Chapter 600: Unveiling Advanced Dark Magic
Chapter 600: Unveiling Advanced Dark Magic
As one of the oldest magical families, the Blacks indeed possessed an extensive collection of books, passed down through generations.
Rumors circulated that during Phineas Black's tenure as Headmaster of Hogwarts, many rare books went missing from the school library, likely taken by him and stored in the Black family residence.
However, Phineas himself never admitted to such actions, leading to numerous heated debates with his portrait.
Of course, these events occurred centuries ago, making it impossible to verify their truth.
Led by Kreacher, the house-elf, the two made their way through the entrance hall and kitchen, heading towards the basement behind the storage cabinets.
Along the way, they encountered the trio discussing their holiday assignments, along with Lupin, who shared their interest in the Black family's library and wanted to join them.
Sirius readily agreed, but Kreacher was reluctant to have Hermione, a Muggle-born witch, enter the most important part of the Black residence. However, with Sirius and Kyle's approval, he could only grumble and reluctantly continue guiding them.
The group arrived at a dark and damp basement, where Kreacher fiddled with the fireplace, causing the moldy cabinet in the corner to swing open, revealing a spacious passage behind it.
As they stepped in, torches on both sides of the passage lit up simultaneously.
"This is incredible," Harry exclaimed, "I never imagined there'd be such a hidden place here. It feels like we're on an adventure."
"It's not surprising," Ron said, "after all, the Black family has a history spanning centuries."
The corridor wasn't long, and soon they found themselves in a large room.
Unlike the basement, there wasn't a hint of mustiness, not even a speck of dust.
Bright sunlight streamed through the enchanted windows, illuminating the room, revealing nearly a hundred bookshelves filled to the brim with various books.
While not as grand as the school library, the sheer number of books in a personal residence was impressive.
"Oh my goodness!" Hermione exclaimed, "You have a library in your house!"
"This place is amazing," Lupin couldn't help but add, "Sirius, why didn't you ever tell me about this library before?"
He had lived here for an extended period, yet Sirius had never mentioned this place.
Sirius' face turned slightly red, as he himself was unaware of this hidden library.
After turning sixteen, he had moved out of the house and only recently returned.
As for his time before sixteen...
Who would study during holidays? Perhaps some would, but he certainly wasn't one of them.
However, he couldn't bring himself to say this to Lupin and Harry, so he stammered,
"Well, I forgot, you know, after spending twelve years in Azkaban, many things became hazy."
"No wonder," Lupin said.
He didn't doubt Sirius' words, as prolonged exposure to Dementors could indeed cause memory loss.
Hermione couldn't resist taking a step forward.
Kreacher, upon seeing this, reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, almost jumping up.
"Move your foot away from the floor, you..."
"Kreacher, can you do me a favor?" Before he could finish, Kyle's voice came from the side.
Kreacher's attitude changed instantly, and he respectfully said, "I'd be delighted to serve you, Master Kyle."
"How about helping me find some books?" Kyle asked, "I think you should be quite familiar with this place."
"Every book here, Kreacher knows where it is." The house-elf patted his chest confidently.
"Good," Kyle said, glancing back to ensure no one was paying attention before leaning down to whisper something in the house-elf's ear.
He then asked, "Do you have these books?"
"Yes, sir," Kreacher nodded and scurried to the farthest bookshelf.
As soon as he left, Hermione, who had been startled earlier, gathered her courage and entered the library with Lupin by her side.
She approached the nearest bookshelf, curiously browsing through the books.
Unlike the school library, the books here were clearly not subject to any screening process.
Some books from the restricted section at school, which required a professor's signature for borrowing, were now openly displayed on the shelves, easily accessible.
For a moment, Hermione's excitement made her face flush, resembling a Snorkack that had accidentally wandered into Gringotts' vaults.
Soon, Kreacher returned.
Upon seeing the library invaded by a werewolf and a Muggle wizard, he was about to protest and drive them out.
But the next second, he was stopped by Sirius.
"This is my permission, Kreacher," he said, "Don't disturb them. It's an order!"
Reluctantly, Kreacher bowed and agreed.
He didn't look at Lupin and Hermione again but went to Kyle and presented a thick stack of books.
"Thank you, Kreacher," Kyle said, taking the books.
"It's Kreacher's honor," the house-elf replied, "If Young Master Kyle needs anything else, he can tell Kreacher."
"Not for now," Kyle said.
Kreacher had brought him five books, which Kyle placed on a nearby table and started browsing.
On top was a book with an illustration of a wand with distinct knuckles.
Secrets of the Wand
Below it was,
Breaking the Wand: A Hindrance or a Help
The two books behind were also related to wands.
The recent interrogation by the Ministry had served as a wake-up call for Kyle, who, out of caution, wanted to know what kind of magic Diana had used before to counteract the Memory Recall Spell.
However, as Diana had returned to the Department of Mysteries, she couldn't teach him in the short term, so Kyle decided to search for answers in books.
He had previously told Kreacher that he needed books related to wands, and Kreacher had brought these.
But there was no rush; the Ministry wouldn't be bothering him again anytime soon. After browsing for a while, Kyle set the books aside and picked up the last one at the bottom:
This book had a brown cover with a circle of purple patterns around it, but they had faded. In the center was its title.
Unveiling Advanced Dark Magic
Kyle took only a glance before immediately covering it with another book, taking deep breaths.
He had wondered if this book, which had once been in the library and later taken by Dumbledore, might be found elsewhere.
Nicole's library in Paris might have it, but there were also magical restrictions there, preventing him from obtaining books about Dark Magic.
Initially, Kyle had planned to wait a while before asking Nicole about it, but Mr. Weasley's invitation to Number 12 Grimmauld Place suddenly sparked a question in his mind.
As a pure-blood family with a lineage of several hundred years, they must have some books related to Dark Magic, right?
So, with a curious mindset, he asked, and to his surprise, there were indeed such books here.
...
(End of Chapter)
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