Chapter 305: Sirius Black and Kreacher
Chapter 305: Sirius Black and Kreacher
A few days ago.
12 Grimmauld Place, Black Family Manor.
Sirius Black lounged lazily on the sofa, looking idle, with his black curly hair falling loosely over his shoulders.
Compared to over a month ago, he looked much better. He had gained some weight, no longer resembling a skeleton freshly dug up from a grave, but rather a somewhat thin, normal person.
His feet were propped up on an elegant, antique coffee table. Every now and then, Sirius would glance at a small piece of paper, which was covered with simple lines and dense black dots. A few names written in gold ink occasionally moved.
This state continued until midday, when the house-elf, Kreacher, shuffled into the room. Sirius's eyes flickered.
Kreacher held a dirty rag, and it was hard to say which was cleaner: the rag or the tattered cloth he wore. Perhaps the rag was a piece of his worn-out clothes?
Sirius thought idly, as Kreacher slowly shuffled over. Sirius glanced at him from the corner of his eye, watching as Kreacher jumped onto the coffee table and muttered, "The young master, with his wasteful habits, learned them from who knows where, putting his feet up here where the mistress used to enjoy her tea and entertain many noble guests..."
"Kreacher, your feet are dirtier than my shoes!" Sirius shouted angrily.
"... So many precious memories, the mistress would be heartbroken if she knew..."
Sirius's eyebrows twitched, and the air of elegance around him vanished. He jumped up, grabbing the neck of Kreacher's rag—what could be called a collar—and prepared to throw him out.
Kreacher didn't resist, but continued to chatter, "Not like his brother, who truly took on responsibility—"
"Are you talking about Regulus?" Sirius paused, saying, "He was a fool. I always thought he was smart enough to take care of himself... but he went and joined the Death Eaters!"
"Master Regulus is no fool!" Kreacher struggled fiercely, his body swinging like a wound-up toy. "He is a thousand times better than you. He joined the Death Eaters to take your place..."
"What did you say?" Sirius's eyes widened as he lifted Kreacher to eye level. "Speak clearly—"
But Kreacher continued to struggle, his nose and eyes streaming. Sirius, disgusted, tossed him onto the sofa.
"Let me tell you, Kreacher! He was a Voldemort worshipper, always has been. Do you know why everyone in the family preferred him? Because he became the noble Black they wanted... I even wrote to him, telling him to stay away from Voldemort and hide. But what did he do? He joined the Death Eaters right after graduation. My parents must have been overjoyed, finally washing away the stain I brought to the family. They could say they had a brave little hero, right?"
Kreacher lay on the ground, sobbing softly, spewing a string of insults, "... Shameless, befriending Muggles... dirty, weak, stinky..."
"Stinky? I'll show you a Muggle method, and I've been wanting to do this for a long time."
Sirius dragged Kreacher to the second-floor bathroom and threw him into the bathtub, turning on the faucet adorned with the Slytherin crest. "You're too dirty. I spent twelve years in Azkaban and never got this bad!"
Kreacher was held down by Sirius, who washed him from head to toe. He even conjured a brush with his wand and scrubbed relentlessly, cleaning the dirt from every wrinkle on Kreacher's bald scalp. Sirius said smugly, "Now, are you satisfied? Your master is serving you..."
One minute later, he began to regret his decision. The water in the bathtub looked as if someone had poured in a dozen bottles of ink, and it emitted a foul odor. "Ugh~" He couldn't help but feel nauseous, and he incredulously raised Kreacher's hand: "You've been using this stuff to cook for me all these days?"
Sirius Black pulled the plug from the bathtub, letting the water drain. It took half an hour before the water was finally clear.
Kreacher sat on the sofa, looking spotlessly clean. His skin was soft and pink, and even the hair in his bat-like ears was as white and fluffy as cotton. He appeared very uncomfortable, staring at his toes intently.
Sirius Black emerged from the bathroom, having taken a bath himself to get rid of the strange smell.
He looked at the quiet Kreacher with satisfaction and settled down comfortably on the sofa to read a comic. This comic was given to him by a guy named Felix Hep, who said it would help pass the time. Along with a bunch of Easter chocolate eggs, Sirius picked the ugliest one and gave it to Kreacher.
The afternoon was pleasant, and even the air felt fresher. He stayed until the evening, then he timed his exit from the Black Family Manor and walked to an activity room in the Grimmauld Place neighborhood.
"Hey, young man, you're here again today?" a skinny old man said.
"Yep", Sirius Black replied offhandedly as he set up the chess pieces. "Shall I go first?"
"You should take the white pieces", the old man said.
"What does it matter?" Sirius Black held a black knight in his hand, muttering, "It would be nice if these pieces could move on their own."
The old man laughed heartily, "You're quite amusing... but no can do!"
They played two games, both of which Sirius Black lost. In the third game, he kept scratching his chin, deep in thought: "I don't remember it being this difficult. When I play with Remus, we can usually go for sixty or seventy moves..."
An old woman carrying a cloth bag entered the activity room, looked around, and walked over to tug on the old man's ear, "Your son and daughter-in-law are back, and you're still playing chess?"
"Let me finish this game, just this one more game—" the old man pleaded.
The old woman sat down and watched them play. The old man frowned as the game reached a critical stage, with both sides locked in a fierce battle. The old woman watched with a cold eye and suddenly said, "Old man, move your queen."
"Right." In Sirius Black's stunned expression, the old man used his white queen to capture Sirius Black's black knight.
"That's not fair!" Sirius Black said. "You two against me!"
The old woman pursed her lips, "You can ignore him. I taught him, after all." However, she didn't say anything more, but the situation was already beyond salvaging. Sirius Black watched helplessly as he was checkmated.
The old man scattered the chess pieces, "This game doesn't count. We'll play again sometime." He left with the old woman.
"Did your son have a fight with the neighbors?"
"No, they even gave a gift. There's a word for it... repentance... They haven't played loud music at night for the past six months. You wouldn't believe it, but I followed a young man's advice and gave them a card. He had black hair, just like the young man we just played with."
Meanwhile, in a dark and dilapidated inn.
A sharp voice whispered, his tone as cold and piercing as a winter wind, "Go, Barty, and inform Peter Pettigrew... Bring Harry Potter to me, and I want him alive."
"Yes, my lord! I am willing to give my life for you!" Barty Crouch Jr., with his disheveled blond hair, said fervently.
"No, my dear Barty", the voice from behind the chair said, "you must remember, this is a dangerous mission—under Dumbledore's watch, you must prioritize your own safety."
Thank you to the generous supporter for the reward. I'm grateful for your love for this book and to all the readers who have been supporting me!
PS1: I originally planned to write this chapter during the monthly ticket event, but I messed up and missed the deadline. Uh...
PS2: The third Horcrux is about to appear.
(End of Chapter)
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