A rather grand little plaque was hung on the door, with a line of small, handwritten text:
No admittance without my permission—Regulus Arcturus Black
This wasn't what concerned Adam, however. Instead, he noticed a scratch mark below the plaque, identical to the one on the black door downstairs.
Tina, having calmed down, used her crystal to scan the door and then pointed her wand at the doorknob, casting the Unlocking Charm: "Alohomora."
Adam stepped over the threshold, but heard no footsteps behind him. He turned to find Shirley standing at the doorway, her lips pursed in an expression of deep conflict.
"It's alright, this is your father's room," he said, reaching out to gently ruffle her hair. "I'll bet you he wasn't a real Death Eater."
Tina took her hand and led her inside. The room's decorations were exactly as Shirley had described them. The Slytherin house colors of emerald green and silver covered the bed and walls, and the curtains were a similar shade. The Black family crest was meticulously painted above the bed, along with their motto, "Toujours Pur" ("Always Pure" in French). On the wall hung an old photo of the Slytherin Quidditch team, with Regulus sitting in the middle of a group of other Slytherin students as their Seeker. There was also a collage of yellow newspaper clippings about Voldemort that he had collected over the years, all pasted together in a messy patchwork.
The ring in Adam's palm brightened slightly, and its trembling frequency began to stabilize. From his experience sneaking into the library's Restricted Section, this meant that what he was looking for was close by.
Kreacher, who had been following them, was opening his mouth but couldn't make a sound. His eyes were fixed on Adam, looking as if he wanted to tear a piece of flesh from him.
Adam ignored the house-elf and walked over to one of the few places in the room that could hide anything: a desk covered in a thick layer of dust. The drawers were neatly arranged with a few quills, some old, yellowing textbooks, and a tidy row of ink bottles. It seemed that the room's owner had tidied things up several times before he left, as if he had made a decision and was trying to say goodbye to the past.
"Something's not right," Tina said, examining the room and stopping at the wardrobe. "This doesn't look like only one person lived here."
"Why?" Adam asked, holding up the ring and pointing it at the wardrobe, but there was no reaction.
To confirm her theory, Tina walked over, opened the wardrobe, and with a flash of understanding in her eyes, said seriously, "There are lavender sachets hanging in here. Not only are the clothes for each season neatly folded, but the scarves and ties are hung according to color, and the hats are all covered in dust bags and stacked on separate shelves."
"I've never seen Newt organize a wardrobe like this, and I doubt a house-elf would have this kind of aesthetic either..."
She glanced at the dusty decorations in the hallway, which supported her guess, and continued, "So there must have been another person living in this room before they left. The two of them must have often sat by the window to have afternoon tea, and at least one of them had a habit of reading."
Adam turned to look at the two rattan chairs by the window and the French books on the shelf. He was reminded of the little cottage on the beach, which had a very similar layout.
He turned to Shirley and saw that the young witch was staring blankly at the old photo. The young man in the photo was wearing his Slytherin Quidditch uniform with the team badge. His dark hair was neatly styled, and a proud smile was on his face.
"He was a Seeker back in his day," Adam said to Shirley, telling her about Regulus's youthful achievements. "He caught the Golden Snitch twice in key moments to help Slytherin win the House Cup that year."
Shirley shook her head and said softly, "He's just… a little different from what I imagined. After all, I never got to meet him..."
Adam was silent for a moment, waiting for Shirley to compose herself. Then he asked gently, "Do you remember where the things he left behind were in your dream?"
Shirley's eyes scanned every corner of the room, and she shook her head helplessly. "Maybe he hid them."
Adam frowned and looked at the head of the bed, suddenly getting an idea. He walked over and tore down the collage. But the wall behind it was just a bare wall, with no hidden compartment. As he put the collage down, the faint glow from the ring appeared again.
Puzzled, he looked down at the collage and, after a long time, noticed something unusual. The dates on the clippings were strange. Normally, they would be arranged chronologically to create a person's story. But the dates on this collage were chaotically jumbled, and there were even traces of a second cut on the edges.
Adam turned back to the bookshelf in the room and took out a dozen books according to the dates on the clippings. He arranged them on the floor and began to flip through the pages. In the corners, there were a few stray, disjointed notes, looking like a student's casual jottings.
He took out a quill and copied those passages, compiling them onto a piece of parchment. What was once a mess of disjointed content gradually came together into a diary from over a decade ago.
