Harry Potter and the Great Old Ones

Chapter 223 Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place
The streets of London are usually quiet during Christmas. Unless absolutely necessary, most Britons prefer to stay at home and enjoy the happy time of unwrapping presents with their families.

A Chinese boy, dressed in a robe that looks rather strange to modern eyes, walks down a street in northwest London.

"Tiera," or Sirius, walked along, glancing around nervously.

"Stop looking."

As Sirius passed by a shop window, his reflection in the window suddenly laughed and said:

“I’m right here with you. Just go to number twelve Grimmauld Place. I’ve already taken care of things there.”

Then the reflection in the shop window returned to normal.

Sirius Black was startled and tightened his grip on his wand.

It's only a 20-minute walk from King's Cross Station to Grimmauld Place 12, but Sirius took 40 minutes—

Because Sirius Black took a slightly different route, wandering around Grimmauld Place once more, however—

No, not a single Auror. It was as if the Ministry of Magic had suddenly had a change of heart and decided to give all the Aurors a holiday. Apart from the Muggle kids playing and having snowball fights, Sirius Black couldn't see a single wizard in the entire block.

"How did you do that?" Sirius asked, standing in front of a window. "Why aren't there any Aurors?"

“This shouldn’t be within your scope of consideration, right?” said Tiera in the reflection, then the Tiera in the reflection returned to normal, and then—

A portal of light appeared in front of Sirius Black.

Tiera emerged from the portal, draped in a bright red gown and holding a huge, mysterious book in her hand.

“Let’s go, take me there.” Tiera waved her hand as she spoke.

Sirius Black felt a sharp pain all over his body; the cracking sounds of his bones breaking and the churning of his flesh came from within him. A few seconds later—

Sirius Black's reflection appeared in the window, wearing an oversized Hogwarts uniform.

“I also used Transfiguration to make your clothes a little bigger,” Tiera said. “Don’t forget to change them back at the Black mansion.”

"How did you do that?" Sirius Black asked, straightening up after the initial pain subsided. "That mirror, and the potion you gave me."

“That’s not something you need to worry about,” Tierra said. “Times have changed, and you have no idea how far the technology in the magical world has advanced.”

"But as far as I know... the technology in the magical world hasn't changed at all," Sirius persisted. "So I want to know how you did it?"

“That’s not something you need to worry about,” Tierra said. “Please, Mr. Black, it’s time to keep your promise.”

After Tierra finished speaking, Sirius Black's right arm suddenly felt a burning pain, as if it were being scalded by flames.

“Okay, stay close,” Sirius Black said, turning and walking towards the area between numbers 11 and 14 in Grimmauld Place.

The row houses weren't originally numbered 13; they jumped directly from 12 to 14. However, after the Black family moved there, number 12 was magically hidden by their ancestors.

Therefore, most people can only see numbers 11 and 14.

Even Tyella was no exception.

This didn't seem to be a simple Charm of Loyalty, but rather a mixture of other types of spatial and mental magic. But as Tiera followed Sirius Black directly towards numbers 11 and 14 in Grimmauld Place—

Tierra seemed to pierce through a hazy mist and see a large, scratched, black-lacquered door with a silver doorknob shaped like a coiled snake. There was no keyhole or mailbox, but there was a doorbell that would awaken the portrait of Mrs. Walburga Black inside.

From the outside, the house looked dirty and messy, and the windows were especially filthy.

Sirius Black drew his wand and tapped it on the door.

"Toujours Pur," Sirius said with disgust.

This is the motto engraved on the Black family coat of arms, which means "forever pure" in French.

Tierra heard a loud, metallic click from the door, sounding like countless metal mechanisms turning. A few seconds later, the dilapidated door of number twelve Grimmauld Place creaked open slowly.

The porch inside was even more dilapidated and filthy than its exterior.

Tierra followed Sirius Black into the almost completely dark hallway, where a thick smell of dust and rotting wood filled the air.

Tierra felt as if she had stepped into a tomb; the Black family mansion was filled with an atmosphere of decay, old age, and decay.

Sirius gently waved his wand, and a soft hissing sound came from somewhere, then all the gaslights on the wall lit up.

Dim beams of light shone on the mottled wallpaper, illuminating a corridor covered with a worn-out carpet. Above the corridor, a tree-shaped decorative lamp covered with cobwebs flickered, and old, blackened portraits hung on the winding walls.

“This is the Black family’s old house,” Sirius said.

"Bam—"

The gate to the old Black mansion slammed shut behind Tiera, and she could hear the sound of countless metal mechanisms locking.

However, Tierra didn't seem to care much, instead surveying the dilapidated old house—

This is a typical mansion of a pure-blooded family, with decorations scattered throughout the area dating back hundreds of years.

It should be more valuable than what I found in the House of Requirement.

Tierra concluded, while also feeling a little regretful that she should have just asked for everything in Black's old house.

"Let's go, let's take a look around," Sirius said hurriedly. "Take whatever you want, let's finish the transaction quickly."

Tierra passed Sirius Black, walked along the porch, around a large umbrella frame that looked like it was made from a troll's severed leg, and came to a staircase leading upstairs. The old floorboards beneath Tierra's feet creaked and groaned, echoing in the ancient, deserted house.

Just as Tierra was about to step onto the spiderweb-covered staircase—

An ugly, old house-elf emerged from the darkness beside the stairs, wearing only a dirty rag, hunched over, staring in surprise at Sirius Black, then looking at Tyella with his bloodshot, gray eyes.

A hint of disgust instantly flashed in those large, watery eyes—

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(End of this chapter)