Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Back in his room, Regulus closed the door, went to the window, and looked out.

Muggles occasionally stroll along the street in front of the square, even on Easter, they come and go in a hurry.

My father's words echoed in my mind.

The faction had already been established; the Black family openly sided with Voldemort, a fact known throughout the pureblood community.

Switching sides now is tantamount to open betrayal, and no one in the wizarding world is unaware of Voldemort's attitude towards betrayal.

Regulus didn't need to know much about Voldemort; he only needed to look at the facts.

Those missing wizards, those Ministry of Magic officials who suddenly changed their tune, those opponents who vanished without a trace.

One of the core principles of Voldemort's method of establishing authority was the intolerance of betrayal.

He is no longer as tolerant as he was when he first recruited followers; now, he is gradually revealing his true colors.

Cold-blooded, ruthless, domineering, intolerant of opposition, and unquestionable in its power.

Cold-bloodedness became the norm, cruelty became the means, and absolute obedience gradually became the ironclad rule.

Dissenting voices were choked before they even emerged, and the more terrifying his power appeared, the more fervent his followers became.

This kind of Voldemort is more sought after by pure-blood families, as he represents the interests of most pure-blood families.

He is no longer just an option; he is transforming into the sharpest blade of the collective will of the pure-blood circle, eliminating dissidents, consolidating privileges, and purifying the bloodline.

Their order is equally inviolable, and Voldemort is the most violent enforcer of this order.

Moreover, magic is power.

Ultimately, everything returns to the most primal and irrefutable laws.

The light emanating from the tip of the wand is power itself; the magic he possesses is the capital he uses to set rules and demand that everyone kneel before him.

Voldemort would not allow the Black family to change course at this juncture, regardless of the reason.

Even if it's just for show to other pure-blood families, even if it's just to maintain the dignity of not breaking the rules, the Black family will suffer a devastating blow.

Therefore, no signs should be revealed until one truly possesses the power to choose freely.

Regulus thought of the professors at Hogwarts.

The changes this academic year were quite obvious, or to be more precise, after the Guardian Deity was exposed in the Astronomy Tower incident.

It was as if the Patronus had become a kind of pass; with it, Dumbledore's gaze towards him held something else entirely.

But Regulus knew himself well; the patron saint could not represent his entirety, but was merely a reflection of a certain aspect of his soul.

He could even calmly recite each syllable of the Killing Curse under the silver light of the guardian deity, causing the tip of his staff to glow green.

He then recalled Dumbledore saying that Fawkes seemed very interested in him, and that the phoenix could see souls and be close to pure and warm hearts.

Regulus wasn't sure whether it was the phoenix that saw it or Dumbledore.

But in any case, the principal's high regard for them is indeed turning into strength.

The professors' instruction was conducted in private. At most, Voldemort knew that the youngest son of the Black family loved to study and ask questions, and that the professors liked him quite a bit.

It's even possible that Voldemort would think the boy is good—humble in appearance, handsome, talented, and favored by the professor, just like himself in his youth.

But what would someone like Voldemort think if he saw someone who resembled him?

Regulus frowned.

When he was still weak, Voldemort might have admired him and thought the boy had potential and could be nurtured.

But what if he grows to the point that Voldemort feels threatened?

A person similar to the Dark Lord, also born into a prominent family, equally talented, equally valued by the professor, and equally knowing what he wants.

What would Voldemort think?

How could someone who is so much like me be willing to be a follower?

The answer may not be pleasant.

But then I thought, Voldemort was proud, the kind of pride that comes from wielding immense power, standing at the top of the magical world, and believing himself to be superior to all wizards.

Proud people usually look upwards or straight ahead, rarely downwards.

Regulus's current position is not yet high enough to reach the downward line.

The question is, what kind of power is needed to gain the right to choose freely?

He didn't know the specific standards, and it was impossible for him to catch up with Voldemort's decades of magical accumulation in a short period of time, let alone Dumbledore's nearly 100 years of experience.

His talent was indeed great, but Voldemort and Dumbledore's talents were equally great, or even greater, because they had already proven how high they could go.

Until that power is available, nothing will change: the family's stance will not change, Voldemort's attitude will not change, and the situation in the wizarding world will not change.

Regulus shook his head, clearing his mind, walked to his desk, sat down, opened a drawer, and took out the notebook he had brought from the family library.

The notes are unsigned, but the handwriting and language style indicate that they were left by one of the Black family's ancestors, probably from the 17th or 18th century.

Open it, and you'll find only one kind of magic inside.

Fiery Curse.

Regulus ran his fingers across the paper, feeling the words written with magical ink.

