No matter how much Sirius Black wanted to refuse, he couldn't forget the look in Regulus's eyes at the time—it was one of near despair. The lack of an heir was a matter of life and death for a family.
Back then, one of the reasons Voldemort was able to gain so much support was by threatening people's children. In the original story, there was even a scene where Luna was kidnapped, and her father betrayed Harry Potter's whereabouts to save her.
Some might argue that the Black family still had Regulus, Sirius, and the young Jupiter.
But when it comes to carrying on the family name, male heirs are always prioritized. Regulus currently had no children, and there was a high likelihood he never would. Young Jupiter was a girl— even if she inherited the family name, her control over the legacy would be limited. According to tradition, women take their husband's surname after marriage. And if her future husband refused to let their children bear the Black name, then the family line would end with her.
Right now, only Sirius Black was capable of bearing this responsibility. Even though he had been disowned, he still carried the Black bloodline. He wouldn't change his surname after marriage, so they would only need to wait until he had a son. As head of the family, Regulus Black could then officially declare the return of a Black family member— even if it was just Sirius Black's son.
The whole situation was tangled and somewhat absurd. What seemed simple on the surface had complex roots beneath it.
Sirius Black was still conflicted, but the next day, he carefully dressed himself up, took potions to improve his physical condition, and chose an appropriate set of formalwear according to the visiting guests.
"All cleaned up! Looking sharp! Smooth as silk!"
Before bringing Sirius out, Regulus Black hit him with three spells in a row, tidying up his clothes, face, and hair.
"Today's guests are our cousin Narcissa Malfoy, her husband, and her child. I believe seeing them will liven your spirits. They're also here to visit little Jupiter, so don't be rude!"
Since Sirius returned home, Regulus hadn't given him a wand. With this oversized man-child, who knows what chaos he might cause if he had one. So any spells needed to be cast either by Regulus himself or with Kreacher's help.
As for the other house-elves in the manor, they had all been reassigned elsewhere the day Sirius was released.
"I know. The Malfoys. And you know I don't like Lucius," Sirius said, his expression radiating disgust. Then, in a blink, his face darkened. "One more thing—when can I buy a wand?"
One more door and they would reach the living room—where the Malfoys had already arrived.
"The Black family isn't short of seven Galleons. But if you had a wand, the damage you'd cause to the manor would be worth far more than that," Regulus said, tapping Sirius's chest. Sirius felt a dull ache in that very spot.
"For your first family dinner, I chose the Malfoys to get your spirits up. In the future, you'll likely meet guests you don't like, or who don't like you. The goal today is to sit, eat, and drink together—even with those you dislike. That's what this is about."
With that, Regulus opened the door. Lucius and his family were enjoying drinks under Kreacher's hospitality while peering into the cradle at little Jupiter.
"Welcome! Welcome! Lucius, I'm honored you accepted the invitation to the Black manor for our family dinner," Regulus said, embracing Lucius. The two had close business ties, making their bond warmer than that of old friends.
Then Sirius stepped up to face Lucius, and the two looked at each other with undisguised contempt.
What Regulus saw before him was a vicious black dog baring its teeth at a silver serpent. The silver serpent coiled still and upright, tongue flicking, while the black dog slowly crept forward, seeking the right moment to pounce.
Silver Serpent: "Sirius Black!"Black Dog: "Lucius Malfoy!"
Silver Serpent: "It's been quite a while."Black Dog: "Yes, at least twelve years. That's long enough."
Silver Serpent: "I believe it's been even longer. You didn't attend my wedding to Narcissa."Black Dog: "I did. But all you could see was the bride."
Silver Serpent: "Let me introduce my son, Draco. You probably haven't met him since he was born."Black Dog: "He's a fine young man. I have a godson too—I'll bring him over sometime to introduce you two."
Silver Serpent: "You mean Harry Potter. I've already seen him a few times. He looks just like his father. Haven't you ever considered having a child of your own?"
Black Dog: "Of course, I'll consider your suggestion."
Silver Snake: "Take my advice—being single is a sign of a man's incompetence, and leaving no descendants is a sin."
Black Dog: "My godson is quite outstanding as well."
Silver Snake: "Harry Potter carries the legacy of the Potter family. There's no way he'll ever take the Black surname."
Black Dog was struck by Silver Snake's sharp tongue and fell into a state of despair and disorientation.
Regulus Black showed a look of approval—he had invited the Malfoy family here precisely to give Sirius a lesson.
"You two men, that's enough. Don't just stand there, let's all sit down. Tonight's dinner is to celebrate the revival of the Black family. Regulus, you've done your best. The rest is up to Sirius."
Everyone raised their glasses. Draco had grape juice in his, while Jupiter was holding a baby bottle.
"Cheers!"
"Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba…"
Little Jupiter drank her milk while staring at Regulus Black, babbling as if calling out "Papa."
"Oh! What an adorable little darling. Jupiter—is she calling you 'Papa'?"
Narcissa looked toward the crib with motherly affection. She was very fond of the child, who was born from her sister Bellatrix's own pregnancy.
"Technically speaking, she should be calling me Godfather. You all know Jupiter's situation is special. All the other children like her have already confirmed that they will acknowledge me as their Godfather."
Regulus Black explained casually, though what lay behind this was far more complicated.
There weren't many female prisoners in Azkaban, but there were still about twenty or so. This year, they had all been collectively transferred to St. Mungo's.
After all, with such a large number of pregnant witches, keeping them in the Ministry for childbirth would likely lead to the early downfall of Minister Fudge. The furious families of these witches would storm his office, waving their wands and forcing him to sign off.
Now that the witches had been hospitalized for delivery, the next issue lay with the wizards.
Wizards who used the "Pregnancy Curse" weren't limited to fathering just one child—since the surrogate witches could be more than one.
This involved the probability of birthing boys or girls. A witch would only give birth to girls, while wizards, since they weren't the ones carrying the child, could have either boys or girls.
From what Lucius Malfoy knew, the Death Eater wizarding families had prepared no fewer than two surrogate witches each. One particularly excessive family had found as many as seven.
But regardless of how many surrogate witches were brought in, it had nothing to do with Regulus Black. He charged by the head, fair and square.
If you brought two, Regulus Black charged for two. If you brought seven, he charged for seven.
Still, there was one commendable thing—Regulus Black had fought for some rights for these surrogate witches. No matter whether they gave birth to a boy or girl, the witch must be acknowledged by the family and officially accepted as a member.
That single demand earned him deep gratitude from many surrogate witches.
It's worth knowing that witches willing to act as surrogates generally didn't come from high backgrounds or possess strong talents. In the eyes of many old wizarding families, they were barely better than Muggles.
But at the very least, they were still witches. Their children would be able to just barely step into the ranks of the pure-blooded.
"Congratulations, Regulus! You're about to become the Godfather of the entire wizarding world. That's no exaggeration. From what I know, the number of future young witches and wizards to be born this year has already exceeded one hundred. As Muggles would say—this year, the wizarding world is about to experience a baby boom."
Lucius Malfoy raised his glass, confirming in his heart that Regulus Black would become a major force in the future wizarding world—and such expansion would be unstoppable.
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