Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

The Gryffindor side was having a lively fight, but as lively as it was, the skill level was just so-so.

Some are chasing their opponents, some are being chased, and some are standing in the middle, unsure of who to attack.

Professor Vance looked on, wanting to shake his head.

On the Slytherin side, apart from Black and Moorselber, the other two groups performed surprisingly well.

Cuthbert and Rozier were instructing the other two, and they were actually doing a pretty good job.

Cuthbert talked as he played, and Vance followed along. Although his movements were still a bit stiff, he was making progress.

The same goes for Rozier's side; that mixed-race girl, Costa, is improving rapidly and has already begun to try to fight back.

Professor Vance knew that Cuthbert, Rozier, Murseb, and Black were a small group, with Black at the core.

Professor Vance knew the Moorseb family's social class; he had even dealt with them before.

Professor Slughorn also mentioned that this Moorselber was a problem child because he dared to openly use dark magic right at the start of his first year.

He had thought he would have to pay more attention to this student, but now it seems he's actually doing alright; at least he hasn't been causing trouble in class.

Professor Vance looked away.

Ten minutes before the end of get out of class, he tapped on the podium: "Stop."

The classroom fell silent. The young wizards stopped, panting, their faces showing a sense of unfinished business.

Professor Vance walked to the center of the classroom and glanced at everyone: "Today's performance was generally mediocre."

He pointed to a few students from Gryffindor.

"Mr. Pwitt, your disarming spell is too slow. By the time you finish casting it, your opponent will have already defeated you."

It also refers to another one.

"Mr. McMillan, where is the obstacle in your obstacle spell? The other side hasn't even stopped."

He called on several people one by one, pointing out their problems in a serious tone, each issue hitting the nail on the head.

The young wizards lowered their heads, not daring to utter a sound.

"With your skill level, if you really encountered a dark wizard, you wouldn't last a single move, and you wouldn't even have a chance to escape."

The classroom became even quieter.

Then Professor Vance looked toward Slytherin.

"Mr. Cuthbert, Mr. Rozier, you have done a good job."

Avery straightened his back, his lips curving upwards involuntarily. Alex, standing beside him, smiled with pursed lips.

"Knowing how to guide your peers and how to make use of your environment are two things that many people still don't learn by the fifth grade."

He continued, "But don't get cocky, you're still a long way from a real battle."

Then he looked at Regulus: "Mr. Black."

Regulus looked over.

Professor Vance was silent for a moment: "Come up here, let's demonstrate."

The classroom erupted in chaos.

"Blake's going to fight the professor?"

"Really?"

"That's a professor..."

"No matter how good Blake is, he's still a second-year student."

Regulus stepped forward and stood opposite Professor Vance.

Professor Vance wanted to demonstrate, and he had no reason to refuse; it was not surprising that he was chosen.

And that's perfect.

The young wizards stepped back against the wall, making room for each other.

The two bowed to each other.

On the Slytherin side, the young wizards stared at Regulus.

They knew Regulus was strong, that he could beat fifth graders, and that seventh graders should be no problem either, but what about higher grades?

An adult wizard?

professor?

no one knows.

So they were excited and looking forward to it.

The atmosphere in Gryffindor is more complicated.

Some were curious, some were nervous, but most were waiting to see Regulus make a fool of himself.

Professor Vance's expression became more serious, but not to the point of being nervous.

Regulus has quite a reputation, but he's only a second-year student after all.

He had experienced real battles and knew what true power was. He had also seen too many talented young wizards and knew that even the strongest among them had their limits.

"Mr. Blake, you go first."

Regulus didn't stand on ceremony; he raised his wand, but before that, he glanced at the professor's magic.

It is weighty, concise, and possesses a sharpness honed through long battles.

He is stronger than many adult wizards, but far from the level of a Dean; he is probably at the level of a senior Auror.

Perfect, enough for him to make his mark.

As Professor Vance waved his wand, a stone slab at his feet suddenly struck his ankle.

Transfiguration.

Professor Vance hadn't expected Regulus to pull this off so quickly, but he reacted swiftly, taking a step back. The stone slab missed its target, crashed into the wall, and shattered into dust.

Regulus chanted the spell: "Dispel your weapon!"

A red light shot out from the tip of the staff at a tricky angle, heading straight for Professor Vance's chest.

Professor Vance flicked his wand, sending the red light flying, and at the same time, the floor beneath his feet moved slightly.

Professor Vance frowned.

This child, his spells aren't spells, they're spells that lead to traps.

He started to get serious: "There are many obstacles!"

A purple wall of light crashed towards Regulus.

Regulus didn't take the hit head-on; instead, he dodged to the side and simultaneously pointed his wand at a chair in the corner of the classroom.

The chair instantly transformed into a sparrow, flapping its wings and flying straight into the obstacle spell.

The sparrow collided with the purple light and exploded into pieces, negating the barrier spell.

Professor Vance narrowed his eyes. Use Transfiguration to block the spell?

He cast spells continuously.

He cast spells continuously.

He collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious!

"They'll all be petrified!"

"Disarm you!"

Three spells were fired in quick succession, one after another, at an extremely fast speed, completely blocking all directions Regulus could dodge.

But Regulus had no intention of dodging. He tapped his wand twice, first casting a Stunning Charm and then a Petrifying Charm to deflect it. Then he turned to the side, letting the Disarming Charm whiz past him.

Suddenly, the wooden tabletop softened and twisted, as if it came to life, and a rope stretched out and wrapped around Professor Vance's ankle.

Professor Vance swung his wand, snapping the rope, but interrupting the rhythm of the spellcasting.

Regulus seized the opportunity and flicked his wand: "Yugadilem Leviosa!"

A stack of books in the corner of the classroom floated up and shot towards Professor Vance like bricks.

Professor Vance swept his wand, knocking all the books away, but the instant he swung his wand, Regulus's Disarming Charm was already in front of him.

Professor Vance turned to the side, the red light grazing his chest as he narrowly avoided it.

He took a step back, widened the distance, and began to take the initiative to attack.

"Obstacles are numerous!"

The purple light wall was larger and faster than before.

Regulus pointed his wand at the ground, and a stone slab appeared, blocking his way. The wall of light struck the slab, causing it to shatter and the spell to be blocked.

Professor Vance unleashed his next spell.

"Disarm you!"

Regulus dodged to the side and cast a Stunning Spell at the same time. Professor Vance knocked him away and cast another one.

The two stood in the middle of the classroom, chanting spells back and forth, their speed and power increasing.

The classroom was so quiet that only the sound of incantations breaking through the air could be heard.

The young wizards were dumbfounded.

"That's way too fast..."

"I couldn't see his wand moving at all."

"Professor Vance is playing this seriously?"

Professor Vance cast a Stunning Spell.

Regulus didn't dodge; the chair next to him transformed into a cat, which jumped up and blocked the spell.

The cat was hit, turned back into a chair, and fell to the ground.

Regulus began to fight back; the power of the spell remained the same, but the speed was nearly twice as fast.

He collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious!

The spell was aimed directly at Professor Vance, who was sent flying.

"Obstacles are numerous!"

The purple light followed closely, and he dodged to the side.

"Disarm you!"

The red light clung to the tail of the previous beam, and Professor Vance, unable to dodge, activated his Ironclad Spell.

The red light collided with the barrier, exploding into a burst of light. The barrier swayed slightly but did not shatter, but Professor Vance took a step back.

Everyone saw this step.

The young wizards gasped.

Professor Vance steadied himself and looked at Regulus.

Regulus looked at him, his wand hanging at his side.

Professor Vance was silent for a moment, then he put away his wand: "That's enough."

Regulus also put away his wand.

The classroom was silent for a moment, then erupted.

On Slytherin's side, applause and cheers mingled together, with some whistling and others banging on the table.

Avery turned to Samuel, his face beaming with excitement, and began to explain.

"Did you see that? The last three spells are connected!"

The first attack forces him to block, the second forces him to dodge, and the third strikes when he has no time to dodge. That's called rhythm, understand?

Samuel stared at the field and nodded subconsciously, not even bothering to make any extra facial expressions.

Alex was also talking to Lina.

"Look at the cat he just transformed into. I never knew Transfiguration could be used like that."

Lina's eyes shone like fire, and she murmured, her voice trembling at the end, "Amazing..."

It was much quieter in Gryffindor. Some people clapped, but it was just a perfunctory clapping; most people remained silent.

Mary MacDonald, on the other hand, clapped very loudly, while Gryffindor was quiet and she was the only one there, making her applause particularly clear.

Regulus glanced at her and nodded.

Mary smiled and continued clapping.

Professor Vance looked at Regulus with a somewhat complicated expression.

He had seen many talented young people, but this kid was different.

He didn't use any magic beyond the scope of a second-year student; all his spells were standard, but he performed them at a level far beyond the norm.

Professor Vance remained silent for a long time before saying, "Mr. Black, your behavior is not like that of a second-year student."

Regulus bowed slightly: "Professor, you flatter me."

Professor Vance glanced at him again, then turned to the whole class.

"See that? This is what a duel is all about. It's not just standing still and shooting at each other. Every step has a purpose, and every move has a follow-up. You guys are still a long way from that level."

He continued, "But as you've seen, Blake was able to do it not with any profound spells, but with the things you've all learned."

Slytherin, on the other hand, felt proud and convinced.

Gryffindor is much more complicated, but no one can really say for sure.

Professor Vance glanced at the time: "Mr. Black, Slytherin, 20 points."

Regulus bowed again.

Professor Vance withdrew his gaze: "get out of class dismissed."

The young wizards began packing their things, many of them still watching Regulus, their eyes following his every move.

Regulus returned to his seat and picked up his book.

Hermes stood by and waited for him. Avery walked over, his face still full of excitement, followed by Alex. The group walked out together.

Lina and Samuel lagged behind, glanced at each other, and didn't follow.