Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

As we left the small garden, it was already getting dark, and lights began to come on in the castle windows; dinner time was approaching.

Regulus quickened his pace, but encountered someone at the entrance to the greenhouse area.

She was a Hufflepuff girl, in second or third grade, with light brown hair tied in a loose bun. She was squatting in front of a row of flowerpots, carefully tending to a wilted, white, loose soil.

"You'll hurt your lateral root if you do that," Regulus said instinctively, stopping in his tracks.

The girl looked up and blinked: "What?"

"You're using the shovel at too straight an angle," Regulus pointed to the small shovel in her hand. "The roots of the white peony spread out horizontally, not deep downwards. Using the shovel vertically will cut off the lateral roots."

The girl looked down and suddenly realized, "No wonder this plant hasn't been growing well... Thank you."

She adjusted the angle, inserting the needle into the soil at an angle and gently loosening the surrounding soil.

"Are you a new Slytherin student?" she asked as she worked. "It's rare to see a Slytherin so knowledgeable about herbalism."

"Regulus Black, first year," he introduced himself simply.

"I'm Eleanor Borns, a third-year student." The girl smiled, revealing a fang. "You should know the Borns family."

She continued, her tone tinged with undisguised friendly curiosity: "I know you, the second Black of Hogwarts."

Before you entered Slytherin, we—well, I mean, quite a few people—privately speculated that you would enter Slytherin like everyone in the Black family for the past five hundred years.

"I'll still choose Gryffindor, just like your brother did."

Regulus raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

He knew that almost all the students from pure-blood families at Hogwarts, and even many professors, were paying attention to his sorting results.

After all, Sirius's choice was not only a personal act of rebellion, but also a breaking of the Black family's five-hundred-year-old, unbreakable tradition.

Five hundred years—such a long span of time—is enough for "Black is Slytherin" to become a kind of unspoken consensus in the wizarding world.

In this critical period of undercurrents and when many ancient families are re-evaluating their positions, the destination of the Black family heir's branch house may even be interpreted by outsiders as a signal from the family.

Regulus was already aware of these things, and he knew that people would not stop talking about it.

Even in the original novel, these discussions continue until the Black family is almost wiped out.

But this was the first time he had mentioned it so frankly since enrolling, like Eleanor Burns.

This young witch from the Burns family was far more direct than any of the other pure-blooded people he had ever met.

Regulus, of course, knew about the Borns family.

The Bones family is also one of the Twenty-Eight Holy Families, with a relatively moderate stance, and many family members hold positions in the Ministry of Magic.

This Eleanor is probably a relative of Amelia Bornes, who is the future Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Regulus made no attempt to downplay her statement, his grey eyes calmly fixed on her: "Now it seems the answer is Slytherin, and those speculations can cease."

Eleanor Borns blinked, then laughed. "Indeed, and you seem to be doing quite well there."

Regulus didn't continue the topic. He pointed to the flowerpot on the ground and said, "White sage likes loose soil, but doesn't like to be moved frequently."

You should add a layer of crushed clay pebbles to the bottom of the pot to improve drainage. The soil in this pot is retaining too much water, which makes the roots prone to rot.

Eleanor looked at him in surprise: "How do you know the soil retains too much water?"

"The leaves are slightly curled at the edges and have a darker green color, which indicates that the roots are not breathing well. Also, when you loosened the soil just now, the soil clumped together, which means that the moisture content was too high."

"Merlin, you're right." Eleanor stood up and patted the soil off her hands. "I've been using the standard potting mix formula, but this batch of leaf mold might not be of good quality."

Thank you for your suggestion, Mr. Blake.

Regulus nodded slightly.

The two spent five minutes exchanging techniques for loosening the soil as the daylight faded.

Eleanor taught him how to feel the soil with his fingers and how to cultivate several uncommon magical plants.

In exchange, Regulus shared a few simple soil testing spells from garden care magic—very useful tips.

Eleanor packed up her tools: "It's time to go to the Great Hall. Shall we go together?"

"it is good."

The two walked side by side toward the castle, encountering several Hufflepuff students along the way. They looked surprised to see Eleanor and Slytherin walking together, but no one said anything.

