Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

At 10:47 a.m. on September 1, 1972, Regulus Black stopped in front of the wall between platforms 9 and 10 at King's Cross Station.

The eleven-year-old boy was tall and slender, wearing a neatly pressed dark green robe with the Black family crest pinned to his collar.

His hair was pure black, with the signature curls of the Black family, and his grey eyes calmly surveyed his surroundings.

With his left hand carrying a brand-new dragon-skin suitcase, Walbuga insisted on using the most expensive one, while with his right hand he carried a cage containing a snow owl.

The owl in the cage stood quietly, its amber eyes peering through the bars at its surroundings. Unlike other owls that flapped their wings restlessly, it only occasionally turned its head.

Regulus took a deep breath.

Beyond this wall lies another world, a world he has been reading about in books for ten years, a world he is about to step into in person.

He took a step forward, the sensation like passing through a warm mist, and then a sound came rushing in.

It was a lively and chaotic cacophony, with owls' calls weaving into a discordant chorus and cats purring in discontent from inside the basket.

The screams that erupted when a toad jumped out of an unbuttoned pocket, the parents' last-minute admonitions, and the children's excited shouts that cracked their voices.

Platform 9¾.

The Hogwarts Express lay on the tracks like a crimson beast, its engine spewing white steam that condensed into billowing clouds beneath the platform canopy.

The students surged toward the train doors like a tidal wave, their colorful robes forming flowing patches of color.

Regulus stood still, his gaze calmly sweeping across the platform.

He saw the Potters; Charles and Euphemia Potter stood not far away, their faces bearing the gentle smiles of ordinary parents dropping their children off at school.

There were four people surrounding them.

James Porter stood at the front, his brown hair a mess as if it had just been swept by a hurricane, his glasses perched crookedly on his nose.

He was waving his arms, demonstrating some exaggerated movements to a skinny boy carrying a tattered suitcase; that was Remus Lupin.

Peter Pediru stood half a step behind James, short, with a round face and eyes that kept looking around.

Sirius Black leaned against his luggage.

At thirteen, he had grown taller than last summer, and his shoulders were beginning to show the outline of a young man.

He was wearing those Muggle jeans that Walbuga loathed, faded from washing and worn at the knees, with a plain dark shirt on top and a Gryffindor robe loosely draped over it.

The robe had been clearly altered; the silver trim on the collar had been dyed gold-red, and there were traces of embroidered lions on the cuffs.

James said something, then threw his head back and laughed—a truly relaxed laugh that came from the depths of his chest—one hand on Remus's shoulder, the other gesturing for his name.

Then his gaze swept across the platform and he saw Regulus, and his laughter naturally subsided.

He didn't look away, nor did he nod or gesture; he simply watched quietly from a distance of twenty feet, across the noisy crowd.

Then James saw it too.

"Hey!" James shouted, his voice still clear amidst the noise of the platform, "Look who's here! The Black family's little viper has come to familiarize himself with the area ahead of time?"

The shout attracted the attention of other students and parents, and many eyes turned to him.

Sirius placed his hand on James's shoulder very gently, but James immediately shut his mouth. Sirius didn't say anything, just shook his head, then turned around, opened the car door, and was the first to board the train.

James followed, with Remus and Peter close behind. Before getting into the car, James turned back and glanced at Regulus again, his eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and hostility.

Regulus picked up his suitcase and walked toward the middle of the train. James Porter was not worth his attention.

The Hogwarts Express appears more spacious inside than from the outside, a typical application of the Unseen Stretching Charm.

The corridor was covered with a deep red carpet, and there were sliding doors on both sides, most of which were closed, from which came the sounds of conversation and laughter.

Regulus walked quietly down the corridor.

As he passed the third carriage, the door was open, and he glimpsed the scene inside: James had taken off his coat and was trying to stick the Chocolate Frog card on the ceiling of the carriage.

Peter was fiddling with his luggage with his head down, while Remus sat by the window, holding a tattered copy of "The History of Magic".

Sirius sat opposite him, his legs propped up on the empty seat, playing with a golden thief model, no one knew where he got it from.

