The Ancient Wizards of Hogwarts

Although Bai Zi and Setsuna strongly protested against this, they were still sent to the Gryffindor common room by Professor McGonagall, and Hermione, who had been living in Slytherin for more than half a month, was also brought back. A separate dormitory was arranged for the three of them.

Hermione can teach Shirako and Setsuna about Hogwarts, and Shirako and Setsuna can prevent Hermione from being alone in Gryffindor.

In Professor McGonagall's opinion, this is undoubtedly a perfect arrangement.

As time goes by, Christmas is approaching.

Hogwarts is getting colder and colder. The nearby mountains and the roofs of the castle are covered with one meter of snow, and the lake is also covered with thick ice. The biting cold wind in the corridors invigorated the students, and they involuntarily quickened their pace, wanting to get to the warm common room or auditorium as quickly as possible.

In the auditorium, Hermione was explaining what Christmas was to Setsuna and Shirako who were working hard to cook.

After swallowing the sausage in his mouth, he took some time out of his busy schedule and asked vaguely:

“Why do wizards celebrate Christmas if they don’t believe in God?”

"If wizards celebrate Christmas, does that mean they all believe in God?"

"..."

Hermione opened her mouth, not knowing how to answer, so she could only say frustratedly: "I don't know."

She is just a Muggle, and her parents are both loyal believers of the Anglican Church, so she will inevitably be affected by it. But according to her understanding of the wizarding world, these wizards don't seem to believe in God. But as Setsuna said, if wizards don't believe in God, why do they celebrate Christmas?

Harley and Cassandra walked into the auditorium just at this time, and the former asked curiously:

"What are you talking about?"

Hermione repeated Setsuna's question, and Harley suddenly looked at Cassandra with a confused expression.

Although Harry's parents are both wizards, she grew up in the Muggle world. Although Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were very kind to her, they never told her about magic and wizards. So she doesn't even know as much about the wizarding world as Hermione does. After all, Hermione has read a lot of books.

Facing the questioning looks of several people, Cassandra immediately raised her chin proudly and said proudly:

"Wizards believe in God, but they don't believe in God, and they don't believe in Muggles' Jesus Christ. These are two different things. As for why Christmas is celebrated, it's not that wizards are celebrating Muggles' holiday, but that Muggles are celebrating it. Wizard’s Day.”

Both Harry and Hermione looked vaguely understanding. Christianity is a monotheistic religion, so ‘god’ is ‘god’ and ‘god’ is ‘god’. But for wizards, this is obviously not the case.

Harley didn't want to continue discussing this topic, so she asked:

"Are you going home for Christmas?"

Hermione nodded, and Cassandra said matter-of-factly:

"certainly."

Hermione noticed Harry's disappointment and asked softly:

"You won't go?"

Harley whispered:

"Aunt Petunia and the others are going to Strasbourg, France for a vacation. Dudley has also been left in the care of the school teachers. I don't want to disturb them."

"What are you talking about?" Ash came closer.

Harley raised her head and asked expectantly:

"Ash, will you be staying at school for Christmas?"

Ash thought for a moment and shook his head slightly:

"I have to be out of school for Christmas."

Harley was getting more and more disappointed. Then wouldn't she be the only one left in school?

"Harley!"

Cassandra pressed Harley's shoulder and said seriously:

"Wanting to come to my house for Christmas?"

"Eh? Is that okay?" Harley was a little excited.

"sure!"

Cassandra raised the corners of her mouth slightly and said confidently:

"I'll write home right away. They will definitely welcome you, Harry."

"The Malfoy family?" Ash's eyes moved slightly, but he did not stop him. Instead, he felt that this was a good opportunity.

Lucius Malfoy, as the head of the Malfoy family. He had already joined the ranks of Death Eaters when he graduated from Hogwarts in 1972, and was definitely Voldemort's most loyal subordinate.

But with Voldemort's defeat in the First Wizarding War, the vast majority of Death Eaters, including Lucius, were eager to cut ties with Voldemort. Relying on the power of the Malfoy family, Lucius finally succeeded in obtaining a pardon from the Ministry of Magic without having to bear any responsibility for it.

