Chapter 190: This Guess Is Becoming More and More Reliable

Inside the palace lantern made of white bones, a ladybug was restlessly moving about, trying everything it could to find a way out.

However, aside from a few patterned gaps too narrow for it to crawl through, it was clear that such a confined space offered no escape route.

"I know you're Rita Skeeter, and I know why you're here. But since you've fallen into my hands, your choices are limited. Either obey me, or remain locked up forever."

Rita Skeeter probably never imagined—even in her wildest dreams—that her Animagus form, the ladybug that had always served her so well, would be captured. And not only that, the person who caught her clearly knew about her Animagus transformation. That could only mean this was a trap—her captor had been waiting for her to fall into it.

Regulus Black was the last to leave the headmaster's office. Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge and his entourage had already gone back to work, especially since the trial arrangements for Sirius Black needed to be finalized within the next day or two.

After Snape left, Dumbledore had no choice but to yield to Regulus Black. With sincere words, he explained how exhausting it was for an old man to stay up so late, and how he needed to rest in order to focus on the tasks ahead. Without enough energy, the Sirius Black case might end up delayed.

What a shameless old bumblebee. But Regulus Black had already achieved what he came for. Seeing Dumbledore yawning, he decided not to disturb the headmaster's nap.

What he didn't expect was that as soon as he stepped out of the headmaster's office, he saw a ladybug flying by. Its movement, its path directly toward the entrance of Gryffindor Tower—all of it screamed that something was off. It was very likely the famous Rita Skeeter from the original story.

Catch her! Even if it turned out to be a mistake, it would only take two spells at most.

But when he saw the ladybug stop after making a round inside the palace lantern, Regulus Black was confident he hadn't caught the wrong target.

A normal bug wouldn't just stop exploring. Only an Animagus like her would display such behavior—giving up entirely.

His past self, from earlier in the timeline, had already taken Hermione away from the Room of Requirement. And the current Regulus Black had no intention of going back there. Everything inside that room was a secret treasure trove for this voyeuristic reporter.

He casually carried the palace lantern into the Great Hall, intending to finish his breakfast before dealing with her.

As always, there were lamb chops and fish soup, accompanied by green vegetables and fruit. The house-elves of the school were already very familiar with this setup—only the preparation style changed slightly from day to day.

"Look at Assistant Professor Black. He's carrying a palace lantern."

Zhang Qiu, who had already confirmed her romantic relationship with Regulus Black during last Valentine's Day, immediately recognized the white object as a palace lantern. After all, it was a piece of Chinese culture.

The Ravenclaw students began whispering among themselves, speculating what Regulus Black's palace lantern could be for. After all, this was Hogwarts—a school for witches and wizards. If such a rare lantern, practically unseen in the UK, was simply used for lighting, it would be quite a letdown.

"What material do you think that palace lantern is made of?"

Penelope Clearwater asked Zhang Qiu. Clearly, she couldn't identify the material no matter how closely she examined it. Very few wizards used bones to craft magical tools, let alone something as exquisitely designed as a palace lantern.

"White, smooth and delicate, without flaws. It doesn't seem to be jade. Could it be made of bone?"

Zhang Qiu was among the top intellects in Ravenclaw. After all, diligence ran deep in the bones of many Asian students. How else could she have first attracted that senior from Hufflepuff, and later become Harry Potter's first love?

But all that was in the past. Because of Regulus Black's role in the previous year's Valentine's Day incident, Hogwarts was still experiencing a kind of love imbalance. Most of the girls openly declared their love for Assistant Professor Black—even if he had already rejected them. As a result, many boys were left stuck in perpetual singledom.

Among those boys, however, thanks to the effects of the enchanted love chocolates, a few gluttons who persistently pursued their crushes had actually made progress. Rumor had it that both of Draco's usual sidekicks had found true love.

