Chapter 4

Albert left the secret room with Kreacher and returned to the main hall.

He sat on a chair facing the dining table.

Kreacher asked, "Master, would you like something to eat?"

Albert replied, "Yes, please. Bring me something to quell this hunger."

"Certainly, Master," Kreacher responded, before leaving the room.

As Kreacher exited, Albert noticed a brown owl fly in through the window, dropping an envelope onto the table.

The owl, after delivering the message, flapped its wings and flew back out of the window, soaring high into the sky.

Albert stood up and reached for the envelope. It was made of rare parchment, without a seal, and was addressed in emerald green ink:

"No. 12, Quebec Street, Greenwich, London. The Black Family Residence."

Turning the envelope over, he noticed a wax seal on the back, with a large letter "H" surrounded by a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake.

Albert carefully opened the wax seal with a knife and pulled out the letter inside.

It read:

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore (Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Grand Sorcerer)."

"Dear Mr. Albert,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st.

A list of necessary books and equipment is enclosed."

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress."

Albert nodded to himself. "So, the market where I'll buy my school supplies is in Diagon Alley, and to enter that alley, I'll need to pass through the Leaky Cauldron."

A few minutes later, Kreacher returned from the kitchen, carrying in his right hand a plate of fries with ketchup, and in his left hand a plate with a piece of bread filled with grilled fish.

Albert's eyes lit up. "Oh, this looks wonderful. I can't wait to try it."

Having been born into this world, Albert had never eaten a proper meal, as he spent most of his life in Azkaban with his father, where the food was more akin to animal feed than something edible.

He took his first bite of the meal, feeling a warm sensation and nostalgic memories from his previous life.

He remembered the fresh bread his mother used to bake and how she would insist he eat an entire slice to grow up strong. Albert chuckled at the memory, but soon after, a tear fell from his eye.

Wiping away the tear, Albert continued eating.

After finishing his meal, he turned to Kreacher and said, "Kreacher, I just received my acceptance letter to Hogwarts, and you know we need to buy a dozen books and other school supplies. But I don't have any money. Did the family leave anything behind?"

Kreacher replied eagerly, "Yes, Master. The family's wealth has always been well-managed. Master Orion put aside a portion of the profits, hidden from the main family vault and away from the Ministry's eyes, in case he needed to make a discreet transaction. He created a very large vault, one that no one outside the family could access. It can only be opened with a drop of Black family blood, and not even the rest of the family could reach it."

Albert's mouth watered at the thought. "Oh, is there a lot of money?" he asked eagerly.

Kreacher smirked. "There's enough money for you to live in luxury for the rest of your life, and for your great-grandchildren's lives as well."

"Really? My goodness, that must be a fortune! Tell me, where is this vault?"

"It's in Master Orion's room," Kreacher replied.

Albert made his way to the room and found the door was decorated in gold, which was strange since the family preferred black for everything.

As Albert opened the door and stepped inside, he was startled by a voice.

"Oh, welcome, my grandson. I've been waiting for you."

Albert quickly raised his finger and said, "Stupefy!" to knock out the intruder.

The spell shot out from Albert's finger, but there was no one there to be hit.

"Easy now, boy. Don't be afraid," the voice said.

Albert looked around, searching for the source of the voice.

"Hahaha, I'm up here. Look up."

Albert looked up and saw a painting securely fastened to the wall. It depicted a dignified man with black hair, dressed like a war general.

"Hello, my name is Regulus Black, and I am your great-grandfather, Orion Black."

Albert was shocked by the scenario, as he never imagined there was anyone else in the house.

He replied to the painting, "I've never seen a portrait that could talk before, so this surprised me. I apologize... Grandfather."

Regulus chuckled. "Hohoho, interesting. I knew you would be an intriguing boy. Now, tell me, is your father still alive?"

"Yes, Grandfather," Albert replied.

"Good, good," Regulus nodded.

Albert then asked, "How long have you been in this portrait?"

"I don't quite remember, but I believe it's been over 150 years," Regulus answered.

"Does that mean you were here when that incident happened, when my mother and grandparents died?"

Regulus's tone became somber. "Yes."

Albert pressed on, "Then why didn't you save them? I heard from my father that you were one of the strongest members of the Black family, rivaling even the Headmasters of Hogwarts at the time."

Regulus shook his head in disappointment. "Foolish boy, what you see before you is just a semblance created from the memories I left behind. The real me died many years ago, and if this portrait weren't made of high-quality materials, even this illusion would have faded."

Albert remained silent.

Regulus continued, "Listen, boy. When a person nears death, they leave a copy of their memories in a portrait so that their children and grandchildren feel as if they are still with them. But beyond communicating with those in the real world, there's nothing more we can do."

Albert nodded. "I understand, Grandfather. The house-elf told me there's a vault here with the family's hidden wealth. Where is it? I don't see anything here."

Regulus responded, "It's below. Use the 'Surgeto' charm to reveal the hidden magic on the floor. You'll find a staircase leading to a secret room, and there you'll find what you're looking for. But the house-elf won't be able to help you with this. You'll need to learn this charm at Hogwarts and obtain your wand to perform it."