Now ten years have passed since Voldemort's defeat, and most wizards, including Lucius, believe that Voldemort is completely dead. Even though Dumbledore had doubts about this, he still failed to grasp conclusive evidence that Voldemort was resurrected and returned.

Of course, even if Dumbledore did have evidence, he would not make it public. After all, making the news of Voldemort's return public will only cause turmoil and panic in the wizarding world, which is not what Dumbledore wants to see.

And in the general environment of "Voldemort is dead", one can imagine Lucius's attitude.

He would not miss any opportunity to distance himself from Voldemort, and establishing a good relationship with Harry, the savior, was undoubtedly the best choice. Because as long as the Malfoy family can establish a close relationship with Harry, then they can equate "suspiciousness of the Malfoy family" with "suspiciousness of Harry as the savior."

In this way, even if someone does get caught in the future, it can ensure that the Malfoy family will not suffer too much loss.

Therefore, not only would Harry not be in danger if he went to the Malfoy family now, but he would receive the warm hospitality of Lucius Malfoy.

And if the Malfoy family is really related to Harry, then Lucius will have to think carefully if he wants to turn to Voldemort. Even if Lucius really had that intention, he still had to consider whether Voldemort would trust him. Otherwise, even if Voldemort is willing to accept him, he may be used as cannon fodder.

Of course, such contact is just an introduction after all, and cannot have a decisive effect.

But if someone adds fuel to the flames, this introduction may not be enough to move the lever.

As for Ash, he was originally going to be the one to add fuel to the flames.

As for how to reasonably add fuel to the flames, we really need to find a reasonable excuse.

Ash was thinking, and suddenly he raised his head thoughtfully. An owl flew towards him and dropped a letter to him.

Ash opened the envelope and found the contents on the letterhead:

"My dear grandfather,

I sincerely invite you to have dinner with me at 12 Grimmauld Place on Christmas Day,

My life is like a candle in the wind, it will be extinguished at any time,

This may be the last holiday we can spend together, so please be sure to come.

Yours respectfully,

Signus Black III. "

You see, someone gave me a pillow as soon as I fell asleep.

——

December 23, early morning.

Hogwarts looks empty today, because except for a very few students who choose to stay in school, most students, including Hermione, will go to Hogsmeade Station and take a special train to King's Cross Station in London. Their parents will be there Waiting for them there.

"Don't we have to go there?

Outside Hogwarts Castle, on the snow-covered lawn, Harry waved goodbye to Hermione and asked softly.

Malfoy smiled and said:

"No, father said he would come to pick us up in person."

As soon as they finished speaking, they suddenly saw a huge golden light spot in the sky flying towards the castle.

When the golden light came closer, Harry saw clearly that it was a golden carriage as big as a house, pulled by eight huge silver-maned horses with golden wings!

"What is that?" Harley asked in surprise.

"A kind of Pegasus, probably..."

Cassandra was a little confused. She knew it was a Pegasus, but she didn't know what kind of horse it was because she had never seen it before.

A calm voice sounded in their ears:

"The rune horse, Miss Cassandra is right, it is a type of Pegasus."

Harley raised her head and sounded a little surprised:

"Professor Snape?"

Snape nodded slightly and said calmly:

"Hello, Miss Harley."

As they spoke, the carriage had landed on the snow not far in front of them.

Snapped!

The carriage door was opened, and a blond man wearing luxurious clothes left the coachman's seat and walked towards them.

Cassandra shouted softly:

"Father."

Lucius asked in a gentle tone:

"Cassandra, how are you doing at school?"

Cassandra looked a little surprised, because it was not like her father could say this. She even suspected that someone drank polyjuice potion and pretended to be her father!

Lucius didn't pay attention to his daughter's surprise, and turned his gaze to Harry aside, with a kind smile on his face:

"I assume you must be Miss Halle."

Harry was a little cautious and whispered:

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy, thank you for the invitation."

"It doesn't matter, you and Cassandra are friends, this..."

