Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Regulus wasn't in a hurry to make arrangements; he didn't even plan to do it himself. He didn't have many people around him, but each one of them was capable of being used by now.

Since speaking in the lounge last time, Avery seems to have awakened some strange new ability; he starts to think one step further when faced with a situation and analyzes and considers things from a certain perspective.

Of course, he was learning from others, perhaps from his father, or perhaps from the way the officials in the Ministry of Magic spoke and acted.

Sometimes he speaks with an air of superiority; his tone, pauses, and even the way he holds his cup sound like he's in a meeting.

Regulus observed all of this and found it amusing.

Avery's imitation is still quite immature. Sometimes the mature perspective is used at the wrong time, and what he says sounds awkward, like a teenager trying to act mature.

But the direction is right; he's growing in that direction.

This is progress; Avery himself moved in that direction without even needing his guidance.

Regulus didn't interfere, nor did he intend to; he simply let it continue to develop.

From the very beginning, he saw Avery as the face of the public, a spokesperson, someone who could stand in front of the crowd and speak.

The young master of the Cuthbert family will eventually have to learn how to make a name for himself in the pureblood circle. It's a good thing he's figured it out early.

Alex is a different story altogether.

A little over a year ago, Alex was the kind of little wizard who didn't dare to speak loudly in the dormitory, afraid of being noticed by someone or being bullied.

Then came the Astronomical Tower incident.

Looking back on that incident now, Regulus realizes it was no small matter.

The cursed chamber, the plague wand—Hermes almost didn't make it back; he himself endured that mass for a while.

Even for a sufficiently skilled wizard, it would be extremely dangerous, yet Alex went in and came out unharmed.

People change after experiencing a real crisis and surviving it.

In addition, Alex's skill level has improved considerably over the past year or so of practicing magic.

He may not be considered exceptionally talented, but he is willing to practice and is obedient, so his progress is genuine.

When you accumulate strength to a certain degree, your state of mind changes. That kind of confidence is something you develop through practice; it can't be hidden or faked.

Hermes, however, was an exception.

Since fully joining this little group, Hermes seems to have made a decision to dedicate his brain to the study of magic, leaving everything else to Regulus.

Aside from his own magic, he's almost never seen using his brain for anything else.

He did study, but his method was simply to cram the material needed for the exam into his brain, and as long as his grades were passable, that was enough. He mainly spent his days figuring out his "black magic" (a term used to describe unorthodox or unorthodox methods).

When things happen, Regulus makes arrangements, and he does as he's told, never asking questions or coming up with alternative solutions himself.

It's like he feels that as long as Regulus is around, he can save his brainpower.

But Hermes' talent is indeed strong; in the lower grades, his power is exceptionally high.

Those older students might have more magic power than him, and might know more spells, but if it really came down to a fight, Regulus believed Hermes could take down a few of them.

However, his current behavior makes it hard not to think that he has acquired all his skills through intelligence.

But Regulus ignored him, and who can say that this wasn't a precise identity assessment?

And then there's Snape; Regulus put him in a dilemma with just one sentence.

By saying that Rozier should find him, Snape would have to choose sides.

It's either Black or Lestrange; there's no middle ground.

Of course Snape could leave, he could pretend he never saw Regulus, he could go back to being an outsider in Slytherin, he could pretend nothing happened tonight.

Regulus wouldn't say anything, much less force him.

He probably knows Snape better than Snape himself.

In his eyes, Snape was a highly talented and valuable asset.

In their first year, Regulus stopped James from surrounding Snape. Afterward, Snape began providing information, for which Regulus paid him and recommended him to Slughorn to be his assistant.

Through this series of actions, Snape has been brought under his influence.

But they weren't friends or partners; it was more like a Slytherin-esque superior-subordinate relationship based on value exchange and unspoken understanding.

Of course, from Snape's own perspective, they might have been collaborators.

But Snape should have known better than anyone that even if Regulus let him go, Lestrange wouldn't.

People like Rabastan despise his background while forcing him to do things.

