Chapter - 38 : Paths of Understanding part - 2

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"No, young master," Kreacher said, shaking his head so that his ears flopped. "Master Regulus did not give Kreacher anything."

"He didn't? Are you sure?"

"Kreacher is certain."

Harry stared at the old elf, his thoughts racing. Kreacher couldn't lie to a member of the Black family, but if he was telling the truth… it meant that things were even more different than Harry had suspected. Harry wondered in a growing panic if Voldemort had even made any Horcruxes at all, perhaps he'd instead used some other method of ensuring his immortality. But no, that wasn't possible, he reassured himself.

From what Harry had gathered from the history textbooks and newspaper clippings he'd read, the changes between the two worlds didn't stretch much further back than a decade or so. Up until then things seemed to be mostly the same – although Harry couldn't be entirely certain about that since he'd never been good at history. Still, Harry was confident that events far back in the past such as Voldemort creating his first Horcrux - close to fifty years ago - had occurred in both worlds.

"Kreacher, did you ever see a golden locket with the letter S engraved on it?"

"No, master."

It was looking increasingly likely that Regulus had never stolen the locket. It would certainly explain why Kreacher was so much saner in this world - he wouldn't have spent years trying to obey an order from his master that was impossible for him to fulfil.

"Did Regulus ever order you to obey Voldemort?" Harry questioned urgently, needing to know if the locket had ever been hidden in the cave in the first place. "Did the Dark Lord ever take you to a cave and order you to drink a potion there?"

"No, master," Kreacher said again.

Deep in thought, Harry dismissed the elf and went to find Sirius. Maybe he knew something that would make sense of what he'd just learnt.

"Regulus?" Sirius set his letters aside and turned to Harry with an expression of surprise. "He died in a skirmish in Diagon Alley just two years after he left Hogwarts."

"So he was still a loyal Death Eater at the time?" Harry wondered how that would have changed things.

Sirius nodded sadly. "Yeah. Back then Aurors were given emergency powers and authorised to use the Unforgivables… Many tried to take prisoners so that they could be tried properly, but there were a few who thought fighting fire with fire was a good idea. Regulus was hit by a killing curse almost as soon as the Aurors apparated onto the scene."

"You were an Auror, weren't you?"

"Yes. I was even there that day." Sirius sighed heavily. "I've always regretted that my choices forced me into fighting against my family. I saw my own brother cut down in front of me by people who were my friends and colleagues."

"That… must have been very difficult for you," Harry said quietly. "I'm sorry."

Sirius' expression was bleak as he relived his memories. "It was war. Loyalties were questioned, friendships broken, families ripped apart… I wish I could've been fighting side-by-side with Regulus when he died, but I could never have followed a madman like Voldemort. I had my friends to think of, too - James and Lily and all the rest. So I stayed with the Aurors, doing my best to capture and not kill, and avoiding my family as much as I could."

"What did your parents think of what happened?" Harry couldn't imagine Walburga Black quietly accepting the death of her favourite son and the avoidance of her eldest.

"In the beginning they thought Voldemort had the right idea – stop the mudbloods from polluting our culture and ensure the continuation of the old ways…" Sirius shook his head in disgust. "They changed their minds once Regulus died though. They told me Voldemort's ambition wasn't worth spilling a single drop of Black blood."

"Hmm," Harry hummed thoughtfully as he took that in. It helped explain why Sirius didn't hate his family as his counterpart had. As for the rest, it seemed as if Regulus had died before Voldemort could demand Kreacher's help in hiding Slytherin's Locket. Voldemort could easily have used a house-elf belonging to one of his other followers, however, so the Locket might nevertheless be hidden in the same place. "I need to find out for certain whether the Horcruxes are the same here," Harry said. "We should check out the cave, and maybe also the Gaunt House where the ring might be hidden."

Sirius held up a hand to stop this train of thought. "Hang on. Didn't the Regulus in your world die trying to steal the locket?"

"Yes."

"And didn't you say Dumbledore was cursed while trying to destroy the ring?"

"Yes," Harry said again, "but that's only because he was stupid enough to put the damn thing on."

Sirius did not look reassured. "Weren't there underground lakes full of Infiri and goblets of poison involved?"

"Well yes, but-"

"No," Sirius interrupted, his face pale and determined. "You are not going back there any time soon. We'll wait until you're older and we have help. Lots of help."

"Sure, dad," Harry said with a slight roll of his eyes.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, but actually appeared quite pleased by the moniker. Harry himself, even though he had used it sarcastically, felt as if there was a certain rightness to it. He was slowly growing more comfortable with the idea of them being a family, but still tried not to think about it too much.

"Those are the only two Horcruxes that are currently within our reach though," Harry said, going through the list in his head. The diary was probably in Lucius Malfoy's possession, Ravenclaw's Diadem and Hufflepuff's cup were also inaccessible for the moment, and Harry wasn't certain if Nagini even was a Horcrux yet.

"Well it's not as if Voldemort's going to come back right this second, is it?"

Harry frowned darkly. "I don't know. He might be." He wasn't prepared to assume anything. He'd been wrong about the Locket being in Grimmauld Place; what else was he wrong about?

"There would be signs, rumours," Sirius pointed out reasonably. "And Dumbledore – as much as I dislike the man – is no doubt keeping a close eye on any indication of Voldemort returning. He'd do his utmost to prevent it."

Harry couldn't think of a counterargument to that, but wasn't willing to concede the point entirely. "Fine, but it would be much easier to destroy the Horcruxes now, rather than when Voldemort is around to notice what we're up to."

"Well there is no way I'm letting you anywhere near an infiri infested cave," Sirius said. "Or, for that matter, letting you break into Gringotts or any of the other potentially lethal things you did back in your old world."

"You're really getting into this whole father thing, aren't you?" Harry was a tad exasperated by Sirius' concern, though admitted if only to himself that it was nice to have someone looking out for him. For so long he'd had no one to rely on or go to for advice – no adult anyway. Hermione had done her best to help of course, as had the rest of the DA and the Order, but that wasn't the same thing as having a parental figure whose first priority was his welfare. Harry imagined it might get frustrating once the novelty wore off, but for now he found it more touching than annoying.

"I just want to keep you safe, Orion," Sirius said. "I mean, so far you've been hit by three killing curses. Three! I don't want that to happen to you in this world."

"I know. And I appreciate it, I really do. It'll just take a bit of getting used to."

"You shouldn't have to get used to it. Damn those bloody Dursleys, and damn Dumbledore for leaving you there."

"It's fine." Harry said. "Really," he added when it looked as if Sirius wanted to argue. "I'm a Black now and if I have my way no one is ever going to find out that I used to be Harry Potter. Dumbledore will never again get to control my life."

Sirius's frown was replaced by a grin. "Even if Dumbledore did find out, I can just imagine how Arcturus would react to the old man trying to order you around. He dislikes Dumbledore, would never let him interfere with a member of the family, and fortunately has the power to back that up. Sometimes it really pays to be a Black."

"I'm certainly enjoying it so far," Harry agreed.

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