Late at night.
A central street in London, England.
A platinum-haired teenager strolled slowly toward Grimmauld Place.
He went between number 11 and number 13, took out his wand, and waved it repeatedly.
Click click click...
The walls shifted, and a huge mansion slowly appeared.
Its exterior was worn and covered in dust.
With each step, footprints of dust marked the way.
The gate creaked open.
Turning the silver snake-ring doorknob, the Black family mansion welcomed visitors once again after being sealed off for many years.
"It's been so long since this place was cleaned."
"The house is full of dust!"
The platinum-haired boy coughed twice, waved his sleeve, and swept away the dust around him.
It looked cleaner here than outside, but it was far from tidy.
The platinum-haired youth looked around at the mansion, which seemed to have stood the test of time.
The entire house was decorated in black, and even though it had not been opened for many years, it still exuded elegance and luxury.
As he walked down the narrow corridor, a hoarse, deep voice came from a dark corner not far away.
"Welcome, Your Excellency, Mr. Malfoy."
Behind the moldy curtain next to it, a portrait depicted an old woman with yellow skin wearing a black pointed hat, emitting a piercing scream.
"Kreacher! You filthy bastard, how dare you disturb my rest!"
Kreacher was terrified: "Mistress, please forgive Kreacher!"
"Kreacher, immediately..."
"Grandmother..."
The platinum-haired boy's call instantly stopped the frenzied old woman.
She turned her head and stared blankly at the platinum-haired boy.
"You are... Narcissa's child?"
Before the platinum-haired boy could nod, she continued, "That's right, I can tell from your platinum hair that you're from the Malfoy family."
"You've grown up so much in the blink of an eye!"
Mrs. Black's face beamed with a radiant smile.
She never treated anyone who was pureblooded badly.
What's more, this one in front of her carried the blood of the Black family.
Even if it was just a portrait based on memories, she couldn't help but feel genuine joy.
"Kreacher, get out there and tidy up the house! You filthy lazy bum!"
"Yes, Mistress!" Kreacher gave the platinum-haired boy a deep look, snapped his fingers, and disappeared from sight.
"Little Malfoy, come here and let me have a good look at you!"
"How has your mother been these past few years? How is the Malfoy family doing?"
"You're the first person to visit the Black family mansion in all these years. We should visit each other more often in the future, after all… after all…"
Mrs. Black seemed to have thought of something and sighed softly.
After Sirius and Bella were arrested, Regulus died at the hands of the Inferi.
The enormous Black family couldn't even find a suitable heir.
Aside from Sirius Black and Bellatrix, Narcissa was the highest in the order of succession, followed by Draco!
"Good child, did Narcissa send you here?"
Mrs. Black was not confused; she knew that no one from the Black family had visited for a long time.
It was impossible for someone to come here for no reason.
She took the initiative to ask.
The platinum-haired boy thought for a moment and said, "My mother sent me here to pick up something."
"The things? Wait a minute."
"Kreacher! Come here!"
Mrs. Black's loathing for Sirius was unimaginable.
She would rather throw away everything in the house than leave anything for him.
Snap!
With a soft sound, Kreacher appeared in the corridor, dressed in tattered clothes.
"Mistress, what are your orders?"
"Young Malfoy needs an item from Black's old house. Go and get it for him."
"Yes, mistress," Kreacher said meekly, stepping forward to ask.
"I wonder what young Master Malfoy desires?"
The platinum-haired boy scrutinized him carefully before turning to look at Mrs. Black.
It seemed like he was about to say something.
But the next second, Avada Kedavra struck!
"Soul leaving the body!"
Mrs. Black was stunned by what she saw!
She didn't know why the young Malfoy in front of her would suddenly attack!
The Black family had no suitable heir; everything here would be his sooner or later!
Besides, she had already agreed to his request, so why... why did it turn out like this?
The platinum-haired boy, or rather, Argus, shook his head regretfully.
"Is there something wrong with my acting?"
"No, Kreacher and Mrs. Black have never seen Draco in his current temperament."
"It must be that Kreacher can't sense the bloodline contract from me. Polyjuice Potion can change a person's appearance, but it can't change a person's bloodline."
"Mrs. Black is just a painting; she can't feel the bloodline. Kreacher is different."
"Even if Draco's Black bloodline is diluted, it is still Black blood."
"But it doesn't matter anymore."
Ignoring Mrs. Black's screams and curses, Argus raised his wand and made Kreacher take the locket hanging around his neck.
In the original story, the locket was not cursed, but Argus was unwilling to gamble.
Since Kreacher was already under his control, there was no need for him to take the risk himself.
Kreacher stared blankly as he took out the locket.
The old locket was covered with the marks of time, but there were no stains.
It was obviously because Kreacher cleaned it frequently.
Only after confirming that it was safe did Argus put the locket into his pocket.
"The first Horcrux is in hand, the next thing is the diary."
"It's a pity we couldn't get our hands on the Black family's treasures while we were at it, otherwise we would have really struck gold this time."
It wasn't that Argus didn't want to take it.
He knew that the treasures of pure-blood families were not so simple.
To prevent theft or robbery, many things and books were covered with powerful curses.
If one wasn't careful, one could easily get hurt.
Even a top wizard like Dumbledore was nearly killed by the Gaunt curse in the original story.
He was still young; there was no need to take any risks.
Moreover, Narcissa and Draco were both heirs to the Black family, so Sirius Black could also be manipulated.
Why risk his life when there were so many safer options?
"Avada Kedavra!"
Avada Kedavra killed Kreacher.
The strength of house-elves had always been a mystery.
But one thing was certain: they should not be underestimated.
Take Dobby for example. He seemed subservient to Lucius, but once he was free, he could easily take him down with a snap of his fingers.
Silent and without a wand, yet capable of teleporting at will.
These few points alone were enough to kill most wizards.
If it weren't for Argus using Draco's identity and Mrs. Black's orders, plus the sneak attack...
If he wanted to get the locket, he would probably have to do what most time travelers do: go and retrieve the corpse.
Argus glanced at Mrs. Black, who was still cursing, and wanted to burn her down.
But considering that Mrs. Black might be useful in the future, he thought about it and then ignored her.
He walked straight out of the Black house.
...
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