Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Chapter 301 Bella, Cousin, are you planning to take action?

Everyone was stunned.

Bella's mouth remained in the shape of her previous question, but the next syllable was cut off mid-air.

She blinked, the first time tonight she blinked out of confusion, not out of performance.

Narcissa's fingers tightened around Lucius's arm. Lucius switched the snake-headed staff to his left hand and placed his right hand on the back of Narcissa's hand.

Sirius seemed to receive some kind of signal, shifting his body forward slightly and placing his weight on the balls of his feet.

Rodolphus looked at Regulus, his indifferent, spectator-like expression slightly softening, his brow furrowing slightly before returning to normal.

He walked over from beside the door frame.

He was tall and walked quickly, his robes fluttering behind him. He passed behind Bella and stopped a few steps away from her.

It wasn't exactly close, but it was in the same direction as Bella, facing Regulus.

Bella turned her head and glanced at Rodolphs.

She pursed her lips, the lingering warmth of the performance on her face quickly fading, replaced by something else: wariness.

This part wasn't in her script, and Regulus suddenly turned the conversation to Rodolphus. She didn't know what it meant, but she wouldn't interrupt for the time being.

Her gaze returned to Regulus, and the light in her eyes had turned cold.

Regulus looked at Rodolphus, his tone almost as if he were saying the salmon was good tonight.

"Rabastan attacked my people at Hogwarts, those two half-bloods."

"They tried to force-feed my men the truth serum to find out what I had planned, but they were caught and ran away."

He paused, then continued, "I think you should know that the Lestrange family made a move against the Black heirs."

A very faint sound came from the corner.

Rabastan shifted his foot and shrank further behind the pillar, half of his face disappearing into the shadows, leaving only one eye and a section of his forehead visible in the candlelight.

His face had turned ashen, his eyes darting around in their sockets. He glanced at Rodolphus's back, then at Bella's profile, before fixing his gaze on the floor.

He tried to run, but the door was sealed by magic after the servants retreated. He could only shrink into the shadows, trying to make himself as small as possible, as non-existent as possible.

Regulus said it in front of everyone, but that wasn't the worst part.

The most crucial question is why he did it.

He wanted to impress Bella; he wanted that woman to know he wasn't a child anymore, that he could handle things.

He wanted to see the way her collar would droop when she bent over, to see the lines of her hips peeking out from under her robe as she walked, and to wonder when that button would come undone.

If this were to become known—

Rodolphs will know that his brother is eyeing his wife.

Bella will find out too.

Bella glanced at Rabastan, then looked away. She looked at Rodolphus, then at Regulus.

She had no idea that Rabastan had done such a thing.

Her letter, her advice, and her affair with Regulus—it was all about her and the Black family from beginning to end. When did Labastan get involved?

Her brows were furrowed and wouldn't relax.

Rodolphus stood there, his face expressionless.

He turned his gaze away from Rabastan.

idiot.

It was already foolish enough to provoke the heir of the Black family, but then it was discovered.

Even if they were found out, they wouldn't tell their families. Instead, they would hide it from their neighbors and confront them directly.

For a pure-blood family to lose face in this matter is even more humiliating than losing a Wizengamot vote.

The Lestrange family doesn't need to do such underhanded things.

Even his attempts to hide were so unsightly.

Rodolphs had initially thought this was an internal affair of the Black family, a tug-of-war between Bella and her cousin, and had nothing to do with the Lestrange family.

He watched the play all night and planned to go to sleep after the Black family left.

Now he's been brought onto the stage.

Rodolphus looked at Regulus again.

Regulus had been suppressed by Bella for so long, and now he suddenly turned his attention to the Lestrange family. Was he trying to change the subject?

He considered the possibility that the kid had come for the Lestrange family from the very beginning.

But the thought only crossed my mind for a moment; it shouldn't come to that.

A twelve-year-old wizard would be lucky to withstand Bella's oppression; he probably wouldn't actively drag the Lestrange family into it.

More likely, it was a way to change the subject. Bella was pushing too hard, so he brought up the Rabastan affair to distract himself and put some pressure on the Lestrange family so he could catch his breath.

This little wizard's methods weren't particularly sophisticated, but they were still quite measured.

The Lestrange family held a significant position within Voldemort's faction, and he himself was among the most loyal.

But loyalty is one thing, and family dignity is another.

The Lestrange family no longer has a senior wizard who can keep things in check, their businesses are not as good as the Malfoy family's, and their political resources are not as good as the Black family's.

He was able to keep the family afloat because of his absolute loyalty to Voldemort.

It's not worth a direct confrontation with the Blake family.

What do you want?

Rodolphus's tone was devoid of any superfluous words; he neither argued nor denied, nor inquired about the background, but went straight to the conditions.

Because it was unnecessary, the Black family heir spoke in front of these people, while the head of the Black family stood by without saying a word. This is the clearest assessment.

Asking again if it's true or if there's a mistake will only make you more embarrassed.

Regulus did not answer.

He turned his head and glanced at Sirius.

Sirius Black, Sic.

Sirius didn't understand, but that was exactly what he was waiting for.

His lips curled upwards and outwards, finally revealing an undisguised smile.

Throughout the entire banquet tonight, he stood next to Orion, listening to hours of nonsense and seeing dozens of hypocritical faces.

He tolerated Volbuga's rambling, the obsequious faces of those small families, Bella's speech that gave him goosebumps, and the performance of her circling around Regulus just now.

All my patience was put to rest the moment I heard the word "Sic".

He walked away from Orion.

As he walked, he pulled his wand from his robes and twirled it between his fingers.

Regulus's words echoed in his mind: appear at the crucial moment, when everyone is watching, and strike decisively.

handsome.

