Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Chapter 296 Regulus: I'm looking forward to it

On the edge of the lawn in front of Lesterrange Manor, on the outskirts of Oxfordshire.

Sirius opened his eyes, swayed slightly, stepped onto solid ground, and blinked.

There was no gagging, no leg weakness, and no ringing in the ears.

He looked at Regulus, a hint of surprise in his expression: "You...this time?"

"It was intentional last time." Regulus released his arm.

Sirius glared at him.

"Sirius, come here." Orion's voice came from ahead.

He and Walbuga were already standing in the square in front of the manor, looking back in this direction.

Sirius glared at Regulus again, then strode over.

Regulus didn't leave immediately; he first looked around.

Visitors continued to appear in the open space in front of the manor.

Some appeared out of thin air, like apparitions, and after a muffled thud, the person was standing there. Most of them were adult wizards with their families, the men in robes and the women in long dresses, walking on the lawn towards the manor.

Some house-elves brought their owners along; they would appear with a snap, then hunch over and retreat into the shadows.

Several other groups were transported by door keys, clutching teapot lids, old gloves, or a piece of rope in their hands. After landing, they stuffed the items into their pockets and dusted off their robes.

When a couple landed, the woman cursed something in French, probably because the door key had dirtied her gloves.

The man replied to her in English, his accent carrying a slightly drawn-out vowel, indicating he was from the south of France.

There were quite a few people, walking in twos and threes on the lawn toward the manor. Some bumped into acquaintances along the way, stopped to shake hands and exchange pleasantries, their breaths drifting in the night.

Regulus's gaze passed over the crowd and landed on the manor.

The square in front of the manor is paved with stone slabs, and glowing moss is embedded in the cracks between the stones. When you step on it, it will light up briefly, and then it will darken again when you lift your foot off the ground.

The shrubs on both sides of the square were neatly trimmed, and a magical orb of light hung on top of each shrub.

They were silvery-white, not large, but numerous, stretching from the plaza entrance all the way to the lobby steps, illuminating the entire road.

The exterior walls of the main building are covered with glowing vines that climb up the French stone walls, wrap around the edge of each narrow window, and continue upwards to the top floor's battlements.

Tiny specks of light float in the air, scattered by the wind and then gathering again, only to scatter once more. They pause briefly on a passerby's robe as they pass over their shoulder before continuing to drift.

Warm yellow light emanated from every window of the manor, steady and full, overflowing from the window frames and casting a soft, warm hue on the stone walls of the manor.

Silvery-white smoke billowed from the rooftop chimney. Instead of rising into the sky, the smoke swirled around the chimney window a few times before turning into thin, long threads that climbed up the roof ridge and hung from the eaves, tinkling in the wind.

The entire manor glowed as if it were breathing.

The stones are still the same stones, the windows are still the same windows, but under the embellishment of magic, the cold, oppressive feeling is covered up, replaced by a kind of old-money luxury, quiet and understated.

Regulus looked away and walked forward to catch up with Orion and the others.

The number of people on the stone-paved road gradually increased, becoming denser as they approached the main gate of the manor.

Orion walked at the front, his pace slow, with Walbuga holding his right arm, her skirt trailing a mark on the ground.

Sirius followed on Orion's left, with Regulus beside Sirius.

A middle-aged wizard in a dark blue robe strode over from the side, stopping two steps in front of Orion and bowing slightly: "Good evening, Mr. Black."

Orion stopped and glanced at him: "Christopher."

"It's been a long time. The last time was in Wizengamo," the man said with a smile, his attitude respectful but not obsequious, striking a good balance.

"Our family voted the same as the Black family on this year's proposal to regulate dark magic items."

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"I know." Orion's tone was similar to usual, neither warm nor cold.

Christopher waited a moment, and seeing that Orion didn't seem inclined to continue, he tactfully turned to the side and said, "These two..."

"My two sons," Orion said.

"I've heard so much about you," Christopher nodded to Sirius and Regulus, his tone now more enthusiastic. "The two young masters of the Black family must be quite well-regarded at Hogwarts."

"Hello." Regulus nodded, interrupting the sentence he hadn't finished speaking.

Christopher's smile faltered for a moment, then returned. He nodded to Orion, stepped aside, and walked away.

Walbuga didn't even look at him, walking past him with his chin slightly raised and his eyes looking straight ahead.

More people came over, this time two: an old wizard with gray hair and a younger one. Both were wearing dark blue robes, and Regulus didn't recognize the family crest on their chests.

"Mr. Black," the old wizard's voice trembled slightly, his tone unsteady, "I am Gregory Simcoe, this is my son Mikhail, we—"

""

"Mr. Simcoe," Orion's tone was still not particularly warm, but he said a few more words than before: "You handled the matter in the Celtic Strait quite well last time."

