Chapter 201: Cleaning the Old House
Wade didn't know how Sirius and Kreacher had talked, nor did he know how much Harry and Lupin had influenced the conversation.
In any case, when Dumbledore hurried over, Kreacher respectfully presented a golden locket.
It was the size of an egg, with a magnificent "S" inlaid with green gemstones, and a long golden chain trailing behind it.
Sirius looked at the object with a mixture of disgust and hatred. He didn't reach for it, instead gesturing for Kreacher to hand it directly to Dumbledore.
Lupin placed a hand on his shoulder and patted it gently.
Kreacher held the golden locket and, in a hoarse voice, asked Dumbledore, "Kreacher failed its mission... Can you destroy it?"
"Of course, I swear."
Dumbledore, who had already heard Lupin recount the whole story, spoke earnestly. He looked down at the House-elf, his demeanor very serious. "I will not let Regulus's sacrifice be in vain."
Kreacher sobbed, placing the locket into Dumbledore's hands with both of its own.
Dumbledore looked at the Horcrux with an inscrutable expression. In his hands, it lay quietly, like an ordinary object, completely inert.
He changed his gestures, softly chanting a Spell that no one understood. After a long moment, he said:
"Ordinary Spells and attacks truly have no effect on it. Even if you burn it with fire or smash it with a heavy object, this locket won't change. Voldemort has cast a very powerful protection Spell on it."
Kreacher looked a bit uneasy, glancing around.
But everyone in the room—Dumbledore, Lupin, Sirius, Wade, and Harry—showed no fear of that name.
Kreacher quietly puffed out its chest, trying its best to appear as calm as the others.
From Sirius and Lupin's previous conversation, it had finally understood that Regulus had died because he had changed his mind and decided to resist Voldemort.
In that case, Voldemort was Kreacher's enemy, and it told itself not to be afraid.
"So..." Lupin glanced at Wade and asked Dumbledore, "We still have to use Fiendfyre?"
"For now, Fiendfyre is an effective method, but not necessarily the only one."
Dumbledore mused, "But after Fiendfyre burns it, nothing will be left, and we'll lose the possibility of gaining more information..."
"For now, Voldemort has clearly made more than one... but the question is, how many exactly?"
Silence fell upon the group.
Harry didn't understand. He looked around, didn't interrupt, and decided to ask Remus after it was over.
Compared to Wade, Harry always felt like he had accidentally stumbled in. He was afraid that if he spoke, everyone would realize there was someone who shouldn't be involved and would kick him out.
Compared to Harry, Kreacher was more accustomed to silence. It listened quietly from the side, its eyes occasionally darting to the locket.
"Sirius, Kreacher," Dumbledore said, "Please allow me to study this locket for a while. I think it might tell us a lot... When it's time to destroy it, I will definitely invite both of you to participate."
"Alright," Sirius said in a low, concise voice.
Kreacher also nodded vigorously.
...
Michael and the others didn't know that Dumbledore had visited. They rested for a while in the filthy kitchen, and when they tried to make themselves some tea, they found it impossible to even begin.
Fortunately, there was some Butterbeer and food that Lupin had bought from outside. Everyone ate some haphazardly, filling their stomachs, then looked at each other, feeling utterly devoid of the courage to continue working.
Finally, Hermione was the first to stand up.
She clapped her hands and said, "Cheer up, everyone! At least we need a place to sleep first, right?"
"Good point."
Theo and Ryan rolled up their sleeves, ready to work, and Neville got up to find a brush.
Michael raised his hand and said, "I'm not trying to be lazy... but there isn't much cleaning solution left in the storage room. I was thinking of going to Diagon Alley to buy two buckets..."
Fred said, "How can two buckets be enough? We need at least five! But you probably can't carry them alone, so maybe I should go help."
"Me too..."
Several arms shot up in unison. They looked at each other, then sheepishly lowered their hands.
Hermione said indignantly, "We promised Harry we'd help! Are you trying to desert us?"
Just then, the kitchen door was pushed open from the outside.
"So you're all in here," Wade said from the doorway. "We're going to clean out the kitchen, living room, and bedrooms first, so we at least have a normal place to rest. What do you all think?"
"Ahem," Michael cleared his throat, stood up, and said, "The thing is, Wade. Fred and I need to go to Diagon Alley first to buy some cleaning supplies..."
"Oh, no need," Wade said with a smile. "I brought more than enough cleaning solutions and tools. They're all my own creations, guaranteed to be better quality than anything from Diagon Alley."
"You brought them!" Michael exclaimed in surprise, then quickly lowered his voice. "How come I didn't see them when we came in earlier?"
As he spoke, he walked out of the kitchen, then was stunned into silence.
Lupin, Harry, and Sirius were all using the Levitation Charm together. The mess in the living room was floating in the air, some items gently bumping into each other.
Kreacher was directing the old rug to roll itself up, and a dozen Cleaning Crabs were neatly lined up, like an army. In just a few passes, they scrubbed the floor until it was spotless.
One crab, the size of a golden retriever, swallowed all the rubbish, then left behind black, basketball-sized spheres.
Another small crab followed behind, carrying the black orbs out of the living room and piling them in the overgrown yard.
Kreacher laid down new carpets, and the old furniture settled onto the floor one by one. Miraculously, as they landed, all the grime on them vanished.
The tables and chairs looked as clean as if they'd just been varnished, and the tea sets and dishes sparkled as if meticulously polished...
Come to think of it, they had just been cleaned!
Countless fist-sized little figurines, too many to count at a glance, were bustling around on the furniture. Like diligent bees, they tirelessly washed, scrubbed, and polished.
Several other figurines carried marble-sized water tanks on their backs, holding spray nozzles, meticulously varnishing the furniture. The varnish in the tanks seemed endless; they sprayed continuously without stopping.
Just as everyone opened the door and stepped out, the Cleaning Crabs and little figurines also swarmed into the kitchen, armed with small rags and waving tiny brushes, beginning a new round of cleaning.
"Anyone want to lend a hand?" Wade asked, making a pile of pots and pans float. He turned back and said, "I can't handle all this stuff in the kitchen by myself."
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