Kreacher's eyes were filled with terror. Louis's words seemed to trigger some mechanism within him—he clutched his head and slammed it violently against the corner of the table, smashing it again and again as he screamed, "Master said not to tell anyone! It's my fault, it's all my fault…"
Louis watched the self-harming Kreacher with a helpless expression.
Right—most house-elves seemed to have this problem. It wasn't their nature, but the result of magic.
Ever since elves were defeated by wizards, their race had been enslaved. Wizards used magic to condition generation after generation of house-elves, gradually shaping them into beings who would seek death the moment they disobeyed a wizard's orders.
If Louis didn't stop him, this house-elf would probably bash himself unconscious.
"That's enough. Stop."
Louis's voice carried a warped rule, twisting the word stop into the equivalent of Kreacher's master's command.
Kreacher froze instinctively, then looked around in confusion. He felt as though he had just heard his master's voice.
"Kreacher, take me to where your master is," Louis said. "I'll help you save him. How about it?"
To prevent Kreacher from relapsing, Louis stated his purpose directly.
As for Slytherin's locket, Louis casually put it away.
At this moment, Kreacher didn't care about the Horcrux at all. He looked at Louis with hope, trembling as he asked, "Really? You can really save my master?"
"Of course," Louis replied with a smile.
"That's wonderful… that's wonderful!" Kreacher laughed and cried hysterically. "As long as I can save my master, Kreacher is willing to give his life!"
"Very good. Excellent. Full of spirit," Louis praised him three times in a row. "Then let's set off."
"Y-yes! Kreacher will take the guest there right away!" Kreacher eagerly grabbed Louis's hand. "We'll go now—"
Before he could finish speaking, the two figures suddenly warped and vanished from where they stood. Chuan, who had been guarding Louis closely, hurriedly wrapped around his body and followed him through the transfer.
The Black family's old house returned to silence, utterly still.
In the sitting-room portrait, the old woman stood blankly within the frame, her expression frozen—as though she were nothing more than a painting.
Louis's command to stop had not only been meant to calm Kreacher; it had also been a death sentence for the portrait.
The word stop had been engraved into the painting itself, rendering the figure inside forever immobile—ensuring that no secrets could ever be leaked.
Louis never left loose ends. Though the old house seemed abandoned, it was actually quite lively within its paintings.
For example, Phineas Nigellus Black in the Hogwarts headmaster's office would occasionally pop back here for a visit.
Louis had no intention of letting that portrait learn anything about his affairs.
It really would tell Dumbledore.
Louis, Chuan, and Kreacher crossed a vast distance and arrived inside a rocky cavern.
Kreacher looked utterly exhausted. This place was heavily restricted—so much so that even a house-elf had to expend tremendous effort just to enter.
Even so, they still couldn't enter the sea cave directly, because the restrictions inside were even more terrifying.
Louis's first reaction upon seeing the cave was to look outside.
It was noon. Sunlight fell straight down onto the sea, making the ocean appear an even deeper blue.
No land was visible in any direction—let alone any recognizable landmarks.
A place almost no one would ever notice—unless someone led the way, it would be impossible to discover it at all.
Who knew how Voldemort had managed to find this place in the first place.
Louis casually left a teleportation mark on the rock wall, just in case.
Then came the time for exploration.
Chuan naturally slid down from Louis's body and took human form in front of him, standing guard.
Although Louis didn't need her protection at all, her attitude was still worth praising.
"Let's go, Kreacher," Louis called out to the visibly excited house-elf.
"Y-yes!" Kreacher hurried ahead, leading Louis and Chuan downward.
Before long, the group reached the end. There was nothing here—only a stone wall that looked completely unremarkable.
"This wall is the culprit that weakened Master Regulus," Kreacher said with clear purpose, pointing at the stone wall before them. "It's covered in evil magic. It needs blood filled with magic for it to absorb, and only when it's satisfied will it open…"
"Is that so?" Louis looked at the wall. It was layered with extremely powerful defensive magic—ordinary methods simply couldn't open it.
Even Dumbledore would be no exception. He could only obediently offer up his blood.
But—
I didn't violently tear down the Chamber of Secrets door because I was afraid the castle would collapse. This is a lonely island in the middle of the sea—what the hell do I have to be afraid of?
Louis let out a cold laugh and raised his hand, unleashing an explosive dragon-flame that had its power twisted.
By using the power of distortion, the original dragon flame was amplified fiftyfold. The immense energy instantly blasted the stone wall apart.
But it wasn't just the wall that was destroyed—so were the surrounding rock and the ceiling above.
The tremendous force ripped away the entire rocky roof of the island. After an earth-shaking roar, sunlight poured into a place that had never known light since the moment it was born.
"Alright, let's go." Louis looked at the newly opened path, nodded in satisfaction, picked up Kreacher, and walked across the scalding magma.
With its power amplified fifty times, the dragon flame's temperature was terrifyingly high, melting most of the surrounding rock.
Molten lava flowed slowly along the terrain, conveniently lighting the path through the cavern below for Louis.
Perhaps the noise had been too great. Before Louis and the others could descend—before they could even find the small boat—they heard the sound of Inferi swarming out in full force.
However, they were blocked by the intense heat and light of the lava. They only dared to hide beneath the water or behind rocks, staring at Kreacher and Louis with jealous, greedy eyes.
They wanted to drag the living down into the depths of the lake, turning them into the same kind of existence.
"What a warm welcome," Louis sneered as he looked at the dense cluster of red eyes below and listened to the commotion.
All prime fuel. If he devoured them, the Fiendfyre Curse could probably evolve into at least two beast-shaped Fiendfyres, couldn't it?
But before setting fires to nurture more fire, Louis still had one thing to do.
He turned to the trembling Kreacher and smiled faintly.
After all, he had promised Kreacher that he would save Regulus Black.
Saving him was no problem—but Kreacher would have to find Regulus himself.
---
RedX43's Note:
➤ Want More? Read Extra Chapters on Patreon!
➤ [email protected]/RedX43
➤ Thanks for the support! 🙌