"Harry, what the hell are you doing? If I'm not mistaken, it's only five in the morning!"
Link rubbed his temples as he spoke. He was not a morning person, and if Harry didn't have a good reason for this, Link was fully prepared to make him pay for it.
For example, turning him into a maggot sounded like a solid option.
However, Harry didn't seem to notice Link's growing irritation at all, or maybe he was just too excited to care. Before Link could even finish his sentence, Harry shoved a copy of The Daily Prophet into his arms.
"Quick! Link! Look at this!"
Harry said excitedly. Seeing that, Link finally turned his serious gaze toward the newspaper.
[Shocking! Major Reversal in the Harry Potter Case! Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge Soils Himself in Court! Is This the Distortion of Human Nature or the Collapse of Morality?!]
That all-too-familiar clickbait headline…
Link didn't even need to look to know this article had to be written by Rita Skeeter.
After all, this kind of headline was something he'd casually mentioned to her once during small talk. And being the notorious gossip journalist she was, she had immediately treated it like gospel.
As it turned out, clickbait really worked wonders in the 1990s. Thanks to that trick, Rita Skeeter had become wildly popular and was now a contracted writer for The Daily Prophet.
Forcing himself to ignore the painfully cringey title, Link kept reading and nodded in satisfaction.
There was no doubt about it, this was a hit piece targeting Cornelius Fudge, using yesterday's secret trial as the starting point.
In the article, Rita Skeeter once again showed her talent for twisting facts and turning truth into lies.
Originally, Link thought it would already be great if she could pin either of the two labels, "stupid" (since Fudge lost control of the Dementors without knowing) or "evil" (for allegedly ordering the Dementors to attack Harry), on Fudge.
But Rita had gone above and beyond, painting Fudge as both stupid and evil through her flowery, manipulative writing.
Not only that, she even fabricated rumors like "Fudge secretly meeting underage witches at night," creating the illusion that his private life was just as rotten as his politics.
While accusing Fudge, Rita cleverly raised Barty Crouch Sr.'s reputation in the process. From that alone, Link could tell that Barty must've paid her a generous amount of Galleons for this piece.
And it wasn't just The Daily Prophet.
Harry soon handed him nearly every wizarding paper available in the market. Without exception, all of them carried news about yesterday's secret trial, and all said basically the same thing, as if everyone had rewritten the same original article.
And indeed, that was exactly the case.
The press conference Barty and the others held yesterday was mainly to bribe the media and unify their narrative. Every bit of information about the trial came from them. The papers were just couriers and polishers.
Link also noticed something else, in some articles, there were faint mentions of Voldemort's return.
That wasn't much of a secret anymore since Dumbledore had made it public.
But because Fudge had suppressed the topic for so long, this was actually the first time Link had seen it printed in a newspaper.
Even though it was only mentioned briefly, it proved that Fudge's authority had begun to crumble after this debacle, replaced by the faction with Barty as its public face and Link as its shadowy hand behind the scenes.
Link handed the paper back to Harry.
For now, he was quite satisfied with how Barty and the younger reformist members of the Ministry were handling things.
Of course, the real test would come later. For now, this was just a small, temporary victory.
"Link! I can't believe this is really happening! Fudge actually got what he deserved! This is… this is amazing!"
Harry shouted in excitement, eyes glistening as if he might cry.
After everything, Fudge denying Voldemort's return, framing him, Harry's opinion of the Minister had long dropped below zero.
Even though Fudge hadn't been completely toppled, this was still enough to make Harry feel vindicated.
Part of the reason he'd rushed up to wake Link so early was also to thank him.
Unfortunately, Link didn't really care for the gratitude. After brushing off Harry's enthusiasm with a few casual words, he washed up, threw on a T-shirt and a pair of summer shorts, and went downstairs.
"Link, you're up so early today? Perfect timing, breakfast's ready, come eat…"
Mrs. Weasley, wearing an apron around her waist, called out warmly.
But when she saw what Link was wearing, her sentence cut off mid-way.
Hermione, Ron, and the others in the dining room had similar reactions. After all, Link usually wore either his Hogwarts robes, a suit, or some kind of practical hunting outfit. This was the first time they'd ever seen him dressed this casually and Muggle-like.
Right now, he looked just like the handsome, sunny older boy next door, trustworthy, approachable.
