In short order, Kreacher appeared with a small pop. "Master called?"
"Be a sport and answer the headmaster's questions," Sirius directed.
"Kreacher," Dumbledore said, looking at the house elf over the half-moon rims of his spectacles. "Was there anyone other than you or the late Mistress Black in the house night?"
The house elf looked distinctly uncomfortable.
"Answer him," Sirius urged.
"There was another person in the house last night," Kreacher admitted to Dumbledore as Sirius, Cassie, and Leo looked on.
"Do you recall when this was?" Dumbledore asked.
Kreacher squirmed and stepped back and forth, avoiding eye contact with the wizards and witch in the room.
"Stop resisting," Sirius commanded the elf. "If you can answer the question at all, answer immediately."
"It was in the early hours of the morning," Kreacher told Dumbledore.
Dumbledore nodded with satisfaction. "Was this person an invited guest?"
Kreacher shook his head.
"Did this person light the tapestry on fire?"
Kreacher nodded.
"Did the late Mistress Black and this person speak with each other or interact?"
Kreacher nodded.
"Was Walburga Black alive when this person left the house?" Dumbledore inquired.
"Yes," Kreacher affirmed aloud.
"Are we playing twenty questions?" Sirius demanded, rolling his eyes. "Kreacher, simply relate everything that happened last night."
"I can't," Kreacher said.
Sirius took a threatening step toward Kreacher. "Now that my mother is dead, I am your master! I command you to tell everything about this person who came to the house last night."
Kreacher shook his head mutely.
"Look, elf, I don't care if my mother gave you orders to not speak to me or follow my commands. She is dead, and I have inherited you. I hereby revoke any and all commands given to you by my mother, father, or anyone else that owned you prior to then."
Kreacher shook his head.
"You're not his master," Dumbledore observed quietly. He looked imploringly into the house elf's eyes. "Who is your master?"
"I can't say," the house elf said.
"Is the person who came to the house last night your master?" Dumbledore asked.
"I can't say," Kreacher declared. He raised his hand, snapped his fingers, and disappeared.
"Interesting," Dumbledore sighed. "Very interesting."
"I can call him back," Sirius offered.
Dumbledore shook his head, declining the offer. "It would do no good. He has no doubt gone to this mysterious master. The mysterious master will probably alter the instructions given to the elf."
"What do you mean?"
Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he took a seat in an unoccupied armchair. "I think it is reasonable to hypothesize that Walburga Black's mysterious visitor is Kreacher's master. I do not think this mysterious person intended for us to discover his or her existence. Thus, I suspect the house elf was instructed to follow your instructions as if you were his master insofar as the instructions did not clash with other instructions."
"So, the house elf had no choice but to answer some of those questions because this other master did not directly forbid the elf to answer them," Cassie chimed in.
"Yes," Dumbledore said. "This alternate master is no doubt fixing the loopholes in the instructions as we speak."
Three pops sounded in the hallway, heralding the arrival of visitors. There was a crash as something toppled to the floor, and suddenly, the portrait of Sirius's mother was screaming.
"We're going to have to do something about that portrait," Cassie declared.
"I think it's cool," Leo said, grinning.
The Potter clan, five in number, entered the room in which Professor Dumbledore and the Black family were standing.
"We're sorry that we couldn't come sooner," Lily announced. "Some crazy witch broke into my sister's house last night and terrorized the family. We felt obligated to go over and help fix the damages."
"She stuffed a newspaper into my Uncle Vernon's mouth!" thirteen-year-old John Potter proclaimed.
"Perfect!" Sirius grinned, walking over to his godson and slapping him on the back.
"What'd she do to your aunt?" Leo asked.
"Unfortunately, nothing," Rose Potter admitted with a faint smile as she wandered across the room and took a position next to Leo.
"The situation is actually quite serious," James sighed, stepping closer to Professor Dumbledore with Lily at his side. "We had previously thought that the Death Eaters weren't aware enough of Lily's background to know that she had family living in Surrey."
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