Lucius still smiled and greeted gently, but Snape interrupted him and said calmly:

"Lucius, let's get in the car first."

"All right."

Lucius had no choice but to sit in the driver's seat himself, and Snape did not enter the carriage, but sat outside with him.

In the carriage, Harley lowered her voice and asked:

"Is Professor Snape coming with us too?"

Cassandra explained:

"He was friends with his father, maybe just passing through."

As she spoke, she lowered her voice and reminded:

"This carriage does not belong to our family. It must have been rented from somewhere else. Harley, you have to be careful."

"Why?"

Harley asked a little confused.

Didn't she go to Cassandra's house? Why be careful?

Cassandra said in a serious tone:

"Because he was never like this before, and he never spoke so kindly to us."

"Have you forgotten what Ash said? Being courteous for nothing is a traitor or a thief! He must have other plans for you!"

Harry hesitated to speak. She suddenly began to wonder whether Cassandra was Mr. Malfoy's biological child.

——

With a slight crackling sound, Ash's figure appeared outside a public house in Hogsmeade.

And then, Setsuna and Baizi also appeared beside him.

Ash opened the door. The room was very small and empty. There were no tables, chairs, bed cabinets, or anything that could be called furniture. There was only a cold one on the left side against the wall, connected to the flying Road network with fireplace.

Because the purpose of this 'floo room' is to allow any wizard to use the floo network here.

Ash took out a small box containing shiny floo powder and ordered:

"Setsuna, you come first."

Setsuna grabbed a handful of Floo powder from the box, sprinkled it on the neatly stacked logs in the fireplace, and read aloud:

"Diagon Alley!"

boom!

Green flames immediately burst out in the fireplace, and Momo's figure disappeared under the flames.

Baizi followed, then Ash.

When they reappeared, they were in an empty house.

Opening the door, there is an alley paved with cobblestones.

Ash identified the location and walked straight towards the south side of Diagon Alley, where there was a small and shabby store with a gold-lettered signboard reading 'Ollivander'.

Ash opened the door, looked at the old man at the counter, and asked:

"Mr. Ollivander, are you finished with the wand I asked you to make?"

"Oh, Mr. Black! Of course, please wait."

The old man looked surprised. As he spoke, he took down two long boxes from the shelf nearby, opened them carefully, and sighed softly:

"To be honest, I have always thought that wands made with werewolf hair are not very effective. Only those wand makers in North America who have no choice will use werewolf hair as the core. If you and Dumbledore hadn't insisted over and over again, I wouldn't have done it at all. Can’t make these two wands.”

As the most prestigious wand maker in old Europe, Garrick Ollivander has his own dignity and the pride of the Ollivander family. The Ollivander family has been making wands since 382 BC and has a history of wand making for more than two thousand years.

Over the course of two thousand years, members of this family have personally tried every magical creature available as a wand. After countless experiments, they concluded that only three materials made the wand core meet Ollivander's manufacturing standards, namely unicorn tail hair, dragon heart nerves and phoenix tail feathers.

The cores of the wands produced by the three major wand makers in Europe are basically these three types of wands. In only a few cases, they will use other magical materials as the wand cores at the customer's customized request.

Compared with old Europe, North America has neither unicorns, fire dragons, nor phoenixes.

They can only use local materials to make wands from materials of native magical creatures in North America, such as thunderbird tail feathers, cat leopard hair, White River Monster back spines, and wetland werewolf hair.

Garrick Ollivander also tried to use these four materials to make rod cores, and quickly came to the conclusion:

The tail feathers of the thunderbird can be used as a lower replacement for the tail feathers of the phoenix, but are better than the heart nerves of the fire dragon, while the cat and leopard hair can be used as a lower replacement for the heart nerves of the fire dragon. In North America where unicorns, phoenixes and fire dragons cannot be found, these two are indeed the best choices for making wand cores.

As for the remaining two materials, White River Monster back spines and wetland werewolf hair, Ollivander's evaluation is: completely inferior materials.

So when Ash asked him to make a wand from werewolf hair, Ollivander even felt it was an insult to him - until Dumbledore wrote to him personally explaining the situation, he reluctantly agreed to help make it.