One had to admit, family background still mattered when it came to true love. Crabbe and Goyle both came from established wizarding families, so it was only a matter of time before the boys they pursued gave in. Draco wasn't the least bit surprised.

He also felt extremely fortunate that, due to habit, he had saved all the chocolates given to him by girls without eating them. If those two had eaten any of them by accident, Draco would've begged his father to let him drop out.

Being pursued by those two gluttons? That would've been a nightmare.

Luckily, they had picked up someone else's discarded Valentine's chocolates. Those two lucky victims had become their new targets.

Back to the subject of the palace lantern—a sharp-eyed Ravenclaw girl had already noticed that a ladybug was trapped inside.

Assistant Professor Regulus Black has created a new magical creature!

Assistant Professor Regulus Black has modified a new magical creature!

Assistant Professor Regulus Black has captured a new magical creature!

Hmm! This speculation is starting to sound more and more plausible.

Seated at the staff table, Regulus Black paid no attention to the murmurs below. He finished his breakfast at a leisurely pace, his posture graceful and entirely appropriate.

After eating, he held a glass of pomegranate juice in his hand and sipped it slowly, simply waiting for the other professors to finish their meals as well.

Soon, most of the professors had completed their breakfast. Typically at this time, the professors would leave first, followed by the students heading to their respective classrooms, managed by the prefects of the upper years.

However, today marked a special change. Professor Minerva McGonagall, as Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House, had something to announce.

"Today, there are some changes to the schedule. All Defense Against the Dark Arts classes and Potions classes will be canceled. The two professors involved have urgent matters to attend to. These two classes will be rescheduled for tomorrow. Some professors will teach an additional class today, and the updated schedule will be posted on the notice board outside the Great Hall."

Professor McGonagall clapped her hands as a signal that the announcement was over. The students who had finished their breakfast stood up in unison—they had to check the new timetable posted outside the hall to find out today's arrangements.

"Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger—please stay behind."

Regulus Black stood up and called out to them in a voice that only the three of them could hear.

"What's going on? It seems like only the three of us heard that."

Ron looked around at their classmates and immediately noticed something strange—no one else seemed to have heard Regulus Black speak.

"There's a spell called Sonorus. It's usually used during gatherings to amplify your voice so everyone present can hear you. With some adjustments, like restricting the magic to a limited range, you can achieve what Mr. Black just did."

Hermione, quick as ever, immediately deduced one possible explanation.

"Very well analyzed. Once you become familiar with a spell, you'll start tweaking it so it serves your needs rather than using it in a rigid way. That's how a mature wizard operates."

Regulus Black gestured for the three of them to follow. Professor McGonagall had already gone to the Headmaster's office to summon someone, while Professor Snape, with his cloak billowing behind him like a large black bat, had followed after her.

There weren't many opportunities to stir up the "Old Bee."

Regulus Black followed behind them unhurriedly, intentionally lagging a bit—he had something to say to the three of them.

"Today is the date for Sirius Black's retrial regarding the case from twelve years ago. Harry Potter, do you wish for your godfather to be acquitted?"

Regulus Black asked without even turning his head.

"Of course! Sirius is innocent—he was framed all those years ago!"

Harry Potter responded emotionally. Earlier that morning, the Aurors had ignored his pleas and forcibly took Sirius away. Harry had been gripped with fear. Things weren't the way everyone believed—they weren't what the world thought. He could prove his godfather's innocence, but when faced with the magical law enforcement, Harry deeply felt the overwhelming power and his own helplessness, despite being known as the "Boy Who Lived."

"If you truly want to save Sirius, then during the Wizengamot trial, you must keep your emotions in check. I will remind you. Ron and Hermione will testify before you, so listen carefully. The three of your testimonies must not contradict or contain any discrepancies—otherwise, the entire testimony will be considered invalid. Do you understand?"

At that moment, Regulus Black exuded an oppressive presence, even though he hadn't turned to face them.

Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon

https://patreon.com/Glimmer09