Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

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In March, the snow at Hogwarts begins to melt, revealing mottled brown soil on the ground around the castle.

The weather was still cold, but the chill in the wind was not as biting as it had been in previous months. Occasionally, sunlight would peek through the gaps in the clouds, shining on the damp stone walls and creating a faint glow.

Regulus stood in the Room of Requirement, his wand hanging at his side.

Leave the magic blank, don't use all your power.

This thought lingered in his mind for two weeks. The logic was simple: do what needs to be done, and let the magic do the rest.

However, there are no standard answers regarding the specifics of how to do it, how much blank space to leave, and how much force to apply.

He stared at the stone platform three meters in front of him, on which lay a Galleon, a standard target for practicing spatial warp.

The problem is obvious.

Spatial warp is the slowest of all his spells.

Now he can move small objects, increasing the distance to five meters, reducing the error to two centimeters, and also reducing spatial friction.

But it's still far from practical application; at least you need to be able to move yourself to truly master it.

His previous method was very direct: use spatial perception to locate the target and learn about the spatial structure.

Use magical perception and your brain to calculate magical output and frequency.

Use magic to fold space, and then use magic to make objects slide through passages.

The entire process relies on precise control and continuous output, using brute force to push things from one point to another.

Dumbledore's words made him realize the problem: he had overdone it.

In his hands, spatial warp became a purely magical operation, lacking the essential elements of magic.

He thought about building a house, and he kept moving bricks and laying walls by hand, but he forgot that he could use pulleys and scaffolding.

Perhaps spatial warp requires incantations and gestures.

It wasn't to make magic look like magic; he didn't need that.

He wanted to try to give magic a framework, a structure, a guide so that magic would know what it should do.

He started to try.

The first time, the wand was raised, and the spell syllables were constructed in the mind.

He referenced the structure of Apparition's spell, which was, after all, the most mature spatial magic in the wizarding world.

The core of the Apparition spell is a clear goal and self-integrity, while spatial warp requires a clear path and precise positioning.

He tried to recite the first version of the spell, and the wand traced the corresponding path.

Failed. Galleon remained motionless, his magic swirling at the tip of his staff, unable to find an outlet.

Regulus was not surprised.

Creating new spells is never a simple matter. Most of the legendary stories of wizards inventing new magic on a whim are embellishments by later generations.

The reality is likely a process of countless attempts, adjustments, failures, and more attempts.

Of course, some simple spells can do it, but spatial warp is clearly not a simple spell.

However, he has his own advantages.

Spatial perception allows him to see the interaction between magic and spatial structure, and magic control allows him to finely adjust the effects of spells.

Most importantly, he knew the essence of spatial warp: all it took was to warp space locally and temporarily bring two points together.

He knew what effect the magic should achieve, which was much more efficient than trying things out randomly.

He began recording the data.

Each time he attempted a spell, he could sense the flow of magic in space.

Which syllables enhance the resonance between magic and space, which gestures stabilize the spatial structure, and which combinations cause magical disorder?

On the twenty-third attempt, the Galleon wobbled slightly.

The thirty-seventh time, Jin Jialong disappeared for half a second and reappeared two centimeters to the side.

On the fifty-second attempt, Jin Jialong successfully moved to a position one meter away, with a landing deviation of three centimeters.

Regulus continued to make adjustments.

Although he acknowledged that reason and emotion go hand in hand, he is not essentially an emotional wizard and does not create magic based on inspiration or intuition.

He relies on data analysis and logical deduction; every failure is a data point, and every success is a verification.

This process lasted for nearly two weeks. Every day after class, he would experiment in the Room of Requirement, waving his wand, chanting spells, and Galleons would constantly disappear and reappear in the space.

One evening in mid-March, he stood in the center of the training field, wand raised.

This time it felt different.

As the spell syllables take shape in the mouth, the magic power has already begun to flow. Without the forced drive of the past, it naturally moves along a certain path.

When a gesture is made, the spatial structure responds and actively makes way.

"Spatial warp".

The tip of the wand gleamed with a faint silver light, almost transparent, but the faint halo could be seen in the dimly lit training ground.

