The patrolling professors arrived quickly, dispersing the crowd and asking questions. Lucretius stepped forward as Prefect to explain the situation, with Regulus adding a few clarifications at his side.
The matter was settled without much delay. Finn turned out to be a black-market dealer in illicit magical items. He had stolen an artifact from a Pure-blood family and had been pursued by Aurors for three days before finally being captured in Hogsmeade.
After confirming that neither boy was injured, the professors dismissed them, instructing all students that Hogsmeade weekend would end early. No lingering. Everyone was to return to Hogwarts immediately.
A wave of groans rose from the younger students, but there was no room for argument.
On the walk back to the castle, Lucretius remained quiet for a long time.
Only when they neared the main gates did he finally speak. "Alastor Moody. An elite Auror. A lot of dark wizards fear him. A lot of them hate him."
"I know," Regulus replied.
"The way he looked at me just now…" Lucretius paused, then continued, "It was like he was deciding whether I was Finn's accomplice."
"But you weren't," Regulus said.
"He suspects I could be." There was no emotion in Lucretius's voice. "The name Burke carries a special mark in the Auror Office. Especially with someone like Moody."
Regulus said nothing.
He knew Moody would one day become one of the fiercest opponents of Voldemort. He would fight, sacrifice, and even be impersonated. But that was the future.
In 1973, Moody was still an active Auror, already well known for vigilance and suspicion.
The Burke family dealt in Dark artifacts. Naturally, they were on the Aurors' watch list. Today had been coincidence, but coincidence was enough for Moody to remember Lucretius's face.
"Be careful," Regulus said quietly. "In the next few years, the Auror Office will gain more authority."
Lucretius nodded. The calm mask of a Pure-blood heir slipped back into place.
They entered the castle and parted in the entrance hall.
Regulus headed toward the Slytherin Common Room, replaying the day in his mind.
The three items at Borgin and Burkes. The Ministry of Magic's growing scrutiny. The elder Burke's proposal. And the unexpected hostage situation at the end.
Each piece was a reminder that beneath the surface calm of the wizarding world, the currents were growing stronger.
When he stepped into the common room, the fireplace burned warmly. A few younger students were playing wizard's chess. Their voices dipped slightly when they saw him enter.
He needed to write to his father. A detailed report about the three items, the elder Burke's proposal, and the encounter with Moody.
---
The Owlery's wooden perches creaked in the wind. A cold wind carried flecks of snow through the gaps in the walls, brushing icy against his face.
Regulus pulled a sheet of parchment from his inner pocket, rolled it tightly, and slid it into a small copper tube. He handed it to a gray owl waiting at his feet.
In the distance, the castle's outline blurred in the mist. Faint echoes of students' chatter drifted through the corridors. Young witches and wizards were never short on energy.
Back in the Slytherin Common Room, warmth chased away the chill. The fire crackled brightly. A pair of second-years hovered over a chessboard, brows furrowed, arguing softly over a move.
Regulus lowered himself into an armchair, fingers absently tracing the carved patterns along its armrest. His thoughts drifted naturally back to Borgin and Burkes.
The Burke family had dealt in Dark artifacts for five generations. That was no exaggeration.
Connections between Pure-blood families were never just polite social calls. They were tangled webs of shared interests and binding agreements.
He had no doubt the Burkes possessed discreet channels of distribution.
Perhaps through underground networks linked to Gringotts, transferring high-risk items overseas.
Perhaps through the businesses of other Pure-blood families, using them as cover to temporarily store sensitive artifacts.
There were likely informants within the Ministry of Magic itself, quietly feeding them information about inspection priorities and timing.
To claim they lacked the ability to handle dangerous objects on their own would be absurd.
So why?
Regulus suspected they were testing the waters.
The Ministry's inspection had come suddenly. Barty Crouch's hardline approach had clearly placed pressure on the Burkes. They needed a political ally with real weight behind them.
The Black family's seat in the Wizengamot, Orion's accumulated connections, and the family's widespread business network formed exactly the kind of buffer the Burkes required.
From the Black family's perspective, the advantages were just as clear.
