12 Grimmauld Place

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When Ethan found Sirius, he was engrossed in a book borrowed from the Hogwarts library.

"Black, I think it's time for you to honor your promise," Ethan said seriously.

Sirius looked up at Ethan in surprise but quickly stood up.

Ethan and Sirius had previously made an Unbreakable Vow: after Ethan helped Sirius prove his innocence, Sirius would swear allegiance to him.

"It's about time, Ethan," Sirius said.

"Do I need to kneel and swear to you?"

As Sirius lifted his robe to kneel, Ethan stopped him.

"I don't think there's any need for these formalities," Ethan said, grabbing Sirius's arm.

"I want to go to your family's old house. I need to investigate something there."

"My home?" Sirius was puzzled. He hadn't expected Ethan's first request to be this.

"What do you want from my house?" Sirius asked, suspicious.

"I've been helping Dumbledore find Voldemort's Horcruxes. Only by finding all of them can we completely kill Voldemort. I suspect there's one in your family home."

"There is no such disgusting thing in my house!" Sirius shouted angrily, feeling insulted. But then he paused, recalling how many Death Eaters had been in the Black family. A Horcrux could be hidden there.

Sirius froze, realization dawning on him.

"You know that, right?" Ethan said with a half-smile.

Sirius flushed with embarrassment but quickly composed himself.

"I can take you there," Sirius said, trying to sound calm.

"When do you want to go?"

"Right now," Ethan replied.

"Okay..." Sirius sighed.

They used the Hogwarts fireplace to travel to Diagon Alley. Then Ethan grabbed Sirius's arm, and Sirius used his Transfiguration skills to lead them to an unfamiliar Muggle street.

A small square was nearby, seemingly a gathering place for Muggles and homeless people. The ground was littered with garbage, swirling in the wind. The surrounding houses were dilapidated, with broken windows revealing dark, empty rooms inside, like hollow eyes.

The pale street lamps cast a ghostly light on the peeling wooden doors. The street looked decayed and desolate, with only a few houses showing signs of life, faint light seeping through their curtains.

"This is my home," Sirius murmured, his eyes reflecting mixed emotions.

He fumbled in his pocket, took out a note, and handed it to Ethan.

"Memorize this carefully, but don't read it aloud," Sirius instructed.

Ethan read the note, which bore the scrawled message: "The Black Family House, 12 Grimmauld Place."

The note ignited and turned to ash as soon as Ethan finished reading.

"But where is it?" Ethan asked, puzzled, as he examined the two dilapidated houses across the street.

One was numbered 11, and the other was numbered 13.

The spot where Number 12 was supposed to be was just a pile of stinking garbage.

"Recite the note's contents in your mind," Sirius Black instructed Ethan.

Ethan silently repeated the note in his mind, and to his astonishment, a house suddenly appeared before him as if it had risen from the ground.

The house looked decrepit, like the others on the street, with dirty walls and eerie windows that resembled human eyes.

"This is the Black family house. Let's hurry inside," Sirius said, sounding both nostalgic and uneasy.

Ethan carefully stepped onto the tattered, slightly wobbly stone steps and approached the door. The black paint was peeling off, revealing deep scratches on either side. A grey, silver knocker shaped like a giant coiled snake was fixed to the door. No keyhole or handle left Ethan wondering how they could get in.

Sirius stepped forward, stood before the door, and rhythmically knocked with his wand. It seemed his tapping had triggered some mechanism, as a series of sounds followed: the turning of gears and the rattle of a winch pulling a chain. Finally, the door creaked open.

Sirius quickly pushed Ethan inside. As he crossed the threshold, Ethan was greeted by a gray spider web smearing across his face. He even felt some of it enter his mouth.

Ethan tore the cobweb from his face and spat out the unpleasant residue.

"My God! Black, your family knows how to welcome guests," Ethan complained.

"Our house has been unoccupied for years!" Sirius retorted. Although he disliked his family, he still felt defensive when someone insulted them.

Ethan reluctantly kept quiet and looked around the old Black family house.

The two had entered a dark hall thick with musty air and rotting wood. By the time Sirius closed the door, the hall was completely dark.

"Wait, I remember there are lights here!" Sirius's voice echoed in the darkness. The sound of footsteps on the wooden floor and bells clanging followed.

"Ha! Here it is!" Sirius's voice came again. After some rustling, a row of old-fashioned gas lamps on the wall suddenly lit up.