Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Regulus blinked, tiny beads of sweat still clinging to his eyelashes.

My vision cleared again.

A restaurant, a long table, a fireplace, and a person standing in front of you.

Bella's face was inches away, her eyes burning with an almost fanatical anticipation.

Regulus looked down at his hands, at the bone box in them.

The runes on the box's surface had faded, returning to their original dark gold color, but the ominous feeling remained.

He slowly raised his eyes and looked at Bella.

There was fatigue in his eyes; it was real. Maintaining high-intensity mental control requires a lot of mental energy.

There was excitement, but it was feigned; there was also a yearning for power and an undisguised awe.

"This..." His voice was hoarse, trembling slightly, "is it the power of that lord?"

"That's just the tip of the iceberg." Bella's lips curled into a grin, her voice excited. "You felt it, didn't you? Real power, power unbound by those hypocritical morals."

Regulus did not answer immediately.

He looked down at the bone box again, his gaze lingering for a moment, as if savoring the memory.

Then he looked up, trying to keep his voice steady, but still carrying the lingering resonance of being shocked.

"Vast," he said, his gaze somewhat unfocused, "profound. I saw many things I had never thought of before."

The words were spoken softly, almost like a murmur, but everyone in the restaurant heard them.

Wolbuja let out a long sigh of relief, a smile spreading across his face as he clasped his hands together in front of his chest.

Sirius's face was grim. He looked at Regulus, at the tired but excited light in his brother's eyes, and at Regulus's hand holding the bone box.

"Regulus," Sirius's voice was hoarse, "you—"

"Very good!" Bella burst into a sharp laugh, interrupting him.

She took a step back and opened her arms: "Excellent! Regulus, you certainly haven't disappointed that lord!"

She turned to Orion and Walbuga, her face beaming with undisguised smugness.

"Uncle, Aunt, you see, the heir of the Black family deserves this gift."

Orion didn't speak, but just looked at Bella, then shifted his gaze to Regulus.

Volbuga had already walked over quickly and reached out to hug Regulus, but Regulus slightly turned to the side and blocked him with the hand holding the bone box.

"Mother, I'm covered in sweat." His voice sounded flat.

Walbuga stopped, his hand hovering in mid-air, then turned and patted his shoulder with great force.

"My son! You have earned that lord's approval! The glory of the Black family!"

Sirius stood still, watching this scene unfold.

The proud and fervent smile on her mother's face, Bella's smug demeanor, her father's unfathomable silence, and Regulus.

Regulus lowered his head, his gaze still fixed on the bone box, his profile bathed in the morning light, looking so unfamiliar.

"You're all lunatics!" Sirius Black cursed angrily.

Then he turned around, strode towards the restaurant door, opened it, and slammed it shut.

The restaurant was silent for a few seconds.

Bella chuckled and shook her head, as if shaking off something dirty.

Then she looked at Regulus again, her tone becoming more formal: "The gift is yours. That lord expects you to gain even greater insight."

She emphasized the last word, "understand".

Regulus nodded, with a slight emphasis: "I will study it carefully."

"Of course you have to be careful." Bella's lips curled into that eerie smile again. "But remember, true power requires pure determination to wield."

Sometimes, overly broad protection can dull the edge of resolve.

Regulus looked up at her.

Bella met his gaze, her eyes clearly saying, "I know you sheltered those two half-breeds."

"What does my cousin mean?" Regulus's voice calmed down.

"What I mean is, that person appreciates decisiveness," Bella said. "Cut your losses when you need to, and make choices when you need to. Ambiguous stances benefit no one."

Orion then walked between Regulus and Bella, his gaze first falling on the bone box, then looking at Bella.

"Regulus accepted the gift. You saw his performance. Reply to that sir, the Black family, and thank him for his high regard."

Bella stopped talking, turned and walked toward the fireplace, the hem of her cloak sweeping across the carpet.

Before stepping into the flames, she turned back for one last look at the bone box in Regulus's hand.

"Make good use of it," she said. "Don't waste it."

Green flames rose, engulfing her figure, then quickly retreated back into the fireplace, returning to their normal orange-red color.

Only three people remained in the restaurant.

Walbuga was still excited. She grabbed Regulus's arm and spoke rapidly.

Regarding that lord's appreciation, regarding the future of the Black family, and regarding how Regulus should seize this opportunity.

