Hogwarts: Legacy of the Necromancer

Regulus Black left the headmaster's office and took Hermione with him.

With so many eyes watching, the young girl blushed, but the thought of being with her beloved again made her incredibly happy as they left.

Once they reached a deserted corridor, Regulus Black suddenly lifted Hermione into his arms and kissed her deeply.

Only after their tongues had tangled for a while did Regulus finally release her.

"You did an excellent job. Everything was perfect. Without you, this matter couldn't have been resolved," he said.

Though Regulus had been watching over everything from the sidelines, human interactions were unpredictable. Real life didn't follow a script like in the movies. Even though his strategies were always carefully calculated, the most perfect plans only existed on paper—reality was full of unforeseen variables.

This time, for instance, a minor butterfly effect caused subtle changes. But fortunately, another force kept everything moving along the correct path—history, the force that existed deep within Regulus Black's soul.

"I didn't really do much. Everything was under your control. I was just an observer," Hermione said, cheeks still flushed, after catching her breath.

"What do we do next? Maybe we can save Buckbeak? But I'll follow your lead," she added, trusting that Regulus had already planned everything meticulously.

"There's no rush to save anyone yet. After all the trouble you went through, you must be exhausted and hungry. I've prepared dinner in my room."

Regulus brought Hermione back to his room. The Room of Requirement was on the same floor as the Headmaster's Office—just around the corner.

Inside, the mechanical Halloween Iron Golem [Zero] had already laid out a candlelit dinner with all of Hermione's favorite dishes. The two sat across from each other, and [Zero] served them without them needing to lift a finger.

"You already know a lot about Sirius. So tell me, from your personal perspective, how do you think this should be handled?"

As he spoke, Regulus rotated his silver dinner knife, meticulously trimming the bones from the garlic-roasted lamb chops, slicing the meat into small pieces, and squeezing a few drops of lemon juice over them.

"Why are you asking me? Regulus, I'm just a third-year student… alright then."

Hermione didn't understand why Regulus would ask her such a serious question, but she knew it wasn't without reason. So she gathered her thoughts to give a meaningful answer.

After sipping some pumpkin soup and swallowing a bite of fried chicken leg, she dabbed her lips with a napkin and began.

"Sirius is clearly innocent, so we could appeal to the Wizengamot to clear his name."

"The real traitor back then was Peter Pettigrew, so we should ask the Ministry of Magic and the Auror Office to issue a warrant for his arrest."

"As for the specifics, I'm not entirely sure, but I believe Sirius will receive a fair trial and be set free."

She smiled after speaking, as if she could already see justice being upheld, evil being punished, and the touching reunion of Sirius and his godson, Harry.

Then, joyfully, she continued eating. The main dish tonight was silver cod, but the fried chicken was still tastier.

Regulus didn't comment on Hermione's explanation until after dinner.

Later, as they lay resting on the bed, Regulus finally spoke up.

"Sirius is indeed innocent, but it was the Wizengamot that sentenced him to prison. Although the judges have changed over the years, the Wizengamot acts as a whole. Taking responsibility for past mistakes isn't that easy."

"Peter Pettigrew was the real traitor, but he's escaped. Without capturing him, we'll never be able to prove what truly happened. That means Sirius has to continue bearing the blame—until Pettigrew is caught. And if that rat dies, there will still be no way to prove Sirius's innocence."

"Also, the Wizengamot won't want to admit it made a mistake, the Auror Office can't guarantee an arrest, and the Ministry won't grant Sirius a pardon, not if it harms its reputation."

Holding Hermione close, Regulus spoke softly, also sorting through the logic in his own mind.

"Then what are we supposed to do? All our efforts would be for nothing! I, Harry, and Ron—we can all testify!"

Emotionally agitated, Hermione pushed Regulus away and sat up.

"Calm down, alright? When you get upset, your face scrunches up and you look fierce and gloomy. Your smile is what makes you truly beautiful."

Regulus gently smoothed the expression from her face until she smiled again.

"I'm telling you all this so you understand—an adult's world is different from a child's. The way we think, our identities, our positions—they're all different. That's why, now that we've come back in time, we need to make this case irrefutable."

"Then let's go now!"

Despite her fatigue, Hermione prepared to act immediately.

"Don't rush! You've been through a lot today. Your body needs rest. Once you're recharged, we'll still have time."

Regulus pulled Hermione back down onto the bed. The two of them lay down fully dressed.

Hermione, understanding this, soon drifted off to sleep—clearly eager for what lay ahead.

After a short nap—about four hours—the night had passed, and dawn was just breaking.

Regulus woke first and looked at the young girl across from him, eyes closed, pretending to sleep with fluttering lashes.

He rolled over, pinned her down, and gently took one of her "dovelets" in hand. Before she could squeal, he caught her little tongue with his lips.

Only after she hit him twice did he let go. Hermione shyly pushed him away.

"Let's go back to the time near Hagrid's hut."

As Regulus spoke, he reached inside Hermione's clothes to retrieve the Time-Turner. Though simply tugging the chain would've worked, he took the pendant directly—naturally involving a bit of touching in the process.

Hermione, her eyes sultry, let Regulus do as he pleased. At this point, justice didn't seem so important anymore.

"Hermione, love—focus. We need to return to the moment when you and the others first went to Hagrid's hut."

Regulus looped the golden chain around both their necks and activated the Time-Turner. As soon as he released it, the device began spinning in reverse. To Regulus, the scenery rapidly rewound, and even their location shifted—from the Room of Requirement on the eighth floor to a path behind Hogwarts, leading to Hagrid's hut.

Below the path, in a circular stone formation, the earlier Hermione was holding a wand at Draco Malfoy, demanding an apology.

"You looked so fierce back then—completely different from when you smile."

Regulus removed the chain, tucked it between Hermione's "dovelets," and gave them a quick reassuring pat.

"They're coming."

Hermione saw Malfoy and his three cronies approaching and quickly pulled Regulus to hide.

"That vile girl—I'll get back at her for this one day," Malfoy muttered.

Earlier, when Hermione pointed her wand at him, he had truly sensed her killing intent and backed down. But now, in front of his cronies, he had to save face somehow.

Watching Harry, Ron, and Hermione (his enemy) head toward Hagrid's, Malfoy decided to report them to the professor on duty, claiming they were out after curfew. At Hogwarts, any student out after dark is considered to be "night wandering," which automatically warrants disciplinary labor.

"Draco! Did you see Hermione? I've been looking everywhere for her."

The earlier version of Regulus suddenly appeared and blocked Malfoy's path, asking about Hermione's whereabouts.

"I didn't see her!"

Caught off guard, Draco immediately denied having seen her.

"Well, since you said you didn't, then remember this—you really didn't."

Brushing past a visibly uneasy Draco, Regulus headed for the end of the corridor, where he saw Hermione and the others just entering Hagrid's hut.

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