Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 84: Lady Blackthorn
One week later, the village of Trasmoz, Province of Aragon, Spain.
"They have a sense of humor, at least," Harry muttered to himself after arriving at the quaint little village in the northern part of the country.
From what Morgan found out about this town, it was accused of witchcraft many times during the Middle Ages and even got excommunicated by the Pope of the time.
There is a castle resting on a hill where they have a witchcraft museum, and every year they celebrate the Witch and Magic Fair.
"Although… now that I think about it, the Blackthorne House moved here during the late Middle Ages, so perhaps they are the reason for all those accusations," Harry said.
Despite all of that, the town appeared quite normal at first sight. It kind of reminded him of that other old town he recently visited in France.
Old houses, old streets made of cobblestone, and an old castle in the background. A few people could be seen going about their day.
None of them paid any attention to Harry. This was just because of the Notice-Me-Not Charm that Harry had placed on himself before entering.
This was a small place where everyone knew each other. A foreigner suddenly arriving would attract too much attention, and he would rather avoid that.
It was also unnecessary, as he already knew where the Blackthorn manor was.
Leaving the town on the east side was a narrow stone path that led to a massive stone house with a black roof. It was surrounded by a metallic fence.
Harry could feel some magical wards on the property, but they were quite harmless. Likely used to detect arrivals, but not to harm them.
He didn't have to wait long before the door opened and someone walked out of the house.
It was a short man with a clean mustache and bald head. He wore an elegant suit. He went up to the fence and glanced at him. "We don't receive many visits from wizards. Mister…"
"Potter," he responded. "And you are not a wizard. You work for them." There was another implication in his comment.
Spanish magical laws were not that different from British ones. Wizards are not allowed to have Muggles working at their homes, as it would put in peril the Statute of Secrecy. Thus, house-elves were typically used for that purpose.
"I am a Squib, if you must know. The previous Lord Blackthorne found me when I was a child and gave me a purpose in life. I have been the butler of this house for the past forty years. No laws were broken, Mister Potter."
"Glad to hear it. I need to speak with the current Lord," Harry said.
"Yes, we received a letter about your request. There is no current Lord in the house. But Lady Blackthorn has agreed to see you." The butler unlocked the gates and allowed him inside.
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"Please, wait here while I inform Lady Blackthorn," the butler told him after guiding him into a comfortable-looking studio.
Still, despite its looks, Harry felt like the entire house was empty and cold. He wondered how many individuals were left in the Blackthorn family, and if this Lady was not the last one.
He stood up from the couch he had been sitting on and began to look around the studio.
Other than the massive desk in front of the window, the couch, and the coffee table, there were bookshelves all around it.
Harry recognized some of those tomes. He had seen them at Morgan's shop and read many of them. But many old-looking books were completely unknown to him.
As someone always in search of knowledge, he was fascinated with learning new things. And these ancient wizard houses were a trove of knowledge that had been accumulated for many centuries.
However, most of those houses were very reclusive and would not share easily with those from outside their social circles.
Houses like the Blackthorne, which were willing to offer services to others, were quite rare.
The door of the studio suddenly opened, and someone walked in.
"I'm glad to see someone showing interest in my personal book collection. I spent much effort putting it together."
Harry turned around to face the speaker. It was a middle-aged blonde woman dressed in an elegant black robe.
But her most striking feature was her vibrant purple eyes. They looked completely unnatural and somewhat magical.
"Lady Blackthorn, I presume," Harry said.
She nodded. "Melissa Blackthorn. And you must be Mister Potter. One of my contacts in England told me that you were having issues with a book."
"It is written using a code that I cannot identify. I need someone to extract the information written in it. It's very important to me," Harry said.
"Please, take a seat." She walked around the desk and sat in her chair.
"May I see it?" she then asked.
"Of course." Harry produced the book from his robes and handed it to the witch.
She opened it up and began to examine its contents.
Harry remained in silence, letting her work in peace.
Lady Blackthorn appeared to be fully focused as she read the book. Several minutes passed before she moved her eyes away. "I have never seen any wizard or witch using symbols like these. Where did you get this?"
"That was written by Muggles," Harry revealed.
"Muggles, truly?" She looked surprised. "That just makes this even more fascinating."
"I'm glad to hear that. But what I need to know is if you can decode it," Harry said.
"Mister Potter, my family's specialty was magical enchantments. This practice requires gaining mastery over the written medium. And personally, I have always been fascinated with ancient forbidden languages. I have translated hundreds of them. If there is anyone who can do this, it would be me."
"And the price?"
"That would depend on how long it takes me," she said. "I charge a thousand Galleons for one week of my time. And I can already say that this will take me a minimum of three or four weeks, since I don't even recognize half the symbols written on this paper. I will need to do a lot of research to have a chance."
Harry sighed. Morgan was not going to like this. "Do it…"
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