"Number 12 Grimmauld Place!" I shouted, and a moment later I found myself in Sirius' old kitchen. I shook the ashes off of my robes, and looked around. The place looks good, I thought to myself. The normally grimy room was not only clean, but it was painted as well. The walls had been done in pale, gold-colored wallpaper, and there was a golden chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The sconces on the walls matched the chandelier, and as I stepped out of the fireplace, I heard the click of my footsteps echoing off the new black marble tile. But as good as the room looked, it felt like something was missing.
"Kreacher?" I called, turning in the large, almost bare room.
"Yes Master?" he replied, appearing at my elbow and bowing.
"Where's the table?" I asked, "And the chairs? And the… stuff?"
"Kreacher took all of the old furniture in the house and put it in the basement, he did," he answered proudly.
"Why?"
"Master does not like? Master said he was bringing furniture from Gringotts, so Kreacher moved all the furniture to the basement to make room," he said, his ears drooping, "Kreacher is a stupid, stupid house-elf, he is!"
"No! No," I said, stopping Kreacher before he could think to punish himself, "I was just wondering where it all went, that's all. You did a good thing, making room for the other things like that."
Kreacher perked up, and started bouncing on his toes. "Would Master like to see the rest of the house? Kreacher cleaned the whole thing, he did he did!"
"Umm… sure," I said, following him into the hallway. The entryway was tiled in the same fashion as the kitchen, and the walls were papered in silver. The severed troll's foot was gone, as was the painting of Sirius' mum. The banister was polished, and the stairs were covered in plush, black carpet. I was just about to start up the stairs when Kreacher grabbed my arm.
"Master must see the sitting room! And the study! And the potions lab!" he said, dragging me across the hall to a previously unnoticed room. He opened the door with a flourish.
"The sitting room," he said, gesturing me inside.
The sitting room was carpeted in crimson, and the walls were painted a sparkling white. There was a large fireplace to the right, done entirely in white marble, and a large picture window dressed in red to the left. The only furniture in the room was an antique white grand piano and its coordinating bench. I walked over to inspect the piano. Aunt Petunia would kill to have one of these, I thought, sitting on the red cushioned bench. The piano had obviously been custom made, because wherever the keys were supposed to be black, they were red instead.
"This was mistress's favorite room," Kreacher said quietly.
"Well," I said turning towards him, "we should put her portrait in here then."
Kreacher led me around the first floor, chatting happily the whole time. The study had rich, mahogany paneled walls, and blue and black-checkered tile. There was a fireplace here too, and another in the potions lab, which apparently had been Narcissa's favorite room in the house. It had a hard limestone floor, and white walls. There were a dozen or so counters for preparing ingredients, stone pits with grates for brewing over fire, and an entire wall of shelves for storing things. Opposite the door was a series of large windows. When asked what the windows were for, Kreacher replied, "To provide proper ventilation, of course!" I couldn't help but wonder if Snape had ever considered the idea, or if he simply preferred to smother his pupils in toxic fumes.
The second and third floor hallways were carpeted like the stairs, and the walls were papered the same way as the hall on the first floor. The library was carpeted in deep gold, and the walls were pale blue. The drapes covering the window matched the carpet. The second floor sitting room had an oak floor and white walls, "Because they would not let Kreacher carpet it or paint it any other color", and the table and chairs were still present. All of the bedrooms and bathrooms had bare floors, white walls, and were completely void of any furniture.
"You didn't finish these?" I asked, standing in the middle of the room where I'd stayed last summer.
"Kreacher thought that master would like to decorate the bed and baths," came the quiet reply.
I nodded thoughtfully. "Good idea Kreacher. The house looks great. Ready to go to Gringotts?"
"Yes sir, Harry Potter sir!" he replied, straightening his loincloth. As we walked back to the kitchen, Kreacher chattered on about what he'd been doing for the past week.
I should get him something else to wear, I mused, stepping into the fireplace, He deserves it, after all.