Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Chapter 316 is finished, time to go home.

The process of containing the fire is much slower than its release.

The out-of-control raging fire has a tendency to be autonomous. It is easy to get it out, but it takes a lot of effort to get it back. It wants to keep burning; destruction is the sole purpose of its existence. To make it stop is to let it die.

Regulus's will pushed outward along the connection with Fiend, guiding the destructive impulses back, peeling away layer by layer the autonomous tendencies that had arisen after spiraling out of control.

The dragon shrank back first, folding its wings and shrinking its body. It flew over from a distance, shrinking into a fire snake. The fire snake shrank again, becoming a flame the size of a fist.

The giant snake then withdrew its body from the ruins, coiled up, shrank, and became a burning rope. The rope then shrank again and merged into the flames.

Chimera returned last, its six legs still kicking reluctantly, but Regulus's will held it down and forcibly compressed it.

It went from having six legs to four, then four to two, and finally became a ball of fire, merging with the two that had been there before.

The flame flickered twice in his palm and transformed into a small bird the size of a fist.

The Fiery Bird tilted its head and let out a shriek, which was still as unpleasant as ever—sharp, dry, and completely different from a normal bird call.

*Pfft*, it's gone.

The warmth in my palm dissipated, leaving nothing behind.

Regulus looked around; there wasn't much left.

Where the raging fire had burned, the stone had turned into vitrified black slag, and a layer of charred crust remained on the ground, reflecting a dark light when the moonlight shone on it.

After the structural solidification spell was completely removed, the granite softened, melted, and cooled, turning into a pile of irregularly shaped black lumps that accumulated on the foundation.

The walls were gone, the roof was gone, the columns were gone, the foyer was gone, and the dome of the banquet hall had become a shallow pit in the ground, the bottom of which was full of molten slag.

The west wing tower is now only half a foundation, and the east porch is only two column bases half-buried in the scorched earth.

If we were to rebuild on the original site, we probably wouldn't need to rebuild the foundation. However, if we were to build on a foundation that had been burned by Fiendfire, the structural strength would be affected. Fiendfire not only burns matter, but it also burns magic.

In short, Lestrange Estate is gone.

The windows that were lit up, the corridor that was bathed in warm light, and the banquet hall with its crystal chandeliers—all of them are gone.

From glory to ruin, a family dispute took place in between.

The moonlight shone down from above, falling on the scorched earth and molten slag. The wind blew from the direction of the collapse, and all the moisture in the air was evaporated. Breathing it in made my throat feel dry and astringent. There was no burnt smell, only dryness.

Regulus stood there for a while, then walked out.

After taking a few steps, Orion came in from outside, and the father and son met at the intersection of moonlight and ruins.

Orion's first action was to look at him, scanning him from head to toe.

The fire had just died down, but the ruins were still hot, and the charred shells crunched underfoot.

Regulus had been inside for too long; the fire had burned so badly and he still hadn't come out. Orion came in to check on him.

Then he saw Regulus walking out, already back to his original state—calm, composed, and no different from before he entered the manor.

He looked somewhat tired, his face was paler than usual, and there were slight bluish-black circles around his eyes.

Orion walked over without asking anything—not about Li Huo, not about where Bella had gone, not about what he had been doing inside all this time.

He reached out and patted Regulus on the shoulder with a heavy thud, his palm lingering on the shoulder for a moment.

Regulus nodded without saying anything.

Orion turned and walked out, with Regulus following.

Moonlight shone on the lawn outside the manor, and Regulus glanced back as he walked out.

When I arrived, the manor was intact, with stone walls, iron fences, and magically maintained lights. The heritage of a pure-blooded family spanning over two hundred years was laid out outside, and all the grandeur one would expect was there.

Now, all that spot is left is an uneven, black ruin. Even the iron fence is deformed, bent by the heat radiation, and stands crookedly at the edge of the lawn.

