Regulus Black brought gifts for the children, as was customary when visiting relatives.
He had purchased candies from Hogsmeade Village, which were warmly received by the children—each had their own share.
"Percy, this one's yours. These two are for Bill and Charlie, but I suppose they're already considered adults and aren't at home, so how you divide them up is up to you kids to figure out."
Regulus Black handed the last three candy gift boxes to the eldest child currently at the Burrow—Percy Weasley.
Percy did not disappoint. He gave one box to the youngest, Ginny, another to his three younger brothers to divide among themselves, and kept only one for himself.
"Oh! You've come all this way and even brought gifts for the children—you haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Would you mind joining us?"
Molly was warmly eager to treat Regulus Black to a meal. A large pot of stewed potatoes and meat was cooking—simple but hearty food that met the nutritional needs of a household full of growing children.
"Kreacher, lend Mrs. Weasley a hand."
Regulus signaled to Kreacher—and with good reason. Any food prepared by a house-elf would always turn out at its best. Even if the recipe was the same, the outcome varied depending on the cook. But meals made by house-elves—both taste and appearance—were consistently superb, or rather, already perfected.
"Yes, Master!"
Before Molly could object, Kreacher snapped his fingers several times in rapid succession, and the entire kitchen began moving on its own.
"Mrs. Weasley, have you ever taken care of dairy cows? I was thinking I could gift you two. You'd have fresh milk regularly, and during the holidays, you could even enjoy beef."
Regulus Black currently had an abundance of dairy cows. His farm's dairy operations were running exceptionally well. A few years ago, in 1985, when mad cow disease broke out in Britain, the entire beef industry collapsed—a classic example of capitalism backfiring.
In an effort to reduce losses, unsold beef was ground up and used as feed for the cows. As a result, the disease kept spreading among the herds. People who consumed the meat or used products derived from infected cows were exposed to the virus, which ultimately turned their brains into sponge-like tissue. Probably even zombies wouldn't want to eat such brains.
This was also the easiest of the properties Regulus reclaimed during his legal pursuit of the Black family assets via the Ministry of Magic. What had once been a highly profitable dairy farm had become a financial liability. While it still took some time, it was relatively straightforward to reclaim through official channels.
Once he had control of the farm, Regulus undertook a complete overhaul, purging every diseased cow. All of them were used as sacrificial offerings for summoning the twelve Zodiac demons.
He believed the likelihood of demons catching mad cow disease was zero.
The cows he now intended to gift to the Weasley family were, of course, carefully selected—no sick cows would be given away.
At present, Regulus Black owned his own dairy brand, milk brand, and beef brand. While the quantities weren't massive, the quality was guaranteed. His products even became suppliers for upscale restaurants.
When Kreacher led the two cows out from the other side of the carriage, the Weasley children were thrilled.
Although milk production takes time, in the hands of wizards, it only required a simple lactation spell. As long as there were dairy cows, there would never be a shortage of milk.
After giving such generous gifts, the relationship between the two families grew even closer. Mr. Weasley had woken up a bit late, but when he came downstairs, he was dressed quite formally.
"Hey, Regulus! Technically, we are distant relatives!"
Arthur Weasley tried to present himself with as much dignity as possible. After all, he was also a Ministry official, even if he worked in the least respected department—and even then, the entire Department for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts consisted of just him and one elderly wizard.
"Indeed, the grandfathers of the Black and Weasley families were brothers."
Regulus Black didn't elaborate further. While their grandfathers had been blood brothers, Regulus was from the grandson generation, whereas Arthur belonged to the great-grandson generation. If one were to be strict about it, Arthur would actually need to address Regulus as uncle or elder.
However, considering that Arthur Weasley's wife, Molly Weasley, is his cousin… well, such relationships—In the wizarding world, everyone's related, so there's no need to go into detail!
Everyone took their seats and began breakfast. Kreacher, as if it were his own home, neatly set all the tableware.
"Regulus! Is there a particular reason for your visit this time?"
Arthur Weasley, eating the food prepared by the house-elf—which, though more delicious than Molly's, didn't stop his thoughts from wandering—This relative from the Black family, what exactly was he here for? There wasn't much of value in his home, after all!
"Arthur, you're a Ministry official. I've got a few legal cases regarding property ownership in the Ministry that haven't made much progress. If possible, I'd appreciate it if you could put in a good word and help smooth the process along."
Of course, Regulus Black's real purpose for this visit was not what his words suggested. The legal disputes over the Ministry's confiscated property were only a side matter.
"What kind of case could I possibly help with?"
Arthur knew very well that Regulus Black's family was shady from top to bottom. As a purely Dark Wizard family, even their assets often came tainted with darkness.The first property to be transferred to Regulus had been a dairy farm on an isolated island. The transfer had gone smoothly for many reasons, not the least of which was that the farm was the cleanest of the bunch, with no traces of Dark Magic, and it had long been operating at a loss—thus making it an easy handover.
The second, a mine on Crimson Peak, had gothic-style buildings and a unique geographical location. The Ministry had conducted thorough investigations before the transfer and found no traces of Dark Magic—aside from a basic Muggle-Repelling Charm.
"Molly, these beans are excellent."
Regulus Black complimented the breakfast bean stew, then wiped his mouth.
"According to the Ministry's records, I came across some small seized items—one box of six razors and a portrait of a person."
The six razors were the tools of the historically infamous murderer-barber Sweeney Todd. The portrait was The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Given the origin and notorious nature of these items, it was no surprise they had ended up in the collection of a Dark Wizard family.
Arthur Weasley, although a bit scatterbrained, did take his job seriously. He had some memory of the items Regulus mentioned. While they were likely modified or used in Dark Magic, the objects themselves didn't strictly qualify as Dark Artifacts. So, a request to expedite the process could be considered.
"Speaking of which, how many of the Black family's property disputes remain unresolved?"
Arthur asked as if he didn't know anything, though inwardly he was suspicious. If Regulus was trying to dodge something, it must involve problematic items. And if that were the case, as an official in the Department for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts, it would be perfectly legitimate to investigate them—meaning plenty of opportunities to issue fines.
"Quite a few. Among the larger assets, there's a small dock, a chocolate factory, and a church."
Regulus Black listed three of the key properties he was likely to recover. In truth, the Black family owned more, but those that were still profitable weren't so easy to reclaim. The individuals or factions currently in possession of them weren't about to let go of such juicy pieces of meat.
However, as Regulus gradually turned one unprofitable asset after another into something lucrative, those holding onto the others began proposing cooperation. Through collaboration, they would return the properties—and this was exactly what Regulus intended.
In the end, these factions would become tied to the Black family's foundation, turning into a source of support for him.
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