In the end, Dumbledore still didn't agree with Regulus Black's idea. Letting Harry Potter search for the Chamber of Secrets was simply too dangerous.
"Click!"
Colin Creevey snapped a photo of Harry Potter. The first-year with a passion for photography was a blond boy named Colin Creevey.
"Harry Potter! Is it true you can speak Parseltongue? Are you really the Heir of Slytherin?"
Even after taking the photo, Colin kept asking questions—this little fellow had quite the talent for journalism.
Harry knew the boy meant no harm, so he simply pushed him aside and headed toward the Quidditch pitch.
It was the start of a new year's Quidditch season. Gryffindor had been burning with frustration after Slytherin had snatched early access to the field.
Team captain Wood kept urging his players into position. After all, with so much training time lost, their only option for a strong showing on the field was to push themselves harder.
As always, Quidditch drew an enthusiastic crowd. Every student had come to watch the match.
While Harry and Draco were bickering mid-air, Regulus Black was seated in the stands, surrounded by girls.
Hermione, Cho Chang, Marietta Edgecombe, and Penelope Clearwater were there—as were Ginny and Luna Lovegood. Girls from all four houses mingled together, taking over the entire section. Regulus Black was the only male among them.
"Why is Assistant Professor Black so popular with the girls?"
Ron, seated in the opposite stands, spotted Hermione chatting warmly with Regulus through his binoculars.
He didn't know why, but it made him incredibly annoyed—like he'd just lost something important.
Regulus Black hadn't expected this either. Because of a minor charm he had cast in the past, nearly half of Ravenclaw had fallen for him. What's more, other girls from houses with close ties to Ravenclaw were also affected.
The girls had even formed an organization called the Topple Black Alliance, with one clear goal: Regulus Black.
Still, aside from a few close connections with Hermione, Cho, and two others, Regulus remained fairly reserved toward the rest. Pursuing girls was one thing—but being pursued by a crowd of girls was something else entirely.
"Professor Black! Who do you think will win today?"
A girl with chin-length black hair leaned across Cho Chang to ask him.
Regulus turned to see that it was Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl and Draco's tagalong.
He was a little surprised to find her on these stands. He could easily chart the social dynamics between the girls present, and Pansy was a clear outlier—her presence here meant she likely had ulterior motives.
"I'd like to say Slytherin, since they're all equipped with Nimbus 2001s this year. But Gryffindor's Seeker is Harry Potter. He's always an unpredictable variable, and often throws off any accurate prediction."
Up in the sky, the Bludger suddenly started behaving erratically, as if it wouldn't stop until it had taken Harry Potter down.
At the same time, the Golden Snitch appeared in both Harry and Draco's sights.
What followed was a scene like something out of an aerial dogfight—Harry and Draco chasing the Snitch, with the deadly Bludger right behind them, destroying everything in its path as it pursued Harry and even dragged Draco into the chaos.
The Bludger smashed through several stands, putting everyone in danger.
"It's time to end this."
Regulus Black quietly calculated. Once Draco gave up the chase, Harry could pursue the Snitch alone. Finally, after sliding several meters across the ground and suffering a fractured right arm, Harry caught the Snitch.
Regulus had already left the stands when Harry began his solo chase.
When Harry got hurt, Gilderoy Lockhart was the first to rush over—running faster than anyone.
Even at that moment, the rogue Bludger was still attacking Harry. Regulus Black immediately drew his wand.
"Confringo!" (Shatter to pieces!)
The Bludger, controlled by Dobby, exploded like a firework—vanishing without leaving a single fragment behind.
"I don't think I'm doing too well... my arm's broken."
For some reason, Lockhart looked excited. But to Harry, that expression was downright horrifying.
"Don't worry, Harry, leave it to me! This is my specialty. I'll have you healed in no time."
Lockhart had already drawn his wand, ready to act without caring about others' reactions.
"No! You'd better not..."
Harry weakly tried to stop him, but Lockhart only responded with a reassuring look.
"Poor thing! He's already incoherent. Don't worry, it won't hurt at all. Bone Repair!"
That sounded like the spell he was chanting, though Lockhart's peculiar lisp gave it an odd twist. Standing behind him, Regulus Black carefully observed, sensing the fluctuations in Lockhart's magic.
Sure enough, something was wrong. Most spells have a corresponding counter-spell, but the one Gilderoy Lockhart used was a reverse-engineered version of a standard healing spell—akin to deriving a damage spell from a healing one.
Let's tentatively call this spell the "Bone-Extraction Charm." If we go by the original story and consider Lockhart as a comedic clown figure, then this incident could be chalked up to a failed spell. But how could someone so bad at casting spells even graduate from Hogwarts?
On the other hand, if Lockhart is actually a high-ranking officer in the Department of Magical Intelligence, then everything makes sense. This "Bone-Extraction Charm" might be used for interrogation purposes. After all, even the Ministry's Aurors can't use Cruciatus like Death Eaters do, right?
Harry truly didn't feel pain anymore—because the source of the pain, his broken bone, was gone. His right arm now hung limp and boneless.
Everyone around was stunned. Who knew healing could be so... drastic?
Lockhart even bent Harry's arm upwards at an impossible angle.
"Sometimes it happens this way. But at least it doesn't hurt anymore, and Harry's arm is still quite flexible," Lockhart said self-deprecatingly, awkwardly standing up. What a performance he had just put on.
Harry was rushed to the Hogwarts infirmary, where Madam Pomfrey immediately forced a large bottle of Skele-Gro down his throat.
"Originally, if he had just been brought to me, the fracture would've been easy to mend. But now we'll have to regrow the bones. It's going to take a while."
Pinned down in bed by Madam Pomfrey, it looked like Harry would have to stay the night in the hospital wing.
Of course, Dobby came to visit during the night, revealing some information and confessing to controlling the Bludger to attack Harry.
But to Regulus Black, all of this was inconsequential.
In the Room of Requirement, an entirely different scene was playing out—one filled with intimacy and desire.
"Penelope, have you given any more thought to what I told you?"
Regulus Black kissed along her back inch by inch. After their passionate time together, Penelope Clearwater stirred from her light doze.
She turned over and wrapped her arms around him.
"I never thought about becoming a star before. I don't have any acting experience. Am I really suited for a movie?"
Penelope Clearwater suppressed the tingling sensation in her chest, running her fingers through Regulus Black's hair.
"What are you worried about? I'm the investor. I own the rights to the film—both the movie and the original book. I could cast myself if I wanted to. The film industry is a rich man's playground."
Regulus lifted his head, reiterating the advantages he held.
"Then why me? It's not like there aren't girls prettier than me."
Such good fortune felt unreal to Penelope Clearwater. She pressed against his chest, tracing little circles with her finger. Clearly, she was tempted—but still hesitant.
"Because you're a half-blood. That part of you from the Muggle world means you won't act irrationally. Pure-blood witches have too much bias in their understanding of Muggles. And besides, I genuinely believe you're the perfect fit."
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