HP Starlight

As the night grew darker, Esther saw that it was almost time, and Apparated to Grimmauld Place, ready to find out what was hidden.Mrs. Weasley was temporarily back at the Burrow, and Lupine was on a mission.Sirius was the only one in the house.

"What's the matter? Is there any news that needs to be told to Dumbledore?" Sirius saw Esther and thought something unexpected happened.

"It's nothing, I'm looking for something." Esther didn't elaborate, and walked straight to the door opposite the pantry.

"Did Kreacher take something from you?" Sirius followed, watching Esther's actions and asked.

Kreacher was the house-elf of the house and, like Mrs. Black, hated every member of the Order of the Phoenix who came here.He often sneaks up on people's backs and has no qualms about abusing everyone he sees, even his master, Sirius Black.

Esther didn't understand why Sirius suddenly mentioned Kreacher.But she didn't ask in detail, but opened the dark door directly.

Behind the door was a large boiler, under which crouched a living thing, glaring at her with hateful eyes.

It turned out that Kreacher's room was under this boiler, no wonder Sirius would say that.Even though she's just a house-elf, Esther finds it embarrassing to break into other people's rooms without authorization.

"Yes...sorry, I don't know..." Esther said stutteringly.

Kreacher crawled out from under the boiler, bent down and bowed, "Is there any business for Kreacher, Miss?" Then it continued in an undisguised voice, "Dirty bastard, disgrace to Slytherin, and Those mudbloods, werewolves, liars and thieves mixed together. No manners, broke into Kreacher's room in the middle of the night. Poor Kreacher, can't even sleep..."

After hearing Kreacher's words, Esther felt that she was no longer guilty.

"Kreacher, did you take something from Esther?" Sirius asked impatiently.

"Kreacher did not, respected young master. Kreacher never steals." Kreacher bowed again, and then muttered in a low voice, "The ungrateful young master even suspected that Kreacher would take that bastard's things, Kreacher would not Will occupy what does not belong to him like a nasty young master..."

"Shut up, Kreacher!" Sirius yelled.

Kreacher's mouth doesn't move, but Esther can see his throat squirming.

"I want to see that place," Esther said to Kreacher, but not for advice.She lit her wand and leaned in to look in.

"Stand there, Kreacher!" said Sirius suddenly.

Esther glanced back, Kreacher seemed to be about to pounce on her just now, restrained by Sirius' orders, he could only stare at her angrily, as if he wanted to put a curse on her.

"Sorry, I need to find something." Esther said casually, and looked inside again.

There was a broken silver photo frame on the outermost side, in which a dark-skinned woman with swollen eyelids was looking at her proudly.If it wasn't for this look, Esther would still like to praise her for being beautiful.

"That's my cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange. Voldemort's most loyal Death Eater. She tortured the Longbottoms mad with the Cruciatus Curse and was imprisoned in Azkaban." Sirius leaned over and said to Esther.

"Really?" Esther said absently, and turned inside.Across the rags and smelly old blankets, and the stray bread crumbs and moldy cheese, Esther picked up the gleaming baubles piled in the corner one by one to look at them.Music boxes, various seals, a box containing Merlin's First Class Medal... Finally Esther touched a heavy object the size of an egg.That thing was colder than the others, and there seemed to be a heart beating weakly inside it.

She took out what she touched and looked at it carefully.It is a locket with many small green gemstones inlaid on the gold case to form an S.

"Is this what you're looking for?" said Sirius, puzzled.

"That's it, whose thing is this?" Est asked.

Sirius took a closer look and shook his head.Then he thought of something and said to Kreacher, "Whose thing is this, Kreacher?"

Kreacher suddenly became tense, rocking back and forth, his large pale eyes dodging.

"I order you to answer me!" Sirius snapped.

"Yes—it's Master Regulus' locket, Kreacher made a mistake, and Kreacher failed to complete the master's order!" After finishing speaking, the elf rushed to the poker standing by the wall.

