"What did Voldemort want a house-elf for?" Remus couldn't help asking, "Werewolves, giants, vampires, Death Eaters, many dark creatures are Voldemort's supporters. He doesn't lack minions?"
Remus's doubt was soon answered, as the story continued, they seemed to follow Kreacher back to many years ago, to the seaside cave that Muggles couldn't reach.
They listened with rapt attention, as Kreacher described the dark and damp cave, the greenish lake full of Inferi, the stone basin filled with a cursed potion, and the Locket that lay at the bottom of it.
Sirius's breathing became heavier and heavier. He stared at Kreacher with a pale face, his fists clenched and his veins bulging, as if he wanted to rush up and beat Kreacher up at any time. He was furious and heartbroken, as he learned how his brother had sacrificed himself.
Remus's expression was also unprecedentedly serious. By a twist of fate, they learned of a bizarre incident of Voldemort, which might involve Voldemort's deepest secret.
The story of the young man named Regulus was indeed admirable. Bryan also felt a bit of respect, but by the end of the story, he had started to think about other things.
He was not surprised by the existence of Horcruxes, as he had already known about them for a long time. He was more interested in the logic behind Voldemort's actions.
Dumbledore was looking for Voldemort's Horcruxes, and his method was to trace Voldemort's life in the wizarding world, hoping to find some clues.
'Hmm. Voldemort gave the diary to Lucius Malfoy, and let Regulus Black get involved in the hiding of the locket. Would he treat this as a kind of employee benefit, letting every loyal Death Eater participate in this matter?' As he said that, Bryan couldn't understand this behavior.
He had never made a Horcrux, but if he wanted to make one, he would never reveal his soul's location everywhere. Perhaps, he would put a piece of his soul into an inconspicuous stone, and then quietly sink it into the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the ocean. Perhaps, splitting his soul too many times had made Voldemort's thinking problematic, or perhaps he was overconfident in his ability to protect his Horcruxes.
"–Young master Regulus took out a locket from his pocket, the same as the Dark Lord's."
Kreacher looked at the locket in Bryan's hand, tears streaming down his long nose.
"He told Kreacher to hold it, and after the stone basin dried up, to switch the lockets."
Kreacher's sobbing became coarse and harsh, making Remus and Sirius concentrate to understand his words.
"He ordered–Kreacher to leave–not to mind him, he didn't let Kreacher tell the mistress what he did–but to destroy the Dark Lord's locket. Kreacher switched the lockets–watched helplessly as the young master was dragged into the water. And then oh!"
Kreacher fell on the table, making a sound like a bullfrog, and cried loudly.
The candles on the candelabra went out one by one as Kreacher recounted the past, and now only one remained, flickering uncertainly. The kitchen was plunged into darkness, and the only sounds were Kreacher's wails and the crackling of the fire.
Sirius's face turned pale and white, his eyes empty as if he had been hit by the Dementor's Kiss. He couldn't believe that Regulus had tried to defy Voldemort, and that he had paid with his life so young and so bravely.
"Did you try to destroy the locket, Kreacher?"
Remus reached out his hand, but at the moment of contact, Kreacher dodged as if he had been electrocuted, with tears in his eyes, and muttered.
"Filthy wolf cub touched Kreacher, Kreacher doesn't allow, what would the mistress say?"
He spat out the words with contempt and fear, rejecting Remus's kindness. He feared that the mistress, the late Walburga Black, would punish him for letting a half-breed touch him.
Besides a bitter smile, Remus couldn't make any other expression.
Bryan stared at the ring of Runes on the locket's surface, showing a thoughtful expression.
Hogwarts was the academic frontier of the wizarding world today, and the interpretation of ancient Runes was undoubtedly the closest to the truth. But even the most knowledgeable wizards of Runes wouldn't dare to say that they knew everything about these ancient magical characters, which might contain extraordinary magic.
Bryan didn't know the meaning of this circle of mysterious symbols, but he felt familiar with them, because he had seen similar characters on the Ravenclaw diadem, which had stayed in his hands for some days.
"Answer the question–"
Sirius's expression was rigid, and he ordered Kreacher to answer Remus's question in a mumbling tone.
So, Kreacher howled in agony, and suppressed his sobbing. He felt ashamed and remorseful, as he confessed his failure.
"Kreacher couldn't leave a mark on it. Tried many ways but couldn't succeed. Kreacher punished himself, tried again, and punished himself again, but it was always useless. There were so many powerful magics on the locket, Kreacher believed that only from the inside could it be destroyed. Kreacher failed to execute the order, Kreacher couldn't destroy the locket, Kreacher let down young master Regulus."
"How dare you mention Regulus!"
Sirius suddenly exploded, and if it weren't for Remus's timely intervention, he would have strangled Kreacher.
"Why didn't you tell me everything then, Kreacher, why! He was only seventeen then, just of age, and you just watched him being dragged under the water by those monsters!"
Maybe Sirius hated his parents, hated the Black family that had brought him so much pain and oppression, but he always cared for his brother, even when he became a Death Eater. Otherwise, he wouldn't have investigated his death on his own after Regulus passed away.
Sirius sat on the chair, covering his face with his hands, his shoulders slightly trembling. He wished he had done more to protect his brother, to save him from the dark path he had chosen.
Regulus was only seventeen then, still a child. He couldn't imagine how much courage his foolish brother had gathered to challenge the most evil dark wizard in history.
How brave he must have been to defy the Dark Lord he once worshipped.
