Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

On the last day of September, the sky was overcast with low-hanging clouds, and a few drizzles occasionally fell, leaving dark watermarks on the castle's stone walls.

In the morning, it was Professor Binns's History of Magic class. He floated behind the podium and continued talking about the War of the Giants.

From the encirclement phase we discussed last time, to the giants' defeat and escape, to their eventual exile to the most remote mountains of Europe.

Regulus sat in his usual spot, his thoughts drifting for a while, then drifting again.

When the bell rang, a sigh of relief filled the classroom.

At noon, Regulus and his group went to the auditorium for lunch.

The long table was laden with food: roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, baked potatoes, carrot sticks, and a large jug of pumpkin juice.

House-Elf's craftsmanship remains consistently excellent.

Avery and Alex were sitting together, discussing something. They weren't talking very loudly, but they looked very excited.

"Did you see those freshmen this year?" Avery poked at the potatoes on his plate with his fork. "The one from the Nott family, he looks pretty fierce."

Alex chewed on his pudding, his voice muffled: "And the Flint family, they're really tall."

"What's the use of being tall?" Avery adopted a condescending attitude. "We were freshmen last year too, look at Regulus..."

As he said this, he subconsciously glanced in Regulus's direction, and his voice became even softer.

Regulus heard this but ignored it; he was indeed not as tall as he was this year last year.

Avery is talking about tonight's events: the Slytherin orientation party, the battle for the top spot among the new students.

At this time last year, Regulus stood among the new students and used an Ironclad Spell to make everyone remember his name.

Hermes was still not convinced and used his bone-splitting technique to beat her, but he was then pinned to the ground.

Looking back now, those things seem like they happened a long time ago.

Avery continued to comment on this year's freshmen.

"The one from the Nott family looks rather gloomy; he must be something. The one from the Flint family is big, but clumsy; he probably won't last more than two rounds."

And that...that guy, from the Selwyn family? Was it a girl or a boy who came this year?

"A girl," Alex said, "Rosalie Selwyn."

"Yes, Rosalie." Avery nodded, looking like he was giving orders: "The Selwyn family are not to be trifled with, but freshmen are just so-so, no matter how tough they are."

We watched Hermes last year and thought he was amazing, didn't we? And what happened?

Alex nodded in agreement, his face bearing that look that said, "We've certainly seen the world."

Hermes, sitting nearby, twitched his lips upon hearing this.

He recalled what happened last year.

At that time, he had just learned a few black magic spells from home and thought he was very impressive. Then Regulus showed him what a difference there was.

But he still felt that Hogwarts was a place full of rules, and if you really went to a place where life and death were at stake, the outcome was uncertain.

Thinking back now—

How embarrassing! So embarrassing!

It feels like looking back at the silly things you wrote when you were a child, and you wish you could dig those memories out of your head.

He shook his head, continued eating, and did not participate in the discussion.

Regulus listened to their conversation, but his mind was elsewhere.

The competition for the top spot among new students is actually quite an interesting ceremonial event.

On the positive side, it gives freshmen an opportunity to showcase themselves.

Slytherins value strength, something instilled in them from a young age. Establishing their place in the first year benefits them for the next six years.

Moreover, the status earned through hard work is much more secure than one gained through family background or connections.

This is true, at least in the lower grades.

However, there is also a negative side. Such activities can make some people inflated too much, thinking they are invincible after winning one or two matches or learning a few spells at home in advance.

Hermes did the same thing last year, and then he was taught a lesson.

This demonstrates a simple logic: if you want to stand as high as you want, you must first prove that you deserve to stand in that high place.

Regulus didn't particularly like or dislike this kind of thing, but he had to show up tonight.

You don't have to do anything, just sit there.

He could remain outside of Slytherin, and no one would say anything. Even if someone wanted to say something, they wouldn't dare to say it to his face.

That's status—earned and established in the first year, and no one dares to question it.

But that's just the atmosphere in Slytherin. There are some things he can ignore, but there are also occasions where he needs to show up to show his acceptance of the group's rules.

After finishing his meal, Regulus put down his knife and fork and stood up. Hermes followed suit, having already finished eating.

Avery and Alex stood up at the same time.

But Avery wasn't in a hurry to leave. He pulled over a first-year wizard who had come over during the meal.

Avery patted the kid on the shoulder and whispered his advice: "Don't be too nervous in the first round, just stay calm."

You know how to use Obstacle Charms, right? If not... then start running. Don't try to take them down right away; observe your opponent first.

Last year, some people were too eager to show off, and as a result, they didn't even make it past the first round.

The young wizard nodded vigorously, his face full of admiration.

There was also a short boy next to Alex, wearing a new Slytherin robe, who was talking to him in a low voice.

The boy looked a little nervous, and Alex was comforting him.

Hermes' side, on the other hand, was peaceful.

His face was there, gloomy, with an innate air of "don't bother me."

