The Butcher of Hogsmeade

"Fiercefire." Sirius was momentarily stunned upon seeing the ghostly blue flame, muttering softly; he deliberately suppressed not only his voice but also his breathing, as if afraid that even the slightest noise would disturb the tiny flame.

Influenced by Sirius Black, Shen Hou held his breath and dared not ask any questions, only watching Dumbledore continue to operate.

As the wand moved, the flame gradually approached the locket, from a foot to seven inches, from half a foot to a millimeter; the moment the flame touched the metal chain, molten metal began to drip down continuously.

"What powerful fire." Shen Hou had only a superficial understanding of magic, but he still had a basic understanding of physics; the metals used to make pendant chains generally do not have low melting points, yet this small cluster of flames was able to melt and liquefy the chain in an instant, demonstrating its immense power.

Shen Hou wasn't the only one who sensed the power of the blue flames; the pendant box itself did too. As the chain melted, the box began to tremble violently, like an animal reacting instinctively to its predator.

The locket is just as helpless as the house-elf trapped in the magic was before; no matter how much it shakes, it cannot escape Dumbledore's magic, nor can it stop the Fiend's relentless advance.

Dumbledore's gaze deepened, his expression gradually darkening, his eyes growing ever more resolute; the flames of Fiendfire suddenly leaped upwards, engulfing the entire locket. The next moment, a piercing scream rang in the ears of everyone present, a scream filled with extreme pain and resentment, as if a demon from hell was uttering the most vicious curse upon humankind.

Kreacher covered his ears tightly, huddled against the railing, trembling with fear; Shen Hou and Sirius also frowned, almost wanting to cover their ears, but quickly realized that the sound was not coming from the outside, but from their hearts, and covering their ears would be useless.

The locket was launching a psychological attack on everyone present, with the house-elf, considered the most timid and having previously experienced the greatest emotional turmoil, suffering the most damage.

Understanding this, the two young men looked at the raging Fiendfire in unison; they saw a ferocious face roaring angrily and struggling in the flames, but all its resistance was futile under Dumbledore's Fiendfire Curse, and the features of that face were gradually turning into smoke and dissipating into the air.

Not long after, the screams and curses disappeared, and the locket vanished as well. With the extinguishing of the eerie blue flames, the once exquisite locket turned into a pool of molten metal, scalding a large section of the wooden floor near the stairwell.

Kreacher stared blankly at the pool of charred metal that had melted and then gradually cooled. He felt neither anger nor sadness at the destruction of Black's old house. Instead, after a brief moment of stunned silence, he let out a joyful cry, laughing and crying at the same time. He lay down beside the charred floor, banging his head on the ground, shouting in a hoarse voice over and over again, "Young Master Regulus's wish has been fulfilled! Fulfilled!"

After crying for an unknown amount of time, the house-elf slowly got up and bowed deeply to Dumbledore again: "Kreacher doesn't know how to thank you, Mr. Dumbledore."

"Tch..." Sirius Black scoffed, his tone dismissive. "When you were with my parents, didn't you always call them 'traitors to wizards' and 'puppet masters of Muggles'? And now you're all about Mr. Dumbledore?"

Kreacher blushed, his face wrinkling red as if blood were rushing up his skin to the tips of every white hair in his face and ears.

Dumbledore glanced sideways at Sirius, ignoring him, and instead crouched down to meet the house-elf's gaze, asking gently, "Kreacher, do you remember what Regulus told you—to keep it a secret from everyone?"

"Yes, Kreacher remembers, but Mr. Dumbledore figured it out himself."

"That's right, I've figured it out, and others may figure it out in the future, but those people may not be on Regulus's side," Dumbledore solemnly reminded him.

"So... what does Dumbledore want Kreacher to do?"

There is no doubt that the old wizard who helped fulfill Regulus's last wish has gained the trust of the house-elves.

Dumbledore placed a hand on Kreacher's shoulder and said calmly and solemnly, "From today onward, you will continue to carry out Regulus's orders and keep it a secret from everyone; even if someone else guesses what happened in the future, like me, you must insist that you know nothing. You did not accompany Regulus to that cave, nor do you know where Regulus went or what happened to him; from now on, your only task is to take good care of Mrs. Black for Regulus... and Sirius. Do not ask about, participate in, or speak of anything else."

"Can't we all say?" Kreacher looked around at the three people present, seemingly puzzled, as there were already quite a few people in the know.

Dumbledore emphasized, "None of you can say. Regulus gave you this instruction to protect the Black family and Mrs. Black, otherwise they would face Voldemort's severe retribution. I can assure you, the three of us will also keep Regulus's secret."

The house-elf shuddered at the mention of Voldemort's name. The Dark Lord's power extended beyond the wizarding world; it encompassed all intelligent beings within the magical realm.

"Kreacher, remember this. I swear I will never leave Black's old house, never leave the mistress's side; and I will never speak of Master Regulus to anyone other than Dumbledore." The house-elf wiped away his tears and solemnly made his vow.

"Thank you, Kreacher," Dumbledore said.

The three lingered at Black's old house for another half hour, listening to Kreacher recount how Regulus discovered the secret of the cave and how he switched the locket, before bidding farewell and leaving.

Before leaving, Sirius seemed to want to say something to Kreacher alone, but the house-elf completely ignored him; even Shen Hou received a barely perceptible nod from Kreacher, but Sirius was completely ignored, and finally left with a belly full of resentment.

Back at their starting point, Shen Hou's safe house, Sirius, who had been quiet for a while, suddenly asked Dumbledore, "Is it possible for us to salvage Regulus's reputation?"

"What are you trying to say?" Dumbledore asked, his face showing no surprise.

"I was thinking, Regulus died fighting against the Death Eaters and Voldemort, right? Although you never told us what that locket was, it must have been very important to Voldemort?" Sirius seemed to have overcome his psychological barrier and began to call Voldemort by his title.

"It is indeed very important. I cannot give you a precise answer yet as to what that locket is, but there is no doubt that it is an extremely terrifying dark magic artifact meticulously crafted by Voldemort, which could potentially give Voldemort a huge advantage in battle."

"Therefore, Regulus died to resist Voldemort and weaken his power; he should not have died bearing the name of a Death Eater and being regarded as a coward."