𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙨 (𝖽𝗋𝖺𝖼𝗈 𝗆𝖺𝗅𝖿𝗈𝗒 𝗑 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋)

chapter forty-two

We walked through the door of number twelve, Grimmauld Place, and immediately, a loud screech began echoing throughout the house. I threw my hands over my ears as Harry and Hermione used a quick spell to silence it.

Carefully, we walked through the hallways, looking around at the mess this place had become. Everything was coated in a thick layer of dust and it hung in the air, making us cough.

Kreacher the House-elf walked through the hall to us.

"Master?" he said quietly.

"No," Harry answered, "Sirius is dead."

Kreacher shook his head. "You're my new master. My old master gave you and Miss Potter all of his stuff, including the house."

Harry looked around, surprised. "Oh, okay, then."

Kreacher then disappeared.

"Alright!" I said, forcing myself to be enthusiastic despite the gloom the house held. "We need to clean this place up if we're going to use it as a hideout. Ron and Hermione, can you work with Kreacher to clean up the basement while Harry and I work up here?"

"Sure thing," Ron said. He and Hermione took off, ready to clean.

Harry went to the front of the room and I went to the back. The wall had tall windows, which were covered in dust and curtains. "Scourgify!" I said, pointing my wand at one of the windows. It cleaned itself instantly, and I turned to Harry, shouting, "I love being able to do magic on my own!"

Harry laughed from his side of the room. "It is pretty nice. Finally, we're seventeen, which makes us adults in the Wizarding World."

We continued tidying up and soon, the layer of dust had been lifted from the walls and furniture. Ron and Hermione joined us again and the four of us moved to the second floor, continuing to do the same as we had.

Ron moved to one of the rooms and stopped, staring at the door. "Y/n," he said, "what are the initials on the locket?"

"R.A.B. Why?"

"This door says Regulus Arcturus Black. They have the same initials."

"Ron," Harry shouted, running up behind us. "You're a genius!"

"How do we make sure?" I asked.

"Kreacher!" Harry said.

"Yes, Master?"

"Do you know who Regulus Black is?" I asked.

"My old master!" Kreacher cried. "Great man, he was."

"What do you know about the locket of Slytherin?" I added.

"Master had tried to destroy it," said Kreacher, looking down. "He took me with him to the cave and we stole the locket. I had to put in a fake locket and Master told me to destroy the real one, but I failed. No matter what I did, I failed. Master was killed because the Inferi drowned him."

"Do you know what happened to the real locket?" Hermione added.

"I hid it in my cupboard, but the thief stole it--"

"Who?" I asked, panicking.

"Mundungus Fletcher. All I know is that he sold it to a woman for good money."

"Who did he sell it to?"

"A pink, toad-like lady," said Kreacher, scowling at the thought.

"Umbridge!" Harry shouted.

"That filthy witch," Ron said disdainfully.

I put Regulus's locket in Kreacher's hand. He stared at it for a moment and then began crying, hugging it close to his chest.