In his eyes, mixed-race people were things he could trample on at will, and it didn't matter if he damaged them. With contempt and coercion coming at him, Snape had almost no room to resist.

So the real question was never whether or not to choose Black, but whether Snape had any dignity he didn't want to be trampled on.

Snape was a man whose inferiority complex and pride were two sides of the same coin; his inferiority complex stemmed from his background, while his pride came from his talent.

He was sensitive and obsessive, remembering every slight clearly, but he was also shrewd, knowing how to assess the situation and when to align himself with which side.

He got nothing from Rabastan, only humiliation.

On Regulus's side, he was at least treated as a human being.

Intelligence is exchanged for knowledge, and recommendations are exchanged for rewards. Every time something is given out, something of equal value is returned. The rules are clear and unambiguous.

This was the best possible cooperation Snape could find in Slytherin.

There's no need to think about which side to choose.

So Snape looked down and tapped it.

Regulus mentally reviewed the group of people; the number wasn't large, but it was enough.

At 8 PM, the House of Response.

Regulus recounted what had happened that night.

The tone is objective, recounting the events from Rabasta's search for Snape, to Snape's arrival, to what Snape said, in chronological order, without adding any commentary.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Avery asked, his hand already reaching for his wand in his pocket. "Let's go find him. He attacked first, so it's only right that we fight back."

Regulus glanced at him.

Avery's logic is simple: Rabastein sent Snape to inquire about Regulus's men, which was a provocation, and provocations should be retaliated against.

As for what would happen after the fight, he hadn't thought about whether the Lestrange family, who were behind Rabastan, would clash with the Cuthbert family because of it.

The Cuthbert family is also one of the Twenty-Eight Holy Clans. At his age, conflicts between young wizards are just that—conflicts between young wizards. It's unthinkable for a fight between children to escalate to the point of involving two families.

It's just a matter of a fight; there's no need to bring up his father's theories.

Alex sat beside him, his brow furrowed.

"How about letting Lena and Samuel go into hiding for a while? Cola Novels, your portable library, has more than ten thousand volumes." He hesitated slightly. "Lestrange is keeping an eye on them. If they're not around, Lestrange will have no target."

Alex knew about Regulus's plans for him.

Although he never explicitly said it, he understood the tasks he was usually asked to do—running errands, relaying messages, and keeping an eye on someone's movements—after doing them for a long time.

His role in this group is to keep people together and make things run smoothly.

He likes this position; it's safe and secure, he doesn't have to be at the forefront, but it's still a core position.

Now that Lestrange has intervened, things have changed, and his first reaction is to avoid risks.

Hermes leaned against the oak door, silent, his eyes fixed on the ground as if lost in thought.

But his magic was surging, and black energy rose from his shoulders, wisps of it twisting in the air.

His eyelids were half-closed, and he would occasionally lift them, his eyes seeming to gleam.

Regulus looked at him and a slight twitch appeared on his lips.

Hermes, who usually doesn't like to use his brain and lets others arrange everything, is now starting to think.

But their ways of thinking are quite different.

While others are thinking about how to plan and how to end things, he's thinking about how to take people down.

But there's nothing wrong with that. Everyone has their own way of using it. Hermes can think whatever he wants, as long as it gets the job done.

"What I mean is, let Lestrange make the first move."

Avery stopped, Alex looked up, and Hermes lifted his eyelids.

"Costa and Vance don't need to hide," Regulus said. "They'll show up normally, and Lestrange will go after them. If he makes a move—"

He paused for a moment, then continued, "We can make them suffer a little loss."

Alex paused for a moment, wanting to ask something, his lips moved but he didn't say anything.

Regulus never does anything without a reason.

He nodded, frowned, lowered his eyes, and began to think.

Will Lena and Samuel be afraid if we use them as bait? Will they actually get hurt?

Regulus said he could take a loss, but how much loss would be enough?

It's too light. Won't it delay Regulus's plans?

It was too heavy; he couldn't bear to.

