Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

On his way back to his dorm, Regulus took stock of what he had gained in the past two months of the academic year.

In terms of transformation techniques, although it did not break through the hurdle of elemental transformation, the precision and scope of transformation were significantly improved. It can give diamonds the layered structure of graphite, but the hardness remains unchanged.

The effect of incorporating the imagery of the starry sky into the incantation exceeded expectations.

After incorporating the starry sky imagery into the Ironclad Spell, its defense increases by approximately 50%, while its mana consumption increases by 15%, making it a reasonably cost-effective option.

The Shattering Spell incorporates the imagery of a supernova explosion, doubling its power but also doubling its energy consumption, making it suitable for use in critical moments.

More importantly, he discovered that different images could alter the nature of a spell.

Both involve raging flames, but adding the imagery of a burning star will maintain the high temperature, while adding the imagery of a falling meteor will create a more impactful effect.

The free-range chicken tactic has become ingrained in the body's memory.

The cooldown of the Sidestep Spell has been reduced to 1.5 seconds, and there is almost no delay in switching between the Swiftness Spell and the Sprint Spell.

Although it is still primarily ground-based, its survivability in complex environments has indeed improved.

The study of magical plants advanced the theory of attributes.

The white peony has a healing tendency, the poison tentacles have a paralyzing tendency, the devil's web has a predatory tendency, and the man-beating willow has a physical tendency.

These tendencies are inherent properties of plant magic itself. Understanding this allows for more efficient guidance and utilization of plant magic.

The biggest achievement was the completion of the space warp spell.

From nothing to something, from personal ability to the ability to teach magic, this proves that his method is effective.

Observe the phenomena, analyze the principles, build models, and develop applications.

Add a little more magic.

But none of these are as important as another gain.

The confirmation of the magical path, and Dumbledore's additions.

Regulus now understands the path he must take: balancing reason and emotion, control and detachment, doing what needs to be done, and letting magic finish the rest.

There has been no breakthrough in natural magic for the time being; one can only practice repeatedly and wait for quantitative changes to lead to qualitative changes.

Or we could take our understanding of nature a step further, but that would require a catalyst.

Fortunately, the star trail meditation is progressing steadily, with Betelgeuse already half lit up and the mental intensity continuing to increase.

As for Professor Sprout's Sunbush Ebony shrubs, even if the professor allowed it, he wouldn't touch them now.

That thing requires a pure inclination towards light, and he wasn't ready for that yet.

Or to be more precise, he couldn't understand that kind of light, and he couldn't become that kind of light.

If you want to make contact and establish a magical connection, you may need to find another way.

But he hasn't found that shortcut yet.

The Fiery Curse needs to be put on the agenda.

He can't yet achieve the natural suppression at the attribute level that Dumbledore mentioned.

However, Li Huo's idea of ​​burning everything can be considered as an alternative, but it cannot be practiced at school; it must be done when he goes home for the holidays.

When he pushed open the door to his Slytherin bedroom, Avery and Alex were playing wizard chess. They both looked up when they saw him come in.

"Hermes is being discharged tomorrow," Avery said, clutching a chess piece in his hand. "Shall we go pick him up?"

Regulus nodded: "Go."

Alex added in a low voice, "Madame Pomfrey said he's recovered, the curse has been completely removed, but he's still a little weak and needs to rest for a few more days."

"That's good." Regulus took off his robe and hung it up.

He genuinely hoped that Hermes would join the group.

Avery and Alex each have their own value. Avery is a key figure in the future pureblood community. Although his spellcasting ability is somewhat lacking, he is the perfect spokesperson.

Alex is meticulous and cautious, suitable for handling specific tasks, and can also unite gentle purebloods.

But wizards ultimately rely on magic, and Hermes had that potential.

His obsession with black magic is a problem, but it can be guided, controlled, and even taught.

The key lies in Hermes' own choice.

The Astronomical Tower incident was a turning point; the Murseb family's attitude was now clear, and it remained to be seen whether Hermes was willing to follow suit.

The next morning, the three of them went to the medical wing.

Hermes sat by the bedside, now dressed in a clean robe. His face was still pale, but much better than before.

When he saw them come in, he looked up, didn't say anything, and just nodded.

Mrs. Pomfrey was changing another patient's dressing when she saw them. She waved and said, "Take him away. Remember not to do any strenuous exercise, eat a light diet, and come back for a follow-up appointment in three days."

