"I have a nephew whose mind isn't quite right—he gets overly excited whenever he sees strangers."
Although the Dursley family had just witnessed the cake vanish, Harry Potter had already walked behind the guest. Especially with his arms stretched out like that—previously they might've been controlling the cake, but now they could just as easily be grabbing the guest's hair. To prevent the guest from being startled by Harry's sudden appearance, Uncle Vernon had no choice but to quickly set up an excuse.
Fortunately, once Harry saw the cake crisis was resolved, he straightened up and turned to look at Dobby.
Dobby was trembling like a sieve. Why was there an adult wizard in Harry Potter's house? That was terrifying. Dobby was extremely afraid of adult wizards. With a sharp scream, the rebellious house-elf disappeared without a trace.
Hearing such a loud scream, Regulus Black—being the guest—could no longer pretend to be clueless. He turned around just in time to lock eyes with Harry Potter, who had also turned back.
"..."
"And this young man is…?"
Regulus Black acted as though he didn't recognize Harry and, wearing an unpleasant expression, directed the question toward Uncle Vernon.
"This is the nephew I mentioned earlier. He's mentally ill, and every time we have guests, he always causes a scene."
Uncle Vernon explained, nearly in tears from embarrassment. This was mortifying. A major business deal might have just gone down the drain.
Dragging his bulky frame around the furniture in the living room with surprising agility, Uncle Vernon stormed over to Harry, grabbed him by the collar, and forcibly dragged him out of the room.
"You listen to me! Whether it's making that cake disappear or making noise upstairs—I'm keeping track of all of it! If tonight's deal falls through, I swear I won't let you off the hook… or that blasted bird of yours either!"
The cake had vanished too quickly and too suddenly for the Dursleys to understand what had happened. Even though the crisis of a cake falling on the guest had been averted, the disappearing cake was clearly Harry's doing—as far as they could tell, since they couldn't see the black toad.
Uncle Vernon locked Harry in his room. Even though he knew such locks might be useless against a wizard, he still locked the door anyway.
"Why would Assistant Professor Black come to my house… no, I mean the Dursley household?"
Harry wasn't sure whether this was all a coincidence or if Regulus Black had done it on purpose.
Of course, it was intentional! Regulus Black was planning to rebuild Crimson Manor and needed to purchase a large quantity of construction materials and tools. Originally, this could have been handled by his private legal advisor. However, he deliberately left the job to Vernon Dursley—even though Dursley's products were only average quality, perhaps even a bit below average.
Still, since he was fully capable of building the manor at Gallows Hollow himself, Regulus didn't actually need help from outsiders. But considering the presence of Muggles in the nearby town around Crimson Peak, he needed to at least put on a show during construction. Unlike the isolated Gallows Hollow, Crimson Peak wasn't a completely closed-off region.
When dealing with Gallows Hollow, Regulus Black had entirely cut it off from the outside world. The Muggles living inside could be dealt with however he pleased—whether to keep or kill them was up to him. He had no intention of letting anyone from Gallows Hollow leave, nor of welcoming guests to the estate.
However, the area near Crimson Peak had a mining town nearby. Though sparsely populated and remote, it still saw a fair amount of foot traffic.
Moreover, the mountain itself had an open terrain. Even the Black family's Muggle-repelling charms were only set up along the roads, and the area lacked the conditions for full isolation.
After filming the movie outside Gallows Hollow, the entire estate would be dismantled. By constantly rotating construction crews and frequently revising architectural plans, Regulus would keep up appearances while accelerating construction progress to complete Crimson Manor.
So yes—he really did need construction materials and tools. He just specifically chose Dursley to do the business.
Regulus Black had a pleasant and friendly conversation with the Dursley family, and they tentatively confirmed a deal worth several million pounds.
Uncle Vernon personally escorted Regulus Black to the door, his face beaming with joy.
Before getting into the car, Regulus Black turned to glance at Harry Potter's room. He waved goodbye to the bespectacled boy watching from behind the window. This drew Uncle Vernon's attention as well. Although the deal hadn't fallen through due to Harry's interference, Vernon was still furious with his nephew, who always managed to stir up trouble.
As soon as the sun rose, Vernon was already busy installing burglar bars on Harry Potter's window—a truly special gift.
Today just so happened to be Harry Potter's birthday.
"Without my permission, you're not allowed to go anywhere!" Vernon's furious roar was loud enough for the nearby neighbors to hear.
Meanwhile, Regulus Black arrived at the Burrow—a strange house hidden amidst a vast expanse of farmland.
Arthur Weasley was the great-grandson of Sirius Black's great-uncle, and Molly Weasley was Regulus's cousin by marriage, making this visit to relatives a perfectly legitimate reason.
A carriage slowly made its way through the countryside to the Burrow. Thanks to the Muggle-Repelling Charm, none of the nearby farmers ever paid any attention to this place.
"Mum! There's a carriage coming—are we expecting a professor today?"Percy Weasley, his head full of messy, fluffy hair, was washing up when he spotted the carriage. He raised his voice and called upstairs.
Hearing her son's shout, Molly Weasley came down immediately. The carriage came to a gentle stop at the Burrow's gate.
Regulus Black stepped down from the carriage, followed cautiously by Kreacher.
The yard was planted with some commonly used potion herbs—types that could also serve as culinary spices. A few hens wandered around in one corner, with fresh eggs visible in the nest. Just outside the yard was a small pigsty housing two piglets, and in a nearby pond, a pair of ducks were bathing.
The entire Burrow looked like a precarious building, leaning and twisting upward with the fireplace chimney as its center.
Of course, if there was ever a problem, a little magic reinforcement would fix it. The result? A house that looked like a piece of modern art.
Whoever said the Weasleys were poor—this house was wealth! With a little hype, it could be sold at the price of a castle.
"Good morning, Mrs. Weasley. I do apologize for the unannounced visit."
Standing at the door, Regulus Black greeted Molly Weasley. He was quite handsome—not in the dazzling, radiant way of Gilderoy Lockhart, but still very appealing to someone like Molly, who had a weakness for good looks.
"And you are…?"Molly Weasley looked flustered, trying to fix her clothes and hair without appearing rude.
"I'm Regulus Black. Sirius Black is my older brother. I also serve as an assistant professor at Hogwarts. Your four Weasley boys at school should all know me."
Regulus Black's straightforward introduction quickly earned Molly Weasley's trust, and he was invited into the Burrow.
The living room also doubled as the dining area, a bit cluttered, but filled with traces of magic in everyday life.
In the sink, a pan and scrub brush were washing themselves. A sweater was knitting itself. Most eye-catching of all was a peculiar clock: its hands were spoons with photos on them, each marked with a member of the Weasley family. Instead of time, the clock face listed different locations—or various activities.
"Oh! You're looking at the clock! It helps me know where the children are, or what they might be doing."
Molly Weasley was thrilled to see someone appreciate her creation. Only her own kids would complain about being "watched," without understanding that it came from her concern.
"A remarkable magical invention—especially suitable for a big family like the Weasleys."
Regulus Black was being completely honest. Families with as many children as the Weasleys were extremely rare in the wizarding world.
The more "noble" and "pure-blooded" a family claimed to be, the more difficult it became for them to have children. This could already be a topic worth researching—Just like the reproductive difficulties of dragons and elves, it might be time to start a new academic subject: The Decline of Fertility in Pure-Blood Wizarding Families.
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