7 Chapter 7

As the train pulled into King's Cross Station, I thought back to the pleasant conversation I had just had and the growing feelings between Hermione and myself.

These past few years, I always felt slightly uncomfortable about the prospective relationship I might cultivate with what had been children these past few years, when I myself was quite a bit older mentally in comparison.

While my body was of the same age, ironically only a week older than Hermione herself, my mind was not. The past few years actually growing up again and going through puberty helped in a weird kind of way, the hormones and changing chemistry of my younger brain helped smooth over the transition.

It took me the past few years to come to terms with my new reality and to start to see myself fully as the teenager I now was. This was my life now, and I would move forward instead of focusing on the past. If something were to happen between Hermione and myself over the summer or sometime next year, then I wouldn't think too hard about it.

As far as the world was concerned though, this wouldn't even be that big of a thing, as the age for marriage with parental consent was actually 14. There were numerous records of people getting married around 15 and 16 within the past hundred years and in fact there was a note in Hogwarts A History that rooms were available for newly weds.

It wasn't until Dumbledore was made headmaster that he started to push for reforms and up the age, which didn't go as well as I am sure he had hoped.

Almost all pureblood's and a good majority of half bloods who grew up in the wizarding world saw little problem with starting betrothal contracts around the age children started at Hogwarts, so they could learn about each other during their time there, though such contracts were not definite and could easily be stopped if one party or the other decided those involved weren't interested.

Waiting a few minutes longer after the train came to a stop, to help in avoiding the crowds, I undid the changes to the compartment I was in and went to find Sirius.

Walking through the crowd of people that hadn't immediately left yet, I found Sirius talking with Rose near the portal leading to the non magical side of the station, catching a glance at Hermione leaving with her parents, no doubt having just said her goodbyes to Rose.

Just before she passed through, her eyes caught mine approaching and I had to hold back a smirk as a blush grew on her cheeks, before she quickly turned her head and almost dashed through the portal.

It only took a moment for Sirius to catch sight of me, drawing Rose's attention as well.

"Hello father, are you ready to deal with the goblins?" I asked.

Giving a small shudder, Sirius' face took on a grimace. "Ugh, I really wish we didn't have to deal with this, but unfortunately I've been putting off too many things and If I wait any longer things will just get worse."

Rose gives a questioning look at the two of us. "What things?"

A look passes between my father and I and I decide to explain. "Sirius found out that his grandfather, who was the head of house black before he died, never actually cast him out of the family like he was lead to believe. When his grandfather died, Sirius was still designated as heir, and as such we have to go talk to the goblins to get him recognized legally as the new head and myself as the new heir."

"That's not to say that it's a requirement." I clarify. "Right now as far as the family magic is concerned he is the head of the family, but the head ring is in the family vault at Gringotts and the heir ring won't accept me until Sirius takes up the new one."

"Do the rings even do anything?" Rose asks as we walk through the portal in search of her aunt and uncle.

I shrug. "Most aren't more than a symbol of status, but some of the older families have added certain enchantment's over the families lifetime, Black being one of them."

"Yeah, the heir ring at least let's you know if you are about to eat or drink anything harmful but I won't know what the head ring has until I put it on." Sirius adds.

Our conversation doesn't last long as we quickly find Vernon standing next to his car, foot tapping, waiting for Rose to come out of the station.

His gaze finally finding her he gives a glare. "There you are." As he opens the boot of the car he gives a huff. "Put your things in the trunk quickly girl, you've held me up long enough as it is."

The look that crosses Sirius' face is not a pleasant one as he takes Vernon's tone poorly.

Before he can make a scene, and before Rose has even taken a few shaky steps, I quickly step up next to him.

"Mr. Dursley, it is a pleasure to meet you." I offer my hand out to him. "I have heard just so much about you."

Even someone like Vernon could not miss the tone of my voice or misunderstand the look on my face, even with it being mostly polite to the outside observer. However even he knew he couldn't make too much of a scene with how busy the surrounding area is, as much as he would love to let what he saw as another freak try to act like a proper human being he knew he couldn't right now.

Looking at the offered hand in barely hidden disgust, he reluctantly takes a hold of my hand to give it a shake but before he can even finish the action, my grip quickly grows as the increasing pain causes him to gasp and grab my wrist with his other hand.

