Hogwarts 1991

Chapter 526 An Unknown Warrior
Blake is extremely remorseful now!
If I could have done something in the first place, it wouldn't be like this.

Little Regulus didn't even have a corpse left behind.

Thinking of when he was a child... the little guy who followed behind him and worshiped him all the time, Blake felt as if his heart had been pierced by thousands of arrows.

He had thought... that he had been completely dead inside since the night James and Lily died.

Unexpectedly, his heart full of holes... could still feel such pain.

Blake held his fingers and gently stroked the blood-stained parchment, which was the only thing left by Regulus when he was alive... His whole body was trembling, and he was so weak that he almost passed out.

McGuffin looked at Black, feeling an urge to escape from here.

He doesn't know what to do...

Shir!
How could he forget that Sirius' younger brother... Regulus... that Death Eater who directly replaced the Horcrux with his own power... was also among the corpses?

He clearly remembered that the [Horcrux] was dropped by this young wizard who betrayed the Dark Lord.

Thinking of the remains of the 'crematorium', McGuffin felt ashamed,
He was ashamed to face Black.

After a while, Black put the fake locket into his pocket, and barely supported himself to the archway.

He cut his wrist and smeared blood on the rock wall.

The passage opened again, and he staggered in.

McGuffin was a little worried at first, and wanted to follow him to have a look... But Black suddenly turned his head... His eyes made him stop.

Black's eyes…remorse, pain, refusal…and pleading…begging to be left alone.

McGuffin could only watch Black and his weak walk into the passage, watching the arch then close and return to the appearance of the rock wall.

……

Blake walked into the deep cave again, and the burnt smell still came to his face.

Sirius Black, who had already understood, couldn't restrain the feeling in his heart, this time he couldn't even retch.

Click!

He stepped on and broke a black arm bone.

Even with the utmost care, but on this shore full of ashes and remains... this kind of thing is unavoidable.

Regulus, could it be... is it really inside?
Blake summoned the light with his wand, looking at the locket in his hand, the thought echoing in his mind.

Although he knew it was extremely impossible, and even though since this Regulus went to school... the two of them didn't get along very well, but Black still hoped that Regulus would survive. His brother disappeared because he was avoiding the Dark Lord, and it wasn't because he was dragged down this lake, turned into a corpse, burned to a pile of ashes by...that damned little lunatic...

Blake banged his head frantically.

It occurred to him that if anyone knew about Regulus, it would be Kreacher... the house-elf of his own family.

Regulus had been on good terms with that elf since childhood.

To a certain extent, my mother who has always been proud of Regulus... might not know Regulus better than that elf.

So Black hoarsely shouted with all his might, "Kreacher!"

With a snap, the house-elf of House Black appeared with great reluctance.

He stood in front of Blake—thin, short, as if he hadn't had enough to eat in years, only half the height of a man, with pale skin wrinkled and white hair protruding from his bat-like ears.

Wearing a very dirty rag.

"Black... Sirius Black..."

Kreacher stared suspiciously at the fat, bald man in front of him who called him, but immediately recognized Black.

"You should call me master! Kreacher!"

Blake gasped weakly twice, and said contemptuously.

"Yes, Master!" Kreacher bowed lowly, flapping his big ears back and forth restlessly, "Master Black, you...you are finally back...W-Where is this?"

His voice was hoarse and ugly like a bullfrog croaking.

Of course, Blake's voice isn't much better now, the same husky grit.

He looked down at the elf, his heart beating uncomfortably, "I have something to ask you? Kreacher...I order you to answer truthfully, understand?"

"Yes, Master."

Kreacher bowed his head respectfully and bowed low again.

But those two pairs of trembling ears showed that it was very dissatisfied with the master in front of it.

Black knew that the elf had always disliked Regulus compared to him, but it didn't matter... He also hated everything in that family, and wanted to break free a long time ago...

But now only this elf can answer his own question.

"I ask you...Kreacher! Regulus Black, where is my brother now? Thirteen years ago...why did he disappear?"

Black asked sternly in a low voice.