The old wizard gave a genuine smile and nodded several times.

Simcoe's son, Mikhail, turned to Regulus and Sirius, glancing at his father before speaking, and then said, "Hello, Mr. Black."

Regulus nodded. "Hello."

Sirius nodded, his face expressionless.

Mikhail said nothing more and followed his father.

After they had walked a distance, Walbuga commented, "Such a sensible little family."

No one responded, and the Blake family continued walking.

Two or three more groups of people came up to greet him on the way. The pattern was similar: the other party would take the initiative to come over, say a few words to Orion, and then casually inquire about his wife and two sons before leaving.

Orion's attitude remained consistent: distant, polite, responsive to everyone, but not talk much with anyone.

Walbuga kept her eyes straight ahead the entire time; her pride, her dignity, and her status did not need to be displayed in response to others.

Sirius nodded when someone came over, shook hands when someone reached out, and hummed in response when someone spoke. He did a great job.

Although his face clearly showed that he didn't want to be there, every movement he made was precise.

Regulus stood beside him, maintaining the same distance as Orion—neither warm nor cold, but responsive.

He would nod when someone called him, and if someone praised his performance at school, he would say "you flatter me," but he followed Orion's lead.

Orion said half a sentence more to someone, and he said half a sentence more to that person; Orion simply nodded to someone, and he simply nodded to that person.

On either side of the main gate of the manor crouch stone sculptures of eagle-headed lions. The gate is wide open, and warm light spills out from inside, illuminating the stone slabs at the entrance.

Rodolphus Lestrange stood on the right side of the foyer.

He wore a dark formal robe with the Lestrange family crest pinned to his chest; he had a square face, high cheekbones, and a polite but not warm expression.

He is the owner of this manor, but not the protagonist tonight; he knows this, and everyone who walks through this door knows it too.

Bella stood to his left.

Her long black dress trailed to her ankles, with a low neckline that revealed her collarbone. Her hair was loose, with thick, black curls cascading over her shoulders, making her face appear even smaller.

Deep-set eyes, large pupils, and dark-colored lips.

The hand she placed on Rodolph's arm had loose fingers; it was just resting there.

She is the face of the Lestrange family tonight.

Orion walked up the steps.

"Orion." Rodolphs extended his hand.

"Rodolphus." Orion grasped his hand, and the two hands touched briefly before letting go.

Walbuga released Orion's arm, a smile instantly spreading across his face.

She greeted Bella, her eagerness barely concealed: "Bella, the manor is beautifully decorated, thank you for your hard work."

Bella smiled slightly, the curve of her lips barely moving, her eyes not following her gaze: "Auntie, you're too kind."

Walbuga was still talking about the details of the arrangement, the glowing moss on the stone slabs and the silver threads on the roof ridge, and so on.

Bella listened without interrupting or responding, her expression remaining unchanged.

Then Bella turned to Orion, her smile fading, not suddenly turning cold, but becoming serious.

Bella looked directly into Orion's eyes: "Uncle."

Orion nodded: "Bella."

Their eyes met briefly before they looked away.

Regulus walked up the steps.

"Cousin Bella," he said, his tone slightly polite, but not much, "Rodolphs."

Rodolphus reached out and shook his hand.

Not warm, not cold, not even a bit of unnecessary politeness, far less enthusiastic than the time at the Malfoys' house: "Regus."

""

Then Bella took a step forward, snatched Regulus's right hand that he hadn't yet retracted, and clenched it tightly with all five fingers, much more forceful than normal in social situations.

"Regulus, my dear cousin," Bella licked her lips, a wide smile curving her lips, her voice laced with laughter, but her eyes devoid of any warmth, "you've learned a lot at school."

"There are some things I want to talk to you about after dinner," Bella said, her eyes fixed on him, her large, dark pupils contracting. "My cousin has a lot to say to you."

Regulus didn't move or pull his hand away, letting her hold it, his expression remaining unchanged from beginning to end.

He met Bella's gaze: "I'm looking forward to it."

Then he pulled his hand back, and Bella's fingers slid across the back of his hand, her nails scraping lightly as she finally let go.

Regulus turned to look at Rodolphus, and the two nodded to each other.

Rodolphus stood to the side and watched from beginning to end.

The Black family's business has always been the Black family's business.

Bella married into the family, and Rodolphs knew very well that although this woman bore the Lestrange surname, what she had in her mind had absolutely nothing to do with the Lestrange family.

She does whatever she wants without ever asking for his opinion, and he can't give her any advice either.

Whatever happens between her and her younger cousin tonight is none of the Lestrange family's business; he's just standing at the door greeting guests.

He shifted his gaze to the face of the next guest who came up, and extended his hand: "Good evening."