The old man handed two long boxes containing wands to the two girls beside Ash respectively. Baizi and Setsuna took out their wands from the long boxes and waved them gently, causing the top of the wand to release a holy and bright light.

The wand has no objection to them, because this wand is made from their own hair.

"Incredible, really incredible!"

The old man exclaimed repeatedly that it was indeed a magic wand made by him. But seeing Ash wanting to leave, he quickly shouted:

"Mr. Black, please wait."

Ash asked:

"Is there anything else? Mr. Oldfan."

The old man pointed to a small door at the back and said softly:

"There's someone waiting for you behind."

Ash looked puzzled and opened the door with confusion. What he saw was a spacious living room.

Two old men were sitting on the sofa in the living room. One was Dumbledore, who was tall and bushy-bearded. The other old man was wearing white clothes. He even looked older than Dumbledore, and his skin was even more transparent. A sickly pallor.

Dumbledore saw Ash entering the living room, smiled and introduced:

"Mr. Black, let me introduce to you. This is my friend, Nico Flamel, the owner of the Philosopher's Stone."

"But I think you should have known each other a hundred years ago."

Ash looked at the old man next to Dumbledore with a sad expression.

Nico Flamel is the oldest wizard in the UK and the world.

To the uninitiated, this old man should be a powerful and mysterious being. But when Nico Flamel stood in front of Ash, Ash could clearly feel Nico Flamel's vulnerability.

Yes, vulnerable.

This old man who has lived for more than six hundred years has become extremely fragile!

Nico Flamel stood up from the sofa carefully, with a smile on his face and tremblingly stretched out his palm towards Ash:

"Long time no see, Mr. Black."

Ash shook hands with Nico Flamel and sighed softly:

"Monsieur Flamel, your health is worse than when I saw you a hundred years ago."

"I think so."

Nico Flamel's smile remained the same, and he said softly:

"So I originally planned to end my life in the past two years. For me, living is a huge pain."

For many people, immortality is an unattainable luxury.

However, for Nicolas Flamel, who has achieved immortality, the longer he lives, the more painful he will be.

Because the legendary magic stone that can provide immortality is actually not that magical. It can only provide 'immortality' but not 'immortality'.

‘Immortality’ indeed gave Nico Flamel a lifespan far beyond that of ordinary people, but his body was always aging. Almost all of the common geriatric diseases that are common in ordinary people exist in Nico Flamel.

To take the most obvious example, osteoporosis.

The elderly generally suffer from osteoporosis. This disease causes their bone density to decrease and their fragility to increase, making them more likely to fracture than ordinary people. At the same time, this disease is also accompanied by chronic pain, reduced mobility, and even the slightest carelessness. Can cause severe disability.

The disease osteoporosis has been worsening in Nico Flamel for hundreds of years, and his bone density has been declining!

Now, even if he just shakes hands with others, he can hear the clearly visible sound of fractures. This is why Ash didn't dare to shake hands with force, because he was afraid of crushing Nico Flamel's bones.

What's more, it's not just the bones in Nico Flamel's hands that are fragile, but the bones in his entire body. This caused him to dare not make any large movements at all. When he walked, he only dared to walk half the distance of his feet with each step, which resulted in him having to use a 'running' method to move forward when walking. And even just moving a distance of three to five meters can make Nico Flamel out of breath.

If he accidentally fell one day, all the bones in his body would be shattered and he would never be able to stand up again.

Although magic can repair his damaged bones, the premise is that someone can find him when he falls and cast magic on him in time, otherwise Nico Flamel is likely to accidentally fall to death when he gets up early one morning. .

It can be said that the longer Nico Flamel lived, the more painful his life became. If not, Nico Flamel would not have thought of committing suicide. But after all, he has lived for more than six hundred years, and he has long been indifferent to life and death. He is far less afraid of death than ordinary people.

Ash had actually met Nico Flamel a hundred years ago.

At that time, he used the excuse of "investigating ancient magic" to approach Nico Flamel, but his actual purpose was the Sorcerer's Stone. But when Ash saw Nico Flamel's state, he gave up on using the Philosopher's Stone to gain immortality.