The ink has faded slightly over the years, but the magical imprint remains clear, allowing one to read the emotions and magic that the writer poured into it.

He read on, page by page.

Fiendfyre is one of the most dangerous forms of dark magic in the magical world.

Essentially a cursed fire with its own consciousness, it has no fixed incantation and requires no complicated preparations; it is summoned directly by the caster's magic and will.

The flame is orange-red by default, but its temperature and properties are completely different from those of a regular flame.

It is extremely destructive, with temperatures far exceeding those of ordinary flames, and can incinerate magical items and buildings.

But Regulus knew that even Horcruxes could be destroyed by fire. In the original work, this was the only dark magic explicitly recorded that could destroy Horcruxes; Ravenclaw's tiara was destroyed by Fiendfyre that went out of control.

He continued flipping through his notes.

Possessing self-awareness, the flames will autonomously transform into ferocious beasts such as fire dragons, giant snakes, and chimeras, actively pursuing living beings rather than passively burning.

Moreover, it will continuously consume fuel to strengthen itself, becoming stronger the longer it burns.

It cannot be extinguished. Conventional fire-extinguishing spells such as "clear water" or "spring water" are completely ineffective. It will only extinguish itself when the fuel is exhausted or the caster dies. There is no known direct counter-spell.

The risk of backlash is extremely high; if the caster lacks control, they will be consumed by the flames first.

Regulus suddenly realized that Vincent Crabbe had lost control after learning the spell from the Carlo siblings and ultimately perished in the flames.

The chubby Slytherin student in the original story, Regulus met his father at the Malfoy family's Christmas dinner.

But from another perspective, Vincent Crabbe actually did something big: he accidentally destroyed one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, though he himself was unaware of it.

The difference between Fiendfire and regular fire magic lies in its curse attribute.

Ordinary flames are controllable and have limited power; they will extinguish if the caster stops supplying magic.

Once the Fiendfire is ignited, it breaks free from the caster's initial commands and becomes an independent entity of destruction, belonging to the category of high-level elemental black magic.

Setting off a raging fire is easy; anyone can start one if they have enough magic power and a ruthless will. But making it controllable is extremely difficult.

Regulus continued flipping through the notes, which listed the hard thresholds.

The required magical reserves must reach the level of an adult wizard or above, far exceeding the requirements of the Hogwarts entrance exams.

To master the basics of black magic, one must be proficient in its principles and understand the binding mechanism between curses and elements. Simply being able to chant spells is not enough; one must understand the underlying logic.

Regulus compared himself to others. In terms of magic, through continuous refinement by Star Orbit Meditation, his total magic power and recovery speed had surpassed those of most adult wizards.

He has a basic understanding of black magic; he has read a lot of black magic theory, so that should be enough.

The next part is the practice steps.

The first step is emotional anchoring.

It uses intense negative emotions, hatred, destructive desires, and a murderous will as fuel for its flames.

It requires repeated practice in a safe, enclosed space, such as a magic training room free of flammable materials, to synchronize the manipulation of emotions and magic.

During this stage, you cannot actually summon flames; you are simply practicing transforming your emotions into a flammable magical state.

Regulus's finger paused on the text.

He doesn't have any particularly strong targets of hatred or anyone he absolutely must kill.

There was no destructive urge or killing intent, but the notes said that emotions were merely fuel, not a means of control.

Negative emotions are needed to ignite something, but absolute calm is required to control it.

The second step is to test the shape.

Starting with a tiny flame, try to use your will to restrain its shape, keeping it a simple flame and preventing it from transforming into a ferocious beast.

During this stage, magic power needs to be continuously injected to prevent the flames from spreading out of control. Once you feel that you can't control them, immediately use the "All Curses End" spell to forcibly stop them.

The notes have a note next to this section: 90% of learners fail at this step, either because their magic runs out and they are devoured, or because their will wavers and they are swallowed up.

The third step is controlled summoning.

Gradually increase the intensity of the flames, try to guide them to transform into a single form, such as a small snake, and give simple commands, such as burning in circles.

If you fail, evacuate immediately; do not attempt to salvage the situation.

The notes were very straightforward regarding the evacuation.

The only effective way to escape in an emergency is to evacuate. The fire spreads extremely quickly, so you must get out of the burning area as soon as possible. Do not attempt to confront it head-on.

Alternatively, one can use the terrain to create a barrier. If immediate evacuation is not possible, the flames can be directed to an area free of flammable materials, such as a stone open space or a barrier behind a magical barrier, to buy time for escape.

However, it should be noted that the flames will autonomously bypass obstacles and pursue the target.