Chapter 49 - Found It
After our formal greetings with Lord Black, Sirius clapped his hands once, like he had been waiting the whole time for this part.
"Right then," he said brightly, "come on. Let me show you the house. Properly, this time."
Harry and Dudley perked up instantly. Kreacher stepped aside without a word.
We followed Sirius out of the study and into the main hallway.
To call it a hallway was almost an understatement. It felt long, narrow, and dark, with polished wood floors and wallpaper that belonged to another century. Lamps glowed faintly along the walls. A large umbrella stand shaped like a troll's leg stood in one corner. Dudley stared at it for several seconds.
"It's real," Sirius said casually. "Well, it used to be."
Dudley took a step away from it.
Sirius laughed.
He led us toward a huge tapestry covering one whole wall of the corridor. I had seen parts of it before in the books, but seeing it here felt different—grand, old, heavy with history.
"This," Sirius announced, "is the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black."
Names and dates twisted across the ancient fabric, branches spreading like a tree. Nearly all the names had a dark burn mark over them except a few.
Dudley whispered, "Why are some of them burnt?"
"They were blasted off," Harry answered softly. "For being… not good enough, I think."
Sirius nodded. "Disowned. Anyone who married a Muggle, supported the wrong people, refused to follow pureblood rules… off they go. See that one? That's my mother's favourite pastime."
He pointed at his own name.
"My proudest memory was that, burned off with a perfect black hole. Now Grandfather had put me back so it has been mended." he added dryly. "And before me he reinstated Andromeda too. A miracle from Merlin."
Sirius guided us next into the drawing room. It was much cleaner and tidy than when I first visited. Kreacher must have been working very hard because everything looked great now. The room still held the tall cabinets filled with dark silver instruments, some humming faintly, others ticking without a rhythm.
"These belonged to several of my ancestors," Sirius explained. "Mostly used for… questionable purposes. Nothing dangerous now. Mostly."
Harry nudged one of the cabinets with his elbow. Something inside clicked in reply.
Sirius clicked his tongue. "Oi, careful. Some of these things recognise movement."
Harry stepped back at once.
Sirius grinned. "Relax. I'm joking, maybe."
We moved into the dining room after that. The long table looked like it could seat a whole crowd of wizards. The chandelier overhead was old and glittering. Dark portraits watched silently from the walls.
Dad muttered, "Feels like a museum."
"It is a museum," Sirius replied. "A museum of bad decisions."
Dudley snorted loudly, and everyone jumped.
Next, Sirius took us upstairs. The stairs creaked under our feet, and the air grew slightly heavy with magic the higher we climbed.
"This floor has old bedrooms," Sirius said. "Including mine."
Harry leaned forward eagerly.
He opened a door to a narrow room with faded Gryffindor posters. A red-and-gold banner hung above the bed. Old schoolbooks were stacked on one side of the desk.
"This is where I spent most of my time pretending I wasn't a Black," Sirius said, half-smiling. "This room drove my parents mad. Best decision I ever made. Now everything torn has been mended and broken things repaired. But I still keep it like this to let me re- live my school years."
Harry stepped inside slowly, eyes wide. "This feels like something from stories."
Sirius laughed. "I suppose it is."
He pushed open another door across the hall. Inside, there was a room with green wallpaper and neatly arranged books. A small silver plaque on the wall read Regulus Arcturus Black.
"This was my brother's room," Sirius said quietly. "He was a little complicated."
None of us spoke. Even Dudley stayed silent.
We went up another flight of stairs, heading higher into the ancient house.
"This floor," Sirius announced, "has the room we do not open."
Dudley immediately said in fear, "Then let's not open it."
"It's not dangerous," Sirius assured. "Just… unpleasant. My parents' old room."
We passed quickly.
The top floor was dusty, empty, with a few old cabinets. Sirius pointed at the ceiling.
"And above this is the attic, where Doxy nests used to be. Kreacher cleared them out last year. Do you want to try your luck and see if something is still there?"
Dudley shook his head instantly.
Sirius laughed again.
We went back down to the kitchen, the largest room in the house. The long stone table, the ancient stove, and the massive fireplace made it feel like an old castle kitchen. Surprisingly, this was the warmest room we had visited.
"This is where we actually sit," Sirius said. "Grandfather likes this place. It's grounded."
Dudley nodded slightly in agreement. The warmth probably helped him calm down.
Harry tugged at my sleeve and whispered, "This feels more like a home."
It did.
Sirius sat on one of the chairs. "The house isn't perfect. It's old, stubborn, and full of memories I'd rather burn. But we're fixing it. Bit by bit."
He looked at Harry, Dudley, and me.
"And you lot make it feel less heavy."
Dudley smiled shyly. Harry beamed.
We spent a moment listening to the crackling fire. Even Kreacher appeared at the doorway for a second, watching us like he didn't know whether to scold or join.
Sirius clapped his hands again. "Right! That's the tour. Now, who wants to see the hidden storage rooms with the cursed books?"
Dud immediately said fearfully, "No."
Sirius paused. "Alright then. Tea first."
Harry and Dudley cheered.
Everyone was busy looking around the house, its rooms, and all the history behind them. I was also paying attention but was more busy looking for one thing, the Slytherin's locket.
I had caught a faint glimpse of that same foul magic again. I felt it when Sirius opened the room opposite his own, Regulus's room. It was only for a moment but it was enough.
"Found it." But I kept it in mind and spoke nothing until the tour ended.
When we finished, Sirius was laughing with Harry and Dudley. They were joking about the troll-leg umbrella stand. I stood a little apart, thinking how to approach the topic. As I was considering what to say, Sirius glanced at me.
It seemed he was not as careless as he pretended. He must have kept an eye on me the whole time. His laughter faded, and he grew calmer as he sensed my seriousness.
"What's the matter, Arthur?" Sirius asked. "Is something wrong? You seem to have something on your mind."
"Yes," I said. "There is something. I was thinking how to tell you. Maybe, we should go to Lord Black's study first."
Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Very well, if you think so." He turned to Harry and Dudley. "Come on, you two. We're heading back to Grandfather."
End of Chapter 49 - Found It