On the Hogwarts Express, Regulus Black and Hermione reached an agreement—he would lend them a hand during Harry Potter's upcoming challenges. This was merely out of the camaraderie of being former classmates.
However, the three other little Ravenclaws who had followed Hermione into the compartment were completely baffled. Although they managed to catch some implied meaning in the assistant professor and Hermione's cryptic conversation, there was still a lot they didn't understand!
For Ravenclaws who were naturally curious and used to seeking the truth, this kind of secrecy was torture. You can't just keep things under wraps like that! They had to find a chance to interrogate Hermione!
Marietta Edgecombe and Penelope Clearwater exchanged a glance, as if reaching a tacit understanding.
They had realized that the assistant professor in front of them was becoming increasingly pleasing to the eye. What's more, having spent quite a bit of time hanging around Hermione's room earlier, they'd been affected by Regulus Black's enchantment. At this point, both girls had already developed strong feelings for him—and intense ones at that. But clearly, there were going to be plenty of rivals. What to do?
A public catfight was obviously not a Ravenclaw's style. That left only private correspondence and fair competition. The moment their eyes met, the two girls understood each other's intentions and silently accepted the situation.
Regulus Black, though unaware of the specifics of the girls' scheming, could guess bits and pieces—especially with Cho Chang gazing at him with such affection. If he still didn't get it, then he truly deserved to be single for life.
Though Regulus currently had an Auror girlfriend, they weren't married. Even if they were, maintaining long-term romantic liaisons was quite common among the nobility. Having lived three lifetimes, whether as the dark wizard Regulus Black or the ordinary Muggle Regulus, he held the same attitude toward relationships: the more, the merrier.
Thinking back to his previous life, where he had died single, what a pitiful existence that had been! Regulus Black couldn't help but sigh.
During the several-hour journey, Regulus Black enjoyed pleasant conversation with the four girls, but even the longest trip must come to an end.
Near noon, the Hogwarts Express arrived back at King's Cross Station.
"Ladies, we've arrived. Gather your belongings and head home for the holidays! If you have any academic thoughts or ideas, feel free to reach out to me—even by letter. As long as I'm not oversleeping, I'll definitely respond promptly."
Regulus Black disembarked first. After all, he had to be mindful of appearances. If the girls' families saw them together, their expressions might give something away.
Once Regulus left, the four girls finally calmed down. The whole compartment had been filled with the atmosphere of springtime romance—it was hard to keep emotions in check after such close interaction.
"No wonder Professor Black always keeps a cold face. It's because when he gets passionate, he's absolutely irresistible!"
Marietta Edgecombe touched her flushed cheeks. Earlier, she had lost control and subtly hinted at her interest, but the assistant professor had skillfully deflected the topic.
"Exactly! He's impossible to resist. The darker his charm, the richer it feels."
Among the four, Penelope Clearwater was the most mature. At first, she had even suspected Regulus Black of using some kind of spell. But even now, with him no longer around, she still felt drawn to him—constantly thinking about him. She knew for sure: she was in love.
"Professor Black said he liked Eastern culture, even mentioned he could write some Chinese characters, and said he adored the subtlety of Eastern women."
Those few compliments and his appreciation of Eastern culture had already planted a seed in Cho Chang's heart. The young girl was now contemplating whether she should reassess herself from a British perspective—and perhaps make some changes to become more appealing to him.
Hermione understood her three companions very well—after all, she was already deeply involved herself. She decided not to disturb their beautiful dreams. After tidying up her luggage, she hurried off the train, already planning to write a letter to Professor Black once she got home.
"Wait! Hold on! Don't sneak off!"
Hermione's sudden departure jolted the others into action. The four girls chatted and laughed as they left the train together.
As soon as he got off the train, Regulus Black Apparated directly back to the old house at 12 Grimmauld Place.
"Kreacher! You'd better not disappoint me—there's not much time left."
