Harry Potter: Returning from Hogwarts Legacy-Chapter 293

"You need to be ready. I’m about to remove the protective flames."

As Harry finished speaking, the surrounding flames surged outward in a fierce lick.

The Inferi, already terrified of the fire, recoiled sharply at the sudden flare. Some stumbled backward, toppling into the lake with a splash.

"Don’t worry, Harry," Veratia said.

Hearing her response, Harry raised his other hand, the one not gripping his wand.

"Get ready—"

As his words fell, the flames vanished abruptly, as if they had never burned at all.

The Inferi froze for a moment, stunned. They hadn’t expected the towering flames to disappear so inexplicably.

"Now!"

Veratia’s clear shout rang out. Her magic surged, her robes billowing under the chaotic force of her power.

A wave of purple magic, solid as a whip, lashed out, sending the dazed Inferi tumbling back into the lake.

Harry raised his wand high and shouted, "Regulus Arcturus Black’s clothes, come to me!"

As he completed the incantation, a brilliant white light burst from the tip of his wand.

At the same time, the lake churned violently. Soon, a gaunt figure shot out of the water, swiftly drawn into Harry’s grasp.

"It’s Regulus!" Sirius cried out.

It was his youngest brother—how could he ever forget?

He was deeply curious why Harry’s Summoning Charm could pull Regulus from the lake. By all logic, the charm shouldn’t work on a person.

But now was hardly the time for questions, so Sirius restrained his curiosity.

"Let’s go," Harry said. "Apparate back—"

With a crackling flash, Harry, clutching Regulus, returned to Grimmauld Place.

It wasn’t exactly the best timing for their return, as Regulus landed right between Hermione and Ron.

It seemed Hermione had been tutoring Ron with his homework.

The moment she saw Regulus, Hermione let out a piercing scream.

Ron quickly pulled her back, instinctively drawing his wand and firing a blazing Incendio at Regulus without a second thought.

Harry flicked his wand, casting a counterspell to block the fiery magic, saving Regulus from being reduced to ash.

To be fair, Ron was reliable—unless a spider suddenly appeared in front of him.

An Inferius? That was nothing to Ron, a boy toughened by years of the Weasley twins’ targeted pranks.

But if it had been a giant spider, Ron would likely be joining Hermione in a duet of air-raid sirens.

"What in Merlin’s name is going on?" Veratia, stepping into Grimmauld Place, quipped with a smirk. "Oh, I’m starting to wonder if we accidentally time-traveled during our Apparition. Is this 1940s Coventry?"

The mention of Coventry referred to the infamous Coventry Blitz, when British authorities, to protect the secrecy of their codebreaking led by Alan Turing, allowed the city to be devastated by Germany’s Moonlight Sonata bombing campaign without warning the residents or taking extraordinary defensive measures.

Hermione’s scream did, admittedly, sound eerily like an air-raid siren.

At Veratia’s appearance, Hermione finally stopped screaming, her face flushing red and white, a mix of embarrassment and lingering shock.

"What is going on here?" she demanded, her voice bordering on hysterical.

"This is Sirius’s brother," Veratia said, glancing at Regulus, who was still clawing toward Ron. "We rescued him from the cave. He’s... not in the best state, but it’s not a big deal."

"Not a big deal?" Hermione said, clutching her head. "He’s turned into an Inferius! We learned about this in class—those are clear signs of Inferi transformation!"

"It’s really not a big deal," Veratia said with a dismissive wave. "Don’t worry, he won’t bite..."

Hermione felt a nagging sense of déjà vu. Then it hit her—when she was in first grade, visiting her aunt during the holidays, her aunt had said the same thing about their dog.

"Look, he doesn’t bite. You’ll be fine, dear."

No sooner had her aunt spoken than the dog bit her cousin.

Before Hermione could shake off the memory, Sirius and Dumbledore arrived.

"The most urgent thing now is to clear Regulus’s name!" Sirius declared the moment he stepped inside. "He’s a hero who fought against Voldemort, not some villain who followed him. The entire wizarding world needs to know this—look, both Black family men stood on the front lines against Voldemort!"

"That is indeed what we should do," Dumbledore said, his voice weary.

Harry noticed Dumbledore’s frail state and stepped forward, helping him settle onto a nearby sofa.

"You really shouldn’t be so reckless, Dumbledore," Veratia said with a sigh. "We all understand the meaning of self-sacrifice... whether it’s me, Harry, or Uncle Black, we’re all prepared to give everything."

"It seems I’ve overstepped," Dumbledore said with a gentle smile. "Very well, I won’t be so reckless in the future—"

"Harry! Harry!" Ron’s voice cut through, trembling with panic. "Get him away from me, please!"

Ron’s fear was palpable as Regulus’s hands gripped his legs.

It wasn’t that Ron was weak—it was just that this Inferius was Regulus Black, the young master of Grimmauld Place and Sirius’s brother.

