Regulus Black moved cautiously, avoiding the chaotic crowd.
While the Bulgarian and Irish teams were still locked in their Quidditch match, both of their mascots had already vanished—now part of the collection of a certain time-traveling member of the Squirrel Party.
As for the risks involved, Regulus Black had considered them. However, without any leads, and with the mascots stored in his personal space, the chances of getting caught were virtually zero.
Besides, a riot was about to break out. Tonight would be a sleepless night for everyone.
Since he had already stepped out of his box, he might as well make the rounds. Regulus Black passed by several aristocratic boxes, exchanging small talk with familiar faces. Most of the topics were continuations of previous conversations. They didn't need to lead to anything concrete—just like reviewing for a subject, these conversations served their own purpose.
After visiting most of the boxes, Regulus Black unexpectedly stumbled upon a treasure he had nearly forgotten.
It was another phoenix mentioned in the original books. While phoenixes in the Harry Potter universe weren't mythical beings per se, and although they hadn't gone extinct as magical creatures, they were still extremely rare. In both Eastern and Western cultures, phoenixes were known for their extraordinary pride.
Hogwarts Headmaster Dumbledore owned a phoenix that had voluntarily accepted him as its master. Another phoenix, mentioned in the original series, served as the mascot of the New Zealand team—the Motaro Thunder Parrots. That mascot was a phoenix named Spark.
Regulus Black had never gone out of his way to find this phoenix, yet here it was—right in front of him.
The New Zealand team's uniforms, with their bright red, yellow, and blue colors, were impossible to miss. It seemed they had been defeated by the two teams currently in the final, and now they were attending the match in their own colors—a sign of protest or defiance, perhaps.
Regulus Black quietly concealed himself, making sure not to alarm anyone in the box. The phoenix, just like in the legends, could instantly sense anyone harboring ill intentions toward it. In terms of raw power, it would be difficult to escape unscathed—but the moment to strike had not yet come.
"Regulus! I was just looking for you. Those bastards are all cowards—they're still hesitating tonight."
Lucius Malfoy had also stepped out to mingle and happened to see Regulus walking by. The two stopped at a corner in the corridor to talk.
"That's normal, Lucius. It's human nature. In fact, if they were all eagerly backing you, that would be reason to worry. You're doing this out of self-preservation, but those who are overly enthusiastic are likely to be fanatics."
Regulus Black already had a plan for tonight's operation. Regardless of Lucius' efforts to rally support, the riot would happen.
"In that case, it seems a few of them are worth drawing in. There are plenty of families in situations like mine."
Lucius Malfoy visibly relaxed after hearing this analysis. Whether he was coerced into continuing as a Death Eater or fully committed, the Malfoy family could use tonight's networking to secure a leadership position.
Just think—if anyone was truly dedicated to the Dark Lord, it was the Malfoy family, orchestrating this riot even before his return.Look at it this way—it was I who stirred the waters and created this disturbance, giving you fence-sitters the cover you needed to avoid the Dark Lord's wrath.
"Then I'll leave the hard work to you. As for the Black family, I'm afraid we won't be contributing to the revolutionary cause any longer."
Regulus Black was already considered a traitor among the Death Eaters. Sirius Black, even more so, was a member of the Order of the Phoenix. Jupiter was still a child. The Black family essentially had no one left to contribute, making them a thorn in the Dark Lord's side.
But Regulus didn't care. If it really came down to a fight, the outcome could go either way—and he was even willing to stand against Dumbledore himself.
After finishing their conversation, Regulus and Lucius returned to their respective boxes.
"Where were you? Hurry up—Bulgaria has taken the lead!"
Three little girls made room for Regulus as he returned to his seat. Once he sat down, they crowded around him again.
In the end, it was Sarah Medani who managed to sit on Regulus Black's lap, with Hermione and Ginny taking either side.
"Bulgaria! Bulgaria!"
"Krum! Krum! Krum!"
Finally, Bulgarian Seeker Viktor Krum caught the Golden Snitch, ending the International Quidditch Match.
The Bulgarian team had already been leading in points, and with the Snitch secured, they sealed an overwhelming victory.
It was an undisputed win—no one could accuse them of pulling ahead only because of the Snitch.
The audience erupted in celebration. Compared to the football hooligans back in Muggle Britain, this crowd was far more civilized.
Wizards mostly enjoy the fun of watching the game. They may root for both teams at once, and no matter who wins, it's something to be happy about—this way, they won't end up disappointed.
If you choose a side, you're essentially accepting half the disappointment. But if you choose both, there's only hope and no disappointment. Victory and joy should belong to everyone, not just one side.
As soon as Regulus Black returned to the residential area, he packed up the yacht tent. He had no intention of getting the girls involved in tonight's chaos.
"Regulus! Are we leaving already?"
Hermione and Ginny still wanted to celebrate with their family and friends, and they were confused by Regulus Black's actions.
"Of course. The match is over, so naturally, it's time to head home. Isn't that what you were planning too?"
Regulus Black looked at them, genuinely surprised.
"Uh... we were planning to stay and celebrate with my brother, and my parents…"
Ginny shared what was on her mind, but the moment she said it, even she began to doubt the decision.
"You want to spend the whole night listening to them recount every moment of the game or hear them yell Krum's name over and over? Shouting the entire night?"
Regulus Black bluntly pointed out the core issue. All that celebration might end up being nothing more than a night of noise.
It was like a bucket of ice water dumped over Hermione and Ginny's heads—it sobered them up instantly.
They were Ravenclaw students, after all. They were meant to soar like eagles through the sky, to gaze down upon the earth in silence, and to find freedom in solitude.
Clearly, boisterous celebrations were more suited to the lions of Gryffindor.
The two little girls pouted slightly, unsure of what to do next.
"Actually, you can come to my place. I live alone. We can all sleep together tonight."
At Regulus's signal, Sarah Madani extended the invitation to her two new friends.
And so, the matter was happily settled. After greeting the Weasley family, Regulus Black took responsibility for safely escorting the three girls to Sarah's home, where they would stay until the start of term.
After leaving Kreacher behind to serve the three girls, Regulus Black Apparated straight back to the outskirts of the Quidditch arena.
It was a good thing he hadn't used his "Godshift"—those silver flames used for teleportation were far too conspicuous and would have easily drawn attention.
Gazing at the lively celebration in the distance, Regulus Black realized that relying on Lucius's people to stir up trouble was asking too much. In the end, he'd have to do it himself.
Summon Skeletons: Revives skeletons from the dead to fight for you, and you can equip them with armor and weapons.
Summon Undead: The summoned skeletons come with elemental attributes and have high resistance to magical attacks.
Regulus Black immediately summoned all 14 skeletons from his skill list.
He dressed them in long black robes and tall black hats, even turned their white skulls black so that from a distance, they looked just like they were wearing skull masks.
"Go! Do whatever you want—as long as you don't kill anyone."
Regulus Black pointed toward the nearby residential area, which happened to be the section for regular tents. The noble area was farther away.
Speaking was just a habit—these skeletons were directly linked to his thoughts, and Regulus Black's standards for action left no room for error. The only uncertainty was whether Lucius's people would mess things up once they got involved.
Just as the skeletons approached the campgrounds, the berserker's War Howl caused immediate panic, quickly followed by a Battle Cry.
The mage skeletons began launching fireballs all over the place. The fireballs were small, but there were plenty of them.
The rest of the skeletons held torches and wandered around the area as a backdrop, switching places from time to time to make it look like they were all throwing fireballs.
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