Privet Drive had always been quiet, tidy, and elegant—but lately, one particular house had been erupting with earth-shaking roars.
"I don't—I won't—I want cake! I want chocolate! I want steak—!"
Dudley Dursley glared resentfully at the carrots and two lettuce leaves on his plate, and shouted at the top of his lungs.
Immediately afterward came Petunia Dursley's shrieks and sobs, followed by Vernon Dursley's furious yelling.
Harry shrank his neck, grabbed the two finger-length carrots from his plate, and hurriedly said, "I'm going to check if there's any mail."
Whether any of the three actually heard his excuse was unclear—either way, Harry wisely avoided the impending family explosion and nimbly bolted out of the Dursley house, leaving all the terrifying noise behind.
He casually checked the mailbox, dropped the morning paper onto the stand in the entryway, and then ran all the way to the Black residence.
Unsurprisingly, the table there was already laid out with fragrant, steaming hot breakfast—thick bacon slices nestled between toasted bread, plates piled with fried eggs and sausages, and a bowl of baked beans on the side.
Wade, who was helping set the table, looked up when Harry came in and asked curiously, "What did they give you for breakfast today?"
"Behold!" Harry displayed the skinny carrot sticks in his hand, then popped one into his mouth and snapped it in half with a loud crunch.
"That's it?" Sirius asked angrily.
Harry shrugged and said, "Dudley only got two carrots as well—his were just a bit thicker. Aunt Petunia's never been this fair before."
"That whale at his house does need to lose weight, or he'll eat himself to death eventually. But you? You're already skinny as a cucumber—what kind of diet is this? That's abuse!" Sirius still looked furious.
Lupin took a more practical approach. He added two slices of toast to Harry's plate and said, "Eat more. There's plenty if you want seconds."
Harry happily filled his stomach and crunched through the second carrot stick.
Lupin watched Harry's carefree expression and smiled softly, though a trace of worry flickered in his eyes. He exchanged a glance with Sirius.
Sirius hadn't kept what he knew to himself—he'd told Lupin all about Voldemort's return and how he was once again targeting Harry. Both of them felt a heavy weight in their hearts.
But they didn't show it on their faces. Instead, they laughed and chatted like everything was normal.
"Wade, what's the plan for today?" Harry asked. "Aunt Petunia forgot to assign me chores this morning, so I'm free the whole day."
"Shopping," Wade replied. "I'll be visiting Nicolas Flamel in a few days, and I want to pick out a suitable gift."
"Oh, shopping…"
Harry pulled a face like he had a toothache, and a shadow flickered through Lupin's eyes as well.
The last time Wade went shopping, he was kidnapped in the process—leaving both Harry and Lupin with lingering anxiety about it.
"What are you planning to buy?" Sirius reminded him, "Remember not to get anything too extravagant—it could make things awkward."
"I haven't decided yet," Wade said, clearly troubled.
"Is there any magical item Mr. Flamel hasn't already seen? Muggle gifts are beautiful enough, but they feel a bit lacking in sincerity. I was thinking of walking around Diagon Alley to see if anything catches my eye."
Ever since the kidnapping incident, Mr. and Mrs. Grey had stopped making casual visits to places like Diagon Alley, to avoid becoming leverage for anyone trying to threaten Wade.
That was part of why Wade had come here today—choosing a gift was something best done with a little help from an elder.
Harry asked, "Wade, why don't you make something yourself? That Christmas gift you made me—I thought it was amazing."
The little flying broomstick still zipped around the room on command. Ron had once said that it was pretty rare for magical toys to retain their enchantment for that long.
"Well, uh…"
Wade scratched his chin, looking a bit embarrassed.
Nicolas Flamel is a titan in the world of alchemy—giving him a handmade item would be like a middle schooler handing over a homework assignment and calling it a gift.
Flamel would probably look it over and see the words "not good enough" written all over it.
Wade explained this hesitantly, and the three others burst out laughing.
Harry turned to Lupin and said, "He didn't mention me by name, but I feel like I just got roasted anyway…"
"Wade, Wade…" Lupin laughed helplessly. "Excessive modesty becomes arrogance. You're really underestimating your own skills."
Sirius, however, spoke with more seriousness. "I remember there are some rare alchemical texts stored in the basement of the Black house. Nicolas Flamel may not even have seen them. You could go take a look for inspiration."
So, after finishing breakfast and taking a short break, the group made their way to Grimmauld Place.
The old Black residence no longer looked like a ruin. Now, it appeared both ancient and well-kept. Kreacher, now wearing a newly cleaned tea towel, stood at the door and bowed to welcome the guests.
Though he still disdained werewolves, half-bloods, and Muggles, after everything that had happened, the house-elf had learned to make an exception for people like Wade.
He diligently brewed tea for everyone and even gave the two underage boys an extra sugar cube. But as he came back out carrying the tray, he suddenly saw Sirius leading everyone down to the basement, and his face instantly contorted.
"Wasteful brat… Master's nothing but a wasteful brat… Is he trying to give away the Black family's treasures again? No! Kreacher must protect the family heirlooms! Kreacher… Kreacher must stop them…"
The house-elf paced in place for a few moments, torn with hesitation, but in the end, he couldn't resist the deep-rooted sense of duty instilled in him since childhood. Holding the tray, he ran straight toward the basement.
As the residence of the ancient Black family, the old house naturally hid a number of secret rooms.
For instance, the basement at the end of the hallway appeared on the surface to be just a kitchen, with Kreacher's little den tucked away in a cupboard. But if one tapped a specific pattern on the bricks beside the kitchen, a concealed entrance to a hidden library would appear.
By the time Kreacher came hurrying downstairs with the tray, he found that Wade and the others had no intention of ransacking the library.
Harry was curiously wandering the corridor, glancing at all the ancient books, but showed no desire to pick any of them up.
Remus Lupin was quietly reading a magical notebook related to werewolves.
As for Wade, after locating the book he needed, he simply cast a Copying Charm on it.
Kreacher skidded to a stop, quickly plastered on a courteous smile, and began distributing the tea to everyone.
When he reached the final cup, he noticed that his master, Sirius, was unusually quiet today. Kreacher stepped over quickly and saw that Sirius was holding a strange book bound in human skin with a grim and terrifying expression.
That look on his face reminded Kreacher of the old master, back when he was still alive and raging through the house in a fury.
The little elf shrank back slightly in fear and asked in a small voice, "Master… would you like some tea?"
Sirius glanced at him, shoved the book back onto the shelf, and said in a commanding tone, "Kreacher, from now on, you're not allowed near this book. Don't even look at the shelf it's on."
Kreacher wouldn't have dared to read it anyway, and he nodded quietly. "Yes, Master… Master Regulus said the same thing back then…"
"Regulus?" Sirius blinked, then came to a sudden realization. "Right. Of course he knew… He must have read it…"
A complex expression crossed Sirius's handsome face—a mix of regret and sorrow.
As he stepped out from between the bookshelves, he unintentionally recalled Regulus's expression from back then—
"Sirius, what are you doing here?"
Sirius closed his eyes briefly, banishing the phantom memory from his mind. He walked past the shelves and saw his godson, calmly sipping tea and blowing on the cup with a serene expression.
One word from the book rose vividly in his thoughts—
[Horcrux]
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