Chapter 200: Kreacher and Regulus

Kreacher's muttering stopped abruptly.

His pale eyes bulged like those of a bullfrog as he stared at Wade, and he asked in a soft, disbelieving voice, "Master Regulus's... funeral?"

He seemed to doubt what he had just heard.

"Hey, so this guy can hear us!" Ron said irritably.

For hours, they had been struggling to clean the house while enduring Kreacher's constant insults. Ron had tried arguing back a few times, but the elf completely ignored him.

Hermione had claimed the house-elf was too muddled to understand what he was saying, which was the only thing that stopped Ron from giving him a beating.

However, the two figures in the center of attention paid no mind to Ron's remarks.

Wade wasn't here to play the role of an unsung hero. He stated plainly,

"Not long ago, we discovered the body of Mr. Regulus Black in a cave, along with a locket and a note he left behind for someone."

"We learned of his great sacrifice in resisting Voldemort, so Sirius decided to give him a proper funeral. That's why he returned here to clean up the house, and that's why we came to help."

Kreacher's jaw dropped in shock, but the mention of the locket and note immediately convinced him that Wade was telling the truth.

He trembled, his frail body shook, and he asked in a raspy voice, "Then... Master Regulus... where is he now?"

"Sirius just took him to his bedroom," Wade said. "If you'd come out a little earlier, you could've seen them..."

Before Wade could finish speaking, there was a loud pop as Kreacher vanished from sight.

Everyone knew where he had gone—to the upstairs bedroom to meet his long-lost master.

Wade stood up, and everyone stared at him in stunned silence.

"House-elves have a unique connection with the houses they serve," Wade explained. "As long as Kreacher understands the purpose of what we're doing and stops resenting or resisting us, the cleaning will become much easier."

He added, "And don't let his age fool you. He can do things far beyond what an ordinary old man could. Don't underestimate him."

"Uh..." Theo glanced at the others and asked, "Wade, how do you know he'll cooperate from now on?"

Wade raised an eyebrow and replied, "Didn't Harry say that Regulus liked him? House-elves have very pure emotions. Kreacher must have cared deeply for Regulus and would likely be willing to do anything for him."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Percy, standing on the stairs to the second floor, found himself inexplicably feeling as though he needed to look up to the second-year student standing at the entrance to the hall.

"Um... I'd like to ask something," Wade said curiously as he looked at the group. "Why didn't any of you explain our purpose here to Kreacher?"

Everyone exchanged glances.

"He started cursing the moment he showed up, so..."

"I was busy arguing with him!"

"I thought he was hard of hearing and couldn't hear clearly...."

"It's something everyone already knows—no need to repeat it, right?"

"Talking about a funeral is kind of depressing..."

"We were already swamped with all the work we had to do..."

They all offered their excuses at once, trying to prove they weren't completely clueless—just preoccupied.

Then, they all turned to look at Lupin.

—We can be excused, but you and Sirius have been here longer. Didn't you mention it either?

Lupin gave a wry smile, compelled to offer an explanation of his own.

"I thought... bringing it up would only add to Sirius's pain, so I didn't..."

Suddenly, a heart-wrenching wail echoed from upstairs, and it carried through the twisting hallways and pierced their hearts.

Lupin's voice faltered. "I'll go check..."

"I'll go too!" Harry quickly volunteered.

Lupin hesitated for a moment before saying, "Alright... Wade, will you come too?"

"Of course," Wade answered without hesitation.

Lupin glanced at the others.

"Don't worry about entertaining us," Fred said, taking the initiative. "You go ahead... we'll take a little break."

"Alright, there's some butterbeer in the kitchen—help yourselves," Lupin said quickly before heading upstairs with Harry and Wade.

As they climbed the creaking staircase, the three moved quickly. Wade barely had time to notice the dim portraits on the walls, but the severed house-elf heads mounted nearby were impossible to ignore.

Soon, they reached the fifth floor, where they could already hear the sound of Kreacher banging his head against the floor.

"Kreacher failed to carry out Master Regulus's orders... Kreacher couldn't destroy the locket..."

He sobbed loudly, smashing his head against the floor repeatedly while mumbling incoherently, apologizing to his deceased young master.

"Stop it, Kreacher," Sirius said in an unnaturally calm voice. "Tell me everything! How did Regulus die? What orders did he give you? And what's this about the locket?"

The door was ajar, and as Wade and the others reached it, they saw the dimly lit bedroom inside, where a black coffin rested.

Sirius was sitting on the floor with his back against the side of the coffin. In the darkness, his expression was indiscernible, but his eyes seemed to glow faintly with an eerie light.

Kreacher was sprawled on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. Under the force of a command, he gasped for breath and began recounting the events with great anguish—

Regulus, who once took pride in being a pureblood, had joined the Death Eaters at the age of sixteen. A year later, Voldemort demanded a house-elf for a task, and Regulus offered Kreacher.

He might have thought Voldemort only needed a servant to command and considered it an honor.

But Voldemort brought Kreacher to the cave, forced him to drink a potion, and watched as the Inferi dragged him into the water to test the security measures for the Horcrux.

What Voldemort hadn't anticipated was that Kreacher returned alive. Regulus had instructed him to come back home once the task was done, so Kreacher had Apparated back.

Voldemort had overlooked the unique nature of house-elf magic; his anti-Apparition spells had no effect on Kreacher.

When Regulus learned what had happened, he was deeply distressed and instructed Kreacher to stay hidden and not leave the house. Some time later, Regulus ordered Kreacher to take him to the cave.

This time, Regulus drank the poison himself.

He commanded Kreacher not to save him, not to tell his mother about what he had done, but to destroy the locket at all costs. However, the locket was protected by powerful magic, and Kreacher was unable to fulfill his master's final order.

When Kreacher finished speaking, he collapsed on the ground and wailed inconsolably, his face was smeared with tears and snot. Sirius sat in front of him, silent for a long time.

Wade gave Harry a gentle push.

Stunned into silence by the story, Harry stumbled forward a few steps before regaining his balance.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Harry saw Sirius, his face already streaked with tears.

Harry's nose stung with emotion, and he felt utterly at a loss for words to offer comfort. After a moment's hesitation, he opened his arms and hugged his godfather.

Sirius's face, pale and hidden from view, trembled as he clenched his fists. After a long silence, a hoarse sob finally escaped him.

Lupin sighed softly with a mixture of sorrow and relief in his heart.

He was relieved that Sirius could finally cry instead of pretending to be normal for so long.

But Lupin also reflected that he had often seen wizards use house-elves for service or sacrifice, yet he had never before seen a wizard sacrifice his own life to protect a house-elf.

Wade stood at the doorway, but did not step into the room overflowing with grief. Hearing movement nearby, he said quietly, "Remus, comfort Kreacher... I'll go notify Dumbledore."

After their last trip to the cave, Wade had sent Dumbledore a Book of Friends, allowing them to communicate directly now.

The matter of the Horcrux, real or fake, was of utmost importance, and Dumbledore needed to know immediately. Surely, Kreacher would know the whereabouts of the missing locket.

Without much thought, Lupin nodded and entered the room. Wade cast a deep look at those inside before turning and leaving.

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