"I... I... Kreacher cannot tell Master Sirius. Master Regulus gave an order not to let Kreacher mention this matter... Horrible, terrible... The Dark Lord... Kreacher made a mistake, Kreacher failed to carry out the master's order."

Kreacher gasped for breath at first, stammered and refused to answer,

Later, under Black's pressure, he covered his face and sobbed loudly,
He clenched his little fist and hammered his head hard.

When he reached the back, he simply slammed his head into the ashes-strewn ground.

"Kreacher, I order you not to move, you must not hurt yourself."

Blake barked orders.

In desperation, his voice broke directly.

Black could hardly speak, he could only cast a [loud voice] amplification magic on his throat, with a drake-like roar... echoing in this empty and terrifying dark cave.

"Stand up, Kreacher."

Kreacher straightened up, his body stiffened and he got up from the ground. His body was covered with ashes, and he was even dirtier than before, unkempt.

"So you do know the whereabouts of Regulus, and... what do you mean by 'failed to carry out Regulus' order'!" Black asked, "What order?!"

"Can't say...can't say, Master Regulus won't tell anyone. He wants to maintain the honor of the Black family...he wants to protect the Black family..."

"I order you, Kreacher—speak!" Black said decisively, grimly.

Tears gushed from the elf's sunken eye sockets and covered his wrinkled face.

He shook his body helplessly, and said with pain on his face,
"... Kreacher, the incompetent Kreacher failed... failed to destroy the locket that Master Regulus gave him!"

— locket!

Black's heart skipped a beat, as if someone had strangled his neck, unable to breathe.

But what the little elf said next completely affirmed his previous guess,

- Regulus, right here!

"Kreacher is not worthy of being an elf, little master... he, he told me to go back... ah! Kreacher is not worthy of living, I left Master Regulus behind, and I left him on that terrible island, the terrible black lake... Those dead people... Wow!!..."

Kreacher burst into tears and wailed loudly, snot and tears mixed together and flowed into his own mouth.

"The black lake... small island..."

Blake murmured, shaking his head as if trying to shake off the terrible news.

But it's a fact that couldn't be more clear...

— Regulus, dead and here!

Lonely, alone...with no one paying attention...13 years after sinking into the cold and dark lake...today, under my own gaze...into a ridiculous pile of ashes.

Blake staggered... and fell, hitting the ground.

--boom!

Ashes splattered and filled the air.

His mind was blank, all kinds of thoughts of unknown meaning... kept passing by... the elf's wail, getting farther and farther away, more and more blurred...

I don't know how long it took before Blake woke up again.

The house-elf was still weeping softly, curled up on the ground, holding his head, and clamping his face between his knees... his whole body was covered with ashes on the ground.

Blake stared blankly at the mess around him...the horrible scene around him...he didn't know what he should do.

Regulus is brave, much braver than himself... He sacrificed his life to get Voldemort's [Horcrux] early.

And myself...

What are you doing?
Incompetence to the extreme!

It's wasted a long time not to say, if it wasn't for that little wizard, he wouldn't even be able to enter here, and even burned Regulus' body in such an outrageous way...

Of course, this cannot be blamed on MacGuffin Albert, after all, I was watching all this with my own eyes... I didn't stop it... After all, I abandoned that family and Regulus...

Clenching his fists tightly, Blake became aware of the roll of parchment in his hand, reopened it, and read it again.

"Black-devil-king!"

He shouted the name word by word, with a clear goal in mind——

All [Horcruxes] of the Dark Lord must be destroyed...everything is left.

Perhaps fulfilling Regulus' last wish would make Black feel better.

"Kreacher, sit up, look up...look around...see where this is?"

With a wave of his wand, Braque summoned a new [Luminescent Curse] to illuminate the surroundings.

Then the house elf raised his head and looked around.

This familiar scene immediately caused the little elf to fall into the most terrifying nightmare. He was shaking violently, trembling until he almost passed out.

"It seems right, this is here. Kreacher...tell me everything you know, about the locket, and the relationship between Regulus...and the Dark Lord...I order you in the name of the Black family. Tell me everything truthfully..." Black asked firmly.

