The moment he laid eyes on the Headless Horseman, Regulus Black immediately began to suspect the little girl's mother. After all, in the world of magic, inheritance through bloodline was a deeply ingrained concept.
Although, in Regulus Black's eyes, she was more of a back-alley witch, the idea that magical talent is passed from parent to child remained the most plausible explanation.
He turned and surveyed the surroundings. Aside from the three local town leaders who had come to persuade her, not a single person had passed by this remote house.
"Alohomora!"
Back when Regulus had been "educating" the three town leaders, he had already implanted the suggestion that they should ignore magical occurrences. In other words, no matter what kind of magic happened in front of them, they would unconsciously disregard it. The only side effect was that the Muggle-Repelling Charm no longer worked on them.
The door opened, revealing a pitiful woman and her two daughters inside. Stepping through the entrance was a man dressed all in black—the very image of a villain.
What a terribly misleading first impression.
"Mrs. Cook! Clearly, you believed I wouldn't return," Regulus Black said, watching the terrified expression on her face. He was now absolutely certain—this woman was the one controlling the Headless Horseman.
"No one can escape the Headless Horseman's attacks," Mrs. Cook said, trembling. That alone was practically a confession that she had sent the Headless Horseman after Duke Black.
"Obviously. You seem to have forgotten that I am a true wizard. You have your Headless Horseman… and I have my own puppet toys."
Regulus Black stepped closer. As he looked at her still somewhat attractive face, he slightly reconsidered his urge to pursue punishment.
"If you have no other tricks up your sleeve, then it seems you can't stop me. But clearly, you've misunderstood me. I'm not here to take your children away. I simply believe that, under the guidance of a proper wizard like myself, they'll be able to reach their full potential."
"Exactly because you are a true wizard, I cannot allow you to take them. They're not as talented as you think."
Mrs. Cook began to downplay her daughters' abilities, prompting the little girls behind her to look visibly indignant.
"Oh? Are you saying that once they leave Dullahan Hollow, they'll lose their inherited power? Or perhaps that they have no magic in the first place?"
Regulus's questions hit right at the heart of Mrs. Cook's concerns. If Duke Black really was a genuine wizard, what would happen if he discovered such truths? Would he take his anger out on her daughters?
Rather than risk their lives over his future wrath, she'd rather reject him from the beginning—whether that meant refusing directly or even killing him. Either way, the problem would be solved.
She had so desperately hoped this man was just a fake wizard. That way, the Headless Horseman might've actually succeeded.
"Yes! If you found they didn't have the talent you imagined, you would… you would… I only have these two daughters. Please, I beg you, don't take them away…"
As she spoke, Mrs. Cook broke into sobs and collapsed to her knees.
"I won't take them away. But officially, they must be considered mine. Since this is my territory, I intend to build a permanent manor here. They can live there and help me manage it."
Regulus Black gently helped Mrs. Cook to her feet. With a wave of his wand, he cast Scourgify and Reparo to clean and tidy her clothes.
Then, using his wand to lift her chin, he carefully studied her face. In her youth, she had no doubt been beautiful, but years of hardship and her thirty-something age had worn down her looks.
"There is a potion that can restore youth," he said. "But it comes at a cost. If you're truly worried for your daughters, why not work for me as well?"
Regulus's words made Mrs. Cook blush instantly. It wasn't just her daughters that had caught the Duke's eye—he seemed interested in her too. This was… far too thrilling!
If he hadn't mentioned a youth-restoring potion, she might've simply thought he was offering her work as a servant. But why bring up such a potion? To make her young again? The implications were simply too much to ignore.
"I need to build a manor here. You don't have to worry about the design or construction. I'll return in a few days—you just need to prepare a blank land deed."
Regulus knew Mrs. Cook had misunderstood him, but there was no need to clarify. He turned and left the Cook residence, giving final instructions to the three town leaders who had been waiting outside.
After all, it was nearly noon, and he still had classes to teach at Hogwarts that afternoon.
"Goodbye, gentlemen… and Mrs. Cook."
With that, Regulus Black bid farewell and vanished from Dullahan Hollow using Apparition.
"Mom! Mom! I told you, Duke Black is a real wizard—he wouldn't lie to us!"
As the dark figure suddenly vanished, the two little girls began showing off their insight.
The three town leaders appeared not to have seen anything at all, nor did they seem to notice the skull in Mrs. Cook's arms.
"Mrs. Cook, Duke Black has already left, so starting tomorrow, the menu should return to normal. As for the dishes already prepared today, let's stick to what's on the menu—we should celebrate the Duke's future move to Dullahan Hollow."
After all, this was Duke Black! Just being his neighbor was something to be proud of.
Mrs. Cook was astonished that she couldn't detect anything strange in the three town leaders, and even more surprised that they completely ignored the skull in her arms.
Holding the skull close, she focused and reached out to her Headless Horseman. The surrounding skeleton soldiers had already vanished with Duke Black's departure. The Headless Horseman now stood alone in place.
"Return now! Crawl back to your hell… my beloved."
Mrs. Cook felt that she probably wouldn't need to summon the Headless Horseman again. Duke Black, a true wizard—any one of his identities was enough to protect her and her daughters. All she had to offer in return… might just be her body.
Regulus Black returned to Hogwarts just before noon. Entering his personal Room of Requirement, he discovered a small figure fast asleep.
Hermione had never imagined that one day she'd end up pouring her heart out to a magical puppet—and for an entire night, no less. The result was complete physical exhaustion and disrupted sleep.
As an excellent listener and the perfect puppet maid, Zero hadn't reminded Hermione of the time at all. Instead, she continued guiding the conversation while serving a constant stream of delicious pastries and coffee. Before long, Hermione had transformed into a full-blown chatterbox, riding a high of excitement.
But a child is still a child. Even if she said she didn't want to sleep, once her body hit its limit, she collapsed naturally.
With no one to wake her, Hermione slept soundly and deeply, while Zero simply stayed nearby to watch over her. And so… Hermione was late.
"Oh my God! I'm late—I missed all of my morning classes!"
When she was finally woken up, Hermione was on the verge of a meltdown. For a top student, this kind of behavior was inexcusable. Skipping class? Unthinkable—especially for someone like Hermione Granger.
"Calm down! Just calm down!"
Regulus Black took a slow sip of coffee as Hermione began tugging at her own hair in frustration.
"How am I supposed to calm down? I drank too much coffee last night and ended up chatting with your puppet until dawn! I meant to go back, but I fell asleep instead. Who would even believe that story if I told the professors?!"
It was rare to hear the little girl raise her voice—she was practically accusing Regulus Black of orchestrating the whole thing.
Of course, if Regulus Black were willing to take the blame, then she'd be off the hook entirely.
"Let me think… If you agree to listen to me from now on, I'll take care of this for you."
After a moment of thought, Regulus had already come up with the best solution.
"What condition do I have to agree to?"
Tears were streaming down Hermione's face as she choked back sobs, treating her assistant professor as her final lifeline.
"Until I return, you're not allowed to leave this room. If you can do that, everything else will be fine."
With that, Regulus Black calmed Hermione down and stood up to leave.
It was time for the little girl to transfer schools.
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