The Marauders: Year Seven Part Two

Don't You Dare

Lily had only ever been to Number 12 Grimmauld Place once, the day that Orion Black had been killed. If it was possible, the house was even more dismal now than it had been then, or even than it was in her memory of it. The stones that made up the outer wall were dirty with soot and grime from the city, and the wrought iron gate was hung with cobwebs and rust. Grass, browned and dead, stuck up from beneath the snow, and the whole exterior was just a shambles of ominous disrepair.

Lily wondered how much the home reflected the emotional wellbeing of its inhabitants - were both Walburga and Regulus suffering from such terrible disrepair as well?

As nasty as the outside was, however, inside was... well, not pleasant, but clean and well kept at least. Lily hovered nervously just inside the front door, staring around the entrance hall, and feeling the heavy weight of the Black boys' upbringing falling onto her shoulders. It turned her stomach to picture Sirius here, and although Regulus had it much better in his family's presence than Sirius did, she still didn't wish this on Regulus either.

"Kreacher!" Walburga yelled as she stepped down the hall, "Kreacher! Come at once!"

The elf came running down the stairs carrying a silver tray under one arm, taking the stairs one at a time with his arthritic legs. "Kreacher is here, Mistress," he croaked as he came about the bend, eyeing Lily with distrust as he passed her.

"Kreacher, I command you to go to Hogwarts and fetch Regulus, tell him to bring the locket with him when he comes," Walburga said firmly.

Kreacher instantly looked panicked.  "Oh but Mistress, Kreacher is —"

"Kreacher!" Walburga snapped, "Do as you're told! Now!" Kreacher looked at Lily, then back to Walburga, and he sighed and clicked his fingers, disapparating away. "Filthy elf," she muttered, "Gets more and more senile everyday... imagine a house elf talking back... it's nearly time to stuff him..."

Lily's eyes traced the horrid house elf heads silhouettes in the darkness, her mouth turning with disgust at the sight. They were well dusted and maintained, at least, and Lily thought of Regulus Black's elf and the care he must take of the elves heads, knowing one day he would join them and the next elf would be in charge of cleaning him off as well. She shivered at the thought.

"Come, we'll wait for him in the library," Walburga suggested, and she motioned for Lily to follow.

Lily hesitated, then started forward. She had taken no more than six or seven steps forward when the shrieking started: "FILTH! MUDBLOOD! STAIN IN MY HOME!!! TRYINY TO TURN PUREBLOOD LINES INTO FILTH LIKE YOU! STEALING MAGIC AS THOUGH YOU WERE ENTITLED!"

Lily jumped back - the shouting was coming from behind a curtain that hung upon the wall.

Walburga hurried back over, drawing her wand, "You go on up and I'll stop her from shouting!" She said over the noise. "Its the first landing up!"

Lily scrambled to the stairs hurriedly, covering her ears as Walburga drew back the drapes to reveal a portrait underneath. Lily looked back in surprise, "But — it's —"

"My past," Walburga confirmed with a nod as she waved her wand, silencing her own portrait.

CRACK!!

"MASTER REGULUS! Master Regulus! You must be getting up and coming with Kreacher, you must come, and quickly..." Kreacher crawled onto the bed and shook his Master awake, scrambling down and rushing to the trunk the moment Regulus reacted even a twitch.

Regulus sat up, disoriented and blinking about the pitch dark of the room. "Kreacher?" he yawned, "What are you doing here?"

"You must be coming quickly! She knows, she knows, oh she knows Master Regulus, Kreacher did not tell his Mistress, but she knows, and she wants Master Regulus to bring the locket to her! She knows! Kreacher has failed his Master!" he wailed.