Coup de Foudre [Fred Weasley] [5]

⚡️ Chapter 11 ⚡️

"A likely story,"

Vega turned around to see that it Sirius had come back and he was glowering at his unfortunately inherited house-elf from the doorway. The noise in the hall had abated; perhaps Mrs. Weasley and Mundungus had moved their argument down into the kitchen. At the sight of Sirius, Kreacher flung himself into a ridiculously low bow that flattened his snout-like nose on the floor.

"Stand up straight," Sirius ordered impatiently. "Now, what are you up to?"

"Kreacher is cleaning," the house-elf repeated. "Kreacher lives to serve the noble house of Black –"

"– and it's getting blacker every day, it's filthy," Sirius interjected.

"Master always liked his little joke," Kreacher replied, bowing again, and continuing in an undertone, "Master was a nasty ungrateful swine who broke his mother's heart –"

"My mother didn't have a heart, Kreacher," Sirius snapped. "She kept herself alive out of pure spite," Vega watched as Kreacher bowed again.

"Whatever Master says," Kreacher said and then muttered furiously, "Master is not fit to wipe slime from his mother's boots, oh my poor Mistress, what would she say if she saw Kreacher serving him, how she hated him, what a disappointment he was –"

"I asked you what you were up to," Sirius interrupted coldly. "Every time you show up pretending to be cleaning, you sneak something off to your room so we can't throw it out,"

"Kreacher would never move anything from its proper place in Master's house," said the elf, then muttered very fast, "Mistress would never forgive Kreacher if the tapestry was thrown out, seven centuries it's been in the family, Kreacher must save it, Kreacher will not let Master and the blood traitors and the brats destroy it –"

"I thought it might be that," Sirius responded, casting a disdainful look at the opposite wall. "She'll have put another Permanent Sticking Charm on the back of it, I don't doubt, but if I can get rid of it I certainly will. Now go away, Kreacher,"

Quite obviously, Kreacher did not dare disobey a direct order – Vega was sure that he would like to do that but he must think they will get some sort of satisfaction seeing him getting hurt, which she certainly didn't. Nevertheless, the look he gave Sirius as he shuffled out past him was redolent of deepest loathing and he muttered all the way out of the room.

"– comes back from Azkaban ordering Kreacher around, oh my poor Mistress, what would she say if she saw the house now, scum living in it, her treasures thrown out, she swore he was no son of hers and he's back, they say he's a murderer too –"

"Keep muttering and I will be a murderer!" Sirius said irritably, and he slammed the door shut on the elf, causing Vega to slightly jump before shaking her head at herself.

"Sirius, he's not right in the head," Hermione said pleadingly and Vega turned to look at her to see what she had to say. "I don't think he realises we can hear him,"

"He's been alone too long," Sirius responded. "Taking mad orders from my mother's portrait and talking to himself, but he was always a foul little –"

"If you just set him free," Hermione said hopefully, still on the same agenda. "Maybe –"

"Not unless you want us all found and possibly hurt," Vega interrupted in a surprisingly sharp voice. "Kreacher knows too much about the Order – and he knows we can hear him. You can be kind to him while also realising his short-comings. Enabling him will only encourage him to do more,"

"And anyway, the shock would kill him," Sirius added curtly, taking the attention away from Vega. "You suggest to him that he leaves this house, see how he takes it,"