Sobbing, the elf spoke about what happened after Sirius escaped from the Black family.

"...Master Regulus is a good boy, and the hostess is very proud. He knows what the name and pure blood of the Black family mean..."

"...The young master worships the Dark Lord and joined the Dark Lord's organization. He is so proud, so proud..."

"I know this...but what happened next, something must have changed!" Blake asked, growling.

The elf trembled even more.

"...One day, Master Regulus came to see Kreacher in the kitchen. He had always liked Kreacher. The Master said...he said...the Dark Lord needed an elf."

"The Dark Lord needs an elf?" Black asked.

"Oh, yes." Kreacher went on to describe painfully... how Regulus Black happily told the elf that it should be regarded as an honor, to complete the Dark Lord's task as best as possible, and then - go home.

In this way, Regulus handed the elf to the Dark Lord, and then the Dark Lord took Kreacher to a cave by the sea...

"……right here……"

Kreacher looked at the lake in fear and said.

He went on to say that the Dark Lord took him to find a boat on the shore and came to the island in the lake... and then forced Kreacher to drink the potion from the stone basin.

"... Kreacher drank it, drank it... his internal organs seemed to be on fire... Kreacher begged the Dark Lord, begged Master Regulus...but the Dark Lord just laughed,...forced Kreacher to drink up all the potions, and then put a locket into the stone basin, which was filled with potions...Then the Dark Lord left Kreacher on the island and left by himself."

Remember those potions...

Blake still has lingering fears.

He was only choked two or three times, and he felt like he was going to pass out.

Black knew how the elf felt, and he could know what Kreacher wanted to do next.

"You need water, climbed to the shore to drink the water in the lake, and met those ghouls..." Black said,
"Then...how did you escape?"

"Master Regulus said to let Kreacher go home." The elf said tremblingly. "Yes, the young master saved Kreacher, and he let Kreacher - go home."

Blake suddenly understood, after all, he summoned the elf in this way.

The wizard's master's order is above all else to the elves, and the elves' unique magic can penetrate most wizards' anti-magic defenses, even if they are arranged by Voldemort.

"What about after you go back...?"

"... After Master Regulus heard Kreacher's story... he was very, very worried... He told Kreacher to hide and not leave the kitchen. Then... After a while... Master Regulus went back to the cupboard and found Kreacher, and asked Kreacher to take him to the cave... which is here..."

The elf added, "Kreacher...you can see that the young master is different from usual...he is very scared, but also very firm, just like the old master, very powerful..."

"...after coming to the cave...the young master asked Kreacher to hold a locket similar to the one held by the Dark Lord...and drink..."

Kreacher wept bitterly.

"Enough, stop talking!"

Blake already knew what was going to happen next.

Sirius could imagine...how his younger brother Regulus panicked when he knew what the Dark Lord had done, and then searched for information alone and in fear without anyone's help...discovered Voldemort's Horcrux...and sacrificed himself so bravely without anyone's consultation.

Even if no one knows...

(Especially if he had made such a decision alone, without even sacrificing a house-elf who seemed so humble to him...)
Regulus was much braver than himself, a coward...

Blake thought heartbroken.

After panting heavily and hoarsely for a long time, he and the elf managed to stand up.

Black floated in the lake with great effort, and collected all the wreckage and limbs... all the ashes on the shore again.

He burned it again with Fiendfire, and then compacted all the ashes into a cube... shrunk down and put it in the locket.

Then he took Kreacher through the arch and left the cave.

Saw MacGuffin Albert who had been staying where he was. (He had taken back the flying little Guffins.)
Black didn't say much, just whispered weakly, "Go... go back! I found the real [Horcrux], and I will give it to Dumbledore later."

"Go back to Gevoz first!"

Afterwards, the two of them passed through the crack under the cliff and returned from the bottom of the sea to...the shore of the black reef where the tides come and go and never change.

The night is still the same as last night... starry, full moon hanging high... covering the entire dark ocean,

But Blake knew that deep down inside of him... was completely different...his soul was once again permanently shattered, missing a piece... along with the unknown warrior 13 years ago, sinking into the black lake together.

(End of this chapter)