Of course, that impression only worked if you ignored the basilisk coiled around his shoulders. (It couldn't be helped, Arkham the snake was too big to hide under short sleeves.)
"No thanks," Link said, waving a hand. "I did tell my mother beforehand, but staying out all night is already pushing her limits. If I don't go back soon, she'll start to panic."
That faint smile on his face as he spoke made Hermione's mouth fall slightly open, she even forgot to lower her fork.
"Mama's boy," Sirius muttered under his breath.
After yesterday's "battle," his grudge against Link had only deepened. But since Link had helped Harry, Sirius couldn't show outright hostility.
Naturally, Link, thanks to his heightened senses, heard him.
He shot Sirius a glance but didn't bother responding. Instead, his eyes landed on Kreacher, who was serving everyone at the table.
The house-elf looked even more vacant than before, his eyes flickering with a strange "intelligence."
That was the side effect of a memory charm. Link's skill in that spell was… passable, at best.
"But before I leave," Link said calmly, "I have a gift for all of you."
He tossed a small, worn diary toward Sirius Black.
The sudden motion startled Sirius, who fumbled awkwardly to catch it before it could fall into his soup.
"What the hell is this?" Sirius said with a grimace. But as soon as he instinctively opened the cover and saw the signature inside, his expression froze.
"It's Regulus Black's diary," Link said. "I found it among my father's belongings. Last time, I noticed you all misunderstood that hero, so I brought this."
Hearing that, Harry and the others immediately crowded around Sirius to read over his shoulder.
Sirius, however, seemed to lose all awareness of the outside world, completely absorbed in the diary. As the pages turned, his body began to tremble, and his eyes turned visibly red.
———
[Half an Hour Later]
Snap!
The diary's last page closed. Sirius could no longer hold back his tears.
Hermione, Harry, and the rest looked equally stricken.
None of them could have imagined that the disgraced "Death Eater" Regulus Black had actually been a silent hero, one who had plotted to destroy Voldemort's Horcrux and, to protect his family, bore the burden alone until his death.
But just as the mood grew heavy, Moody's gravelly voice suddenly broke the silence.
"So… this Regulus, did he succeed?"
Moody stepped forward from the corner. With his magical eye, he didn't even need to come close to read the diary's contents.
Unlike the others, though, all Moody cared about was the Horcrux.
"Of course he succeeded," Link said lightly.
"Otherwise, I wouldn't call him a hero."
As he spoke, the Slytherin locket appeared in his hand.
Moody's magical eye constricted sharply. His whole body turned to smoke and lunged toward the locket in a flash,
But before he could touch it, Link flicked his wrist. The locket vanished, replaced instantly by his ebony wand, its tip pressing against Moody's forehead.
"Hissss!"
Arkham shot forward with lightning speed, growing larger as it coiled around Moody's shoulders, jaws open to reveal venomous fangs glimmering with black light.
At the same time, the long-silent Snitch perched on Link's arm and spread its wings.
The air in the room turned suffocating.
Aside from Sirius, who was still lost in the diary, everyone froze in shock at the sudden confrontation.
Sweat streamed down Moody's face. Both Link's wand and his companions radiated lethal danger.
It reminded Moody of his years fighting Death Eaters, he could feel it. Link not only could kill him, he would.
"Easy now, Link," Moody said slowly, voice trembling. "I was just joking. We're on the same side, remember?"
Despite his brutal fighting style, Moody was terrified of death. His ferocity came from knowing it was the only way to stay alive longer.
So now, faced with real danger again, he didn't hesitate to back down.
Link smiled faintly. "The Slytherin locket is a nice collectible. I've already destroyed the piece of Voldemort's soul inside, so I'll be taking it home as a keepsake."
"If anyone has an issue with that, tell Dumbledore to come find me himself. As for the rest of you, you're not qualified to lecture me."
"Right, got it," Moody blurted, nodding quickly. "So… could you maybe ask your basilisk to get off me? It's… it's really, "
Before he could finish, Sirius suddenly slammed his fist on the table and roared, "What the hell is going on?! If that locket belonged to Regulus, why is it in your hands!?"
"Whoa, whoa, calm down, Black!" Moody shouted anxiously, sweat pouring down his face. The last thing he wanted was for Sirius's outburst to set Link off again.
It wasn't just about saving his own skin, it was for everyone's safety.
