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"Ahem, Kreacher," Regulus said awkwardly, "that plaque on the wall won't be used anymore. From today onward, even if your life comes to an end, your head will never be mounted on that wall again."
"Huh?" Kreacher looked disheartened and replied in a shrill voice, "But... but Kreacher's greatest dream is to have his head cut off like Mistress and placed on that plaque. That's the highest honor for a house-elf in the Black family!"
Regulus rubbed his forehead and noticed Dracula watching from the side with a look of amusement, which made him feel even more uncomfortable.
"Kreacher, the tradition of severing house-elf heads isn't a good one," he tried to explain gently. "It's actually a disrespectful and cruel practice."
"Did Kreacher do something wrong, Master Regulus?" Kreacher asked in a hurt tone, his rough voice full of sorrow. "Are you angry with me?"
Then, as if a thought struck him, he jumped up and shouted, "It must be because I failed to destroy that cursed locket! That's why you're upset with Kreacher!"
As he spoke, he began to hit his head against the nearby fireplace, yelling in anguish:
"Bad Kreacher! Foolish Kreacher!…"
"Stop, Kreacher!" Regulus commanded.
Obeying instinctively, Kreacher immediately ceased his self-harm.
"Please listen to me. I'm not blaming you at all," Regulus said, kneeling down to look into Kreacher's eyes. "Destroying the Dark Lord's objects isn't something just anyone can do. It's completely understandable that you couldn't."
"Now, go get me the locket. I'll find a way to destroy it myself."
Kreacher was moved by Regulus's sincerity, and tears began to shimmer in his eyes.
But then, a sudden change came over him. He stepped back, eyes wide in fear.
"No! Your aura is different from Master Regulus's!" he cried. "Master Regulus is dead! You must be the Dark Lord in disguise, trying to steal the Horcrux that cost him his life!"
"I will never hand over that locket! Not even if it costs me mine!"
And with that, he wiped away his tears and vanished with a crack.
Regulus stood frozen, staring in disbelief, feeling an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
"Mr. Dracula... is it true that I'm no longer myself in this body of an Inferius?" he asked with sorrow. "I never imagined even Kreacher wouldn't recognize me..."
Dracula strolled over from the tapestry and responded calmly, "Of course the aura of an Inferius is different from that of a wizard. It's only natural that a house-elf would be suspicious."
"After you and your mother died, your brother became Kreacher's master. There's no binding contract between the two of you now."
"Besides," Dracula added, "Kreacher saw you die in that cave. He watched you get pulled into the lake by Inferi with his own eyes. And since you instructed him to destroy Voldemort's Horcrux, he's extremely cautious about it."
"You should be glad, really — your house-elf is still as sharp and loyal as ever."
"But if Kreacher doesn't believe I'm me, how are we going to retrieve Voldemort's Horcrux?" Regulus asked anxiously. "Didn't you say the Dark Lord could return at any time?"
Dracula didn't answer. Instead, he walked over to where Kreacher had disappeared.
"Even after seeing it countless times, I still find house-elf Apparition more fascinating than wizard Apparition," he mused with amusement.
He extended a hand into the air, carefully feeling around.
Once his hand reached a certain point — likely shoulder height — his expression lit up. He suddenly thrust his hand into the space, as if reaching into another dimension.
His fingers vanished into thin air and, with a quick motion, he pulled something back into the room — clutching the neck of a wrinkled, ugly house-elf.
It was Kreacher.
Kreacher blinked at his familiar surroundings in confusion — and was immediately tossed aside by Dracula.
"Regulus," Dracula said with a grimace, dusting his hands, "has your house-elf not bathed in decades? He's filthy. The folds in his skin are full of grime. You really ought to give him a thorough scrubbing."
Kreacher now fully registered where he was and scuttled backward in fear.
"You... you're a demon! You don't belong in the noble Black family!" he shouted in horror, attempting to Apparate again.
But Dracula casually raised a hand and bound Kreacher to the floor with invisible magic, completely immobilizing him.
"You devils!" Kreacher cried, eyes shut tightly. "Just kill me! I'll never hand over the locket Master Regulus died to protect!"
Dracula chuckled and looked at Regulus. "Your house-elf just called you a devil."
Regulus sighed, knelt down, and gently spoke to Kreacher.
"Kreacher, I really am your Master Regulus. Please open your eyes and look closely. Can't you recognize me? It breaks my heart to think that you can't."
Tears streamed down Kreacher's cheeks, but his eyes remained shut.
"I saw you die... dragged away by the Inferi... It's all my fault. I couldn't save you..." he sobbed. "And now you're being impersonated by devils — trying to take the locket that cost you your life..."
"I won't let them succeed!"
Regulus smiled faintly and sat cross-legged beside him.
"Then let's do this, Kreacher. I'll sit here and tell you all about my childhood and our memories together. Maybe that will help you believe me."
He didn't wait for Kreacher to reply, just began to recount their past.
His voice was steady, as if he were slowly retrieving fragments of a life long gone.
"I was the youngest child. My older brother was rebellious, always defying our parents. When he got to Hogwarts, he even broke family tradition by joining Gryffindor."
"I knew how disappointed our parents were in him, so I tried my best to live up to their expectations. That was the only way I could make them proud."
"When I entered Hogwarts, I was sorted into Slytherin, just as they hoped. In my second year, I made Seeker on the Slytherin Quidditch team and played so well I embarrassed my Gryffindor brother."
"I told Mother, and she was thrilled. She'd always bring it up just to irritate my brother. They used to say, 'Regulus is the better son.' And I was proud of that."
Kreacher's sobs quieted, and he began listening more intently.
