Chapter 200: Kreacher and Regulus
Kreacher's muttering stopped.
His pale eyes bulged like bullfrogs as he stared at Wade, asking in a very quiet voice, "Young Master Regulus's... funeral?"
He sounded as if he doubted what he had heard.
"Hey, he could hear us all along!" Ron said, annoyed.
They had been struggling to clean for a while now, enduring Kreacher's insults. Ron had hurled a few retorts back, but the House-elf hadn't responded at all.
Hermione had said the House-elf was muddled and didn't know what it was saying, which was the only reason Ron had managed to restrain himself from beating it up.
The two people in the center of attention didn't pay any mind to his words.
Wade hadn't done all that just to be an unsung hero at this moment. He simply said,
"Not long ago, we found the body of Mr. Regulus Black in a cave, along with a Locket and a note he left for someone."
"We know he made a great sacrifice to resist Voldemort, so Sirius decided to hold a proper funeral for him. That's why he came back here to clean the house; and that's why we're here to help."
Kreacher's mouth dropped open in shock, but the mention of the Locket and the note immediately made Kreacher believe Wade's words.
Its body trembled uncontrollably, and it asked hoarsely, "Then... Young Master Regulus... he's now..."
"Sirius just took him to the bedroom," Wade said. "If you had come out a little earlier, you would have seen them..."
Before he could finish, there was a loud "pop" in the room, and Kreacher vanished from Wade's sight.
Everyone knew it must have gone upstairs to greet its long-lost master.
Wade stood up, and everyone stared at him, dumbfounded.
"House-elves have a strange connection with the house. As long as it understands the purpose of doing this and no longer hates or rejects us, the cleaning work will become very easy."
Wade explained, "And don't look at how old it is; the things it can do are extraordinary. Don't think of it as just an ordinary elderly person."
"Uh..." Theo looked at the others beside him and asked, "Wade, how do you know it will cooperate afterward?"
Wade raised an eyebrow. "Didn't Harry say it? Regulus was very fond of him when he was alive... A House-elf's emotions are very pure; it must have been very fond of Regulus too, even willing to do anything for him."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Percy, for instance, was still standing on the second-floor staircase but inexplicably felt the need to look up at the second-year student by the Entrance Hall.
"Hmm... I was wondering..." Wade looked at everyone strangely. "Why didn't you tell Kreacher the purpose of our being here?"
Everyone looked at each other.
"He started cursing as soon as he appeared, so..."
"I was busy arguing with him!"
"I thought he was hard of hearing and couldn't hear clearly..."
"Everyone knows it, no need to repeat it, right?"
"Talking about a funeral and stuff feels a bit too sad..."
"We're busy enough with all this work..."
Everyone explained, talking over each other, trying to prove that they weren't actually that stupid, just temporarily preoccupied.
Then they all looked at Lupin.
—We're one thing. But you and Sirius have been here so long; haven't you said anything?
Lupin gave a wry smile, and a strange force compelled him to explain as well:
"I felt... bringing it up would only add to Sirius's pain, so I..."
Suddenly, a heart-wrenching wail of grief came from upstairs. It traveled through the winding corridor, still breaking hearts.
Lupin's voice paused, then he said, "I'll go check..."
"I'll go too!" Harry said quickly.
Lupin hesitated. "Alright... Wade, you come too, okay?"
"Of course," Wade said without hesitation.
Lupin looked at the others.
"Don't worry about us," Fred said proactively. "You all go... We can rest for a bit."
"Okay, there's Butterbeer in the kitchen; feel free to have some."
Lupin finished quickly, and the three went upstairs.
Along the creaking stairs, the three of them hurried up. Wade didn't have time to clearly see the dim portraits on the walls, but the House-elf heads hanging nearby couldn't be ignored.
Soon they reached the fifth floor, and from a distance, they heard Kreacher banging its head against the floor.
"Kreacher failed to carry out Young Master Regulus's orders... Kreacher couldn't destroy the Locket..."
It cried out loudly while banging its head, apologizing to its deceased young master in an inarticulate voice.
"Stop, Kreacher," Sirius said in an unusually calm voice. "Tell me everything! How did Regulus die, what orders did he give you! And what about the Locket!"
The door was ajar, and as Wade and the others approached, they saw a black coffin in the dimly lit bedroom.
Sirius was sitting on the floor, his back against the coffin lid. His expression was unclear in the darkness, but his eyes seemed to glow faintly.
Kreacher was sobbing on the ground, then, driven by command, he gasped for breath and recounted the events with immense pain—
Regulus, who was proud of his Pure-blood heritage, joined the Death Eaters at sixteen. A year later, because the Dark Lord needed a House-elf, he offered Kreacher.
He probably thought the Dark Lord simply needed a servant to command, believing it was an honor.
But the Dark Lord took Kreacher to the cave, ordered him to drink the Potions, and watched as he was dragged into the water by Inferi to test the Horcrux's protective measures.
However, he didn't expect Kreacher to return. Because when he left home, Regulus had instructed him to return home after completing his task, so he Apparated back.
Voldemort overlooked the difference between a House-elf's magic and a Wizard's; his anti-Apparition Spell had no effect on Kreacher.
After learning what had happened, Regulus, very worried, told Kreacher to hide and not leave the house. After some time, he had Kreacher take him to that cave.
But this time, he drank the poison himself.
He ordered Kreacher to leave him be and not tell his mother what he had done, but he absolutely had to destroy the Locket. However, the Locket was protected by powerful magic, and Kreacher couldn't fulfill his master's last command.
After the House-elf finished speaking, it lay on the ground, weeping uncontrollably, its face covered in tears and snot. Sirius sat in front of it, silent for a long time.
Wade gently nudged Harry.
Harry, speechless from the shocking story, stumbled, taking several steps before regaining his balance.
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw Sirius, whose face was already streaked with tears.
The boy's nose tingled, and he felt clumsy with words, unsure how to offer comfort. He hesitated, then opened his arms and hugged his godfather.
Sirius, whose view was blocked, looked terribly pale. His hands were tightly clasped, his body trembling, and after a long while, he let out a hoarse sob.
Lupin sighed softly, feeling both shaken and relieved.
Relieved that Sirius could finally have a good cry instead of pretending to be normal.
But he had only ever seen Wizards have House-elves serve them and sacrifice for them, never a Wizard who sacrificed their own life to protect a House-elf.
Wade stood at the doorway, not stepping into the room completely overwhelmed with sorrow. Hearing the sound beside him, he whispered, "Remus, you comfort Kreacher... I'll go inform Dumbledore."
After their last visit to the cave, Wade had sent Dumbledore a Book of Friends, so they could finally contact each other directly.
Such an important matter as the real and fake Horcruxes naturally needed to be reported to Dumbledore immediately. Kreacher must know the whereabouts of the vanished Locket.
Lupin didn't think much of it, nodded, and walked into the room. Wade gave them a deep look before turning to leave.
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