“The house-elf’s highest law is his Master’s bidding,” intoned Kreacher. “Kreacher was told to come home, so Kreacher came home … and…and Kreacher disobeyed….” The last was a long wail, and Kreacher began punching himself in the side of his head.
“Stop!” Hermione shrieked, horrified. “You came home! You did what you were told. You didn’t disobey orders at all!”
Kreacher stopped the punching but wailed again and shook his head, rocking as fast as ever. “Master Regulus was very worried, very worried,” croaked Kreacher. “Master Regulus told Kreacher to stay hidden and not to leave the house. And then … it was a little while later … Master Regulus came to find Kreacher in his cupboard one night, and Master Regulus was strange, not as he usually was, disturbed in his mind, Kreacher could tell … and he asked Kreacher to take him to the cave, the cave where Kreacher had gone with the Dark Lord … “
Hermione’s hands leapt to cover her mouth in shock as she realized exactly what must have happened to Regulus. What he must have done.
“M-Master Regulus took a locket like the one the Dark Lord had,” said Kreacher, tears pouring down either side of his snoutlike nose. “And he told Kreacher to take it and, when the basin was empty, to switch the lockets …” Kreacher’s sobs came in great rasps now; “And he order – Kreacher to leave – without him. And he told Kreacher – to go home – and never to tell my Mistress – what he had done – but to destroy – the first locket. And he drank – all the potion – and Kreacher swapped the lockets – and watched … as Master Regulus … was dragged beneath the water … and … “
“And you tried to destroy it?” Hermione whispered behind her hand. And he’d failed. That was why he’d believed that he hadn’t followed his orders. Why he’d spent years punishing himself.
“Nothing Kreacher did made any mark upon it,” moaned the elf. “Kreacher tried everything, everything he knew, but nothing, nothing would work … So many powerful spells upon the casing, Kreacher was sure the way to destroy it was to get inside it, but it would not open … Kreacher punished himself, he tried again, he punished himself, he tried again. Kreacher failed to obey orders, Kreacher could not destroy the locket! And his mistress was mad with grief, because Master Regulus had disappeared and Kreacher could not tell her what had happened, no, because Master Regulus had f-f-forbidden him to tell any of the f-f-family what happened in the c-cave …” Kreacher began to sob so hard that there were no more coherent words.