Vid didn't know how Sirius and Kreacher talked, nor did he know how much Harry and Lupin contributed to the process.
In any case, when Dumbledore arrived in a hurry, Kreacher respectfully presented a Golden Pendant Box.
It was as big as an egg, with green gemstones inlaid to form a splendid "S," and a long golden chain attached behind.
Sirius looked at the object with an expression of both disgust and hatred. He didn't reach out to take it but gestured for Kreacher to give it directly to Dumbledore.
Lupin placed his hand on Sirius's shoulder and patted it lightly.
Kreacher held the Golden Pendant Box and asked Dumbledore with a hoarse voice, "Kreacher failed the mission… can you destroy it?"
"Of course, I swear."
Having heard Lupin explain the background, Dumbledore responded earnestly, looking down at the House-Elf with great seriousness: "I will not let Regulus's sacrifice go in vain."
Kreacher sobbed and placed the Pendant Box in Dumbledore's hands.
Dumbledore gazed at the Soul Artifact with an enigmatic expression; it remained silent in his hands, as if it were a normal object, showing no reaction.
He changed gestures and softly chanted spells that no one understood, and after a while, he said:
"Ordinary spells and attacks indeed have no effect on it, even burning it with fire or smashing it with heavy objects won't change it; Voldemort cast powerful Protective Spells on it."
Kreacher appeared somewhat anxious and glanced around.
But in this room — Dumbledore, Lupin, Sirius, Vid, Harry — no one feared the name.
Kreacher quietly puffed up his chest, trying to appear as calm as the others.
From Sirius and Lupin's words earlier, he finally understood that Regulus died because he changed his mindset and decided to resist Voldemort.
As such, Voldemort was Kreacher's enemy, he told himself he must not be afraid.
"So..." Lupin looked at Vid and asked Dumbledore, "Do we still need to use Fiendfyre?"
"Currently, Fiendfyre is an exceptionally effective method, but not necessarily the only one."
Dumbledore pondered and said: "But after Fiendfyre burns, nothing remains, and we lose the possibility of obtaining more information..."
"It seems Voldemort has certainly created more than one... but the question is, how many are there?"
The group fell silent.
Harry didn't understand. He looked around, deciding to ask Remus after it was over.
Compared to Vid, Harry always felt like he accidentally barged in. He feared that as soon as he spoke, everyone would realize there was someone who shouldn't be here, and then they'd kick him out.
Unlike Harry, Kreacher was accustomed to silence. He listened quietly from the side, occasionally glancing at the Pendant Box.
"Sirius, Kreacher." Dumbledore said: "Please allow me to study this Pendant Box for a period of time first. It may tell us many things… when it's time to destroy it, I will surely invite both of you to participate."
"Alright." Sirius said in a deep, brief voice.
Kreacher also nodded forcefully.
...
Michael and others didn't know Dumbledore had been there. They were resting in the dirty kitchen, wanting to brew themselves a cup of tea but felt utterly clueless.
Luckily, there were some Butter Beer and food that Lupin had bought from outside; everyone ate haphazardly, filling their bellies, and exchanged glances, without much courage to continue working.
Finally, Hermione stood up first.
She clapped her hands and said: "Come on, everyone! At least we need a place to sleep, right?"
"Makes sense."
Theo and Leian rolled up their sleeves, ready to work, and Neville got up to find a brush.
Michael raised his hand and said, "I'm not trying to slack off… but there's not much Cleaning Agent left in the storeroom, so I plan to go to Diagon Alley to buy two buckets..."
Fred said, "How will two buckets be enough? At least five buckets! But you probably can't carry them alone, so how about I go and help you."
"Me too..."
Several arms shot up swiftly; they exchanged glances and awkwardly lowered their hands.
Hermione said angrily: "We promised Harry we'd help! Are you trying to bail out at the last minute?"
At this moment, the kitchen door was pushed open from the outside.
"So you're all here." Vid stood at the doorway and said, "We've decided to clean out the kitchen, living room, and bedroom first, so at least we have a normal resting place, how does everyone feel about that?"
"Ahem." Michael cleared his throat and stood up, saying: "That's how it is, Vid. Fred and I need to go to Diagon Alley to buy some Cleaning Agent first..."
"Oh, that's not necessary." Vid smiled and said, "I've brought plenty of Cleaning Agents and cleaning tools, all my creations, guaranteed to be better quality than what's in Diagon Alley."
"You've brought them!" Michael exclaimed in shock, and then hurriedly lowered his voice, saying: "I didn't see them when I came in!"
He spoke while walking out of the kitchen, only to be stunned.
Lupin, Harry, and Sirius were together using Levioso, with chaotic items in the living room floating in the air, some gently bumping into each other.
Kreacher instructed the old carpet to roll itself up, while dozens of Cleaning Crabs lined up like a military unit, scrubbing the floor clean in several passes.
A crab the size of a golden retriever swallowed all the garbage, leaving basketball-sized black spheres behind.
Another small crab followed, transporting the black spheres out of the living room, piling them in the weed-filled yard.
Kreacher spread out a new carpet, and the old furniture fell onto the floor one by one. Miraculously, as they landed, the dirt on them also vanished.
Tables and chairs looked freshly varnished, clean, and tea sets and dining plates became sparkling as if meticulously polished...
Come to think of it, wasn't that just after cleaning!
At a glance, there were countless fist-sized small dolls bustling on the furniture, tirelessly scrubbing, washing, and wiping like diligent bees.
Some dolls carried marble-sized water tanks, holding spray heads, carefully spraying paint on the furniture. Inside the tanks, the varnish seemed endless, continuously spraying without a pause.
Just as everyone opened the door and stepped out, the Cleaning Crabs and dolls rushed into the kitchen, wielding little cloths and brushes to begin the next round of cleaning.
"Who'll lend a hand?" Vid let a pile of pots float up and said, "I can't handle so many things in the kitchen alone."