Chapter 5.
A year passed, and Soren was now 10 years old. During this year, due to a nutritious diet and ample physical exercise, Soren's figure was tall and upright, a whole head taller than his brother Draco. Coupled with his handsome appearance and gentle demeanor, he looked every bit the rich and handsome type.
As the older brother, Draco often felt both envy and jealousy; just by height alone, Draco had the illusion that Soren was the older brother. It wasn't just about appearance; although the two brothers were identical twins, their personalities were completely different.
Draco, due to his blind admiration for his father, developed a proud and arrogant demeanor similar to Lucius, although his behavior still retained some childishness; Soren, on the other hand, inherited none of his parents' traits, always presenting a secretive, quiet, humble, and polite demeanor, confident yet unassuming, resembling a Hufflepuff.
Lucius and Narcissa were quite satisfied with Soren's mature and steady demeanor, which exceeded that of his peers, but they were even more fond of the flamboyant and domineering Draco. After all, Draco's personality aligned more with the Malfoy family's traditional style, and his childlike traits further stirred their parental instincts.
Throughout the year, with Soren's tireless efforts, he finally finished reading the collection of books he had brought from his grandmother's house. Soren then set his sights on Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Over the past year, he had frequently inquired through letters to his doting grandmother and had long since discovered the exact location of the Black family home.
On this day, he arrived at Number 12 Grimmauld Place with Dobby's guidance and met the house-elf, Kreacher, who lived there alone.
At this point, Kreacher was over few hundred years old, which, even by elf standards, meant he was quite elderly. As described in the original novel, he had become a bit deranged due to his solitary existence in the empty Black home.
Bound by the magic of his contract, the house-elf could not leave the house without his master's permission. He could only converse with the portrait of his old master, Mrs. Black, leading to his somewhat insane demeanor.
However, when he learned that Soren was Narcissa's son and bore the Black bloodline, he instinctively regarded Soren as his half-master, his tone and attitude filled with respect and obedience.
Soren understood that house-elves, as intelligent beings, were capable of gratitude and loyalty. Only by treating house-elves kindly could one earn their true loyalty. In the original work, Sirius had made the mistake of neglecting this, which indirectly led to his death.
Soren did not adopt a condescending attitude towards Kreacher because of his apparent subservience. Instead, he treated Kreacher with warmth and kindness, allowing him to change into clean clothes and offering him some candies he had brought from home, which deeply moved Kreacher and significantly boosted his loyalty.
Kreacher eagerly led Soren on a tour of the Black family home. As a grand residence of the Black family, Number 12 Grimmauld Place was a typical pure-blood wizard house, filled with decorations that were centuries old, many of which were silverware crafted by ancient elves. These items would be worth a fortune as antiques if placed on the market.
After Voldemort's return, this house would be used as the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, but for now, it remained uninhabited and had not been magically protected. The thick layer of dust around indicated that no one had visited in a long time.
They arrived at the painting room on the second floor, where a large tapestry covered almost an entire wall, depicting the family tree of the Black family, tracing its origins back to the twelfth century.
Unlike the Malfoy family, which had few descendants, the Black family was known for its extensive branches, making it one of the most widespread pure-blood families. Almost every notable pure-blood family in Britain had a marital connection to the Black family.
Soren was surprised to find his name on the Black family tree. Upon asking Kreacher, he learned that Mrs. Black had passed away in 1985, when he was just five years old, and his name had been embroidered on the tapestry since the day he was born.
Soren remembered that this room also housed one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, the Slytherin locket, but as a student who had not yet started school, he dared not entertain any fantasies about it. He was well aware of the dangers associated with touching a Horcrux. It contained a fragment of Voldemort's soul, which had its own consciousness and could manipulate minds, corroding the souls and lives of those who came into contact with it.
Soren's goal for this visit was the Black family's library.
As one of the oldest of the Sacred 28 pure-blood families, the Black family's collection of books surpassed that of the Malfoy family in both quality and quantity, containing many out-of-print magical texts and even unique editions dating back to the Middle Ages. This excited Soren, who was eager for knowledge.