"That's nothing new," he muttered. "Everyone knows that."
"True," Regulus replied with a gentle smile. "So let me tell you something only a few ever knew."
"I idolized the Dark Lord. I believed in the idea of pure-blood supremacy. I was so committed that before I graduated, I received the Dark Mark directly from him. Of course, I became a Death Eater after that. I was proud."
"But I was still just a naive boy. The reality of what the Death Eaters did was far more brutal than I imagined."
"At first, I thought the cause was noble — that we wouldn't harm Muggles and Muggle-borns so cruelly. But Voldemort made us all into something twisted. Violent. Extreme. And I didn't have the courage to resist."
"What finally changed everything for me was the moment the Dark Lord tried to kill you."
Regulus's voice softened as he looked at Kreacher.
"You obeyed me so faithfully. You only survived because I told you to come home after completing the task. You nearly died, all because of me."
"No, Master Regulus, it wasn't your fault..." Kreacher finally opened his eyes, weeping.
"Let me finish," Regulus said gently. "When I heard what happened, I started questioning everything — especially Voldemort's supposed immortality. I'd studied Horcruxes before, and the way he acted made it clear: the locket was one."
"He was so arrogant, so sure no one would ever figure it out — especially someone like me, young and unassuming. That's how I got my chance to touch his soul…"
Kreacher, still bound, was now sobbing uncontrollably.
"Then... then tell me... what did you write in the fake locket?" he asked, barely able to speak. "Only Master Regulus and Kreacher... ever knew that…"
Regulus smiled.
"To the Dark Lord..." Regulus read aloud, his voice slow and deliberate. "By the time you read this, I will be gone. But I want you to know: I discovered your secret and have taken it. We've found the real Horcrux and will destroy it as soon as we can."
"I'm just a mortal of flesh and blood, but I'm willing to risk everything when I face you."
"R… a… b…"
Regulus spoke the letters one at a time, and at last, Kreacher broke down in tears.
"You... you really are Master Regulus!" Kreacher suddenly felt his body free again. He stood up and began to bang his head against the table corner in guilt. "Kreacher... Kreacher dared to doubt Master Regulus... Kreacher deserves to die for doubting a true Black!"
But before he could hit the table, cold arms caught him.
Though Inferi are typically ice-cold, to Kreacher, this was the warmest moment he had felt in over a decade.
Dracula, watching this "touching reunion," looked visibly unimpressed—
A graceful Inferi embracing a withered house-elf.
With a shrug, he strolled over to the sofa, shooed away a few fox eggs nested underneath, and cleaned off the dusty fabric with a Vanishing Spell followed by a Cleaning Charm. Once it was spotless, he sprawled across it lazily.
"So, Regulus isn't a devil anymore, huh?"
Dracula poured himself some red wine, swirling it idly, a smirk on his lips as he glanced at the pair awkwardly locked in a hug.
Realizing they weren't alone, Regulus and Kreacher quickly pulled apart. If not for their pale, colorless skin, one might say they blushed like salamanders.
"Kreacher, it was Dracula who saved me from being a mindless walking corpse," Regulus explained. "He is my savior."
Without hesitation, Kreacher bowed so low his head nearly touched the floor.
"If Master Dracula saved Master Regulus, then he is Kreacher's savior too! The Black family welcomes Master Dracula!"
"Quite a change of heart," Dracula said, raising an eyebrow. "Not long ago you were calling me a devil. Now you're welcoming me into the family."
Kreacher scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Anyway, bring Voldemort's Horcrux now," Dracula ordered, "I've waited long enough."
"Yes, Lord Dracula!" Kreacher replied and disappeared with a loud pop.
This time, he didn't need Dracula to summon him back.
Just two minutes later, another loud pop announced his return. In his hand was an oval-shaped locket.
"Master Regulus, Master Dracula, this is the object Master Regulus gave his life for." Kreacher solemnly handed the locket to Regulus. "I tried everything, but nothing could destroy it..."
"Kreacher is a useless house-elf!"
Before Kreacher could harm himself again, Regulus quickly grabbed him.
"Kreacher, don't blame yourself. Horcruxes are deeply cursed with dark magic. Even I couldn't guarantee I could destroy it."
Dracula leaned forward, intrigued. He set his glass down and extended a hand.
"Let me see it."
Without hesitation, Regulus passed him the locket.
Dracula nodded, pleased with Regulus's trust. He examined the object—
A golden locket adorned with a vivid green gemstone shaped like a snake, eerily lifelike.
His brows furrowed with recognition.
"This looks... oddly familiar," he muttered, trying to open it by pressing the button.
It didn't open. The two halves remained sealed tight.
"Master Dracula, I've tried—nothing works," Kreacher said.
Dracula didn't reply. He kept staring at the snake-shaped emerald. Then it struck him—
It was Salazar Slytherin's locket.
"Well, things just got interesting." He smirked and slipped the locket into his pocket.
Regulus looked at him, puzzled.
"Mr. Dracula, not even you can destroy the Dark Lord's Horcrux?"
Regulus had always thought that Dracula—an expert in necromancy who could even extract memories from the dead—would have no trouble with dark objects like this.
If even he couldn't destroy it, then how could anyone?
"You're mistaken!" Dracula laughed. "If I wanted to destroy it, I could break this low-grade artifact in countless ways."
"Then why not destroy it now?" Regulus asked, confused.
"Let's just say this locket is tied to an old friend," Dracula replied gently. "He left behind so few things... I don't want to destroy it so casually."
"Leave it with me."
"Trust me. When the time is right, I will take care of it."
Dracula smiled again, amused by the whole affair.