Regulus Black the Potions Master

Capítulo 30

Harry Potter

Things calmed down with the arrival of January, and the stories about the Chamber of Secrets subsided with the calm at school. However, talk of the Most Fabulous contest began.

This story had subsided after Colin's attack, but Harry saw how the change in focus the students were having was beneficial. Fewer and fewer people were calling him Salazar's Heir, more focused on other matters, especially after the publication of a list in the Daily Prophet newspaper, where someone named the most handsome, young, and influential man in Witch Britain.

Somewhere in the article was written the term: good party.

"What does that mean?" he asked the older boys.

"It means someone good to marry, either for love or business."

"Do business marriages still exist?"

"Mostly among high society," Percy nodded.

The list contained fifteen names of people from the best to the worst, and both Lockhart and Black were on the list.

"Look, Lockhart is in seventh place," Hermione said, showing the paper to Ginny and Lavender Brown.

"And Black in third," Ron retorted, proud of his potions teacher.

It's strange to see how Ron goes from being a pure-blood Slytherin snob hater to a staunch defender of Professor Black whenever the man is compared to Professor Lockhart, but Harry doesn't comment on it, just watches the two friends discussing the pros and cons of each of their professors again.

Unfortunately, many other people soon joined in the conversation, which was escalated to the other tables. Well, the mass of Slytherins were just saying how Black was undoubtedly better than anyone else.

Harry just shook his head, focusing on his food and reading what else was in the paper.

Nothing that caught his eye, a one-page article on the new werewolf control legislation, which passed with just over half the votes of the Wizengamot. That made no difference to Harry, so he skimmed through the rest, and read the article about the Christmas ball, just more gossip.

That's when he saw a picture of Mr. Malfoy with his arm around Mr. Black's shoulder, who was drinking something.

Harry frowned at the picture, he remembered Black mentioning that he was Draco's mother's cousin, so he was close to the blond's father too.

That made him suspicious, how could someone who was friends with Malfoy be trustworthy? Besides, he remembered, Black was also one of the followers of his parents' murderer.

Black says he's against Voldemort, but how much of it is true? How much of it could just be a pretense to fool everyone?

Could he trust that man? Well, Dumbledore did and he was the greatest wizard alive and he's a wise person, right?

[...]

"I've got an idea," Hermione said at lunch.

They were sitting a little further away from the others at the table this time, and she was very excited.

"I was thinking, while I was in the infirmary," she sipped her juice, "maybe the thing in the Chamber of Secrets could be in one of the books in the library."

"We've already looked there," Ron said with his mouth full, receiving a grimace from Hermione.

"Not in the restricted area."

"And how would we do that?" Harry said, scratching his head.

"We get a permit," she smiled even wider, "we get one of the teachers to sign it and that's it."