After reading the diary from beginning to end, Adam's pupils constricted slightly. Shirley, who was kneeling beside him, was holding her hand tightly over her mouth, tears streaming down her cheeks.
The diary documented Regulus's entry into Hogwarts in 1972, his sorting into Slytherin House, his becoming the Seeker for the Quidditch team, and his joining the Slug Club. Influenced by his family's "pure-blood supremacy" ideals, he officially joined the Death Eaters in 1977. At that time, the Death Eaters he knew were not as brutal and insane as they would become later. He was also unaware of the heinous things others were doing behind the scenes. In the eyes of most of them at the time, they were just a group of young people hoping to follow Voldemort in pursuit of "glory."
During those turbulent days, he happened to save a girl from France. Afterwards, with the girl's guidance and help, he perfectly completed a number of Death Eater tasks, which gradually brought him to Voldemort's attention. As they spent more and more time together, they fell in love and promised to be together forever.
One day, a wizard named Hogge found them and claimed he could help them escape Voldemort's control, but the price was the ring on the girl's finger. Regulus, who still had unwavering faith in Voldemort at the time, didn't hesitate to send Hogge away.
However, things took a turn. Voldemort himself sought out Regulus and demanded he sacrifice the life of a house-elf. In the eyes of the Death Eaters at the time, it was an unparalleled honor to be able to personally serve Voldemort. Regulus found Kreacher and let him have the "honor" of following him. When Kreacher returned, he told him everything that happened in the cave.
It was the first time Regulus had felt shaken. After looking through his family's books, he guessed that Voldemort had secretly created a Horcrux. Hogge came to him again, and this time they chose to work together. The girl's ring resonated with Hogge's cloak, guiding them into a mysterious country.
"The place was like a fairy tale land, with a tall altar standing in a deserted jungle. We walked together but could never get close to it."
"Annie and I settled down there. There was no worldly pain or worry. Hogge said goodbye to us not long after; he seemed to be searching for something."
"We spent a long time there. When we brewed the seventh batch of wine, Annie gave birth to a girl, and we named her Shirley."
"However, we were worried to find that she couldn't grow up there. Even after a few wrinkles appeared on Annie and my faces, she remained an infant."
"Only after we left that place did she begin to grow up. The outside world was still the same as when we left. Other Death Eaters began to suspect me, and it was then that I realized my mission."
"I found Hogge, and after hearing my story, he was willing to help me conceal Annie and Shirley's whereabouts."
"If you are reading this, I have probably already completed my mission. I don't know who you are, but I hope you will be kind enough to pass on a message for me."
"Tell Annie and Shirley, and my mother, that I will always love them—Regulus."
The young witch could no longer suppress her sorrow, and tears streamed from her eyes. Her slender frame was hunched on the floor, but in her heart, a sense of relief welled up.
Adam felt a lump in his throat and his nose stung. He gently patted her back and said softly, "He never abandoned you. He just had to face those things."
Shirley looked up with her tear-filled eyes and asked in a whisper, "Will my father ever come back?"
Tina covered her face and hugged her tightly, remaining silent.
Adam turned to look at Kreacher and saw that he, too, was covering his face, tears running down his long nose as he wept silently.
"Tell Shirley the rest of Regulus's story."
Kreacher's body trembled violently. With Shirley's permission, he banged his head on the floor and said sorrowfully, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... Master Adam Morgan... Without you... Kreacher may have never known what Master Regulus did all this for..."
Then the old house-elf told the rest of the story.
After returning to the Black Manor, Regulus ordered Kreacher to take him to the secret cave. He drank the deadly potion and commanded Kreacher to take Voldemort's Horcrux and find a way to destroy it.
"Master Regulus ordered Kreacher to leave... and Kreacher could only watch... as he was dragged under the water..."
Kreacher was crying so hard he couldn't speak, just repeatedly hitting his head on the floor, begging Shirley to forgive his incompetence.
Shirley sobbed, covering her face as tears splashed on the floor. Tina comforted her in a trembling voice.
"Don't cry, little Shirley... Your father was a true hero. His sacrifice is worthy of praise by the entire wizarding world."
"But I don't want him to be a hero..."
Shirley clutched the hem of her clothes, her head bowed, her dim eyes fixed on the parchment. She choked out, "I just want him back."
Adam gently wiped away her tears and held up a golden-red feather. A warm flame instantly illuminated both of their faces.
He said softly, "We can't make that choice for him. The only thing we can do is... bring him home."
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