"So much." I interrupt any kind of complaint before he can voice it. "I've heard so much in fact, that I felt I needed to have a quick chat with you before you set off." The look in my eye's cause Vernon to being to pale.

Any kind of thought Sirius had of doing anything similar halts as he takes in the show with barely hidden glee, just waiting to see where I'm going to take this.

Rose however, seems to pale, thoughts whirling as she tries to figure out what I'm talking about.

My eyes grow slitted, and as the blood begins to drain from his face I continue on. "You see, I couldn't help but notice certain things over the years in relation to your niece that have brought me some concerns."

"It would take far too long to go into detail over these things so I believe I will make this as simple as possible for everyone involved." By this point Vernon is shaking in pain as my grip is still growing slowly stronger by the second and my nails grow slowly digging into his hand, as he tries to hold in his screams. "Thankfully, Rose will not be spending much time with you before my father and I," I point with my other hand at Sirius, before putting it back on Vernon's shoulder. "come to pick her up for the remainder of the summer, since he is her godfather and was recently released from prison."

The news does not go over well with him as his face almost impossibly goes whiter.

"It would be such a shame if when we arrive we need to have any more words about any of these things I have noticed and heard. It would be just better for everyone if you left her alone until we come to get her." I finish with my 'suggestion' and let go of his hand, it immediately being drawn to his chest as he continues to grunt at the pain. "Wouldn't you agree?"

His head practically flies up and down as he nods, words failing him in his panic and fear.

"Good!" I give a clap of my hands, before I deliver one final comment. "I would hate to have to deal with such a messy conversation after all."

Holding a hand out to his car. "You can get the car started if you like, Rose will be done in a moment for you to be on your way." I am barely half way through my statement before Vernon seems to fly to the front of his car and jumps into the seat.

Turning back to the other two, I see Sirius has somehow gotten a hold of some popcorn and is watching Vernon flee with relish, while Rose is giving me a worrying look, wondering what things I were referring to.

Giving her what I hope is a reassuring smile, I move to help Rose put her trunk in the boot of the car. "Don't think too much about what just happened Rose." I whisper. "If you want we can talk more about it after we pick you up in a few weeks, but just use this, and avoid your aunt and uncle as much as possible." Closing the boot I add one last thing. "I really didn't notice that much more than you looking particularly underfed and hearing the occasional rumor. I don't think any less of you in any case."

The look she returns me with doesn't show much relief but her shoulders aren't quite as tense as they had gotten during the scene she just witnessed.

Giving me a somewhat shaky nod though, she moves to get in the back seat.

Taking her hand before she can though, I give it a small squeeze. "Really, try not to worry too much about it." I try to reassure her just a bit more. "You are truly a wonderful witch and regardless of whatever they might have told you growing up, your parents would be proud of who you are."

I succeed at least in getting a blush before I help her the rest of the way in to the car, and close the door, only for Vernon to practically speed away.

Turning back to Sirius, who has sent the popcorn back to wherever he found it in the time my back was turned, to find him with a grin and twinkle in his eye, as he resists the urge to tease me about my final words and resulting blush I got in return for them.

"Well." I comment before he can say anything. "Time to deal with some goblins."

The grin on Sirius' face vanishes. "Way to kill the mood kiddo."

"It's a gift!"

~}-{~

The hour's it took to finish things at Gringotts did not go easy, or quick, and by the time we made it to Grimmauld place we were both just done with the day.

Looking back I would blame my tiredness for not remembering about a certain painting just past the entryway as the shouting at our arrival caught me flatfooted.

"Filth! Scum! Unworthy child of mine, you bring shame on the house of my fathers!"

Sirius and I jump in sync and my hand almost instinctively lashes out in the portrait's direction before my mind catches up and I reign in my magic.

"Bollocks! This is just what I need right now." Sirius moans rubbing his palms into his eyes.

Turning back to to him from the painting that is still screaming and ranting at our entrance. "What's the deal with the portrait." I ask pretending I don't already know.

With a sigh Sirius continues to listen to his mother as he fights the painting in trying to close the curtains in front of it. "This is my mother Jacob, your lovely grandmother."

The shouting from the portrait comes to a sudden halt as the woman in it glares between the two of us.

"Finally managed beget a child did you." Her countenance seems to take in every detail of my face. "And who is the mother? From which house does she come from."

