Looking at Kreacher's expression, Link's frown deepened.
Under the Imperius Curse, Kreacher had obediently led him to the room piled with Regulus's relics, but the Slytherin locket was nowhere to be found.
Then where could it be?
Link rubbed his chin and started pacing around the room.
His memory of this part of the story was fuzzy, it had been too long.
But the current situation reminded him of something. If he remembered correctly, in the original story, Harry and his friends didn't find Slytherin's locket in Number 12 Grimmauld Place.
Or rather, the locket had stayed there for a while, but after Sirius's death, it was stolen, along with hundreds of years' worth of Black family treasures, by some petty thief within the Order of the Phoenix.
Could it be that the theft had already happened by this point, and the locket was already gone?
Link slowly shook his head.
That didn't seem likely.
After all, it had only been a few months since Number 12 Grimmauld Place became the Order's headquarters. With Sirius still alive and the Order's main members all gathered there to protect Harry, no thief in their right mind would dare sneak in to steal anything.
'If that's the case… then Kreacher must be lying?'
Link turned to look at him again. Kreacher was still standing there, eyes glazed and posture stiff, the typical look of someone under the Imperius Curse.
But Link knew his own Imperius wasn't exactly top-tier.
Of the three Unforgivable Curses, the Imperius was the hardest to master, it wasn't as straightforward as the Killing Curse or the Cruciatus Curse. It required subtlety, control, and deep understanding of mental manipulation. And since the spell didn't benefit him much in combat, Link's Imperius level was still only LV1.
To Kreacher, Regulus was the most important person in the world. When it came to anything related to Regulus's secrets, even if the Imperius made it hard to disobey a direct order, Kreacher could still subconsciously twist or bend the command a little, especially since Link's control wasn't that strong.
House-elves were, after all, experts at that kind of mischief.
Thinking this, Link slowly stepped closer. With a small flick of his wand, a realistic projection of the Slytherin locket appeared in the air.
"Take me to this locket."
The moment Link said it, Kreacher's blissful, vacant smile twisted into something pained, as though he was struggling against himself.
But even a LV1 Imperius Curse was too strong for him to resist completely.
At best, he could distort the command slightly, but not refuse it outright.
Barely two minutes passed before Kreacher broke down entirely, turning around and stumbling shakily out of the room.
Seeing this, Link smirked. "Cunning old thing."
"Hsss!~ (Kill him later!)" hissed Arkam, poking his head out from behind Link's shoulder.
After so many years together, Arkam's way of thinking had become more and more like Link's. Or maybe it was the other way around, the man and snake had started to think alike.
In fact, most of the time, whatever Arkam said was exactly what Link was already thinking.
Hearing him now, the red glow in Link's eyes flickered, tempted.
But in the end, he just shook his head and followed Kreacher.
After who knows how many winding turns through the house, they finally stopped before a cupboard.
Kreacher's face was full of pain now, his earlier blank expression completely gone.
Ignoring him, Link raised his wand and yanked the cupboard doors open.
Inside was much bigger than expected.
It looked like Kreacher's living space, with a filthy old blanket laid out, almost the same color as the ragged pillowcase he wore.
But that wasn't what mattered.
What mattered was the pile of valuable Black family heirlooms stacked deep inside.
Even a quick glance revealed things like a First-Class Order of Merlin and countless pieces of jewelry marked with the Black family crest.
It seemed Kreacher had been terrified of Sirius, so terrified that, before his master could ruin the old house, he'd secretly gathered up everything valuable and hidden it here.
A flash of blue glinted in Link's eyes. His mental power surged outward, scanning the pile, until he felt a familiar presence.
A presence belonging to a Horcrux. Mad, murderous, but missing that greedy spark of self-awareness.
Apparently, Voldemort's craftsmanship had improved with time. The Slytherin locket, unlike the diary, hadn't developed a mind of its own.
"Hsss!~ (It's the liar's scent! Let me bite him! Kill them all!)" Arkam hissed violently. Ever since Voldemort had forcibly controlled him and used him to attack Link, he'd held nothing but pure hatred for the Dark Lord.
Link smiled faintly and flicked his wand.
"Accio locket!"
Crash!
The mountain of junk collapsed, and a pure golden locket flew out, along with an old, discolored notebook that tumbled after it.
Ignoring the notebook for now, Link levitated the locket into the air and held it there.
"Hsss!"
Arkam darted forward like a shadow, trying to bite it, but Link grabbed him midair and pulled him back.
Without acknowledging the snake's offended look, Link surrounded the locket with a layer of cursed energy and began probing it carefully, using a gentler approach.
For the fragment of Voldemort's soul trapped inside, the process was excruciating, but it kept the locket intact.
"Aaaah!"
A shriek of agony echoed from within, followed by a faint wisp of black mist.
[Golden Skill Point *1 obtained!]
Link's smile widened. He caught the locket and examined it closely.
The legendary Slytherin relic wasn't actually that refined.
Gold was soft, and this piece hadn't been made with any kind of high-quality alloy. After years of careless storage, its surface was now scratched and dented, obscuring much of the ancient runes engraved on it. Even the signature green S-shaped serpent was barely recognizable.