He had to find a way to stop that, to make Lestrange think he had succeeded, but Lena and Samuel hadn't actually done anything.

Avery reacted quickly; he figured it out almost instantly: if Lestrange made the first move, the conflict wouldn't have been started by Regulus.

Fighting directly is a matter between junior wizards. After the fight, at most, they'll be locked up and have points deducted, and at worst, the professor will be alerted.

But if Rabastan makes a move against Costa and Vance first, the situation will be different.

That was the Lestrange family provoking the people Black was protecting. Once that line is crossed, it's no longer just a fight between young wizards; it becomes a matter between two families.

The Cuthbert family isn't as powerful as the Black family, but they're still one of the Twenty-Eight Holy Families, a force to be reckoned with on behalf of the Lestrange family. And his father's side...

Avery racked his brains and then remembered something his father had said.

My father worked at the Ministry of Magic for so many years and has seen all kinds of partnerships.

That's what it means to be family. Only when you overcome a problem together and fight an enemy together can you truly be considered family.

The astronomical tower incident last year was great, and we should continue to do so in the future.

Avery thought about it and realized that what he said made sense in the present situation.

He caught his breath, leaned back against the wall, and turned to look at Alex: "Then we have to make Lestrange feel that there's an opportunity before he'll make a move."

Alex looked up and got into the zone.

"Lina and Samuel have been spending some time alone lately, after Potions class, on the way back to their dorm from the basement, when there are few people in the corridor."

"Someone got blocked at the corner on the third floor today."

Avery nodded: "Then let's start with that section of road, let Rabastan know that they were alone during that time period, and if he wants to make a move, he will naturally choose that time."

"How do we get the message over there?" Alex asked.

"Let him hear it," Avery said. "Find a place to say it, and make sure his men happen to be there."

Alex paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "But they're really going to suffer..."

Avery pursed his lips, glanced to the side, and didn't reply.

Alex knew the matter was settled. Regulus said they would suffer a loss, and that was it. He couldn't change anything by hesitating, but he felt a little uneasy.

Lena and Samuel were the two he interacted with the most. One was clever, and the other was serious. Life in Slytherin was already difficult enough, but now they were being deliberately sent into danger.

He suppressed his emotions, raised his head again, and spoke in a normal, yet firm voice: "I'll make the arrangements."

The two got more and more excited as they talked, and one plan grew into two, then two into four, going around in circles and becoming more and more outrageous.

Regulus listened to their discussion without interrupting, and he didn't say what Lestrange really wanted.

Although Rabastan is stupid, he wouldn't be stupid enough to personally go and ambush someone; he didn't point that out.

Let them think it over, discuss it, and come up with a plan on their own. Even if they go astray, it's still a rare opportunity.

Last year, they were passively drawn into the Astronomical Tower incident, but this time it's different.

This time, they stood together and discussed how to handle the same thing together; this kind of experience doesn't come around often.

He glanced in Hermes' direction.

This guy listened for a long time, and the light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter, but he still didn't participate in the discussion; he just pondered it by himself.

He interrupted Avery, who was getting into a great conversation: "Alex."

Alex turned around immediately.

"Snape is also involved in this, he's part of the plan. Go and coordinate with him. As for Costa and Vance, tell them what's going on and let them choose for themselves."

Avery's lips twitched slightly, he didn't say anything, and shifted his gaze elsewhere.

Alex paused for a moment, then nodded: "I understand."

Regulus added, "Keep a close eye on them, make sure nothing serious happens."

After saying that, he stood up, walked towards his private cabin, and pushed open the door to go inside.

The talking outside hadn't stopped; Avery's voice was more intense as he discussed some details with Alex, his tone energetic and enthusiastic.

Alex spoke softer, but he kept talking, and the two of them took turns saying things, pushing the conversation further.

Then came Hermes' voice, just one sentence: "Tell me when you're done discussing, and I'll take charge of the operation."

Regulus sat down in the hut.

It's not a big deal, let them handle it themselves.