Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

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Orion seemed a little lost in thought.

He watched as Regulus demonstrated the spell, explaining its structure and key points.

It was no longer a theoretical concept, nor just an idea; it was a complete magic spell so advanced that it could be directly taught to others.

A complex mix of emotions welled up inside Orion: relief, pride, and a touch of wistfulness.

My son walked ahead of me.

My son is capable of doing this.

He truly is my son.

He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, since his son was already able to teach him magic.

This means that in some areas, Regulus has surpassed his father.

Time flies by so fast it catches you off guard.

He quickly composed himself, and those thoughts, which existed only for a moment, were suppressed back into his heart.

As the head of the Black family and as a father, he shouldn't be sentimental; he should support, provide resources, and help Regulus fly higher and farther.

He turned his attention back to the spatial warp spell.

He drew his wand, made of yew wood with a heartstring core, which he had used for over thirty years.

He recalled Regulus's movements and incantation, raising his wand and tracing the same path in the air.

On his first attempt, the magic output was not stable enough, and the spatial ripples only appeared halfway before dissipating. He made slight adjustments and started the second attempt.

The ink bottle floated up again, passed through the passage, and appeared above the pile of documents.

Successful.

Orion put away his wand, looked at the ink bottle, and said with a sigh, "Regulus, you always surprise me."

Regulus smiled slightly and nodded: "Thank you, Father."

He wasn't being modest; being able to independently develop such a spell is indeed quite impressive.

Let's return to the topic of holiday planning.

Orion also didn't want Regulus to waste his time on useless socializing.

Walbuga strongly urged Regulus to attend various parties, but seeing his current state, it was clear that he was in a period of rapid progress.

Orion decided to suppress his wife's wishes.

"During the holiday, you can focus on practicing magic. If you need anything, just say so. All the materials, books, and facilities at home are available for you."

If you need to go to other places, let me know in advance and I'll make the arrangements.

Regulus nodded again: "Understood."

Orion changed the subject: "But you can't just stay cooped up practicing all holiday. I have a task for you."

Regulus composed himself.

"Practice at home for a month first, then I'll assign you a family mission that's more focused on real combat." Orion relaxed and leaned back in his chair.

"It is a Black family tradition that the heirs must begin to take on certain matters at a certain age, usually in the sixth or seventh grade, after they have acquired the abilities of an adult wizard."

But you've grown up too fast; waiting until then to make arrangements won't make much sense.

Regulus understood that the Black family must have some unconventional matters to attend to, which were usually handled by designated personnel who reported to Orion regularly.

When the heir needs to train, select a few pieces.

For example, hunting down dark wizards who have caused damage to the family business, eliminating spies from rival forces, or dealing with certain conflicts that should not be made public.

Regulus nodded in agreement.

He definitely needs real-world experience.

To date, he has experienced almost zero real combat.

Orion was present at the Knockout Alley game, and the opponents also underperformed.

The Astronomy Tower incident was resolved by Dumbledore, and the conflicts at the school were more like child's play.

When facing off against his father, he always hesitated to play freely, harboring reservations.

He needs a real opponent to test his strength and see how well the skills he's honed in the training room can be utilized under life-or-death pressure.

But before that, he needs to realize several ideas.

The combination of spatial warp and anchor point needs to be more stable; currently, only one spell can be transmitted, and a second one will cause the passage to collapse.

There is still room for improvement in controlling the form of the Fiend Curse. Splitting into two small birds is already the limit. To split into more, stronger control is needed, and perhaps even the ability to split the mind.

Nature magic is in its early stages, and can only be extracted from plants for temporary use. He wants to find a way to solidify the properties of magic.

And there was mandrake, which he always longed for.

Orion continued, "Just focus on your practice, I'll talk to your mother."

Regulus nodded a little more forcefully than usual.

He knew how to deal with Volbuga: appear compliant, guide her appropriately, and persuade her with rhetoric about the need for strength to uphold family honor.

But when Walbuga decided her son should appear in social settings, it took a lot of effort to change her mind, and Orion's intervention was the most effective.

