After getting what he wanted, Kael didn't linger and left immediately,
but instead of returning to Ottery St Catchpole, he went to London at Sirius's invitation.
Late at night, the two of them appeared at Grimmauld Place, not far from King's Cross.
Kael was thinking about what Sirius had just said; the moment he thought of 12 Grimmauld Place, a battered door suddenly appeared out of thin air between numbers 11 and 13.
The old Black family mansion—also where Sirius was living now—was a place protected by the Fidelius Charm.
Though Fudge had promised to withdraw all the Dementors and the Aurors hunting him, Sirius still felt it was safer to stay here.
He took out his wand and tapped it against the door. Kael heard loud metallic clangs and the rattling of chains.
The door creaked open.
"Come on in," Sirius said.
Kael stepped over the threshold into a nearly pitch-black entrance hall. The room was damp, with a stubborn, lingering stench of decay.
"No one's lived here for a long time. I'm planning to clean it up properly before Harry comes."
Came Sirius's voice from behind him.
Next, Kael heard a rustling sound, then a row of old-fashioned gas lamps flickered on along the wall, casting a shimmering, unreal light over the peeling wallpaper and the threadbare carpet in the hall.
Kael touched a table nearby. His fingers instantly collected a thick layer of dust.
"It's no easy task to clean this place, and a lot of things ought to be replaced."
"Yeah, we'll take it slow," Sirius said. "I was originally planning to bring Harry here in a few days, but Dumbledore told me that rat needs a month of Resurrection Potion to recover.
Plus the upcoming trial process, there's not enough time during this holiday. We'll have to wait for Christmas, so we've got plenty of time."
With the sound of hurried footsteps, Lupin emerged from a door on the other side of the hall, striding over to them.
"Oh, Kael, I'm so glad to see you," he said with a smile.
"Me too, Professor," Kael answered.
"I'm not a professor anymore—just call me Lupin, or Moonface, if you like."
Kael was about to reply, but suddenly noticed a pair of eyes—each the size of a tennis ball—watching them from near the cabinet behind Lupin.
It was a house-elf, clearly quite old. His loose, sagging skin was bunched together, his bald head sprouted tufts of white hair from enormous bat-like ears, and his plump nose looked almost like a pig's snout.
Honestly, compared to him, even Dobby could be called a handsome elf.
"That's Kreacher, a house-elf," Sirius said. "He's gotten pretty deranged now, completely useless. Otherwise, the house wouldn't be in this state."
"Greetings, young master." Realizing he'd been spotted, Kreacher bowed, and then, in a voice everyone could hear, muttered under his breath:
"...Smells like the sewer and crime, that disgrace is back again, and besides the Werewolf, he's brought another brat into mistress's house, oh, what a shame, poor old Kreacher, what can he do..."
"Out, Kreacher!" Sirius snapped impatiently.
"Yes, young master." Kreacher bowed again and shuffled away, but kept murmuring, "Young master is a nasty, ungrateful scoundrel, broke his mother's heart, but Kreacher still listens to him..."
"Sorry about that, Kael." Sirius was trembling with anger, but still turned to explain, "He's been alone for too long, and after taking a bunch of crazy orders from my mother's portrait, he started talking to himself... went a bit mad."
"Oh, it's fine," Kael said, glancing after Kreacher and waving a hand to show he didn't mind.
"Come with me. I'll take you somewhere quiet," Sirius said. "Just try not to make too much noise, or else—"
"Bang!"
Sirius hadn't finished his sentence before he kicked over an umbrella stand and almost fell, only saved by Kael grabbing him from behind in time.
"Oh, damn..."
Lupin covered his face, looking a bit helpless.
The next instant, a horrific, spine-chilling scream flooded the entire house.
Behind them, two ragged old velvet curtains were suddenly yanked open, revealing a portrait of a hat-wearing old woman who was shrieking for all she was worth.
"Scum, slut, disgrace, shame of the family, get out of here! How dare you defile my ancestral home..."
The shrill curses were enough to shatter anyone's eardrums.
"Shut up!" Sirius reacted first—clutching his ears, he rushed over and grabbed the curtains.
At the sight of him, the old woman went pale as a ghost.
But before she could speak again, Sirius yanked the curtains closed with force.
The tirade ended, leaving an echoing, uneasy silence.
"Looks like you've already met my mother," Sirius said with a wry smile. "She never liked me—because I was sorted into Gryffindor—and after I ran away from home at sixteen, it turned to outright loathing.
But so long as you keep quiet passing here, she won't know there's anyone else around."
"I have to admit, it's livelier here than I expected," Kael said with a grin.
"I don't see it that way," Sirius replied. "Come on, let's go—quick, before she wakes up again."
Sirius led them down the corridor to a room that was comparatively clean.
It was a large space, with a grand round table in the center, looking very much like a drawing room.
"If you want to study that box, do it here," Sirius said. "This house is protected by the Fidelius Charm—you can use whatever magic you like here, and the Ministry won't know whose. At most, they'll locate Grimmauld Place and find no one home."
"Box? What box?" Lupin asked in confusion.
"Don't ask me, Moonface," Sirius said, rubbing his forehead. "Honestly, I'm even more puzzled than you.
Can you believe it? Kael just took a stroll through the Lestrange family manor and found a box hidden so deep... like it was his own place, going to the kitchen for a slice of bread."
Lupin was completely baffled.
But soon, he saw Kael actually place a box on the table.
"That's from the Lestrange family?"
"It was," Kael replied.
He didn't elaborate, just looked at the two of them and said, "If you choose to stay, remember—keep this secret, no matter what happens here in a moment. That includes Professor Dumbledore."
"Of course," Sirius nodded immediately, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Although he was still full of questions, it didn't matter... Looking at Kael, for some reason, he suddenly felt like he was back in his school days.
This was just how they used to be—secretly making the Marauder's Map behind everyone's back... It was a nostalgic feeling.
Lupin hesitated for a moment, but also nodded.
"Good, remember—absolutely keep it secret," Kael said with a grin. "Otherwise, I'll beat Harry up. You know he can't beat me."