## Chapter 199: We're Here for the Funeral
Wade turned around and saw Sirius, almost thinking he'd mistaken him for someone else.
He looked as if he'd just been released from Azkaban, with a scraggly beard, long hair matted into strands, and eyes like wells sunk deep in a valley, dark and devoid of light, making him look even more like a ghost.
Behind him stood an ancient building.
The elaborately carved door was dilapidated and covered in scratches. The walls were filthy and crumbling, covered in moss and vines.
The yard was overgrown with weeds, with only a narrow path barely cleared for passage. A Garden Gnome, wearing a pointed hat, poked its head out from the tall grass, seemingly observing the unfamiliar visitors.
"Hi, Sirius." Lupin said, deliberately using a light tone, "How did the kids do?"
"Alright."
Sirius said expressionlessly. He politely nodded at the two of them, then moved the coffin through the front door.
"Has he been like this recently?"
Wade asked in a low voice, only after Sirius was out of sight.
"Yes."
Lupin sighed and said, "I hope he recovers after the funeral."
The two walked up the crumbling stone steps. Behind them, the silly gnome suddenly floated up, spun around a dozen times in the air, and then "whooshed" away.
Lupin saw Wade glance back and said, "You have to spin the gnome until it's dizzy and then throw it out. That way it can't find its gnome hole, and that's the only way to get rid of it. These creatures like to destroy plant roots and always make the garden a mess."
"I know, I've read about Garden Gnomes in books. But..."
Wade looked at Lupin speechlessly and asked, "Remus, what kind of impression do you have of me, really? Are you worried I'd pity a gnome?"
Lupin paused, then chuckled wryly, "Sorry, I guess my mind hasn't been very clear lately either."
The two stepped over the threshold and went inside.
The Black Family Home bore a strange resemblance to the Slytherin Common Room. The entire building was like a dim crypt, with small windows that were dirty and covered in cobwebs, completely blocking out the sunlight.
This made the indoor lighting extremely poor; even during the day, the old gas lamps hanging on the walls were always lit.
Wade believed this must have been Lupin's doing, because Sirius looked as if he wanted to bury himself in the ground and wouldn't care about the lighting.
This house must have been very grand once. There were remnants of exquisite wallpaper on the walls, and magnificent patterns on the carpets, while the chandeliers were twisted and coiled, faintly glimmering with a golden light.
But now, the wallpaper was peeling, the carpet was stained, cobwebs hung from the chandeliers, and the entire house reeked of decay.
Sirius carried the coffin upstairs, seemingly intending to temporarily place Regulus in his former bedroom.
Michael and the others, who had been about to come downstairs when they heard the commotion, stared wide-eyed at the coffin. They pressed tightly against the wall, not daring to make a sound.
Ginny, walking behind, saw the coffin head-on and screamed.
"Ah, sorry."
Sirius seemed to just now realize his actions were inappropriate and said politely, "Don't be afraid, he doesn't bite."
However, as he spoke, two long velvet curtains suddenly pulled apart, as if yanked forcefully, and then a chilling scream echoed through the room—
"Beast! Spendthrift! Disgrace to the family! The spawn I gave birth to! How dare you come back? Why don't you just die! Get out of my sight, you mongrel! Werewolf! Mudblood! Whore! Get out of my house!!!"
From a life-sized portrait, an old woman with a black hat and sallow skin screamed abuses hoarsely.
Immediately after, all the portraits in the entrance hall woke up and let out deafening screams.
The Young Wizards felt as though their souls were about to fly away from the noise and quickly covered their ears.
Sirius, however, acted as if he heard nothing, even forcing a stiff smile as he said to Ginny, "Could you please move aside, Miss Weasley?"
Ginny was frozen and didn't react until Ron reached out and pulled her away.
"Thank you."
Sirius nodded and continued upstairs with the coffin.
Regulus's bedroom was on the fifth floor.
In the entrance hall on the ground floor, Lupin painstakingly pulled the curtains shut, then cast the Stunning Spell on the other portraits one by one.
Only then did Harry and the others lower their hands and come downstairs.
"Wade, you're finally here."
A disheveled Michael raised his hand in greeting, saying listlessly, "You should see how much work we've done this morning!"
Lupin said helplessly, "As I said, this place isn't fit for living in right now."
A few of the Young Wizards looked regretful, but since they had been so confident earlier, they were now too embarrassed to say, "You're right, we shouldn't work, let's go to your place."
"I thought it would just need a few more Scouring Charms..." Michael muttered, "We're very good at that spell."
"But this house is resisting our magic... It doesn't seem to want to be cleaned. The Scouring Charm is almost useless; we can only use ordinary cleaning methods," Hermione said hesitantly, sharing her discovery.
"Because there's a very annoying House-elf in this house," George added. "I now understand how much trouble these things can cause if they don't listen."
"Why doesn't Mr. Black just let him go?" Percy asked, puzzled. "A House-elf like this is more trouble than it's worth."
"Sirius said... Regulus used to be very fond of that Kreacher fellow..." Harry said with some hesitation.
Just as they were speaking, the subject of their conversation appeared.
It was a House-elf with wrinkled skin and white hair growing in its ears. It was incredibly old and skeletal, with a dirty rag wrapped around its waist, and its pale eyes seemed somewhat dim.
"Well… Wade, this is Kreacher…"
Harry said, with a tone that suggested he wasn't sure if he should make the introduction.
"Another brat… making the mistress angry."
Kreacher mumbled to itself in a hoarse, low voice, "Hateful scum, ruining the mistress's house like Garden Gnomes…"
"Shut up, Kreacher!" Harry said loudly.
Kreacher's voice paused, then it bowed and said, "It is the young master, Kreacher greets you."
Afterward, it mumbled again, "It's the brat brought back by the prodigal son. They say he defeated the Dark Lord, but Kreacher doesn't see him having such great power…"
Harry looked a bit embarrassed and quickly waved his hand, explaining to the others, "He's very old, and his mind isn't very clear; he likes to talk nonsense. Sirius said to just let him be, since he won't live much longer anyway…"
"Hello, Kreacher." Wade crouched down, looking at the dirty House-elf, and asked, "Has no one told you why so many of us are here?"
Kreacher seemed not to hear him, or perhaps it didn't want to bother with him, and continued to mumble nonsensically to itself:
"Kreacher serves the noble Black Family for life, but Kreacher does not wish to serve the prodigal young master… How much the mistress hated him; everything about him disappointed the mistress…"
Wade also ignored Kreacher's words and said directly, "We are here for Regulus Black's funeral."
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