Sirius looked up, his gaze passing through the open car door, and met Regulus's.

Then Sirius lowered his head and continued fiddling with the thief, as if he hadn't seen anything.

Regulus continued walking forward.

After passing through several more carriages, most of which were full, he saw two people near the seventh carriage.

A red-haired girl with green eyes and light freckles on her face, wearing a simple black robe that was very clean, with a simple silver brooch on her collar, Lily Evans, a second-year student.

Beside her stood a dark-haired boy with greasy hair and sallow skin. His robe was clearly secondhand and altered to fit smaller sizes, with worn marks on the cuffs. He was Severus Snape, also a second-year student.

The two were talking in hushed tones. Snape leaned forward as he spoke, his words rapid, his fingers occasionally tracing patterns in the air. Lily listened intently, nodding occasionally.

As Regulus passed by, Snape glanced up at him.

Then he saw the suitcase in Regulus's hand, the snow owl in the cage, and the well-tailored, expensive dark green travel robe on Regulus's body.

His lips tightened slightly, and a mixture of hostility and wariness flashed in his eyes.

Then he looked away and continued talking to Lily.

Regulus walked to the ninth carriage, which was empty.

He put his suitcase on the luggage rack, placed the owl cage under the seat opposite him, and took out a notebook from his pocket after sitting down.

He found a recently written page about the relationship between ancient rune variants and the efficiency of mana flow.

Below is a series of complex symbols, formulas, and diagrams, some of which are standard ancient magic script, but most are his modified variants, simplifying the strokes and optimizing the magic transmission path.

He took out a quill pen, dipped it in ink, and began to record his thoughts from the previous night.

As the train pulled out of the London suburbs, the scenery outside the window changed from dense buildings to scattered farmhouses and rolling fields. The sky was overcast with low-hanging clouds, as if it were about to rain.

The carriage door was suddenly yanked open and slammed against the wall with a dull thud.

Regulus looked up after completing a complex curve.

Actually, he didn't need to look; he knew who it was even when the person was still outside the door.

"Look who this is!" James Potter's voice was filled with theatrical exaggeration: "The young master of the Black family, studying dark magic all by himself here?"

Regulus did not react, but simply watched his performance quietly.

Although James Potter was already in second grade, to him it was no different from that of a toddler.

James entered the carriage, followed by Remus and Peter. Remus looked somewhat uneasy, while Peter gripped the door frame nervously, as if he were ready to run away at any moment.

"I'm talking to you!" James walked up to Regulus, leaned down, and stared at him, his tone sharp. "I heard you always bully Sirius at home? Pretending to be a good kid to steal all the attention?"

"Jaime," Remus said in a low voice, "don't do this."

"Don't do anything?" James straightened up, his hand already reaching for his wand in the inner pocket of his robe.

Regulus found it amusing, wondering how Sirius had described himself to his friends, claiming that he had bullied him.

"James!"

Sirius's voice came from the corridor. He appeared at the door, his breathing somewhat unsteady.

He told James, "I told you not to come."

"I'm just looking!" James retorted, unconvinced. "He's not going to eat anyone—"

Just then, two more people ran over.

It's Lily Evans and Severus Snape.

Snape glanced at the scene inside the carriage, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "How lively. Potter bullying the freshmen again?"

James whirled around: "What's it to you, you snotty-nosed brat!"

Then he saw Lily Evans behind him and his tone became even more offensive: "It's you again, nosy Evans."

Snape's face instantly darkened, and he reached for his wand.

Lily grabbed him: "Severus, stop!"

But James was faster: "Disarm you!"

A beam of red light shot towards Snape.

The carriage was narrow, and the two were less than ten feet apart. The spell reached Snape almost instantly.

The wand slid automatically into Regulus's left hand, and he waved it lightly, with ease and without any violent movements.

But the incantation stopped, frozen in mid-air.

A red light materialized in the air; the Disarming Charm now resembled a glowing red ribbon, one end connected to the tip of James's wand, the other end hovering motionless half a foot in front of Snape's chest.

The entire carriage fell into dead silence.