| Puffskein
Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Canada
Posts: 2,438
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Chapter 17
The Story
It was finally the last week of January. To top it off, it was Saturday afternoon and, for the first time in 4 months, I didn’t have homework to start on or a Quidditch practice or match. Neither did Harry. It was 10am when I met up with him and we made our way to the kitchen hand-in-hand. He guided me through the portrait hole first, following inches behind. I didn’t see much point in coming to the kitchen to do this, since Harry could summon Kreacher by calling him, but Harry pointed out it was a place less likely to attract unwanted ears. For this, I took his word for it.
“Kreacher!”
The elf Apparated right in front of us.
“Potter. Lovely to see you again,” he croaked sarcastically.
“Look Kreacher, Rosa wants to ask you a couple of questions.”
“Kreacher already answered the girl’s questions,” he responded, sounding rather indignant.
“She said you didn’t supply every answer to her liking.”
“Is it possible the girl...?”
“I’m right here,” I snapped, cutting in.
“The girl does not like Kreacher’s answers? Kreacher did his best, Mr. Potter.” A grimacing smile grew on his toad-like face.
“I’m going with Rosa’s word on this over yours, Kreacher,” Harry responded flatly. “Now listen, you will answer her every question to the best and entire extent of your knowledge. You will not make up any answers, you must be truthful with every response you can and will give. I don’t care how long it takes, you will speak.”
Kreacher’s tennis ball eyes bore into Harry, unblinking. “Is that an order, master?”
“Yes, Kreacher, it is. And you will do it out of my company.”
“As you please, master.” The elf mock bowed to Harry.
Scowling, Harry turned to me.
“Good luck with whatever you want to know.” He kissed my cheek and left the kitchen.
“Is the girl interested in Potter?” Kreacher asked, looking from the portrait hole to me.
“Ok look, Kreacher, I know you know more than you let on last time. You may not want to talk about it, but I need to know.”
“That dog never had a child. That dog never had a wife, or a girlfriend.”
“Dog?” I asked, confused.
“Sirius Black,” the elf croaked. “That vile blood traitor never had time to create vermin.”
“You’re right, Kreacher.”
“Then why does the girl lie to Potter?”
“Because I must. And anything you tell Harry about this...”
“Kreacher never sees Potter. Kreacher never speaks with Potter,” he cut in blandly.
I smiled, delighted. “Good.” I then started turning around to search for a chair. I finally found a rather small chair, one that fit a house elf but could barely fit a grown child. I summoned it and managed to sit on it. “Now Kreacher, what do you know about Regulus Black?”
I wasn’t sure if I should’ve been surprised or confused when I saw the elf’s eyes water in tears.
“Why does the girl want to know?” the elf’s voice wavered, as if trying to control his tone.
“Because...” I reached into my cloak pocket and pulled out the photo I stole from my house with my mother and the Blacks. “That,” I pointed to the back of the moving photo where Kreacher was. “Is you. That,” I pointed to my mum. “Is my mother, and that,” I pointed to Regulus. “Is my father.”
“No... it isn’t possible... Kreacher would’ve known...” I swore Kreacher was paling. Was that even possible for an elf?
“It is, Kreacher. They were together for 6 months. 5 months into their relationship, my mum got pregnant. Shortly after telling Regulus about it, he disappeared. Where is he, Kreacher?”
“Dead.”
“How did he die?”
Big, fat tears began to fall from Kreacher’s eyes. “Kreacher could’ve helped... Kreacher could’ve stopped... could’ve saved master Regulus... but Kreacher was ordered... master wouldn’t let him again...” His voice broke off and he started to sob. I cringed at his tears.
“Again?” I pressed.
Kreacher blew his nose on a small section of the cloth he wore. “A long story, miss, with a terrible ending...”
“I have time.”
Kreacher began his story. He started with when Sirius ran away and how Regulus became the centre of attention. He explained how, when 16, he ‘blessed the family’ by becoming a Death Eater. All this I knew. It was what came next I never heard...
“Not 2 years had passed when master Regulus began to grow suspicious of the...” Kreacher edged closer and whispered into my ear. “Dark Lord’s powers.” Kreacher stayed closer and continued his story with a more hushed, quieter tone. “Master questioned everything about the Dark Lord, began piecing things together... one night the Dark Lord demanded Kreacher from master, and master willingly gave Kreacher over... it was horrible...” the elf shivered. “The Dark Lord brought Kreacher to a dark, wet place... crossing a lake by a boat... the Dark Lord made Kreacher drink something so vile...” he shivered again. “Kreacher didn’t understand. Kreacher was in pain, thoughts confused, body hurting... Dark Lord only checked something within the bowl of poison and left Kreacher for dead in this dark, rocky, wet place...”
“A cave?”
He let out a small sob and a fat tear fell from his eye as his voice growing shakier. “Yes, miss, a cave... but master had told Kreacher to come home... so Kreacher returned home. Master was furious... furious the Dark Lord would leave Kreacher for dead. That he would treat Kreacher like that. Master went searching... gone for so long... master finally returned and took Kreacher with him. Master took Kreacher to the dark hole from last time. Master ordered Kreacher that no matter what, Kreacher would obey master and, when danger was impossible to destroy, leave. Even if it meant leaving... master... behind...” the elf’s voice cracked and he blew his nose again, desperately trying to dab away his tears. “Master ordered Kreacher to never tell family about what happened... Kreacher is breaking master’s orders...”
