Hogwarts: Legacy of the Necromancer

Regulus Black handed Lupin a wand that was far from ordinary—in fact, it was a very old and battered wand, looking as if it might snap after a few vigorous shakes.

He hadn't intended for Lupin to do anything with it at first. Inside this wand, Regulus had already sealed a pre-designated spell: a Patronus Charm in the form of a majestic stag.

Though the spell had been preset, casting it still required magical power—specifically, all the magical power of an average wizard.

Given that the wand demanded the user's full magical strength to cast the spell, such a ridiculous design wasn't something Regulus had done on purpose. Still, the powerful effect made him keep this "defective product."

"Sirius!"

Seeing his injured godfather collapse to the ground, Harry Potter couldn't help but shout out. But this cry also drew the attention of certain nearby entities.

The edge of the Forbidden Forest was rapidly freezing. Trees, grass, and the lake surface were all covered in a layer of frost.

"What a trouble-making kid!"

Both versions of Regulus Black—from before and after the timeline shift—muttered the exact same complaint.

And indeed, it wasn't slander. Regulus was simply stating the truth.

Prophesied shortly after birth to be the Dark Lord's enemy, Harry had indirectly caused the death of his parents, who had been successfully evading Voldemort until then.

Not to mention shouting Sirius's name so loudly on the Dementor-infested edge of Hogwarts...

Even Sirius's later death in the Department of Mysteries had stemmed from Harry's inability to tell illusion from reality, combined with his impulsive emotions—dragging many people into mortal danger.

In other words, the Savior's presence was a death zone!

"Regulus! What are you saying?"

Lupin, a bit confused, asked as he took the heavily restricted wand.

"Nothing," Regulus waved it off, then asked, "But can you still hold on? Don't go fainting before the rescue is done."

After all, Lupin would need to be the one casting the Patronus Charm.

Why didn't Regulus cast it himself? Because his Patronus was too powerful—it wouldn't evoke a sense of triumph, only awe.

Okay, that's just a pretentious way of putting it. The truth was, Regulus's Patronus spell was based on an alchemical artifact. While incredibly powerful, it lacked flexibility. The summoned angels or demons had fixed forms.

But for this mission—to save Sirius and Harry—Regulus had no intention of improvising. The Patronus needed to take the form of a stag.

Hence, the modified wand—though the side effect of draining all magical power was an unintended flaw.

Lupin, upon holding the wand, naturally realized it was an alchemical product. The requirement to exhaust all magical energy was simply the price for casting a preset Patronus in a specific form.

The three of them soon located the cluster of Dementors. By the lakeside, Sirius writhed in agony. Harry had just finished casting his Patronus and had joined Sirius in screaming. But Sirius was the Dementors' main target—Harry was just a distraction.

Finally, Sirius's vitality faded completely, and his soul began to drift from his body.

For the Dementors, this was a sacred moment. One person was about to die, and a new Dementor was about to be born.

The surroundings fell silent. The chaos from earlier vanished, and it was as if the Dementors had always been this eerily calm.

"Now's the time. If we don't act, Sirius will really die."

Regulus gave Lupin a push.

Though unsure why Regulus wouldn't act himself, Lupin couldn't let his friend perish. Even if it meant using up all his magic, he would act.

"Expecto Patronum!"

With a loud shout, Lupin cast the spell. The intended effect twisted slightly—first, a tall and majestic stag emerged, then waves of silver light rippled outwards, crashing over the Dementors like a tidal wave. Many were blasted away, and the stronger ones were shattered by the silver surge.

Across the lake, Harry saw Sirius's soul return to his body, and the feeling of being rescued settled in his heart.

"That was my dad! I know it—that was my dad. He saved me... and your godfather too!"

Harry Potter was in the infirmary, excitedly telling Sirius that his father might still be alive.

Turning to look at the innocent and blissfully happy face of Harry, Sirius found himself at a loss for how to respond to his godson.

The Potters were dead—killed by the Dark Lord. No one could survive the Killing Curse from Voldemort, except Harry Potter.

And even then, it was only because his parents sacrificed themselves that he had the right to survive.

To put it bluntly—Harry Potter was a magical trap, created solely to destroy Voldemort.

This child, burdened with the title of "The Chosen One," was not only protected by his parents, but was also, in himself, a trap designed to strike back.

So, no matter how one looked at it, without the death of the Potters, there would be no Harry Potter—no chance to live, no opportunity to defeat Voldemort.

"Hey, Harry, let this secret remain forever in your heart."

Sirius didn't fully understand why his brother had orchestrated such a thing, but decided to go along with it to comfort Harry.

"If your father really is alive, there must be a reason why he hasn't come to see you. Maybe, someday, that day will come."

At the same age of thirteen, Hermione was already experiencing love, while Harry was still immersed in childhood fantasies.

Having grown up without parental love, and comparing it to life with his aunt and uncle, Harry had idealized his parents as flawless.

Ron, watching his friend, didn't know how to offer comfort. But since Sirius had already said so much, there was no need for him to add anything.

Even though he knew his broken leg would be healed by tomorrow, it still hurt quite a bit tonight.

By the lake, Regulus Black—existing before this point in the timeline—looked at the two bodies, one big and one small, lying there in distress. Should he use a Levitation Charm to bring them back to Hogwarts?

He had just watched a scene unfold: the silver stag Patronus had indeed appeared. But the magic behind it clearly wasn't his own, yet it somehow still felt like it was.

Regulus was a bit confused, lost in thought until Buckbeak came over and nudged him with its beak.

The free ride had arrived. Regulus immediately cast a Levitation Charm, gently placing the unconscious pair onto Buckbeak's back, and began heading toward Hogwarts Castle.

"That metal tag on Buckbeak is really quite pretty," Regulus mused to himself, letting his mind wander on meaningless things.

"We should be leaving too—the Headmaster is waiting for us in his office."

Regulus turned to Hermione as he spoke, not sparing even a glance at the unconscious Lupin. The Patronus Charm from earlier had completely drained Lupin of his magical energy. Luckily, his core wasn't damaged—otherwise, he would've become a Squib.

But for now, Lupin lay unconscious from magical exhaustion. Whether in this timeline or another, Regulus had no intention of helping a man—he wasn't a beautiful woman, after all.

"Is it really okay to just leave Professor Lupin lying here like this?"

Hermione, clearly already familiar with Regulus Black's style, realized this was just another instance of him choosing not to save someone, even if they were dying.

The still-present silver stag walked over and nudged the wand in Lupin's hand with its hoof.

Due to being overused, the wand had cast a spell far beyond its capacity—it was now on the verge of collapse.

The cracks, the dull color—everything about it showed that it was just one small push away from the end of its journey.

"This is a lingering obsession that refuses to fade away."

Regulus gently placed his hand on the silver stag. This pseudo-living creature, born of magic and drained power, had gained a faint trace of self-awareness. At this moment, the stag could be considered a living magical being.

"It would indeed be a pity for it to vanish."

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