A certain Hogwarts professor of runes.

“Bring him to me, not this me, but another portrait. Remember, 12 Grimmauld Place.”

Felix was very interested in the Black family’s library, but he cautiously probed, “Don’t tell me that the old house of one of the 28 pure-blood families has no defenses at all.”

“Listen to me, don’t interrupt me, time is limited! You will find it, I believe you can do it, but you need something, something unique to the noble Black family… Oh, Dumbledore! When did you return?”

Felix turned around abruptly, and Dumbledore was already standing on the second-floor railing, two books tucked under his arm, his face expressionless.

“A long time ago, when you acknowledged Sirius Black as your great-great-grandson.” Dumbledore descended the steps, backlit so that his eyes were obscured, only his powerful voice could be heard: “Phineas, we’ve discussed… he committed an unforgivable crime.”

The portrait of Headmaster Black proclaimed, "Dumbledore, he is the last descendant of the Black family!"

But Dumbledore raised his voice: "...He betrayed his best friend, and he killed thirteen people, one of whom was also his closest friend of ten years. Do you know his fate, Phineas? The staff at the scene could only find one of Peter's fingers and a bloodstained piece of clothing."

The old man walked up to the portrait and said in a cold voice, every wrinkle on his face radiating anger. "And now, he's escaped, fantasizing about helping his former master regain power, willing to kill his godson to claim the title of Godfather!"

The principal's office was completely silent.

Chapter 181 Analysis

Teaching children and teaching fathers!

Felix stood quietly to the side, his mind racing.

Dumbledore's words were clearly directed at Harry Potter and Sirius Black.

He never expected that there was such a relationship between the two of them.

Sirius Black was accused of being Voldemort's henchman and betraying his best friend, Harry's father.

Felix thought of an organization active during wartime—the Order of the Phoenix. This was a secret organization founded by Dumbledore to fight Voldemort, assisting the Ministry of Magic in combating Voldemort and the Death Eaters during wartime.

The Order of the Phoenix was not well-known, and it disbanded after Voldemort's disappearance and the victory in the war in 1981.

Felix knew the name because he knew Professor Toford of the Wizarding Examination Board—who was also an expert in ancient runes, and whom Felix had visited before.

Professor Topherdy mentioned the organization in casual conversation, praising the bravery and fearlessness of the Order of the Phoenix members, but he did not name them.

But Felix speculated that at least Harry's parents, Sirius Black, and Peter should all be members of the Order of the Phoenix.

No wonder... no wonder Dumbledore was so angry.

They were best friends in school, close comrades after graduation, and bound by a kinship forged through Harry's birth—this should have been an unbreakable friendship.

But Sirius Black chose to betray him.

So what role did Snape play? According to the information Felix found while in school, after the war, Snape was accused of being a Death Eater, but Dumbledore bailed him out as an undercover agent, preventing him from being tried in Wizengamor.

Otherwise, Hogwarts wouldn't have such a sharp-tongued professor.

Therefore, Severus should also be a member of the Order of the Phoenix.

Felix didn't know much about his own headmaster's school days, but he did know that the relationship between Snape and the Potters was complicated: he was an old acquaintance of Harry's mother—perhaps with a touch of admiration—but a sworn enemy of Harry's father.

Will they fight when they have a meeting together?

……

“Felix,” Dumbledore turned his head, his deep blue eyes looking down at him through his glasses, “You are a professor at the university, and I don’t want to see you make the wrong choice.”

Felix blinked. "Headmaster, even without you saying so, I would prioritize the students' safety. Besides, I have a good relationship with Mr. Potter and don't want anything to happen to him. I even trained him during the summer."

“Ah, I’ve heard Philius mention it,” Dumbledore said. “He said you have a keen interest in the magical outbursts of young wizards…”

"It's not really research, just something I experienced."

Dumbledore's expression softened, losing its initial sharpness and aggressiveness.

He spoke in a tone that suggested he was inquiring about magic: "Could you tell me, Felix? Please forgive an old man's curiosity."

"It all started two weeks ago... I ran into Potter by chance in Diagon Alley and noticed the active magic in him. I judged that he had recently experienced a magical upheaval, and after asking him, it turned out to be true."

“Your keen sense of magic is astonishing, Felix.”

“Thank you, Dumbledore. After that, I…”

"That's what I think..."

The tense atmosphere in the office gradually eased.

Dumbledore transformed back into a gentle old man, discussing with Felix the effects of the magical upheaval with great interest, and generously offering his own insights.

“Headmaster Dumbledore, I’m pondering a question: Is it possible to artificially manipulate the level of one’s own magical activity? The benefits of this are obvious.”

“This idea is interesting, but we must be careful, Felix. Any research into magic itself can easily lead to serious magical accidents.”

Felix was carrying two books when he left the principal's office.

This was handed over by Nick Lemaître to Dumbledore, which is one of the drawbacks of their communication through photographs. Nick Lemaître lived in a safe house for most of the year and rarely went out, so the owls could never find him.

Given their current relationship, Felix and he are clearly not at the level of a past visit.

He wasn't surprised at all. Feelings are built up little by little. He's not a golden dragon; he can't win everyone's trust and affection all at once.

He tucked the two books into his ring and returned to his office. As he sat on the sofa, he was still pondering the words in the portrait of Principal Phineas Black.

