Sirius straightened up and led Lewis up the staircase to the second floor.
"Over there."
He pointed toward a pair of dust-covered glass cabinets flanking the fireplace.
"There are a few family heirlooms. See if anything catches your eye."
As he spoke, Sirius reached out to pull open the tightly drawn curtains.
Suddenly—
"Dammit!"
Sirius cursed.
Lewis turned his head just in time to see several full-grown Bundimuns burst from the folds of the curtains.
Their beetle-like wings buzzed furiously.
Needle-like fangs protruded from their mouths.
Their tiny bodies were covered in thick black fur, while all four little fists were clenched tightly in anger.
Caught completely off guard, Sirius's hand was immediately bitten.
"I've never seen an infestation this bad!"
Sirius growled through gritted teeth.
"What has Kreacher been doing these past ten years?!"
Lewis casually flicked out his wand.
"Consecrated Ground."
A massive anti-evil magic circle spread across the room.
Creatures like Bundimuns, being classified as dark pests, stood no chance against it.
They dropped from the air one after another like dumplings falling into boiling water.
Within seconds, every last one lay dead on the floor.
"Oh!"
Sirius applauded.
"That's an impressive spell, kid."
"If you ever decide to start an extermination business, you'll become Britain's greatest Bundimun hunter."
Lewis merely smiled.
The Consecrated Ground spell was highly effective against nearly every evil creature.
Basilisks.
Chimaeras.
Five-Legged monsters.
Voldemort...
Well...
The last one wasn't technically a creature.
Sirius laughed, then dropped heavily into an old armchair whose seat had sunk inward.
The next instant—
"Bloody hell!"
He jumped back up in disgust.
Looking down...
He quickly discovered what had startled him.
Lewis couldn't help suppressing a laugh.
Ignoring Sirius's continued complaints, he turned his attention toward the display cabinet.
The glass doors were covered in grime.
Inside rested numerous magical artifacts.
Lewis raised his wand.
"Scourgify."
The dust vanished.
He gently opened the cabinet and began examining each item.
A rust-covered dagger enchanted with a bleeding curse.
Several animal claws that appeared to belong to Inferi.
A coiled snakeskin from an African Tree Snake.
An ornamental crystal bottle capped with an opal and filled with blood, radiating an oppressive curse.
A pouch of Wartcap Powder.
A silver snuffbox that tried to bite him before nearly being blasted apart by Elemental Rebuke.
A many-pronged instrument resembling twisted wire.
A heavy keepsake box that no one could open.
A music box capable of hypnotizing listeners.
An assortment of antique family seals.
Inside a dusty case rested a First Class Order of Merlin, awarded to Sirius's grandfather for—
"Services rendered to the Ministry of Magic."
"Meaning he donated them a mountain of Galleons."
Sirius said dismissively.
"People like him cheapened the value of the award."
Lewis silently agreed.
He had no desire to be associated with that sort of honor.
Finally—
He found one of the things he'd come here for.
A golden locket.
His spiritual senses immediately detected an evil soul sleeping within.
Regulus Black's sacrifice...
The Horcrux.
Without hesitation, Lewis summoned Soulfire.
The pale flame silently engulfed the locket.
The fragment of Voldemort's soul inside was completely incinerated.
Soul Fragment +1.
Lewis put the locket back exactly where it had been.
He took nothing.
Most of the magical artifacts here were interesting curiosities rather than genuinely useful treasures.
Instead...
His attention was drawn to a violently rattling writing desk nearby.
Inside...
A Boggart was trying desperately to escape.
Lewis calmly reinforced his Mental Barrier, trapping the unfortunate creature inside a small magical dish before slipping it into his bag.
Only then did he return to Sirius.
"You didn't take anything?"
Sirius looked at Lewis's empty hands in surprise.
"Then again..."
"A brilliant wizard like you probably isn't interested in Merlin medals or old rings."
He thought for a moment.
"If that's the case..."
"There's a library upstairs."
"If you'd like..."
"That's exactly what I came for."
Apart from the Horcrux...
The library had always been Lewis's true objective.
The Black family library was worthy of one of Britain's oldest pure-blood houses.
Bookshelves stretched from floor to ceiling on every wall.
Every inch was packed with books.
Lewis's eyes immediately lit up.
He reached toward one.
"Careful."
Sirius warned.
"Most of these books are dangerous."
"Many have Dark Magic attached to their covers."
Lewis nodded.
Of course he knew.
With his current magical attainments, identifying cursed books wasn't difficult.
"Greater Arcane Sight."
The spell settled over his vision.
Instantly...
Countless magical traces became visible.
