Hp: Hermione and Darkness

The house-elf froze in his tracks, stopped muttering, and gave a very pronounced and very unconvincing start of surprise.

"Kreacher did not see young master," he said, turning around and bowing to Fred. Hermione was still angry that he was forced to call them all masters. Still facing the carpet, he muttered something else Hermione couldn't quite hear.

"Sorry?" said George. "Didn't catch that last bit."

"Kreacher said nothing," said the elf, with a second bow to George. Kreacher knew the twins were being sarcastic and trying to make fun of him. Hermione heard him mutter, "And there's its twin, unnatural little beasts they are," and, frankly, didn't blame him for the insult. He glanced her way, and she smiled at him to show him that at least one person cared.

"...and there's the Mudblood, standing there bold as brass, oh, if my mistress knew, oh, how she'd cry, and there's a new boy, Kreacher doesn't know his name. What is he doing here? Kreacher doesn't know…"

"This is Harry, Kreacher," said Hermione, ignoring his words. "Harry Potter."

Kreacher's pale eyes widened. "The Mudblood is talking to Kreacher as though she is my friend. If Kreacher's mistress saw him in such company, oh, what would she say-"

"Don't call her a Mudblood!" said Ron and Ginny together, very angrily.

"It doesn't matter," Hermione whispered. "He's not in his right mind, he doesn't know what he's-"

"Don't kid yourself, Hermione; he knows exactly what he's saying," said Fred.

"Is it true?" Kreacher asked. "Is it Harry Potter? Kreacher can see the scar; it must be true; that's the boy who stopped the Dark Lord. Kreacher wonders how he did it-"

"Don't we all, Kreacher," said Fred.

"What do you want, anyway?" George asked.

Kreacher's huge eyes darted towards George. Hermione could see the fear in his eyes.

"Kreacher is cleaning," he said evasively.

"A likely story," said a voice from behind them at the door.

Sirius had returned; he was glowering at the 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 and to the disgust of Hermione, Kreacher flung himself into a ridiculously low bow that flattened his snout-like nose on the floor.

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

"Kreacher is cleaning," the elf repeated. "Kreacher lives to serve the Noble House of Black-"

"And it's getting blacker every day; it's filthy," said Sirius.

"Master always liked his little joke," said Kreacher, 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," snapped Sirius. "She kept herself alive out of pure spite."

Kreacher bowed again as he spoke. "Whatever Master says," he muttered furiously. Finally! Kreacher was standing up for himself! "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," said Sirius 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 were 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," said Sirius, 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."

While Kreacher couldn't disobey a direct order, Hermione was happy to see the detestable look he gave Sirius as he shuffled out past him and that 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!" said Sirius irritably as he slammed the door shut on the elf.

"Sirius, he's not right in the head," Hermione said, stating the obvious. "I don't think he realises we can hear him."

"He's been alone too long," said Sirius, "taking mad orders from my mother's portrait and talking to himself, but he was always a foul little-"

"If you could just set him free," said Hermione hopefully. She knew she was taking a risk but felt compelled to at least try. "Maybe-"

"We can't set him free. He knows too much about the Order," said Sirius curtly. "And anyway, the shock would kill him. You suggest to him that he leaves this house see how he takes it."

....

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