Avery walked over and patted Hermes on the shoulder: "Come on, there's a huge collection of fantasy novels to satisfy your reading preferences. Your bed in the dorm is practically overflowing with Alex's stuff."

Alex blushed: "I'm just putting it off for now..."

Hermes stood up, albeit slowly.

He picked up a small cloth bag from the bedside table, which probably contained a change of clothes and personal belongings, and followed them out of the medical wing.

As Regulus passed another hospital bed, he caught a glimpse of Darren McNeil out of the corner of his eye.

He lay in bed, the blanket covering his chin, his eyes closed, but his eyelids were trembling slightly.

He was pretending to be asleep, or rather, he was running away.

Regulus knew that Darren had woken up, that Madam Pomfrey's treatment was very effective, and that it was only a matter of time before his body recovered after the curse was removed.

But Darren lay motionless, his eyes closed, and he didn't communicate with anyone, like a breathing corpse.

He was terrified; the mission had failed; his family had lost important items; the Plague Wand was now in Dumbledore's hands; and he himself was seriously injured and hospitalized.

He knew perfectly well what he would encounter if he went back to McNeil's house.

Regulus glanced at him and looked away. Darren was a fool who acted rashly without adequate preparation and would only run away after failing.

As long as Darren is still at Hogwarts, his life will not be in danger; Dumbledore will not allow anything to happen to a student while he is at school.

But what happens outside of school?

How the McNeil family deals with failed members is their business; Regulus doesn't care.

Everyone must be responsible for their own choices. Darren chose that path, so he has to bear the consequences.

The four of them walked out of the medical wing and back along the underground corridor.

Avery was talking about the recent Quidditch matches, Alex occasionally chimed in, Hermes listened in silence, and Regulus walked in front.

Sunlight streamed in obliquely from the high windows, cutting bright bands of light across the stone floor.

The sounds of students laughing and joking drifted from afar, the smell of potion ingredients boiling wafted from a classroom, and the woman in the portrait was humming an ancient song.

Back in the Slytherin dormitory, the door closed behind me.

Avery threw his backpack onto his bed, turned around, and pulled out a chair to sit down.

Alex walked to the window and looked at the view of the Black Lake outside. Several giant squid were swimming slowly, their tentacles brushing against the glass.

Hermes stood in the center of the dormitory, still clutching the small cloth bag containing his change of clothes.

He didn't go to his bed immediately, nor did he say anything; he just stood there.

Regulus hung up his robe and turned to look at him.

After a few seconds of silence, Hermes spoke.

"Dumbledore told me," his voice was hoarseer than before he was hospitalized, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time: "about the Astronomy Tower."

Regulus gestured for him to continue.

"He said that the three of you went to investigate because of me, and you stumbled upon Darren McNeil breaking the final protective spell, which triggered the curse and almost caused you to die."

Hermes' gaze swept across Regulus, Avery, and Alex, then he said to Regulus, "He said that if you hadn't stayed behind to cover their retreat, the two of them might not have made it out."

Regulus simply nodded: "It's good that you've recovered."

"I just wanted to say," Hermes said, looking down at the cloth bundle in his hand, "that you should know what happened."

He walked to his bedside, sat down, threw his cloth bag on the bed, and looked around.

"My family wants me to work with McNeil to break the protective spell under the Astronomy Tower and get what's inside. They didn't say what it is, only that it's very important and related to the future of the family."

Hermes spoke while looking at the ground: "We spent two months, McNeil brought over the hacking tools from home, and things were actually going quite smoothly. Just when the protective spell was about to be broken..."

He paused here, his brows furrowed, and his nose twitched rapidly, as if recalling painful memories.

"I thought we were going to succeed, but at the last moment, McNeil used that crystal, you may have seen it, the one sealed in gray mist, and released what was inside me."

I wasn't on guard; we were too close to dodge.

Regulus listened, and it was basically in line with his guess: the two sides cooperated, but one side betrayed him at the last minute, intending to take everything for themselves.

"And then I knew nothing more." Hermes looked up.

"When I woke up, I was in the hospital wing. Dumbledore was beside me and told me that it was all over, the things had been sealed, and Darren was also injured."

He looked at Regulus: "Have you found the truth?"

"Found it," Regulus said. "But I can't go into the details right now. You just need to know that the matter is resolved, and Dumbledore has taken care of it."

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