Regulus Black paid the other two students a generous amount of Galleons—an impressive fortune for two Hufflepuffs from pure-blood families that had fallen into decline.
It was enough money for them to live a comfortable and affluent life—assuming, of course, that neither they nor their families had any bad habits.
As for those pea-sized red gemstones, Regulus Black had already had them professionally appraised in the Muggle world.
Gem-quality. Naturally formed. A new variety of crystal. These labels became Regulus Black's guarantee. And with the origin kept strictly confidential, there were no existing—or even possible—competitors. Still, what was this odd feeling of being at odds with every jeweler in the world?
A large sum of pounds was invested, and a professional marketing team was quickly formed. A company was registered, a boutique store was opened, models were hired for photo ads—everything was carried out systematically by experienced managers.
The only problem was: how exactly should this gemstone be marketed?
Just then, the Ministry of Magic handed over the second estate of the Black family—which had previously been confiscated—to Regulus Black.
It was a manor built on a red clay mine, located in a remote mountainous region in northwest England. The estate featured a 19th-century building with over a hundred years of history. The house was in severe disrepair—so drafty that wind blew in from every corner—and even the outer walls were crumbling.
Red clay, also known as red soil, is a highly cohesive mineral, useful both for farming and molding. The manor's original owner had purchased the red clay mine for this very reason, building the estate afterward. However, generations of operation failed to bring the family wealth.
The last generation of that family consisted of Thomas Sharpe and his sister, Lucille Sharpe. Due to their scandalous affairs and a history of swindling wealthy women into marriage to steal their fortunes and even murder them, the siblings ultimately died in the very house they had defiled.
The estate was eventually inherited by a young American author, Edith Cushing—a woman of noble background who had herself fallen victim to a deceptive marriage. It was precisely because Thomas Sharpe had developed genuine feelings for her that the estate's dark history of fraudulent and deadly marriages came to an end.
Since the place held painful memories, Edith Cushing sold off the mine and manor not long after inheriting them, returning to America—where she would go on to write a novel titled Crimson Peak.
"This place really is a wreck," Regulus Black remarked as he stood inside the dilapidated building, with a pile of rotting beam fragments lying in the center of the main hall.
The Gothic architectural style could be seen in all the details—roof, columns, corridors, stairs—shadows of Gothic design were everywhere. Behind the fireplace in the hall was an elevator that once connected the three floors and the basement, but it had now completely rusted and was unusable.
Wandering up the stairs, he saw that the second floor had two bedrooms each on the east, south, and west sides, with a small library located in the middle of the northern side.
On the third floor, the layout was similar—two bedrooms each on the east, south, and west sides, but the northern center held a studio, cluttered with items left behind by the previous owners.
Regulus Black carefully avoided the rotting floorboards. After inspecting all the rooms, he made his way down into the basement.
Six large pools were filled with red clay from the mine. Over a hundred years, the moisture had completely dried out, and the red clay in the pools had hardened to the point where it couldn't be pried loose. At the far end of the basement was a conveyor belt that once led directly to the surface.
"No wonder there's so much dust here," Regulus Black muttered, gently brushing the dust off his sleeve and frowning at the condition of the place.
The Black family had never been skilled in mine operation, and after taking possession of the estate, they had simply abandoned it.
However, as a wizarding family, they had cast a Muggle-Repelling Charm over the entire property.
As a result, nearby Muggle residents instinctively kept their distance. After the Ministry of Magic confiscated the estate, they too had no intention of managing it.
By the time it ended up in Regulus Black's hands, it was still exactly as it had been a century ago—if not worse.
Regulus Black carefully surveyed the estate grounds. One had to admit, the Black family's Muggle-Repelling Charm had been cast with incredible precision. The area it covered neatly traced the pathways and claimed the entire region as their own—wider than the area designated by the Ministry, and even broader than what was recorded in the Muggle world. The entire mountain fell within the bounds of the spell.
While inspecting the enchantment, Regulus Black discovered two graves not far behind the manor.
The headstones indicated that they were the burial sites of Thomas Sharpe and his sister, Lucille Sharpe—erected by Edith Cushing after their deaths.
Although the siblings had nearly killed her, Edith Cushing, in the end, still honored her love for Thomas Sharpe and repaid it by building proper graves for them—quite impressive ones, in fact.
Which meant they had cost a good deal of money.
The Gothic-style tombs were partially sunken into the earth. Pushing open the decaying door and stepping inside, Regulus found a coffin on either side of the chamber.
"All cleaned up!"
Regulus Black waved his wand, sweeping away all the dust in the tomb. Every speck of it was blown out by the wind.
With another flick of his wand, Regulus Black set up a new outpost within the tomb—[Crimson Manor].
In the [Outpost List], a black Gothic gear with a red Gothic building at the center became the emblem of the outpost.
On the ground, a circle and cross mark appeared, with each of the cross's four points located precisely at the corners of the tomb, where four small braziers were placed.
"From now on, I'll be disturbing your rest quite often," Regulus Black said, leaving behind those words before exiting the tomb.
From the two coffins on either side, a man and a woman's ghostly figures drifted out, blankly watching Regulus Black leave.
They were the last generation of owners of this manor—Thomas Sharpe and his sister Lucille Sharpe.
After circling the area, Regulus Black returned to the manor. With a flick of his wand—no incantation needed—everything broken or ruined began to restore itself slowly, guided solely by his will. The ceiling was mended, the floor repaired, the holes in the walls patched up.
Then came the dust. A sweeping "All Clean" spell burst outward from the center of the house like a gust from a blower inflating a garment. Dust from every corner was swept out of the house by this magical wind.
"Now it's presentable," Regulus Black said.
He removed the Muggle-Repelling Charm from the road leading to the outside world, making it so people could now only enter the manor by that path, preventing anyone from accidentally approaching from other directions.
He released his mount: Red Nightmare – Witch Monastery. As its master, Regulus Black could ride this nightmare creature. What made it special was that to regular wizards, it appeared only as a unicorn, while Muggles couldn't even see the horn—they would simply think it was a white horse.
So, when a black-clad nobleman riding a pure white horse appeared in the town, it created quite a stir.
This was a mining town; the residents relied on the mines for their livelihood. Though everyone knew of the manor a few hours' journey away—and that its owner controlled the largest expanse of land and mines—no one had ever dared entertain ideas about it. It had long become an unspoken rule, passed down over a century.
"Tell me—where can I find the town's judge or a lawyer?"
Riding his white horse, Regulus Black addressed the townsfolk in a tone that left no room for refusal.
His noble air, cold demeanor, elegant Gothic aristocratic attire, and the majestic white horse made the townspeople extremely nervous. Regulus Black saw at least ten fingers all pointing in the same direction.
Noticing a few children, he rode his horse over slowly and handed each of them a penny.
The children beamed with joy and ran off laughing, holding their coins.
Before long, Regulus Black arrived at the town's courthouse, which also served as a law office.
"Welcome! I'm Lucy Piddell. May I ask who you are...?"
A stunning woman greeted the visiting Regulus Black.
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