"I want this news to remain only among us," Dumbledore said, his expression unusually solemn. "Nothing has been confirmed yet, so it's not appropriate for too many people to know about this."
Professors Flitwick, Sprout, McGonagall, and Snape all nodded in understanding.
"Regulus, would you mind sharing with us how you felt at the time?"
The old bee—back to his usual nonchalant self—picked up his cup of fruit infusion tea and sipped it slowly.
"Of course! I don't mind. But it's hard to convey what I saw with words alone. I'll need to borrow your Pensieve, Headmaster."
There was no need for Dumbledore to answer—he would agree, certainly. Regulus Black drew his wand and tapped his temple, extracting a silvery strand of memory. With a flick, the memory dropped into the Pensieve, and another flick sent the basin floating to the center of the room.
The gathered professors each raised their wands and entered the Pensieve.
—
Regulus Black was patrolling inside Hogwarts when Peeves suddenly popped out from around the corner.
"A student ran into the Forbidden Forest! Go catch him! Tie him up and beat him! Hahahaha!"
The scene shifted—outside the window, a shadowy figure moved toward the Forbidden Forest. This unfamiliar silhouette clearly didn't match any known professor.
Regulus Black quickly left the castle and pursued the figure into the forest.
The Forbidden Forest was dangerous at night—but to the professors, it was more like strolling through a garden.
Suddenly, the distant cry of a unicorn echoed through the trees. Regulus picked up his pace and arrived at the scene—only to find the shadowy figure greedily drinking the unicorn's blood. The figure used magic to erase all traces, even collecting every drop of spilled blood and swallowing it.
"Who are you? Let go of the unicorn! Petrificus Totalus!"
Regulus Black raised his wand and attacked without hesitation.
The shadowy figure casually swept his cloak, blocking the spell with ease.
"Well, well… Regulus Black! I thought you were dead. Who would've guessed you, little coward, hid away for more than ten years."
A voice as cold as a snake's tongue brushing from neck to earlobe slithered out from the shadow.
Dark mist began to pour from the figure's body. His entire form started to grow larger and more menacing.
"Let all who betrayed me die!"
The towering black figure surged forward like a tidal wave—its target, Regulus Black.
"Repel! Mind Hammer! Amplify Pain! Wailing Howl! Psychic Transmission! Molten Boulder! Blessed Hammer!"
Regulus Black whipped his wand through the air, casting a flurry of powerful spells from different disciplines, repeatedly forcing the dark figure to retreat.
Finally, using Psychic Transmission, he confirmed that the enemy still had a partially material form. Without hesitation, he unleashed Molten Boulder, dealing massive damage, and then shattered the dark entity completely with the holy-infused Blessed Hammer.
Even so, it wasn't enough to destroy the foe. The black figure—like smoke and shadow—whirled up the unicorn's corpse and vanished into the night.
Behind Regulus, Hagrid's voice could be heard…
—
"I don't quite know how to describe it… but just as Mr. Black said, the presence of that figure is something words can't fully capture."
Professor McGonagall seemed at a loss. Had the wizarding world—peaceful for over a decade—fallen back into darkness?
"Regulus, I noticed you used several spells I've never seen before," said Professor Flitwick, shifting the subject.
Of course, it wasn't an accusation—just academic curiosity. For any spell to come into being, it had to go through countless trials and refinements. Yet in the memory, Regulus had smoothly cast seven entirely different and seemingly original spells, all with practiced ease. A genius, clearly!
"Even if you call me a genius, I won't be pleased, Professor Flitwick. I'm no longer a student."
Regulus Black seemed to know what Flitwick was about to say and responded with modesty.
"What should we do next, Dumbledore?"
Professor Sprout looked shaken after viewing the memory and asked nervously.
"Don't worry, Sprout. Calm yourself—and make sure to keep your house in order. We'll get to the bottom of this."
Dumbledore, calm as ever, reassured them. Seeing him like that eased some of the others' tension as well.
"I'll go check the scene myself."
Snape didn't trust Regulus Black's memory—after all, extracted memories could be faked. He believed it best to investigate in person. Saying so publicly was also his way of telling Dumbledore: Keep him here.
"Be careful! I'm not sure if that person is still in the Forbidden Forest."
Regulus Black called out to Snape's back. As expected, Snape's posture froze for a moment before he continued walking away.
Dumbledore reassured the remaining professors and instructed them to return to their duties. As heads of their respective houses, they were directly responsible for their students.
"Regulus, are you certain that shadowy figure was Voldemort?"
Dumbledore finally showed signs of weariness, his eyelids drooping as he spoke—after all, age was catching up to him.
However, Regulus Black knew that aside from Snape, who still didn't trust him, even the old bee didn't fully believe him.
"I did withhold some details. From my observation, Voldemort is in a very poor state. While he still possesses power, he's currently surviving by attaching himself to someone else's body."
"Oh? That's your conclusion?"
Dumbledore perked up slightly, straightening in his chair as he waited for Regulus to continue.
"That person is Professor Quirrell. You might consider ordering him to remove his turban."
Dumbledore stared deeply at Regulus Black. After a long silence, he finally narrowed his eyes.
"I understand. Please don't speak of this to anyone else."
"Good night, Headmaster."
Regulus Black said nothing more and left the headmaster's office.
There were only a few hours left until dawn—and the body of a unicorn still awaited Regulus Black's handling.
Snape thoroughly examined the scene, and the results matched the memory exactly. This confirmed that Regulus Black had not lied.
Afterward, Dumbledore summoned Snape again. The two held a long, private conversation. Peeves was eager to eavesdrop outside the headmaster's office, but unfortunately, it was one of the few places in Hogwarts that Peeves couldn't enter.
Meanwhile, Regulus Black wasted no time in spreading a new rumor through Peeves.
Hagrid had eaten a unicorn—down to the last scrap.
This rumor forced Dumbledore to personally visit the various species in the Forbidden Forest to explain the situation. Regulus Black's memory served as key evidence, and naturally, the news that the black phantom was Voldemort began to spread—thankfully, only among the magical creatures of the forest.
Although the accusation was ultimately cleared up, Hagrid still had to bear the brunt of the slander. Understandably, anyone would be upset to be blamed like that.
Regulus Black didn't feel great about putting a half-giant in such a position. But when Hagrid went to Hogsmeade to drown his sorrows in drink, Regulus felt he had done the right thing after all.
That night, after a full day of drinking butterbeer, Hagrid returned to Hogwarts in high spirits—he'd won a dragon egg in a bet.
"Looks like Hagrid has already revealed the information about the three-headed hellhound."
Regulus Black was certain after hearing Peeves' report. But at this point, Quirrell already knew about it anyway—he'd likely go straight for the challenge.
Christmas was just around the corner. Harry Potter would receive the Invisibility Cloak on the holiday. Before Harry figured everything out, maybe Regulus should do something… help the Savior buy some time.
---
One lunchtime, just as the meal began, Peeves suddenly popped out of nowhere. With a swoop of the cream cake from the dining table, he swept across the staff table, splattering half the professors with dessert.
"It wasn't me! I'm being controlled! Somebody help me! Save me!"
He shouted about being controlled while smearing several of the less important professors with layers of cake—everyone except the headmaster and the four heads of house.
Regulus Black, of course, simply flicked his wand and blasted the cake away.
Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon
https://patreon.com/Glimmer09