The Secret Regulus Died to Hide
Sirius stepped out of the fireplace in the Black house with quick strides. As soon as he did, he saw Narcissa waiting in the living room with a serious expression, and beside her stood Andromeda, who was softly smiling as she spoke with her sister.
As always, Sirius couldn't help but compare Andromeda's face to that of her twin sister, Bellatrix Lestrange. It was almost amusing to see the same face he remembered filled with madness and chaos now carrying such a calm, gentle smile. It was a reminder that even if they looked identical, they had turned into completely different people.
Of course, Andromeda's personality made her far easier to deal with than her other, far more unhinged cousin.
As for Narcissa, the moment she saw him arrive, she fixed him with a stare as if she had already been judging him for quite some time.
"Sorry for the delay. I came as fast as I could," Sirius said, already defending himself under her cold gaze.
"He's in the same room as before, being looked after by one of the elves they sent. You two should go. Every time he sees me, he seems to have some kind of breakdown," Andromeda said, her smile tightening slightly for a moment.
Narcissa gave a small nod and immediately walked toward one of the rooms in the manor, with Sirius following behind her.
The moment they stepped inside, both of their gazes landed on Kreacher, who was lying on the bed, trying to get up with all his strength, while Dobby sat on top of him, using brute force to keep him down.
"Kreacher must rest. Mistress Narcissa gave the order, and Dobby will make sure it is obeyed," Dobby said, still pushing the stubborn elf back into the mattress.
"Kreacher has to go. Kreacher has to find it. Kreacher must retrieve the object that belonged to Master Regulus," Kreacher insisted, struggling desperately to throw the other elf off him.
"No. Dobby will not allow Kreacher to leave the bed," Dobby shouted again, putting even more force into holding him down.
For a moment, the two wizards at the doorway simply watched their house-elves brawl on top of the bed.
"No… Kreacher must. Kreacher must…" Kreacher muttered, still trying to rise.
"That's enough, Dobby," Narcissa said, watching the chaos unfold.
At the sound of her voice, both elves froze instantly, turning their heads toward the entrance, where Narcissa and Sirius stood.
"Mistress Narcissa," Dobby said quickly, hopping off the bed. "Dobby was doing his job taking care of Kreacher, but Kreacher refuses to listen and wants to leave his resting bed, so Dobby had no choice but to use force," he explained in a rush.
"That's fine," Narcissa said calmly, making a small gesture for Dobby to step aside while they spoke to Kreacher, who, upon seeing Sirius, immediately wore his usual bitter expression.
"As always… bad weeds never die, eh, Kreacher?" Sirius said with a faint smile, looking at the elf, now physically recovered. His wounds had healed long ago; the real problem had been his mind, which refused to wake. "A moment ago, you said something interesting. I'd like you to share it," Sirius added, watching him closely.
Kreacher parted his lips slightly before turning his face away. Dobby frowned for a moment at the sight, clearly displeased that Kreacher refused to look at his own master.
But like a proper servant, he stayed silent unless spoken to, at least when things were serious. That was something he had learned from Grey.
"Kreacher, tell me what happened," Sirius said, his tone now neutral, getting straight to the point they had been waiting for since the elf had awakened.
Kreacher slowly turned back, looking at Sirius and then at Narcissa, his mouth trembling.
"She… she took it.
She took the object Master Regulus gave Kreacher to destroy.
But Kreacher couldn't destroy it. That's why they took it. Kreacher failed Master Regulus's final order. Before his death… Kreacher is a bad house-elf. Kreacher failed… and she took it. Kreacher would have preferred to die rather than say it. Then Kreacher's head would be on the mantelpiece… but Kreacher failed… failed… she found it and took it," he said, as if the words were being forced out of him, like he was breaking under the weight of failing a single command he had spent his entire life trying to fulfill.
At once, both Sirius and Narcissa looked confused… and serious.
"What did they take?" Sirius asked immediately, but Kreacher kept repeating himself.
"She took it…
Kreacher failed his promise…
she took it…" he muttered, tears now falling down his face.
"Kreacher! What did she take, and who was it?" Sirius raised his voice slightly, realizing the elf wasn't responding.
"Look at me."
Kreacher hesitated for a second… but obeyed.
He slowly lifted his head, still trembling.
"The object for which his master Regulus gave his life… to destroy the Dark Lord… she took it… Mistress Bellatrix… and she wasn't alone," the elf said, releasing so much information at once that it didn't seem to fully register in Sirius's mind.
Narcissa's expression shifted as well, confusion mixing with shock.
"What?" both of them said at the same time, hearing each of their siblings' names in the same sentence.
Sirius fell silent.
Regulus…
and Bellatrix…
Those two names should never have belonged in the same sentence.