Marlene was one of the first students out when Divinations class was over. She was eager to meet Kreacher and Regulus at the lake. She had so many things swirling through her head that she needed to talk to them about. As a result, she nearly forgot to tell her friends where she was going.
"Hey, wait up," Dorcas called. "Where you going?"
Marlene stopped in her tracks, turning to look at Dorcas over her shoulder. "I have to meet Regulus about the vision."
"OOH, are you sure that's all you have to meet him about? He's a little young, but I know a few Hufflepuffs who enjoy playing on the edge by dating a Slytherin or Ravenclaw."
Marlene snorted. "Dating a Ravenclaw is not playing on the edge!"
"Could be," Dorcas disagreed mildly. "Anyway,..."
"No I am not interested in dating Regulus Black... for so many reasons," Marlene groaned. "It's strictly business. I'll see you in afternoon classes." Giving Dorcas a little wave, she continued on her earlier tearing hurry to the lake.
Kreacher and Regulus were already there, and Severus was with them. Marlene wasn't so sure how she felt about that. She didn't know Snape well, but he wasn't easy to know or to like. "I told you I didn't see you dying," she told him.
"I'm not here for me. I'm here to help them," Severus replied, jerking his thin chin at Regulus and Kreacher.
"The ghosts of your parents are going to be so angry if you end up screwing everything up," Marlene said, directing her attention to Regulus. "Your Mum is wrathful that all the men left her out of the loop for her protection. So don't do that. She is smarter than all of you and has better ideas of how to handle it that probably won't get you all killed. Your dad had to hear her bitching for years in the spirit realm, and he actually told her to shut up."
Kreacher's eyes flew wide and Regulus choked. Severus snickered.
"So Marlene had another vision," the elf said, making the comment a statement rather than a question.
Marlene shrugged. "There was another Divination class today."
"What else did you see," Regulus asked.
"Nothing else about your parents," Marlene said regretfully. "Which is too bad as they were just getting interesting." She couldn't help smiling at the memory. "I get why people can find them scary, but I think they're entertaining."
"They are very sweet," Regulus said.
Severus made an incredulous sound.
"If they like you," Regulus amended meaningfully.
"Have you met them," Marlene asked Severus who shook his head.
"I'm too terrified," he quipped dryly.
"So what's up with the elf slavery thing," Marlene asked, turning back to Regulus and Kreacher. "I don't mean to be nosy, but it is common knowledge, and I need to understand it." She was going down her mental check list of things she wanted to bring up to them in order to clear her mind for the reading attempt to come. She really did want to understand, but also the more she knew, the more she would be able to put the pieces together of what she was seeing in the crystal ball.
"Marlene's family has no elf then," Kreacher wondered, mildly polite disdain stamped all over his face.
"No, and why does that make any difference," Marlene demanded.
"It's a pureblood status symbol, though not all pureblood families have elves," Regulus explained.
The mild hesitation in his tone made it clear to Marlene that he didn't fully understand the way it worked, even though his family was in this circle of status holding families. "My family is pureblood, and we're not in the club," Marlene said of the McKinnons.
"Perhaps not as pure as Marlene thinks," Kreacher murmured. "It is Kreacher's theory that if the blood is at all in question, the family is not worthy of an elf."
Marlene shook her head. "I think that's flawed, though. Every wizarding family has married Muggles even if they were outcast for doing so. It's just how it is."
"Well perhaps the casting out is the proper purification required," Kreacher explained reasonably.
"Whatever, I don't really care," Marlene said honestly. The topic was spinning her head round with all its unnecessary rubbish complications and beginning to give her a headache.
"So what? You came to the Blacks and decided to serve them because their blood is so pure and shiny," Marlene asked Kreacher, still trying to understand the particular bit she was struggling with when it came to he and Regulus.
Severus smirked, apparently amused by something.
"Kreacher was born into the family," the elf replied. "His parents served until they died in a magical accident when Kreacher was very young. Kreacher's mother was born into the family, and his father was born into the home of Master Regulus's great uncle."
"I'm sorry about your parents," Marlene said, suddenly feeling somber at the idea of little kid Kreacher growing up without parents.