"Stand there, Kreacher! Don't move!" Sirius yelled.

Kreacher stood there stiffly, big tears streaming from his eye sockets.

"Speak clearly!" Sirius was not moved by Kreacher's performance, "What did Regulus ask you to do?"

Kreacher choked up, and said hoarsely, "Master Regulus asked me—let me destroy this locket."

Esther was very surprised by Kreacher's answer.She knew it was Voldemort's, and since Kreacher said it belonged to Regulus, it must have been given to him by Voldemort, just like Malfoy had the diary.But Regulus actually wanted to destroy it!Did he betray Voldemort like Snape did?

Este collected himself and said to Kreacher, "Tell me everything you know about Regulus and this locket."

Kreacher gave Esther a disgusted look with teary eyes, and said nothing.

"Do as she says, Kreacher," Sirius ordered.

"Yes, Master Sirius." Kreacher bowed to him reluctantly, "Master Regulus is a good boy, he knows what it means to inherit the surname Black and his pure blood. He talks a lot about the Dark Lord, and the Dark Lord wants wizards to stop hiding and come out and rule Muggles and their offspring..."

Sirius let out a disdainful scoff.

"Master Regulus joined the Dark Lord's organization when he was 16 years old. He was so proud and happy to serve the great Dark Lord.

A year later, one day, Master Regulus came to see Kreacher in the kitchen and said that the Dark Lord needed an elf.Regulus contributed Kreacher.It's an honor.Master Regulus said it was an honor for himself and Kreacher.Kreacher had to do everything the Dark Lord asked Kreacher to do...and go - go home. "

Kreacher let out a sob, and continued, "The Dark Lord took Kreacher to a large rock cave by the sea. There was a large black lake in the cave, and there was a boat that could land on a small island. There was a stone on the island - a stone basin .It was full of potions, and the Dark Lord made Kreacher drink it..."

Kreacher suddenly trembled all over.

"And then?" Sirius asked impatiently.

"Kreacher drank it, and while drinking it, he saw a lot of horrible scenes... His internal organs were on fire... Kreacher called Master Regulus for help, and called the mistress, but the Dark Lord just laughed... He forced Kreacher Che drank the potion...he dropped a locket into the empty basin...and refilled it.

Then the Dark Lord boarded the ship and left, leaving Kreacher on the island...

Kreacher wanted to drink water, and he crawled to the edge of the island to drink from the Black Lake...many hands, dead hands, came out of the water and dragged Kreacher down...

Kreacher remembered Master Regulus' order.The Master ordered Kreacher to go home, and Kreacher went home. "

Sirius clenched his fists, and for the first time he showed a little sympathy for the elf he hated so much, and his tone softened accordingly. "Then you told Regulus later?"

"Yes," Kreacher shook uncomfortably again, "Master Regulus asked Kreacher to tell him what had happened. Kreacher told him everything. Master was very worried, very worried. He told Kreacher to hide Get up, don't leave the house. Then... After a while... One night, Master Regulus came to Kreacher in the cupboard. The Master looked very strange, not like usual, and Kreacher could see that he was very disturbed ...The young master asked Kreacher to take him to the cave, the cave where Kreacher and the Dark Lord went..."

Suddenly, the little elf let out a shrill cry.Sirius said nothing this time, and waited quietly with his lips pressed together.Esther felt that they probably all guessed the ending.She clenched the locket in her hand, feeling an inexplicable sense of despair in her heart.

After a while, Kreacher finally calmed down a little, and continued, "Master—Master took out an identical locket. He—he told Kreacher to change—replace it after the stone basin dries up. Originally. He ordered - Kreacher - to leave and leave him alone. He told Kreacher - to go home - not to tell the mistress - what he did - but must be destroyed - the first to hang Locket. Then he drank—drank the potion—Klee switched the locket—and watched...Master Regulus...be dragged into the water...and..."

