Chapter 94 Kreacher's Redemption

Certainly! Here is the translation:

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*Cough, Cliché, we won't be using that panel on the wall anymore,* Regulus said awkwardly. *From today onwards, even if your lifespan comes to an end, we won't be hanging your head on the wall anymore.*

*Ah?* Cliché seemed a bit disappointed and said in a high-pitched voice, *But... but Cliché's greatest dream is to have his head cut off and stuck on that panel like my mother's. It's the highest honor for a house-elf of the Black family!*

Regulus rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit embarrassed as he noticed Dracula watching from behind.

*Cliché, actually, this practice of cutting off house-elf heads is not good,* he tried to explain to Cliché. *It's disrespectful to you and irresponsible.*

*Master Regulus, did Cliché do something wrong? Are you dissatisfied with me?* Cliché continued to speak in his unpleasant voice, sounding aggrieved.

Then, he seemed to suddenly think of something and jumped up.

*I got it! Master Regulus must be blaming Cliché for not destroying that damn locket!* he shouted loudly.

With that, he rammed his head against the nearby fireplace, hitting it while painfully chanting:

*Bad Cliché! Stupid Cliché!*

*Stop it, Cliché!* Regulus shouted.

Cliché stopped his actions due to his instinct to obey orders.

*Listen to me, Cliché. I'm not blaming you at all,* Regulus squatted down to Cliché's level and looked him in the eyes. *It's normal that you couldn't destroy something belonging to the Dark Lord.*

*Now, give me that locket, and I'll find a way to destroy it.*

Cliché looked at Regulus's sincere expression, and tears welled up in his eyes.

However, in the next moment, his expression suddenly changed, and he took a few steps back.

*No, your aura is different from Master Regulus's!* he cried out loudly, trembling as he spoke with great determination, *Master Regulus is dead! You must be an imposter sent by the Dark Lord trying to steal the soul container Master Regulus sacrificed his life for!*

*I will never give that locket to you!*

With those words, he wiped away his tears and vanished with a *bang*.

Regulus looked at the scene in shock, feeling a deep sense of helplessness.

*Mr. Dracula, is my body as a corpse... really no longer myself?* he said sadly. *I never imagined that even Cliché wouldn't recognize me.*

*The aura of a corpse is indeed different from that of a wizard. It's normal for a house-elf to be suspicious,* Dracula came over from beside the tapestry and said. *After you and your mother passed away, Cliché's actual master should have become your brother, right? There's no longer a master-servant contract between you.*

*Moreover, he saw you die in that cave with his own eyes, and you had repeatedly urged him to destroy Voldemort's horcrux. He would naturally be very cautious about this matter.*

*You should be happy that your house-elf is still maintaining the necessary vigilance!*

*But if Cliché doesn't recognize me, how can we retrieve the Dark Lord's horcrux?* Regulus asked worriedly. *Didn't you tell me that the Dark Lord might come back at any time?*

Dracula did not respond but instead walked to where Cliché had vanished.

*Even though I've seen it quite a few times, I still have to say that house-elf Apparition is much more interesting than wizard Apparition,* he said with a light laugh.

Then, Dracula extended a hand and began to carefully search the air, as if looking for something.

When his hand touched the height where Cliché's shoulder had been, his eyes suddenly lit up. He thrust his hand into the air—

Dracula's long fingers seemed to pierce through the space and disappeared from the Black family's living room. Then he pulled back his fingers from the other side of space with a slight effort.

In his hand was the wrinkled neck of a house-elf with an ugly face.

It was Cliché, who had just Apparated away!

Cliché looked at the familiar living room, still a bit dazed.

But the next second, he was thrown out by Dracula.

*Regulus, has your house-elf not had a bath for decades?* Dracula said with distaste, slapping his hands and glancing at Regulus. *Cliché is covered in mud, especially in the folds of his skin. I suggest you give him a good wash later!*

At this moment, Cliché finally came to his senses and got up from the floor of the living room.

*You... you are an evil demon. You shouldn't be in the Black family!* he said with fear and horror in his eyes.

At the same time, he shivered and took two steps back, intending to Apparate away again.

Seeing this, Dracula raised his hand and Cliché was instantly bound to the floor by an invisible force, unable to move even a bit.

*You two demons, kill me!* Cliché, realizing he couldn't resist, closed his eyes and said resolutely, *Even in death, I will not hand over the item Master Regulus sacrificed his life for!*

Looking at Cliché's *noble sacrifice*, Dracula smiled and looked at Regulus.

*Your house-elf says you're a devil!* he said with a smile.

Regulus shook his head helplessly and approached Cliché, crouching down.

*Cliché, I really am your Master Regulus,* he said softly to Cliché. *Open your eyes and look carefully. Can you truly not recognize me? This would make me very sad.*

Cliché had no intention of opening his eyes, but tears continued to flow down his cheeks.

*I saw with my own eyes... Master Regulus is dead. He was dragged into the lake by countless corpses... It's all my fault, I couldn't save Master Regulus...* he sobbed loudly. *But even though he's dead, you still don't let him rest. You even use your despicable, vile, and ruthless appearance to impersonate him and deceive others with the things he sacrificed his life for...*

*... I will not let you succeed!*

Regulus smiled helplessly, sitting cross-legged on the ground, and looked down at Cliché's ugly face.

*Well then, Cliché,* he said gently, *I'll sit here and tell you about the stories of my life and what we've experienced together. Maybe it will help you stop doubting my identity.*

Without waiting for Cliché to respond, Regulus began to recount his past stories.

He spoke with great care, as if he were not telling the stories to Cliché but slowly trying to recover his fading memories of life.

*I remember, I was the youngest child of my parents, and I had a rebellious older brother. From a young age, my rebellious brother liked to go against my father and mother, and even after he started at Hogwarts, he broke the Black family tradition by joining Gryffindor.*

*I knew my parents were angry with my brother and had high expectations for me, so I tried my best to obey them and live as they wanted me to. Because I knew, that would make them happy.*

*Later, I also entered Hogwarts and, living up to my parents' expectations, joined Slytherin. In my second year, I became the Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team and defeated the Gryffindor team thoroughly. This made my Gryffindor brother very embarrassed.*

*When I told my mother this news, she was very happy for a long time and would always use it to tease my brother whenever she saw us. My parents also told him that 'Regulus is a better son than him,' and I've always been proud of this.*

Cliché's overwhelming tears gradually stopped, and he listened attentively.

*Everyone knows these things; you can't prove you're Master Regulus with these stories.* he mumbled, though his inner doubts were beginning to waver.

*Then fine,* Regulus said with a gentle smile, *I'll tell you some lesser-known things.*

*I've always admired the Dark Lord since I was young, agreeing with his ideals of pure-blood supremacy. And I did quite well, even receiving a Dark Mark personally granted by him before graduating. After graduation, I naturally joined the Death Eaters. I was proud of it.*

*But later, I realized I was still too young. The reality of being a Death Eater was completely different from what I imagined...*

*At first, I thought Death Eaters wouldn't torture Muggles and Muggle-born wizards like they did later. Everyone followed the Dark Lord just for their own bloodlines and power. But later, I found that under the Dark Lord's influence, everyone became cruel, extreme, and violent... I didn't realize this was wrong, but I didn't have the courage to resist.*

*What truly made me decide to betray the Death Eaters was the moment the Dark Lord tried to kill you.*

Regulus looked at Cliché with a somber tone.

*You respected my orders so much that, because I told you to remember to come home after completing the Dark Lord's task, you used your last bit of strength to return home... Cliché, I'm sorry for pushing you into that abyss.*

*No, Master Regulus, you didn't...* Cliché