𝘒𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘈𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 •°𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴

[77]

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

DISCLAIMER! This chapter is painfully long and follows the events from the books, I have added my own scenes, but you can skip it if you like. There's some fluff here tho.

Sara had cried herself to sleep that night, letting all the hurt and worries out as her tears wet the dusty old pillow; it didn't help that she was wearing one of Nico's sweaters that still had the scent of his cologne.

She had cried for all the memories they made at Grimmauld Place and for the way she missed Sirius singing Christmas carols and helping them clean the damned house.

When she awoke, the warm Summer sun was hugging her face gently, but Sara was tired after a restless night, her eyes all red and puffy.

After a quick trip to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face, the ginger walked downstairs, wishing she would find her friends in the kitchen since she was drowning in the silence of the old house.

It was long after noon so she was pretty sure they would be awake already and her question was answered when the portrait of Mrs. Black started yelling insults at her. Sara passed her, a bored expression on her face as she made the curtains close over the old hag with a charm.

"— and the locket, Master Regulus's locket, Kreacher did wrong, Kreacher failed in his orders!" the elf's voice made the ginger grow alert as she entered the kitchen.

She watched as Kreacher lunged for the poker standing in the grate, Harry launching himself upon the elf, flattening him. Hermione's scream mingled with Kreacher's, but Harry bellowed louder than both of them: "Kreacher, I order you to stay still!"

"What in Merlin's old socks is going on here?" Sara managed to get out as she looked between her three friends and the elf. "Regulus? As in Sirius' little brother?"

Sara had heard things about the youngest Black and even asked Sirius about him after seeing his name on the Black family tree. Sirius had told her a little even if he didn't seem that happy to bring up his dead brother.

"And the locket, what's he gotta do with the locket?" the ginger continued.

"R.A.B," Ron muttered. "Regulus Arcturus Black."

Her eyes went wide as she stepped further into the room. "But then, the locket must be in here, isn't it?" she looked at Harry, who was still holding Kreacher, with hopeful eyes.

"That's what Kreacher was just telling us about now," her brother muttered, releasing the frozen elf. Kreacher lay flat on the cold stone floor, tears gushing from his sagging eyes.

"Harry, let him up!" Hermione whispered.

"So he can beat himself up with the poker?" snorted Harry, kneeling beside the elf. "I don't think so. Right, Kreacher, I want the truth: How do you know Mundungus Fletcher stole the locket?"

All the color drained from Sara's face; they didn't have the real locket and had no idea how to get it back.

"Kreacher saw him!" gasped the elf as tears poured over his snout and into his mouth full of graying teeth. "Kreacher saw him coming out of Kreacher's cupboard with his hands full of Kreacher's treasures. Kreacher told the sneak thief to stop, but Mundungus Fletcher laughed and r-ran. . . ."

"You called the locket 'Master Regulus's,'" Harry whispered. "Why? Where did it come from? What did Regulus have to do with it? Kreacher, sit up and tell me everything you know about that locket, and everything Regulus had to do with it!"