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Afterwards, Tonks and Moody returned to the Ministry of Magic, while Kyle found Sirius chatting with Lupin.
"What did you say? Book collection?"
"That's right." Kyle nodded. "The Black family has been passed down for so long, there must be a lot of books here. I want to take a look."
"Well, let me think..." Sirius frowned slightly and thought hard for a long time, but still couldn't remember where the books at home were.
He did know there was a study upstairs, which was his grandfather's room, and there was probably a wall of books in it, but those were definitely not what Kyle wanted.
"Kreacher, Kreacher!" Sirius shouted loudly, clueless.
He didn't know, but he wasn't the only one here.
Soon, Kreacher, the house-elf, appeared in front of him.
"Master Sirius, Master Kyle." The elf bowed and said, showing great excitement, "Do you want to eat raspberry cookies?"
"We've already had dinner." Sirius said casually, and then asked, "Do you know where the books here are kept... Not in the study, but in a place like a library."
"Of course Kreacher knows." The elf said proudly, "The old master specifically told Kreacher to protect it no matter what. He also said that it is the most important wealth of the Black family."
Kreacher suddenly began to sob and said, "Master Regulus' favorite thing before was to go to the library. Now Master Sirius finally asked Kreacher."
A flash of embarrassment crossed Sirius's face.
To be honest, if Kyle hadn't asked, he might never have thought of looking for where the library was.
But seeing the house-elf crying, he was too embarrassed to tell the truth.
"Yes, yes." Sirius said with a wandering look, "Take us there, we want to take a look inside."
The elf glanced at Kyle, his expression showing some struggle and hesitation.
Because someone had told them before that only members of the Black family could go to that place.
"how."
Because Kreacher hadn't responded, Sirius couldn't help but frown and asked, "Can't we go?"
"Of course, no problem." The elf made a decision in his heart, "Although Master Kyle is not from the Black family, he brought Master Regulus back. Even if the old master knew, he would definitely agree.
"Kreacher will take you there right away!"
……
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 600: The Secret of Cutting-Edge Black Magic
As one of the oldest families in the wizarding world, the Black family does have a large collection of books, accumulated over generations.
There are also rumors that when Phineas Black was the headmaster of Hogwarts, many rare books in the school library were lost, and it is very likely that they were taken away by him and placed in the Black family.
But Phineas himself did not admit that he had done such a thing, and he had many verbal battles with other portraits about this.
Of course, these things happened hundreds of years ago, and there is no way to verify whether they are true or not.
Led by the house-elf Kreacher, the two walked through the hallway and kitchen toward the basement behind the storage cupboard.
On the way, they met a trio who were discussing their holiday homework and Lupin. They were also very interested in the Black family's library and wanted to go and take a look together.
Sirius naturally agreed. Although Kreacher was reluctant to let Hermione, a Muggle-born wizard, set foot in the most important place of the Black family, Sirius and Kyle both nodded, so he could only continue to lead the way while muttering reluctantly.
The group came to a dark and damp basement, and Kreacher fiddled with the fireplace for a while, and the moldy cupboard in the corner immediately popped open to the sides, revealing a spacious passage behind it.
As they walked in, torches on both sides of the passage lit up simultaneously.
"It's incredible. I didn't expect there is such a hidden place here." Harry couldn't help but say, "It feels like an adventure."
"That's normal," said Ron. "After all, the Black family has a history of hundreds of years."
The corridor was not long, and soon they came to a large room.
Unlike the basement, not only is there no smell of mold here, there isn't even any dust.
Bright sunlight poured in through the enchanted windows, illuminating the room. They could clearly see the nearly one hundred bookshelves inside, which were filled with various different books.
Although it is not as spectacular as a school library, this is after all in someone's home, so this number is already remarkable.
"Oh my God!" Hermione exclaimed subconsciously, "You actually built a library at home!"
"This place is simply amazing." Lupin couldn't help but say, "Sirius, why didn't you tell me there was a library here before?"
He had lived here for a long time before, but he had never heard Sirius mention it.
Sirius blushed slightly, for he had no idea there was such a place in his house.
