Somewhere on the fast-flowing coast of England, the sky was shrouded in dark clouds year-round, and the waves crashed restlessly against the chaotic reefs.
There was a hidden cave by the seaside, a location very difficult for anyone to discover.
Suddenly, a flash of purple magical light appeared, and a boy wearing Tuxedo abruptly materialized on the pebble beach beside the cave.
The already low dark clouds surged even more violently as flashes of purple light continued.
Shawn was thrown down hard, feeling as though his entire body was out of sorts, as if he had just been squeezed out through a toilet bowl.
After lying on the pebble beach and panting heavily for a few breaths, Shawn finally recalled the strand of memories that had just been injected into his mind.
Having digested it for a little while, he abruptly sat up.
Holy shit, I really ended up in the world of Harry Potter, and on top of that, I've become a descendant of the Black family, with Regulus becoming my dad? And I came here right now to pay respects to my dad?
Cough, cough, this system makes the plot way too melodramatic.
Shawn sighed looking up at the sky, but thinking that he had somehow become a second-generation rich kid, having an extra cheap dad wasn't such a bad deal either; clearing Regulus's name in the future would even count as filial piety.
While Shawn was immersed in the prospect of having piles of Galleons to spend in the future, he was also calculating the matter of the system's lucky draw.
His curtain-call performance just then had earned him another several hundred points of rank-1 faith value.
Moreover, faith value was divided into three ranks, and the prize pools for the draws were presumably different as well.
To obtain faith value, was this damn system trying to make him a heartthrob?
Right now he had 10,400 points of rank-1 faith value, which was enough for ten draws. He had no idea what was in the prize pool, but he hoped there would be ultimate moves like a blue gas stove or Fire God Clears the Way.
Shawn felt too stingy to bring himself to click the draw; this was savings he had accumulated over two years.
From gaining a small reputation by tricking little girls eating lollipops on the street into clapping for him, all the way to reigning supreme in London and performing for tens of thousands of people at the Grand Theatre, this had taken a considerable amount of effort.
He gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and prepared to kick off a tenfold draw.
Whether he would turn out a dragon or a worm, whether he would strive hard and carve out a piece of heaven in the Wizarding World, or simply be a salted fish and go home to inherit the Black family's estate, all depended on this single try.
I want to be a lucky European!
Before he could click the draw button, however.
A loud explosion echoed by his ear, followed instantly by the sudden appearance of red firelight. An old man with a white beard, wearing moon-white wizard robes and half-moon spectacles, appeared before Shawn.
Shawn stared blankly at this benevolent old man who had appeared out of nowhere, feeling that the other person looked very familiar. Thinking of the world of Harry Potter, he was about to cry out, “Old Beekeeper,” when the elderly man spoke first.
"Hello, sir. You must be Shawn Black, right?"
Shawn had already guessed that the other person was Dumbledore. Although he wondered why the man had appeared here, thinking of his own Occlumency, he felt much more at ease.
"Yes, old sir, I am Shawn Black. May I ask who you are?"
As soon as Shawn finished his polite greeting, the system immediately issued a task.
Quest issued: Bluff the White Wizard Dumbledore into sending you home. Reward: 2000 rank-1 faith value (When a big shot makes their debut, aside from having background music, they must have elite bodyguards guarding them-that's just how much style you need).
The corners of Shawn's mouth twitched slightly; this system was a bit foolish and second-hand.
Albus looked at the delicate, dark-haired boy; he really looked just like the other two Blacks. A trace of nostalgia flashed in his eyes as he said kindly.
"I am Albus Dumbledore, Shawn. Why are you appearing here, I wonder? Where are your parents?"
Shawn had spent two years running commercial performances, capable of performing magic in front of several thousand people; he was long past being that social-phobic homebody, and his nerve had been tempered as well.
Besides, the system had already paved the way for him, and it could definitely stand up to investigation.
His Occlumency had never warned him that his mind was being invaded, which showed that Old Beekeeper still had a great deal of principle.
"I am an orphan. I came here today to pay respects to my father, but I've never been able to enter the cave, so I could only remember him from the outside."
"Oh? What a pitiful child. Might I ask what your father's name was?"
"Regulus Black."
Upon hearing this explanation, Dumbledore was astonished in his heart while also finding sudden clarity. He couldn't help but look back at the cave, only now realizing that Sirius's younger brother-that Death Eater Regulus who had been missing for many years-had actually died here without a sound.
He used his immense magic power to sense the cave behind him, immediately encountering a powerful restriction. No wonder the little fellow couldn't get in, and the dark magic that set the restriction was so familiar.