The little elf spoke intermittently until finally he broke down in tears and couldn't speak another word.

Sirius' face turned pale, and he looked at Kreacher dully, as if seeing through him the boy who kept sinking into the dark lake.

Esther looked at the intact locket, "But you did not fulfill Master Regulus' order, the locket is intact."

"Kreacher can't leave marks on it," said the elf sadly. "It's protected by powerful magic. Kreacher believes that it can only be destroyed from the inside. But Kreacher can't open it."

"Take me to that cave." Sirius suddenly said hoarsely.

"Are you crazy?" Esther raised a nameless anger.

"I can't let my brother's body be soaked in a pile of rotting infernal corpses!" He suddenly became irritable.

"Then what do you want, become one of them?" Esther also lost his usual calmness, and yelled at Sirius tit for tat.

Sirius glared at her angrily.

"Even if you go, you have to inform Dumbledore before leaving." Esther said angrily.Then she said to Kreacher, "I can help you fulfill Master Regulus' last wish, and if possible, I will try to leave you the locket that Regulus bought back with his life, provided you are willing Obey me, obey Sirius, obey the Order of the Phoenix, and never betray any of us. Will you?"

"Can you destroy it?" Kreacher looked at Esther in disbelief.

"Yes." Esther said firmly.

"As long as this locket can be destroyed. Kreacher can agree to any conditions." The elf said hoarsely.

"Very well, go to Hogwarts with me, I have to talk to Dumbledore about this. Do you want to go together, Sirius?"

"Of course." Sirius said, with reddened eyes.

Esther and Sirius apparate to Hogsmeade with Kreacher.Sirius summoned his Patronus in the form of a black dog to report to Dumbledore.They followed the path until they reached the gate outside Hogwarts Castle.A black figure was waiting for them.

"Why did you come to pick us up?" Sirius saw Snape clearly in the door, and immediately showed a disgusted expression.

"I assure you, I didn't come here voluntarily. And you guys are too slow, I thought four claws would be faster." Snape also looked at Sirius with a disgusted expression.

Esther was very happy to see Snape, she wanted to see Snape so much, especially after hearing Regulus' story.She said softly, "Good evening, Professor. I'm sorry to disturb your rest."

"It's not disturbing, I'm watching the night."

Snape walked them to the headmaster's office and left.Dumbledore was waiting for them in a chair behind his desk in his purple pajamas.

"Sirius, can I talk to Est alone first?" Dumbledore looked at Sirius with wise eyes.

Sirius nodded, and led Kreacher to wait outside the door.

Esther repeated Kreacher's words to Dumbledore straight to the point, and took out the locket and put it in front of Dumbledore. "Principal, can this be left to Kreacher after it is destroyed? This is what Regulus left him, and I think it should be left to him for safekeeping."

"Of course." Dumbledore nodded, "This is the reward he deserves."

Dumbledore took out the silver sword he had used last time and stabbed at the locket, and the locket let out a scream.

"Let Sirius and Kreacher come in, and I'll talk to them," Dumbledore said to Esther.

Esther called Sirius and Kreacher in, and went down the spiral staircase by herself, hoping to wait for them to come out and leave together.

Suddenly there was a sound of footsteps from the other end of the corridor, and Esther, who was shining brightly on her wand, couldn't open her eyes.

"The headmaster said he still needs to talk to Black for a while, and let me take you out first." Snape who approached whispered to Esther.

Esther nodded and followed Snape downstairs.But in the hall, Snape didn't send her out, but entered the entrance of the underground classroom.Esther followed Snape to the office she was familiar with, and watched Snape enter the secret door of the bedroom.

After a while he took out some thick black books and handed them to Esther. "This is the anti-spell and healing method I studied before, including some solutions to the damage caused by black magic. I heard that you went to the Spell Damage Department. I hope it can help you." Snape said flatly. explain.