In that cold, corpse-filled cave, only Kreacher was a witness to his death for a noble cause. Regulus sacrificed his life to fight against the evil.
He proved with his death that the 'noble and most ancient house of Black' had real glory, and it was not just a delusion of some blood-purity obsessed people.
Remus took out a few candles from the drawer under the cabinet, replaced the old ones on the candlestick and lit them up, restoring the brightness in the kitchen. The flickering light cast shadows on the walls, making the place look even more gloomy and depressing.
Kreacher was still sobbing on the table. This old house-elf loved Regulus more than anyone, but he had to watch him die in front of his eyes. Sirius didn't understand him, but Remus did. He knew that his heart must be filled with unspeakable sorrow. Maybe because Remus himself was also an outcast in the eyes of the wizards, he was especially sympathetic to him.
"Bryan?"
Remus looked at Bryan, who was examining the mysterious symbols on the locket, and asked softly,
"Voldemort values this locket so much, and you recognized it at a glance. You must know what it is, right?"
"Don't ask too much, Remus–"
Bryan put the locket in his pocket, then said lightly,
"You don't have the ability to keep secrets. The more you know, the more dangerous it is."
"That was what Regulus took back with his life, Bryan," Sirius raised his head, his eyes red, staring at Bryan who was about to take the locket for himself, "I can't give it to you, it must be destroyed. That was Regulus's wish!"
"About that, you don't have the ability either."
Bryan was unmoved,
"Besides, this locket has a very strong magic that can confuse people's hearts. If you wear it for a long time, you will become Voldemort's puppet. Only wizards who are skilled Occlumens and have high magical power can resist its temptation."
Remus and Sirius looked at each other speechlessly.
"Do you have the ability to destroy it, sir?"
Kreacher seemed to hear something from Bryan's words. He stopped crying hard, got up shakily, jumped off the table, and came to Bryan's face, staring at him with his blurry big eyes.
Maybe out of pity, Bryan's tone softened a bit,
"I will do it, Kreacher, but not now."
"We should notify Albus immediately–"
After a long silence, Remus suddenly said, "Since Voldemort cares so much about this locket, it must hide some big secrets. It might be Voldemort's weakness. Albus must know about this."
Bryan raised his eyebrows, ready to say something, but Sirius beat him to it. He said harshly,
"If you want to tell Dumbledore, Remus, I have no objection, but I don't have time for that now. I have to go and bring Regulus's body back. I can't leave him there!"
Kreacher stared at Sirius, as if seeing him for the first time.
"Calm down, Sirius," Remus said solemnly, "Regulus was a hero. We can't ignore him, but I still think we should inform Albus first."
From Kreacher's description, they knew that the cave must be very dangerous. There were many traps that Voldemort had left to protect the locket. Remus thought that with his poor condition and Sirius, who had been in Azkaban for more than ten years, they might not make it out alive.
Remus automatically ignored Bryan. He knew that Bryan didn't like Sirius very much. He thought that he probably wouldn't accompany Sirius to look for Regulus's body.
"I'm not afraid of danger, Remus,"
Sirius's gray eyes were covered with tears, as he spoke with a hoarse voice,
"I've let Regulus sleep in that cold lake for more than ten years. I have to bring him back now, bring him back and bury him. I can't wait a moment!"
He thought of his brother's body lying alone in that dark, damp cave, surrounded by the corpses of the Inferi. Sirius felt an unprecedented sadness in his heart, a sadness that he had suppressed for so long, but now it burst out uncontrollably.
Hearing Sirius's words, Kreacher let out a loud wail, beating his head desperately. He blamed himself for his master's death, for leaving him behind in the cave, for failing to destroy the locket.
Remus clenched his face. He never expected that the dinner to celebrate Sirius's return would turn out like this. He had hoped that they could catch up on their old memories, and share their plans for the future.
But now, everything was ruined by the revelation of Regulus's true cause of death, and the discovery of the locket that he had stolen from Voldemort.
What should he do now?
Because of Regulus's true cause of death, Sirius had lost his mind. He wasn't surprised by Sirius's behavior. He had known him for a long time.
"Let's go and see–"
To Remus's surprise, Bryan actually volunteered to go with Sirius.
Looking at the slightly stunned Remus, Bryan smiled and said,
"Regulus's bravery and fearlessness is admirable. Such a hero deserves a decent resting place. And, I'm indeed interested in that cave. It's like getting a glimpse of Voldemort's power in advance."
Remus felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He understood what Bryan meant. He believed that Voldemort would come back to the Wizarding world one day. And so did Albus. That meant that the dark lord who had brought them so much pain and misery would soon face them again. By then, How many of them would survive the rising storm?
"Thank you, Bryan–" Sirius pursed his lips, "This was my own business."
With Bryan on board, Remus was still worried, but he had nothing to say. He had seen with his own eyes how terrifying this young wizard could be when he went crazy. And Dumbledore's comments also proved his strength.
"Take us to that cave, Kreacher!"
As soon as the matter was settled, Sirius became impatient.
But Kreacher suddenly hesitated. He stared at Bryan, looking like he wanted to say something. Under Sirius's repeated urging, he finally said timidly,
"Mr. Watson, your magic is too powerful. Old Kreacher is afraid he can't take you with him–"
"Ah, that's indeed a problem."
Bryan slapped his forehead, then looked at Sirius,
"You two go with Kreacher first. You have a mark I set on you. I will apparate there by myself according to the location of the mark."
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