Chapter 23

                                    

                                          
The dark walls and the gloom that even the strongest sunlight couldn't brighten. The dankness and cobwebs reminded Harry of the trials of his disastrous fifth year. Pushing back the painful memories Harry noticed the distasteful look on the faces of his friends and godfather. But surprisingly a looked glee upon Mrs Weasleys face.
"Oh yes." She said excitedly to the looks of utter horror on most others faces. "Yes this is a nice big spare, it will make a lovely kitchen once I am done with the place. Just get this place clean and we shall see some big changes even by Christmas I should think." She began to discuss with Sirius and the others how they could change the place to be unrecognisable. Suggestion were made of where things could go and colours. Sirius outright demanded no green and silver ever. Soon the table was cleaned off and they were busy planning how each room would look after getting a floor plan from Kreacher. As everyone but Harry was absorbed in the planning he went to find Kreacher.
Eventually Harry found refuge in the downstairs bathroom and called Kreacher to him.
"Master called." He said with a sneer in his voice. "Filthy blood traitors in my Mistresses home." 
"Kreacher I know that Master Regulas left you a task and you have been unable to complete it." Harry began. "I know how to remove the dark magic from the locket and if you tell Sirius you tale I am sure we can help you."
"Master Regulas's work will be done?" He asked. "B-but Master said not to tell the family and Master Sirius is family. Kreacher must obey."
"What if you told Hermione or the Weasley's in front of Sirius. You wouldn't be disobeying then would you?" Harry inquired to the elf. 
"Yes it would." Kreacher said after thinking on it a few moments. "But if Master Harry knows of it then why can't Master say himself."
"I can't tell Sirius how I know." Harry replied. "Besides he knows you can't lie to your Master."
"Kreacher will if Master Harry can let him see the locket is destroyed." The old elf said firmly.
"Yes I will show you that the nasty magic has been cleansed from the locket." Harry promised. "And I will ask Sirius if we can replace your old Mistresses portrait with one of Master Regulas."
Kreacher had tears filling in his eyes and he began to tremble.
"Master would do this for me?" He asked disbelief filling his tone.
"Yes I would." Harry replied. "All I ask is that you treat everyone with respect."
"Master Harry is everything Dobby has said he would be." He said bowing to Harry.
"You don't have to do that, please don't bow to me." Harry asked him.The elf nodded but said nothing. "Come on we must get back to the others."
Harry was walking down the hall escorted by Kreacher when Sirius burst through the door to the kitchen.
"Where have you been?" Sirius yelled. Harry looked suitably confused. His reply was cut off by the yelling of Walburga Black.
"FILTHY TRAITOR HOW DARE YOU RETURN TO MY HOME. DIRTY BLO-" She was instantly cut off by Kreacher snapping his fingers and the portrait fell to the floor. Harry recovered first.
"I just went to the bathroom." Harry replied. "Why did you think yo-that damn portrait got me?" The joke sailed over his head as he watched Kreacher float his mother's portrait out of sight.
"This house is full of dangers Harry." Sirius answered recovering quickly. "You could have been badly hurt. Why didn't you tell an adult where you were going?"
"Well I didn't think, but Kreacher saw  me coming and made sure I was safe." Harry lied. Sirius gave him a strange look and then looked towards the stairs where Kreacher was returning to his task clearing the elf heads from the walls.
"Well come back to the others with me, we have yet to plan your room." He said as he eyed the elf working hard.
"Sure but I am not decorating the room red and gold." He said cheekily ducking Sirius's arm and heading back.
Tiskey had worked a miracle on the kitchen and when lunch was served the room was full of life and laughter. Kreacher sat eating reflecting that he had never heard such happy sounds in his home before. Gathering his courage he made his way over to his Master, and he thought of him as a true Master now. Whatever Mistress said he was the head of the Black family and he would be a good elf.
"Master." He addressed Sirius. "Kreacher has something to tell you but, Kreacher was ordered not to tell any member of the Black family. Kreacher thinks he might be able to tell the others here with Master listening." As he spoke he began to twist the dirty old towel he wore. Sirius looked at the old elf wrestling with the images from his youth, Kreacher's snide comments and mumbled insults. Pushing down his anger he nodded to the elf and said.
"Alright go ahead. But I am ordering you to tell them the truth." 
"Kreacher will." He agreed nodding. Harry watched the war of emotion running across his godfather's face as he listened to the terrible fate of his brother. Pale and shaking when Kreacher finished his story Sirius sat dumbfounded and in pain. All these years he had thought the worst of his brother and now Reggie had died trying to end Voldemort. Suddenly he felt arms come around his neck and he blindly hung on to what he now knew was his godson. It took him a good twenty minutes to recover himself long enough to speak.
"Bring me the locket please Kreacher." He croaked. The elf who had stood there waiting for the explosion of the infamous Black temper. The almost soft voice and the please had the elf stumbling from the room. As theelf left the room the people filling it were in various states of distres and upset. Molly was saddened to hear how Regulas died. Arthur was full of worry what kind of dark object could be worth that much protection. Ron couldn't fathom losing a brother that way or even losing one of his brothers at all. The twins were struggling to accept just how bad things had been in the last war. Percy was horrified and looked at Sirius in a new light, the years he spent in Azkaban were insignificant compared to learning this. Ginny was hugging Hermione trembling, not only were they insenced at the way Kreacher had been treated but then for Regulas to die before he could reunite with Sirius, well they had no words.
Kreacher soon returned with the locket he placed it on the table and bowed to Sirius.
"I hope master has more luck destroying it than I." He said politely.
"Thank you Kreacher if you have finished eating please continue cleaning." Sirius said. "I have no idea how to destroy this." After Kreacher had left the room. 
"Perhaps Dumbledore knows a way?" Arthur wondered.
"Or the goblins." Harry added. "They do have a service for dark objects Silvershard told me about it."
"Yes the goblins might be better." Molly said agreeing with Harry. "Dumbledore is at the I.W.C meeting until the 27th. Best get it done quickly I don't like the feel of that thing."
"Yes your right." Sirius said. "Should we head back to the Leaky Cauldon? I don't think we can do any more today and I think I need to be out of this house for a while." The others agreed and as they packed up their plans Harry asked his godfather.
"Do you have a portrait of Regulas?" He asked.
"I don't know, Why?" Sirius asked.
"Well I just think a nice picture of him would be better in the hall than the screaming banshee." Harry replied. Sirius looked thoughtfull for a moment.
"Yes I think your right Reggie would look better in the hall." He said smiling slightly for the first time since Kreacher approached him at lunch. "I think mother will just have to stay in the attic."
"That godawful painting was your mother?" Ron asked incredulously.
"Charming isn't she." Sirius chuckled. "Kreacher." He called the elf to him. "Is there a portrait of Regulas in the house or the family vault?"
"Mistress commissioned a portrait of Master Regulas but never put it up." Kreacher replied tears swelling in his eyes. "Kreacher placed it in the family vault on her orders."
"Ok." Sirius said pensively. This would be good replace bad memories with good ones, and honor his brother at the same time."I am going to gringotts to get this locket cleansed so I will check  the family vault. You will come with us to ring it back here."
"Yes Master, Kreacher would be happy to." Kreacher answered practically vibrating with happiness.
"Dobby will stay at the Leaky Cauldon and take care of us while the rest of you clean the house." He ordered the elves. As they had checked the house was still connected to the floo network, they flooed to the Leaky Cauldon. The Weasleys and Hermione went to their rooms while Sirius and Harry went to the bank.