Because the magic stone is only 'immortality', not 'immortality', there is an essential difference between the two. Moreover, the 'Elixir of Life' made from the Magic Stone does not take effect permanently after drinking it once. Instead, the 'Elixir of Life' made from the Magic Stone needs to be taken regularly every month, even every week, and every day.

In Ash's opinion, surviving on the magic stone is no different from the walking dead.

Compared with the Philosopher's Stone, the Phoenix's rebirth is more reliable.

Of course, Voldemort thought so too.

He just hoped to regain his body through the Sorcerer's Stone, and immortality relying on the Sorcerer's Stone was unacceptable to Voldemort.

Dumbledore changed the subject and chuckled:

"I thought we could talk about something lighter."

"For example, the Philosopher's Stone."

Ash immediately said:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Flamel, it's my fault."

"No no no."

Nico Flamel waved his hand and said with a smile:

"Like I said, I originally planned to end my life in the past two years. The Philosopher's Stone no longer means much to me. I'm actually very happy that it can help you."

"Besides, this is why I came to see you this time."

Nico Flamel took out a pink stone from his pocket, handed it to Ash tremblingly, and whispered:

"Actually, Dumbledore and I have discussed whether we should find a way to destroy the Sorcerer's Stone. But I always feel that it is a pity, because even I can't create a new Sorcerer's Stone, so I hope Dumbledore I can keep it for you.”

"But after Dumbledore told me about you, he and I have always believed that you are the most suitable person to keep the Sorcerer's Stone."

Ash took the magic stone and asked:

"Are you sure you don't need to keep it a little longer?"

"Don't worry."

Nico Flamel smiled: "We saved some elixirs, enough to take care of the rest. For me, death is like going to bed after a long day..."

His tone was a little emotional, even a kind of liberated satisfaction and comfort.

Ash didn't try to persuade him any more. He lowered his head to look at the magic stone in his hand and asked doubtfully:

"It seems that part of its magic power has been restored?"

"right."

Nico Flamel nodded slightly and explained: "The magic stone can automatically absorb the surrounding magic power, so as long as the magic stone is placed in an area with abundant magic power, its recovery speed will also be accelerated. Of course, you have to find it yourself. .”

Ash's eyes moved slightly, because this reminded him of ancient magic hotspots. Isn't that thing equivalent to a high-concentration magic source?

Dumbledore said with a serious expression:

"Mr. Black, I have to remind you. There is a dangerous dark wizard who has been trying to get the Philosopher's Stone, so you'd better not let anyone else know that you have the Philosopher's Stone!"

Ash immediately understood Dumbledore's thoughts, nodded gently and said:

"Of course, I don't want to get into trouble."

Prior to this, Dumbledore took the initiative to expose the Philosopher's Stone in his possession in order to protect Nico Flamel. Let the dark wizard who is trying to get the Philosopher's Stone focus on him, and let him bear the responsibility and danger.

But now that the Philosopher's Stone is in Ash's hands, Dumbledore still doesn't want this matter to be exposed.

Apparently, Dumbledore was fishing.

The fish that was caught was undoubtedly Voldemort.

Now the entire wizarding world thinks that Voldemort is dead, and only a few people, led by Dumbledore, think that Voldemort is still alive. But they still had no evidence and could not find where Voldemort was.

Therefore, the easiest way is to wait and wait for Voldemort to come to your door! ——

As the ancestral home of the Black family, No. 12 Grimmauld Place is indeed a good house. But Ash wasn't going to stay here for the night until Kreacher had cleaned it up completely.

And Ash is not that picky, as long as he has a place to live.

So he opened a luxury suite at the nearby Brown Hotel in London and planned to make do for one night.

The next morning, Ash opened his eyes due to strange movements in his lower body.

He lifted the quilt and instantly huddled in his quilt like a hamster, with his mouth stuffed and his cheeks bulging like a hamster's.

Ash grabbed the girl's furry ears and asked helplessly:

"Setsuna, what are you doing here?"

