July 24, 1991.
London, Grimmauld Place.
An Owl flew past a Black-painted, unblemished door and arrived at the second floor of a manor inside.
It tapped on the window glass with its sharp beak, and a small, delicate hand opened the window, reaching out to take the envelope clutched in the Owl's talons.
Then, a long, thin treat was tossed out from the window. As soon as the Owl caught the treat, it found the window had been closed.
Looking at the treat in its talons, and then at the tightly shut window, it didn't know whether to be happy or angry for a moment.
After finishing the treat, the Owl decided that its delicious taste made it the best treat it had eaten in a long time.
It opened its beak, as if savoring the treat it had just eaten.
But looking at the tightly closed window, the Owl flapped its wings twice in frustration and flew away into the distance.
Inside a room on the second floor of the manor.
A young man with Black hair and Black eyes sat upright in a chair. He was about 11 years old and wore magnificent attire.
He had handsome features, fair skin, and delicate, well-defined facial features, especially his Black eyes, which were like Black holes, involuntarily drawing one's gaze.
This seemed to give him an air of nobility and elegance, as if he was born to enjoy such a luxurious life.
He picked up the letter the Owl had just delivered.
The envelope was pale yellow and bore a crest.
The overall shape was like a shield, surrounded by four animals—a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake—encircling the initial 'H' for Hogwarts.
After opening the envelope, there were two sheets of paper inside.
The first sheet was the admission letter:
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Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Principal: Albus Dumbledore
(Supreme Mugwump, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, First Class with Honors of the Order of Merlin)
Dear Mr. Black,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on September 1. We await your Owl by no later than July 31.
Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Principal
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The content on the second sheet of paper was a list of required books and equipment for first-year students.
In addition, it explicitly stated, "First-year students are not allowed to bring their own broomsticks."
Arthur Black put down the admission letter and took out a blank sheet of paper from a drawer.
He politely expressed his understanding of the admission date and requirements, and his anticipation for his future studies at Hogwarts.
He then placed the letter into an envelope and tapped a bell hanging on a wooden stand on the desk.
"Ding-a-ling ~ Ding-a-ling ~"
The crisp sound stopped abruptly after two repetitions.
At this moment, the door slowly opened, and a small, short House-elf wearing a suit walked in.
He bowed slightly and asked, "Young Master, is there anything you need?"
Arthur, sitting in the chair, pushed the written letter to the edge of the table. "Send this letter to Hogwarts."
"Yes, Young Master."
Perhaps because he had been given a task, the House-elf seemed very happy.
He took the envelope and went to a small table nearby.
The table had many drawers.
The House-elf opened one of the drawers, took out a small spoon, and after putting some things into the spoon,
He extended his other hand and pointed, and the contents of the spoon immediately turned into a Black liquid.
Then, the House-elf held the spoon and circled it around the envelope. The liquid on the spoon, as if controlled by an invisible force, formed a perfect circle on the envelope.
Next, the House-elf took out a stamp from the drawer and lightly pressed it onto the Black liquid on the envelope.
Soon, the House-elf withdrew the stamp.
The Black liquid, which had been like a raindrop, was pressed into a Black disc, and a seal appeared on it.
The overall shape of the seal was a shield, with three patterns: two five-pointed stars, a chevron, and a short sword, flanked by two rampant greyhounds.
Below the shield was a ribbon with the family motto written in French: Toujours pur (Always Pure).
This was the crest of the House of Black.
The Most Ancient and Noble House of Black was one of the largest, oldest, and wealthiest Pure-blood Wizard families in Britain, and also one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Many British Wizarding families were related to them, either closely or distantly.
Arthur Black was the only legitimate heir of the current House of Black.
He put away the Hogwarts admission letter he had just received and then walked to the top floor of the manor, which was the fifth floor.
Going from the fourth-floor staircase to the fifth floor, the first thing one saw was a small garden surrounding both sides of the stairwell.
After passing through the garden, one could see a very large bedroom, or rather, a suite.
It had everything from a bedroom, bathroom, gym, and other rooms, together occupying half of the entire fifth floor.
The other half was the garden they had just passed through.
The original Black Manor was not actually like this.
This was a few years ago, when Arthur personally ordered the manor to be renovated.
Because the original manor was too dilapidated and filled with an eerie, dark atmosphere.
After the renovation, only the original basement of the manor remained untouched, as it stored all the books collected by the House of Black from its founding to the present.
Arthur naturally did not want anyone to touch such a "family heirloom."
However, despite this, Arthur still had the House-elves in the family replace all the decorations in the basement.
The kitchen, originally located in the basement, was also moved to the first floor.
Such drastic renovations to the ancestral manor naturally met with opposition from the House-elves inside the manor and Walburga Black.
However, in front of Arthur Black, the sole legitimate heir of the House of Black,
the opposition from a painting and a House-elf was ineffective.
Even the House-elf Kreacher, from that moment on, betrayed Walburga Black and thenceforth completely obeyed Arthur Black.
Because Arthur promised Kreacher that after he died, his head would be mounted on a plaque, just like his mother's.
From then on, Arthur became the only heir in the House of Black who, though not officially the Head of House, exercised the Head of House's authority.
After the manor renovation was completed, besides sealing Walburga Black's portrait in a small room in the basement, which was converted from the original kitchen,
Arthur also specifically had Kreacher install soundproofing materials in the room.
He really didn't want to hear Walburga Black loudly shouting every day, "You stupid little runt! Don't defile my ancestral home with those things!"
Although due to Arthur's own bloodline and identity, Walburga Black would not verbally abuse Arthur as she did in the original story.
But her constant loud fussing was very annoying to Arthur.
So he simply sealed her away.
Additionally, Arthur moved another landmark feature of Black Manor, the wall adorned with the heads of House-elves, to the innermost room of the first-floor corridor, Kreacher's room.
He personally named this wall and wrote, "House of Black · House-elf Wall of Honor."
Below it, a small line of text read, "In gratitude to the House-elves who have made significant contributions to the House of Black."
After writing it, Arthur promised that after Kreacher died, his head would be hung at the very top of the Wall of Honor.
This act almost made Kreacher cry his eyes out.
From then on, he could fall asleep every day looking at the House-elf Wall of Honor, dreaming that after his death, his head would hang high at the top of the Wall of Honor.
What a happy and honorable thing this was.
At this moment, he felt that Arthur Black was the greatest person in the House of Black.
Even greater than Regulus Black and Capricorn Black.