After bidding our farewell to Rose, Sirius and I made our way back to London. The journey was quiet, Sirius lost in thought while I contemplated our next moves. As we left Hogwarts, my mind kept drifting back to the Goblet of Fire. Tonight, Rose's name would come out of the Goblet, and the chaos would begin. I had already checked if someone else had taken Barty Crouch Jr.'s place as Mad-Eye Moody, but everything seemed normal. Instead, I suspected Karkaroff. He had been acting strangely and looked particularly restless. With Crouch Jr. dead, it made sense that Karkaroff was the easiest choice to do Voldemort's bidding.
The drive back to Grimmauld Place was silent. Sirius was still deep in his thoughts. I, on the other hand, was already planning my next move. The Horcruxes needed to be dealt with, and the Slytherin locket was my first target.
When we arrived at Grimmauld Place, an owl was waiting by the door, a letter tied to its leg. Sirius raised an eyebrow, muttering, "Lupin, no doubt." He unfastened the letter and quickly scanned the contents. "Looks like we've got more information on the rat," Sirius said grimly. "Lupin's source says Pettigrew was last seen in Albania."
"We'll deal with it," I assured Sirius, though my mind was already calculating. "But we need to be smart about this."
Sirius's face darkened, his fists clenched in frustration. "We have to get him before he does something stupid, like bringing Voldemort back."
"We will," I replied, keeping my voice calm. "But rushing in won't help. We need a plan."
Sirius nodded, still bristling with anger. He excused himself, muttering about needing to use the bathroom. The moment he was out of sight, I knew it was time to make my move.
I pulled Kyōka Suigetsu from my storage, the gleaming blade humming with power as I moved silently through the house. Kreacher was in the hallway, dusting one of the vases with his usual grumbling. I called out to him, and as soon as his eyes met the blade, I activated the illusion. His mind was mine.
In the illusion, I showed him a memory of Regulus entrusting the destruction of Slytherin's locket to me. Kreacher's eyes widened, and he nodded vigorously, buying into the illusion completely. "Regulus's wish... Kreacher tried, but Kreacher could not destroy it."
I smiled, keeping the illusion steady. "I will fulfill Regulus's wish. I will destroy the locket and bring him peace."
With a snap of his fingers, the locket appeared in front of me. I could sense the foul magic emanating from it, the fragment of Voldemort's soul contained within. Kreacher handed it over with reverence, completely convinced that he was helping fulfill Regulus's dying wish.
The entire exchange had gone smoothly, Kreacher wouldn't even remember a thing. I tucked the locket into my storage, erasing all evidence of the interaction. By the time I returned to the living room, Sirius had just come back, looking none the wiser.
"Lupin should be here soon," he said, running a hand through his hair.
"Good," I replied, taking a seat. "The sooner we figure out what Pettigrew's up to, the better."
It wasn't long before Lupin arrived, looking as weary as ever. He wasted no time getting to the point. "My informant has heard more whispers—Pettigrew is on the move. He was last spotted in Albania."
Sirius's face twisted in anger. "Albania? Rose mentioned that when Quirrell was possessed by Voldemort, he came from Albania. Pettigrew is probably trying to connect with him."
Lupin nodded. "It's likely. Pettigrew could be searching for Voldemort. If he finds him..."
Sirius's fists clenched, his knuckles turning white. "We have to get to him before he does anything foolish."
I spoke up, breaking my silence. "We will. But we need to be careful about this. Rushing in without a plan won't help anyone."
Lupin agreed, and we spent the next hour planning our approach. After discussing our options, we decided to head to Albania immediately. I had my own reasons for going, of course—Pettigrew wasn't my primary target. I had other things in mind.
We Apparated to the outskirts of a dense forest near a small village in Albania. The air was thick and cold, and there was an oppressive feeling in the atmosphere that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It wasn't a surprise that Voldemort had once hidden in a place like this.
"This is where my contact last saw Pettigrew," Lupin said, pulling out a small map. "It's a large area, so we'll need to split up to cover more ground."
"That's a good idea," I replied. "You and Sirius search the forests. I'll check the nearby settlements."
The real reason I wanted to split up was simple: the Gaunt Shack. It was hidden nearby, and I had no intention of leaving Albania without acquiring the Horcrux hidden there. Lupin and Sirius wouldn't suspect a thing.
After we separated, I made my way toward the dilapidated remains of the Gaunt Shack. The air seemed even heavier here, as though the house itself remembered the dark magic that had once thrived within its walls. I didn't waste time; dealing with any traps I quickly located the cursed ring. The moment I touched it, I could feel the dark energy coursing through it. Another Horcrux acquired.
With the ring safely in my storage, I turned the entire shack into a pile of ash with a simple Kido, erasing all traces of what had been there. There was no point in leaving any evidence behind.
I opened the system shop and purchased two items: a Copy Clone, which cost 100,000 CP, and a cage for another 100,000 CP. That left me with only 25,000 CP, but it would be worth it. The Clone would help me with my plan at the Riddle House.
I arrived at the Riddle House shortly afterward, with Kyōka Suigetsu in hand. I kicked open the door, immediately catching the attention of Pettigrew, Nagini, and Voldemort. Before they could react, I trapped all three of them in an illusion.
"Let's get started," I muttered, pulling out the Copy Clone. The doll-like object began to transform, taking on Voldemort's appearance and copying his memories. Meanwhile, I placed the real Voldemort and Nagini into the cage and stored it in my inventory.
With the illusion in place, Pettigrew would believe that nothing had changed. He would continue serving what he thought was his master, completely unaware that the real Voldemort was now my captive. As for Nagini, I replaced her with a harmless garden snake I had caught earlier.
Once everything was in place, I left the Riddle House and met back up with Sirius and Lupin at our rendezvous point. They looked frustrated.
"We didn't find Pettigrew," Sirius grumbled, running a hand through his hair. "The rat must have moved on."
I shrugged. "I didn't find anything in the nearby settlements either. He's probably still out there, but we'll find him."
For now, I kept my real accomplishment a secret. They didn't need to know that Voldemort himself was now in my custody. That would be a revelation for another day.