Considering that the Black family had no heirs, it would be better for him to benefit from these valuable books than to let them fall into the hands of Harry Potter, that uncaring brute. After all, he could be considered a distant branch of the Blacks, which surely made him more qualified than that outsider, Harry Potter!
After obtaining Kreacher's consent in the name of the Black family, Soren unceremoniously packed up all the books from the Black family's collection using his personal book bag.
The collection here consists of over a hundred books, encompassing a wide range of topics related to magic, much like the Malfoy family's library, covering almost every area of magic. Many of the records about ancient magical symbols can corroborate what Soren has seen in the Malfoy collection, which both surprised and delighted him.
However, the most precious item is the secret spell notes that are exclusively inherited by the direct descendants of the Black family. Soren had already seen part of these notes at his grandmother's house, but the Black ancestral home is, after all, a lineage that inherits the paternal surname, while Druella has only daughters, which counts as a maternal surname inheritance. Therefore, the notes found in the Black ancestral home are relatively more complete and comprehensive.
[Acquisition of the Black Family's Magical Spell Supplement!]
Unfortunately, the Black family's collection still lacks any dark magic books. Soren speculated that, like the Malfoy family, the Black family probably has a secret chamber specifically for storing forbidden items.
Soren specifically asked Kreacher about this, and Kreacher claimed to know nothing about it.
Due to the nature of house-elves as slaves, Kreacher cannot lie to Soren, and it also has no motive to do so. Soren could only deduce that the secret of this chamber is likely controlled solely by the core members of the family, and house-elves have no right to access it.
Life then returned to the simple routine of two points: studying books during the day and training with Dobby at night, with only weekends allowing for a bit of relaxation, reading letters from his pen pals and carefully writing replies.
Before his 11th birthday, Soren, with the help of a time manipulation tool, successfully finished reading the Black family's collection and documents.
Through the cross-referencing and integration of the two families' collections, Soren not only gained a clear understanding of the history of the magical world, the formation of magical power, and the development of spells, but his greatest achievement was piecing together numerous historical secrets about the Middle Ages from the vast array of books, as well as successfully mastering the interpretation and deciphering of Ancient Runic.
The Ancient Runes of the wizarding world share the same parent writing system as the ancient human languages of Muggles, consisting of 22 Phoenician letters. However, as wizards discovered the magical power hidden within the script, the Ancient Runes gradually developed its own writing system over the course of time.
Ancient wizards developed various unique runic symbols, which gathered and transmitted magical power, particularly common in alchemy. However, with the advent of a peaceful era, the use of magic has increasingly leaned towards everyday life, leading to the gradual decline of the use of ancient scripts.
In his previous life, Soren was an expert in ancient human languages. Drawing from that experience and the rich collections of the two families, he quickly grasped the rules and secrets of deciphering Ancient Runes, which would be an astonishing achievement if known by others.
It is well-known that Ancient Runes are notoriously difficult to understand. According to Hogwarts' normal curriculum, the Ancient Magic course can only be taken in the third year, and that course only teaches how to recognize common basic runic symbols and words.
In contrast, Soren, who can already read and savor historical documents written in Ancient Runes, far exceeds the highest level that Hogwarts can teach.
With just a few days until his 11th birthday, Soren began to assess his progress and had to admit he was quite satisfied with his achievements so far. Although he was born into a family on the wrong side of things and might be caught up in family tragedies in a few years, his starting point was significantly stronger than that of the original protagonist, Harry.
Compared to the novice Harry, Soren's understanding of the wizarding world is quite thorough. The bloodline power and secret spell inheritance of his family ensure his future potential. More importantly, having the time manipulation tool guarantees that his life at Hogwarts is destined to follow a super academic route.
Just as Soren was filled with fantasies and expectations for his life at Hogwarts, his 11th birthday quickly arrived, and both he and Draco received their acceptance letters from Hogwarts. The two brothers naturally understood what this meant and went downstairs to inform their parents.
On the second page of the invitation letter, it also listed the textbooks, wizarding robes, cloaks, wands, cauldrons, and other items needed for the first year at Hogwarts.
