Chapter 17: Portrait!

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As I entered the hall I began to glance around, it definitely wasn't as bad as it was in the movies, five years from now, but it was still pretty bad though I could see where Kreacher had been trying to make repairs and clean.

The floors were swept clean and it looked as though the hall at least had been dusted, though that helped about as much as putting a small plaster on a bullet wound.

Wallpaper was peeling away, the floorboards were rocking and creaking beneath my feet, and there was a musky scent in the air.

In short the house was in need of some major repair work, I'd have to see to such eventually but for now, I had other things to focus on.

I turned my attention to Kreacher, "Where is the room I will be staying in?" I asked.

Kreacher with his head bowed gestured to the stairs, "this way young master, Kreacher will show you," he said and I nodded before following him up the stairs.

The room I was lead to had green carpet with dark and light blue striped wallpaper with a fireplace on the opposite side of the room from where I had entered with a large double bed in between the door and it, and above the fireplace hung a plaque with the Slytherin emblem on it, I recognised the room from the Wiki, it was Regulus old room.

The wallpaper was peeling in some places and the bed didn't look overly comfortable, and I could tell with how several bits of furniture in the room were misplaced that the room had once had an expansion charm applied to it to make it much larger, but by the looks of things that had faded some time ago reverting the room to its original size.

Taking my trunk out of my pocket I set it down and with a double tap to its top I stepped back watching as my trunk grew to its full size, opening its lid I descended down into its depths via the ladder that was on the inside front wall of the trunk.

After climbing down the ten feet my feet touched the bottom and I was standing in a two meter wide corridor that had multiple doors, and at the far end was a large open space that was a like a living and dining area with a large fireplace with a number of chairs and sofas sitting in an arch astound the fire, the kitchen was to the side of it with another door leading to a currently empty pantry.

I made my way down the hall and came to a stop at the door just before the living area and walked in.

The room inside was large two floors high at least and three of the walls were nothing but bookshelves, all of them currently, empty except for one at the far side behind a large oak desk and chair.

On the wall opposite that was a large fireplace with two armchairs sitting at angles partly facing each other and the fireplace in a triangle set up.

Closing the door behind me I started over to the desk and the shelves behind it, I knew exactly what book I was looking for that had the most chance of containing the information I was looking for, though I had yet to even start reading it.

I remembered from past fictions I had read about Albus using paintings to spy on students in Hogwarts, same with the house elves and ghosts, they were his eyes and ears around the castle.

I also knew what was in his office, portraits of all the past head masters, but I was currently only worried about one of them, and while I knew these facts myself I needed to be able to back them up to anyone who asked about them.

I couldn't just claim to know something and not remember where I had found the information, that would get people asking all the wrong questions.

Reaching the shelves I quickly found the book I was looking for, Hogwarts: A History, and took it to my desk and started to scan through it for the proof I neededneeded.

I was able to find a list of previous headmasters quite quickly, though it took me a bit longer than that to find mention of the headmaster portraits, but find it I did.

While I had no proof that what I suspected going on was actually going on, I couldn't take the risk and rose from my chair and started out of my office library and headed for the ladder out Hogwarts: A History under one arm.

Starting out of my bedroom after leaving my trunk I looked around, "Kreacher" I spoke in a soft tone, not wanting to shout in case I was overheard by the portrait in question that I am worried about.

The old elf appeared in front of me with another small pop and looked down at him, "Kreacher, is there a portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black anywhere in the manor?" I asked him

Kreacher nodded to me, "Yes young master there is, on the third floor just outside the Library."

I frowned hearing that, it was rather cleaver to have the portrait placed there, the library was no doubt filled with dark texts and the portrait could easily report back to Dumbledore about anyone who entered, it also meant as long as it was there.

I couldn't even risk going to the library if I was spotted by that portrait there was a very high chance that Phineas would jump to his other portrait at Hogwarts and tell the old man about someone being in Black manor.

I had no way of knowing if Dumbledore was already privy to the knowledge of where the manor was, and I did not want Dumbledore to pay me a visit this early on.

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