"What happened next?! Continue!" Sirius commanded with desperate urgency.
"Kreacher needed water... Kreacher crawled slowly to the island's edge, drinking from the black lake... so many hands, dead hands, reaching up from the depths, dragging Kreacher down beneath the surface..."
"Inferi?!" Sirius exclaimed. "How did you escape?"
Kreacher raised his grotesque head, fixing Sirius with his large, bloodshot eyes—pools of ancient suffering.
"Master Regulus commanded Kreacher to return home," he answered with hollow simplicity.
"The truth! Give me details!" Sirius snapped impatiently.
Kreacher seemed incapable of elaborating further. He repeated like a broken incantation: "Master Regulus commanded Kreacher to return home."
"House-elf magic operates differently," Orli explained with clinical precision. "When they receive a direct command and possess the will to execute it, they can Apparate in times and places where most wizards cannot."
"Elf magic differs from wizard magic, doesn't it?" Harry struggled to comprehend. "We can't Apparate within Hogwarts, yet they can."
"Naturally—all pure-blood wizards treat them like livestock," Hermione said with bitter indignation. "That person would never imagine house-elves possessed magic beyond his understanding. I suspect he intended Kreacher to perish on that island."
"A house-elf's supreme law remains his master's command," Kreacher intoned with ritualistic reverence. "Master ordered Kreacher's return, so Kreacher obeyed..."
"Yes, you fulfilled your duty perfectly," Hermione said with gentle encouragement. "You violated no orders whatsoever!"
Kreacher shook his head violently, his trembling reaching unprecedented intensity.
"What transpired after your return?" Sirius demanded anxiously. "When you told Regulus everything—what was his response?"
"Master Regulus grew deeply troubled, profoundly distressed," Kreacher rasped through his damaged throat. "Master Regulus commanded Kreacher to remain within the house, never venturing outside. Then... after considerable time passed... one evening Master Regulus sought Kreacher in his cupboard. Kreacher observed immediately—Master Regulus appeared... altered, unlike his usual self. His mind seemed fractured, tormented... He demanded Kreacher guide him to the cave, the very cavern where Kreacher had accompanied the Dark Lord..."
"He forced you to drink that poison again?" Ron asked with revolted horror.
Kreacher shook his head as tears cascaded down his weathered cheeks. Hermione clasped her hands over her mouth—understanding dawning with terrible clarity.
"Master... Master Regulus withdrew a locket from his robes," Kreacher whispered, tears streaming past his bulbous nose. "Identical to the Dark Lord's creation... He instructed Kreacher to carry this substitute, commanding the exchange once the stone basin emptied..."
Kreacher's whimpers transformed into piercing wails of anguish. Orli strained to decipher his words through the escalating grief. Sirius's complexion drained to corpse-like pallor.
"He also commanded... Kreacher's immediate departure... abandoning him there. Master Regulus ordered Kreacher... to return home... never revealing to Mistress Black... his sacrifice... and to destroy... the authentic locket. He consumed... every drop of poison... Kreacher completed the exchange... witnessed... Master Regulus... dragged beneath the surface... torn apart by..."
"Poor, dear Kreacher!" Hermione sobbed with overwhelming compassion. She knelt beside the tormented elf, attempting to offer comfort through embrace. He recoiled instantly, shrinking away with unmistakable revulsion.
"The Mudblood dares touch Kreacher! Kreacher forbids such contamination! What would dear Mistress declare?"
"I warned you never to use that word again!" Ron bellowed with righteous fury.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
🔥 Want to read the next100+ chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on Patreon - patreon.com/DarkGolds]