Cedric had been taken away, and once again, St. Mungo's and the Ministry of Magic were about to get busy. The revival of someone
Cedric had been taken away, and once again, St. Mungo's and the Ministry of Magic were about to get busy.
The revival of someone—such a taboo act—turned out to be surprisingly easy, which caught many people off guard.
"Congratulations, Regulus. It seems your research into souls runs quite deep," said Dumbledore suddenly, sounding unusually relaxed. After all, Cedric, who had died, was now alive again; Voldemort had been sealed within Harry Potter's body; the Triwizard Tournament had concluded smoothly—didn't everything now have a perfect ending?
Why bother quibbling over whether the assistant's spell was a family heirloom or self-invented?
Harry Potter stood off to the side, staring blankly. His gauntlet no longer exerted gravitational force on him, allowing him to move freely.
However, after witnessing Regulus Black's live demonstration of the resurrection process, Harry began to feel that Voldemort's method had been far too complicated.
"Harry Potter! Let's go back together!"
Regulus Black looked at the boy, who clearly hadn't fully recovered from his dazed state.
"Mr. Black, how can you be sure I'm really Harry Potter?"
The kid couldn't even tell who he was anymore.
Regulus Black pointed at the boy's left hand and explained,"If you were still Voldemort, your own magical power would keep pressing you to the ground. Only when you revert to being Harry Potter would the gauntlet lose its suppressive effect."
Who would know the properties of a tool better than its creator?Although the boy's appearance remained the same—handsome like Harry Potter—Regulus Black was certain that he was indeed Harry Potter.
"I'm still Harry Potter?"
The handsome Harry knew very well that he had thrown himself into that potion, and afterward, his body had dissolved and merged. The real Harry Potter no longer existed—what remained was merely a fusion that included Voldemort.
Even he couldn't say for sure whether he was still Harry Potter, or Voldemort, or some monster born from their fusion.
"Of course you're Harry Potter. Cedric may have only had his body restored, but he's still Cedric. And you, you're whole—your entire being remains intact. Even if something was added to you, you're still you. There's no need to doubt that."
Regulus Black reached out and ruffled Harry's messy hair. The kid seemed to have gotten a bit taller, too.
"Thank you, Regulus."
Harry tried to push up his glasses, only to realize he wasn't wearing any. Yet his vision had clearly improved—he hadn't worn glasses since returning.
"So now you're finally not calling me 'Mr. Black'? I am your godfather's younger brother, after all. That makes us family. Look, your eyesight's no longer nearsighted—that's part of what's been added to you. But the fact that you still instinctively raised your hand to push up your glasses shows you're still you."
Regulus Black had finally convinced Harry Potter.
"Family, my ass! If we were family, how could they have let something like sacrificing Harry Potter happen?!"
Back at the Black ancestral home, Sirius Black, under house arrest, was in a furious rage. He shredded his copy of the Daily Prophet into bits.
After consulting with Regulus Black, Rita Skeeter had reported the events of the previous night in detail.
However, certain parts were deliberately omitted—like Voldemort's resurrection and Regulus Black reviving Cedric. According to the article, Harry Potter had emerged victorious in the Triwizard Tournament, while Cedric had unfortunately suffered a head injury and would need to take a leave of absence for treatment at St. Mungo's.
As for next year's Triwizard Tournament, it was still undecided whether it would be held in France or Germany. The Ministry had the whole holiday period to deliberate.
But behind the scenes, students who had witnessed everything firsthand had already spread the truth to their families. The resurrection of Voldemort, the revival of Cedric—everyone was deeply intrigued.
Soon, Harry Potter began receiving a flood of congratulatory gifts. St. Mungo's also saw a spike in visitors wanting to see Cedric—appointments were required just to get in.
At the same time, the Ministry of Magic announced a major personnel change. Usually, that meant a reshuffling of department heads.
Amos Diggory, Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, had to resign in order to care for his son Cedric, who had been seriously injured. However, in recognition of Amos Diggory's longstanding contributions, the Ministry decided to cover all of Cedric's medical expenses at St. Mungo's.
Everyone who heard the news responded with a silent "heh."
This was clearly St. Mungo's own decision! They were extremely interested in a resurrection like Cedric's, which was why they waived all fees. Yet the Ministry of Magic claimed all the credit for it, acting as if it had been their doing. No one else could so shamelessly steal the spotlight.
What followed, however, was a vacancy in the position of Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.
Normally, this would have been a fiercely contested position among the major wizarding families, but this time, the decision was made unusually quickly.
The retired Amos Diggory nominated Regulus Black as his successor.
The Ministry held young and capable wizards like Regulus in high regard, and it also reflected their trust in Amos Diggory's recommendation.
And how could they not be impressed? He single-handedly sealed Voldemort and then turned around and resurrected Cedric. That kind of power could only be rivaled by a few of the old and nearly immortal—and even they might not be able to pull off such feats.
To think that such a young, talented, and handsome wizard had quietly spent years as a teaching assistant at Hogwarts—was Dumbledore blind? Suddenly, public opinion shifted, and people began to collectively criticize Dumbledore.
Upon hearing the news, the Headmaster spat an entire mouthful of… sizzling honey tea across his desk.
When interviewed by the Daily Prophet, Regulus Black spoke with great elegance about his family. The rich history and heritage of the Black family were, he said, his greatest source of strength and motivation. The family's ideals of loyalty were what drove his determination to unite his kin.
Many scoffed at such statements. "Hypocritical nobility," they sneered.
To mock this, Sirius Black was dressed up flamboyantly and paraded around for show.
That night, the two brothers "got into it," spending the entire evening dismantling the decorations in one of the rooms.
"Unity is strength. When brothers are of one mind, their sharpness can cut through metal."
Regulus Black's godchildren, led by their elders, came to visit him at the Black family's ancestral home. They came to congratulate their godfather on becoming a high-ranking official in the Ministry, and also to give him a chance to meet the godchildren he rarely saw.
Those faces—each representing a rich history and formidable power—were rarely seen gathered together in one place.
Rita Skeeter, a reporter for the Daily Prophet, was granted permission to take a few commemorative photographs.
"This is clearly a Death Eater gathering. They should send in the Aurors and arrest the whole lot."
Mad-Eye Moody slammed the newspaper onto the table in anger.
To be clear, this was the real Moody—the one who had been imprisoned in the trunk.
After confirming that Harry Potter and Voldemort had become one, Barty Crouch Jr. was completely sealed away by Regulus Black's spells and magical tools. Before Snape could catch this potion thief, Barty had already escaped Hogwarts.
Regulus Black knew this perfectly well. And honestly, finding Barty Crouch Jr. wouldn't be hard. He simply chose to let him go.
The wizarding world, believing Voldemort would never return, seemed to erupt in celebration. Even if the newspapers avoided the topic, word spread quickly among the wizarding community.
But… was Voldemort truly sealed away?
He now resided within the so-called Savior, Harry Potter. Once merely a Horcrux, Harry had become Voldemort's new vessel. What once held just a soul fragment had forcibly been filled with an entire primary soul.
Is Harry Potter still Harry Potter?
Dumbledore pondered this troubling question.
But this wasn't Regulus Black's concern. Everything was proceeding according to the script. Every character had delivered their best performance. The story was reaching its climax, and the name of Regulus Black was being praised.
When the Savior becomes the Dark Lord, will they still be able to smile?
Regulus Black toyed with the Triwizard Cup trophy—the one Harry Potter had left behind in the Black family's ancestral home.
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