Chapitre 281: Kreacher's Story

"Good evening, Harry, Christina."

Dumbledore was sitting in his usual place behind the desk, looking normal again. Sirius was sitting on a chair in front of the desk and he got up when Chris and Harry walked into the Headmaster's office next evening. Sirius hugged Harry and then Chris smiled at them and sat back. Dumbledore conjured two chairs out of thin air and offered those Harry and Chris. They sat down.

"Dumbledore, now will you tell me what's going on?" asked Sirius looking a little impatient.

"Yes, of course, Sirius," said Dumbledore. "But first, call Kreacher. I will speak to him."

"Had that filthy elf done something?" said Sirius looking irritated.

"Sirius, call him," said Dumbledore sternly.

"Kreacher!" Sirius shouted.

There was a loud crack and the house-elf appeared in front of them.

"Master," croaked Kreacher in his bullfrog's voice, and he bowed low, muttering to his knees, "called me upon the company of blood traitors and —"

"Kreacher, I want to ask you something," said Dumbledore seriously. "I want you to answer honestly."

Kreacher didn't reply and just fell silent. Sirius grumbled angrily.

"You will answer and I order you to answer it truthfully. Understand?"

"Yes, Master," said Kreacher, bowing low again: Chris saw his lips moving soundlessly, undoubtedly framing the insults.

Dumbledore pulled out the gold locket, which looked normal from outside now, though Chris knew its both windows were broken from inside. Dumbledore held it high in front of Kreacher.

"Kreacher, do you recognize this locket?" Dumbledore asked.

There was a moment's silence, during which Kreacher straightened up to look Dumbledore full in the face. Then he said, "Yes."

"Then you know how did this come in the Black House?"

The elf shivered. He swayed and closed his eyes as though he could not bear to see their reactions to his next word.

"Yes."

"How did this enter the Black House?"

Kreacher's hollow chest was rising and falling rapidly, then his eyes flew open and he uttered a bloodcurdling scream.

"Master Regulus's locket, Kreacher did wrong, Kreacher failed in his orders!"

Kreacher fell to the ground and banged his forehead on the floor. Harry reacted first and launched himself upon the elf, flattening him.

"Kreacher, stop!" Chris shouted. "Harry!"

"Kreacher!" yelled Sirius. "Stop and stand up."

Kreacher froze, Harry released him and they both stood up. Tears were gushing from Kreacher sagging eyes.

"You okay, Harry?" Sirius asked.

Harry gave a slight nod. Then Sirius turned to Dumbledore.

"What's going on?"

"That's what I want to know, Sirius," said Dumbledore calmly, he signed Harry and Sirius to sit. "So Kreacher, now tell me everything about this locket and its connection to your master Regulus."

Kreacher stood still, closed his eyes and recited.

"Master Sirius ran away, good riddance, for he is a bad boy and broke my Mistress's heart with his lawless ways. But Master Regulus had proper pride; he knew what was due to the name of Black and the dignity of his pureblood. 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 . . ." Kreacher sobbed. "And one day, a year after he had joined, Master Regulus came down to the kitchen to see Kreacher. Master Regulus always liked Kreacher. And Master Regulus said . . . he said . . . . he said that the Dark Lord required an elf."

"Voldemort needed an elf?" Harry repeated puzzled, looking around at Chris, Sirius and Dumbledore.

"Oh yes," moaned Kreacher. "And Master Regulus had volunteered Kreacher. It was an honour, said Master Regulus, an honour 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."

"Of course he did," Sirius said looking disgusted.

"What happened next?" Dumbledore inquired.

"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, there was a cavern, and in the cavern was a great black lake . ." Kreacher gasped for air but stood still.

Dumbledore's eyebrows rose upward at that information.

"Sirius, let him sit," said Chris. It was really painful to watch Kreacher like that.

"What?" Sirius looked at the house-elf with loathing.

"Sirius, please."

"Kreacher you can sit down," grumbled Sirius reluctantly.

The elf sat down, curled into a ball, placed his wet face between his knees, and began to rock backwards and forwards.

". . . There was a boat . . ." Kreacher continued his story. "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 things . . . . 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. . . ."

Chris looked down at the elf feeling sad. No one deserves that.

"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. . . ."

"Oh, Kreacher," Chris got up from her chair and sat down beside Kreacher on the floor. "You should have gotten away. Why couldn't you?"

Kreacher raised his ugly head and looked at Chris with his great, bloodshot eyes.

"I did, Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back," he said.

"But how —?" Harry began.

"House-elves can Apparate and Disapparate from anywhere, Harry," said Dumbledore. "Their magic is different from Wizards' magic. I daresay their magic is more powerful than us."

"But then how Voldemort didn't consider it?" asked Harry.

"Harry, Riddle always thought others magic are beneath his, do you really expect him to consider elves' magic?" Chris said coldly. "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," intoned Kreacher. "Kreacher was told to come home, so Kreacher came home. . . ."

"Then?" said Chris. "What happened? You told Master Regulus everything you saw?"

Kreacher nodded.

"How did he react?" asked Sirius. His expression had changed. He wasn't looking angry or disgusted anymore.

"Master Regulus was very worried, very worried," croaked Kreacher. "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. . . ."

A clanging sound interrupted the story. Sirius had overturned a few things, which were set upon Dumbledore's desk. He looked taken aback in his chair. Dumbledore didn't give any indication that he had heard anything apart from Kreacher's story.

"Did he make you drink again? That potion?" asked Harry looking sickened.

Kreacher shook his head and wept.

"No, he wouldn't," Sirius stared upward. His face blanks in shock. "He liked Kreacher. He was the only one who cared. . ."

"M-Master Regulus took from his pocket a locket like the one the Dark Lord had," said Kreacher, 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.

"And he ordered — 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 . . ."

Kreacher buried his face in his knees and started weeping badly. There was no sound in the room apart from Kreacher's wailing. Dumbledore sighed like he had expected something like this. Sirius was still staring upward. Harry walked to him and touched his shoulder.

"Sirius."

A tear escaped from Sirius' eyes but he didn't look at anyone. Not even Harry.

"Nothing Kreacher did make 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. . . ."

Kreacher began to sob so hard that there were no more coherent words.

"It's alright, Kreacher," whispered Chris kindly, laying a hand on Kreacher's head. "We destroyed it. Your Master Regulus' order is fulfilled. He didn't die in vain."

For the first time, Kreacher didn't shrink away from Chris' touch. He looked up at Chris with his bloodshot eyes and hiccuped. Chris gave a nod and the elf threw himself at Chris' feet and started sobbing again. Chris patted him lightly.

"What was in it?" asked Sirius, no one in particular. "In that locket."

"A way to get a little closer to Voldemort's end," replied Dumbledore. "Regulus must have been understood within a year that Voldemort wasn't what he had thought and I guess he was the first one to discover Voldemort's secret."

Dumbledore sighed heavily then looked at the Sorting hat on his right.

"Sometimes I feel, we sort too soon — just like we judge people too quickly."

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To be continued. . .