Sirius opens his mouth as if to answer for he gives a couple rapid blinks and turns to me. "Yeah, that's a good question. I never did ask who your mother was."

The witch in the painting seems to give Sirius an even more incredulous look than I would bet she has ever given him when alive before she seems to puff up to continue screaming at her worthless son for not even knowing himself.

However I cut her off as, call me petty, but I relish the chance to rub salt into the wound with the answer, even though the horrible woman is dead and this is just a portrait. "Her name was Angela Harris."

The woman's eyes snap back to mine before going back to Sirius. "Harris.. I do not recognize the name, so it must be a minor house.." The look in her eyes show her obvious disappointment in her son as she goes to berate him for choosing what she thinks is a pureblood of lesser note.

"Nope, muggleborn." I add with minor glee at the rage and horror that comes to her face.

"Mudblood filth! Tainting the legacy of our house!" This obviously sets her off as she rages more and more.

Sirius jumps forward again to continue fighting with the curtains.

"Why haven't you removed the painting if it always acts like this?" I question.

"If only I could, the old bint had it attached to the wall with a permanent sticking charm. Nothing can take it off the wall sadly." Sirius absently responds to my query.

"Kreacher! Kreacher, remove this filth from my home!" Warburga's portrait decides to call for reinforcements.

With a pop, the old and wrinkly house elf arrives at her call. "Yes mistress."

As he turns to do as the picture commanded, I decide to end this. "Then just remove the wall itself?" I answer with a statement and question before going through a few slicing motions with my wand around the painting, creating a line in the wall about a foot away and around the portrait.

My actions cause everyone to freeze as with a tugging motion the entire wall around the painting pops out and floats away from the rest of the wall, leaving a bare opening to the studs and insulation.

The utter look of panic and horror on Walburga's face brings a smile to my own as before she can voice any further comments about the new turn of events, I shoot a blast of fire at the floating chunk of wall and portrait as both are reduced to ash within moments.

With a few more waves of my wand, the resulting debris and ashes are vanished and the hole in the wall filled with conjured wood. "We can get some replacement parts later to properly fix the hole."

Seeing the destruction of the portrait, Kreacher comes out of his shock. "No! Mistress!" He screeches out before turning towards me. "Kreacher will avenge mistress!"

In his rage he doesn't even immediately begin with any kind of magic, looking like he is actually about to jump at me as if to attack me physically, but after taking a single step he seems to choke and collapse to the side as he struggles to breathe.

With slight concern I give him a scan, and see that the shock and rage he is going through currently has caused his age to flair up and if he doesn't receive any help soon, will probably die.

With a jab I knock him unconscious and begin to undo as much of the damage he has caused to his body as possible. "I'll take care of this father, I'll come find you when I'm done."

Sirius just nods as he likely could care less if Kreacher survives or not, never liking the elf and not of the mind to even keep him if he would attack us. Turning around he heads further down the hall. "I'll look to get some food set up and see what Remus has been up to. If he dies we'll look into getting another elf in the next couple days."

After a few minutes of fixing Kreacher up, I bind his hands and enervate him awake. With a start his head swings around in confusion before landing on my form. He tries for a few minutes to continue attacking me before realizing how futile it is, and all fight leaves his form and he slumps on the ground.

"Kreacher has failed mistress!" Tears begin to fall as he starts to weep. "Kreacher could not even finish last wish of master! Kreacher is not worthy of serving the noble house of black anymore!"

Deciding to take the surprise opening when given. "Last wish of master? What do you mean?"

It takes a few moments for the question to register before Kreacher responds. "Favorite master Regulus ordered Kreacher to destroy evil locket before sending Kreacher away, even when master was in danger, and no matter what Kreacher did Kreacher could not do as commanded."

"Where is this locket now?" I ask.

Kreacher lightly shakes his head as he continues to wail about his failures. "Kreacher keeps it in his cupboard, not knowing what to do with it."

I release him from his bindings. "Can you retrieve it and bring it here please."

Kreachers eyes shift to me as he ponders my request. "Why ask this of Kreacher?"

"I might be able to help you destroy it, but to know for sure I'll need to have a look at it."

A look of question appears in his eyes as he looks at me silently, before after a minute or two he pops off before returning a second later, holding a familiar looking locket in his hands.

Motioning for him to hand me the locket, I float it out of his hands as he lets it go.

