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Chapter 488: Old Books and Horcruxes
Chapter 488: Old Books and Horcruxes
Privet Drive was always quiet, tidy, and elegant, but recently, one of the houses would occasionally erupt into thunderous roars.
"I don't—don't—I want cake! I want chocolate! I want steak—"
Dudley Dursley glared resentfully at the carrots and two lettuce leaves on his plate, bellowing at the top of his lungs.
This was followed by Petunia Dursley's screams and sobs, and then Vernon Dursley's furious roar.
Harry flinched, grabbed the two finger-length carrots from his plate, and quickly said, "I'll check if there's any mail."
He wasn’t sure if any of the three heard his excuse, but Harry wisely avoided the impending conflict, nimbly dashing out the Dursleys' front door, leaving all the terrifying sounds behind.
He casually flipped through the mailbox, placing the morning newspaper on the hall shelf, then ran all the way to the Black family manor.
As expected, the table was already laden with a delicious, steaming breakfast: thick bacon between slices of toast, fried eggs, sausages, and a bowl of black beans.
Wade, who was setting the table, saw Harry come in and asked curiously, "What did they give you for breakfast today?"
"Check this out!" Harry showed the thin carrots in his hand, then bit into one, crunching it in half.
"Is that all?" Sirius Black asked, his voice tinged with anger.
Harry shrugged. "Dudley only got two carrots as well, just a bit thicker—Aunt Petunia has never been this fair!"
"That whale of a nephew does need to lose some weight, or he'll die from obesity eventually. But you’re as thin as a cucumber. What kind of diet is this? It’s abuse!" Sirius was still furious.
Remus Lupin was more practical, adding two more slices of toast to Harry's plate. "Eat more, and there's always more if you need it."
Harry happily filled his stomach, crunching through the other carrot.
Remus watched Harry's carefree expression and smiled softly, hiding a trace of worry in his eyes. He exchanged a glance with Sirius.
Sirius didn’t hide the information he knew from Remus. Knowing that Voldemort had returned and was once again targeting Harry weighed heavily on both of their hearts.
But they didn’t let their feelings show, instead continuing to joke and laugh as usual.
"Wade, what are your plans for today?" Harry said. "Aunt Petunia forgot to give me chores this morning, so I have the whole day free."
"Shopping", Wade replied. "In a couple of days, I’ll be visiting Mr. Nicolas Flamel, and I want to buy an appropriate gift."
"Oh, shopping..."
Harry’s face contorted as if he had a toothache, and Remus’s eyes darkened for a moment.
The last time Wade had gone shopping, he had been kidnapped, casting a shadow over both of their minds.
"What are you planning to buy?" Sirius reminded him. "Remember not to get anything too expensive; it might be awkward."
"I haven’t decided yet", Wade said, looking troubled. "What magic item could I find that Mr. Flamel hasn’t already seen? Muggle gifts are certainly beautiful, but they seem to lack sincerity. I thought I’d go to Diagon Alley and see what’s available."
Since the kidnapping, the Granger couple had been more cautious, avoiding places like Diagon Alley to prevent themselves from becoming leverage against Wade.
This was also the reason for his visit today—buying a gift was better with an adult’s advice.
Harry asked, "Wade, why don’t you make it yourself? The Christmas gift you made me was amazing."
The small flying broomstick still flew around the room, and Ron had said that such a long-lasting magical toy was quite rare.
"Um..."
Wade rubbed his chin, looking a bit embarrassed.
Nicolas Flamel was a towering figure in the field of alchemy. Presenting his own work as a gift was akin to a primary or middle school student giving their homework as a present.
No matter how he looked, it seemed to be written in big letters everywhere that his skills were not up to par.
Wade stammered and shared his thoughts, and the three people across from him burst into laughter.
Harry turned to Remus and said, "Even though he didn’t mention me once, I feel like I’ve been mocked."
" Wade… Wade…" Remus said with a helpless smile, "Excessive modesty is a form of arrogance. You’re underestimating your own abilities."
Sirius, on the other hand, was much more serious. "I remember there are some rare books on alchemy in the basement of our house. Even Nicolas Flamel might not have seen them. You can take a look."
After a brief rest following dinner, the group moved on to Grimmauld Place.
The Black family manor was no longer the dilapidated place it once was. Now, it looked ancient yet tidy, with Kreacher, wearing a new tea towel, bowing to welcome the guests at the door.
Though he still looked down on werewolves, half-breeds, and Muggles, the house-elf had learned to treat Wade and the others differently after everything that had happened.
He diligently brewed hot tea for everyone, even adding an extra sugar cube for the two minors. As Kreacher carried the tray out, he suddenly noticed Sirius leading the group down to the basement, and his face contorted slightly.
"Prodigal… the young master is a prodigal… Is he planning to give away the Black family’s centuries-old collection? No! Kreacher must protect the Black family’s property! Kreacher… Kreacher must stop him…"
The house-elf paced back and forth for a moment, unable to resist the sense of duty instilled in him from a young age. Holding the tray, he ran toward the basement.
As an ancient wizarding family, the Black manor naturally had some hidden rooms.
For example, at the end of the hallway, the basement appeared to be just a kitchen, with a cupboard that hid Kreacher’s nest. But if you tapped the bricks next to the kitchen in a specific pattern, a hidden door to a secret library would appear.
When Kreacher ran down with the tray, he saw that Wade and the others had no intention of emptying the library.
Harry curiously wandered through the corridor, admiring the ancient books but not wanting to take any of them.
Remus Lupin was reading a magical notebook about werewolves.
As for Wade, he found the book he was looking for and promptly cast a duplication spell.
Kreacher hurriedly stopped, his face breaking into a polite smile as he distributed the tea.
When he reached the last cup, he noticed that his master was unusually quiet. Kreacher quickly walked over and saw Sirius holding a strange book bound in human skin, his expression terrifying.
The look on his face reminded Kreacher of the old master’s fury when he was still alive.
The house-elf felt a bit afraid and timidly called out, "Young master… would you like some tea?"
Sirius glanced at him, put the book back, and ordered, "Kreacher, you are not to approach these books or read from them ever again."
Kreacher wouldn’t have read them anyway. He replied softly, "Yes, young master… Regulus used to say the same thing…"
"Regulus?" Sirius was taken aback, then realized, "Of course, he knew… He must have read it…"
Sirius’s handsome face was a mix of regret and sorrow.
As he walked out from between the bookshelves, he couldn’t help but recall Regulus’s expression from back then—
"Sirius, what are you doing here?"
Sirius closed his eyes, dispelling the phantom image from his mind. He walked past the bookshelves and saw his godson, blowing on his teacup with a contented look.
A word from the book vividly surfaced in his mind—
[Horcrux].
(End of Chapter)
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