the_debt_of_time

He gave an expression that told her not to force the issue right now.
"Kreacher said Mundungus took it. I sent Kreacher off to find him for us."
"How do we know he'll do it?" Ron asked. "What if he vanishes and betrays us? He
already betrayed Sirius once."
"I was very specific with his orders," Hermione replied.
Ron raised a brow. "And he'll obey you?"
"Of course," Hermione affirmed, receiving curious looks from each of the men.
"Sirius told him to, and he cannot ignore his Master's orders. The house-elf's highest law
is his Master's bidding."
Ron dipped his head in acceptance, but both Harry and Sirius stared at her
suspiciously.
"Here." Hermione handed the fake locket back to Harry. "Keep this safe. I told
Kreacher he could have it when he gets back. It made him very happy. Took me a bit to
get him to stop crying actually."
Sirius gawked at her. "You gave the elf a present?"
"I'm putting an end to the cycle," she affirmed. "Harry's going to defeat You-Know-
Who, we're going to win this war, and when that happens, I'm done watching Muggle-
borns, goblins, werewolves, and house-elves being put under the heel of someone else. It
doesn't mean I like him."
The distaste in her voice was shocking, and she must have read the surprise on
Sirius's face because she frowned at him. "He betrayed you, and you ended up dead because
of it. But you're not dead, so I'm looking to the future. And I'm ending the cycle of hatred.
I expect all three of you to be nice to that rotten elf when he gets back!"
She stood up and fled the room in a huff, storming up the stairs. A moment later,
the sound of a slamming door echoed through the house.
"Just keep Kreacher away from me when he gets back," Sirius groused. "If you
want, I'll give him back to you, Harry."
"We'll eventually need to leave Grimmauld Place," Harry replied, shaking his head.
"We'll tell him that if we don't return at any point, he should go back to Hogwarts. At least
he won't cause trouble there."