The Search Is Over

Chapter 147

If Regulus and Kreacher hoped the next few lessons with the children would go more smoothly, they were sadly disappointed. The twins were no more eager to learn their elf magic than the first time. Though they realized now that they would be made to do so, they did it dragging their figurative magical feet and muttering complaints under their breaths nearly the entire time! This made Kreacher frustrated and exasperated while Regulus was disappointed.

"Elf magic is something any wise wizard should envy and the two of you couldn't be more disinterested," he exclaimed near the end of the third lesson.

"When elves learn to use it for something great rather than serving their lessers, we shall," Hydra snapped back.

Regulus glared, and opened his mouth to chastise his overly brilliant and observant child, then closed it again. Hadn't he all too often said basically the same thing to Kreacher over the years?

"Elves do use their magic for great things," Kreacher snapped peevishly.

"If you don't believe Kreacher, just eat Muggle cooking...Or even the cooking of witches, for their skills in the kitchen are hardly better. It will turn your stomach."

Regulus's lips twitched, but he could hardly afford amusement over Kreacher's antics at a time like this. The children were being quite difficult, and to his mind rejecting great power in the process. It was madness. Was this what it felt like to be a parent truly? And they were only now getting a taste of it somehow after all this time?

"Not to mention, Kreacher assisted the goblins in building more rooms under Gringotts before you were born, so elf magic can do anything from cooking food to carving stone, and you'd learn that if you bothered to stop complaining," Regulus pointed out.

"It's odd to imagine you doing things before we were born," Loughness complained, frowning.

"You two must be ancient! Super old! Like Merlin!"

Kreacher growled and Regulus choked.

"Not quite," he managed, biting back a smile in spite of himself.

"May Stormy interject?"

Regulus had nearly forgotten that anyone else was in the room. In his defense, though, Stormy moved about his tasks in complete silence. As the children had their lesson in the kitchen, he'd been polishing the copper pots which hung on the far wall, seemingly ignoring the children's lesson, but when he spoke, everyone turned to him in interest.

"Stormy may," Kreacher allowed.

Kreacher's gaze held both surprise and curiosity as he awaited Stormy's words. Stormy's own attention was on the children, however.

"The spell used to boil an egg, can also boil a brain inside the skull of a living individual. The children can learn cooking, then later adapt it to defensive magic," he told Loughness and Hydra.

"Wow," Loughness breathed.

"That's brilliant. And the skull remains intact like the egg shell so no one would know?"

The little boy regarded Stormy with a look of utter awe and amazement.

Stormy nodded.

"Likewise the charm used to clean dirt from a floor can also skin a chicken...or an enemy."

And just like that, the children were suddenly very interested in listening to what Kreacher had to say on matters of cleaning and cooking.

Before he continued the lesson, Kreacher turned to Stormy, momentarily giving the other elf his full attention.

"Kreacher must thank Stormy for his most brilliant assistance in this quite harrowing matter."

Stormy gaped, then obviously scrambled for composure as he inclined his head to Kreacher.

Kreacher smiled.

"Stormy was always Kreacher's favorite," he stated, then returned his focus to the children and their lesson. Though Regulus also wished to address Stormy on the matter, he waited until the lesson was over. Not until the children had gone upstairs did he turn to Stormy.

"I simply must know...Have you actually tried out the boiling brain bit, then? That is, we wouldn't hold it against you or anything, but you didn't strike me as the sort, so there must be a story behind it that I'm sure we'd love to hear."

Stormy's lips twitched as he shook his head.

"Oh no. Stormy was never required to strike out at another, but he is certain the egg boiling spell could boil anything, including a brain, and he doesn't need to try it out to make the connection. It's a matter of simple logic."

Regulus chuckled as he turned to Kreacher.

"As this has never occurred to you, I suppose this means that you're not as violent as many likely believe you to be."

He had to include himself in that number, at least partially as it was surprising that Kreacher had never considered such actions even against Voldemort or Sirius.

"Kreacher supposes he is a little disappointed in himself," he admitted, lips twitching up into a slight ironic smile.

"Or he has come to think too much like a wizard," Stormy muttered, not quite under his breath.

Kreacher frowned, but his eyes were considering rather than annoyed.

"Perhaps Stormy is right," he admitted grudgingly.

"Kreacher does not like the implication of that, but it is true nonetheless," he muttered half to himself.

His gaze went distant for a moment, then snapped back to Stormy as he smiled.

"Stormy is wise." Kreacher knew Stormy was his favorite for a reason."

Kreacher's tone was smug, pleased by his own self validation. For the second time in half an hour, Stormy gaped before hastily collecting himself.

It was clear that he wasn't accustomed to compliments from Kreacher to the point that the other elf claiming to consider him his favorite was shocking. Though Regulus did not approve of the manner in which Kreacher treated the four elves who worked at #12 Grimmauld Place, he'd chosen to remain out of it and spare himself Kreacher's wrath.

Happy spouse, happy house and all that. The elves were free to go if they chose. Apparently they appreciated the high pay and each having his own upstairs bedchamber enough to overlook Kreacher's petty criticisms of...basically everything they did.

Of course Regulus was conflicted when it came to the fact he usually always gave Kreacher his way, but he'd lived too long without the elf in his life and didn't want to spend any more time making Kreacher unhappy by disagreeing with him.

Not to mention, Regulus's own misguided actions had caused much of Kreacher's past unhappiness, so he couldn't bring himself to contribute to more in any way if he could avoid it. Mag and Severus both said more than once that he was allowing Kreacher to be a right shit, but Kreacher was Kreacher, and no one was changing that any time soon. Regulus loved every aspect of Kreacher, and would never wish to change him. Kreacher always accepted Regulus unconditionally as well. It was just their way and always had been.

Regulus only wished Kreacher would be a little nicer to those who deserved it including the other four elves living and working at #12 Grimmauld Place. Truly though, Regulus knew that it bothered him even more because Kreacher's unkindness to the elves seemed to be some misguided, warped way of working through his anger and resentment of no longer seeing to the upkeep of the manor himself.

As if he had an earned or god given right to his slavehood. Regulus hated that for Kreacher, and even more than that, hated that he couldn't fix it for him. In general,Kreacher openly enjoyed his freedom. He enjoyed being considered an equal by many accomplished wizards, including the likes of Gellert Grindelwald, and he most definitely enjoyed owning half of the family manor and being able to boss four other elves about in the running of it.