Number 12 Grimmauld Place is the location of the Black family's old residence.

Although it was just a name without any additional information, it was enough for Felix.

This is clearly how ordinary people name places; he can start from that point.

After outlining a general area, all that's left is to explore bit by bit. Given time, he can uncover this hidden dwelling.

It's not difficult; Phineas Black's portrait says he could do it, and Felix agrees.

The difficulty lies in how to break the spell above.

For these pure-blooded families, the old house must have been protected by all sorts of complex and even unbelievable protective measures. The whole process often takes decades or even centuries and requires the joint efforts of several generations to complete.

Moreover, if the old house is under the spell of unwavering loyalty, then he will truly be helpless.

However, according to Phineas Black, his portrait also exists in the Black family mansion, which shows that he knows the mansion well enough that he would not let Felix do futile work in order to help Felix save the last bloodline of the Black family.

Besides, this isn't a safe house, so using the Loyalty Spell would be too much trouble.

Another key clue provided by Principal Phineas Black is that it requires the use of 'something unique to the noble Black family,' but what could that be?

He already had some guesses.

Mind Hut.

Felix sat on the sofa and beckoned over a thick book, Cantankerus Nott's "List of Purebloods," which contained information about the so-called "Holy Twenty-Eight Races."

He flipped to the section on the Black family, quickly skimming over a list of family members and their deeds.

His gaze fell on the coat of arms of the Black family, which bore the French phrase 'Eternal Purity'.

He laughed.

What could be considered unique to the noble and eternally pure Black family?

Only blood ties.

If he could obtain Sirius Black's blood, he could gain access to the Black family mansion and peek into its library...

Felix emerged from the Mind Hut and gazed at the nightscape of Hogwarts, his eyes merging into the darkness.

Sirius, where are you?

Chapter 182 Grimmauld Place

9 month 1 day.

Felix got up early and returned to London via Diagon Alley.

He needs to handle the procurement work for the new school year.

In addition to updating his film reel collection, he also bought a lot of the latest books and clothes, but most importantly, he found a map shop.

This is a small shop with a vintage feel. On the rustic brown shelves, there are all kinds of maps.

There are maps of London as well as maps of the British Isles, each with different uses—aerial photographs, tourist maps, transportation maps…

As Felix prepared to buy a thick atlas, he casually asked the shop assistant, "Have you heard of Grimoire Place?"

The shop assistant adjusted her glasses and looked up from a colorful picture book in front of her...

Thirty minutes later, he was standing in a dilapidated neighborhood in London's Old City.

The houses here are quite old, with peeling paint revealing large patches of unsightly gray. To be honest, he hadn't expected the Blake family's old house to be hidden here.

He walked around the area. Some houses were still inhabited, but others were clearly abandoned—lots of garbage were piled up at the entrances, and the windows had been smashed.

On a more desolate lawn, his gaze fell upon a house with the address 11 Grimoire Place.

He looked to both sides; number 10 was on the left and number 13 was on the right.

"Interesting, even the wizard's vision has been blocked?"

Felix stood still, scrutinizing something.

An old woman carrying a cloth bag slowly walked over. "Young man, what brings you here?"

“I’m visiting a pen pal, a lady. The address she gave me isn’t very clear; I’m trying to make out it,” Felix said evasively.

“I’ve lived here for over fifty years, since I was born…maybe I can help, tell me about it.”

“Uh, Grimmauld Place in the old town of West London, the house number is blurry, but I guess it’s number 12.” Felix looked at the helpful old woman with a hint of helplessness.

“Number 12? That’s impossible, young man, there’s no such house.” The old woman raised her voice. “You must be mistaken… or your friend played a cruel joke on you.”

“I find it strange too,” Felix said, pointing to the houses in front of him. “This is number 11, that’s number 13, but there’s no number 12…”

The old woman let out a hearty laugh: "...You're not the only one with this doubt." She blinked and lowered her voice, saying, "It's a mistake. I heard from my grandmother—oh, she heard it from someone else—that the people who built the house back then were a bunch of idiots. The workers did their jobs, and by today's standards, they're not bad. But they put the wrong house number on it, and the city hall didn't notice when they inspected it. The mistake has just been left there."

“As far as I can remember, there have been a few feedbacks over the years, but there has been no response. You know, this place is not valued at all. Maybe in another ten years or so, it will be demolished under the pretext of being unsightly… Anyway, I will not agree to it, nor will I let my grandson agree—he is only two years old. But what’s that saying? Education should start early, and some traditions should be preserved.” She tilted her head and said humorously.

The old woman was quite talkative, and from her, Felix also learned some less reliable legends.

For example, "Number 12 Grimmauld Place is real; it's a haunted house." Or, "The workers back then didn't put the wrong number; a nobleman bought it, but then the house disappeared..."

Felix was very interested in these legends and occasionally let out a few words of praise, which made the old woman look at him with even more satisfaction. "There aren't many young people like you who know how to respect the elderly. Unlike the family next door, who plays music in the middle of the night, making a lot of noise and disturbing people's peace. I knocked on the door several times but it was no use."

Felix handed her a small card, and for a moment the old woman seemed to see a flash of gold on the surface of the card, though it could also have been a reflection of sunlight.