enchanted • draco malfoy

Year 7: R.A.B.

Felicity's POV

I woke up just before Ron, stretching from my uncomfortable position on the overstuffed armchair. Ron was blinking awake just as I spotted his hand, lying inches away from Mione's. I nearly gasped with delight, and Ron quickly snatched his hand back. His face was bright red and he murmured an excuse half-heartedly. I smirked and stretched again, running a hand through my tangled hair, before getting up to explore. I made my way through the halls into what had to be the master bedroom.

Imposing family portraits were hung on the walls of Blacks through the generations, and the bed was almost completely torn apart. The wood paneling was rotting, and the carpet was threadbare. I wandered over to the dresser, where the mirror had a thick layer of dust over it and mouse droppings were visible from inside the drawers.

I felt a sudden pang in my heart, missing Marvin more than I thought possible. He'd have a field day with these mice, but I'd left him in Neville's company. He'd be safer there than here with me; Lord knows what we'll be facing.

"Fel! Harry, Hermione, come here! I think I found something!" Ron yelled suddenly. I jumped a little before hurrying down the hallway to where Ron stood in front of yet another decrepit room.

Hermione wandered in, looking around briefly at the trashed room before commenting sarcastically, "Lovely."

Ron rolled his eyes, grabbing her elbow gently and pulling her out of the room. He closed the door to reveal the name inscribed on the tarnished gold plaque inlaid in the wood.

"Regulus Arcturus Black," I read carefully, "I didn't know Sirius had a brother."

Ron said, "R.A.B."

"Holy shit," I breathed. "Harry, what did that locket say again?"

~*~

We gathered in the kitchen at the table as Harry read from the locket. "'I know I will be dead long before you read this. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it.'"

"R.A.B is Sirius's brother," Ron deduced. Hermione agreed, "Yes. Question is, did he actually destroy the real Horcrux?"

I opened my mouth to pose a question of my own when a rustling sound came from the other end of the room. My wand was instantly in my hand, adrenaline rushing. Harry approached the pantry, which was undoubtedly where the noise had come from, on silent feet.

He looked back at us and we all nodded, wands at the ready. He pulled open the door in one smooth move, hand reaching to yank out whoever lay within. When he pulled out a creature dressed in a tattered sack, my wand immediately lowered, relief coursing through me.

Harry, however, seemed to feel no such relief; only anger. "You've been spying on us, have you?" he asked, tossing the house elf who I could now identify as Kreacher to the floor. "Kreacher has been watching," Kreacher admitted in the low, scratchy voice that made me feel like spiders were crawling all over me.

"Maybe he knows where the real locket is," Hermione suggested. Harry strode over to the table and grabbed the locket, holding it in front of Kreacher's face. "Have you ever seen this before?" he demanded. The house elf shied away, mumbling under his breath. "Kreacher?" Harry said, a fraction louder and with a warning in his voice.

"It's... Master Regulus's locket," Kreacher finally said. I chimed in, a tad more gently than Harry, "But there were two, weren't there, Kreacher?" He regarded me with nothing but distaste, and I instantly regretted the attempt at kindness.

"Where's the other one?" Harry questioned. "Kreacher doesn't know where the other locket is," Kreacher said eventually." "Yes," Hermione said impatiently, "But did you ever see it? Was it in this house?" Kreacher's face contorted into one of disgust as he spat, "Filthy Mudblood!"