The young wizards, upon seeing him, instinctively felt he wasn't a good person and didn't want to approach him, nor dared to. With a flick of his finger, he instantly transported himself to the exciting world of Chapter 207, where he sued Sirius Black.

Avery finally finished teaching and patted the kid on the shoulder: "Alright, see you tonight."

Alex finished his shift and quickly caught up.

The four of them walked out together.

Behind them, the two first-year wizards stood still, watching their backs.

One said, "That's it..."

The other nodded without speaking, but his eyes held both awe and longing.

As Regulus walked down the middle aisle, he heard someone call his name.

"Regrus!"

The sound came from the Hufflepuff table.

Regulus turned his head and saw Eleanor Burns standing up from her seat, with Susan Payne sitting next to her. He reached out to tug at her clothes but missed.

Eleanor turned around, said something, patted Susan on the shoulder, and then strode over.

Regulus stopped, and Avery and the others stopped as well.

Regulus's impression of the Hufflepuff witch was neither deep nor shallow.

I bumped into him in the little garden when I was in first grade. We talked about herbalism. She was loosening the soil for white peony, and he happened to be there studying magic daisies.

Later, on Halloween, Eleanor asked Regulus to help her create a honey badger-themed pumpkin lantern using Transfiguration.

Last semester at Hogsmeade, when he was taken hostage by a dark wizard, she even came to the Slytherin table to check on him.

We barely spoke a few words to each other throughout the year, and we didn't meet many times, but his generous, frank, and sincere personality was truly endearing.

They could even be considered familiar classmates, and maybe they can become friends in the future.

Eleanor was wearing a yellow-trimmed Hufflepuff robe today, her light brown hair tied in a loose bun with a few stray strands falling around her ears.

She strode over, somewhat aggressively, but when she got close, she winked at Regulus.

Regulus was a little confused.

What's going on here?

Then he felt a gaze coming from the Gryffindor table and staring at him.

I don't even need to turn around to know who it is, Sirius.

Regulus's heart skipped a beat, and he roughly guessed what was going on.

Avery and the others saw Eleanor call Regulus aside and assumed they had something to discuss, so they were about to leave.

Eleanor waved to them, "Cuthbert, you don't need to go."

Avery paused, and Alex and Hermes also stopped moving.

Eleanor walked up to Regulus and spoke directly, her tone complaining but not angry at him.

"Regulus, you need to control your brother."

Regulus raised an eyebrow.

Eleanor continued, "I've been tending to a mandrake in the greenhouse for over half a year, and it's almost ready to mature. Do you know what I've been doing?"

He plucked all the leaves! Not a single one left! I asked him what he was going to do with them, and he told me to mind my own business!

She stood with her hands on her hips, looking indignant. "Tell me, they're both Blake, how come there's such a big difference?"

Upon hearing this, Avery's lips twitched.

None of them ever mentioned Sirius in front of Regulus.

When I first enrolled, I would think to myself that the Black family was just so-so, except for the traitor they had produced.

But later, Regulus became more and more... more and more unbearable, and they mentally kicked Sirius out of the Black family.

That man was nothing like Regulus; they were worlds apart.

Why bring him up?

Regulus simply looked at her, somewhat speechless, and didn't respond.

What could he say?

Was Sirius adopted?

Moreover, Eleanor doesn't seem to be here to demand an explanation, so there's no point in asking her for one.

It seems more like they're just here to complain.

Eleanor didn't let him answer, and said directly, "I'm not asking you to interfere, the mandrake leaves were picked, what's done is done, what else can be done? I just wanted to let you know."

She glanced back at the Gryffindor table: "And let that person suffer a little while we're at it."

His tone was frank and open, without any attempt to hide anything.

But this way of getting revenge is quite interesting. I won't hit you or scold you; I'll just go and tell your brother.

I know what your relationship with your brother is like, I know all your dirty secrets, and now I'm telling your brother, so you can feel bad about it.

Regulus found the little witch interesting; she was frank, generous, and a little cunning.

He smiled slightly, didn't say anything, and just nodded.

As Eleanor spoke, she glanced back at the Gryffindor table.

Seeing that he wasn't angry and even had a smile on his face, she felt relieved.

Then she looked back again, this time making her gesture even more obvious.

It's like telling Sirius Black, "Yes, I am tattletale."

Regulus followed her gaze.

At the Gryffindor table, Sirius Black's face was as sour as could be.

James sat next to him, looking like he was about to rush over, but Lupin held him back.

Lupin, holding James's arm, glanced this way and gave him an apologetic look.

Regulus looked away, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.

After Eleanor finished her performance, she started laughing at herself.

She patted Regulus on the shoulder, saying in a serious tone, "Thanks, Regulus. Seeing his expression made me feel better."

After saying that, she turned around and walked back, her steps much lighter.

The author "Zhuangshui Zhizhu" recommends reading "Hogwarts: Regulus, Lord of the Stars" using the "Renren Bookstore" APP. Download and install it.