Marvel’s Shadowed Knight

"Naomi! Do you know why I chose you for this role?"

Regulus Black watched as Naomi drank the warm water laced with a love potion and began to open up to her.

The purpose of a love potion is to make the one who consumes it fall madly in love. As for whom they fall for, that depends on the subtle details during the potion's preparation.

Due to different brewing techniques, love potions come with varying effects.

One type enhances sexual desire, causing the drinker to go into heat with any member of the opposite sex—or in the case of magical creatures, with others of their kind.

Yes, love potions aren't limited to use on wizards or Muggles. They can also stimulate breeding instincts in magical creatures, making them useful aids in magical husbandry. In the Muggle world, such practices are nothing unusual.

Another type enhances emotional desire. This version is meant only for wizards or Muggles. Do animals have feelings? Perhaps. But human emotions are far more complex and intense.

This kind of love potion causes the drinker to develop an uncontrollable affection for the first thing they see. As a result, there are often cases where someone wakes up and ends up in love with an object.

For example: a prince might prepare something for a princess before she awakens. When she opens her eyes, the first thing she sees is that item, and she falls in love with it—or perhaps she wanders out in a daze and falls for the first guard she sees at the gate.

This type of potion must be used with caution. The consequences are the user's responsibility.

The last type involves the potion maker incorporating part of the intended target's body as a medium. The one who drinks the potion will then fall in love only with the provider of that medium.

This kind of potion can be custom ordered. However, clients usually keep the identity of the intended drinker secret—after all, if the target turns out to be the same person the potion maker is aiming for, they'd essentially be handing their prize over to someone else.

In short, the effects of a love potion can be categorized into three types: desire, emotion, and thought.

The potion Regulus Black gave Naomi belonged to the third type—one that influences the mind.

It contained personal items from Regulus—fingernails or hair work as basic mediums, but more potent ones like blood or other fluids produce better results.

After drinking the warm water, Naomi began to appear disoriented, as if drunk. She swayed even while sitting.

But Regulus Black didn't wait for Naomi to come around and throw herself at him. Instead, he pulled out a Pensieve and extracted a strand of his memory to place inside.

"Naomi! Take a look. This contains the trajectory of your life. It took you eight years to get back on track. How many eight-year periods does a woman have in her life?"

Regulus Black pressed Naomi's head down, and in her dazed state, she submerged her entire head into the Pensieve.

"Regulus! Are you sure she won't drown like that? I didn't know what to do earlier—thank goodness you came."

Sarah Medani seized the opportunity to snuggle into Regulus's arms. He hadn't yet confronted her about what happened earlier, but she knew he wouldn't let it slide easily. So, apologizing first was the best way to earn forgiveness.

"You... don't you have the 'Obliviate' spell? It's easy enough to make her forget what she saw."

Regulus Black kissed the golden-eyed, pouting girl, showing that he hadn't taken the matter to heart.

"But I panicked. The people I've used those spells on before weren't good people—not someone like Naomi, a teammate."

Sarah Medani lowered her head in embarrassment, her cheeks turning red. The mistake had happened because she had a different understanding of Naomi's identity.

"Don't do that again. Our roots lie in the wizarding world. Everything in the Muggle world is more for enjoyment. There's an unbridgeable difference between them and us. As a half-blood Squib, you should understand that deeply."

Regulus Black wasn't just talking nonsense. This wasn't some kind of racial discrimination—it was a fundamental distinction in identity. A wizard is a wizard. A Muggle is a Muggle. The existence of magic separates the two into entirely different races.

Wizards may come from all kinds of national or ethnic backgrounds, but once one becomes a wizard, they are no longer part of the Muggle world.

The Dursleys' discrimination against Harry Potter was, in essence, a form of jealousy—Muggles resenting wizards.

But Harry didn't understand this. What he did understand was that once he became an adult with strong magic, the Dursleys would no longer be able to bully him.

As a mixed-blood Squib, Sarah Maedani had long walked the line between the Muggle and wizarding worlds. She had a deep understanding of how each side viewed the other. However, on a personal level, she considered Naomi a companion, which led to a lapse in judgment.

"I understand now, Regulus. I won't make that mistake again—unless, of course, she's one of your women."

When speaking of Regulus Black's women, Sarah Maedani immediately wore a lovestruck smile—because she was one of them too.

It seemed that, going forward, the only people she could consider kindred spirits would be the women brought into the Black family by Regulus Black.

After all, Regulus Black never distinguished between witches and Muggles when choosing women. In his harem were pure-blood witches and Squibs, half-blood witches and Squibs, and even Muggles. All types were present.

Naomi Watts had first taken a love potion and was then pushed into the Pensieve by Regulus Black.

Everything in the Pensieve felt like a dream. Naomi Watts watched herself from the perspective of an observer.

In 1993, 25-year-old Naomi Watts arrived in Hollywood alone. She endured countless hardships, seizing every opportunity that came her way, only to give up time and again due to the unspoken rules of the industry. Unwilling to compromise her principles, she didn't rise to fame until 2001, with David Lynch's Mulholland Drive.

Even that opportunity had come at the cost of compromising her values. Whether or not that was truly the case, Regulus Black had no way of knowing. After all, the memories in a Pensieve could be manipulated—as long as Naomi believed them to be true.

After taking the love potion, Naomi Watts fell into a dream that lasted eight years, reliving this portion of her life.

Anyone who had gone through such an experience would never want to return to their previous life and suffer through those eight years again.

Like a drowning survivor gasping for air, Naomi Watts suddenly pulled herself up from the Pensieve.

Regulus Black immediately laid her gently on the sofa. She needed some rest and would soon awaken on her own.

"Once Naomi wakes up, she'll join the Black family," Sarah Maedani remarked—not as a question, but with absolute certainty.

Thinking back—not too long ago, really—Regulus Black had first borrowed her home to stage an elaborate show, where Sirius Black barged in to steal food. Then he brought her into the Black family as one of his lovers. The way he orchestrated it all was flawless in hindsight.

Looking back, no matter what choice Sarah Maedani might have made, Regulus Black likely would have drawn her into his harem anyway—such a rare, golden-eyed girl. Fortunately, she had been the one to take the initiative. Remembering how bold she had been back then made her blush with embarrassment.

"I would never force someone to stay against their will," Regulus said calmly. "The love potion is powerful, but you can still gauge someone's true feelings through conversation. Whether it's genuine love or something they can't even explain themselves—there is a difference, and that difference can be discerned."

Regulus Black was prepared to test Naomi as soon as she woke up.

If Naomi Watts hadn't fallen in love with Regulus Black for reasons even she couldn't understand, then she would be officially welcomed into the Black family.

"How long was I asleep?"

Naomi Watts had already awakened. As soon as she opened her eyes, she looked toward the person beside her. Regulus Black captivated her completely, her heart brimming with affection. And Sarah Maedani, nestled in Regulus's embrace, also radiated warmth. Naomi Watts felt no jealousy at their intimacy.

Regulus Black carefully studied the look in Naomi's eyes. It seemed the love potion had worked quite well.

He exchanged a glance with the woman in his arms—Sarah Maedani. It appeared the Black family was about to welcome a new member.

Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon

https://patreon.com/Glimmer09