"Miss Fox was only recently recommended to become the Head of the Auror Office. With her father's murder this time, the Auror Department has been under heavy pressure. It seems Miss Fox has not found any useful leads, which is why she lost her composure like that."
Ginny Weasley explained this to her family when she saw Regulus Black chase after Judy.
"Miss Fox owes her position entirely to Mr. Black's recommendation. Their relationship is said to have started long ago. Ginny, did you know that?"
Percy Weasley quietly asked his sister. After all, his little sister was in love with a man who kept a harem of women. Even though Regulus had once recommended him as well, Percy still placed his sister's well-being above his own.
"Don't worry, Percy. I've met all of Regulus' women. Even if I hadn't, he would introduce them to me openly."
Ginny Weasley knew about Judy Fox, just as Judy knew about her.
"In that case, I won't say anything more. I only hope you can find happiness. If he ever makes you unhappy, I'll always be on your side."
Percy Weasley ruffled his sister's hair before walking over to his mother, Molly.
Having lost her husband, Molly was still in deep grief. Even though her children surrounded her with comfort and words of encouragement, decades of marriage could not be so easily consoled.
Regulus Black caught up to Judy, conjured his yacht tent with a flick of his hand, and quickly cast a Muggle-Repelling Charm along with Disillusionment to conceal it.
"Kiss me!"
As soon as Regulus pulled Judy Fox into the tent, she began tearing at her clothes right there in the corridor, and then at Regulus' clothes. Within moments the two were wrapped in each other, completely bare.
Their lovemaking was wild and unrestrained, several guest rooms inside the yacht ended up in chaos. It wasn't until Judy Fox was completely spent that the frenzied bout finally ended.
At the yacht's bow, in the swimming pool, they washed away the fatigue and sweat from their bodies, then floated together on the still water.
"Your friend Lucius seems likely to become the new Department Head. What an irony—that after a man's death, his rival should take his place. It feels as if he were killed by his opponent."
Though Judy Fox was only speculating, she was already close to the truth.
"If it really had been Lucius, he would have avoided taking the position to prevent suspicion. But this looks more like gloating. He's always longed to be a high-ranking official in the Ministry, but never had the right opportunity. Now that a seat has opened, he has no reason not to seize it—especially since it belonged to his old rival. If his application succeeds, he might even come here to mock us. Damn it! The Ministry wouldn't approve his application so quickly, would they?"
Regulus Black closed his eyes to rest. The exertion had been tremendous. Though as an undead his stamina was nearly limitless, such intense activity still left his body feeling drained. Even if he could go again immediately, the temporary exhaustion was unavoidable.
Listening to Judy's guess, he casually twisted the truth aloud, but at the thought of Lucius Malfoy courting disaster again, even Regulus himself felt uneasy.
"They shouldn't decide so quickly. Not unless he offered the Ministry something substantial in return."
Through her own appointment, Judy Fox had learned one thing: for capable people, nothing in this world is truly impossible—only a matter of whether one dares to do it.
Who knew what kind of filthy bargains Lucius Malfoy might strike with the Ministry to secure that position?
The two quickly dressed and left the yacht tent, heading toward the Burrow.
"I came to attend Arthur's funeral. After all, as a colleague at the Ministry, his passing is a tremendous loss. At least we'll no longer worry about midnight raids searching for Dark artifacts at home, or about enchanted Muggle vehicles crashing into us from the sky."
Sure enough, Lucius Malfoy had gained the post of Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. He came to Arthur's funeral immediately, though it was obvious to everyone that his presence was nothing but provocation and showmanship.
"You—!"
Molly Weasley was furious, ready to scold him out of the house, but just then Regulus Black returned to the Burrow with Judy.
"Lucius! You are a Department Head now. Show the dignity your title demands."
Regulus Black pressed a hand firmly on Lucius' shoulder, forcing him to turn around.
"Of course. As a Department Head, I should act in accordance with my station."
Lucius Malfoy studied Regulus Black for a moment before abandoning his provocation toward the Weasleys.
"Then I'll simply lay down flowers for Arthur, and be on my way."
Turning back, he glanced at the angry Weasley family behind him and gave them a false smile.
"My condolences."
With a sweep of his silver cane, Lucius Malfoy left the Weasley home.
"If Mr. Black hadn't arrived, I would have thrown my dinner knife straight at his face."
Ron said excitedly.
"It's a good thing you didn't. Otherwise Percy's position might not have been safe."
Regulus Black went over and saw that Ron's hand was indeed gripping a dinner knife so tightly his knuckles were white.
"As a Department Head, I can recommend Percy for his post. But another Department Head could just as easily remove him. Do you understand?"
Regulus Black drew his wand and tapped Ron's hand. The stiffened fingers relaxed, but the release was followed by a sharp muscle ache that left Ron speechless for quite some time.
His words also gave Percy Weasley quite a fright, since this concerned his career.
"Everyone calm down! Calm down! There are many guests today—of all kinds. Stay calm!"
Percy Weasley raised his hands repeatedly, trying to soothe his family.
"At the Ministry, Percy's presence is a great advantage for the Weasley family. With him there, you avoid countless troubles and problems. Don't ever think Percy has done something against the family's interests—that's an immature thought. If Percy one day rises to the rank of Department Head, situations like today's will never happen again. Did you see Malfoy's attitude toward me just now?"
If anyone still didn't understand after that, their intelligence was truly questionable.
Fortunately, everyone seemed to grasp his meaning, so his words hadn't been wasted.
Leaving Judy Fox to chat with the family, Regulus Black stepped out of the Burrow and went to Arthur's grave. As expected, Lucius Malfoy was still there—clearly waiting to speak with him.
"I must say, by provoking the Weasleys like that, you've actually cleared much of the suspicion around yourself."
Regulus Black stood beside Lucius, overlooking Arthur's grave at the edge of the Burrow's farmland. On one side of the fence life flourished, while the other was a burial ground for the dead.
"I didn't think that much. I just acted on instinct. But in hindsight, it seems I did the right thing."
Lucius Malfoy gently laid down the flowers in his hands. His manner was less that of old rivals, and more like two men sharing a bitter sense of fate.
"The Dark Lord is preparing to move against you. What will you do?"
Lucius Malfoy had already received orders from the dashing Harry Potter: Regulus Black was the next target.
"To the Dark Lord, you are his greatest traitor. Second only to Snape."
At this, Lucius Malfoy almost felt a flicker of pity for Regulus.
"Thanks for the warning. It seems I'll have to lie low for a while. After all, there's someone taller standing in front of me. Dumbledore isn't dead yet."
Regulus Black replied with ease.
"Stir the Dark Lord a little. Encourage him to shift strategy—scare away the people around Dumbledore, people like me. Once the old man is left alone, that will be the time to strike him down."
Regulus' meaning was clear enough. Remove Dumbledore's allies, strip away his wings, and then face the long-lived headmaster directly. After all, this was the man who had held onto Hogwarts for half a century.
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