Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Chapter 297 Christmas Dinner

The main banquet hall is much larger than the foyer.

The buffet was set out with a long table around the wall, covered with a dark tablecloth, and silver candlesticks and plates on the table.

A magical flame burned on the candlestick, its color shifting between warm yellow and pale gold, without smoking or dripping wax, providing a stable light.

Some of the food on the plates was slowly changing, and a thin layer of cold mist floated on a plate of sliced ​​smoked salmon.

Oyster shells are arranged on crushed ice, the meat inside still trembling slightly, while garlic butter in a silver dish next to them is stirring on its own.

In the bread basket next to it, several small loaves of bread were being automatically cut open, revealing steaming hot air through the cuts.

The servants, dressed in dark uniforms, moved among the crowd. They did not speak or look anyone in the eye, but every now and then they would take a glass of wine from a silver tray and hand it to the empty-handed guests.

House-elves are almost invisible, only appearing from a corner when the tablecloth needs to be changed or the fireplace ashes need to be cleaned, and then disappearing immediately after doing so.

There were no assigned seats in the banquet hall; guests stood around the hall chatting, some with wine glasses in hand and others empty-handed.

Regulus stood at the entrance to the banquet hall and glanced into the crowd.

There were probably just over a hundred guests tonight, their voices buzzing, laughter, small talk, and the clinking of glasses all mixed together.

Orion led Sirius into the hall to greet the heads of the various families.

Walbuga had already found her way into the ladies' circle; her dark green dress flashed and disappeared into the crowd.

Regulus took a glass of sparkling water from the servant's tray. The glass was cool to the touch, and the bubbles rose up, turning into tiny pale blue specks that flashed briefly at the rim before disappearing.

He took a sip; it didn't taste like much, just water with a little carbonation, but the light that came out looked quite nice.

Then he went into the crowd.

"Regulus".

Lucretius Burke walked over to him with a wine glass in his hand.

A dark gray robe with a Burke family crest pinned to the collar, crossed wands and keys, and an open book in the background.

It's been almost half a year since graduation, and this former Slytherin prefect is quite different from the one Regulus remembers.

At school, Lucretius had the kind of uprightness that a prefect had, and he always spoke and acted with a certain air of formality.

Now, most of that student air has disappeared, and his demeanor is more restrained than when he was a class monitor, as if he has shaved off all the unnecessary movements.

His gaze swept casually across the hall, like that of a young businessman who was already used to such occasions.

Regulus clinked glasses with him: "Lucretius."

He asked, "How is it?"

"Not bad," Lucretius said, taking a sip of his drink and lowering his voice.

"The inspection office has relaxed a bit recently. When that batch of goods was inspected before, we thought it would take at least six months to process, but it was suppressed in three months."

"They changed people?"

"No change of personnel, just a change of wind," Lucretius swirled his glass. "Someone up there gave us a heads-up, we didn't ask, but a few businesses in Knockturn Alley have already moved out, and the rest are just watching."

Regulus understood.

The Bock family is still handling the business in Knockdown Alley, and the pressure has lessened considerably, but it's not nonexistent. They are assessing the political climate and identifying allies.

"The things in Knockdown Lane that the Black family owns won't move," Regulus said.

Lucretius simply nodded and asked no further questions.

“Mr. Burke said that when you have time, you can go to Burkin-Burke again,” Lucretius said, his tone more relaxed. “There are some new things there.”

Regulus's heart skipped a beat.

The last time I went to Borgin-Borck's shop, old Borck showed me three things in the warehouse: the Cursed Box, the Soul Container, and the Nameless Staff.

All three items were high-risk items being pursued by the Ministry of Magic. Old Burke used them to exchange for the Black family's crucial support in Wizengamot for three years.

The deal was ultimately decided by Orion, and all three items were transferred to the Black family and stored in the deepest rune warehouse in the basement of Grimmauld Place.

The cane was the one that concerned him the most, and he was forcibly instilling the concept of despair into him, but he hadn't had time to study it yet.

"Definitely." Regulus nodded.

Lucretius raised his cup, then turned and left.

Regulus watched his figure disappear into the crowd, then picked up his sparkling water and took a sip.

The review office is still active, but less so than before.

Last year, the Ministry of Magic set up a special department to investigate the circulation of dark magic items, which initially caused chaos in Knockout Lane.

But now the efforts have been significantly reduced, either because someone above is blocking it, or because the audit office's own staffing and budget have been blocked.

Regardless of the reason, it shows that the Death Eaters' infiltration of the Ministry of Magic is ongoing, step by step, quietly hollowing out those troublesome institutions from within.

The Burke family's position remains special.

Karaktakus Burke, the current head of the family, and Voldemort's first boss after graduation.