The wand's trajectory left ripples in the air, causing space itself to undulate.

The next moment, Galleon disappeared.

There was no process or trajectory; one second he was on the stone platform, and the next he appeared on another table five meters away.

The landing point was precise, right in the center of the table.

Regulus stood still, staring at the Galon.

The book disappeared from the bookshelf and appeared on the floor, spine up, cover down, at the same angle as he had expected.

The third time, he chose an even smaller target: a silver coin.

The coin bounced three times in the air, from the left shelf to the right table, then to the ground in front of him, and finally back into his palm.

Each jump is less than half a second apart, and the landing point error is less than one centimeter.

He stopped, his breathing became steady, but his heart was beating a little faster than usual.

Successful.

It is no longer usable; the spell is complete.

Space Warp is now a complete spell with fixed syllables, standard hand gestures, and a repeatable casting sequence.

Any wizard, as long as they have enough magic power, a clear mind, and mastery of spells, can theoretically learn it.

He walked over to the Galleon, picked it up; the coin was cold and had fine scratches on the edges.

This magic has been going on for more than half a year, from the first time he sensed the spatial folds, to replicating the movement principle of house-elves, and finally to the formation of the spell today.

Now it has finally transformed from 'Regrus's power' into teachable magic.

Significant.

It's not just about improving personal strength; it also proves that a path is feasible: wizards can master the spatial magic of house-elves and even improve it to make it more suitable for wizards to use.

He began testing the limits.

In terms of distance, objects can move as long as they are within the line of sight.

A water glass twenty meters away, a chair thirty meters away, a map hanging on the wall fifty meters away.

The landing point is perfectly accurate, with the error increasing with distance, but not exceeding five centimeters within fifty meters.

There are limitations on the size of the object.

The largest object that can be moved stably at present is an armchair. Any larger than that would cause instability in the spatial structure and a dramatic increase in magic consumption.

It cools down with continuous use.

After each spell is cast, the space needs about one second to recover and stabilize. If the spell is cast more than ten times in a row, the landing point error will increase significantly.

But all of this is normal; every kind of magic has its limitations.

Regulus put down his wand and attempted to cast spells without it.

With a flick of his finger, he drew a path through the air, uttered a spell softly, and Galleon vanished, reappearing three meters away.

Success on the first try.

He carefully sensed the spellcasting process.

Compared to having a wand, the flow of magic is more direct, the consumption is slightly greater, but the effect is the same.

He believes that incantations and gestures are like keys; once the door is opened, the key itself becomes unimportant.

Interestingly, once this magic has a fixed form, it becomes easy to perform.

The power was not diminished, and the casting process was smooth.

Dumbledore said, "Let the world do things for you," and Regulus now understands that saying even better.

He tried to interfere with space using brute force, but that was difficult; space didn't obey him very well.

Now he has found the right way, and when the way is right, the world will cooperate with you.

The space warp spell is that method.

It doesn't change the nature of space; it merely provides a way of functioning that conforms to the laws of space. As for the rest, magic does it for him.

As Regulus put away his wand and left the Room of Requirement, he thought of something else.

Why don't the Black family's inherited magic, nature magic, and spatial anchoring spells have fixed incantations?

The spatial anchor spell is fine; its effects are clear and its usage is fixed. After practice, he can now maintain five anchor points simultaneously for twenty minutes.

But what about natural magic?

The ancestors of Eldrin possessed a special talent: they could resonate directly with the magic of nature.

For wizards of that level, spells may truly be superfluous; their innate abilities are almost instinctive.

But the purpose of passing on traditions is to enable future generations to learn from them.

If nature magic truly required talent to enter the field, wouldn't Eldrin have known this? Wouldn't he have tried to solve it?

Regulus's thinking diverged, perhaps natural magic should never have a fixed form.

Everyone resonates with nature in different ways, has different points of entry for perception, and follows different paths to guide its magic.

Forcibly unifying spells would actually limit development.

In any case, Regulus is no longer worried.

Having gained experience in developing space warp spells, if nature magic truly requires spell assistance, he can develop them himself.