Kreacher raised his head toward Sirius and asked, voice quivering but louder than before:
"Master Sirius is going to take Master Regulus home?"
His earlier explanation had been broken and halting, but now the words came smoothly.
Sirius nodded firmly. "No matter what, I can't let him stay in that place any longer."
Blake stepped in. "Kreacher, we need you to lead us to the cave you mentioned."
The elf stood, tugging his filthy rag closer around him, wiping his nose.
"Kreacher will take Master Sirius and... this gentleman of noble blood to find Master Regulus!"
Hearing that Blake would help Sirius retrieve Regulus, Kreacher's tone toward Blake shifted instantly—from calling him a shameless thief to a gentleman of noble blood.
Seeing the elf eager to leave immediately, Blake held up a hand.
"Wait, Kreacher. We still have something important to settle."
"Wha… what?"
"What you mentioned—the box your master Regulus ordered you to destroy. The one I examined earlier?" Blake asked.
Kreacher nodded, trembling. "Yes… yes, Master Regulus asked Kreacher to destroy the box, but…"
"But you disobeyed him," Blake finished.
Kreacher's agitation rose until he darted toward the fireplace, reaching for a poker to punish himself. Blake's confinement magic stopped him mid-motion, pulling him back.
"I order you not to punish yourself!" Sirius barked, frowning.
Sirius had long despised Kreacher, but knowing his brother was a hero softened his view—though forgiving Kreacher for failing to save Regulus was still hard.
Under Sirius's order, the elf stilled. "Kreacher tried many ways—cutting with a knife, burning—but could not harm the box. Too many spells protect it…" His voice broke. "Kreacher failed his master. Kreacher is a bad elf! Wuwuwu…"
Blake asked gently, "Where is it now? Can you give it to me? I can help you destroy it."
"You… you can really do that?" Kreacher eyed Blake skeptically. The boy looked younger than Regulus had been—hardly the image of a destroyer of dark relics.
Sirius intervened. "Take it out, Kreacher. If even he can't destroy it, no one can." His confidence in Blake was absolute.
Blake shrugged. "Sirius, you'll embarrass me… but I've destroyed several Horcruxes."
"What?!" Sirius's eyes widened. The thought of Voldemort having several Horcruxes had always troubled him. If Blake had already destroyed some, then perhaps… this locket could be the last.
"In truth, Professor Dumbledore destroyed them. I only obtained them by chance," Blake said modestly.
"That makes no difference!" Sirius replied quickly. "Kreacher… you hear that?"
Blake, noticing Kreacher's lingering doubt, raised his right hand. A ball of blazing orange-red flame—Gubulai Fairy Fire—blossomed in his palm, flooding the room with sudden heat.
Kreacher's eyes widened. Such a flame could indeed burn through any curse.
"Do you believe me now?" Blake asked, closing his hand and extinguishing the fire.
"Yes! Dear Sir! Kreacher believes you can destroy the box!"
"Then go fetch it," Blake said, releasing the magic restraining him.
Kreacher bowed and shuffled toward the upstairs living room.
Sirius leaned toward Blake. "Do you want to tell Dumbledore?"
"Of course—but I suspect he's busy right now," Blake mused. "I'll destroy it first, then give it to him."
Sirius nodded.
Blake continued, "Kreacher said the cave's lake is full of hands pulling people under. Those hands… must be Voldemort's Inferi. I've read reports of Muggle towns vanishing entirely."
Sirius paled. "You mean… those missing Muggles…"
"Yes," Blake confirmed. "All likely at the bottom of that lake."
Sirius slammed a fist against the sofa's back. "That monster turned an entire town into Inferi for one Horcrux!"
"Those who disregard life reap the consequences," Blake said quietly.
Sirius's thoughts returned to Regulus—until Blake pressed a wand into his hand. "I meant to give you this later, but you can't face thousands of Inferi empty-handed."
Sirius tested the wand, feeling an almost blood-bound connection. "It's… like my old wand! Oak, twelve inches, phoenix feather…"
"Exactly," Blake smiled. "Just newer."
"You made this?!" Sirius asked.
"Yes. I asked Lupin about your old wand's details, then adjusted it to you when we met last time."
"But wands are unique—how did you make it fit so perfectly?"
Blake shrugged. "Measured by eye."
Sirius shook his head in disbelief, then smiled sincerely. "Thank you, Blake."
Blake grinned. "It wasn't hard for me. And hey, now you owe me a favor."
"You're impossible," Sirius muttered.
Kreacher returned, clutching a heavy locket. "Kreacher hopes the gentleman can destroy it… Kreacher regrets failing before."
"If I destroy it for you, it's still destroyed because of you," Blake said.
Kreacher's eyes lit up. "Then Kreacher completed Master Regulus's task!"
Blake took the locket—it felt unnaturally heavy. The moment he lifted the lid, a black mist erupted, casting powerful illusions.
Sirius and Kreacher were trapped—Sirius seeing James's home under attack, powerless to stop Voldemort; Kreacher reliving Regulus's death.
"Wake up!" Blake's voice cut through, wand flashing. The illusions shattered.
"It… it has its own consciousness?" Sirius asked.
"Of course. Part of Voldemort's soul is inside," Blake explained.
They recoiled instinctively as Blake sealed the locket in a transparent film. "It's just a fragment of soul—it can't harm us now."
With the locket secured, Blake turned to Kreacher. "Ready?"
"I can apparate there, but not with you," Kreacher admitted, feeling Blake's overwhelming magical pressure.
Blake handed him a small, disk-shaped object. "Take this, apparate to the cave, place it on the ground. We'll arrive in ten minutes."
Kreacher bowed deeply. "Kreacher understands." He vanished with a crack.
Sirius glanced at the object. "Is that what you showed me at the Ministry?"
"Yes—but just an early test version for point-to-point travel. The finished one will let you go anywhere. I might call it… any door."
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