The incident at the Quidditch World Cup made headlines in the Daily Prophet the very next day. The paper was surprisingly courteous, refraining from criticizing the Ministry of Magic. After all, given the scale of the disaster, no one was more anxious than the Ministry itself. Anyone who chose this moment to oppose them would only be asking for trouble.
The Ministry's Aurors were scouring the entire country for any useful clues. Regulus Black, having left the scene early, was also summoned for questioning.
"Mr. Black, can you explain where you went last night?"
An unfamiliar Auror questioned Regulus in a somewhat civil tone, though his fierce expression made him look downright menacing.
"Sorry, I can't tell you that. But you can ask my three students. They'll vouch for me."
Regulus Black's tone made it clear he wasn't going to cooperate. In his eyes, the Auror's hideously ugly face was offensive enough to cause psychological damage just by looking at it.
"Please cooperate with our investigation!"
The Auror slammed both palms on the table, making a loud bang—though not nearly as loud as his yelling.
"Believe me, there are things I can't discuss with you or any other man. If your Auror Office has any women on staff, I'll confess everything."
Regulus waved his hand dismissively, as if waving away the Auror's bad breath. His words were outrageous. What was this, some brothel that sent women to suspects on demand?
"All right! All right! Calm down, calm down!"
Seeing the enraged Auror already drawing his wand, another Auror quickly grabbed him and pulled him out of the room.
"Your attitude will earn you no favors with the Auror Office. I'm not even on duty every day."
Judy Fawkes entered with another female Auror. From the look of things, the woman behind her was clearly a rookie.
"So, did you come to work today just for me?"
Regulus Black stood up with a smile, took Judy Fawkes' hand, and kissed the back of it. He didn't aim for her cheek—there was a stranger present, so a polite kiss on the hand would suffice.
"Of course not. I just happened to be scheduled today. Besides, Aurors' leave has been suspended. After what happened, no one knows when the next break will come."
Judy Fawkes didn't bother introducing the young woman behind her and simply sat on the other side of the table.
The setup was just like before—one Auror in charge of questioning, the other in charge of maintaining order, whether that meant calming a suspect or their own colleague.
It seemed the girl behind Judy was the one assigned to keep things under control.
"Ask whatever you like. I'll cooperate with anything I can answer. Some things I'll have to hint at, and whether you understand is up to you. As for explaining things to your superiors—that's on you."
Regulus adjusted his clothes and leaned back comfortably in his chair, completely at ease.
"Why did you leave early last night? It was right after the match ended, when everyone else was still celebrating. You were the first to leave."
Judy glanced at the file in her hand—it was clearly from the previous Auror. She must have taken it after they stormed out.
"I don't enjoy overly noisy environments, especially when they're full of pointless behavior. I had no interest in joining the celebration, so I left right after the match ended. I didn't even stay a minute longer."
Regulus Black was known for his love of quiet. This wasn't a secret—plenty of people had learned the hard way. There were enough students who'd been hit with a Muffliato spell for being too loud to form an entire squad. Half of them were Hogwarts boys.
"All right, I understand. Next question—who were you with? This will help the Aurors cross-reference their findings."
When Judy said "I understand," her look was noticeably suggestive, clearly imagining what kind of time they'd spent together.
Regulus had always chosen refined and tranquil venues for their rendezvous—elegant lounges and hotels. He had never taken Judy to a noisy bar. In fact, he never even set foot in the pubs at Hogsmeade.
"Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, and Sarah Medani. The first two are my students. Sarah is their friend, a Squib. I met her earlier and have been her protector ever since."
Regulus Black's response was rather candid, but Judy Fox knew that some of the details couldn't be made public. Forcing a revelation would only be harmful to both Regulus and the three young girls.
The reason Regulus Black didn't speak to the Auror earlier was precisely because he knew they would keep pressing. Once the questioning hit a snag, it could be used against him.
"A story involving the current head of the Black family and three little girls"—such a headline might very well appear in the Daily Prophet.
"Are you taking the three girls home? Or bringing them to your own place? Or somewhere else?"
Judy Fox raised an eyebrow and asked bluntly.
"Oh, come on! Judy, we've known each other for a long time. Do you really think I'm that kind of person?"
Regulus Black put on a wronged expression—but it was clearly just an act, especially with another person still in the room.
"Sarah made a new friend and invited Hermione and Ginny over to her place. I was just giving them a lift."
Regulus Black shrugged, as if to say, You decide. I didn't do anything.
"I'm familiar with your preferences, and I know your character. It seems there's nothing suspicious here,"
Judy Fox concluded after some thought. She didn't believe Regulus Black would be depraved enough to make a move on three girls at once. If it had been just one, though—well, that might've been another story.
If Regulus Black ever found out that Judy thought this way, he'd probably tie her up, pose her in some strange position, wait for her to beg through tears, and only then allow her to climax.
"Next question: Where did you go afterward, and who can vouch for you?"
Judy Fox closed the folder. This was more or less the final question.
So, after Regulus Black escaped from the Aurors, where did he go?
The Black family's ancestral home, the chocolate factory, the dairy farm, Fisherman's Wharf—these were all part of the Black family's assets.
But Regulus didn't go to any of those. Instead, he went to one of his own private properties.
Among his personal holdings, there were Crimson Manor and Sleepy Hollow Estate in the UK. His American assets weren't considered fully established yet.
Of the two, only Sleepy Hollow had a lover waiting. Naturally, Regulus went there to spend an intimate night with Mrs. Cook.
"As for that question—it involves things you're aware of but others aren't. I went to Sleepy Hollow."
Regulus Black put on a look of cooperative honesty. After all, it was Judy Fox who had helped him locate the property back then.
It had never been formally registered with the Ministry afterward, and the entire area essentially fell under Regulus Black's control. Still, it was hard to call it illegal property. The Ministry of Magic had no formal taxation system, so it didn't pay much attention to unregistered holdings.
If you register, the Ministry might offer some services—inheritance, transactions, and so forth.
If you don't, no one manages it. Magic isn't eternal, and over time, properties protected by enchantments will become exposed and begin to deteriorate.
The dairy farm on the island had once been managed by Ministry-appointed personnel, under the name of a foundation, until someone came to take it over.
Such services didn't cost even a single Galleon. But formally, Regulus Black had still made significant donations to the Ministry. It was a voluntary gesture. Of course, you could choose not to donate—but any serious businessman wouldn't make that choice.
"Sleepy Hollow? The same Sleepy Hollow I helped you investigate? What were you doing there?"
Judy Fox had long forgotten about it. She had helped her lover look up some information, and since Regulus never brought it up afterward, she'd put the matter out of mind.
"There's a rogue witch living there. After I discovered her, I've been teaching her how to use magic properly."
Regulus Black explained with a touch of guilt—but it was obvious the truth was only half of the story.
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