Hogwarts: Legacy of the Necromancer

Draco left with a grim expression. His original plan to inform Professor Snape and get Harry Potter and his friends punished had vanished without a trace, leaving only lingering fear.

Regulus Black was not just a teaching assistant at the school—he was also Draco Malfoy's uncle, his mother's younger brother, and a business partner of his father.

Draco had been strictly warned about him by his father, and the two had even carefully analyzed Regulus Black's personality.

As long as one didn't seriously offend him, Regulus Black was actually easy to talk to. The fact that, despite being only a teaching assistant, he was more popular among students than most professors made that obvious.

But those who did cross him ended up in bad shape. The Valentine's Day incident was a prime example—although Regulus claimed he was innocent.

Draco ran off. Regulus Black felt that what he'd just done was probably unnecessary. After all, the professor on duty tonight was Snape, who was personally involved in everything that had taken place. So things like students sneaking out at night were the least of their concerns.

Regulus didn't know why, but he had no desire to witness the events that originally occurred in the timeline. Once he confirmed that Hermione and the other two had entered Hagrid's hut, he leisurely leaned against the corridor railing and enjoyed the view.

Not long after, Headmaster Dumbledore arrived with Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge and the executioner.

"Regulus! I didn't expect to see you here."

Minister Fudge greeted him with mild surprise. After all, Buckbeak's death sentence and the presence of the executioner had all been prearranged. Regulus's sudden appearance was an unexpected variable.

"Oh! Minister Fudge, don't mind me. I'm just waiting for someone—you know how it is—with a lovely young lady."

Regulus Black smiled as he spoke. His explanation sounded entirely plausible. It was already an open secret that he could charm any girl in school, so a late-night rendezvous with a student in a secluded corridor didn't seem out of the ordinary.

"We've got official business to attend to, so we won't interrupt your...date. Unless, of course, you'd like to join us...?"

Fudge still wasn't sure if Regulus was being serious, so he extended a polite invitation.

"No need at all. Let's all take care of our own affairs. I wish you the best."

Regulus looked as if he couldn't wait for them to leave, which convinced all three men that he really was waiting for a girl.

Meanwhile, the Regulus Black and Hermione from the later timeline were hiding in the distance among Hagrid's pumpkins. Buckbeak was chained up, one end of the chain looped through an iron ring on a post. There was no actual lock, suggesting that Hagrid was hoping Buckbeak might escape on his own.

As a magical creature, the hippogriff Buckbeak possessed some intelligence. He knew he had made a mistake and would be punished. This was evident in the original film when Harry tried to drag him away and Buckbeak resisted. He had no thought of fleeing.

In the end, however, Buckbeak's animal instincts got the better of him. He was lured away by Hermione using a ferret—just as he had once attacked Draco for not bowing. Wild instincts can suppress intelligence.

Regulus Black and Hermione from the alternate timeline continued to hide in Hagrid's pumpkin patch. From a distance, they could see inside the hut where Ron was receiving the overstuffed milk-drunk rat "Scabbers" from Hagrid.

"Oh no! The Headmaster and the others are coming," Hermione whispered, alerting Regulus Black.

"We need to warn your two friends," Regulus said as he drew his wand and pointed it toward some snail shells nearby.

"Waddiwasi!"

Ron had just retrieved his pet rat. He had been convinced all along that Hermione's cat had eaten Scabbers.

Suddenly, a small stone flew in from the window and struck Harry Potter square on the head.

Right after, Ron Weasley also got hit. The two boys cried out in pain nearly at the same time.

Hermione picked up one of the small projectiles—it turned out to be a snail shell from Hagrid's pumpkin patch, a tiny but very hard object.

Looking out the window, she saw Dumbledore walking toward the hut with Cornelius Fudge and the executioner.

Regulus Black quickly led Hermione back into the woods. As the Headmaster and his group entered through the front door of Hagrid's hut, Hermione and the others slipped out the back. As they passed through the pumpkin patch, Hermione confirmed that someone had indeed been at that spot earlier, throwing snail shells to warn them.

It seemed likely that only Regulus Black would take such action!

Hermione and the other two returned to a slightly higher spot—at the stone circle at the end of the rear corridor.

"The Headmaster and the others have already confirmed Buckbeak is here. Let's take him away first."

Regulus Black stepped in just as the three were turning to leave, and without delay, walked straight toward the condemned creature in the pumpkin patch.

Bow to Buckbeak? No! Absolutely unnecessary—Regulus Black flicked his wand, casting a spell directly.

"Confundus!"

Buckbeak appeared to see Regulus Black bow to him, and courteously returned the gesture. Then, as if spotting the most delicious ferret in the world, he began to drool and stood up involuntarily.

Regulus Black continued to wave his wand—not using any verbal spells—but the magic responded to his intent. The chain hanging from the iron ring was unfastened, and the nearby ferrets were all bundled up and taken along. After all, if Buckbeak couldn't eat, he might go berserk.

The whole operation went far more smoothly than in the movie. By the time the Headmaster and Minister Fudge arrived at Hagrid's hut, Buckbeak had already vanished. Dumbledore didn't have to stall by pointing out the scenery, as he did in the original story, to buy time for Harry Potter.

Buckbeak's escape left the executioner fuming—he had come for nothing. In his frustration, he swung his axe and cleaved the largest pumpkin in half.

According to custom, that pumpkin belonged to the executioner as compensation.

Dumbledore and Hagrid fully understood the executioner's refusal to leave empty-handed.

Earlier on the timeline, Hermione had been devastated by Buckbeak's supposed execution and had rushed to Regulus Black in tears after receiving his message. He then directed her to the Whomping Willow.

Later on the timeline, Regulus Black was walking with Hermione through the Forbidden Forest, while Buckbeak obediently followed behind. Every now and then, he would sneak a ferret from Hermione's hand and let out a sound resembling a goofy laugh.

"All that's left is to wait. Wait until everyone has left the Shrieking Shack, wait until Professor Lupin the werewolf is about to pose a threat to Harry Potter. That's when we'll see whether your little she-wolf howl can lure him over."

Regulus Black explained some of the events to Hermione—since she had returned to Hogwarts with Snape and Ron before everything unfolded, she didn't know about the danger Harry and Sirius had faced.

"Of course I can attract the werewolf! In fact, when I left, I heard another wolf howl. I didn't understand it at the time, but now that you've said this, I'm sure it was me—and it must have worked."

Since Hermione had heard her own wolf howl, there would be no issue when the time came.

Regulus Black had seen the smooth progression of events from before to after on the timeline in full.

Hermione only needed to howl a couple of times to lure the werewolf away—a simple task that went off without a hitch.

"There's still plenty of time before nightfall. We could do something else, but I think it's best to fulfill a teacher's duty—though I'm just a teaching assistant," Regulus Black said with a smile. Hermione blushed deeply. "I need to work on something now. Hermione, watch closely. How much you learn depends on your luck and understanding."

Regulus Black pulled Buckbeak's chain closer and began to cast spells with a wave of his wand. Without uttering a single incantation, streams of magical energy began reshaping the chain in his hand.

Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon

https://patreon.com/Glimmer09