The Butcher of Hogsmeade

It was Dumbledore who ultimately ended this farce; the old wizard didn't use any drastic methods, but simply pointed his wand at her, and Mrs. Black suddenly became drowsy, her head lolling to the side as she fell into a deep sleep. Her uncontrolled body slumped downwards, but before she could fall, she was lifted up by an unseen force, levitating like a ghost, receiving the same treatment as her loyal house-elf.

Seeing his mistress suddenly lose her voice, Kreacher screamed madly, scratching and clawing in the air, kicking and jumping repeatedly like a drowning man, but unable to move an inch because he had nowhere to put his weight on; his body would occasionally show signs of becoming ethereal, which was a sign that the house-elf was trying to Apparate, but it would always stop suddenly at some point and return to its solid form.

"Traitorous young master, shameless! You led thugs into my home to murder the mistress... You scoundrel, your despicable act..."

"Shut up! I order you to shut up! Mother is unconscious, I'm in charge here, I'm still your master!" Sirius shouted, almost losing his temper.

Perhaps it was the word "master" that touched the house-elf's deepest instincts, for Kreacher's voice suddenly faltered.

"Settle your mother first, Sirius," Dumbledore advised. "Where do you think you should send her?"

Sirius turned to look at his silent mother, then suddenly seemed to lose all his strength, and pointed with difficulty to the other end of the corridor: "Her room is over there, if it hasn't changed over the years."

Mrs. Black was taken back to her room and fell into a deep sleep on her bed; Sirius stayed in her room for a while before coming out. Perhaps only after his mother fell into a deep sleep could they have a peaceful close relationship, yet they were unable to communicate.

After closing the bedroom door, Sirius Black turned around, his face contorted with rage. He grabbed Kreacher by the neck and lifted the house-elf up.

"Why did Mother become like this?" Sirius asked, which was tantamount to lifting the ban on Kreacher's speech, and the insults started up again.

"That heartless traitorous young master has broken the mistress's heart; only young master Regulus could understand her, but he can never return, and Master Black has also passed away. What will become of the poor mistress! That shameless traitorous young master doesn't care about her life or death at all, only caring about hanging out with a bunch of scoundrels and living a lawless life; the mistress calls out for young master Regulus again and again, but the young master will never come back..."

As he was talking, Kreacher suddenly burst into tears, tears and snot streaming down his face like a waterfall.

"Where did Regulus go? Do you know where he is?" Sirius seized on the key information in the house-elf's words.

"Traitorous young master, Kreacher won't tell you; the mistress says that only Regulus is her child, only Regulus is the young master of the Black family..." Although she couldn't use magic, the house-elf's aged body burst forth with astonishing strength, her hands twisting back to grip Sirius's wrists, her fingernails digging deep into his flesh, blood dripping slowly from between her fingers.

"I command you to tell me where Regulus is, where he is now, whether he is dead or alive? Damn old man, how dare you disobey your master's orders? Tell me now!" Sirius seemed oblivious to the wound on his wrist, gripping the house-elf's neck, making Shen Hou worry that he might strangle the latter to death.

"Kreacher won't tell the traitorous young master, Kreacher won't say a word. You despicable traitor, shameless scoundrel, wicked child who broke the mistress's heart, get out of here with your scumbag friends!"

The master and servant were both in a state of intense emotion, hurling insults at each other like madmen.

Shen Hou looked at Dumbledore, bewildered. The old wizard sighed silently, tapped Sirius's hand lightly with his wand, and Sirius recoiled as if electrocuted, allowing Kreacher to catch his breath. The sudden influx of fresh air caused the house-elf's trachea to constrict violently, making him cough uncontrollably, which also stopped his cursing.

Taking this opportunity, Dumbledore held the locket he had retrieved from the cave in his palm and presented it to Kreacher.

"Have you seen this before?" the old wizard asked gently.

"Kreacher what..." Kreacher blurted out instinctively, but when his eyes fell on the locket, he froze completely, unable to speak for a long time, only his tears flowed more and more.

Sirius impatiently urged, "Have you seen it or not?"

"Quiet, Sirius," Dumbledore said sternly to his house-elf master.

"This is...this is..." Kreacher's voice began to sob, almost breaking into tears, "This is Master Regulus's locket..."

"You know what he did with this locket, don't you?" Sirius almost jumped up on the spot.

"Shut up, Sirius, let him talk! If you don't have the patience, get out of here," Dumbledore said sternly.

Sirius was frightened by the old wizard's stern attitude and, feeling lost and helpless, was pulled aside by Shen Hou.

Dumbledore turned his gaze back to Kreacher, his tone returning to its usual calm: "We found this locket in a secret location. You not only recognize the locket, but you also know where it was placed; Regulus put it there, and you helped him, didn't you?"

Kreacher's sobs grew louder, like a bullfrog panting in the water, yet he hesitated to answer Dumbledore's question; he reached for the locket, trying to snatch it back, but Dumbledore held onto the other end of the chain.

"Answer my question. You've been there and know what Regulus did, haven't you?" Dumbledore pressed again.

Kreacher remained silent, shaking his head incessantly, wiping tears and snot everywhere, even staining Dumbledore's sleeves. The two were locked in a stalemate, as if in a tug-of-war.

Sirius's patience was clearly running out, and his anger quickly reignited, but Shen Hou held him back tightly, preventing him from speaking with his gaze.

After waiting patiently for a moment, Dumbledore noticed that the house-elf showed no intention of speaking. As if he had guessed something, he asked again, but this time with a different question: "Is it Regulus who forbids you from telling the truth?"

Kreacher froze abruptly as he pulled the locket, sobbing as he looked at the old wizard, his large eyes filled with shock at having his thoughts guessed; his neck stiffened as if he were struggling to stop himself from nodding.

Dumbledore met the eyes of the house-elf for a moment, then suddenly sighed deeply: "Regulus is dead, right there in that place, am I right?"

This one sentence completely shattered Kreacher's psychological defenses.