"Regulus! May I invite you to dinner?"
Fleur Delacour shyly stepped in front of Regulus Black.
She had invited the assistant professor from the Black family to dinner because he was the one who understood fire dragons best—and perhaps also knew the secrets hidden inside the dragon egg. For Madame Maxime, this was just barely a justifiable reason to allow the invitation.
Ever since Gabrielle confessed her feelings to Regulus Black, Madame Maxime had considered him nothing short of a scoundrel. No matter what rumors or stories surfaced about this assistant professor, she could always find something to criticize. In her eyes, even praise sounded like a facade.
If he behaved well, he was clearly putting on an act. If he misbehaved, that was just his true colors showing. Either way, she saw nothing good in him and was just short of tearing off the "mask" of this supposed gentleman with her bare hands.
However, judging from rumors, Regulus Black was incredibly powerful, possessing numerous spells even Dumbledore had never seen before. Although he insisted they were all part of the Black family's legacy, any sharp observer could tell that Regulus himself was the true origin of that legacy. Only the descendants of the family after him could claim such knowledge as inheritance.
Madame Maxime herself was no weakling. With her half-giant bloodline—long-lived and inherently powerful—her strength even surpassed that of Igor Karkaroff, the headmaster of Durmstrang Institute.
But that was her limit. She couldn't possibly be stronger than Dumbledore. The title of "genius" couldn't be surpassed simply by living long enough. And now Regulus Black bore that very title. To be so young and already possess power acknowledged by Dumbledore himself had certainly piqued the interest of many families with unmarried daughters.
As for those already confirmed as members of Regulus Black's unofficial harem, their families had fully aligned themselves with the Black family. Just like that, a new major force, second only to Voldemort's, had silently taken shape.
And that wasn't all—Regulus Black also wielded vast commercial power in the wizarding world. All of his business partners admired this intelligent young man immensely. Profit wins hearts, after all—who would willingly oppose money?
As for the controversial incidents Regulus Black had been involved in, like the news of witches becoming pregnant, Madame Maxime had initially treated them as nothing but jokes back in France. But when the offspring of those witches were born healthy, families scrambled to have Regulus be named as their child's godfather. In Western culture, the title of "godfather" holds almost the same weight as that of a biological father.
And this sphere of influence was actively chipping away at the foundations of the Death Eaters. The rise of one faction naturally meant the decline of another. Both the Ministry of Magic and the Order of the Phoenix were more than happy to see such developments. There were even whispers coming from Azkaban that stubborn Death Eaters were being tortured to coerce them into accepting the so-called "witch pregnancy" curse rituals.
"Nonsense! These are slanderous lies aimed at our Auror Department. The so-called vigilante justice never happened. Everything is strictly voluntary!"
That was how Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, once roared in an interview with the Daily Prophet.
And yet, this wizard, who commanded influence in three major spheres of power, still showed up every day to serve as a teaching assistant at Hogwarts. His level of restraint earned admiration from many, while making those who viewed him as a threat feel deeply uneasy. Madame Maxime fell firmly into the latter category.
But in the end, Madame Maxime had no choice but to allow Fleur to go ahead with the dinner invitation. She had mulled it over for a long time and couldn't come up with a convincing objection. Any argument she did find had already been refuted by others during earlier discussions.
"Is Madame Maxime really okay with you being alone with me? And since it's dinner, there's bound to be wine. Who knows? Something wonderful might happen afterward."
Regulus Black's remark turned Fleur a bright shade of pink.
"Looks like Fleur still doesn't have the composure to handle Regulus's teasing."
The two Indian girls who had been walking with Regulus couldn't help but shake their heads at Fleur's reaction. But then again, they remembered their own first encounters with him—it wasn't much different. A single sentence had often left them blushing for ages.
"P-Please! You have to come. It's about the dragon egg—I need your help explaining it."
Fleur Delacour, looking like a startled rabbit, finished her sentence in a rush and immediately turned to flee, terrified that Regulus might ask another question.
"Regulus! How about we invite you to dinner tonight too? Both of us sisters will keep you company, and you can eat whatever you like."
Today, the dark-haired twin sisters from India earned the privilege of staying by Regulus Black's side. This was a task assigned by the harem group, devised as a strategy to ward off the girls whom Regulus clearly had no interest in. It was their way of keeping such girls at bay.
The Perti sisters' mannerisms were a bit flirtatious—excessively polite to the point of nervousness, lacking the restraint typically expected of girls.
However, under Regulus Black's guidance, things improved significantly. They retained their distinct ethnic charm while also developing a noble bearing typical of India's high castes. They looked down on others, though only when it concerned people Regulus had no intention of associating with.
Their originally darker complexions had lightened considerably thanks to Regulus Black's potion treatments. Still, they retained a slight tan—similar to the effect of a white person getting sun-kissed. Indian girls often have good skin and flexible yet strong bodies, so it's no surprise that yoga thrives in India.
"I've said it before: you're still young. Focus on your studies."
Regulus Black once again repeated those four words—"focus on your studies." These underage girls were wholly obsessed with turning the tables on him romantically.
But Regulus Black always held the line. He encouraged them to dedicate themselves to their education, genuinely pleased to see them turn their feelings for him into motivation to study, rather than lose themselves in desire.
Once they were adults, there would be plenty of time to indulge in such things.
That evening, Regulus Black was invited to the Beauxbatons carriage. The seven Abraxan horses that pulled the carriage were leisurely roaming nearby. They dined daily on food carefully prepared by Hagrid and drank pure malt whisky made just for them—living better than many humans.
Fleur Delacour, dressed to the nines, welcomed Regulus Black and led him into her dormitory. Despite being called a dorm, it was more like a luxurious suite, complete with a bedroom, living room, kitchen, and bathroom.
"What are we having for dinner tonight?"
Since he was on someone else's turf, Regulus Black naturally maintained the utmost politeness. Who knew if Madame Maxime might be watching? If anything inappropriate happened, she might just barge in unannounced.
The thought of that towering headmistress suddenly appearing in a student's room didn't exactly tickle Regulus Black's sense of humor.
Something felt off. Normally, when Regulus Black had desires, he could control himself at will—after all, he was an Inferius in form.
But in this dormitory, those feelings—or rather, any emotions at all—seemed to be suppressed to the lowest possible level.
It appeared Madame Maxime was indeed concerned for her students and had taken measures, perhaps casting emotion-suppressing magic. Worth studying.
On the other hand, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Regulus hadn't come to seduce Fleur tonight anyway. His real purpose was to share information about the dragon egg—and to enjoy the carefully prepared meal.
"Sis! The food's ready."
Gabrielle stood sweetly at the doorway, holding a silver serving tray with a full set of utensils. As she entered, a line of Beauxbatons girls followed behind her, acting as servers. They set the table for three and began to bring out the dishes.
French cuisine is known for its small portions and oversized plates—perfectly suited for ladies. Each dish came in tiny amounts; anything with enough for three bites was already considered generous.
Still, Regulus Black adapted as a guest should, observing all the appropriate etiquette for the meal being served.
To their surprise, Fleur and Gabrielle found that Regulus Black's table manners were even more refined and elegant than their own.
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