The next few minutes are spent casting every spell I know to scan the locket and make sure it is what I believe it to be, even though the odds of it not are almost zero, and after confirming it is the supposed last horcrux of Voldemort, I float it back to Kreacher.

"I believe I know what this is and how to destroy it, but where did you and your last master find it, and for that matter who was your last master?"

A look of hope lights up his eyes as he rushes to tell me everything he could about Regulus and how he came to posses the locket they had found in the cave, before Regulus sent him away and being left to his fate.

Listening to the entire story, as it lines up pretty much with what I knew from canon, I decide how to best phrase this to Kreacher. "Ok, I'm pretty sure I know how to destroy this, but it'll take a few weeks before I can get the proper things needed and for our guest for the summer to arrive. She will have a similar reason to see it destroyed as well. In the mean time, hold onto it until then, and I might need you to repeat what you just told me to Sirius in the next day or two."

Kreacher nod's his head so quickly that his ears flop all over the place, even smacking himself in the face. "Kreacher will do this!"

"Do you remember where this cave is?" I ask him.

With a much slower nod, Kreacher responds. "Kreacher does?"

"If possible, we should recover Regulus' body, he doesn't deserve to stay where he is, in an unmarked grave."

The look of gratitude Kreacher gives me is actually kinda creepy, as it doesn't look good on his face.

"Kreacher would be most grateful, filthy half blood master." He responds before leaving with a pop.

'Progress, I guess?" I ponder as I head off after Sirius, wondering how to approach this whole thing.

~}-{~

Sirius did not take the news well to say the least.

He had always wondered if things might have been different in regards to his brother, if maybe he had tried harder he could have protected him better from his mother, and stopped him from being drawn into the wrong crowd.

Learning that his brother had been left in a cave to die alone, after finding out a deeply hidden secret of Voldemort's, and decided to renounce the ideals Voldemort lead everyone to believe was what they were fighting for. Fighting for the rights that were supposedly being taken from them.

No, Regulus had finally found out that the only thing Voldemort truly cared for was power. Power for himself first and foremost.

By the point he had learned and figured out about all these truths, he was in too deep with no one to turn to for help. So he had decided he was going to have to do it alone.

While he accomplished his self appointed task, it cost him his life in return.

It took an entire day for Sirius to fully process this new information and be capable of talking about it.

When I suggested we go and search for his remains, that he deserved to be put to rest properly, Sirius agreed immediately.

Taking a few days to prepare, after getting as much information as possible from Kreacher that he could remember, we decided to head out a few days before the end of June.

Following Kreachers directions, we arrived at the edge of a cliff that faced out into the ocean, the waves crashing violently against the cliff side, and the entrance to the cave almost completely hidden by the overhanging cliff.

Getting down and into the cave by any other means than magic would be practically impossible due to the numerous rocks jutting out of the water and constant tide.

Sirius gave me a look when with a twirl of my wrist I opened a swirling portal leading down into the cave, leading the way through followed by Kreacher, who was most anxious to find his prior master's remains.

After a bit of searching in the hollow cave, we came across a wall that gave off wards marking the entrance to the true entrance.

Knowing what I did, I knew that blood was required to open the way, and in so doing the person entering would be sapped of strength for the coming defenses. Not feeling like following Voldemort's script, I charmed the wall with a version of space out of phase with our own, causing the wall to become somewhat fuzzy and able to be walked through, if a bit slow due to feeling like walking through water.

Coming to the other side, the three of us came to a branching path.

It would seem Kreacher drinking the potion when he was taken here last time with Voldemort caused him some trouble with remembering everything.

After a lot of trial and error, and dealing with a few traps, we arrived at the inner lake with a small island in the center, the location of the current fake locket, and the body of Regulus.

With a better visual of where we needed to go, I was able to open another portal directly to the island, Kreacher taking hesitant steps through, the memory of having to leave Regulus behind still haunting him.

Sirius took a moment to look at the basin that contained the fake locket before helping me search around the island looking for his brother's corpse.

After almost 20 minutes, we came across a body submerged in the water about 10 feet out and quite deep down, surrounded by Inferi.

Now we just needed to find a way to safely retrieve the body while not disturbing the inferi, which personally I didn't think was possible. From what I knew, they would swarm the instant the water was disturbed and there was no way to get Regulus without doing so.