The manner of Regulus' death made Esther extremely worried about Snape and desperate to be close to him.Facing Snape's concern, she didn't want to control herself anymore, she hugged Snape tightly, feeling his warm chest and stiff back.

"Thank you, Professor. You still prepared a reward for me."

"Uh." Snape uttered an ambiguous syllable from his throat, he didn't know whether he wanted to respond to Esther's words, or wanted to curse because of Esther's actions.

After a while, Esther let go of Snape, blushing.She held a few notebooks in her arms and stroked the cover gently, as if struggling.

"Okay, I'll take you out." Snape's voice was a little tense.

"Professor," Esther called Snape, hesitantly said, "Do you know if there is a way to get rid of the imprint on your mind?"

Snape turned to look at her carefully, "Are you injured?"

"No." Esther quickly denied, "Not yet."

"Temporarily?" Snape caught on to the crucial word.

"Uh, yes, temporarily. Maybe in the future, just ask first." Esther said vaguely.

Snape didn't continue to ask, but said in a low voice, "Mental problems have always been extremely complicated. Just like the mind and soul, if damaged, it is difficult to recover. The imprint you mentioned sounds more like It's a mark. If I'm not mistaken, it's like the Dark Mark, which can't be removed."

"Can't you take it off?" Esther bit her lip.

"Are... are you secretly studying black magic?" Snape's eyes darkened.

"No, I didn't." Esther quickly explained seeing Snape's expression, "I found out that Regulus Black was also fighting against the Dark Lord before he died, and he seemed to know some of the things left by the Dark Lord. I I want to summon his soul back to ask about the situation. But summoning a strange soul will leave a spiritual imprint, which is very dangerous. That's why I want to ask if there is a way to remove it."

"Can you summon undead?" Snape narrowed his eyes more dangerously after hearing the explanation.

"It's through the resurrection stone." Esther said honestly.

"The Resurrection Stone?" Snape seemed to have never heard of such a thing.

"The things made by Peverell and his wife can communicate with the undead anytime and anywhere to get information. But the spiritual imprint left behind will affect the mind. Both of them committed suicide in the end." Este explained, putting the resurrection stone He took it out of his pocket and handed it to Snape.

After Snape held it in his hand and examined it carefully, he said to Esther, "There are other ways to find those things, don't take the risk."

Esther looked at the resurrection stone in front of her and didn't pick it up, "What about you? Is there an old friend you want to talk to? Familiar people won't affect you, maybe you can meet her—"

A flicker of intense struggle flashed in Snape's eyes.Esther thinks he should be given some personal space.She was about to leave the office, but Snape stopped her, "Collins, I don't have anyone I want to see, and I don't think she wants to see me." He said and put the resurrection stone back into Esther's hand, as if it were a piece of Hot fire snake eggs.

"Professor—" Esther didn't understand why he gave up the chance to meet Lily.

"Let's go, it's time for you to go back." Snape walked out of the office expressionlessly, without looking at the Resurrection Stone again.

Back at St. Mungo's dormitory, Esther tossed and turned.She didn't want Snape to live with the burden of regret and self-blame, thinking of himself as a sinner.Although he hides it well in front of others, Esther has seen his sadness, and she knows he has another side.She wanted to use the Resurrection Stone to make Snape and the past come to an end, just like Dumbledore did.But he turned down the opportunity.Maybe it was because he hadn't forgiven himself, or thought Lily would never forgive him.But without the end of the past, there will never be a new beginning.Esther felt sorry for herself.

The next day, Esther came to the office with two dark circles under her eyes.Seeing her raise her eyebrows, Beavis said, "It seems that Miss Collins is not quite used to the new environment."

"Yeah." Esther smiled perfunctorily.

Bivis handed over an ointment, "Apply this around the eyes, it will make you look more energetic." He also postponed the time for checking the ward so that Esther could adjust himself.Esther is very grateful to Beavis for the arrangement.