Albert smiled, almost mocking the advice. "Grandfather, I already have everything I need."

Regulus's voice grew stronger. "Oh? Then you've already learned such an advanced charm? I see you have a natural talent, as expected of my bloodline. Hohohoho!"

Regulus laughed like a madman, then suddenly stopped, a look of shock on his face.

Albert stood and pointed his finger at the floor, whispering, "Surgeto."

"Wait, wait! Can you use magic without a wand? How is that possible?"

Albert replied calmly, as if he hadn't done anything extraordinary, "Yes, Grandfather. Did I do something wrong?"

Regulus grinned widely, watching the whole process. "I always thought it was just a legend. I never imagined I would see such complex magic performed without a wand before I died... Oh wait, I already have! Hahahaha!"

Leaving his grandfather in his excitement, Albert descended into the secret room to complete his mission.

As the floor emitted a white light, a hatch appeared in the middle, revealing a staircase.

Albert entered the tunnel, noticing the place was shrouded in darkness, so he used the Lumos charm to light his way.

He walked slowly, preparing himself for anything, as the place gave off an eerie, ominous feeling.

After two minutes of walking, Albert found what he was looking for. This place must have been under some kind of expansion charm.

He reached the end of the tunnel and found a large, circular chamber. On the right side was a strange, black chest.

Ignoring the chest's odd appearance, Albert was solely focused on the wealth that lay within.

He approached the chest and noticed a small opening at the top. It was clearly not for a key.

Albert pricked his finger, letting a drop of blood fall into the opening.

Within seconds, the chest opened, emitting a dazzling light.

Albert shielded his eyes from the golden glow emanating from the chest.

As his eyes adjusted, he peered into the chest and saw what was inside.

"My god, Kreacher wasn't lying. Now I know where my father in the original story found all that money to buy Harry the most expensive broom on the market."

Feeling a surge of greed, Albert thought to himself, "Hehe, all this money will be mine. But since I'm a good son, I'll share it with my father. Yes, that's what I'll do."

Albert spent an hour counting the gold coins, eventually growing tired of it.

"I've counted up to a million Galleons, and I'm nowhere near the end. There must be over 80 million Galleons here, not to mention the jewelry and valuable artifacts."

A single Galleon was enough to buy a new book, and Albert's letter listed eight books, meaning eight Galleons were needed.

His memory was hazy, but he recalled that wizards converted currency as follows:

493 Knuts (bronze coins) = 17 Sickles (silver coins) = 1 Galleon (gold coin).

Here is the translated and corrected text:

---

It's like if you have 25 Sickles (silver coins), it's equivalent to having one Galleon (a gold coin).

Albert took a thousand Galleons and said, "Alright, these thousand gold coins should cover my school and personal expenses for the next six years, as these coins are very valuable and usually only possessed by the wealthy."

He placed the coins in both his left and right pockets and also found a pouch on the ground in which he placed the remainder of the thousand Galleons he had taken.

Albert headed towards the entrance he had come through, but before leaving, he turned and noticed a book on the ground next to a hidden, shining chest.

He approached the book, thinking it might be important, given that it was in the family's secret room.

Albert opened the book and saw on the first page written, "Well, you're not dead, good. That means you're a member of the Black family. If you weren't, you would be dead the moment you touched this book."

Albert felt a chill of fear after reading this sentence, understanding the weight of those words, and imagining his fate if he hadn't been a member of the Black family. "When I get out of here, I'll make a rule never to touch any suspicious magical object without some kind of protection," he thought.

He continued reading until he saw a sentence that said, "This book is divided into two sections. The first section contains a powerful, advanced spell: the Penetration Charm. It's difficult to learn, as it takes more than ten years to reach the advanced level. However, this charm is extremely useful, allowing the caster to break through any magical barrier or obstacle, no matter how strong it is. Additionally, if the caster doesn't master this charm to the advanced level, they won't be able to learn the second spell in the next section, which is the 'Vivda Capra!'"

Albert was surprised by this spell, remembering that his father in the original story was the only one who possessed the Penetration Magic, which was classified as a very rare charm.

"Oh, so this is why my father had this charm. Well, despite my talent for learning, I think this spell will take me two or three years to reach the advanced level. That's a reasonable time frame if the story unfolds as it should."

Albert continued reading the second section of the book, which detailed the second charm.

"The second section is about the 'Vivda Capra' charm. A person cannot learn this charm unless they have reached the advanced level in the Penetration Charm. The 'Vivda Capra' charm is a protective shield spell that can only be used three times in one's lifetime. However, this shield can protect the caster from any fatal attack, including killing curses or deadly strikes."

"Wow, isn't this charm like a counter to the 'Avada Kedavra' curse?"

Although it can only be used three times, it's definitely worth learning. It's like having three extra lives. So the reason my father didn't learn this charm is that he didn't reach the advanced level in Penetration Magic. If he had, he wouldn't have been killed by Bellatrix.

"Alright, this has been an incredible find. I was really lucky this time, not only getting this money but also these two powerful charms."

"I think I should go get some sleep, because tomorrow I need to go buy my school supplies. There are only seven days left until school starts."

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Oh, my God, I'm finally done. This chapter has been really long and tiring I hope the result is good.....