Satisfied, Link pocketed the locket and picked up the notebook that had fallen out.
Opening it, he saw three letters engraved on the first page, R.A.B., clearly Regulus's initials. It was his diary.
The entries read, [Today is my 14th birthday. Father gave me a medal said to have belonged to our ancestors, it's beautiful. But honestly, I liked the Muggle food Sirius gave me more.]
[What was it called again? Cream cake? I think that's it. Too bad Father and Mother didn't like it. They don't like Sirius either. They say he's a rebellious disappointment.]
[Voldemort is such a great man! Father and Mother were right, he's the one who can lead wizards to true glory! I heard he founded a noble group called the Death Eaters. I want to join too, but I'm still too young.]
[Blotches of ink…]
[Sirius and our parents fought again. I really don't get it. It's just about blood purity, why argue so much? Is that idea really more important than family?]
[Sirius ran away from home. He said he'd never come back, but none of us believe him. This is his home. We're his family. Once he calms down, he'll come back, like always.]
[I finally joined the Death Eaters! I'm only 16! I bet I'm the youngest Death Eater ever! The Dark Lord values me so much, I'm honored! Oh, right, Sirius still hasn't come home…]
[Torn-out pages…]
[Merlin above! What have I done? How could they make me do this? I killed that Muggle child… what are we doing? Are we really the righteous ones?]
[More torn pages…]
[Voldemort is hiding something. His secret plans are far worse than what we're doing now. He's leading us into hell. I have to do something!]
[He wants me to give him Kreacher. Maybe this is my chance…]
[More torn pages…]
[Monster. Monster. Monster… How could he treat Kreacher like that?! I can't believe I handed him over myself! And he's… he's making Horcruxes! The one whose name we dare not speak has gone completely mad! I have to stop him… Maybe I should tell Sirius, no, I can't! That'll only endanger them all! I'll do this alone!]
———
Link sighed softly.
The look of Regulus's room, the diary's tone, and his own memories from his previous life all painted a vivid image of the young man.
Regulus was an exceptional youth.
Brainwashed from childhood by his parents' pure-blood ideology, he grew up idolizing Voldemort.
Most people never come back from that.
But Regulus was different, truly kind and brave, driven by ideals higher than hatred or fear.
That kindness didn't fade. It woke him up from his delusion, made him rebel, and ultimately led him to steal one of Voldemort's Horcruxes.
If he failed at anything, it was only that he lacked the strength and experience to finish what he started, and it cost him his life.
Link didn't blame him. To do so would be disrespectful. Regulus hadn't been perfect, but he had done his best.
No one should expect an eighteen-year-old boy to handle everything flawlessly. That's just unrealistic.
Still, Link couldn't help but feel it was a pity.
If Regulus had survived… if he'd lived to see Voldemort's fall…
The entire story of this world would have changed.
Dumbledore would have learned about the Horcruxes sooner. Sirius might have reconciled with his family. Voldemort might have been truly destroyed years ago.
But the world doesn't run on "what if."
Snap!
Link closed the diary and looked at Kreacher.
The elf's face was empty now, completely still, clearly devastated by losing Regulus's last belongings. Part of that was because Link's Imperius level wasn't high enough to numb him completely.
"Live on," Link said quietly, smiling. "It's not your time to die yet."
He pointed his wand. "Obliviate."
Whirr~
A flash of white light filled the room. Kreacher collapsed in front of the cupboard. Link, adjusting his cloak, patted Arkam gently and walked back toward his room.
His golden skill point collection plan was now complete.
With this new point, he was confident he could raise his Apparition spell to at least LV6 before the final battle against Voldemort.
As for Regulus's diary, Link planned to hand it to Sirius Black and Dumbledore.
Not for family peace, nor pity for Sirius, but because he refused to let Regulus's story fade into obscurity.
Because, to Link, Regulus was the true hero.
———
The next morning, Link was jolted awake by someone shaking him violently.
Grumbling, he cracked an eye open, and saw Harry leaning over him, face full of excitement.
Arkam stirred too.
The poor snake, still sulking from last night, had curled up small against Link's chest for comfort.
Now disturbed, he instantly expanded several times his size, coiling beside Link and baring his fangs threateningly at Harry.
It was a sight terrifying enough to make anyone freeze.
Hermione certainly had, the day before.
But Harry, being a Parselmouth, wasn't afraid of snakes at all. To him, they were friends, companions.
So instead of panicking, he just smiled and waved cheerfully.
"Hsss haa! (Good morning, Mr. Basilisk!)"
"Hss haa! (Not a good morning, you rude brat! Why do you smell so familiar? Makes me want to take a bite!)"
Arkam hissed, slithering closer to sniff him.
Harry blinked, confused, and sniffed his own sleeve.
"Enough! Both of you, stop! Arkam, back here!" Link snapped, frowning. He gestured sharply, forcing Arkam to shrink and curl back under the blanket.
He had to, because Harry, unbeknownst to most, carried a fragment of Voldemort's soul inside him. Technically, he was a Horcrux too, and that meant he carried Voldemort's scent.
If Link let the two keep bickering, Arkam might actually try to bite him.
And if that happened, well, things would get very interesting.
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