Snape and Karmit stared at each other for nearly two full minutes.
At last, Snape withdrew his wand.
He said coldly, "If Slytherin loses points because of you, you know the consequences."
Karmit smiled. "Of course. I expect the House Cup will stay with Slytherin for at least seven years."
Snape snorted and turned to leave.
Karmit spoke again. "Head of House, actually, our goals should be the same. And I am your student.
If there are things you find inconvenient to handle personally, you can come to me. Of course, every gift comes with a clearly marked price."
Snape did not stop. He continued walking forward.
Karmit did not mind at all.
Snape was never someone easy to deal with.
Put it this way. For any transmigrator arriving at Hogwarts, there were only two possible outcomes when facing Snape.
First, if your parents had a very good relationship with Snape, he might give you a decent attitude.
Second, if your parents had a very bad relationship with Snape, then look at Harry Potter for reference.
Trying to impress Snape through other means, or win him over directly, was impossible.
No matter how outstanding you were, could you really outshine Snape?
Karmit might be powerful, but when it came to Potions, a hundred Karmits would still not compare to Snape's brilliance.
Trying to amaze Snape with raw talent was nothing but a dream.
Did you even understand the weight of the title "Potion Master"?
That was why one of Karmit's purposes for coming to Hogwarts involved a long and carefully layered plan to deal with Snape.
Step by step, tightly connected.
Not just for benefit, but more than that, it was because Karmit genuinely liked Snape as a person.
After returning to the dormitory, Karmit was surprised to find a new portrait hanging on his wall.
Inside the frame was a curly-haired middle-aged man who looked irritating at first glance, dozing off.
Karmit glanced at the name engraved in the lower right corner.
No wonder he looked so annoying. It was one of his ancestors.
Phineas Nigellus Black.
The only Slytherin Headmaster in Hogwarts history.
Also known as the most disliked Headmaster since the founding of Hogwarts. No exceptions.
He was also Karmit's great-great-great-grandfather.
Karmit sat on his bed with Vannie in his arms, stroking her soft fur.
Phineas, who had been half-asleep, slowly opened his eyes and jumped in shock when he saw Karmit.
"When did you get here?"
Karmit replied, "This is my room. There is nothing strange about me being here. Why are you here?"
Phineas immediately flared up. "What kind of attitude is that? I am your ancestor. Is this how you speak to me? Where are your manners?"
Karmit said calmly, "So what? Are you planning to expel me from the Black family?"
Phineas fell silent.
Even as a portrait, he knew quite a lot about the current magical world.
After all, he could move freely between frames.
Naturally, he knew the current situation of the Black family.
Not to mention that Karmit was the current head of the family, just the fact that Karmit was the only remaining Black left meant Phineas could do absolutely nothing to him.
Karmit continued, "Since you are not expelling me, state your purpose. It is late. I need to rest."
Phineas gritted his teeth. "You are even more detestable than Sirius."
Karmit replied, "Oh? And then?"
Phineas truly had no way to deal with him.
He sighed. "I have no other intentions. I just wanted to see you. After all, you are the last Black."
Karmit said, "If you did not have that habit of constantly removing people from the family tree, the Black family would still have plenty of members."
Phineas felt helpless.
This boy was completely impervious, and every sentence felt sharp and barbed.
Phineas changed the subject. "That wand. It is in your hands now, isn't it?"
Karmit replied, "You just wasted another sentence."
Phineas ignored the remark and continued, "Do you know what that wand represents? It will bring you misfortune.
For the continuation of the Black family, I hope you return it to where it belongs."
Karmit gently set Vannie aside, then took out the wand.
He lightly brushed his fingers along its shaft.
"You know what I despise most? This way of thinking.
You call yourselves powerful, but in reality, you are timid and cautious. You boast about being omnipotent, yet you lack even the smallest amount of courage.
How pathetic. No wonder the Black family declined to this point."
Phineas snapped, "Do not forget, you are also a Black."
Karmit nodded. "I do not deny that. But you should also understand this. It is not that I need the name Black. It is that Black needs me.
"You are dead, so hang properly on the wall and stop pointing fingers at me. Watch carefully from there how far this family will go under my leadership.
What you could not do, I will do. What you dared not do, I will do.
You will see the day Black shines again. And when that day comes, Black will not be one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.
There will be only one Black. My Black."
Phineas stared at Karmit with widened eyes. "Your ambition… it frightens me."
Karmit smiled. "Ambition? Slytherin has never lacked ambition. And you, a Slytherin graduate who became Headmaster of Hogwarts, are frightened by ambition?"
"Enough. I am going to rest. Do not appear before me again unless you can bring value.
And do not expect respect from me just because of blood. You should know very well that I do not care about that."
Phineas frowned.
This meeting was completely different from what he had imagined.
After a long silence, he finally spoke. "What kind of value do you need?"
He yielded.
He realized that this Black descendant before him was truly different. But perhaps only such a Black could truly make the family shine again.
Karmit said, "You were once Headmaster of Hogwarts. I want to know if there is any inheritance of magical sigils within Hogwarts."
Phineas froze. "Magical sigils(runes)?"
Then suddenly, his eyes widened.
"You are studying magical sigils? That kind of thing… there are people who would actually learn it?"
It was obvious that Phineas had studied sigils himself. After all, it was part of the Black family's heritage.
But he had never managed to learn it properly.
And he never imagined that someone would truly devote themselves to that madness of a discipline.
The amount of knowledge involved was greater than all seven years of Hogwarts combined, even including the entire history of magic.
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