He thinks he looks very handsome right now.

All eyes were on him as he walked through the Lestrange family's banquet hall to beat up one of the Lestranges.

So handsome.

When Rabastan saw Sirius walking towards him, his first thought was, "This isn't right."

A Black, a Gryffindor Black, dares to make a move at Lestrange Manor? Isn't he afraid of Rodolphus? Isn't he afraid of Bella?

No matter how he thought about it, this scene was wrong; it shouldn't have happened. He was a member of the Lestrange family, and this was his home. He didn't have time to think anymore; Sirius Black raised his wand.

He glanced at Rodolphus one last time, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.

Rodolphus stood still, facing Regulus, without turning around.

Sirius Black walked five steps in front of Rabastan and flicked his wand.

"Eliminate your weapon."

A beam of red light struck his chest; it didn't need to be precise, it just had to be fast.

The wand flew out of his hand, hit the edge of a stone pillar, bounced into the air, landed under the long table, rolled several times, and rolled into the pile of half-removed plates, making a hollow, crisp sound.

Rabastan looked down at his empty hands: "You—"

'

Sirius put the wand back in his pocket.

He pressed close, clenched his left fist, and slammed it upwards at Rabastan's right rib.

He remembered that Regulus had done the same thing when he hit him.

He used the same method, the same angle, and punched Rabastan in the ribs with considerable force.

But the angle seems a little off, and the feel isn't right.

Rabastan hunched over, his face contorted, but he didn't fall.

He could even raise his hand to block, letting out a muffled groan.

Sirius shouted and threw another punch, but still didn't fall.

He got a little annoyed and threw another punch, this time from a different spot, aiming for the softer area below the ribs.

Rabastan's legs buckled, and his body slid down the pillar until he collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach with both hands and his face contorted in pain.

Sirius stood in front of him, took a couple of breaths, and shook his right hand; his finger joints hurt a little.

He looked down at Rabastan on the ground, a wide grin spreading across his face.

The banquet hall exploded.

Walbuga was the first to react. She screamed, a mixture of shock and anger in her high-pitched voice, "Sirius! What are you doing?!"

Her hand had already touched the wand, the handle sliding into her palm, and at the same time she turned her head to glare in Regulus's direction, her mouth opening to utter a second curse.

Orion held her wrist.

The movement was subtle; one hand was placed on top, and the grip tightened.

Walbuga turned his head sharply to look at him, his eyes wide open, his mouth agape, the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat.

She looked at Orion's face; he was expressionless, motionless, and his breathing hadn't changed.

She then looked at Regulus, who, like Orion, remained expressionless and motionless.

She looked at Sirius again; he was beaming with excitement, his mouth twitching to his ears, his eyes shining, as he stood in front of Rabastan, waving his hand.

She immediately understood that the three of them had planned this together.

Orion knew that Regulus had arranged it, and Sirius had carried it out.

Only she knew nothing from beginning to end.

Walbuga's mouth slowly closed, and her hands, held down by Orion, stopped moving.

Her expression shifted between anger and grievance before settling into a stiff silence.

Narcissa was a beat too late in reacting.

Sirius sensed something was wrong as soon as she walked out, but it wasn't until the fist landed on Labastan that she let out a short scream, covered her mouth with her hand, and took a step forward.

Sirius Black—

'

Lucius placed his hand on her waist, his palm flat against her ribs, and pulled her back a step, shielding her behind him.

Narcissa turned to look at Lucius.

Lucius didn't look at her; his gaze was fixed on the hall, and he narrowed his eyes slightly.

Bella couldn't possibly remain unresponsive after they did that.

Regulus knew Bella couldn't possibly remain unresponsive.

What he wanted was Bella's reaction.

Lucius didn't speak or make any other movements.

Rodolphus stood in his original position, facing Regulus, his expression silent.

He never looked back at Rabastan being beaten; he only looked at Regulus, and the meaning in his eyes was very simple.

That's it?

Just a beating?

But Bella didn't think so.

When Sirius threw her first punch, her hand was already touching her wand.

She realized that Regulus had never come to back down from the start.

She went through so many circles and said so many things; all her performances were just gaps in his waiting.

She was ignored; she was played.

He made a move on her turf, having Sirius Black beat up the Lestrange family members in her banquet hall.

Sirius Black, a Gryffindor, a blood traitor, the kind of Black she despised the most.

He confiscated Rabastan's wand, then put away his own, and beat a dog with his fists, disdaining even to use a wand.

The two things combined made her want to tear everything in the hall to shreds.

Bella's expression cracked, starting from the corners of her mouth and spreading to her eyes; her entire face looked like a completely different person in an instant.

She pulled her hand out from under her skirt, wand in hand, and turned to face Sirius.

The tip of her cane shone.

But before her spell could fly out, a beam of light shot from behind and collided with it the instant Bella's spell left the tip of her staff.

The two spells collided in mid-air, the incantations exploding and shattering into countless fragments of light that flashed briefly before vanishing.

Bella's spell was broken.

Regulus stood a few steps away from her, wand in his hand.

"My cousin Bella."

His voice echoed in the quiet banquet hall, his tone unchanged from before, from every word he uttered that evening.

"You want to take action?"

Bella turned sharply to look at Regulus, and then she suddenly laughed.

She recalled his silence all night and suddenly understood: he wanted this.

He wanted this from the moment she stood in front of him.

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze sweeping across his face. All the anger of being mocked, the shame of being ignored, and the control of being provoked all melted into something she knew and loved most.

"You think you can stand before me just because you beat a few students at Hogwarts?" Her voice was burning hot, each word trembling.

Regulus didn't answer her; he raised his wand, the tip pointing at her.