The Burkes controlled the largest Dark artifact channel in Knockturn Alley. They had access to rare magical texts and unusual tools. Those resources would be invaluable for Regulus's research.
Still, he was not in urgent need. What he already possessed was more than enough to occupy him for a long time.
The drawbacks were equally obvious. The Burkes operated in a gray area at best.
Binding the families too tightly would draw attention from the Ministry. It might even provoke suspicion from Voldemort's faction.
The most powerful dark wizard alive would be keenly aware of where Dark artifacts flowed. If the Black family suddenly stepped into that domain, he might not welcome it.
Especially considering that Voldemort's relationship with the Burkes was, at best, complicated.
When his thoughts circled back to Lucretius, Regulus found himself reconsidering the Prefect's behavior earlier.
It had been different from usual. More candid. More weighted.
As Slytherin's Prefect, Lucretius might not have been the most powerful student at Hogwarts, but he was among the most capable overall.
His grades were excellent. When handling school affairs, he always struck the right balance, never so forceful as to breed resentment, never so soft as to lose authority.
Within the Pure-blood circle, he upheld the Burke family's dignity while maintaining steady relations with other heirs.
The message Severus had passed along a week ago still lingered in Regulus's mind. Private gatherings among Slytherin upper-years. Increasingly radical language. A fervor for blood purity that hung thick in the air.
As Prefect, Lucretius could not possibly be unaware.
Regulus could even infer that he was deeply involved.
His position gave him access to core information, yet he had not mentioned a single word of it. That silence spoke volumes.
If he had said something, Regulus would have been forced to choose.
Intervene, and risk revealing his stance too early. Oppose it, and earn the hostility of extremists within Slytherin. Stay silent, and appear passive.
By saying nothing, Lucretius allowed him to remain uninvolved, to focus on his own path without being dragged into conflicts that did not yet concern him.
Regulus's thoughts shifted once more to Borgin and Burkes itself.
Being a so-called prophet meant having only fragments of the future. The wizarding world was far more complicated than scattered memories suggested.
Information gaps like that were reminders. Every step required caution. Vague impressions were not enough.
The fire popped, sparks scattering across the stone before fading.
Regulus rose. More students were filing into the common room, most returning from Hogsmeade. Excitement still lit their faces as they gathered in small groups, reliving the day's events.
He stepped back into the corridor. The noise grew louder. A few Gryffindors were animatedly discussing the hostage incident.
Snatches of words drifted past like Dark wizard, Auror, Broken wand, Idiot.
The Great Hall was brightly lit. Long tables groaned under the weight of dinner. The scent of roast chicken mingled with the sweetness of pumpkin juice, and freshly baked bread carried a warm, grainy aroma.
Cuthbert and Alex were already seated at the Slytherin table.
The moment Regulus entered, Cuthbert waved enthusiastically. His elbow knocked into the table, nearly tipping over a small salt shaker. He caught it just in time, though his face was flushed with barely restrained excitement.
"You finally showed up!" Cuthbert leaned forward, elbows on the table, voice far from quiet, eyes shining. "Is it true? What happened in Hogsmeade? Were you taken hostage by a dark wizard? With Burke?"
Before Regulus could answer, Cuthbert launched into a heated rant.
"This is an outright insult to Pure-blood families! He actually dared to attack us in Hogsmeade. The Ministry of Magic needs to come down hard on him. Throw him into Azkaban and let him rot! My father always says you can't show mercy to trash like that. Give them an inch and they'll take a mile!"
Alex, on the other hand, asked more cautiously. "You're not hurt, right? I heard it got messy. The Aurors used spells, and that dark wizard looked vicious."
A flicker of unease crossed his eyes. "Things feel less stable lately. I used to only read about dark wizards causing trouble in the papers. I never thought we'd run into one ourselves. My mother wrote to tell me to be careful. She said things outside are getting tense."
Regulus sat down and cut into a piece of roast chicken, his movements unhurried.
"I'm fine. The Aurors arrived quickly. There wasn't any real damage. His wand was broken and he wasn't much of a threat."
He did not elaborate. To him, it had been nothing more than a brief interlude, hardly worth dramatizing.