Chapter 490: The Horcrux and the Past
Chapter 490: The Horcrux and the Past
Seeing that Harry still didn't fully understand, Sirius began to explain.
"Since you've met my mother, I'm sure you can tell what she's like. My parents were staunch supporters of blood purity, fanatically obsessed with pure blood. They believed that being part of the Black Family made one inherently noble...
This aligns with Voldemort's beliefs. My foolish brother, Regulus, was probably too weak-willed and actually believed their words, so he joined the Death Eaters..."
"Then what happened? What about him?" Harry asked curiously.
"Dead!" Sirius's tone was filled with sarcasm, "Not killed in battle by the Aurors, but murdered by Voldemort. Or perhaps Voldemort ordered someone to kill him!"
Harry was very surprised and couldn't understand why Voldemort would kill his own follower.
Sirius noticed Harry's confusion and continued.
"I don't know the exact reason, but I suspect that when he first joined the Death Eaters, he might have simply wanted to please our parents, without realizing how cruel it was.
By the time Voldemort's ambitions became clear, he wanted to leave, but he was already too deep in! You can't just hand in a resignation letter to Voldemort. It's either a lifetime of servitude or death."
Harry fell silent, remaining quiet for a long time.
Kreacher, who had been listening, wanted to say something but hesitated, finally mumbling softly. Even those nearby could barely hear him this time.
Ivan, who also knew the full story, remained silent. He couldn't explain how he knew about Regulus, as revealing the truth too abruptly could raise suspicion.
The only hope was to find the Horcrux and let Kreacher tell the story himself!
After this little incident, and with the sky growing dark, everyone lost the desire to clean the house. They each chose a room on the second floor that had already been cleared and settled in for the night.
Ivan didn't leave. After everyone else had gone, he found Kreacher alone.
"Kreacher!"
"Sir, is there something you need?" The old House-Elf looked somewhat dejected, no longer as belligerent as before. His eyes were moist, as if he had been crying.
"I heard Sirius talking about Regulus just now. I'm very interested in his story. Could you tell me more about him?" Ivan asked.
Perhaps realizing this was too abrupt, Ivan added, "I mean no harm. I noticed that when Sirius was talking about his brother, you seemed unhappy, as if you had a different view. I thought there might be some misunderstanding."
Kreacher stared at Ivan with his large, bulbous eyes, then walked away without a word.
Ivan understood that the House-Elf didn't trust him. He sighed and said, "It's fine if you don't trust me. You can go tell Sirius. He still cares about his brother, you know."
Despite the sarcasm in Sirius's earlier words, Ivan could hear the concern for Regulus, perhaps just a case of frustration with a brother who couldn't meet his expectations.
Kreacher trembled but didn't turn around. He snapped his fingers and disappeared on the spot.
Ivan shook his head, unsure if Kreacher had heard him.
The next morning, Ivan yawned as he finished washing up and then went downstairs to the living room to enjoy his breakfast.
Harry, Lupin, and Sirius Black were already waiting there, making him the last to arrive.
"Did you sleep well, Ivan? Are you getting used to it?" Sirius Black asked with a smile.
"Pretty good, it's my first time staying in such a big mansion!" Ivan joked, finding a seat.
"As long as you're comfortable, feel free to visit anytime! Anyway, let's eat first. I'll take you to the Black family's library later", Sirius Black clapped his hands.
Kreacher, holding a tray, instantly appeared in front of everyone. He bowed his head and walked to each person, placing the plates down one by one.
Compared to the luxurious decor, the breakfast seemed rather simple, with only a few bowls of porridge, some bread, and a few slices of potato.
Sirius Black was quite angry, thinking that Kreacher was deliberately neglecting his friends.
Fortunately, Harry managed to calm him down, sparing Kreacher from a scolding.
Of course, this House-Elf didn't care about insults or punishment; he continued doing his own thing.
However, when Kreacher passed by Ivan to place the plate down, he suddenly stopped, hesitated for a moment, and whispered softly.
"You can take a look in the cabinet in the living room downstairs!"
Ivan turned his head in surprise to look at Kreacher, but Kreacher quickly reverted to his usual demeanor, hunched over in the corner of the living room, saying nothing.
Seeing this, Ivan decided not to ask further. Since Kreacher had said that, he might as well go and check it out.
After breakfast, Ivan declined Sirius Black's offer to visit the library. Although he had come under the pretext of viewing the books, his main goal was to find the Horcrux.
So Ivan decided to follow Kreacher's advice and go downstairs to search, perhaps there was something overlooked during the cleaning.
"Why? Did Kreacher say something to you just now?"
Ivan's decision surprised Sirius Black. He had noticed Ivan frequently glancing at Kreacher during the meal, clearly indicating they were hiding something from him.
Ivan hesitated for a moment, then repeated what he had told Kreacher the night before, adding:
"Kreacher just told me to look in the cabinet in the living room downstairs. Maybe your brother left a letter or something before he died."
Hearing this, Sirius Black's anger flared up. He glared fiercely at the House-Elf standing in the corner, furious.
"How dare you hide such important information from me! How did Regulus die? How many more things are you hiding from me? I order you to tell me everything you know!"
Sirius Black was extremely angry. Since running away from home, he had never seen his brother again, and he only learned of the events afterward.
Now, he discovered that Kreacher knew something and had been hiding it from him for days, possibly even hiding Regulus's letters or belongings. How could he not be enraged?
(End of Chapter)
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