Through the holey roof of the broom shed, Leon watched Tom's colorful, heavy figure gradually fly away.
He couldn't help but wonder if it was time to put Tom on a diet.
Maybe skip that chocolate pie he'd promised.
Or, better yet, keep it for himself as a little treat.
Leon could use the energy boost, not to mention the nutrition.
Slurp.
Just thinking about Kreacher's ancestral chocolate pie recipe made Leon's mouth water.
Time to head home! Let's go!
"Kreacher!"
With a familiar pop, Kreacher appeared, looking like a muddy monkey.
"Young Master Leon! Er…"
Kreacher paused, second-guessing reality for a moment before cheerfully correcting himself:
"Young Miss Leon! K—"
"Stop, stop, stop! K-what? K-Tom's birdbrain? Are you all out to get me or what?!"
Leon was exhausted. Did they think this was easy for him?
He'd schemed and strategized, pouring every ounce of effort into his great escape.
And he hadn't forgotten to look out for the house-elf, making sure Kreacher got out smoothly too.
Did he want to dress up as a magical girl?!
No! It was a precaution, in case a straight-up run wouldn't cut it.
His plan? Hide out with the kind-hearted, bustling Weasley family and blend in.
Worst-case scenario, Leon didn't believe Grindelwald would do anything unspeakable just to catch him.
If it came to it, he'd get caught and dragged back. No big loss.
But even after all his hard work, Kreacher was still poking at his sore spots!
The string that had been taut in his head all day finally snapped.
This team was too much to handle. Ugh!
Why didn't this blasted game have a quit button? He was losing it!
The next morning at 12 Grimmauld Place, Leon reluctantly dragged himself out of bed's warm embrace.
He could feel his magic still hadn't fully recovered to its peak.
After some thought, he made up his mind.
Today was the day to find Regulus's body.
He wasn't sure if Grindelwald had searched the Burrow while he was "unconscious," but it seemed unlikely.
He still didn't know why Grindelwald was after him or why he'd given up halfway. Surely it wasn't because he couldn't handle Leon's antics?
As expected, Grindelwald hadn't bothered Kreacher—probably because he didn't think it worth his time.
And Maeve, with her knack for self-preservation, wasn't foolish enough to let Grindelwald use her as leverage against him.
But Regulus's body? That was a different story. It was just a physical object, magically significant but lifeless, sitting in a known location.
Anyone with the ability could take it.
It mattered to Leon, but not that much.
Still, he worried Grindelwald might snatch it up as a bargaining chip for later.
That would be a huge loss.
More importantly, Leon wanted to move from being the Black family's sole heir to its sole leader.
That meant gaining access to the Black family's secret chamber.
To do that, he had to fulfill his promise to handle Regulus's affairs properly.
It all started by chance.
When Leon's blood grandmother, Walburga Black, passed away, he didn't attend her funeral.
But after the crowd dispersed, he visited her grave and left a bouquet of flowers.
There, he found a dazed Kreacher.
That's when Leon vowed to "bring Uncle Regulus's body back for burial."
He'd be honest: his motives weren't entirely pure. He wanted to win over the house-elf.
But the moment he made that promise, something wild happened.
Every tombstone in the Black family graveyard lit up with blue, ghostly flames.
Leon nearly jumped out of his skin, thinking the ancestors were about to rise from their graves.
The flames merged into a single, brighter, rounder, even more ghostly ring.
And then—poof—it settled around his head like a halo.
The wizarding world was ridiculous like that. You couldn't just say things without consequences.
Words carried magical weight.
And so, without meaning to, Leon signed a magical contract, becoming the Black family's apprentice heir.
Years later, after proving himself, he became the official heir.
It was a magical kind of official, anyway.
The Black family was nearly extinct, so it wasn't like anyone cared about formalities.
As far as Leon knew, his only competition was Sirius Black.
But Sirius had been disowned, struck from the family tree.
So, the Black family leadership was his, sooner or later.
If it weren't for Grindelwald's interference, Leon wouldn't be in such a rush to deal with Regulus's affairs.
But he needed that chamber access now to learn some powerful tricks.
He had Dark Lords coming for him left and right.
What a mess.
Was he cursed by Merlin himself?
Or maybe he'd ticked off Lady Rowling, the creator goddess?
Two Dark Lords to deal with at once? Really?
They must think he had too much free time.
After breakfast, Kreacher apparated Leon to Voldemort's secret base.
This was the carefully chosen hiding spot for Voldemort's Horcrux, a desolate, rocky beach.
The entrance was on a reef, backed by sheer cliffs and facing a roaring, pitch-black sea.
Leon had scoured every travel warning post in the world and couldn't find a less tourist-friendly spot.
So why on earth did Wool's Orphanage bring kids here for an outing?
Was it on purpose or just a mistake?
This wasn't a trip; it was a scare tactic for unruly orphans.
No wonder kids raised in this environment turned out twisted.
Especially someone like Tom Riddle, a budding villain of the highest order.
Here, he'd tapped into dark forces and nurtured his sinister spark.
"Kreacher, can you apparate me directly onto the island inside the cave?" Leon asked, eyeing the crashing waves nervously.
"Let's skip the front door and take a shortcut. Speedrun this thing."
Kreacher, now cleaned up after a long night, didn't speak. He shook his head, then nodded.
Leon got it. Kreacher could apparate inside alone, but not with him.
They'd have to go through the main entrance, navigating every trap, no skipping allowed.
"Tch, what a pain. Voldemort's such a foul git," Leon muttered, disappointed.
But since they were here, they might as well try.
If they didn't succeed on the first go, it'd be a learning experience.
Leon had come prepared with a camping tent.
He was ready to spend the whole summer here if that's what it took to find Regulus's body.
Day one: Leon's stamina and magic weren't fully restored. Swimming to the cave entrance wore him out.
Worried he'd mess up inside, he played it safe and turned back.
They set up camp in a quieter corner of the beach, away from the worst of the wind and waves.
This was going to be a long, tough mission.
Day two: They made it inside and reached the island.
Leon spotted the stone basin, now holding a fake locket.
He sighed, touching the real locket around his neck.
Was this some kind of cosmic payback?
If Regulus hadn't risked his life to get the true locket out, Leon might still be stuck in that creepy green basin.
Bringing Regulus out of this awful place would close that loop, in a way.