Chapter 200: Kreacher and Regulus
Chapter 200: Kreacher and Regulus
Kreacher's muttering stopped abruptly. His pale eyes, bulging like a toad's, fixed on Wied as he asked in a soft voice, "A funeral... for Master Regulus?"
He spoke as if he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing.
"Hey, he can hear you!" Ron snapped irritably. They had been enduring Kreacher's insults while struggling to clean, and Ron had exchanged a few heated words with the house-elf, to no avail. Hermione had pointed out that the elf was probably confused and didn't know what he was saying, which had just barely stopped Ron from giving him a good kick.
The two at the center of everyone's attention, however, didn't seem to mind.
Wied wasn't seeking to be a 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 up the house, and we came to help."
Kreacher's mouth hung open in shock, but the mention of the locket and note seemed to convince him of Wied's words. His frail body trembled as he asked in a hoarse voice, "Then... Master Regulus... he..."
"Sirius just took him upstairs," Wied said. "If you had come out a little earlier, you would have seen them..."
Before he finished his sentence, there was a loud crack, and Kreacher disappeared from in front of Wied's eyes.
Everyone knew that he must have gone upstairs to greet his long-absent master.
Wied stood up, and everyone stared at him in astonishment.
"House-elves have a mysterious connection to the houses they serve," Wied explained. "As long as they understand the purpose of what we're doing and no longer hate or reject us, the cleaning work will become much easier. And despite his old age, he is capable of extraordinary things. Don't underestimate him just because he's elderly."
"Er..." Theo glanced at the people beside him and asked, "Wied, how do you know he will cooperate from now on?"
Wied raised an eyebrow. "Didn't Harry say that Regulus liked him very much? House-elves have pure emotions, and he must have loved Regulus very much as well, so much that he would be willing to do anything for him."
The room fell silent.
Percy, who was still standing on the stairs to the second floor, suddenly felt the need to look up to the second-year student standing in the entrance hall.
"Well, I was wondering..." Wied looked at the group curiously. "Why didn't you tell Kreacher about the reason for our visit?"
Everyone exchanged glances.
"He started insulting us as soon as he appeared..."
"I was too busy arguing with him!"
"I thought he was hard of hearing..."
"There's no need to repeat what everyone already knows, right?"
"Talking about a funeral is rather depressing..."
"We're already busy enough with all this work..."
They all tried to explain themselves, attempting to prove that they weren't stupid, just temporarily preoccupied.
Then they all turned to look at Lupin.
"—What about you and Sirius? You've been here for so long, and you never mentioned it either?"
Lupin gave a bitter smile, and an inexplicable force compelled him to explain as well:
"I thought... mentioning these things would only add to Sirius' pain, so I..."
Suddenly, a heart-wrenching wail came from upstairs, traveling down the winding staircase and still managing to break everyone's hearts.
Lupin's voice faltered, and he said, "I'll go and see..."
"I'll come too!" Harry said hastily.
Lupin hesitated for a moment. "Alright... Wied, would you come with us?"
"Of course," Wied replied without hesitation.
Lupin looked at the others.
"Don't worry about hosting us," Fred spoke up. "You go ahead... We could use a break anyway."
“Alright, there’s Butterbeer in the kitchen. Help yourselves,” Lupin said hastily before the three of them hurried upstairs.
As they climbed the creaking staircase, Wied didn't have time to make out the dim portraits on the walls, but he couldn't ignore the house-elf head mounted alongside them.
Soon, they reached the fifth floor and could hear Kreacher banging his head against the floor from a distance.
"Kreacher failed Master Regulus's order... Kreacher couldn't destroy the locket..."
As he banged his head, he wailed and sobbed, apologizing incoherently to his deceased young master.
"Stop, Kreacher," Sirius said in an unusually calm voice. "Tell me everything! How did Regulus die, and what order did he give you? What's the deal with the locket?"
The door was ajar, and as Wied and the others reached it, they saw Lupin and Sirius standing in the dimly lit bedroom with a black coffin.
Sirius sat on the floor, his back resting against the coffin, his expression unreadable in the darkness, only his eyes seemed to glow faintly.
Kreacher threw himself on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. After a moment, he began to speak between gasps, his voice filled with pain as he recounted the events that had transpired—
Regulus, proud of his pure-blood status, had joined the Death Eaters at the age of sixteen. A year later, he offered Kreacher to the Dark Lord, who needed a house-elf.
Regulus may have thought that the Dark Lord merely needed a servant and considered it an honor.
But the Dark Lord took Kreacher to a cave and ordered him to drink a potion, watching as he was dragged underwater by Inferi to test the Horcrux's protective measures.
However, what he didn't expect was that Kreacher would return. Before leaving home, Regulus had instructed him to come back after completing the task, so he Disapparated back home.
Voldemort had overlooked the difference between house-elf magic and wizard magic; his Anti-Disapparition Jinx had no effect on Kreacher.
Upon learning what had happened, Regulus, filled with worry, told Kreacher to hide and not leave the house. After some time, he asked Kreacher to take him to that cave.
But this time, Regulus drank the poison himself.
He ordered Kreacher not to worry about him and not to tell his mother what he had done, but he must destroy the locket. However, the locket was protected by powerful magic, and Kreacher was unable to fulfill his master's final order.
When the house-elf finished speaking, he buried his face in his hands and wept bitterly, his face a mess of tears and snot. Sirius sat in front of him, silent for a long time.
Wied gently nudged Harry.
Harry, deeply shaken by the story, stumbled a few steps before steadying himself. He couldn't find the words to comfort Sirius, so he hesitated for a moment before opening his arms and hugging his godfather.
Sirius, his face hidden, was frighteningly pale, his hands clenched tightly, his body shaking. After a long while, he let out a hoarse, sobbing breath.
Lupin sighed softly, feeling both shaken and relieved.
He was relieved that Sirius could finally let out his grief instead of pretending to be fine.
But he had only ever seen wizards command house-elves to serve and sacrifice for them; he had never encountered a wizard who sacrificed his own life to protect a house-elf.
Wied stood at the doorway, not stepping into the room that was filled with overwhelming sadness. Hearing Lupin's voice beside him, he said softly, "Lupin, go comfort Kreacher... I'll notify Dumbledore."
After their last trip to the cave, Wied had sent a message to Dumbledore via the Floo Network, and they could now communicate directly.
With something as important as the Horcruxes, it was only right to inform Dumbledore as soon as possible. And regarding the missing locket, Kreacher would surely know its whereabouts.
Lupin didn't hesitate and nodded. Wied gave them a deep look before turning away.
(End of Chapter)
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