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Chapter 600: Unveiling Dark Arts Secrets
Chapter 600: Unveiling Dark Arts Secrets
Being one of the oldest families in the wizarding world, the House of Black indeed boasted an extensive collection of books accumulated over generations.
Moreover, there were rumors that during Phineas Black's tenure as Headmaster of Hogwarts, many rare books went missing from the school library, likely taken by him to add to the Black family collection.
However, Phineas himself denied these allegations, sparking many heated arguments with other portraits.
Of course, these incidents occurred hundreds of years ago, and the truth was impossible to ascertain.
Led by the house-elf Kreacher, Harry and Hermione made their way through the entrance hall and kitchen toward the basement behind the storage cabinets.
Along the way, they ran into the trio discussing their holiday homework and Lupin, who shared their interest in the Black family's library and joined them on their exploration.
Sirius readily agreed, and although Kreacher was reluctant to have Hermione, a Muggle-born witch, enter the most important part of the Black residence, he had no choice but to grumble and continue guiding them, as Sirius and Kyle had given their consent.
The group arrived in a dim and damp basement, where Kreacher fiddled with the fireplace, causing a moldy cabinet in the corner to swing open, revealing a spacious passage behind it.
As they stepped inside, torches on both sides of the corridor lit up simultaneously.
"This is incredible," Harry exclaimed. "I never expected such a hidden place to exist. It feels like we're on an adventure."
"That's not surprising," Ron said. "After all, the Black family has a history spanning hundreds of years."
The corridor was not long, and soon they found themselves in a large room.
Unlike the basement, this room was not only free from any musty smell but also remarkably dust-free.
Bright sunlight streamed through magically enhanced windows, illuminating the room and clearly revealing the nearly hundred bookshelves filled with various tomes.
While not as grand as the school library, the collection was still impressive for a private residence.
"Oh my!" Hermione exclaimed involuntarily. "You actually have a library in your home!"
"This place is amazing," Lupin said. "Sirius, why didn't you ever tell me about this hidden library?"
He had stayed here for an extended period but had never heard Sirius mention this place.
Sirius's face reddened slightly, as he himself had been unaware of the library's existence.
After turning sixteen, he had moved out of the house and only recently returned.
As for the years before he turned sixteen...
Who would want to spend their holidays reading books? Perhaps some might, but he certainly wasn't one of them.
However, he couldn't very well say that to Lupin and Harry, so he stammered:
"Well, I forgot. You know, after spending twelve years in Azkaban, a lot of things become fuzzy."
"I see," Lupin said, not doubting his words. Prolonged exposure to Dementors could indeed make one forgetful.
Hermione stepped forward eagerly, and Kreacher reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, almost jumping in surprise.
"Get your feet off the floor, you..."
"Kreacher, could you do me a favor?" Before Kreacher could finish his sentence, Kyle spoke up from the side.
Kreacher's attitude underwent an immediate transformation, and he respectfully said, "It would be my pleasure to serve you, Master Kyle."
"Could you help me find a few books?
"Good." Kyle glanced back and, seeing that the others were not paying attention, leaned down to whisper something in Kreacher's ear.
He then inquired, "Do you have these books?"
"Yes, sir," Kreacher nodded and immediately scampered off to the farthest bookshelf.
As soon as he left, Hermione, who had been startled earlier, mustered her courage and stepped into the library, accompanied by Lupin.
She approached the nearest bookshelf and browsed through the books with great interest.
Unlike the school library, the books here were clearly not subjected to any form of screening.
Some books that were restricted in the school library, requiring a professor's signature for access, were openly displayed on the shelves here, easily within her reach.
For a moment, Hermione's excitement caused her cheeks to flush, and she resembled a Sniffle who had stumbled into Gringotts' vault.
Before long, Kreacher returned.
Upon seeing the intrusion of a werewolf and a Muggle-born wizard into the library, he was about to create a fuss and drive them out.
But he was stopped in his tracks by Sirius.
"I allowed them to be here, Kreacher," he said, "Don't disturb them. That's an order!"
Reluctantly, Kreacher had no choice but to bow and comply.
He turned his attention away from Lupin and Hermione and approached Kyle, presenting a stack of thick books to him as if offering a treasure.
"Thank you, Kreacher," Kyle said as he took the books.
"It's Kreacher's honor. If Young Master Kyle needs anything else, you only need to ask," the house-elf replied.
"Not for the time being," Kyle said.
Kreacher had brought him a total of five books, which Kyle placed on the table next to him to browse through.
The topmost book had a drawing of a wand with distinct knuckles.
The Secrets of Magic Wands
Below it was,
Breaking the Wand: Restraint or Empowerment?
The next two books also pertained to wands.
The recent interrogation by the Ministry of Magic had served as a wake-up call for Kyle, and out of caution, he wanted to learn about the magic that Diana had previously used to eliminate the flashbacks of the curse.
However, as Diana had returned to the Department of Mysteries, she wouldn't be able to teach him in the short term, so Kyle decided to search for information in books.
He had just asked Kreacher for books related to wands, and the house-elf had promptly delivered.
But this matter wasn't urgent, and the Ministry wouldn't be bothering him again anytime soon, so after flipping through the books, Kyle set them aside and picked up the last one at the bottom.
It was a book with a brown cover, encircled by a purple pattern that had faded over time. Inscribed in the center was its title.
Unveiling Dark Arts Secrets
Kyle took only a glance at it before immediately covering it with another book, simultaneously taking several deep breaths.
He had previously wondered if this book, which had once been in the library before being confiscated by Dumbledore, could be found elsewhere.
It might be among Nico's collection in Paris, but those books were also restricted by magic, and some of the darker tomes were beyond his reach.
Kyle had intended to ask Nico about it after some time, but when Mr. Weasley invited him to Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, a thought suddenly occurred to him.
As a pure-blood family with a lineage spanning several centuries, they were bound to have a few books related to dark magic in their collection.
So, he inquired out of curiosity, not expecting to find it here.
...
(End of Chapter)
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