Hogwarts: Legacy of the Necromancer

Milla Jovovich had not yet seen Regulus Black's film Crimson Manor.

She hadn't expected to be rejected by this man at the audition. Through her agent, Milla gained some insight into Regulus Black. Even this initial impression made her feel he was a rising star with great potential.

Regulus Black was British, which explained why two British actresses had also shown up for the audition. He held the title of Duke of Black—a genuine noble—and had only recently begun investing in films. His debut production was Crimson Manor, in which he also played the second male lead.

"Let's see how good your acting really is. If your performance is mediocre, landing this lead role might turn into a disaster."

Milla inserted the videotape into the machine. After starring in a successful film and earning a nomination, she had received numerous endorsement offers. Her life was moving into the upper class, with all the accompanying luxuries. An agent's job wasn't just to manage an artist's career—sometimes, they also advised on lifestyle matters.

Countless actors dream of rising to fame in one shot, because once you're famous, everything else follows. Milla Jovovich was living proof of that success.

The foreign press had already reported on Crimson Manor winning awards overseas, as clearly stated on the newspaper in front of her. Still, seeing it for herself was better than reading about it.

The film began with a somber funeral. A young girl stood by her father's side, watching a coffin being lowered into a grave. Unable to accept her mother's death, the little girl broke free of her father's hand and ran away. Following the grieving silhouette of the girl, the camera cut to a vibrant blonde teenager joyfully running through a muddy marketplace.

Richards Theron's round face still looked quite different from what it would become in maturity. The heroine dashed into a newspaper office and knocked on the editor-in-chief's door. Today was Edith Cushing's manuscript submission day. The editor had agreed to take a look out of respect for her father.

Such a scene inevitably brings to mind the plight of struggling writers, their heartfelt manuscripts dismissed as worthless by indifferent editors.

"What is this even about? Ghosts? The dark psychology of a teenage girl?"

The editor flipped through the manuscript, clearly finding nothing of interest. It wasn't a matter of quality—it just didn't contain what he wanted. But what he wanted was never stated clearly. It all depended on his mood.

"No, Editor! The ghost is a metaphor," Edith Cushing insisted. She knew the likely outcome today was rejection, but still wanted to make her case.

Richards Theron portrayed Edith Cushing's psychology with remarkable accuracy, and that was all thanks to Regulus Black.

With a wave of his wand, he created a dreamlike world—everyone in the cast became fully immersed in their roles. Even the newcomers delivered astonishing performances.

Originally, this spell was something Regulus Black had cast for himself, but unexpectedly, it influenced the entire production. Every actor, lead or supporting, delivered their best work.

Regulus Black played Alan McMichael, a recent medical school graduate specializing in ophthalmology. He had a peculiar interest in studying visual anomalies like ghosts and was a bit of a hobbyist, capable of building projectors by hand.

Logically, since Edith Cushing liked writing about ghosts and Alan McMichael enjoyed studying ghost photography, the two were a perfect match. Their marriage seemed inevitable.

But one particular detail in the film left audiences sighing: Alan McMichael's mother had once been rejected by Edith Cushing's father. They later went on to marry other people and have children.

Because of that history, Alan's mother never had anything kind to say whenever she saw Edith. This made things very awkward for the introverted Alan McMichael.

As Milla watched Alan McMichael's scenes, she found it nearly impossible to associate the character with Regulus Black—apart from the appearance.

This conclusion surprised her. No wonder he had won Best Supporting Actor for his debut film. Unlike her, who had only received a nomination, he had proven his skill through undeniable talent.

Later in the film, the Sharpe siblings—Lucille Sharpe and Thomas Sharpe—made their appearance. Thomas Sharpe earnestly tried to convince Edith Cushing's father to invest in his excavator, hoping the old man would fund the project.

Mr. Cushing, being an experienced and shrewd man, wouldn't agree so easily! He immediately hired a private detective to investigate the siblings, as he sensed something was off about them.

And indeed, within the story, there were many subtle details about the Sharp siblings that felt awkward, strange, and unnatural to the audience.

There was an odd, ambiguous tension between the siblings. Lucille Sharpe, the sister, harbored a baffling jealousy toward Edith Cushing—such details were numerous.

Milla Jovovich couldn't help but feel envious. Everyone's acting in this film was explosive, while she felt her own performance still needed refinement.

Thomas Sharpe began to show interest in Edith Cushing, inviting her to dance at a public ball and taking her shopping in private. However, everything came to an abrupt end with the arrival of the detective's report.

During the ballroom scene, as the male and female leads danced, Milla Jovovich noticed something in the background: a few fleeting moments where Regulus Black, playing Alan McMichael, initially looked on with a smile of blessing, but then his expression slowly dimmed.

These moments were subtly captured as the camera panned across the ballroom. For those paying attention, these shots didn't just highlight the blossoming romance between the leads—they also reflected the quiet decline of Alan McMichael's mood.

Milla Jovovich replayed this part several times. After confirming she hadn't misunderstood what she saw, she finally continued watching.

Although Mr. Cushing didn't uncover any criminal behavior by the siblings, he did discover that Thomas Sharpe had been married before. Yes—he was a married man. Whether he was divorced or widowed was irrelevant. The point was, there was enough evidence to separate him from his daughter.

Mr. Cushing wrote a check. The amount was enough to cover round-trip travel from the UK to the US for the siblings—or in other words, he generously reimbursed the entire journey for the Sharpe siblings. His only condition was that Thomas Sharpe must be the one to initiate the breakup, thus breaking his daughter Edith Cushing's heart once and for all.

This was fatherly love. Mr. Cushing didn't want to bear the blame for tearing apart his daughter's romance.

Soon after, at a family dinner, Thomas Sharpe suddenly and without reason lashed out at Edith Cushing. Not only did he belittle her character, he even criticized her writing. After leaving her in tears, he glanced back at the old Mr. Cushing with a trace of resentment in his eyes.

Here, Thomas Sharpe's heartbreak was restrained. Edith Cushing, the person involved, couldn't see it—but as a viewer, Milla Jovovich could.

The next morning, Mr. Cushing received word that the Sharpe siblings had left for the docks. But just as he thought everything was over, he was beaten to death in his own club.

The blood-soaked scene of violence and the cold corpse in the morgue made one thing clear: Edith Cushing was now all alone in the world.

Originally, Alan McMichael should have been by her side, comforting her. But upon hearing the news, the Sharpe siblings canceled their departure and returned to the Cushing residence. Thomas Sharpe fully entered Edith's life and explained the real reason he had agreed to leave—because of the money he took from her father.

Even in death, Mr. Cushing had to bear the blame for breaking up his daughter's relationship.

Alan McMichael began to investigate the true cause of Mr. Cushing's death with full determination. Naturally, this led to him overlooking the growing relationship between Edith Cushing and Thomas Sharpe. After their marriage, Edith sold all her possessions and prepared to return to England with her husband. Only then did Alan realize that his childhood friend—the one he secretly loved—was leaving him for a foreign land.

And all he could say at the farewell was, "I will find the killer. I promise you the truth."

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