Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

At noon, the sun was shining brightly, and the wedding preparations were complete.

The white gauze curtains in the courtyard swayed gently in the breeze, and the flowers tied to the stone wall shone brightly in the sunlight.

A few Muggles were making final adjustments, arranging the chairs more neatly and moving the bouquets around.

Regulus stood under an olive tree not far away and cast a confusion spell on himself.

The effect was simple: apart from Andromeda and Ted, no one paid any attention to him.

They will see someone standing here, but they won't remember his face, won't be curious about who he is, and won't think that his presence here is anything noteworthy.

He took two more steps, and his wizard robes flowed like water, darkening in color and changing in style, finally settling into a well-tailored dark gray suit.

Twelve-year-old Regulus was already half a head taller than his peers. Long-term magical tempering had made his figure upright and graceful. Wearing a suit, his shoulders and back looked sharp and well-defined.

A white shirt, a dark tie, and shiny leather shoes—he exudes confidence and charisma the moment he steps in.

Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves of the olive tree, casting dappled shadows on him.

In just two months, his facial features have matured further, with higher brow bones and a more defined jawline.

He looked at the wedding scene in the courtyard, his eyes filled with warmth.

Dumbledore hadn't left yet, and Regulus turned his head and asked, "Professor, want to come along?"

Dumbledore smiled and shook his head: "I won't go. My sudden appearance in this kind of occasion would easily cause people to overthink things."

He looked at Regulus: "Give the newlyweds my blessing. Tell them that an old friend wishes them a long and happy life together."

Regulus nodded: "Okay."

Dumbledore smiled and said, "You look great today."

Regulus nodded; he was doing well every day.

Dumbledore added, "Then I'm off. Goodbye, Regulus."

After saying that, he disappeared.

Regulus had been waiting for this moment. His spatial awareness had been on the whole time, but he hadn't detected anything.

He shrugged, not surprised at all, just like last time outside the Shrieking Shack, he hadn't noticed when Dumbledore appeared.

But a thought popped into my head: I'll catch this old man sooner or later.

He looked away and walked towards the small house. People were coming and going in the yard, but no one paid any attention to him.

Regulus walked through the crowd, surveying the surroundings.

It was a small wedding, with about thirty or forty people. The chairs were neatly arranged in the courtyard, leaving a path in the middle covered with a white curtain.

At the end of the passage was a simple archway, decorated with white flowers and green foliage, which looked clean in the sunlight.

Muggle style.

Ted Tonks' parents were there, an elderly Muggle couple, dressed in rented formal attire.

The old lady would occasionally adjust her skirt, while the old gentleman stood beside her, speaking to people with some restraint.

A group of Ted's Muggle friends got together; they were young, energetic, and laughed a lot.

There were also a few young wizards.

Regulus could see the magical fluctuations emanating from them; they were faint, but they were indeed wizards.

They blended into the crowd, trying to act like ordinary people, but their habit of always reaching for their wands betrayed them.

Regulus also saw several young girls gathered on one side of the house, chatting and laughing as they prepared flowers and draperies; they were probably friends Andromeda had met in France.

The union of a pure-blood defector and a Muggle-born is destined to be rejected by the mainstream, so they choose to invite only the people they trust most in a foreign land.

Regulus, thinking about these things, walked through the crowd and up the stairs on the side of the house.

On the second floor, in a room temporarily used as a bride's dressing room, the door was ajar.

Regulus stood in the doorway and peeked inside through the crack.

Andromeda stood with her back to the door, adjusting her veil in front of the mirror.

She wore a white wedding dress with a long train that stretched to the ground, and her hair was styled in an updo, revealing her smooth neck.

Her face was beaming with happiness, a smile she couldn't hide.

Two girls beside her were helping her straighten her skirt and talking to her. Andromeda listened, nodding occasionally, and smiling even more happily.

Regulus didn't go in; he leaned against the wall in the corridor and waited.

After a while, the door opened, and the two girls came out first, chatting and laughing as they went downstairs.

Andromeda followed behind, and as she reached the doorway, about to come out, she suddenly stopped. She saw Regulus.

For a moment, she froze.

The expression on his face changed from doubt to disbelief, and then from disbelief to something else: surprise, emotion, and a complex mix of feelings.

Her voice trembled slightly: "Regulus?"

Regulus looked at her, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Andromeda walked quickly over to him, looked him up and down, and her eyes glistened with tears.

She sniffed: "You've grown taller."

Then she gestured with her hand: "The last time I saw you, you only reached my shoulder, now you're almost taller than me."

Regulus didn't speak, but simply looked at her quietly with a gentle expression.

She had changed a bit in the two years I hadn't seen her.

She possessed a classic, noble beauty, with long black hair, grey eyes, and striking features, but her demeanor differed from both Bella and Narcissa.

Bella is passionately sharp, Narcissa is reservedly elegant, and Andromeda is gentlely warm.

At this moment, she stood before him in her wedding dress, her eyes shining brighter than any jewel.

With tears welling in her eyes, Andromeda whispered, "You've come."

Regulus looked at her and smiled. "You said I could come to you if I needed help."

He then said, "I've come to see if you need any help."

