Regulus (Thanks to the book friend Wheel of Fortune Who Loves Pranks for the extra chapter 15)

Instinctively, Kyle reached out to take the Slytherin's Locket out.

"Be careful," Sirius warned. "This thing might be some strange Dark Magic item."

"Yes, you're right."

Even so, Kyle still took out the Slytherin's Locket and gently wiped away the dust.

The Slytherin's Locket was about the size of an egg and quite heavy. The front featured a magnificent "S" made of many small emeralds, which shimmered dimly in the light.

"This isn't from the House of Black; I've never seen it before," Sirius said thoughtfully as he leaned closer. "They probably just bought some junk somewhere. They should throw it away, lest it be covered in curses or Dark Magic."

"This isn't trash!" a shrill voice came from behind.

It was Kreacher, panting heavily and looking extremely angry. Then he stared at Sirius and let out a blood-curdling scream.

"... This is Master Regulus's Slytherin's Locket; he had Kreacher bring it back!"

"Regulus?" Lupin said. "I think he's your brother. You two didn't get along when you were in school and you often argued."

"Yes," Sirius said softly, head bowed. "My foolish brother is too weak-willed. He easily believed my parents' Pure-blood, thinking that the House of Black members are born noble. We always argue about this, and it always ends badly."

"Young Master Regulus is no fool!" Kreacher shrieked. "He's the mistress's favorite son, far superior to Sirius."

"I don't need you to remind me!" Sirius roared irritably. "Everyone says so, but what happened in the end? He died, that stupid idiot... He joined the Death Eaters!"

He gasped for breath, his eyes bloodshot, and said:

"Throw it away. This thing is very likely also a form of Dark Magic, used by Death Eaters to harm people."

"No!" Kreacher screamed, jumping up to snatch the Slytherin's Locket from Kyle's hand.

This was also the first time he had ever tried to steal something in front of Sirius.

However, Kyle simply raised his hand slightly and dodged it.

"I can't give this to you," Kyle said.

Kreacher tried to grab it again, but was stopped by a stern voice.

"Stand there, don't move!" Sirius said.

Kreacher dared not disobey the direct order, but when he looked up, his gaze toward Sirius was filled with deep-seated hatred.

At this moment, Lupin, who had been silent until now, suddenly asked, "Do you know what this is?"

"I know." Kyle didn't hide anything this time and said directly, "You've probably heard of this thing... Slytherin's Locket."

"What?"

A brief silence fell over the room.

Lupin, realizing what was happening, gasped for breath, his face filled with disbelief.

"Wait, you're not talking about that Slytherin from school, are you...?"

"That's right, it's Salazar Slytherin." Kyle stroked the emerald on the Slytherin's Locket. "Just like the legendary Sword of Gryffindor."

"Wait a minute..." Sirius was still a little dazed. "Let me think... Slytherin's Locket ... was in Regulus's hands... and eventually ended up in the House of Black's house."

"Kyle, you must be joking, or this is a fake... Although I left this house when I was sixteen, I know very well that Black and Slytherin have absolutely no relation."

Lupin's reaction was similar; he thought it was probably Regulus imitating Slytherin because he idolized him so much.

"I don't know if the Slytherin's Locket is real or fake, but I do know its other name."

"Another name? What does that mean?"

"Master Lupin ..." Kyle asked, "I think you've heard of the Chamber of Secrets of Secrets at Hogwarts."

"Of course, I've heard about it, but not in great detail; the professors are unwilling to elaborate."

Lupin said, "It's said to be related to You-Know-Who."

"That's right, because of a diary he left behind when he was in school. It caused trouble in the castle and almost forced Hogwarts to close down."

Kyle held up the Slytherin's Locket. "This thing reminds me exactly of that diary from back then."

Silence fell in the room again, and this time it lasted even longer.

Lupin and Sirius were both struggling to process the answer, and their first reaction was surprisingly the same: they both thought Kyle had made a mistake.

But through such a long period of contact, they knew very well that Kyle was not the kind of person who spoke without reason.

"But why..." Sirius's voice was hoarse, " that the You-Know-Who's things ended up in Regulus's hands. As far as I know, he wasn't trusted like Malfoy and Lestrange."

"You'll have to ask him that." Kyle didn't explain, but instead looked at Kreacher, who was trembling beside him.

"Tell me, why is this thing here?" Sirius asked in a deep voice. "What is Regulus's connection to it?"

The House-elf seemed to have thought of something terrible; his body trembled again, and he curled up into a ball. When he spoke, his voice was low and muffled.

"Sirius ran away, which is good, because he was a bad boy. But Young Regulus had pride; he knew what the Black name and his pure blood meant... To stop wizards from hiding, he joined the Dark Lord's organization when he was sixteen. He was so proud then..."

"A year later, one day Master Regulus came to the kitchen to visit Kreacher. He said, ' The Dark Lord needs a House-elf... He offered Kreacher, it's an honor, an honor for both himself and Kreacher...'"

Kreacher's voice choked with emotion as he recounted, haltingly, how Voldemort had led him into a cave and how he had been forced to drink the Potions from the stone basin...

"He tossed a Slytherin's Locket into an empty basin, then filled it with Potions... and then the Dark Lord boarded the ship and left, leaving Kreacher on the island..."

"Kreacher felt terrible and wanted to drink from the lake... Many hands reached out from the water, trying to drag Kreacher in..."

"So how did you escape?" Sirius asked.

The House-elf raised his ugly head. "Young Master Regulus said to let Kreacher go home."

"And then?" Sirius's voice trailed off. "Why did this thing end up here?"

Kreacher told Master Regulus about it... hoping for praise... but he didn't.

"Young Master Regulus was very worried, so he told Kreacher to hide... After some time, Young Master Regulus asked Kreacher to take him to the cave, the same cave that Kreacher had visited with the Dark Lord."

"He made you drink Potions too?" Sirius said with disgust.

Kreacher shook his head; he didn't know when, but tears were already streaming down his face, flowing freely down his long nose.

Sirius felt a chill run down his spine, as if he had guessed something.

"Young Master Regulus took a Slytherin's Locket from his pocket, just like the Dark Lord's... He told Kreacher to hold it... and switch the Slytherin's Locket once the stone basin was dry..."

Kreacher's cries grew louder and louder.

"He ordered Kreacher to go home... and not to tell anyone... but to find a way to destroy the first Slytherin's Locket... and then he drank... drank the Potions... Kreacher watched helplessly... Master Regulus... being dragged underwater... and then..."

"Bang!"

Sirius smashed the glass cabinet next to him with a punch, then grabbed Kreacher by the neck and roared like an enraged beast:

"You're just going to stand by and watch? Why don't you save him? You could have easily brought him back!"

Lupin quickly stepped forward, trying to pull him away. "Calm down, Padfoot, let him finish."

But Sirius's hand was like a branding iron; he couldn't pry it open at all.

"Kreacher can't... Master Regulus ordered Kreacher not to move... He ordered Kreacher not to move..."

The House-elf sobbed uncontrollably, and even with Sirius grabbing its neck, it continued to pound its head with its fists.

"Kreacher is useless. Kreacher couldn't destroy the box; he failed to carry out the young master's orders!"