The originally filmed scene in which Black is shot dead by a fan was arranged to appear at the end, as one possible conclusion. The director and the distribution company would later edit the footage based on actual circumstances, meaning that different versions would be shown to different audiences. The film and home video markets would be distinctly separated.
After filming concluded, Regulus Black ended up with two new companions, but things in the United States would have to be put on hold for a while.
Putting aside the Triwizard Tournament in the fourth school year, the upcoming Quidditch World Cup alone was already a major event.
Moreover, this year marked the return of Voldemort—the Dark Lord's resurrection was a significant matter.
If events went beyond what he had originally planned, then this would be Regulus Black's final year at Hogwarts.
Hopefully, that wouldn't be the case. He had to speed up acquiring certain things he wanted—such as making a profit from the international Quidditch event.
Originally, Hermione and Harry Potter were supposed to stay at the Burrow with the Weasley family for a while before heading together to the Quidditch venue. But things had changed completely now.
Ginny had been taken by Hermione to live in the Muggle world for a period. The relationship between the two girls had been deliberately cultivated by Regulus Black.
Naturally, Harry Potter had been taken in by Sirius and had stayed for a while at the old Black residence. However, due to a lack of funds, Sirius Black, under his younger brother's suggestion, would be using a shared Portkey with the Weasley family to reach the stadium.
It was around this time that Cedric—originally Cho Chang's boyfriend and a handsome young man—met Harry Potter for the first time.
Back during the Valentine's Day of their second year, Hogwarts had been "cornered" by Regulus Black. Countless boys suffered for throwing away the chocolates girls had given them, even though all those chocolates had actually been made by Regulus Black.
Well! It wasn't his fault. On the contrary, the boys who ate the chocolates ended up with very stable relationships with the girls.
Pfft! A moment of silence for the boys who ate the chocolates... and especially for those who threw away the girls' heartfelt gifts.
As a good-looking guy, Cedric had received no shortage of Valentine's chocolates at the time. But the one he wanted most was Cho Chang's. Unfortunately, she had been snatched away by Regulus Black.
So, when Cedric threw away the chocolates from girls he wasn't interested in, his fate was sealed—he would go on to become the "god" of Hogwarts… a god among boys.
Alas, nothing could be done! Regulus Black gladly accepted the outcome. These days, Cedric also had his own harem—like the Theban Sacred Band of the wizarding world.
"Harry! Hurry up, the Weasleys must already be there."
Sirius Black swung his guitar as he spoke. It had been his favorite in his youth. He had once planned for the Marauders to form a band, but after James got married, that dream fell through. In the end, only Sirius had enthusiastically learned to play the guitar.
Harry Potter had been dragged out of bed early by his godfather. With the help of the house-elf Kreacher, everything for their trip had been prepared.
Kreacher took them to the Portkey rendezvous point, after which they walked to a small hill.
On a green grassy knoll sat a worn-out boot—the medium used for the Ministry of Magic's Portkeys. Their sense of style was… unique. But to be fair, the Ministry wasn't entirely to blame. The Portkey spell was incredibly damaging to the medium it was cast on.
"Anyone who's practiced Apparition knows how unpleasant that feeling is—like being yanked by the navel and spun through space. The Portkey spell is just another version of Apparition. The medium is the center of the distortion, and each use causes serious damage. Even brand-new items become worn out after just a few trips. That's why the Ministry of Magic uses literal garbage to make Portkeys."
At the Malfoy Manor, Lucius Malfoy explained the principles of the Portkey spell to his son Draco while looking down on the Ministry's aesthetic choices. The Portkey used by the Malfoy family was vastly different—it was made from an ancient, gold-inlaid goblet.
"Only ancient, noble antiques with historical weight are fit for a noble family. I had to bribe those greedy pigs at the International Magical Travel Office with two Galleons to get it through. But it was worth it. As for the bribe, I'll deal with them later."
Lucius Malfoy cursed the head of the International Magical Travel Office bitterly, and then the three members of the Malfoy family gripped the antique goblet and were teleported to the match venue.
"This old boot is the Portkey?"
The Weasley twins looked as if they wanted to take it apart and examine it, only to be promptly smacked by Molly Weasley.
"Everyone, place a finger on it. I'll activate the Portkey. We don't have much time left."
Cedric's father—the official from the International Magical Transportation Department—was the one Lucius Malfoy had insulted as a greedy pig.
Everyone touched the boot with their fingers, and as the Portkey spell was activated, space twisted around the boot.
From the outside, it looked as if a burst of lightning erupted above the mound and then immediately collapsed inward and vanished.
For those inside, the moment space began to twist, they felt themselves spinning around the boot while flying through an invisible tunnel in the sky, unable to make out any of the scenery around them.
"You can let go now,"
Cedric's father called out.
"What?"
The children didn't quite understand.
"I said let go. We've arrived."
The children exchanged uncertain glances. Would it be dangerous to let go like this? Weren't they still flying?
But that's just how things worked in the wizarding world—many things that seemed dangerous were actually safe, and some that appeared safe were incredibly dangerous.
One by one, they loosened their grip, and everyone was flung out of the circle. In truth, even if they hadn't let go, the twisted journey would still have ended eventually—the boot's destruction marked its limit.
That poor, unlucky boot, burdened with too many passengers, was completely shattered in the spatial distortion.
Those sprawled across the ground were all first-time Portkey users, while those with prior experience landed gracefully from midair.
"You okay?"
A hand appeared in front of Harry Potter. Cedric stood in front of him, blocking out the sunlight, the soft halo behind him giving him a nearly divine glow.
Harry's heart began to race. Was this what first love felt like?
Ugh… ptooey, ptooey! He had just gotten a mouthful of grass.
After the disastrous Valentine's Day incident, Cedric had established his own personal Theban harem. With the air of a king and an aura that charmed both men and women, he now exuded irresistible charisma.
Had Harry not been protected by his protagonist and savior auras, he might have fallen for him right then and there.
Then again, perhaps that double aura was exactly why Cedric found him worth the effort, wasn't it?
"Our Portkey was… a set of false teeth?"
Ginny Weasley was incredulous. She hadn't expected Hermione to return from a trip to the Ministry of Magic with that as the designated Portkey.
Creating a Portkey involves several steps: first, someone must have visited the destination and left a magical imprint. Then, you need a medium strong enough to endure the journey—anything too fragile or small won't do. You certainly don't want people falling out mid-transit. Lastly, the imprint and the Portkey spell must be cast on the medium and placed in standby mode.
That way, with a simple magical activation of the Portkey effect, even someone who can't cast the spell can still use it to travel.
As for the second step—the medium—Hermione's personal items were all rejected by the Ministry staff. It just so happened there was a set of dentures discarded by a patient, and when Hermione was preparing materials, she brought it along on a whim. The official from the International Transportation Department took one look and said:
"This is it. The durable material is perfect for long-distance travel."
Without waiting for objections, the official plucked the dentures from the bag, applied the location imprint and Portkey spell, and sent Hermione on her way.
Feeling wronged, Hermione ended up gathering all the small rejected items from the table to take with her.
"All I wanted was to find out what kind of materials work best for making a Portkey! Was that really a reason to treat me like this?"
Hermione voiced her frustrations to Ginny, who nodded in sympathy and agreement.
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