Hogwarts: I Am Such a Model Wizard

Chapter 445: The Locket in the Glass Case

Watching the thought of tens of thousands of Galleons slip away gave Kyle a pang of regret. But he had to let it go; as valuable as the gold was, the Hufflepuff Cup was far more important.

Like Ravenclawʼs Diadem, the Cup was one of the few relics left by the Founders of Hogwarts. And after Voldemort, in his twisted extravagance, had turned it into a Horcrux, he’d entrusted it to Bellatrix for safekeeping. Unlike Lucius Malfoy, who had stored Voldemort’s belongings in his own manor, Bellatrix had opted to hide the cup in the Lestrange vault at Gringotts, which she considered impenetrable.

But speaking of Horcruxes… Apart from the elusive Hufflepuff Cup, there was another Horcrux, even closer—practically within arm’s reach. This was the real reason Kyle had agreed to accompany Sirius to 12 Grimmauld Place.

As for the box, it had been an unexpected bonus. Kyle hadn’t anticipated that the key to unlocking it would be Sirius himself. His original plan was to try some standard unlocking spells and, if those failed, consider using Fiendfyre or ask Nicolas Flamel for help during his next visit to Devon.

His thoughts drifted back to the present, and he glanced at Kreacher, who was still bound on the floor. With a flick of his wand, Kyle lifted the binding spell. He then turned to Sirius. “Sirius, would you mind if I took a look around?”

Kreacher, who had just been about to slink away, froze in horror at Kyle’s request.

“The Master’s son has brought a young demon! Kreacher has never seen such an evil wizard. Blowing up the sitting room wasn’t enough; now he wants to destroy something else too. Kreacher will defend the mistress’s house. No one will ruin it…”

“Shut up, Kreacher!” Sirius snapped. “No one’s planning to destroy this place, and if anyone does, it’ll definitely be me!”

He turned to Kyle, shrugging. “There’s not much to see here, but feel free to look around. Just be careful not to wake the portraits. And avoid the second basement and the area above the third floor if you’re alone. Lupin and I haven’t finished checking those areas for safety.”

“And don’t open the locked cabinet in the living room,” Lupin added with a hint of caution. “If I’m right, there’s a Boggart in there.”

He hadn’t forgotten Kyle’s over-the-top approach to Boggarts last time and had no desire to see the place actually destroyed.

Kyle smiled, amused. Last time had been an overreaction on his part, but he was more prepared now. Boggarts wouldn’t trouble him.

Without further comment, he raised his wand and began to restore the damaged drawing room. Sirius and Lupin pitched in, and together they quickly returned the room to its previous state. Kreacher finally stopped his muttering, though he continued to skulk nearby, watching their every move.

“I was going to ask,” Kyle said to Sirius as they reached the corridor, “did you get a new wand?”

“Oh, this?” Sirius held up the wand, which was inlaid with gold and precious stones. “Of course not. I’m still wanted, so I can’t exactly stroll into Diagon Alley to buy one. This is an old wand I found in the storage cupboard. It’s not the best, but it’s all I’ve got for now.”

Accompanied by Sirius, Kyle explored the foyer and then several rooms on the second floor. The lighting was so dim that their shadows stretched long and dark on the walls, nearly blending into the gloom. The place had the atmosphere of an old, cursed wizard’s lair.

“When I finally clean this house, the first thing I’ll do is get rid of all these awful lights,” Sirius muttered, frowning. He despised the darkness; it brought back memories of Dementors lurking in the shadows, striking without warning. A too-dark room only triggered those unsettling memories.

At his remark, Kreacher, who was trailing them, started grumbling under his breath again. But this time, Sirius ignored him. Whatever Kreacher thought, Sirius was determined to replace every last one of those old lamps before Harry moved in. He wanted the house brightly lit, free from any lurking shadows.

After a while, they arrived in the second-floor living room—a spacious area, much larger than the previous sitting room. Kyle spotted the cabinet Lupin had warned him about, standing beside an armchair. It looked like it once held important documents but now housed a quivering Boggart. Not particularly interested, Kyle gave it a quick glance before moving on to the larger cabinet on the opposite wall, this one with glass doors and filled with a variety of odd, dark objects.

“If I ever clear out this house, that’s the first thing I’ll toss out,” Sirius said with obvious disgust, nodding at the cabinet. “It’s full of dark artifacts. My family collected them like priceless treasures.”

Kyle scanned the items in the glass cabinet. In the center lay a dusty box holding an Order of Merlin badge. He had one himself, but this badge had a green ribbon, marking it as First Class—the highest level, awarded to Sirius’s grandfather for “Services to the Ministry of Magic.”

“Which just means they paid him a ridiculous amount of gold,” Sirius scoffed. “There was a Dark wizard causing havoc at the time, and they needed funds to recruit more Aurors.”

“To exchange for a First Class Order…” Kyle murmured. “That must have been a massive sum.”

“I’m not sure of the exact amount,” Sirius replied. “But rumor has it he used half the gold in the family vault, thinking it would raise the Black family’s status and honor.”

“Half the gold… that’s substantial!” Kyle muttered in surprise, continuing to examine the contents.

Beside the badge box sat a silver snuffbox. Kyle prodded it with his wand, and the snuffbox immediately split open, revealing a toothy mouth that tried to snap at the wand while spewing a foul gray-brown powder. The powder resembled a prank item from Zonko’s Joke Shop—it stuck to the skin, forming an unsightly crust, though it was harmless and easily removed with a simple cleaning charm.

On a nearby shelf, he noticed a silver, spider-like contraption with tweezers for legs, which tried to scuttle away as soon as the cabinet door opened. Sirius took one look at it and smashed it flat with a heavy book.

A music box adorned with twisted, ghostly shapes was best left untouched, Kyle decided. There was also a set of antique seals, which, thankfully, seemed normal enough.

Then… Kyle’s heart skipped a beat.

In an inconspicuous corner of the cabinet, nestled among the clutter, was a golden locket.