Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Lesterrange Manor, located on the outskirts of Oxfordshire, still appeared gloomy even in the sunlight around 10 a.m.

The building is a typical French stonework style, with cold, hard lines, narrow, tall windows, and thick walls that completely shut out the warmth of the countryside.

Even during the day, the manor required ample lighting, with candles burning on silver candlesticks and magical flames leaping in the fireplace.

But the light always seemed to be swallowed up by something invisible, unable to illuminate the shadows in the corners.

The servants, dressed in uniform dark-colored uniforms, moved silently through the long corridor covered with Persian carpets.

House-elves are nowhere to be seen. They only appear from some corner when you need to change candlesticks or clean the fireplace ashes, and then disappear immediately after doing the job.

A dark green flame rose from a secondary fireplace in the corner of the living room. Bella stepped out and stomped heavily on the carpet.

The fervent excitement on his face hadn't completely faded; his eyes were gleaming, and a strange smile lingered on his lips.

Instead of immediately going to Rodolphus, she turned and walked up the stairs.

Her bedroom was in the east wing of the manor, at the end of the corridor. Pushing open the door, the room was large and ornately decorated, with a carved four-poster bed and silk curtains.

Several eerie and terrifying magical portraits hung on the wall, and some dark magic items that looked dangerous were displayed in the glass cabinet.

Bella took off her cloak and threw it at the foot of the bed, then took a dark purple everyday dress from the wardrobe and put it on.

This is the Lestrange house. She needs to give Rodolphs a brief explanation before going to see the truly important people.

Stepping out of her bedroom, she walked back along the corridor she had come from. As she approached the family council hall, she bumped into someone who had just come out of the library.

Rodolphus Lestrange.

He was tall, more than a head taller than Bella, with broad shoulders.

He was wearing a dark gray formal robe, the color and style of which made him look old-fashioned and gloomy.

His eyes were sunken, his cheekbones were high, his lips were thin and tightly pressed together, his expression was serious, and his eyes were sinister.

He glanced at Bella, but didn't stop, continuing to walk towards the council chamber.

Rodolphus's voice was low and flat: "Is the matter settled?"

Bella raised her chin, a smug look on her face indicating that she had completed her mission.

"Of course." Her voice was deliberately lighthearted: "Regulus Black gladly accepted the gift from you, and his reaction was quite good."

In her view, Regulus' performance not only met expectations, but may even have exceeded them.

For a twelve-year-old child to remain calm and even glean something from his first encounter with Dark Enlightenment is truly remarkable; his talent is indeed commendable.

More importantly, this proves that she completed her task beautifully.

A successful mission means Voldemort will pay more attention to her.

Bella had no feelings for Rodolphs; it was merely a political marriage between pure-blood families.

The marriage of the Black family's daughter to the eldest son of the Lestrange family would strengthen the bond between the two ancient families, facilitate the exchange of benefits, and purify the bloodline.

She already knew what kind of person Rodolphs was: cold, rigid, and valuing family interests and the pure-blood ideology above all else.

He could not possibly have any tenderness for his wife, only demanding that she fulfill her duties as Mrs. Lestrange.

Social interaction, procreation, and, when necessary, serving as a bridge between the Black and Lestrange families.

Rodolphus treated her the same way.

He knew what kind of person Bella was: fanatical, obsessive, and with a morbid loyalty and infatuation with Voldemort.

He married her because of her surname, her bloodline, and her position by Voldemort's side.

He didn't care what kind of personality she had, as long as she didn't harm the Lestrange family's interests.

In this relationship, Bella's only source of confidence in suppressing Rodolphus came from her surname and her position with Voldemort.

The surname Black carries more weight in the pureblood circle than Lestrange.

The Black family has produced more Wizengamot members, more high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Magic, has a more complete business layout, and a wider network of connections.

Her position by Voldemort's side, as one of his most fervent followers, allowed her direct access to the Lord and the ability to carry out important missions.

This gave her a special immunity from the Lestrange family.

Rodolphus could be indifferent to her, but he couldn't truly despise her, because to despise her would be to despise Voldemort's trust in her.

Now, Regulus has gained Voldemort's attention.