“I won’t tell anyone, Kreacher. I have no one to tell,” I whispered.
Kreacher’s big eyes tinkled sadly.
“Lightning-headed master ordered Kreacher to tell...”
“Tell me, Kreacher. Please.”
Kreacher was silent for a minute, but continued.
“Master and Kreacher crossed the lake... and master drank the horrible drink... Kreacher watched Master change lockets...”
“Lockets? What locket?”
“Soul-eating locket... soul-breaker. Dark Lord’s locket. Slytherin’s.”
“Soul-eating...?” I would have to ask Harry about this carefully later.
“Master switched lockets, taking the soul-eater and replacing it... with his own. A similar one, a small note inside, telling the Dark Lord what he did, what he knows... but the corpses in the water... they took master... they drowned him... Kreacher was ordered to leave... Kreacher couldn’t save master.” Kreacher broke out into fresh tears again.
“What’s so important about this locket, Kreacher?” I pressed, even though Kreacher was still in tears. I waited 5 minutes, but time seemed to increase the volume of Kreacher’s sobs. “Calm down, Kreacher!”
It took another minute, but Kreacher finally calmed enough. “What’s so important about this locket?”
“Kreacher... was ordered to not say...”
“You can tell me, Kreacher. I have no one to tell.”
“Locket eats souls. Rips them apart, keeps a bit inside... Potter said it was a... a...” Kreacher thrashed angrily, unable to say whatever it was. I realized Harry had ordered Kreacher to not say what this object is; that order seemed to be more powerful than the one to tell me everything. It must be important.
“Did Harry say you couldn’t write it?”
Kreacher’s eyes lit up. He hurried around the kitchen, appearing almost 10 minutes later with a pen and a section of cloth ripped from his dinky robe. He wrote it down and handed it to me.
Horcrux.
Something told me that if I asked Harry about this, Kreacher would be dead. I couldn’t have Kreacher dead, there might be more I have to ask, but no one else besides the Dark Lord himself knew about this thing. From what Kreacher explained, I could only guess it was something like a locket that stores souls.
“What does this do?” I asked, pointing at the word.
“Like a locket. The thing stores bits of souls... your soul... anyone can rip their soul and put it in something.”
This must be why the Dark Lord is still alive. He made himself immortal by putting a bit of his soul into this locket! That must be why he’s so ugly now, he’s torn himself apart.
“Why did Regulus want to destroy this?” I asked, confused.
“Master was very angry at the Dark Lord... he was smart... he put together the Dark Lord’s clues about why he was living, why no one is stronger than him. Master wanted to destroy the Dark Lord for using Kreacher like he did.”
I was speechless. My father abandoned the Death Eaters? For a house elf?
“Th... thank you, Kreacher...”
“No... thank you, mistress... Kreacher thought... no one would live on... in Master’s name... besides Kreacher.” Kreacher let out a sob and covered his face with his cloth, blowing his nose into it moments later.
“You’re welcome,” I responded. I then softly added, “I guess.” I then got up and left the kitchen. I continued down the basement halls and went up the stairs. I wasn’t taking in my surroundings; my feet seemed to know where they were taking me. I almost ran into Draco because of my lack of attention.
“What’d you get hexed with?”
“Nothing,” I responded. My voice sounded too unnaturally airy. I turned the corner and after a short ways went down the stairs into the dungeons.
“What’d you hit your head on then?” he called after me.
“Nothing.”
I heard footsteps behind me.
“Rose...”
“LEAVE ME ALONE!” I yelled, my voice echoing down the halls.
Draco let out a short, sarcastic laugh. “Really, love...”
I spun around, yanking my wand from my pocket and aiming it at him. “Leave. Me. Alone,” I snarled. “You clearly have issues with giving people personal space. I have no problem helping you with that.”
“I just wanted to know why you’re being so weird,” Draco responded defensively.
I scoffed. “Right. Because I’m the weird one.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he demanded.
“Where’re Crabbe and Goyle?” I pointed out, still keeping my wand up and ready.
“Crabbe is in detention. Goyle is with your friend, like always.”
I sighed and pocketed my wand. “Fine.” I then turned around and continued to walk away.
“Where’s Potter?”
My hand gripped my wand again as I came to a stop. “Why do you expect I’d know?”
“Last I saw he was taking you to the basement, hand-in-hand. Where was he taking you?”
“None of your business,” I snapped, continuing to walk away. I can’t always stoop to his level; someone has to be the mature one.
“It is every right of mine to know.”
I gaped and stopped again, turning to face him once more. He was only ten feet away from me, standing with his arms crossed, a glare set in his cold grey eyes.
“No. It. Is. Not. I can have my own life. You can have yours. I don’t dig into every move you make.” Not like I’d want to anyways. “I’m sorry if what I do on my own time doesn’t please you,” I added sarcastically. “Just stop stalking me, it’s creepy.”
He didn’t respond. I turned around and walked away, my hand still on my wand. I turned the corner and headed to the portrait hole. After giving the password and passing through, I walked up to my dorm and sat on my bed. Giving up, I fell back onto my bed, my legs still dangling over the edge. I covered my face with my hands, still trying to understand everything.
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Siggy from Lissy and Anna's Shop of Super Frazzling Graphics
Last edited by MalfoyzBeloved; 09-28-2010 at 10:17 PM.
Reason: deleting un-story-related comment
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