Lewis then put on the dragonhide protective gloves he had prepared beforehand.
Just as he was about to begin...
Sirius spoke again.
"Lewis."
"I have one request."
Lewis paused and looked over.
"Please..."
"If you study the knowledge in these books..."
"Use it well."
"Don't become another wizard like Voldemort."
His expression was utterly sincere.
Although he no longer fully believed Dumbledore's warnings, Sirius still felt it was his responsibility as an elder to say something.
For one brief moment...
Lewis felt like the troublesome child receiving a lecture from someone else's responsible parent.
"Oh."
"And one more thing."
"For the time being..."
"Don't teach this knowledge to Harry."
Lewis nodded.
Even without Sirius asking, he had already promised Dumbledore he wouldn't.
After casually browsing several volumes, Lewis eventually located the collection describing the Black family's methods of simplifying the Animagus ritual.
After only a brief read...
He immediately realized its value.
It would greatly improve his own research.
"Can I take the entire bookshelf?"
Lewis asked.
"Of course."
Sirius answered without hesitation.
Then he blinked.
"...Wait."
"How exactly are you planning to move them?"
Lewis smiled.
He casually waved a hand.
A familiar portal unfolded in midair.
Exactly like the one Sirius had seen in the tunnel beneath the Shrieking Shack.
A procession of towering wooden golems marched out.
Working in pairs, they effortlessly lifted entire bookshelves before carrying them through the portal.
"Lewis..."
Sirius pointed stiffly toward the doorway.
"Where exactly does that lead?"
"It's a portal."
Lewis explained.
"It connects directly to my home."
"And these are wooden golems I built myself."
"They aren't nearly as versatile as house-elves."
"They're only good for heavy labor."
Recently, Lewis had begun researching more sophisticated constructs capable of handling finer household tasks.
After all...
He wasn't planning on doing every chore personally forever.
If necessary...
He would simply hire a house-elf someday.
Even after hearing the explanation...
Sirius still found the entire scene unbelievable.
This young wizard seemed to surpass even Dumbledore in certain fields.
At least...
He had never seen Dumbledore casually open portals between distant locations.
Thinking about it that way...
Perhaps his earlier worries had truly been unnecessary.
After all, judging from what Lewis had just demonstrated...
Even without the Black family library, he would eventually invent plenty of astonishing magic on his own.
Once every bookshelf had disappeared into the portal, Sirius finally smiled.
"Now..."
"It's time to show you the real treasure of the House of Black."
He led Lewis downstairs again to an inconspicuous room tucked away in a corner of the first floor.
Opening it, however, proved anything but simple.
Lewis watched Sirius perform one spell after another.
He recited passwords.
Activated multiple enchantments.
Even offered a drop of blood.
Only then did the ancient magical door slowly unlock.
Inside...
Gigantic chests were stacked neatly from floor to ceiling.
Lewis opened one at random.
Golden light instantly flooded his vision.
If his own vault hadn't contained a similarly absurd amount of wealth...
Even he might have lost his composure.
Sirius secretly observed Lewis.
Despite facing a mountain of treasure...
The boy's expression remained perfectly calm.
That impressed him even more than Lewis's magical talent.
Every chest in the room overflowed with gold, silver, jewels, and priceless treasures.
The entire chamber had become a sea of wealth.
"They're all yours now."
Sirius smiled.
Unfortunately...
To someone possessing the Philosopher's Stone...
Ordinary gold had little attraction.
Still...
Lewis appreciated Sirius's sincerity.
He shook his head.
"We agreed that I'd take only your books and magical collections."
"But these treasures are part of my collection too."
Sirius looked genuinely confused.
"I never break my promises."
"And with wealth like this..."
"You could accomplish almost anything."
"You could become one of the most influential figures in magical Britain."
"I already am."
Lewis answered seriously.
"And I have every confidence my status will continue rising."
"Surpassing Dumbledore isn't impossible."
His confidence was absolute.
Yet after everything Sirius had witnessed today...
He found himself believing every word.
Lewis sighed softly.
"You need this money more than I do."
"Think about Harry."
"His parents left him enough to live comfortably."
"But don't you want to give your godson the very best life possible?"
After a brief pause, he continued,
"Let's compromise."
"If I ever begin a project requiring enormous funding..."
"I'll come to you first."
"You can be my investor."
At the mention of Harry...
Sirius fell silent.
After a long while, he nodded gratefully.
"Very well."
"I'll keep the fortune here."
"But if you ever need it..."
"You only have to ask."
After confirming there was nothing else he wanted inside Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place...
Lewis bid Sirius farewell...
And returned to Hogwarts.
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