "Harry… you… you don't think that Dumbledore was going to make you drink that awful potion, do you?"
The thought had crossed Harry's mind, "I… I don't think so." he said after a moment.
He'd kept his word to Severus, never telling anyone about what he'd seen the night that Dumbledore had died, meaning he couldn't now share it with his friends. Dumbledore had said he'd planned to get back to the castle weakened.
It was that that made Harry sure that Dumbledore was going to be the one to drink the potion. He was going to make Harry keep forcing the vile stuff down his throat, making Harry feel totally responsible and yet even more under Dumbledore's control.
But it hadn't worked. More than that, it wasn't needed; the locket wasn't at the lake and hadn't been for years.
"We'll track it down." Harry said, slapping a smile on, "I'm sure of it. Besides, even if it is a little more work to track it down, I'd rather do that than one of us have to die drinking that potion that gives us mixed up nightmares nearly two decades later."
"It doesn't say what protections it would have had in here." Hermione said, looking over Dumbledore's notes, "Just that it will have some. I think there was a lot he never bothered to write down."
"I suggest we think about it for a bit." Draco said firmly, "We're going to have to get packing tomorrow anyway, when Pansy, Neville and Daphne arrive for Harry's birthday. So for now, I think we should leave it."
Harry grinned, "Quite right. I think Mundungus will be at Fleur and Bill's wedding anyway so we can corner him there."
"Sounds good to me!" Hermione laughed.
Harry laughed back, before a wave of pain crashed into his head, ripping open his scar and sending him falling to the floor, gasping as the pain consumed him.