Almost every day, a new decree would be posted on the wall outside the Great Hall at Hogwarts. The sound of Filch hammering nails into
Almost every day, a new decree would be posted on the wall outside the Great Hall at Hogwarts.
The sound of Filch hammering nails into the stone cracks became the signal for each announcement of a new decree.
[Decree No. 025: Uniform attire is mandatory within the school. Personal clothing is not allowed.]
[Decree No. 032: No horseplay during recess. Silence must be maintained within the school.]
[Decree No. 045: Dolores Umbridge is appointed to evaluate the quality of teaching at the school.]
Dolores Umbridge was interfering more and more in the affairs of Hogwarts. Harry Potter continued leading his Dumbledore's Army in magical practice, but he was clearly growing impatient.
If not for the need to avoid drawing attention, Harry—whose will was now dominated by Voldemort's consciousness—would have already cast aside those children. Voldemort required an army, a wizard army made of Death Eaters, and these children were not suitable. Setting aside their questionable usefulness in battle, even their loyalty to him was unreliable.
They were soldiers of Dumbledore's Army surrounding Harry Potter, not Death Eaters serving Voldemort.
At present, only Dolores Umbridge had fallen into his grasp. Adults, with their desires and ambitions, were far easier to control than children. Moreover, once controlled, adults still knew how to conceal themselves.
If he wanted to control the Dumbledore's Army, then the only way to deal with children would be through intimidation—physical punishment that would make them cower at his feet. But doing so would never escape Dumbledore's watchful eyes, nor the notice of others.
Especially Regulus Black. His reputation among the students was exceptionally high. Even the fact that he kept a harem at Hogwarts was ignored by Dumbledore. Both the girls who adored him and the boys who had been single for years held him in high esteem.
Someone like that could not afford to make mistakes under his nose, or he would surely be caught.
Although Voldemort now dominated Harry's consciousness, the fusion of body and soul made this Voldemort more like a split personality, meaning Voldemort and Harry now shared memories.
In Harry's memories, Regulus Black had ruined Voldemort's plans more than once. To say there was deep hatred between them would not be an exaggeration. Harry may not have understood those memories, but Voldemort did, and he saw the problem clearly.
In his first year, Harry had seen Regulus Black rescue Quirrell. In the chamber where the Philosopher's Stone was hidden, the one who ultimately obtained the Stone could not possibly have been the Voldemort attached to the back of Quirrell's head. The fact that Quirrell had survived was proof enough that the one who saved him was also the one who obtained the Stone. And that was not even counting the incident with the unicorns—twice!
In the second year, Harry became the Heir of Slytherin, but once he entered the Chamber of Secrets, far too many odd things occurred. The absurd Gilderoy Lockhart had actually helped smooth things over at the end, which was unbelievable. Behind it all, there was always the shadow of one figure—Regulus Black.
In the third year, when Lupin became the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Sirius Black escaped Azkaban. Yet Sirius was never truly a Death Eater. He had been imprisoned simply because Voldemort had killed his friend. Consumed by guilt, Sirius had attacked Peter Pettigrew, who faked his death and escaped, leaving Sirius as the scapegoat.
Once again, it was Regulus Black who intervened, unraveling the history, revealing the truth to Harry, reuniting godfather and godson, and finally arranging for Sirius Black to be exonerated and publicly released from Azkaban by the Ministry. Such a thing Voldemort would never have imagined.
All of this proved that Regulus Black, once just a lackey, had now become Voldemort's sworn enemy.
But what about the Quidditch World Cup? What about the Triwizard Tournament?
Even though Barty Crouch Jr. had successfully infiltrated Hogwarts disguised as Moody, some of the "accidents" during the Tournament still nudged Harry toward the final trap. Voldemort could tell which were Crouch's doing and which were someone else's.
Voldemort was not like Dumbledore, who required hard evidence for everything. Suspicion alone was enough for Voldemort to accept something as truth. Otherwise, he never would have slaughtered the Potters over a prophecy.
So where did Regulus Black truly stand? Was he friend or foe? That was difficult to determine.
The handsome Harry Potter remembered that, right after his fusion was complete, when Harry's will briefly dominated and Voldemort's will interfered, the first thing he did was capture Peter Pettigrew and hand him to the Ministry.
Was that Harry's sense of justice, or Voldemort's instinct for self-preservation? Even he could not tell.
If you thought about Regulus Black in that light, his actions did not seem problematic at all.
Everything he did was for self-preservation, constantly shaping an environment favorable to himself. That was what Regulus Black had always done.
Still, Harry could not ignore one thing—the strength of this so-called teaching assistant was nothing like what he remembered.
He was far too powerful, already comparable to Voldemort at his peak.
Handsome Harry spent some time investigating Regulus Black, confirming his suspicions from multiple angles.
"It seems I can't keep playing with these little brats. Time to bring this activity to an end."
Harry Potter stood atop the Hogwarts wall, looking toward the distant Forbidden Forest, carefully arranging his next plan.
Dolores Umbridge had received a new task from Voldemort, one that did not conflict with her duties at the Ministry.
[Decree No. 086: Private groups are forbidden within the school. All clubs must register their names and activities.]
The new decree was already posted on the wall. Once Voldemort was ready, Umbridge would lead the raid on Dumbledore's Army.
"Why are three people missing from today's meeting?"
Harry still led his classmates through the Vanishing Cabinet, arriving instantly at the Shrieking Shack.
"They were all summoned by that pink toad. She said they violated some regulation—Merlin knows which one."
Ron Weasley loathed the pink toad so much that he even grew to hate the sweaters his mother sent him.
Because that fat toad also wore sweaters, Ron's skin itched whenever he put his on.
In truth, those three had been separately interrogated by Umbridge under torture. She told each one that another had betrayed them. As they turned against each other and confessed, Umbridge pieced together the full truth.
She immediately reported it to the Ministry, and Cornelius Fudge himself arrived.
"Minister, just as I have always said—Hogwarts is harboring an illegal militia. Dumbledore is building an army."
With a sycophantic smile and barely suppressed excitement, Dolores Umbridge pointed to the three informants beside her and handed Fudge the neatly organized files.
"Why were they in Regulus Black's office? Could it be that he is involved as well?"
The already paranoid Minister of Magic was shaken the moment he saw that name in the report. Regulus Black had always been considered his ally—if he had betrayed them too…
"Minister, please read the report carefully. That day, it was only because Mr. Black escorted Harry Potter back that the Floo Network Authority opened his fireplace. But Harry later discovered a hidden passage in the office, one that connected directly to the Shrieking Shack. That is where their so-called Dumbledore's Army has been training all along."
Voldemort did not wish to provoke Regulus Black at this moment, so he chose not to use this opportunity to frame him.
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