A smile flickered in Orion's eyes; he clearly understood what Orion was thinking.

Finally, we went back to talking about Sirius.

Orion asked, "In which direction do you think Sirius should strive?"

Regulus barely thought: "Transfiguration, he has that talent."

Orion nodded thoughtfully, then said nothing more.

He waved his hand: "It's your first day home, get some rest, go on."

......

Regulus walked back to his room down the corridor, and as he passed Sirius's door, his magical senses detected something unusual at the entrance.

Clearly, someone was peering through the door to listen to what was happening outside.

The young wizard was not yet able to control his magic well, a fact that was very noticeable to Regulus.

Most adult wizards are like this, but those who are skilled, such as Orion, tend to conceal their magic, and if they do so, it is often overlooked.

Or perhaps it's the magic that conceals power; Regulus had seen it in the forbidden section—that was an advanced technique.

As the footsteps approached, the silhouette froze for a moment, then ceased all obvious movements, attempting to feign that no one was home.

Regulus stopped and raised his hand to knock on the door.

There was a moment of silence behind the door, then the door opened a crack.

Sirius stood there with a strange expression on his face, as if he had been caught red-handed and was trying to act nonchalant, but his acting was so bad that the twitching of the muscles at the corner of his mouth betrayed his embarrassment.

"What's up?" Sirius deliberately kept his voice calm.

Regulus looked at him and casually asked, "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Sirius Black pursed his lips, then lowered his gaze and stepped aside to let the door open.

Regulus walked in, his gaze sweeping across the room.

There were two cups of tea on the desk, still steaming, and the cups were placed very neatly, clearly not just casually.

He glanced back at Sirius.

Sirius turned his face away and stared at the Quidditch team poster on the wall.

Regulus hadn't been in this room for several years.

Since Sirius's relationship with his family deteriorated, this bedroom has become the only territory in Grimmauld Place that belongs to him, or at least he thinks so.

He no longer allowed Regulus in, neither inviting him nor sharing with him, as if trying to draw a line between them.

This is Sirius Black's territory in Gryffindor, not a place for the Black family heirs.

He wanted to keep this space pure, unpolluted by the suffocating aura of his family.

Regulus said nothing, walked to the table, picked up one of the cups of tea, and took a sip.

The tea was at the perfect temperature, with honey added—it was the kind of tea Sirius would drink himself.

He used his actions to tell Sirius, "I know you're waiting for me, and I know this cup of tea is for me."

Sirius's expression stiffened further. He stood by the door with his hands in his pockets, motionless, as if ready to see the guest off at any moment.

Regulus waited for him to speak.

Sirius was filled with many thoughts; he didn't know how to define Regulus.

enemy?

No, they are related by blood.

family?

No, that's not right either. Regulus took a completely different path, a path that led to pure-blood glory, to a future where Voldemort might rule.

He knew very well that Regulus would inherit the Black family and would stand on the side of the purebloods.

In his vague understanding, that meant that one day in the future, they might become enemies, perhaps pointing their wands at each other on the battlefield.

But Regulus was his brother, someone he was unwilling to admit, but subconsciously still considered family.

He was the figure whose gaze would occasionally follow her during school dinners, and the one whose ears would perk up when she heard others talking about the youngest son of the Blake family.

contradiction.

Sirius wasn't stupid. After calming down in his room, he figured out the purpose behind what had happened that night.

Regulus wouldn't have hit him like that for no reason, and Orion wouldn't have let him watch that duel for no reason.

They were telling him in the most direct way that strength is important, and without it he would be beaten.

It's your business which path you choose, but at least you must have the ability to protect yourself.

Otherwise, the next time violence is used against you, it might be by your enemy.

These thoughts swirled in his mind for a while, then Sirius took a deep breath and finally spoke.

"How did you do that?"

After asking the question, he was prepared to be given a perfunctory answer.

Pure-blood families hold many secrets: ancient traditions, forbidden knowledge, and bloodline magic.

These things are usually not shared with outsiders, not even family members.

Regulus might use family secrets or some other excuse to brush it off.