This means that the Black family's influence within Voldemort's camp has increased further.

As the daughter of the Black family, Bella's status naturally rose accordingly.

Therefore, her deliberate emphasis on Regulus's good performance was a reminder to Rodolphs.

Look, another wizard has emerged from our Black family who is favored by that lord. You'd better be polite to me.

Rodolphus twitched the corner of his mouth.

The movement was so subtle that it was hard to tell whether it was sarcasm or some other emotion.

He looked at Bella: "What was Orion's reaction?"

Bella scoffed.

"What other reaction could there be?"

She mimicked Orion's calm yet subtly authoritative tone.

"The Black family is grateful for his consideration." They may appear grateful on the surface, but they're probably bleeding inside.

Rodolphus grunted in response, offering no further comment.

"The master is waiting for your report in the study." After he finished speaking, he turned and walked in another direction without looking at Bella again.

Bella watched his figure disappear around the corner and pursed her lips.

They both knew what kind of people the other was, so they didn't bother to pretend and even skipped the formalities.

She straightened the collar of her robe, took a deep breath, and put on a devout and excited expression again before walking toward Voldemort's study.

The study was located in a separate building deeper within the manor, which Voldemort temporarily requisitioned.

Bella walked through a long corridor lined with portraits on both sides, the Lestrange ancestors in the frames staring at her with somber eyes.

The portrait of 19th-century Minister of Magic Radolfs Lestrange is particularly unfriendly, with a menacing look in his eyes.

Leta Lestrange watched Bella's departing figure with a melancholy expression, then turned and disappeared.

At the end of the path, a heavy oak door stood closed, its surface undecorated except for a brass handle that gleamed from wear.

She raised her hand and tapped three times gently.

A voice came from inside: "Come in."

The room was small and simply furnished, with only a heavy black wooden desk and a high-backed chair.

The only light source was a magic lamp on the table, its shade made of some kind of translucent bone material, emitting a pale white light.

The light cast Voldemort's elongated shadow onto the stone wall behind him, the edges of the shadow blurred and swaying slightly, as if it had its own life.

Voldemort sat in a high-backed chair, his back to the door and his face to the window with iron bars on the other side of the room.

When Bella entered, she held her breath, walked to the desk and stopped about three steps away, placed her right hand on her left chest above her heart, and bowed deeply.

The movements are exaggerated and full of ritual.

"My master."

Voldemort slowly turned around.

By 1973, Voldemort's appearance had undergone a crucial transformation from Tom Riddle to a non-human form, but he had not yet reached the extreme serpentine appearance he would later achieve.

He still retains the basic human outline, with a slender body, broad shoulders, and arms and fingers of normal length.

However, the skin appeared paler and waxy than a skull, devoid of any color, with a rough texture and faintly visible twisted blood vessels beneath the skin.

The face is still human in shape, but the facial features have changed significantly.

The nose has lost its normal nasal bridge structure, becoming flattened and leaving only two narrow nasal slits.

Her lips were extremely thin, and their color was a dark purple that was almost black. When she pressed them together, they almost blended into her skin.

The most striking feature is the eyes.

The iris was a dark reddish-brown from bloodshot eyes, the whites of the eyes were covered with blood vessels, making the person appear violent and insane, and the pupils had shrunk to narrow vertical slits.

His hair was still thick, but the color had become darker, almost jet black, and it was neatly combed back.

He wore a floor-length black velvet cloak, undecorated except for a barely visible Slytherin serpent symbol embroidered in silver thread at the collar.

A chilling sense of oppression emanated from him.

Even without him casting any spells, just sitting there, the room seemed a few degrees cooler than other places.

Occasionally, wisps of fine black mist would drift through the air, a sign of overflowing magic.

A book was lying open on the table.

The cover material is very special; it is a dark yellowish-brown color with fine pore textures and wrinkles that once belonged to a certain life form.

It's human skin.

Voldemort's long, pale fingers rested on the edge of the book pages, his nails sharp and hard.

He raised his red eyes and looked at Bella.

Under the gaze of those indiscriminate eyes that conveyed malice and oppression.

Bella trembled, her face flushed, and she looked completely intoxicated.

She's about to fly.