Kasenhis rubbed his chin. "What's this got to do with me?"
Hermione gave him a discreet push, and only then did he react. "Oh, right, right, here I come."
He casually patted the sofa he was sitting on. "Muggle brand. They even made mattresses for the Queen."
Then he stood up and absentmindedly ran his hand along the wallpaper on the wall. "William Morris founded his company in 1861, so it's not even a hundred and fifty years old yet. Still older than Dumbledore, though. Worth some praise."
"And as for Grimmauld Place... let me think. I studied this when I was in school... It was built starting in 1815. And Kreacher saying this place was built around the Black family? Not quite right. The central point of Grimmauld Place was actually the Grimmauld Church. Number Twelve was originally built by Muggles—though it seems the Black family snatched it up later."
"How do you know all this?" Hermione whispered.
"I saw the square's architectural plans in the library back in school," Kasenhis replied casually.
"So, if what you said is true, Mr. Kreacher, that this building represents the history and glory of the Black family—then at most, their history and glory spans..." Kasenhis trailed off and subtly patted Hermione beside him.
She rolled her eyes and muttered something in his ear under her breath, "Hush.. hush.. hush.."
After hearing Hermione's calculated answer, Kasenhis finally spoke in one breath: "Only one hundred and seventy-eight years old—and that's counting from the day Grimmauld Place broke ground, not the day it was completed. And definitely not from the day this particular building fell into the hands of some Black ancestor... honestly, if we go by that, you could probably shave off another thirty or forty years."
"Hahaha! That's it! A house that's barely over a hundred years old—it's not even as ancient as the Malfoy family's castle... So what are you all still sitting around for? If you see anything you like, just take it. Otherwise, it's just going to end up with the next tenant anyway," Sirius said breezily.
"Sirius.. Master... do you really care so little for the glory of the Black family?" Kreacher asked mournfully.
"A bunch of lunatics and Dark Wizards—what glory?" Sirius scoffed. A moment later, he turned his head slightly to glance at Kreacher again.
"I'm the one who owns this place, and even I don't care. I don't need a house-elf pitying me—or the Black family."
He walked over to a nearby wall where the family tree was painted.
Crouching down, he grabbed a lifted edge of the wallpaper and suddenly tore the entire thing down in one go. "Throw this trash out later—don't want to scare the next tenant."
"That's your family tree though, Sirius. Isn't that a bit..." Lupin hesitantly pointed out.
"What of it? The few people I liked on there were already scorched off. The rest—I'm already being generous by not hating them," Sirius said casually. "And why are you lot still standing around? If you like something, go grab it. Take a page out of Kasenhis' book... He's already started stuffing the sofa into his ring."
"..."
"..."
At that moment, everyone finally noticed that a significant chunk of the large leather sofa in the living room had disappeared.
"....Why are you all looking at me like that? Do you think sofas from this brand come cheap? Sirius is throwing money around—you guys better start grabbing stuff!" Kasenhis paused for a second before quickly explaining.
Harry and the others looked a little embarrassed. After all, they were still kids—not quite at that shameless adult level yet.
But with their Professor Kasenhis setting the example, they too began their so-called "search," which was really just a casual exploration.
"Hey! Kasen, wait up!" Sirius, seeing Kasenhis taking the entire coffee table, hurried after him. "Thanks for earlier, really."
"You're not mad that I tore into the Black family's so-called dignity?" Kasenhis replied casually.
"What's there to be mad about? Everything I said just now, I meant it. It's a family made up of lunatics and Dark Wizards—what honor is there in that?" Sirius said, perfectly candid.
"Mhm. So you're planning to buy a place on Privet Drive? Any idea what kind of décor you like?" Kasenhis asked.
"Hmm... just your typical English countryside style is good. I really like that." Sirius answered thoughtfully.
"You, a pure-blood young master, actually like countryside style?" Kasenhis asked, a bit surprised.
"Because James' house had that vibe back then. When I first visited, I fell in love with the decor," Sirius admitted.
"I always thought that style felt really cozy," he added with a bit of embarrassment. "Unlike this place or even Hogwarts—both feel cold and stiff. But James' house, it really felt warm and welcoming."
"Mhm, kind of like Hufflepuff?"
"Brighter than Hufflepuff."
"I meant the vibe."
"Yeah, that."
"Have you found a renovation company yet?" Kasenhis asked again.
"..." Sirius's brain short-circuited for a second. "Why don't you do it?"
"Give me the floor plan!!"
"...I haven't actually bought the house yet."
"Let me know when you do!"
"No problem."
The group continued walking and looting as they went—though to be fair, the looting was mostly done by Kasenhis and Lupin—until they stopped in front of a rather eerie-looking wall.
"Woah. So, what are you planning to do with all these?" Kasenhis asked, staring at the wall covered in mounted house-elf heads.
"Set the whole thing on fire," Sirius said succinctly.
".....Eh? Sirius, your flooring's actually pretty nice," Lupin commented, squatting down at some point to examine the smooth, polished floor beneath them.
"...Can you not be ridiculous? If you rip up my floors, how am I supposed to sell the house?"
"Speaking of selling the house… has this place ever been registered with the land bureau?" Kasenhis suddenly asked.
"...What land bureau?"
"Who are you planning to sell this house to?" Kasenhis rephrased.
"To Muggles, why?"
"Oh... nothing, let's just keep exploring," Lupin quickly interjected, casually stepping behind Sirius and giving Kasenhis a quick wink.
"Oh..... alright then, let's go."
_________
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