"Morning darkness, Master Yin~" He was busy eating the tail and was enjoying himself. He slowed down a little and said inarticulately, "I'm replenishing my magic power."

Ten minutes later, Setsuna raised her head, puffed out her cheeks, and swallowed her own hair.

Ash patted the girl's head and said softly:

"Go and rinse your mouth. We'll go down for breakfast later."

"oh."

In an instant, he nodded obediently, stepped on the warm carpet with his furry soles, and walked towards the bathroom.

Ash was about to leave when the door was pushed open again.

This time it was Bai Zi.

Before Ash could get out of bed, Bai Zi had already climbed onto the bed with his bare feet and was riding on Ash.

"Bai Zi, what are you going to do again?"

Ash sighed and asked helplessly.

Bai Zi's voice was very soft, but his tone was very firm:

"Master, I also need to replenish my magic power."

The girl stared at Ash closely, as if asking, 'Setsuna can do it, but I can't? ’

——

Maybe it's because the winter in London is too cold, or maybe it's because the hotel bed is too soft, or maybe it's because after washing up, I returned to the room and found that Ash and Bai Zi hadn't gotten up yet, so they excitedly joined the queue of heroes. The reason is that although they had woken up long ago, they still waited for more than two hours before they successfully got rid of the seal of the quilt.

The three of them took a shower, and then enjoyed a not-English-style but hearty and delicious breakfast in the hotel restaurant.

Then he hailed a taxi on the side of the road and headed to Grimmauld Place.

At this time, the time was approaching noon.

When Ash returned to 12 Grimmauld Place, the place still looked a bit rundown.

But at least there is no unpleasant rancid smell in the air, and the carpet that was originally blackened by dust has returned to its original silver-green color. The portraits hanging on the walls on both sides of the porch have disappeared, revealing the silver-gray satin walls.

But it seems that Kreacher did not faithfully carry out Ash's orders, because there is still a huge portrait on the wall, covered by moth-eaten and moldy curtains.

When Ash gets closer, the damp and moldy curtains suddenly fall off, revealing the witch-like old lady with a vicious face in the portrait.

That was Sirius's mother, Walburga Black, a classic Black.

"Bastard! Bastard! You have tarnished the glory of the Black family! You bitch! How dare you bring a mudblood to tarnish my ancestral home? Shame, this is the shame of the family! You actually want to move me to the dark basement Go, I am the master here!"

Her screams became more and more harsh, and she waved her claw-like hands, wanting to rush out of the painting and strangle them with her own hands.

Ash watched her performance quietly, not getting angry because of her words.

The essence of ghosts is that they are transformed into souls after death. In a sense, they can still be regarded as the continuation of the wizard's life.

But portraits are different. Portraits are essentially a kind of ‘magic AI’, and the characters they display are all derived from their owners.

Under normal circumstances, most wizards will let their portraits inherit their good sides in order to leave a good impression on future generations. For example, in the portraits in Hogwarts Castle, they are usually very easy to get along with and treat others well.

But the portrait of Walburga Black is obviously not like this. She perfectly inherited the meanness and viciousness of her master, without any intention of leaving a good impression on future generations. This is certainly because the portrait inherited the character of Walburga Black. On the other hand, it also reveals that Walburga's mental state in his later years was infinitely close to that of a madman.

"Owner."

Kreacher, who heard the noise, suddenly appeared in the porch, holding a rag in his hand and looking pale.

Ash pointed at the portrait and asked calmly:

"What's going on? Kreacher."

Kreacher said nervously:

"I'm sorry, Master, Mistress Walburga has placed a permanent sticking spell on her portrait. I can't remove it..."

Ash frowned, took out his wand without hesitation, and pointed it at the portrait:

"Evanesco!"

Snapped!

With a soft sound, the portrait disappeared together with the wall behind it, leaving only a neat square gap.

If you can't take it off, then don't take it off.

Ash glanced at the moldy curtains on the ground and ordered:

"Kreacher, throw away all the moldy curtains in your house, as well as the furniture. Throw away anything that is unused and worthless!"

