Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
$Parseltongue$
Chapter 75: Meeting with a portrait
After a few hours of going through the Black Library, Harry felt like He needed a break.
The library did not disappoint Him, there were some books in there that He has never seen in his two lifetimes. That being said, He has been unable to find books related to souls, which was the theme that He was the most interested in at the moment.
After what happened to him, Harry realized how little He knew about the subject and was hoping that this library will have some answers.
'I haven't even skimmed through one-third of the books there, so there is still a chance.'
As He was taking a walk around the mansion, He noticed Kreacher seemingly whispering with a painting.
He could barely hear what He was saying. Something about bastards and traitors.
After hearing his approach, Kreacher shut his mouth and gave Harry a nasty glare.
"What is a filthy half-blood like you doing in my house?"
An angry screech came from the painting.
When Harry looked at the woman in the portrait, He recognized her immediately.
"Walburga Black" Harry muttered.
The woman seemed a bit surprised.
"So, You at least know how I am."
"Of course. You are a mere reflection of a bitter woman who never accomplished much in life and blames everyone else for her own failings."
"How dare you!. Kreacher, teach this filth a lesson!" Walburga was enraged, She was not used to people talking down on her, especially those of lesser station.
Harry looked with amusement at the elf struggle at being incapable of following his former master's orders, and He knew why.
Paintings have no magical authority over house elves, and Harry has been declared a guest of the house of Black by the current head of the house.
So the elf is incapable of harming Him, no matter how much He wanted to.
He heard some steps approaching and soon enough, Sirius appeared out of the corner.
"Ah, I see You have met my lovely mother."
"Sirius!, you unfilial son!. This boy has insulted me, teach him his place!" Walburga yelled.
Sirius looked at Harry for a moment.
"I merely stated some facts that she didn't seem to like," Harry explained.
Sirius turned to the painting.
"I would not take orders from You even if you were alive, much less a portrait. "
"Why can't you be more like your brother?!. He was a wonderful boy…oh Regulus…"
This seems to anger Sirius. "Yes, He was a wonderful death eater." He spat the words.
Sirius would probably have been happy to know that his brother actually betrayed the Dark Lord and tried to destroy one of his Horcruxes.
Not that Harry had any intention to tell Him.
After calming down a bit, Sirius turned to look at Harry.
"We should get going. Is time for lunch and You don't want to eat anything that Kreacher prepares...trust me." Sirius said.
The elf made an angry face but chose to remain silent.
"But I still have soo many books to look at," Harry complained.
Sirius chuckled. "How did you not end up in Ravenclaw?... Fine, we can come back again during the summer."
"What?!, you let this filth access our library?. How can y-"
"Shut up already!. I swear, ill find a way to get You out of that wall one day. " Sirius said angrily.
Harry agreed to the proposal of coming back another day and they both left Grimmauld Place.
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Saturday morning, Harry was waiting for the arrival of Susan, Hannah, and Luna, who came to Potter manor for their first lesson.
Harry turned to Sirius.
"Remember to stay in your animagus form until they leave."
"Yes yes, you told me already." Sirius looked exasperated. "Why can't You just tell them about me?. Luna already knows. They are your friends, don't you trust them?"
"Luna was with me when You showed yourself, I didn't tell her. As for Susan and Hannah, yes I do trust them. But there is no reason to put that burden on their shoulders. Especially Susan, whose aunt is the head of the D.M.L.E. As far as the rest of the world, you are still considered a very dangerous criminal." Harry explained.
Sirius seems to deflate at that.
"I know…is just…I don't like having to hide all the time."
"Well, I'm sure at some point we will be able to get you a trial to prove your innocence. At least, if the new Minister is a reasonable person."
At that moment, Harry and Sirius heard a peculiar noise. That was the noise that indicated that the floo connexion was being used.
Harry gave one glance at Sirius and this one turned into his dog form without complaining.
A few minutes later, He saw Susan and Hannah being escorted by Lorry. The two of them were looking around in awe.
"Wow, this place looks amazing," Hannah exclaimed.
"Yes, is also a lot bigger than my manor," Susan said.
"If you want, Lorry can give you a tour while I finish the preparations in the backyard." Harry offered.
"Oh, I would love that!" Hannah sounded very enthusiastic about the idea.
"Harry, I have a question. Why did you put the floo fireplace in a basement?. Normally, houses have them in the living room." Susan asked, and Hannah looked intently like she also wanted to know.
"Security measure. There are some very strong protections in that basement. If someone managed to use the floo to infiltrate the manor without permission…well, let's just say, that they would never leave that basement."
Harry left the words hanging and made his way outside, leaving Susan and Hannah with pale faces.