The door swung open, and everyone saw Kreacher staggering down the stairs—so unsteady it looked as if he might tumble down at any moment.
Before anyone could ask questions, Douglas took charge. "Dobby, take Lupin and Harry home first, then Apparate them both to Hogsmeade Village.
Lupin, once you've seen Harry safely back to school, find Dumbledore and bring him here. Looks like our Christmas party will need a change of venue tonight."
Sirius pressed, voice taut with urgency, "Does this have something to do with Regulus?"
Douglas shot him a look. "You'll find out soon enough. And Dobby, come right back after you've dropped them off—I have more for you to do."
Dobby bowed deeply, then grabbed Lupin and Harry by the arms. Lupin didn't protest.
But Harry blurted out, "Wait, why can't I stay for this?"
Douglas didn't answer, just fixed him with a stern look. "When you get back to Hogwarts, keep your head down and enjoy Christmas. Don't talk about what happened here."
Seeing the seriousness in Douglas's eyes, Harry quickly tried to change tack. "I mean, maybe I could just take a Muggle car back myself… Apparition always makes me—"
He didn't get to finish. Something small shot into his mouth.
"Keep that in your mouth. If you start feeling sick, swallow it. Dobby, make it quick."
Before Harry could protest, there was a familiar crack! and all three vanished from the room.
Clearly, the Black family home wasn't protected against house-elf magic either.
Sirius turned a cold stare on Douglas. "They're gone. Now will you talk?"
Douglas shook his head. "Not yet. Once I have the item, just stand aside and don't say a word. Don't interrupt or interfere, no matter what. Let Kreacher finish his story. When he's done, Dumbledore and the others should be here. I mean it—don't interrupt, don't distract him. Pretend you're invisible. Just stay out of the way."
Moments later, Kreacher came stumbling back up the stairs, clutching a locket in his trembling hands.
Sirius snatched the locket from him, eyes widening in shock. "This is Salazar Slytherin's locket! How did it end up here? Kreacher, tell me—what's the connection between this, Regulus, and Voldemort?"
Kreacher recoiled, shaking his head furiously. Regulus had ordered him never to tell anyone in the Black family about this.
Douglas calmly took the locket from Sirius. Besides the prominent Slytherin "S," there was a string of ancient runes etched into the metal. He shot Sirius a warning glare and hissed, "Keep your mouth shut!"
With a swift flick of his wand, Douglas tapped Sirius on the head. Instantly, Sirius vanished from view.
Invisible under the Disillusionment Charm, Sirius glared daggers at Douglas, utterly baffled by his actions.
Douglas ignored him, turning instead to Kreacher, who sat hunched on the cold floor. His voice softened. "Now, let's talk properly. It's just the two of us."
Kreacher's bloodshot eyes darted to where Sirius had disappeared, then back to Douglas. He muttered, "It's over. Kreacher really trusted the wrong person. I never should have believed a—"
Douglas cut him off with a cold sneer. "Swallow the rest of that sentence. Regulus ordered you not to tell anyone in the Black family. But right now, it's just you and me. How others find out is none of your concern. Let's talk about the locket, and about Regulus."
Kreacher curled into a tight ball, tears splattering onto his knees. His head wagged back and forth as he spoke in a hoarse whisper.
"Master Sirius ran away. Honestly, it was for the best. He was a bad child—he shamed the Black family, broke my mistress's heart. But Master Regulus was different. He understood what the Black name and pure blood truly meant."
A contemptuous snort echoed through the room. Douglas shot a glare toward the sound's source.
Kreacher seemed not to notice and pressed on.
"Master Regulus joined the Dark Lord's ranks at sixteen. He was so proud, so happy… A year later, he came to Kreacher. He said he'd always been fond of me, but the Dark Lord needed a house-elf…
Master Regulus said it would be an honor for both of us if I served the Dark Lord, so I had to go and do whatever was asked, then come home."
Kreacher broke down in sobs. "Later, Kreacher met the Dark Lord. He took me to a cave—a huge cave with a vast, black lake."
His voice trembled, haunted by memory.
"There was… there was a boat, and an island. On the island stood a stone basin, filled with potion. The Dark… the Dark Lord made Kreacher drink it all. When I drank, I saw the most terrible things. My insides felt like they were burning. I called for Master Regulus to save me, called for my mistress—but the Dark Lord only laughed. He forced me to finish every drop, then tossed a locket into the empty basin and refilled it with potion. Finally, the Dark Lord took the boat and left, leaving Kreacher alone on the island."
Suddenly, Sirius's voice rang out—loud and furious, though his body was still invisible.
"Then what about this locket? Why is it here? Did you steal it back? Is that why Voldemort killed Regulus? Speak! I order you to tell me everything—I command you!"
Kreacher only sobbed harder, shaking his head, his cries growing louder as Sirius became more agitated. If Douglas hadn't been there, Sirius might have grabbed the old elf on the spot.
As the tense standoff dragged on, a familiar crack split the air—Dobby appeared beside Douglas.
"Master, Dobby has delivered Mr. Lupin and Harry Potter to Hogsmeade Village. Is there anything else Master would like Dobby to do?"
Douglas smiled gently. "Thank you, Dobby. Wait here for a moment."
Kreacher suddenly jerked his head up, glaring at Dobby, his voice trembling with rage. "You filthy traitor! How dare you—how dare you show your face in the noble Black family's house—"
Douglas coughed. "Kreacher, now's not the time for that. Let's get back to Regulus."
At Douglas's words, Kreacher collapsed once more into sobs, choking out, "It wasn't… it wasn't Kreacher who took it…"
Douglas could only marvel—impressive, he thought, how Kreacher could pick up his story right where he'd left off, even after being interrupted.
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