Regulus listened patiently, nodding occasionally, his gaze drifting towards Orion several times.

The father was still standing there, his hand on the edge of the table, looking down at the tabletop, as if he was thinking.

After Bella left, he didn't say another word; only Walbuga was still chattering away in the restaurant.

"...So you should hurry up." Volbuga finally finished speaking, patting Regulus's hand.

"...So you should hurry up." Volbuga finally finished speaking, patting Regulus's hand.

"Start your research today; that person is definitely waiting to see your progress—"

"Wolbuga," Orion said, his voice not loud, but Walbuga immediately stopped.

He looked up at his wife, his eyes calm.

"Let Regulus rest," Orion said. "He looks tired."

Walbuga paused for a moment, then seemed to realize something and quickly let go.

"Yes, yes, look at me, I'm so excited. Rael, you should go back to your room, take a shower, and get some rest. There's no rush with the research; that person will understand."

Regulus nodded to her, then turned to Orion.

The father and son's eyes met in the air.

"Go ahead," Orion said, "take a rest."

Regulus lowered his eyes, said nothing, and turned to leave, clutching the bone box.

Passing through the restaurant's main entrance, into the dimly lit corridor, and up the spiral staircase, my footsteps echoed through the empty house.

I went back to my room, closed the door, and locked it.

Regulus walked to the desk and sat down, casually tossing the bone box on the table. He clasped his hands together on the edge of the table and closed his eyes.

He began to think.

First, let's look at the nature of Dark Enlightenment.

It should be a composite magical creation, formed by the fusion of high concentrations of dark knowledge, mental pollution, and mental temptation.

This item does indeed grant power, but its core mechanism lies in corruption.

By showcasing the potential of power and offering users fragmented knowledge and experiences, it incites the dark tendencies deep within their hearts, gradually leading them toward self-destruction.

Secondly, there's Voldemort's intention.

This gift-giving was a multi-faceted test.

Test the limits of his talent, to see if he can withstand and comprehend this level of dark knowledge.

Test his loyalty by observing whether his attitude and reaction to the gift are pure enough.

On a deeper level, he was lured in with the most potent poison, gradually leading him down the path Voldemort desired in his pursuit of power.

This is also a form of condescending charity.

Voldemort presented the choice to him, but did not allow refusal; acceptance was the only permitted response.

Whether one can control it or not, and whether one will be corrupted by darkness, is up to the recipient.

Voldemort gave him an opportunity, but he failed to seize it or afford it, which only proves that he was unworthy.

He will naturally have to bear the consequences alone.

Then it was time for my own performance.

The external reactions should be realistic enough, with complete physiological symptoms, layered emotional changes, and the final expression of awe and longing should perfectly match the desire of a twelve-year-old pure-blooded heir for great power.

That's enough to handle Bella and Walbuga, but Father should have figured it out.

Orion knew him too well; she knew the calmness and restraint inherent in his nature.

Those trembling excitements and overt praises might have been a bit overacted, but that was exactly the kind of tacit understanding between father and son he wanted.

He had no intention of hiding it from Orion.

It would be best if my father could see it; we can discuss it in detail in the study later.

As for Voldemort, maintaining the status quo is sufficient. His mother doesn't need to know too much; she only needs to see that her son has gained Voldemort's favor.

Finally, there was Bella's warning: Voldemort's camp had indeed been observing the matter of sheltering the half-blood wizard.

This isn't a big problem, and it doesn't even need to be addressed. All that's needed is for Alex to remind Lena Costa and Samuel Vance to keep a low profile.

The sky outside the window brightened a bit more, and sunlight began to pierce through the clouds, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow on the buildings in Place Grimoire.

In the distance, the sound of Muggle car engines could be heard from the street, along with the soft creaking of milkman's cart wheels as it passed by.

Regulus stood up, walked to the window, and drew back the heavy curtains.

He looked out at the world, a world woven together by magic and reality.

Voldemort was expanding rapidly, Dumbledore was making arrangements on the other side, the pure-blood families were wavering between interests and positions, and the Muggle world was completely unaware of this, continuing their ordinary lives day after day.

And he stands here, holding a gift from darkness, having finished his performance for today.

He loosened the curtains, and the fabric fell, blocking out the light.

The room fell dark again.

Regulus turned around, took off his clothes, and prepared to take a bath.

I'm covered in sweat and feel uncomfortable.