Chapter 360: Number 12, Grimmauld Place
Chapter 360: Number 12, Grimmauld Place
After counseling Percy, Liam and Hermione enjoyed raspberry jam ice cream before heading home. The next morning, they packed their luggage into their Spatial Bags and left for Sirius Black's ancestral home.
Grimmauld Plaza is located in a run-down neighborhood in London, so there weren't many people around. For safety, Liam and Hermione got off the bus a stop away from Grimmauld Plaza. They had used the abilities of the Faceless Men to disguise themselves as ordinary middle school students with Eastern European features.
Thanks to the variety of cosmetics available in the modern world, they had unprecedented convenience in their disguises, such as foundation, colored contact lenses, and strange potions like quick-dye potions. With these tools, no one could recognize the brown-haired, green-eyed boy with a Caucasian face as Liam.
"You look quite distinctive in that get-up", Hermione said, walking down the sidewalk with her blonde hair. "Where did you learn about that quick-dye potion?"
"From an old book", Liam replied. "It was originally a failed elixir that only lasted for half an hour. But I thought it could be useful for quick disguises. I tried it, and it turned out to be more convenient than the potions the Faceless Men use. Well, we should be here."
"This place looks pretty run-down", Hermione observed after looking around.
Her assessment was accurate. The houses around the plaza were dilapidated, with broken windows that glinted in the sunlight, peeling paint on many doors, and garbage piled up on the front steps. A pungent odor of rotting garbage wafted from the bulging garbage bags by the broken doors.
The two of them began to recall the contents of Dumbledore's note. As soon as they thought of Number 12, Grimmauld Place, a dilapidated door materialized between numbers 11 and 13, followed by dirty walls and eerie windows, as if an extra house had suddenly expanded, pushing the others aside. The last house, looking very old, appeared there.
"Who is it?" a wary voice called from inside as they climbed the broken stone steps and grabbed the silver door knocker shaped like a coiled snake to knock on the ancient, black-painted door, which was peeling and scarred with scratches. Liam recognized the voice as Sirius Black's.
"Layne Liang and Hermione Granger", Liam said from the doorway.
"Liam, where did you first meet me?" Sirius Black asked cautiously, clearly on high alert as the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix had entered a state of war.
"In the Common Room at Hogwarts", Liam answered. "I knocked you out during a fight."
"Correct, but you didn't have to be so specific", Sirius Black said, opening the door. Two strangers in ordinary school uniforms stood before him.
"Don't worry, it's really us", Liam said, removing the blue contact lenses from his eyes.
"Come in!" Sirius Black stepped aside. "Caution is a good thing, no wonder Mad-Eye Moody says you'd make a good Auror. Follow me, and don't touch anything", he added, leading the way.
As they entered the dark hallway, Liam caught the damp, dusty smell and a sweet, decaying odor. The further they went into the house, the stronger the smell became, giving the impression that the place was an abandoned, empty house.
The entire hallway was long, a standard Victorian style. From the peeling wallpaper and the worn, threadbare carpet, one could faintly glimpse the house's former glory. A web-like chandelier above glimmered with a faint light, and on the walls hung several portraits that had darkened with age. Liam heard what sounded like a small animal scurrying behind the baseboards. The chandelier and a wobbly table nearby both featured candlesticks shaped like large snakes.
"You two arrived early; the Weasley Family might only get here in the afternoon", Sirius Black said as he led them into the room. "Since everyone in my family except me is a Slytherin, this house is filled with pure-blood style items. I don't like it here, and I would never have come back if Dumbledore hadn't needed a safe place."
"By the way, is there anything we need to do?" Liam asked, looking at the dilapidated house. It looked terrible, with not a single clean spot to be found.
"You just got here, and I think you might need to rest first", Sirius Black said, somewhat embarrassed. After all, it was his house, and it was embarrassing to show it to guests in such a messy state.
"We're fine. We've already rested, and we're ready to work", Hermione said with a lively tone. "So, tell us what needs to be done."
"Right, well—” “Sirius, let the kids start by cleaning the kitchen and the guest room. Everyone will be moving in soon, and you need to make sure they have a place to cook and sleep", a middle-aged man with slightly graying hair said as he descended the stairs.
"Professor Lupin", Liam and Hermione immediately recognized him and greeted him.
"I'm sorry to put you to work right away, but it can't be helped", Lupin said gently. "No one has lived here for ten years, not since Sirius's mother passed away. The only inhabitant has been a deranged and elderly House-Elf. We need to at least make the house livable. Of course, I'll be helping you, and you won't have to face any unknown dangers."
"Alright, but you mentioned a House-Elf—" Liam asked, because the House-Elves he had seen before could keep their service areas spotless, and their magic was strong enough to handle most household tasks, even for an elderly one.
"Don't get me started", Sirius Black said with disgust. "Kreacher can do amazing things if he wants to, but my mother and her portrait have driven him mad. Now, he only curses me and does strange things; he doesn't touch any household chores. Lupin has been doing most of the work around here for the past few days."
Liam was glad that Lupin had moved in. As a true bachelor, Lupin had excellent self-care and top-notch housekeeping skills, which had allowed Sirius to maintain a semblance of normalcy over the past few days.
"Alright, let's start with the kitchen. I cleared a small area for cooking a couple of days ago, but it's not nearly enough. People will be arriving today, and we need to quickly clean the entire kitchen to prepare for the guests", Lupin said, immediately assigning tasks as he came downstairs. As a former top student and Prefect, his organizational skills were far superior to those of the infamous troublemaker, Sirius Black.
"No problem", Liam and Hermione took their luggage out of their Spatial Bag and placed it in the living room before following Lupin toward the kitchen.
(End of Chapter)
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