𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐯𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞 - 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

56 - 𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙮 101

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"No, I get it, but why would he need Kreacher?" was the first thing Aquila heard when she stepped into the apartment that day, unwinding her scarf from around her neck and setting her coat on the rack.

She saw her father's face in the fire, with his mouth pinched at the corners, irritation shining through. "How would I know? When an evil lord asks you for your house elf, you don't ask questions!"

Regulus brandished a poker near his father's face, making Orion flinch back. "Kreacher isn't a house elf. He's family, and it's about time you start treating him like that."

Orion groaned. "You think you're the only one concerned? I've seen Kreacher grow up. Your mother is beside herself, won't get out of her parlour, though I suspect that's the illness taking a toll, but everyone is equally upset about this."

Regulus scoffed, setting down the poker and grabbing his hair instead, pulling it out in frustration. "I swear to Merlin, dad, if he comes back harmed, I will make sure you and my mum get a side by side grave."

Orion rolled his eyes. "Years later my son calls me dad instead of 'father' and it's a death threat. Could you possibly be any more of a Black?"

Aquila laughed, alerting the people present in the room to her presence. "That's the funniest thing you've said since the eighteenth century, dad," she commented, going to the kitchen.

"Oh, Aquila, good thing you're here. Please, your brother is acting irrationally," Orion said, craning his head a bit to look at Aquila who settled in the farthest corner of the room.

Regulus once again picked up the poker and held it close to Orion's face. "I'm not acting irrationally. You're acting irrationally."

"Relax, Reg, he won't kill Kreacher," Aquila said, nestling further into the armchair with her cup of tea balanced precariously on her knee. Orion made a sound of affirmation, apparently preoccupied with something else.

Regulus whirled around and put his hands on his hips. "Oh, so suddenly you know the Dark Lord well enough to guess his killing habits?"

Aquila heaved out a great sigh and flung her legs over the arm of the chair. "Great minds think alike, brother dearest."

Orion let out a long suffering sigh from where his head was still sticking out of the fireplace. "Behave, children."

Aquila slowly unfolded herself from her armchair and stretched her limbs. "Did you really Floo to tell us that you've given Kreacher?"

"I know how much he means to you, so I thought you should know first," Orion said.

Aquila smiled at him, heading towards the kitchen to place her cup in the sink. She came out with the kettle in hand, and strode towards the fireplace. "Oh, well, thanks, dad," she said cheerfully, and emptied the kettle in the fireplace.

---

Sleep was so close. Aquila could feel it reaching out to her, lulling her into the dark abyss. All was going well, the sweet descent, until a loud CRACK! interrupted her. She slumped further into the bed, snuggling in her blankets with a groan.

"Aquila, come here, now!" Regulus shouted, his voice alert and not at all sleepy like she thought it would be, considering his snores. Groaning out loud once again, Aquila sat up, reluctantly pushing away her blanket and running a hand through her hair.

As she stepped outside her room, the sound of sobbing greeted her ears. "Reg? Where are you? Are you o-" her words came to a stop as her eyes fell on a very distressed Regulus, his arm around Kreacher, the house elf looking more underfed than ever, his eyes sunken and bony fingers desperately clutching the small teacup with smoke wafting out of it.

He raised his head to look at Aquila, his eyes wet with tears and cheeks glistening with the ones previously shed. His bottom lip wobbled, and he once again burst into loud sobs, curling up into himself.

"Kreach, what happened?" Regulus asked softly, tracing his hand down his back in a soothing motion. Aquila swiftly took her place on the other side of Kreacher, exchanging a worried look with Regulus over the small elf's head.

"Master gave me to him, to the one who hurt Mistress Aquila," Kreacher slobbered, his voice wet. "H-he told Kreacher we were going to go to a-a di-diff-different place, and Kreacher was not to t-tell any-anyone. Kr-kreacher is a good elf, so Kreacher d-di-did not tell an-any-anyone, a-and Kreacher saw te-terrible things, s-sir," he squeaked, clutching tightly to Regulus' finger, the cup rattling in the saucer.

Aquila looked at Regulus, both their faces white. What did the Dark Lord do to him? Regulus asked in her head, his jaw clenched worriedly.

"M-mas-master Regulus, K-kr-kreacher wants best for the Most Noble and A-ancient House of Black. H-he gave m-me a p-po-potion, sir," Kreacher went on, his wide eyes looking up at Regulus.

"Kreacher," Regulus said softly. "Do you want clothes?"

That, apparently, was the wrong thing to ask. Kreacher immediately burst into sobs, his frail body shaking violently. "K-Kreacher would r-rather d-d-die, Master Regulus!"

Aquila immediately glared at her brother. "There will be no dying, and no giving of clothes. I want you to tell us what happened, Kreacher."

Kreacher shook his head harshly. "K-Kreacher must not tell anyone, Miss, Kreacher cannot tell anyone."

Regulus bit his lip and looked at Aquila over Kreacher's head. He lightly tapped his finger on his temple, then pointed at Kreacher. Aquila pursed her lips, blinking away the sleep from her eyes.

"Kreach?" she asked softly. Kreacher looked at her with wide eyes. "Can I look?" she asked gently, holding out her hands. He looked at her hands, then at her face, blinked once, twice, and slowly nodded.

Aquila smiled reassuringly at him and placed the tips of her fingers on his temple, gently pressing. She opened her mind to Regulus, feeling his presence and his magic steadily beside her. And she dived in.

Kreacher wasn't stupid. He lived with some of the most talented wizards of all time. And obviously, the owners of the elf placed some sort of protection on the elf so that no guest or passerby would be able to peer into the mind of their elf and get all the family secrets. And thus, Kreacher's mind was cleverly only opened a sliver, with only the memory of that particular night on display.

For a moment, all Aquila saw was water. Then, as if he had been underwater, a small gasp came from the elf's memory. Above him stood the put-together Tom Riddle, his immaculate robes shifting like a snake's skin. He stood on a boat, and lifted a hand to levitate an oar in Kreacher's direction, who was, as Aquila guessed, drowning.

And the whole scene played out, along with horror, Aquila could chant only one thing in her mind. And as soon as the memory ended and she withdrew her hands, her and Regulus looked at each other, and in a single word, breathed out the solution to all their problems.

"Horcrux."

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i am becoming champion of late updates

oops sorry xx

love you all

vote and comment

this story just keeps on getting longer and longer and longer and i am SICK

pls no i love aquila and reg and james and *looks at smudged writing on hand* sniffles