Out of respect, Ron hesitated to use any aggressive spells.

If he accidentally incinerated Regulus, it would be a disaster.

"My mistake," Sirius said, pressing a hand to his chest. He raised his voice. "Kreacher! Kreacher! We’ve brought Regulus back!"

With a crack, Kreacher appeared in the living room.

The moment he saw Regulus, Kreacher’s legs gave out, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud.

"Young Master—Merlin’s beard, Master Regulus, is it really you?"

He Apparated again, appearing at Regulus’s side.

Or rather, between Regulus and Ron.

The Inferius that was Regulus no longer held any memories of his past life. He didn’t recognize the small figure before him; he only saw something that might be edible.

He reached out, placing his hands on Kreacher’s shoulders.

"Oh, Young Master..."

Kreacher, with some deft maneuver, evaded Regulus’s grasp, restraining his arms instead.

Regulus let out a guttural roar, lunging to bite Kreacher and test his taste.

But Kreacher gently cupped Regulus’s face, sobbing, "Young Master, you still remember poor old Kreacher. Even if Kreacher dies now, it would be worth it—come, let Kreacher take you to your room. Since you left, no one has been allowed in except that wastrel... I mean, the young master who recently won the mistress’s favor, and Master Potter..."

Kreacher rambled on, guiding Regulus step by step toward his old room.

Regulus wasn’t exactly cooperative, constantly trying to take a bite out of Kreacher.

Yet Kreacher always managed to dodge at an impossible angle, avoiding Regulus’s snapping jaws.

The scene... was utterly bizarre.

"So how exactly did you use the Summoning Charm..." Sirius gestured vaguely, struggling to articulate his confusion.

In his mind, the Summoning Charm couldn’t possibly work on a person.

"It pulls on their clothes, dragging the person along," Harry said succinctly.

That was only the surface explanation. In truth, Harry had yanked Regulus from the lake’s depths—a feat impossible without his immense magical power, bolstered by an inexhaustible Philosopher’s Stone.

Even Dumbledore couldn’t have done it without such a resource.

When in doubt, rely on raw power and let miracles handle the rest.

"I still think Regulus should be laid to rest," Dumbledore said. "Now that we’ve brought him back, we should undo the dark magic binding him and let him return to being a proper corpse, shouldn’t we?"

"No, he’s my brother!" Sirius snapped, rejecting the idea outright. "How could I leave him in a cold coffin? Absolutely not!"

Poppy Sweating’s ghost suddenly appeared.

"Perhaps a cremation urn, if you don’t like coffins," she said, trying to console Sirius. "Cremation is an option."

Sirius: ...

I thought, as a Hufflepuff, you’d have some brilliant idea, not something so heartless...

"I think Sweating’s right," Cassandra said, descending the stairs. "No matter how you look at it, he’s an Inferius now. That tarnishes the Black family’s honor—remember your motto? Toujours Pur..."

"Our family hasn’t been pure for ages!" Sirius said, waving his hands. "If we’re talking purity, it stopped the moment I betrayed the family and went to Gryffindor. Ask my mother—do you think she’d say a family member turning into an Inferius is less pure than one sorting into Gryffindor?"

"Gryffindor!" Walburga’s portrait bellowed, sounding like the Sorting Hat. But she quickly backtracked. "That was before—now I think if you’d gone to Slytherin, you might’ve ended up like Regulus. Where would you be then, instead of being Harry Potter’s godfather? Not that there’s anything wrong with Slytherin, mind you. Gryffindor just... gives you more room to soar!"

"Is that really what you think?" Sirius asked, scurrying to his mother’s portrait, barely believing his ears.

"Enough!" Walburga said again. "I agree with you. You’re a good brother—let my poor Regulus stay at home. Have Kreacher bring him to see me sometimes..."

"I’ll figure something out," Sirius said, tapping the wall. "Regulus’s body is still fairly intact, and Death himself is at Hogwarts right now... Maybe I can ask Death to bring Regulus back..."

"And the cost?" Dumbledore asked.

"If Miss Sweating can come back, then Regulus..." Sirius sniffled.

"Poppy’s case is unique," Harry said, ruffling the ghost’s head. Poppy let out a delighted "Eep!" and nuzzled his hand. "She exists between having a body and not, and she didn’t need Death’s help."

"There’s no precedent for an Inferius being restored to life," Dumbledore said, trying to reason with Sirius.

"Exactly," Sirius said, his gaze steady. "If there’s to be a first, I want it to be Regulus. I’ll find a way—a way to free him from this Inferius state..."

"Merlin’s knickers, Sirius..." Walburga’s voice trembled with emotion.

She never imagined the bond between her two sons could be so profound.

In that moment, she no longer cared about pure-blood ideals.

As long as her boys were together, safe and sound, that was enough.

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