After a few minutes arguing about it, we bit the bullet as it were and decided to just go for it.

Sirius would focus on retrieving his brother, while I dealt with the inferi, and Kreacher would help where he could, whether by helping either of us or pointing out which direction they came from if they came from all sides at once. Which is most likely going to be the case.

With everyone ready, Sirius shot out a spell to grab Regulus and pull him in, only for it to bounce off the lakes surface. Unfortunately for us, this also woke the inferi as they burst through the water and steadily advanced towards us.

I almost thought I would have to pull Regulus out myself when Sirius was able to grab him with some conjured rope, pulling his body to the shore physically.

By now, the feeling of wards going up was felt by the three of us, and the number of inferi climbing onto the island was becoming troublesome. Switching to fire, I tried to burn the incoming undead, and while it certainly did the job, it was slow going causing me to alternate between pushing back groups of them and burning the ones I could in the time I had.

When Sirius was finally able to pull the body of his brother to him, I heard him shout out in surprise.

"I think he's alive!" The shout made me pause momentarily, a nearby inferi almost grabbing my robes before I blasted it back out into the lake. "He looks pale but older, and I think he's still breathing!"

Saving the thoughts of how for later, and in a moment of thought grabbing a sample of the lake water, I rushed to Sirius as Kreacher clung to Regulus, practically hyperventilating.

"Kreacher! Can you get us out of here?!" I half shouted as I wrapped a circle of fire around the four of us.

The words didn't reach him immediately but after a few moments he seemed to shake himself and hold his hand out to me and Sirius.

Unfortunately, nothing happened and after a second Kreacher shook his head. "There be wards up blocking Kreacher, I know not when they were added, they not be here when last I came." Uncertainty in his tone.

By now, the number of corpses surrounding us was as such they were climbing over each other to get at us, and our time was running short.

Being done with the whole thing, it came as a further surprise that when I tried to open a portal back to the other shore, it fizzled out instantly, and the surprise was such that I barely kept myself from having my feet pulled out from under me, as Sirius did his best to keep the other side of our group clear.

Shouting out to Sirius to grab Regulus, I cleared the way to the basin at the center of the island, trying to get a better view to the other side of the lake where we entered.

Grabbing the others, I tried to warp us to the other side, being surprised at finding nothing blocking me from doing so, as we appeared on the rocks back where we came in from.

My mind took a moment to think about why my portals were blocked but my teleporting wasn't and the only thing I could think of was that when I linked the two points with the portal to get us on the island in the first place, the wards for the island registered it and used it as a focal point to block further portals from opening, even with it being magic only I could use.

Maybe this was why Kreacher couldn't get us out like he did last time.

The thought was chilling as it showed the brilliance of Voldemort when it came to defenses.

Thankfully I had my other forms of teleporting to fall back on, even though the one I had to use only worked very short distance, which was why I rarely used it.

I would also wager that I wouldn't be able to use the same way to escape again if I found myself back on that island.

Thoughts for later.

Getting a good grip of Regulus, we made our way out of the cave with as much haste as we could.

~}-{~

It wasn't until a few days later we were able to figure out that the lake was filled with a potion that worked similar to the draught of living death, which honestly the sheer amount of potion needed to fill that lake was staggering.

Voldemort really took his defenses seriously.

The point of the potion was that if someone was after the locket, the potion in the basin would cause the drinker to find themselves delirious with thirst, and finding their only option the water of the lake. If they drank from the lake, not only would it cause the inferi to swarm and drag them in, it would pull them into a form of suspended animation, keeping them alive for Voldemort to question the next time he came to check on the locket.

If they didn't drink from the lake they would still be weakened from entering the cave in the first place and confused from the first potion, enough so for the inferi to still pull them into the lake.

As Regulus came to, Sirius stood next to his bed, tears in his eyes seeing his brother alive.

"Sirius?" Regulus croaked out, his voice hoarse from disuse.

"Hey Reg.." Sirius croaked out himself, his voice hoarse from the sheer emotion in it, as tears fell from his eyes.

Silence rung for a few seconds before it was broken by Regulus. "You look like shit.."

Sirius gave out a laugh as he lunged forward, gently hugging his brother he thought lost to him.

Taking a moment to silently make sure there wasn't anything still wrong with Regulus' healing, I left the two to peace, quietly closing the door behind me.

~}-{~