Because at this point, if Dumbledore didn't show up soon, everyone in the house together still wouldn't stand a chance against Link.
But to Moody's surprise, Link didn't get angry. He just sighed helplessly and said, "It's simple. If you want the full story, ask Kreacher. He was there."
Sirius, though clearly furious, managed to hold back. Turning sharply, he barked, "Kreacher! What did Regulus do? I order you to tell me the truth!"
At those words, the dazed Kreacher suddenly looked terrified.
He began wailing and smashing his head against the floor as if punishing himself, until Sirius repeated his command, voice cold and commanding.
Only then did Kreacher fall silent and begin to speak slowly, "Master Regulus gave Kreacher to the Dark Lord. Master Regulus said it was an honor for both him and Kreacher… Kreacher had to do everything the Dark Lord asked… and then come... come home."
Sirius's brows furrowed.
Giving his loyal house-elf to Voldemort? That was something he couldn't accept.
Normally, he would've exploded at this point, but with the diary in mind, he forced himself to stay quiet and listen.
"So Kreacher went to the Dark Lord," the elf continued, trembling.
"The Dark Lord didn't say what he wanted, only took Kreacher to a cave by the sea. A big cave… a black lake inside… and… a boat."
"In the middle of the lake was an island with a stone basin. The Dark Lord made Kreacher drink… drink the potion inside…"
Kreacher began to shake violently.
"Kreacher drank… and saw so many horrible things… Kreacher's insides were burning… he called for Master Regulus, for Mistress, but the Dark Lord only laughed… he made Kreacher drink it all… threw a locket into the empty basin… filled it up again with potion…"
"Then the Dark Lord left on the boat… and left Kreacher there…"
Moody's magical eye shrank to a pinpoint. Only a few in the Order of the Phoenix knew it, but the cave Kreacher described was exactly the same one they had tried to infiltrate last month.
The Horcrux they sought had been hidden in a basin filled with potion, potion that had to be drunk to retrieve it.
Dumbledore had tried, and the results were grim.
That potion didn't just hurt your body, it tortured your mind. The agony was unbearable.
Even Dumbledore couldn't finish it unaided; halfway through, he'd begged to stop. If he had continued, he would've lost himself completely, desperate enough to drink from the lake, and be dragged under by the Inferi within.
Kreacher's story confirmed it, Voldemort had tested his protection spells using a disposable life, a house-elf.
"…Master Regulus said Kreacher must go home," the elf whispered after a pause. "Kreacher was so thirsty… but didn't drink from the lake. He went home."
"Then Kreacher told Master everything," he continued weakly.
"Master Regulus was worried. He told Kreacher to hide… not to leave the house. Then, one night… Master Regulus came to the cupboard and called for Kreacher. He looked strange, not like himself. Kreacher knew something was wrong… Master said to take him to the cave again…"
Link took a deep breath.
Hearing this, his hazy memory of the scene began to clear. He could almost picture it, a terrified, aging elf beside a young, dark-haired boy with fierce determination in his eyes… the elf opening the secret cave, summoning the boat, and sailing with his beloved master to that cursed island once more.
"He made you drink the potion again?" Sirius asked coldly, his voice as icy as his face.
That, he thought bitterly, was exactly what his brother would've done.
But Kreacher just shook his head and sobbed harder.
Hermione seemed to realize what that meant. She covered her mouth, and Sirius's expression shattered.
Kreacher's cries grew harsh and guttural.
"Master Regulus told Kreacher to leave… not to help him. He said go home… tell no one… but destroy the locket. Then he drank it all… Kreacher switched the real locket with the fake one Master brought… and watched as Master Regulus… was dragged under the water… Kreacher failed him! Kreacher brought the locket home… but… Kreacher couldn't destroy it…"
The elf broke down completely. Hermione and the others were sobbing too, Sirius worst of all, pounding his head with his fists like Kreacher had moments ago.
Only Link and Moody didn't cry.
Link already knew this story. Moody had simply grown numb to death.
As the room filled with quiet sobs, Link lowered his head silently.
Moody, however, secretly exhaled in relief and said awkwardly, "Well… at least we know Voldemort only got a fake. The real Horcrux was destroyed, right?"
He gave a stiff little laugh, only for Sirius to suddenly lift his head, bloodshot eyes blazing as he glared at Moody.
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