Even as Dumbledore grew vigilant, his curiosity spiked sharply. What had that former student of his been up to in there? And why had Regulus, missing for so many years, died here?
Watching Dumbledore looking eager to leap in and go exploring right away, Shawn quickly put on a pitiful appearance of shivering from the cold wind for the sake of his quest.
"Old sir?"
Dumbledore was startled for a moment, then chuckled and cast a Warming Charm on Shawn.
For now, he still needed to settle this little fellow properly, and he likewise had many questions for this youngster.
"Shawn, do you know why your father passed away in the cave? Have you been living in the Muggle world all these years?"
Shawn had no wish to discuss these people with Dumbledore since saying more meant more mistakes, but considering the other person's status and that combat power at the ceiling of the Wizarding World, he still put on a sorrowful expression.
Hn, this is definitely not cowardice or wanting to get him to send me home.
"My father said he betrayed his leader. To keep his family from being retaliated against, he settled me in the Muggle world early on, and I only recently learned some of the circumstances from the relics my father left behind."
Watching Shawn's expression full of sorrow, Dumbledore couldn't help but feel a welling of compassion, temporarily suppressing certain suspicions in his heart.
He felt that today's events were somewhat chaotic, yet he had also deduced what might be hidden within the cave.
If it were true, then Regulus was a silent, unsung hero, so his son had to be settled properly first.
"Shawn, you have already experienced a magical outburst; you can no longer stay in the Muggle world. How about I take you back to your ancestral home? There should be more traces of your father there."
Beneath Shawn's sorrowful expression lay a surge of excitement. He discovered that max-level Occlumency could actually fabricate emotions and memories, so fooling Old Beekeeper right off the bat was practically assured.
"Is this true, old sir? Then can you bring my father's body out from the cave? I want to give him a proper burial."
"What a good child. I can, yes, but that will take time. Let me take you home first, alright? Once I find your father's remains, I will notify you the very first moment."
"Alright, thank you, old sir. You really are a good person."
Dumbledore nodded. He immediately had more important matters to attend to and momentarily lacked the mind to thoroughly investigate that bizarre magical outburst from earlier, simply attributing it to Shawn having extraordinary talent and experiencing an emotional explosion from excessive grief while mourning his father. In any case, the little fellow would be going to Hogwarts soon, and there would be plenty of time.
"Come, take hold of my arm. There might be a little dizziness in a moment."
Knowing that Dumbledore intended to Apparate with him, Shawn grabbed the man's arm.
As soon as Shawn grabbed Dumbledore's arm, Dumbledore was struck by the lingering current on Shawn's body, causing him to shiver several times in a row.
He lowered his head abruptly to look at Shawn, his gaze turning profound. The investigative thoughts he had just suppressed flared up again; after a moment of thought, he simply offered earnest instruction.
"It seems your talent is even better than I imagined. You are a good child; you must use your talent well."
Shawn was startled inwardly: I actually electrocuted Old Beekeeper!
His expression shifted accordingly, and he asked with a puzzled air.
"Is that so? I've been able to discharge electricity onto certain things before. Would you consider this a unique ability?"
The eyes beneath Dumbledore's blue frames flickered, and he said pointedly.
"Mm, very unique. The Black family has produced another genius, hasn't it?"
Shawn suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. It seemed Dumbledore had no intention of investigating further for the time being-was this the principle of the righteous side?
He looked back at the cave behind him, hesitating over whether to tell Old Beekeeper that the Horcrux inside was a fake, so he wouldn't go looking for trouble.
However, he had no excuse to explain the source of the information. Well, nobody is going to die anyway, and I also need to borrow old Dumbledore's hands to get Regulus's body out.
Once he returned to the old house, he could just have a house-elf hand over the real locket for old Dumbledore to destroy, which would also demonstrate his stance and return a favor.
After all, in the early stages, he still had to rely on Dumbledore, this massive mountain, for protection. As for that unreliable uncle inside Azkaban, he would deal with that later-talk about that later.
Dumbledore assumed Shawn was looking back because he couldn't bear to part with his father, thinking the child had a good heart and a strong sense of filial piety.
It caused his unwarranted worries to fade quite a bit; after all, not all members of the Black family were bad people.
Thinking about it, Shawn growing up in the Muggle world had also spared him from that set of pure-blood theories-perhaps that was also Regulus's painstaking care.
"Don't worry, I will bring your father out."
Following that, a flash of fire occurred, and the figures of the old man and the child vanished from the pebble beach.