Chapter 363: Treasure Hunting in the Living Room
Chapter 363: Treasure Hunting in the Living Room
With a sigh from Sirius Black, Liam carefully examined the bottom of the Tapestry. He then saw a very important name: Regulus Black.
"Oh, that's my younger brother", Sirius Black bent down to look more closely at the name. Although he tried to act indifferent, Liam could sense that he still had feelings for his family, despite their severe ideological differences.
"A foolish idiot, he joined the Death Eaters", Sirius Black said, touching the name. "My parents, though not Death Eaters themselves, were fanatical supporters of the Pureblood ideology. Under their influence, my stupid brother became a Death Eater. I'm sure my parents considered him a brave little hero."
"Then, 15 years ago—" Hermione asked, looking at the date of death below the name.
"He was killed by Voldemort", Sirius Black's face was filled with disgust, but Liam could detect a hint of nostalgia in his tone. "From what I learned after his death, he was already deeply involved. He grew terrified of the things he was asked to do and wanted to quit. But you can't just submit a resignation letter to Voldemort. It's either a lifetime of servitude or death."
After saying this, Sirius Black stood up and pointed to a few names on the Tapestry. "I haven't looked at this thing in years. This is Phineas Nigellus, my great-great-grandfather, the most unpopular Headmaster in Hogwarts history. Arabella Meliflua, my mother's cousin, tried to pass a Ministry of Magic law to legalize the hunting of Muggles. And my dear Aunt Elladora, who started the family tradition of beheading house-elves when they got too old to carry trays. In short, these are the role models of the noble Black family. Freaks like me are better off staying far away."
Despite his words, Liam could still detect a hint of nostalgia in Sirius's tone. It seemed that in his younger days, Sirius Black had enjoyed family warmth. Although most of that had been eroded over time, being alone and back in his old home still stirred up some fond memories of his family.
Seeing Sirius Black's mood turn somber, Liam quickly changed the subject. "What's inside that dusty glass-fronted cabinet by the fireplace?"
"Oh, that's where we keep some family antiques and such", Sirius Black said, following Liam's finger. "Right, you're an Alchemist, aren't you? You can take a look and see if there's anything you like. You can take it all if you want. I was planning to throw it all away anyway."
As he spoke, Black pulled back the tattered curtains to let more light into the room. However, several adult Dust Mites suddenly flew out from the folds of the curtain, their beetle-like, shiny wings buzzing and their tiny, needle-like teeth bared, their small bodies covered in dense black fur, and their four little fists clenched in anger.
Seeing the Dust Mites about to pounce, Liam and Hermione both instinctively cast Shadow Blade. The creatures were sliced into several pieces mid-air.
"Very impressive wandless and silent spells. You're much stronger than I expected, especially Hermione", Sirius Black said, having just drawn his wand but not needing to use it. "But it's best not to display such magic in front of others, as it's too similar to Dark Magic."
Indeed, as a member of a prominent Pureblood family, Sirius Black could quickly identify the nature of the magic Liam and Hermione used. His warning was valuable, as most wizards in the Wizarding World would find such seemingly dark magic unsuitable for public display, especially in front of strangers.
After dealing with the minor disturbance caused by the Dust Mites, Liam focused his attention on the glass cabinet. The cabinet was covered in dust, so he only saw what was inside after opening the doors.
On a dusty shelf, various items were placed, such as a book titled Noble by Birth: The Wizard Family Lineage, which boasted about bloodlines, a batch of rusted short swords, animal claws, a coiled snake skin, and a large pile of dark, tarnished silver boxes inscribed with ancient Celtic ritual text.
"Sirius Black, your family's claim to ancient nobility might be true. Not many people understand this Celtic ritual text anymore", Liam said, holding out a silver box for Sirius Black to see.
"Hah, my father just had the silversmith copy the patterns from a book. He didn't know what the text said", Sirius Black replied with disdain. After hearing this, Liam examined the silver box more closely and indeed found that the text was a jumble of random characters, forming no coherent sentences.
"Dragon Blood, what a pity", Liam said, picking up a decorative crystal bottle with a large opal embedded in the stopper. He examined it and regretfully discovered that the blood inside had dried up, and its magical power was almost entirely lost. "But the bottle itself is quite nice. Large, clear natural crystals are rare. It can be cleaned and used to store other elixirs."
Liam began to appraise the items in the cabinet one by one, while Hermione helped categorize and place them on the carpet. Watching the two of them work, Sirius Black said somewhat boredly, "What's the point of looking at these things? Why not just throw them away?"
"Throw them away?" Liam looked at Sirius Black in surprise, holding a music box he had just identified. This music box could hypnotize anyone who heard its music. "There are many items here that can still be used. For example, this music box can be thrown at enemies to hypnotize them, potentially helping us escape a crisis. These valuable magical items are hard to come by, and you want to throw them away?"
"Well, of course not", Sirius Black quickly changed his tone when he realized the items could aid their fight against the Death Eaters. "These magical items should be kept for those who need them, but what about the rest of the stuff?"
He pointed to a large pile of porcelain items bearing the Black Family Crest, a stack of books promoting blood purity, a few silver picture frames, a large gold ring engraved with the Black Family crest, and a First-Class Order of Merlin in a dusty box.
"Unlike the honor points you two have earned through hard work, I don't see much value in this medal my grandfather bought with Galleons, or in the other items."
"If you really don't like them and want to get rid of them", Liam put down the music box and looked Sirius Black in the eye, "you could clean them up and sell them for a good price. We're facing a war, and resources are always scarce. Even a Knut shouldn't be wasted. For example, that pile of silver frames you want to throw away could buy two or three bottles of White Fresh Essence. And that First-Class Order of Merlin, which you don't value, could easily be exchanged for a useful alchemical product on the market. How can you just throw them away?"
Liam had always thought it was a waste for Sirius Black to throw away so many items, especially since the things in an old family's display cabinet were usually quite valuable.
"You're right", Sirius Black suddenly laughed, and his laughter grew louder. "If my family knew their precious collections were being used to oppose the blood purity theory they've clung to all their lives, their faces would be priceless. Liam, you're absolutely right. Let's do it."
With that, Sirius Black used his wand to clean a patch of the carpet and sat down to help inventory the items they had just cleared out. He cleaned each item as he handed it over and explained its origin, while Hermione used a quick-notation quill to write down his descriptions and attach the parchment to the corresponding items.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