"Yeah, me too," Severus said gruffly.
Kreacher nodded.
"But the slave thing... How can you be so close, consider one another equals, and have the slave master thing going... I just sort of need to understand that," she said, staring from Regulus to Kreacher. "You do consider one another equals, don't you? Because it was certainly the impression I got..."
"Of course," Regulus said. "I have tried to free Kreacher several times. Each time he has reacted so bloody strongly that I feared the act might kill him!"
Marlene's eyes shot wide in shock. "Seriously? Wow," she breathed. "That's so bloody weird. That's some bloody weird magic if it's the slave bond thing."
"Something comes over Kreacher that he does not understand. That and he hates to leave the Master and Mistress high and dry without house help, but mostly the first bit," the elf muttered. As he spoke, his long slender fingers plucked nervously at the hem of the tunic thing he wore.
"I promised we'd find another elf to help in the manor," Regulus said tiredly. From his long-suffering tone and expression, Marlene got the impression that he'd told the elf this more than a few times before.
"If people found out... though, they'd put poor Kreacher's head on a wall," the elf lamented. As he spoke a shadow of fear came into his eyes and Marlene felt her stomach drop.
"Found out about what," Severus asked, confused.
"Nothing at all," Kreacher murmured, giving Severus a baleful glare.
Marlene knew what and she felt dreadful that Kreacher believed it would get him killed. That was likely the reason something came over him whenever Regulus had attempted to free him in the past. Not knowing how to help, she decided to move onto something else.
"I have James and co researching what can allow someone to not only escape the killing curse but to deflect it to someone else instead," she said. "It happens when you six try to kill Voldemort and he deflects it onto your father, Regulus, but also when Vold...I have got to stop saying his bloody name! When HE tries to kill Lily and James's baby, Lily's love somehow saves the child and the curse deflects, killing HIM instead along with her and James."
Regulus, Kreacher and Severus stared at Marlene with fixed gazes as their minds obviously struggled with that particular puzzle. "They're having no luck thus far, so as you are all into the darker arts, perhaps you could try your hand at a bit of research on the topic as well," she suggested.
"Of course they are having no luck," Regulus scoffed. "They're all bloody stupid."
Severus nodded, expression disgusted.
"Well fantastic," Marlene enthused. "I'm sure you three geniuses have it covered then. Please get back to me when you've got it sorted."
"I know someone with the best dark library in the world," Severus said. "I'll ask him."
"I'll do some digging and I'll ask the parents as well," Regulus said. "Kreacher, you can ask, it's easier than my writing a letter that could fall into the wrong hands. Besides, they shall surely have questions and you can explain it to them."
Kreacher's jaw dropped, his round blue eyes rounding more in panic. "Master Regulus is leaving Kreacher to bring this madness to Master and Mistress? They shall never believe it, and they will be quite angry besides, to discover we are wasting our time on such ridiculousness."
"Likely so," Regulus said thoughtfully. "Once Marlene tries her luck with the ball you brought today, we may have more solid facts to present that even they can not disbelieve." He turned to Marlene. "Which is why Severus came. You can practice on him. He said he has things that you could see that no one knows about."
"No one at Hogwarts at least," Severus amended with a slight shrug.
"Whatever, let's give it a try," Marlene said, extending her hand to Kreacher. "Give me the ball," she said, putting on a Gypsy accent as she smiled at him.
He dug into his tunic thing and produced a crystal ball from the right hip pocket. It was a bit smaller than those in Divination and not quite as clear, but Marlene liked it. It fit well into the palm of the hand and felt good there. While not perfectly clear it was clear enough, and the little shadows in it caught her eye and tugged at her mind in a way that made her think it may even improve the scrying.
"Marlene may keep it," Kreacher said of the ball. "For her trouble. If she succeeds in keeping us all alive, Kreacher may even make her cookies. He makes very good cookies, just ask Master Regulus, or Miss Bella."
"They are amazing," Regulus said, giving Kreacher a fond smile.
"I don't need a ton of gold for saving your lives," Marlene proclaimed. "Though others would gladly pay as much, Kreacher's cookies are worth even more."
"Indeed they are," Kreacher said, completely missing the joke.