He moved out of this home when he was sixteen and only returned recently.
As for before the age of sixteen.
Who would read a book when going home on vacation... Maybe someone would, but that person is definitely not him.
But when facing Lupin and Harry, he couldn't say such words, and could only stammer:
"Well, I forgot. You know, after twelve years in Azkaban, I can't remember a lot of things."
"No wonder," said Lupin.
He had no doubts, because staying with Dementors for a long time could indeed make people forget a lot of things.
Hermione couldn't help but take a step forward.
When Kreacher saw this scene, he almost jumped up like a cat whose tail was stepped on.
"Get your feet off the floor, you..."
"Kreacher, can you do me a favor?" Before he could finish his words, Kyle's voice came from the side.
Kreacher's attitude suddenly changed, and he said respectfully, "I am happy to serve you, Master Kyle."
"How about helping me find some books?" Kyle asked. "I think you should be familiar with this place."
"Kreacher knows where every book here is." The elf assured, patting his chest.
"That's good." Kyle looked back and made sure that no one else was paying attention to this side before he bent down and whispered something in the house-elf's ear.
Then he asked, "Are these books available?"
"Yes." Kreacher nodded and immediately ran towards the farthest bookshelf.
As soon as he left, Hermione, who had been frightened before, also bravely walked into the library accompanied by Lupin.
She came to the nearest bookshelf and flipped through the books with great interest.
Unlike the school library, the books here have obviously not been screened at all.
Some books in the school's restricted area that must be signed by the professor before they can be borrowed are clearly displayed on the bookshelf here, and she can take them down at will.
For a moment, Hermione's face flushed with excitement and she looked like a Niffler that had strayed into the Gringotts vault.
After a while, Kreacher came back.
After seeing a werewolf and a Muggle wizard breaking into the library, he immediately became angry and prepared to drive the two out.
But he was stopped by Sirius the next second.
"I have permission, Kreacher," he said. "Don't disturb them. It's an order!"
Helplessly, Kreacher could only bow reluctantly and then agree.
He didn't look at Lupin and Hermione again, but came to Kyle and handed him the thick stack of books in his hand as if he was offering a treasure.
"Thank you, Kreacher," Kyle said as he took the book.
"It is Kreacher's pleasure." The elf said, "If Master Kyle needs anything else, please tell Kreacher."
"Not for now." Kyle said.
Kreacher brought him five books in total, and Kyle placed them on a nearby table and began to read.
The one on top had a drawing of a magic wand with distinct joints.
The Secret of the Wand
Further down,
"Broken Wand: Restraint or Help"
The next two books are also about wands.
This surprise interrogation by the Ministry of Magic was a wake-up call for Kyle. To be on the safe side, he wanted to know what kind of magic Diana had used before to remove the curse before the flashback.
However, Diana returned to the Department of Mysteries afterwards, and there was no way she could teach him in a short period of time, so Kyle wanted to see if there was anything in the book.
He had just told Kreacher that he needed books about wands, and Kreacher had brought him these.
But there was no rush, and the Ministry of Magic would not cause him trouble again in the short term. After flipping through the books for a while, Kyle put them aside and picked up the last one at the bottom.
This is a book with a brown cover and a purple pattern around it, but it has faded. Its name is written in the middle.
"The Secret of Cutting-Edge Black Magic"
Kyle only glanced at it before immediately covering it with another book and taking a few deep breaths.
He had wondered before whether this book, which was originally in the library and later taken away by Dumbledore, might be found somewhere else.
Nico might have it in the library in Paris, but there are also magical restrictions there, and he can't get some books on dark magic.
Kyle originally planned to ask Nico later, but when Mr. Weasley invited him to number twelve Grimmauld Place, a question suddenly occurred to him.
As a pure-blood family that has been passed down for hundreds of years, the family must have a collection of several books related to black magic.
So he just asked with the mentality of giving it a try, but he didn't expect that there really was one here.
……
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 601: Changes and the New Prefect
Kyle stayed here for the next few days.
In addition to the library, the food here is also an important reason. Mrs. Weasley's cooking skills are much better than the bread and smoked sausages he eats at home.