Chapter 361: Tidying Up
Chapter 361: Tidying Up
"This house looks a bit dilapidated on the outside, but the magic defense system is still functioning properly. So when you're tidying up, you can use Magic. The Ministry of Magic's trace won't detect anything happening inside the house", Lupin told Liam and Hermione as they walked into the kitchen.
"That's good. I think my Magic might be useful for cleaning", Liam said, sounding somewhat pleased.
"If you're willing to help, that would be great. Alchemy should be very effective for cleaning an old house like this. After all, this building, which is at least 700 years old, is filled with all sorts of Magic and runes. We do need someone with expertise to handle these issues", Lupin said, using Magic to clear away two spider webs blocking their path.
"Alright, we're here." After descending a flight of stairs, they arrived in a basement that wasn't particularly small. The fire pit in the corner suggested that this used to be a kitchen, but everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. In one corner, a pile of broken crucibles was crawling with ping-pong-sized spiders on a large web.
"How did you and Sirius Black manage to cook these past few days?" Hermione asked Lupin, turning to look at the dusty stove.
"Well, we cleared a spot on the kitchen floor and set up the crucibles there. So, for the past two days, we've been eating convenience curries and bread we bought from outside", Lupin explained, pointing to a small cleared area to the left of the kitchen door. Liam could see that the area indeed had a clean stone floor with black burn marks.
Imagining the two men huddled in a corner of the kitchen, stewing curry in a crucible, Liam felt a bit sorry for them. But he had to admit, it was thanks to Lupin's practical skills. Otherwise, Sirius Black would have had to eat out every day or subsist on dry rations.
After surveying the kitchen, Liam said to Lupin, "I have a very effective Magic that can eliminate all the pests in the kitchen, but no one can be inside while it's being used. It's like a powerful insecticide and could harm others unnecessarily."
"I'll get Sirius Black to send Kreacher upstairs; he's set up a little nest here", Lupin said, running upstairs. He quickly returned and informed Liam that the kitchen was now empty.
"Let's get started." Liam pulled out a glass bottle filled with malachite powder and a snowflake gypsum bottle containing luminous lily pollen from his waist pouch. He then took a porcelain dish from the table, cleaned it, and poured the two powders into it.
"Fountain of Water." With the help of Magic, Liam quickly mixed the ingredients into a brown paste, then used a writing brush to draw a long series of runes on the kitchen walls.
"What are those?" Lupin examined the runes Liam had drawn, but he didn't recognize any of them and had no idea of their origin. This surprised him, as he was a top student even in his werewolf form and knew more than most wizards. The sudden discovery of a completely unknown magic rune system was strange to him.
"Asshaiyan runes?" Hermione recognized the runes but couldn't explain them to Lupin. She couldn't tell him that they came from another world's magic tradition.
"These are from a special place Liam learned about, part of an ancient magic civilization", Hermione explained vaguely. Fortunately, wizards have a tradition of keeping their magical knowledge private, so Lupin didn't press the issue.
"Done." After drawing the last rune, Liam stepped back to check his work. "Now we can activate it."
After speaking, Liam retreated to the kitchen doorway and made a special gesture, then chanted in Asshaiyan, "Deathstorm." Hermione's eyes widened in shock when she heard it.
As the spell was cast, the runes on the walls activated, radiating a silver glow filled with an eerie silence. The three people standing at the kitchen door could see the light from the runes eventually forming a silver vortex. At the same time, they could feel a wind swirling through the kitchen, making their clothing flutter.
When the light finally faded, a spotlessly clean kitchen appeared before them. All the utensils and cookware were shining and spotless, and even the floor and ceiling looked like they had been scrubbed multiple times. In the center of the Great Hall, a pile of garbage that reached waist height was stacked, consisting of dust, decayed items, and the massive corpses of a Vixen and a Spotted Hornet of unusual size.
"Bringing you here was truly an excellent idea", Lupin exclaimed upon seeing the scene. "Even if Sirius Black and I worked together to clean the kitchen, it would have taken us an entire afternoon. Your alchemy skills are far beyond what I expected. From what I know, a wizard who can proficiently master and freely apply various runes is at the very least an excellent alchemist. If you invent some new alchemical products, you could become the youngest Alchemy Master in nearly a thousand years."
"I'm just using knowledge left by my predecessors; I'm not as impressive as you make me out to be", Liam shrugged. "Besides, using alchemy to clean the house is indeed very fast, but the only drawback is the high cost. Just cleaning one kitchen costs a Galleon and seven Sickles, not to mention my labor. So at home, I'd rather use insecticide, a cloth, and a duster to get the job done."
"Never mind that; I think I have enough gold coins to clean the entire house", Sirius Black's voice came from the stairs, and Liam saw him descending towards the kitchen, followed by a House-Elf.
Apart from a dirty, tattered loincloth wrapped around his waist, the House-Elf was almost completely naked. He looked very old, with skin that seemed to hang in excess on his body. Although his head, like all House-Elves, was bald, his bat-like ears were filled with a large amount of white hair. His eyes were bloodshot and watery, his nose was large and fleshy, resembling a pig's snout.
He followed Sirius Black, mumbling in a hoarse, low voice, "The young master is a hateful, ungrateful scoundrel, not even worthy to wipe his mother's shoes. Oh, my poor mistress, he even brought a Werewolf into the house. Poor old Kreacher, what can he do?"
At this, Kreacher looked up at Liam and Hermione, his wrinkled face showing surprise. "Old Kreacher wonders who these young master and young miss are? He has never heard of such people in Britain."
"We are just Muggle-borns, not any sort of young master or miss", Liam said, looking at Kreacher.
"Oh, old Kreacher doesn't make mistakes. What a world it has become, where scoundrels think they are Mudbloods and act so proud—"
"Shut up and get back upstairs into the cupboard", Sirius Black commanded, unable to tolerate Kreacher's rambling. Watching Kreacher grumbling as he ascended the stairs, Sirius Black looked annoyed. "He's completely mad after listening to my mother's portrait's raving for ten years."
Sirius Black then used a spell to conjure a bag and swept all the garbage in the center of the kitchen into it. He nodded approvingly at the clean kitchen. "Very well done, Liam. I'll leave the rest of the house to you. Don't worry about the materials; I'll cover all the costs."
From certain perspectives, Sirius Black was indeed a spendthrift, but doing business with him was very comfortable. He was generous and quick with his payments.
(End of Chapter)
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