As she entered the hall, Eleanor waved goodbye: "Goodbye, Mr. Black."

Goodbye, Miss Burns.

Regulus walked to the Slytherin table and sat down. Avery leaned over and asked, "What were you talking about with the Borns?"

"Herbalism," Regulus replied simply, and began putting roasted meat onto his plate. The small experiment he had just conducted had been quite taxing, and he needed to replenish his energy.

"The Burns family is alright, not too bad," Avery commented. "But their daughter Amelia is too serious about the Ministry of Magic, and my father doesn't like her."

"Perhaps she doesn't like Mr. Cuthbert either," Regulus said.

Avery pondered for a moment after hearing this, then shrugged: "You're right."

......

Just after midnight, Regulus was startled awake from his meditation by a surge of magical energy.

He instantly withdrew all his magic, slowed his breathing, and remained still, with only his eyes slightly open.

On the opposite bed, Hermes Murseb's bed curtains were gently lifted.

The figure in the black robe slid out silently, landing without making a sound.

Hermes straightened up in the darkness, as if confirming something; he even paused briefly at each bedside, including Regulus's.

One minute later, Hermes walked out of the dormitory.

Regulus waited for three minutes, then slowly sat up.

He got out of bed and walked to Hermes' bedside. There was still a gap in the bed curtains. Regulus didn't touch anything, but simply scanned with his magical senses.

The bed was neatly made, with a book under the pillow. The cover was dark red leather, and there was no title. The book had protective spells on it, and forcibly probing it would trigger an alarm.

There was an empty glass bottle on the bedside table, with a very small amount of black liquid remaining at the bottom. Regulus couldn't recognize what it was, but it was certainly not a regular potion.

Hermes's satchel sat on the windowsill, the zipper not fully closed, revealing a corner of parchment.

Without any protective spells, Regulus gently pried it open with his magic probe.

It was a map, hand-drawn, with rough lines but clear markings.

In the middle is the main body of Hogwarts Castle, with several areas circled off. On the fourth floor, on the right side of the corridor, there is a sign that reads "Explored, no results found".

On the west side of the cellar, in the abandoned classroom area, is a sign that reads "Protected, needs to be cracked".

There is also a room below the Astronomical Tower marked "Possible entrance, pending verification".

Below the astronomical tower? That should be the outer wall of the castle; there shouldn't be any rooms there.

Unless it's a secret room or a secret passage.

Regulus withdrew the probe and returned to his bed.

What is Hermes Murseb looking for?

Or, for whom are you looking for something?

An hour later, at 1:14 a.m., the door was gently opened again.

Hermes returned, his steps heavier than when he left, fresh burn marks on the hem of his robe, and a thin red mark on the back of his left hand, as if it had been cut by something sharp.

He paused at the door for a few seconds, his gaze sweeping over the three beds.

After confirming that there was no unusual activity, Hermes went to his bed. As he took off his robe, Regulus smelled a faint sulfurous odor.

It is either magical flames or the residue of some kind of alchemical reaction.

Hermes drew the bed curtains, and the rustling sound of changing clothes could be heard from inside, then all was silent.

Regulus opened his eyes and stared into the darkness above the bed curtains.

First grade, eleven years old, already venturing into dangerous secrets.

The Mursab family is one of the Twenty-Eight Holy Families, but it occupies a peripheral position.

For generations, Muller has been involved in the trade of rare magical items, but in reality, they are intermediaries in the smuggling and collection of dark magic artifacts.

He excels at skirting the law, has secret collaborations with several shops in Knockturn Alley, does not pursue political power, and focuses on collecting forbidden knowledge and dangerous magical items.

He doesn't publicly support Voldemort, but secretly provides supplies to the Death Eaters.

Was Hermes' behavior a personal interest or a family mission?

If it's the latter, then what he's looking for is likely related to the impending war.

The hooting of an owl came from outside the window, distant and indistinct. Regulus didn't think much of it and decided to keep an eye on it.

He closed his eyes again and began a new cycle of magic.

The geometric model of Orion lit up in my mind, and starlight-like magic flowed along the calculated trajectory.