Chapter 187: Cleaning?

Sirius leaned back in his chair, his feet crossed on the desk, looking completely at ease.

Taking over the Defense Against the Dark Arts class for a week each month for his good friend was something he found rare and enjoyable.

Heh~

Not only did it allow him to spend time with his godson up close, but the other students in the castle also made him feel a sense of warmth.

Sirius especially liked the Weasley twins; they reminded him of himself and James Potter in their younger days.

Unfortunately, this happy time only came once a month for a week. Sirius was considering whether, after this school year ended, he should apply to Dumbledore to take on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position permanently.

He had heard the rumors that the subject was cursed, but he didn't pay much attention to them. According to Dumbledore, as long as he resigned before the school year ended, nothing bad would happen.

The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. The Defense Against the Dark Arts office was certainly better than his rundown, messy house.

"Speaking of which, I forgot to tell Lupin, I should ask him to help me clean up..."

While Sirius was talking to himself, Lupin pushed open the door and walked in.

"Help you clean up what?" Lupin asked gently. There was a faint scar on his face, but it didn't make him look fierce. He always wore a calm and soothing smile.

"Clean up my house," Sirius said, without any sense of imposing. He jumped down from the chair and hooked an arm around Lupin's shoulder. "You know what my place is like; that old house hasn't been lived in for ages. Who knows how filthy it is inside?"

"Compared to the Shrieking Shack, which one is better?" Lupin asked with a smile.

"Of course, the Shrieking Shack!" Sirius replied as if it were obvious. "It's a famous landmark! So, how did it go this time? No one recognized you while you were there, right?"

Lupin's eyes flickered slightly before he smiled and said, "You know how long that place has been abandoned. People have long since lost interest in it. Besides, I don't howl anymore."

"True," Sirius remarked, sounding thoughtful. Then he added, "This weekend, we'll go clear out the house of those nasty pests and give it a thorough cleaning. That way, Harry can stay with us during the summer holidays."

"Sounds like a good idea."

Sirius patted Lupin on the shoulder. 

"Don't forget, it's this weekend at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. It's been ages since I was there, so I need to make some preparations first."

With a light-hearted step, Sirius walked out of the office under Lupin's gentle gaze.

After Sirius left, "Lupin's" expression darkened.

"Helping you clean up? You're something else, Sirius Black!" The disguised Barty Jr. sneered. However, this was not something he could easily refuse, or Sirius might start getting suspicious.

Though it was said to be the weekend, it was really only a matter of a few days.

On Thursday, Barty jr. received a letter from Sirius, and by Friday, after classes had ended, he arrived at Grimmauld Place.

"Number 12, Grimmauld Place."

As he thought about the address, a shabby door suddenly appeared between Numbers 11 and 13. Then, dirty walls and grim windows materialized as well, making it seem as though an extra house had suddenly swelled up, pushing everything on either side apart.

"They even used a Fidelius Charm?" Barty considered this a valuable discovery. If he could breach this hidden enemy stronghold, it would mean one less place for Sirius and the others to hide when the war broke out.

As Barty ascended the worn stone steps, he kept his eyes wide open, staring at the newly revealed door. The black paint on the door had peeled off, and it was covered in scratches. The silver door knocker was shaped like a coiled serpent. There was no keyhole or letterbox.

Just as Barty was pondering how to get inside, he suddenly heard a loud clattering of metal and the sound of chains rattling.

Then, the door creaked open.

Sirius, covered in dust, stood there, his once-handsome hair now tangled with white cobwebs.

"You're finally here!" Sirius sighed in relief, as if seeing a savior. "I've been at it all day and haven't managed to clean even a small part of the kitchen!" With a toss of his head, he walked in first.

"Come on in, but don't touch anything, I can't guarantee—"

Before Sirius could finish his sentence, Barty accidentally brushed against a piece of fabric on the wall, causing it to fall and reveal a large portrait.

"Filth! Scum! Vile and wicked spawn! Half-breeds, freaks, monstrosities, get out of here! How dare you defile my ancestral home—" A black-hatted old woman in the portrait was shrieking at the top of her lungs, her voice growing sharper as if she were being tortured.

"This is exactly what I was talking about," Sirius said, shrugging helplessly at 'Lupin' before shouting back at the portrait in an equally harsh tone.

"Shut up, you horrible old hag, shut up!"

The old woman's face went deathly pale.

"You—you wretched boy, disgrace of the family, the bane of my existence! Bringing these lowly scum into the noble and great House of Black, how dare you?!"

"I said—shut—up!" Sirius growled, punching the portrait hard, then yanked the fallen curtain back over it, silencing her. After finishing, he looked utterly exhausted, as if he had run several miles.

"I don't think I've formally introduced her before—my mother. She'd rather see me dead."

"Understandable," Barty responded empathetically, though he was referring to his own father.

Sirius leaned against the wall for a moment, seeming to gather his energy again.

He clapped his hands and instructed, "Alright, let's get back to work. I'll keep working on the kitchen. Could you clean out one of the empty rooms? That way, Harry will have somewhere to stay when he gets here. If you hear anything talking in the house, just ignore it. That's a crazed house-elf. One of these days, I'll hang his head on the wall!"

Sirius had already ordered Kreacher to help with the cleaning, but the creature had pretended to comply, only to smear a bunch of mud all over the kitchen walls right in front of Sirius. Without Kreacher's interference, Sirius might have finished the cleaning faster.

"His name is Kreacher, right?" Barty responded as he silently made his way upstairs.

The wooden staircase felt hollowed out by insects, creaking ominously underfoot as it bent slightly with each step. Despite the unsettling noise, Barty managed to reach the upper floor and opened a room, drawing his wand.

"Scourgify!"

"Reparo!"

"…"

Despite casting several cleaning spells in succession, the room remained a chaotic mess.

The dirt in many places wasn't just ordinary grime; it was left behind by various magical creatures, making it even more challenging to clean.

'It seems it will take more time to clean... FUCK YOU SIRIUS!'

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