Hermione nodded to her Chief of Staff to allow her dearest friend and ex husband in her Study at the Ministry. She glimpsed at her mirror and rectified her hair, then shrugged. They had divorced last year after she won the elections, truth is they had drifted away in two different directions, it was too late now to think of Ron.

"I was about to leave for the conference in Hokkaido but your message sounded quite urgent, what can I do for you?" asked Hermione. Harry put the golden artefact in her hand.
"Tell me all you know about this."

Kreacher vexed, had vanished in a puff of black smoke before anyone could stop the old house elf. "Ron! What did you do? We were getting an explanation! Who is going to explain right now?" said Harry.
Ron shrugged. "It'll be easy to verify if he was just pulling your leg, let's see if the tombs he has mentioned have been recently touched".
Harry: "I'm the chief auror in the area, if anyone had disturbed a wizard cemetary, I believe that I would have learned the news and no one said a word."
Ron: "It could be too early, Aberforth has been buried only a few days ago."
Harry: "Hermione is our prime Minister and Kreacher implied that the Ministry knew everything, maybe we should begin by her."

Ron interrupted the old house elf, seeing his friend too shocked to do it. "Oh come on, everyone, don't you see he's pulling your leg? Snape, the heir of some dark elves throne? Seriously!!! And Mrs Potter his bride to be? Kreacher, I don't know who's done your education but one does not play games with our deceased ones!"

Kreacher addressed Ron with anger in his voice. "Your Minister is keeping you in the dark and you're married with HER. Ask her why and asks why all their graves are now empty, Mr Know-it-all Weasley!" I'm free and now I'm done with you all!"

Kreacher, satisfied to have all his audience suspended at his lips, has reclaimed Albus' sweater (the price of his freedom) and seated on one of Aberforth's butterbeer barrel began to explain.
"I know the names of 3 of the Kalarr's chosen persons: your mother Harry Potter, the former professor Snape and the owner of this inn, Aberforth Dumbledore. No one knew who was the mysterious 4th; Professor Snape spent many years trying to understand what was happening to him. He was the heir of the Dark Elves thrones, you see? He was the most important and your Ma was his beloved, his promised one. A heir needs a bride to continue the lineage."

Kreacher seeing that his words had no signification for any of the wizards let go of Albus' sweater and grab the golden artefact that Harry was keeping in his hand. "How come that you have the Kalar in your possession and no nothing about the Lost Realm? Look at all four arrows twirling like a muggle helicopter! It means that all the owners of the keys have now died to this world and been reclaimed by the Realm, including your own mother Harry Potter!"
Shocked, Potter stared at Kreacher: "my mother... lives? In that realm? How can that be possible she died so long ago".

"You aren't that old to think of the Thereafter, Kreacher! You have many happy years ahead of you. I understand that you'd want to retire; are there places for retired house elves? Or you could stay with us, just work less hours, paid hours and..." Albus Severus was trying to get his sweater back from Kreacher, regretting bitterly to have offered the old house elf his freedom.

But Kreacher, who was still drenched with soapy water was not ready to let go of his brand new sweater. "I don't plan to go to a Thereafter, I plan to live with my family, in the Lost Realm. Who said it was a place for the deads? It's a place for the living!" said Kreacher.

On his wrinkled grey skin, thin as a parchment, tears as thick as mushy peas roll down while Kreacher clutches Albus' sweater and repeats: "I am free!".
Ron clears his throat:"Albus gave you his sweater Kreacher but technically, it's Harry your Master and..." he jumps back while Kreacher opens wide his mouth, discovering pointy teeth as sharp as a razor. "Hey! Calm down! I was merdely joking!"

The little house elf turns to Harry and politely asks: "I AM free, am I?" Harry nods, thinking he should have freed him years ago.

"Good because now I can join Aberforth Dumbledore and who knows, maybe I'll see Dobby too!"

"Finite incantatem!" said Albus Severus and all of a sudden, brushes, mops and sponges fell down to the basement stones, leaving a half drowned Kreacher spit bubbles of soap. His cloth had never been so sparkling white and his mood so dark. "This... This is an outrage, master Potter! I... I protest!"

Albus, who looked genuinely sorry, apologized to Kreacher and to prevent him catching a cold, without thinking, he took off his sweater (knitted by Mrs Weasley) and gifted it to his own house elf.
Hands shaking with emotion, Kreacher touched the sweater and cried: "I am free."

Kreacher was seated in a puddle of soapy water, screaming his lungs out while brushes, mops and sponges were busy... cleaning the old house-elf.
"It ain't my fault, Rose! You gave me that book of cleaning spells, I commanded those to clean all that was disgusting here and they rushed down the stairs to jump on HIM!" explained Albus Severus Potter to her sister.
"Make it stop!!!" yelled Kreacher "make it stop!"

Ron "Why not ask Hermione? You know how she is", he laughs " to quote Snape: "an unsufferable know-it-all", she hasn't changed much since that time, always her nose in a book... or three."
Harry was laughing too when they were interrupted by screams coming from the back of the Hog Head's Inn basement, near the entrance of the tunnel leading to Hogwarts. "What's in Merlin's beard going one now?"