Astor had no intention of heeding the guard's advice. If the library was the place Lily often frequented, it was the last place Astor wanted to be. He needed a less conspicuous station where he would not be seen often and could blend into the shadows. If he carried on wandering around aimlessly in black robes, he was going to get caught very soon. At exactly that moment, fortunately now out of sight and earshot of the guard he had just been speaking with, Kreacher reappeared out of thin air. The diminutive elf almost wept out of joy and kissed Astor's black boots (which he had found alongside the robes).