Rodolphus Lestrange knew that this was already the other party's bottom line. Still, it actually exceeded his expectations. He had thought that merely being allowed to see the child would be a luxury, yet he hadn't anticipated being allowed to give the child a middle name as well.
Handing the child back to Regulus Black eased the tension for the four Aurors present—and for Rodolphus Lestrange himself. After all, no one could be sure what action might be misinterpreted by the others, potentially ruining this rare opportunity to meet.
"The Lestrange family has only one member left now—my cousin, Leta Lestrange. Once she marries, the Lestrange line will come to an end."
Rodolphus Lestrange had once been a strong and sturdy young man, but after over a decade in Azkaban, he had become emaciated beyond recognition. That was the price—an unbearably heavy one.
"What? Are you regretting following Voldemort?"
Regulus Black asked calmly, showing no concern for the darkened expressions of the Aurors around him. The Aurors, who had just begun to relax slightly, now looked visibly disturbed, clearly frightened. Just a year ago, Regulus Black had only narrowly escaped being convicted as a Death Eater. Now, listening to the two speak, it gave off the uncanny feeling that two Death Eaters were conspiring again.
"Heh... I wouldn't say I regret it. I had my reasons for choosing that path back then. But after everything collapsed, there were reasons to be punished too."
After over ten years of imprisonment, Rodolphus Lestrange had long forgotten about pledging loyalty to Voldemort or chanting praises of the Dark Lord. All that remained was endless suffering and waiting—waiting for the day his family might rescue him, or, perhaps, the day despair drove him to dash his head against the wall of his cell.
Surely, in the end, a Dementor would come to give him its final kiss.
"Do you want to leave behind a child of your own?"
Regulus Black spoke the words casually, almost as if it were an offhand remark.
"What did you just say?"
Rodolphus Lestrange thought he must have misheard and tapped his head in confusion.
"I said, do you want to have a child of your own? One that carries your direct bloodline."
Regulus Black looked at him seriously, like a devil offering a tempting pact.
"You're joking. You must be joking. I'm a wizard, not a witch. How could I possibly have a child of my own bloodline?"
Rodolphus Lestrange felt deeply insulted, crying while laughing bitterly.
"To do this, you'd need a woman willing to bear the child. You could find a Muggle, or, if you care about blood purity, a Squib—because I doubt any witch would agree to such a thing. A Squib would be a more viable option."
Regulus Black spoke with absolute seriousness, as if it were something as routine and straightforward as brushing one's teeth.
"I believe you're not joking. If you're serious, then what would the price be?"
Rodolphus Lestrange felt like he was going insane. Though he said he believed Regulus wasn't joking, a voice inside him—like a demon—was screaming.
This isn't real. It can't be real. He's lying—he wants something from you! Wake up, you fool!
"The same as when a witch gets pregnant. You'd have to pay with your life. The moment the child is born, you will die."
Hey! Is it really okay to be discussing this here?
One of the Aurors looked like he wanted to intervene, but was stopped by a glance from his companion.
"Do you want a child of your own? All it takes is a surrogate, a bit of your blood, and mutual consent from both parties."
Regulus Black didn't seem at all concerned about whether the conversation might be overheard. In fact, having it overheard was precisely what he wanted. Whether it was Dumbledore, Fudge, or any other wizarding family who found out—he didn't care.
"Why blood? Isn't conception supposed to require a man's... you know what! And what if I die before the child is born? Can it still be born?"
Rodolphus Lestrange hadn't even started yet, and already he was anxious about these technicalities.
"As for the first question—when Bellatrix Lestrange became pregnant, she certainly didn't need help from any man. As for the second—whether you die early or not doesn't matter. You wouldn't live to see the birth anyway. The child's birth determines the moment of your death. The rest is up to your own decision—and your family's."
Regulus Black stood up and motioned for Judy Fox to take the child and leave first.
"Using a male as the basis for this process has one more advantage—the child's gender is not fixed. There's a fifty-fifty chance of it being male or female. Only when a female witch becomes pregnant herself does the child's gender become fixed as female. Take your time to think it over, there's no rush to respond."
Regulus Black left Azkaban, but news from within the prison spread like wildfire.
It turned out that allowing a witch to become pregnant was only part of it—pregnancy could also be achieved using the blood of a male wizard. Only by combining both methods was the full picture revealed.
The truth behind the witch's pregnancy shocked everyone. The outcome was beyond anyone's expectations—it was astounding.
However, it later became apparent that Regulus Black never actually revealed how it was done.
To the ancient wizarding families, the secrecy maintained by the Black heir was the right move. Though it frustrated them to no end, such a monopolized technique being kept within the Black family meant that no one else could claim this treasure.
Some families had already learned from Dumbledore that this method's true name was the "Conception Curse."
Let's break down the detailed rules and classifications of this "Conception Curse."
First, for female witches: since the pregnancy is self-induced, the child only inherits the strengths of the witch. This includes magical talent, gender, and perhaps appearance.
Second, after giving birth, the witch pays a corresponding price—exchanging her life for the child's birth.
From these two points, we can see this is a complete and balanced curse contract. One side—the "mother"—gives everything, while the other—the "child"—receives it all.
Now, let's look at the details for male wizards.
First, to pass down their bloodline, the man must willingly offer his blood and accept the loss of his life once the child is born.
Second, a woman must willingly serve as the mother. After the child is born, she owes nothing more—no price to pay.
From these two points, it's clear that the male version of the curse contract is somewhat lopsided—not truly balanced.
If the man dies before the child is born, the birth of the child is unaffected. Conversely, when a witch is pregnant, the child acts as a lifeline, keeping the witch alive until birth—only then does death arrive.
Another point of curiosity: can a man's blood cause multiple women to become pregnant? Regulus Black never disclosed this.
If multiple pregnancies are possible, then in a wizarding world suffering population decline, a group of elderly wizards might gladly offer their blood.
Exchanging one's death for the birth of several children—it's a deal that's hard to refuse, no matter how you calculate it.
Moreover, when a male contributes his blood, the child's gender is random. Compared to a female witch who can only produce daughters alone, this offers far more possibilities.
"Regulus! If you go through with this, the entire wizarding world will change. Relationships, marriage, having children—it will all lose meaning. All you'll need is a few drops of blood to have a child."
Judy Fox was struggling with the implications. The ethical and moral issues were too complex, leaving her completely lost in thought.
"Then you can also look at it another way. Imagine a male wizard's blood being taken without his knowledge, and somewhere else, a child is born. That child's birth would mark the wizard's death. What could be a more perfect way to kill someone?"
Regulus Black looked at his girlfriend's pale face, smiled faintly, and continued.
"After all, this is a curse—meant for killing. While it might have a positive side effect, I must say this: not being able to witness the birth of your own child is an incredibly tragic thing."
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