Once the dragon egg is submerged in water, it automatically opens and releases the preserved mermaid song. After the song is played once, a key will pop out from the opened mechanism. Each of the six champions receives a different key. At the moment they acquire it, a new pact is formed, signifying that they are eligible to participate in the second task—they have officially qualified.
At present, the champions were preparing for underwater combat.
In the Hogwarts library, two groups were gathered, searching through reference materials.
"So, only secrets known to oneself count as secrets. The moment a second person finds out, it becomes a public secret."
Regulus Black observed the two groups busy scouring the library—one centered around Harry Potter, the other around Cedric. Interestingly, it was their companions who seemed even more invested than the champions themselves.
"Looks like the Theban Legion is stronger. I wonder if they'll end up fighting."
Pansy Parkinson pointed toward Cedric's side, where a few chubby students were snatching a book that had just been taken by one of Harry Potter's companions.
"They won't! There won't be a fight. Madam Pince will teach them a lesson."
Daphne Greengrass pointed in the other direction, where Madam Pince was already storming toward them with a feather duster in hand.
"No fighting! If you're not reading, get out!"
Amid her thunderous shout, the feather duster in her hand seemed to have been enchanted with a powerful expulsion charm. Everyone involved in the earlier conflict was unceremoniously driven out, leaving only Harry Potter and Cedric behind.
"Clearly, our librarian knows exactly who's causing trouble."
Regulus Black brought out a fine tea set. The three of them were seated on the library's second floor, where the bookshelves contained volumes rarely used by students—either too advanced or too obscure. As for the truly restricted books, they were sealed off in another section, accessible only to professors.
As a note, Madam Pince's office was adjacent to that restricted section. Even the slightest noise could wake her from the next room.
Thinking back to the time when Harry Potter dropped that lantern... ha!Honestly, the idea that he could sneak into the unlocked Restricted Section under an invisibility cloak was complete nonsense.Only that naïve brat thought it was his own ability. He never realized that his every move was being guided by someone else.
Today, Regulus Black's companions were two Slytherin girls. The other girls had their own academic responsibilities. Of course, the ones who accompanied Regulus would receive his personal guidance.
"Daphne, how far along are your sister Astoria and Draco in their relationship?"
Regulus first poured them tea, then smoothly shifted the conversation toward gossip.
"What else can it be? It's just like that. These things never have results before graduation, and if they don't hold on now, they won't have any future either."
Daphne Greengrass was referring to the noble view on marriage. No matter how in love a couple might be at school, once they graduate, they must obey their family's arrangements—unless they defect from the family, like Sirius did. In that case, they would be disowned and rejected by the entire noble class of the wizarding world.
If you still wanted to remain within your family, you had to accept arranged marriages. The interests of the family always came first.
Of course, families wouldn't completely ignore personal preferences. If you happened to fall for someone who basically fit the family's expectations, then a discussion was possible.
That's why many children from wizarding noble families began selectively seeking partners from a young age, using years of shared schooling to understand one another.
The first thing to examine was the other person's family background. Differences in lineage could significantly affect the status of both families—and even cause damage.
Next came personality and values. They didn't care for romantic notions; what mattered was whether the two matched in temperament and ideology. Once all that aligned, the relationship would still need to stand the test of time to prove loyalty.
If everything went well, by the time they graduated, the talk would naturally turn to marriage. In fact, the outcome was often predetermined while the children were still in school.
This explained why Draco Malfoy, despite being surrounded by girls, remained chaste, while Ron Weasley, after sleeping with a temporary girlfriend, tried to break up with her forcefully. Noble families paid close attention to such details. Mutual loyalty between partners was extremely important.
Of course, cases like Regulus Black having a harem do happen, but they usually aren't flaunted openly. All participants maintain a mutual understanding, since this is a competition where there are no true winners.
"Speaking of which—Regulus, why aren't you interested in Astoria?"
Daphne Greengrass's question made her companion, Pansy, turn her head in surprise. Was she really throwing her own sister under the bus like that?
"Because Astoria is Draco's girlfriend. I don't steal other people's girlfriends—such behavior is immoral."
Regulus Black really did have thick skin, but when he said that, it was actually true. He had never once taken someone else's girlfriend. The girls who already had boyfriends but still ended up joining the harem were mostly victims of that Valentine's Day chocolate incident. After having their feelings trampled on, were they supposed to still cling to those boys?
Especially when comparing their current status as members of the harem with their former roles as someone's girlfriend, it was clear the harem was the better choice.
That was also why they had no interest in giving those boys a second chance.
Having someone like Regulus Black to love them was more than enough. The rest could stay far, far away.
"I was actually planning to test the waters with my sister, but since you say that, Regulus, maybe I won't after all."
Though that's what Daphne Greengrass said, her expression didn't match her words. Her face practically said, Just say the word and I'll hand my sister over to you myself.
She really did go out of her way to think about Regulus's interests.
"I actually have high hopes for Draco Malfoy—not just because of his family background, but also because his mother is my cousin."
Regulus Black revealed to Daphne that their families were related by marriage. Draco was someone who shared a familial bond with him.
"Pfft! Then the relationship between Daphne and Astoria in the future will be quite amusing—Regulus with Daphne, and Draco with Astoria. When they meet, I suppose using first names will be the only suitable way to address each other. Anything else would just feel awkward."
Pansy Parkinson couldn't help but burst into laughter, quickly lowering her voice as she explained what she found so funny.
"This kind of situation is actually quite common in noble circles. When the time comes, everyone just uses whatever name suits the relationship,"
Regulus Black's words weren't wrong. Relationships in noble families were indeed complicated. In the name of keeping social status aligned, many distant relatives across generations were paired off in marriages. The Greengrass sisters, each being involved with an uncle and a nephew respectively, was considered quite normal. There were even more outrageous examples.
"It's said that in the past, a knight married a wealthy widow who had a daughter that had just come of age. Then, shortly afterward, the knight's lord father took the daughter as his wife, making her the knight's stepmother. Later, both the knight and his father had children with their new wives, and so their relationships became…"
Regulus Black didn't directly respond to Pansy Parkinson's words. Instead, he slowly began telling them a joke—one about the tangled web of human familial relationships.
For a moment, Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass were laughing so hard they could barely stay upright, completely unable to control themselves.
Regulus, sensing the moment, quickly cast a soundproofing charm around the three of them. If Madam Pince were to overhear this, her feather duster would surely come down mercilessly on the two girls' heads—and Regulus would be blamed for it.
"What happened to the knight in the end?"
Pansy Parkinson asked while slapping the table in laughter.
"He went mad, of course. Afterward, whenever he saw someone, he'd tell them his story—and then laugh them into madness too."
Regulus Black chuckled as he poured more tea for the two girls.
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