"Baby," Narcissa's eyes were filled with emotion and reluctance, "I didn't expect you to reach the age of enrollment so soon... You've grown up and will be leaving home to learn magic... Mommy really doesn't want you to go..."
"Mother, there's no need to be sad. Once I learn magic, I will protect you and father, guarding the glory of our pure blood," Draco patted his chest and promised.
"Yes, mother," Soren took over the conversation, "the school isn't far from home. We'll come back every Christmas and summer vacation."
Lucius cleared his throat and said coldly, "I have something to say. The educational standards at Hogwarts have declined over the years. I heard from your Uncle Snape that Gryffindor has become the most popular house, while Slytherin is being marginalized and ostracized..."
"That's not even the worst part," Lucius snorted coldly, "Hogwarts originally prohibited the study of Dark Arts. The only combat course is that so-called Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and for decades, the professor for that class has changed every year, with quality and standards getting worse. Didn't last year's news say that the esteemed Defense Against the Dark Arts professor was attacked and killed by an unknown beast in the Forbidden Forest?"
"I think," Lucius said lightly, "you should go to Durmstrang, where you can receive a better education. There, the study of Dark Arts is less restricted, and you won't have to live with non-pureblood students. What do you think?"
Durmstrang is one of the three prestigious wizarding schools in Europe, open to young wizards across Europe, but only admits students from pureblood families. The school's atmosphere is strict, emphasizing discipline, and it is said that there is a tradition among students to respect the strong, making competition very fierce.
"Are you really willing to send our precious son so far away? It's an island, how inconvenient that must be!" Narcissa was worried about the two children; after all, Hogwarts is within Great Britain, while Durmstrang is located on the Scandinavian Peninsula, far away. Plus, applying for leave during holidays wouldn't be easy, so she preferred to send her two sons to the closer Hogwarts.
"Don't forget what kind of person the current headmaster of Durmstrang, Karkaroff, is," Narcissa said with a disdainful curl of her lip. She looked down on someone like Karkaroff, who was suspected of being a Death Eater and only escaped punishment by betraying his companions, showing how unreliable he was. "Here at Hogwarts, you're still the chairman of the board; perhaps you can take care of them."
"You know I'm not on good terms with that old man with the white beard." Lucius's face looked somewhat grim, and he made one last effort. After all, he sincerely believed his two sons would receive a better education at Durmstrang. "I think Durmstrang is more suitable for them."
Seeing the two unable to reach an agreement, Soren spoke up.
"I've decided to go to Hogwarts," Soren calmly stated his decision. "Hogwarts's educational has indeed faced challenges in recent years, but that headmaster's reputation and status in Great Britain remain unshakable. As for Slytherin being marginalized, we have Uncle Snape to look after us, so don't worry."
"If my brother is going to Hogwarts," Draco hurriedly said, "then I want to go there too. I'm the older brother; it's my duty to take care of my brother." In fact, Draco had a nonchalant attitude towards this, but since his brother and a few of his familiar friends were also going to Hogwarts, he naturally cast his vote for Hogwarts.
"You two, sigh, fine!" Lucius could only helplessly shrug in agreement at the unanimous opinion of the mother and sons. "In a few days, we'll go to Diagon Alley together to buy your school supplies, including—" Lucius's stern face finally showed a hint of a smile, "the wands you've been dreaming of."
"Yay!" the two brothers cheered together.
Diagon Alley is located in London, quite a distance from the Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire.
On the day they set off for Diagon Alley, Soren and Draco got up early. The two energetically ate the breakfast prepared by Dobby, their excitement evident on their faces, and then the family of four boarded the family's luxurious Night Coach.
After Lucius recited the spell and the destination, the patterns on the carriage glimmered with a faint magical light, slowly rising into the air and flying directly to Diagon Alley.
Soren, who was well-versed in the original novel, knew that in front of the seemingly empty carriage, it was actually an invisible magical creature pulling the carriage, which could only be seen with the naked eye by those who had witnessed death.
The Malfoy family truly deserved their reputation as the most powerful family today; Soren and the others didn't even need to go through the filthy Leaky Cauldron, as they could directly land in the exclusive carriage parking space in Diagon Alley from above.