While most things can be made new again with Restoration, Ash doesn't want to keep them.

After a pause, Ash asked again: "Also, I know you are deeply influenced by Walburga, but this is the past. Don't be in front of me from now on... No, no matter if it is in front of me or not Don’t use insulting words like ‘Mudblood’ to anyone in front of you!”

"Yes, Master." Kreacher nodded quickly.

Ash glanced at the rag on Kreacher's body that was still black after cleaning, and frowned:

"Kreacher, I asked you to keep your house clean, and you do the same! Get yourself a clean sheet before lunch, preferably white."

Seeing Kreacher's expression become horrified, Ash added:

"Remember, it's sheets, not clothes!"

Kreacher immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said hurriedly:

"Okay, Master!"

Ash asked:

"Has the second floor been cleaned?"

Kreacher said cautiously:

"Not yet, Master. I only cleaned the first floor and basement. There are too many foxes upstairs. It will take a while to clean them..."

Unlike fairies, which are very popular in both the wizarding and Muggle worlds, although foxtails are similar creatures to fairies, they have always been considered a pest by the wizarding world. This is partly due to the ugly appearance of foxtails, but also due to their danger.

In the Ministry of Magic's classification of magical animals, fairies are level 2X, while foxes are level 3X, which is the same danger level as hippogriffs.

Also known as the 'biting fairy', this creature is covered in thick black hair and has two extra arms and legs. Hu Meizi has shining wings like a beetle and two rows of sharp fangs, making her extremely aggressive. Even if a wizard is bitten, he must take the antidote as soon as possible, otherwise his life may be in danger.

It is precisely because of this that it is not so convenient to clean up this kind of creature.

Ash threw him a bag of gold Galleons and said:

"Go to Diagon Alley to buy vixen killer. You can also buy new ones for the discarded furniture. Signus will come over in the evening, and you can also buy some ingredients for the dinner."

After a pause, Ash warned seriously: "Remember, no matter what you do, you must be clean!"

He still vividly remembers the chaos in the Hogwarts kitchen 100 years ago.

Although under his 'dissuasion', the house elves at Hogwarts had already corrected this bad habit. But for Kreacher, Ash still had to remind him emphatically.

Although he only had one afternoon, as a house elf with a lifespan of hundreds of years, Kreacher made full use of all the magic he had learned in his long life to keep this house that had been abandoned for several years in order. .

The damaged stone steps outside the house and the originally peeling walls were repaired by magic, making them look smooth and tidy, as if they had been polished. The originally dark and dirty windows on the wall have also been given a new look, not stained by any dust.

And the green curtains that were once eaten by insects and full of holes, and that the foxes had called home, had been discarded together with the corpses of the foxes, and were replaced by the ones just bought from Diagon Alley, dotted with stars. dark blue curtains.

A Christmas tree covered with silver frost stands in the living room, covered with shining golden stars and crystal icicles conjured by magic. The walls and ceiling are covered with hanging flower ribbons composed of holly and mistletoe.

Snowflakes slowly fell from the ceiling, a product of magic. It does not make the room cold, but warm and dry. It disappears the moment it touches the floor and leaves no trace.

Kreacher, wrapped in a white sheet, was busy in the kitchen preparing dinner, and from time to time he could be heard humming happily.

If there's anything else that Ash is dissatisfied with here, it's that the kitchen and dining room of this house are in the basement where they don't see the light of day - this is probably a 'good' tradition inherited from Hogwarts and Slytherin .

However, at Ash's request, the dining room has been moved to the living room, and the sofa originally placed in the living room has been thrown away by Ash.

Anyway, this house is his now and he can do with it as he wants.

The dining table in the living room is filled with sumptuous food, filling the living room with the strong and tempting aroma of cooking. Setsuna stared at the plate of steak on the table, swallowing from time to time.

"If you want to eat, you can eat first." Ash looked at her look a little funny.

"no!"

Bai Zi immediately put on a serious face and insisted:

"We have to wait for the master to eat together!"

Ash touched Bai Zi's hair and said with a smile:

"You can eat a little first, there is no conflict between the two."