Andromeda paused for a moment, then laughed out loud: "You're still the same."

She reached out to touch his head, but stopped, as if afraid of messing up his hair.

"I thought..."

She only said half of what she meant, but Regulus knew what she was going to say.

They thought no one would come, that no one from the Blake family would come.

Andromeda said this with a calm expression.

There was no resentment or grievance on his face, as if he had long since given up any expectations of that family, and even felt that their absence was a good thing.

That expression flashed by in an instant.

She looked at Regulus and laughed heartily: "How did you get here? Did you Apparate?"

Regulus nodded: "More or less."

Andromeda asked again, "Did you take leave?"

Regulus replied, "Approved."

"Did the school know you came to France?"

"Know."

The two stood in the corridor, sunlight streaming in through the windows and falling on them.

Regulus extended his arm and said gently, "I'll take you out."

Andromeda looked down at his outstretched arm, paused for a moment, and then smiled, a smile that was unbelievably radiant.

She reached out and took Regulus's arm: "Okay."

The two went downstairs together, and no one in the courtyard paid any attention to them.

The Confusion Charm worked very well; no one noticed the boy who had suddenly appeared.

Andromeda linked arms with him, walking slowly, the sunlight warming them.

She didn't say anything, she just walked away, and Regulus didn't say anything either.

Crossing the courtyard and bypassing the crowd, Andromeda led him to the other side.

Ted Tonks was standing in the courtyard, adjusting the sound system with a few friends.

He was wearing a dark blue suit and a bow tie, his light brown hair was neatly combed, and he was tall and imposing, making a strong presence.

He paused for a moment when he saw Andromeda walking towards him arm in arm with someone.

Andromeda walked up to him, smiling, and said, "Ted, this is my cousin, Regulus Black."

A complex expression flashed across Ted's face.

He knew about Andromeda and the Black family, and about those pure-blood lunatics who upheld tradition and looked down on Muggle-born people.

His first reaction to this cousin who suddenly appeared was naturally to be wary.

But when he saw Andromeda linking arms with Regulus, smiling so happily and naturally, it was the kind of expression one only has when facing a true family member.

Ted's expression changed, and he extended his hand, smiling sincerely: "Welcome, Mr. Black, thank you for coming."

The expression quickly disappeared, but Regulus saw it and understood it, though he didn't pay it any mind.

Regulus shook his hand: "Just call me Regulus."

Ted nodded: "Regulus."

He glanced at Andromeda, then at Regulus, hesitating to speak.

Regulus could sense what he wanted to say.

I want to thank Andromeda for everything he gave up: his family, his surname, and everything in the past.

He wanted to say that he knew what she had sacrificed, so he wanted to thank her and promise to treat her well in the future.

But it's too early to say those things now.

Regulus didn't say anything more, but simply released Andromeda's hand and let her stand next to Ted.

He looked at the two of them standing together.

Andromeda's magic is gentle and stable, not particularly powerful, but he is, after all, of the Black family bloodline, much stronger than Ted's.

Ted also possesses magic, that's for sure, but compared to the other wizards in the crowd, he's no different—just at the level of an ordinary adult wizard.

Regulus recalled the things that were originally planned for the future.

Andromeda will be happy, happy until Ted dies.

Then her daughter will marry a werewolf, and they will die together, leaving behind a child.

Regulus thought that those things wouldn't happen, at least not with him.

As for that werewolf son-in-law—

A thought flashed through his mind.

Lupin and Sirius are friends, brothers, and can get along however they want, but why make him marry Andromeda's daughter?

Putting aside the Lupin werewolf thing, just considering their identities, he was Sirius's brother, and then he married his brother's niece, what kind of situation was that?

Love cannot be an excuse.

Regulus suppressed these thoughts and looked at Ted, who was also looking at him.

The two looked at each other for a moment, and then Regulus said, "Mr. Tonks."

Ted straightened up a bit more instinctively: "Just call me Ted."

Regulus nodded: "Ted."

He continued, "I haven't seen Andromeda for two years. I came here to see how she's doing."

Ted lowered his head slightly and listened quietly.

Regulus continued, "She chose you, that's her business. I'm just here to see her off on her wedding."

He looked Ted into his eyes: "From now on, you'll live your own lives, but there's one thing—"

Ted looked up, his expression resolute.

Regulus's voice was calm: "If anything happens that upsets her, no matter where she is or how long it has been, I will know."

Before Ted could react, Andromeda burst out laughing beside him: "Regulus, are you threatening him?"

Regulus glanced at her, looking somewhat helpless.

How am I supposed to respond to that question?

Andromeda laughed even more heartily.

She took Ted's arm and looked at Regulus: "Don't worry, he won't dare to bully me."

Ted gave a wry smile: "How could I dare?"

He looked at Regulus, his expression turning serious: "Regulus, I know what she gave up for me, something I may never be able to repay in this lifetime, but I can promise—"

He then looked at Andromeda: "Be good to her from now on, always be good to her."

Regulus looked at him without saying a word, and after a long while, he nodded.

Ted visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

Andromeda watched the conversation between the two men with a smile.

She suddenly felt that today was really good.

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