In The Shadows² ★ Draco Malfoy

*R.A.B

On their first day in 12 Grimmauld Place, Briar decided to be like Molly Weasley and try tidy the house to make it more habitable, since no one was usually here. But unfortunately this job was proving to be a lot more work than she thought, since every room looked like it had been turned upside down, and she had a sinking feeling someone had gone through the house 

But by lunchtime the house did look a bit more tidy and Briar was very proud, considering she hadn't been allowed to use magic because of the Trace still being on her

"Briar! Briar!" Harry's voice shouted and from the drawing room she could hear three sets of heavy footsteps coming bounding down the stairs until the three out of breath teenagers burst into the room

"What happened?"

"Sirius's brother was a Death Eater, right?" He asked and she nodded "Well when me and Dumbledore went away we found this," he tossed a green locket at her "It's a horcux. Well actually it's a copy of one. Because someone with the initials R.A.B found it first and wrote that he would destroy the real one-"

"-and you think Regulus Black did that?" she asked and he nodded "Well, it fits, but where's the real locket?"

"We don't know," Hermione said "We searched his room but couldn't find it anywhere, so it might still be somewhere in the house"

"It was," Briar suddenly realised "When we were all here, before you guys arrived, and Molly was making us clean up we found a locket like this one in the living room but we couldn't open it so we threw it away."

"You threw it away?!"

"But!" she interrupted "Kreacher nicked loads of things from us and he loved Regulus so if there was something dark and valuable in the house, it would have ended up with him. Come on!" The four of them bounded down the stairs noisily, and Briar led them to Kreacher's cupboard in the kitchen. But when she tore it open, there was only nest of dirty old blankets in which the house-elfhad once slept "Kreacher!"

There was a loud crack and the house elf that Harry and Briar had soreluctantly inherited from Sirius appeared out of nowhere in front of the cold andempty fireplace

"Mistress. Master," croaked Kreacher and he bowed low;muttering to his knees, "back in my Mistress's old house with the blood-traitorWeasley and theMudblood -"

"I forbid you to call anyone 'blood traitor' or 'Mudblood,'" growled Harry "We've got a question for you, and I order you to answer it truthfully. Understand?" 

"Yes, Master," said Kreacher, bowing low again. 

"Two years ago," said Briar "there was a big gold locket in the drawing room upstairs. We threwit out. Did you steal it back?"

Kreacher straightened up tolook Briar full in the face. Then he said, "Yes."

"Where is it now?" asked Harry 

Kreacher closed his eyes as though he could not bear to see their reactions to hisnext word. "Gone." 

"Gone?" echoed Harry "What do you mean, it'sgone?" The elf shivered. "Kreacher," said Harry fiercely, "I order you –" 

"Mundungus Fletcher," croaked the elf, his eyes still tight shut. "MundungusFletcher stole it all; Miss Bella's and Miss Cissy's pictures, my Mistress's gloves, theOrder of Merlin, First Class, the goblets with the family crest, and – and – and the locket, Master Regulus's locket. Kreacher did wrong, Kreacher failed inhis orders!"

Kreacher suddenly lunged for the poker standing inthe grate but Briar grabbed the back of his filthy pillowcase he wore "Kreacher,I order you to stay still!" she barked and he froze "Right. Kreacher, I want the truth: How do you know MundungusFletcher stole the locket?"