Regulus Black took off his coat and hung it up, casting a cold look at the visibly excited Kreacher standing before him.
"Honored master! Kreacher followed your orders and tried his best to locate Boggarts, but only managed to catch a few."
Kreacher bowed his head to the ground, looking utterly ashamed.
"Oh? A few? Not bad at all—take me to see them."
Regulus hadn't expected Kreacher to actually capture multiple Boggarts. Then again, he hadn't specified a number in the first place.
On the table in what used to be the first-floor dining room sat thirteen boxes of various sizes. The boxes occasionally trembled and emitted eerie, tearing noises—like a cat trapped inside.
Regulus Black drew his wand and gave it a flick. Through the feedback of magical energy, he confirmed that there were indeed thirteen Boggarts inside.
This far exceeded what Regulus Black actually needed, but since Boggarts were magical creatures, keeping them posed no harm.
He picked up one of the music box-like containers and placed it directly into his storage space. Inside, he opened it, released the Boggart, and then retrieved a Dementor from the Black Lake Temple.
The Titan Belt of the Horadric came with the properties of a Horadric Cube and included a built-in modifier function. To avoid any accidents, this type of alchemical fusion was safest when performed directly within the storage space.
The black, corpse-like Dementor and the completely transparent Boggart were forcibly fused together, eventually forming a dreamlike, illusory mass of gray substance. At that moment, Regulus Black embedded the Golden Memory Soul Gem into the mixture.
One advantage of creating alchemical items inside a storage space was that the attribute gems used for embedding or fusion could be dismantled and retrieved when no longer needed.
Now, everything was in place—except for the final piece. All that remained was for Hagrid to hatch the dragon egg.
Regulus Black had gone through all this effort—venturing to Azkaban to lure and capture a Dementor, commanding Kreacher to hunt down Boggarts, and embedding the Voldemort Soul Fragment Gem into the fusion of two magical creatures—but these were just preparatory steps. His true objective was the dragon egg. And not just any dragon egg—it had to be Hagrid's dragon egg.
There was no specific reason. Simply because that egg was a key prop in the films, a crucial part of this world's fate and destiny.
It was just like how transmigrators who collect harems always go after named female characters rather than pursuing random beauties in that world—it would be meaningless otherwise.
There were plenty of dragon eggs. Regulus Black had already looked into it. Although buying and selling dragon eggs technically violated Ministry of Magic law, dragons were important magical resources in the wizarding world. Crossing the line a little wasn't a big deal.
But as a transmigrator himself, Regulus Black specifically wanted that dragon egg, and he had to obtain it before it hatched. Otherwise, all his previous actions would have been meaningless.
"Kreacher! I need to return to Hogwarts. You'll take care of the house while I'm gone. Also, I have another task for you."
Back at home, Regulus Black sat briefly. After completing the fusion of the Dementor and Boggart and embedding the soul gem, he prepared to head back to school. There were still many matters that required his personal attention, and it was about time for Harry Potter to receive his father's inheritance.
The Invisibility Cloak—owned by one of the three brothers of the wizarding world's oldest family, the Peverell family.
According to legend and the account in The Tales of Beedle the Bard, he was the youngest of the three brothers, and the original owner of one of the Deathly Hallows.
He was the wisest and kindest of the three. After receiving the Invisibility Cloak from Death, he lived a long and happy life. Death couldn't find him until he had grown old. At that point, he took off the cloak, passed it on to his son, and went to meet Death willingly, with joy.
The Invisibility Cloak had been passed down through Ignotus's descendants for generations. Based on Harry's deductions, he believed himself to be one of Ignotus's heirs. When Harry visited Godric's Hollow and saw Ignotus's tombstone, it confirmed his theory.
Both Voldemort and Harry Potter shared the bloodline of the Peverell family—the oldest lineage in the wizarding world. History, indeed, is full of irony.
Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon
https://patreon.com/Glimmer09