When Voldemort worked at Borgin Burke, everyone thought it was a less-than-honorable experience.

Later, Voldemort rose to power and established his own faction. The Burkes did not openly follow him, and Voldemort did not harm them.

The Burkes are not Death Eaters, but their business is deeply intertwined with that of the Death Eaters.

The fact that Lucretius was present on this occasion speaks volumes.

A voice came from the right: "Mr. Blake?"

Regulus turned his head, and a wizard in his early forties walked over, wearing a brown robe and a small family crest pinned to his chest, the design of which was a bent old oak tree.

He hadn't met them, so they weren't a family worth remembering.

"Philip Wendell," the other man said, extending his hand with a humble smile, "The Wendell family has some property in Wiltshire, your father may have mentioned it."

Orion didn't mention it, but Regulus still shook his hand.

"We've all heard about Mr. Black's exploits at Hogwarts."

Wendell's smile was very polite: "The Wendell family may be small, but it has always stood on the same side as the Black family, and that will never change."

Regulus thought for a moment, and realized that this was probably referring to the Belmont family.

"Mr. Wendell is too kind," he said.

Wendell waited a while, but Regulus showed no intention of continuing to speak.

"Then I won't bother you any longer," Wendell said with a smile, taking a step back and raising his glass. "Have a pleasant evening."

Regulus nodded, and Wendell turned and left with satisfaction.

"Regulus".

Another voice came, this time different, and quite substantial.

Signas Rozier, the current head of the main branch of the Rozier family, is in his early fifties with gray hair that is neatly combed and fine lines around his eyes.

The dark robe was embroidered with the Rozier family’s signature thorn pattern, which was faintly visible in the light.

He stepped out of the crowd, holding a wine glass in his hand, taking large but steady steps.

"Mr. Rozier." Regulus gave a slight bow.

Signas raised his glass and, without any beating around the bush, said directly, "Alex is at Hogwarts. Thank you for taking care of him."

"Alex is doing well at school," Regulus said, his tone less distant than before, and more thoughtful. "He's sensible and reliable, and I'm very satisfied."

Signas raised an eyebrow.

I am very satisfied.

A twelve-year-old wizard is evaluating members of another family, speaking in the tone of someone in a superior position.

But he didn't correct it.

The fact that a child from a branch of the Rozier family is working under the heir of the Black family is considered a good thing for the main Rozier branch.

This young Blake has already demonstrated abilities and prestige far beyond his age. Those who follow him will inevitably benefit in the future; it's a win-win situation.

Moreover, a child from one branch cannot represent the position of the main branch. If something happens one day, the main branch can say that it is the branch's business and has nothing to do with us.

But if the Black heir does go that far, this relationship could become a resource for the main branch at any time.

So Signas came in person, which can be seen as a way of making a statement.

"I haven't paid much attention to Alex before," Signas said, his tone so frank it was almost unbelievable for this occasion.

"Things at the branch office are usually too far away. If it weren't for you, I might not even be able to meet with the people there."

Regulus's heart skipped a beat.

The main branch and the sub-branches of Rozier are indeed far apart, so far that Signas may not even know that his family has someone like Alex.

But because of him, Alex came into the main branch's sights.

This method of leveraging personal relationships to shift the attention of the entire family is also a way of exerting influence on the outside world.

Interestingly, Rozier seems to appear alongside both generations of Dark Lords.

Grindelwald has a confidante, his key deputy, a fanatical follower, and the Black Rose of France by his side.

Voldemort also has one by his side, Evan Rozier, who graduated this year and should have already joined the Death Eaters.

Coincidentally, there was also a Rozier by his side.

In fact, the Black and Rozier families are related.

Bellatrix, Andromeda, Narcissa's mother, his aunt, Druella, was a Rozier before she married into the Black family.

That's how pure-blood families are; if one family marries into another's family, the other will always have some blood relation.

"Mr. Rozier, you're too kind," Regulus said. "Alex did a very good job."

Signas raised his glass, the two clinked glasses, and then he turned and left.

Regulus walked to a pillar on one side of the banquet hall, holding a glass, and looked around the room.

In his view, the people in the hall could be roughly divided into three types.

The first type is the true core, the head of a large family; wherever they stand, that place becomes the center of the crowd.

They are relaxed and not in a hurry to talk to people, because others will take the initiative to approach them.

The second type is followers, people from medium-sized and small families.

They would find their place around the key figures, walking back and forth with a wine glass in hand, their eyes constantly observing who was talking to whom, and adjusting their direction accordingly.

The third type is marginal figures who are simply there to show off.

They stood by the long table, pretending to pick out food, but actually waiting for someone to strike up a conversation. Their main goal tonight was probably not to make themselves look too lonely.

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