Instantly, his heart moved, and his little hands subconsciously grabbed the knife and fork on the table.

Pu!

Suddenly, a green flame burst out in front of the fireplace, and the flame eventually turned into an old man on crutches. His face is very pale, and his face is covered with age spots that cannot be concealed. He does not look like he is fifty years old, but more like an old man who is eighty or ninety years old and is on the verge of death.

The moment Ash pressed his teeth to threaten, he asked:

"Signus?"

"Yes."

The old man nodded calmly and said with emotion:

"In terms of seniority, I should call you grandfather."

He walked to the dining table with a cane, sat on Ash's right hand, looked around the brand-new house, and said in wonder:

"Kreacher did all this alone? No wonder my cousin always says that as long as Kreacher wants to, he will be able to do things that will surprise you. But..."

Signus asked hesitantly:

"I don't seem to see anyone else?"

Ash said calmly:

"If you mean the portraits, most of them are in the basement."

"basement?"

Signus smiled bitterly, shook his head, and asked:

"Since you said most of them, I think there should be exceptions, right? For example, great-grandfather?"

"Yes, and Walburga."

"elder sister?"

Signus said in surprise: "I thought you wouldn't like her."

Ash said calmly:

"True, no one likes a crazy old woman who yells at you every time you come home. But she had a permanent sticking spell on her portrait, so I had to make her disappear along with the entire wall. .”

"The disappearing spell..."

Signus realized what had happened and was silent for a long time. He whispered:

"It's not entirely her fault."

"As the heir of the Black family, she has always been extremely proud of her identity and very persistent in the family's rules. But for such a person, who would have thought that her children and husband would die earlier than her? And in the same house Year."

"In the last few years of my sister's life, she was so crazy that even I didn't dare to see her."

"I think you can understand, right? It's hard for anyone to accept such stimulation."

There was a hint of sadness in Signus's eyes, feeling sad for his sister.

She was so loyal to her family that she even personally expelled the unfilial son from the family and even deleted his name from the family tree.

Fortunately, compared to the rebellious eldest son Sirius, the younger son Regulus has always been the pride of the family, maintaining his loyalty to the family and abiding by the rules. Walburga has always regarded Regulus as the perfect heir to the Black family, and the entire family is proud of Regulus.

Unfortunately, Regulus died in mysterious circumstances, and even his body could not be found.

Walburga was devastated by the loss of her son, and her husband died in the same year. The double blow directly drove Walburga completely crazy and refused to interact with anyone.

Signus believes that his sister deserves sympathy.

He thought Ash would sympathize and feel guilty for his actions towards Walburga's portrait.

However, when he looked at Ash, he realized that Ash's expression had not changed at all from beginning to end, and it was terrifyingly calm.

Ash met Signus's gaze and said calmly:

"You don't need to tell me this. I'm not interested in what happened to those in the family. Just like Regulus, if he had not joined the Death Eaters, all this tragedy would not have happened at all! In the end, everything is caused by oneself. .”

"Everyone must bear the consequences for the choices they make. This is an eternal truth, and they do not deserve sympathy."

Signus was a little hard to accept and couldn't help but ask:

"Do you really have no feelings at all?"

"Feelings?"

Ash sneered:

"In the past one hundred years, you have made the wrong choice almost every time! Whether it is Grindelwald or Voldemort, you have been on the side destined to lose every time."

"If it weren't for its heritage as a pure-blood family, the Black family might have died out decades ago."

"The only feeling you can give me is to make people laugh."

"As long as you make a successful choice, the Black family will not end up like this!"

"And you have to figure it out, Signus."

Ash said in a cold tone: "You are begging me now not to play those little tricks of yours."

Signus looked at Ash blankly, not frightened or shocked, but suddenly realized something——

Although Ash was different from any Black he had ever known, he was certainly a Black!

Cold, selfish, and calculating.

This is the excellent tradition engraved in the bones of the Black family!

"Haha...cough..."

Signus suddenly laughed so loudly that he coughed.

He took a breath and said respectfully:

"Of course, Grandpa, you are the master of the Black family."