Narcissa and Lucius stood at the edge of the lawn.

Narcissa's face was a little pale, and she was standing unsteadily, her center of gravity slightly leaning towards Lucius's side, her fingers resting on his arm.

Lucius, leaning on his snake-headed cane, stood upright. When he saw Regulus emerge from the direction of the ruins, he nodded, maintaining a certain composure.

Sirius leaned against a tree with his arms crossed.

Upon seeing Regulus emerge, he leaned forward, his foot already stepping out, before stopping.

He pulled his foot back and leaned against the tree trunk again, this time with even more force, as if he were using the tree to support himself. His gaze was fixed on Regulus, unblinking.

Walbuga stood next to Narcissa, watching Regulus walk out, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

She was probably the most affected by today's events. She wanted to ask Regulus if he was injured, whether Bella was alive or dead, who set off the Fiendfire, and who put it away.

But she only moved her lips twice, without making a sound.

Regulus had switched back to his normal state; his voice, expression, posture, and the look in his eyes had all returned to normal.

He looked at Narcissa first.

"Cousin Narcissa, I'm sorry." He walked over, his tone filled with sincere apology.

The apology was genuine. He and Narcissa were close, and he felt bad that she had been so frightened tonight: "I'm sorry you were frightened."

Narcissa looked at him, her lips trembled, she didn't speak, and her eyes reddened.

Then she hesitated, opened her mouth, closed it again, opened it again, and spoke tentatively, her tone cautious: "Bella..."

The person who tortured Bella, the person who made Bella scream, the person who laughed as Bella struggled, and the person who is now standing in front of her apologizing are all the same person.

She wasn't sure how she should face those two faces.

"He was taken away," Regulus nodded, his tone calming and his expression relaxing. "Alive."

Narcissa understood what being taken away meant, and it was obvious who could take Bella away at a time like this.

Her expression changed slightly, and her lips trembled again, but she didn't press the matter.

Lucius narrowed his eyes slightly.

That person came in person, came, and then left, which means that he witnessed everything that happened tonight from beginning to end.

He glanced at Regulus out of the corner of his eye. The man was standing there unharmed, which meant that the lord had no intention of pursuing the matter that night.

Or rather, the direction of the investigation is not Regulus.

Before he could relax his squinting gaze, Orion's eyes swept over from the side, light and emotionless, but his gaze landed precisely on Lucius's face and paused for a moment.

Lucius's eyes relaxed and returned to normal.

"Tonight's events need to be handled properly," Lucius said, looking at Regulus with a polite tone.

He tapped his snake-headed cane lightly on the ground: "If it's convenient, the Malfoy family will pay a visit to Grimmauld Place."

His words were full of promises to help. The Wizengamor's side of the story, the Ministry of Magic's characterization, and the pure-blood circle's stance—these clean-up tasks needed to be done, and the Malfoy family was willing to participate.

But its essence is investment.

Bellatrix was beaten to a pulp by a twelve-year-old Black, Lestrange Manor was burned to the ground, and the adult came to take Bella away, but did nothing to the Black family.

With all this information combined, Lucius Malfoy was already recalculating the Black family's weight within the pureblood circle.

Approaching proactively at this time demonstrates far more shrewdness than flattery; betting early is cheaper and more profitable than betting late.

Regulus nodded and replied succinctly, "The Black family is always welcome."

He glanced at Narcissa, his eyes catching sight of Lucius's hand supporting her.

"Go back and get some rest, cousin. Tonight shouldn't have turned out like this."

Narcissa nodded, her eyes still red. She loosened her grip on Lucius's arm and tried to come over, but stopped as soon as she leaned out. Her fingers then went back to him, this time a little tighter.

Sirius didn't say a word the whole time.

He leaned against the tree, watching Regulus, Narcissa, and Lucius talk.

His brother spoke in that polite tone and manner, just as he had at the table in Grimmauld Place, just as he had in Professor McGonagall's office, just as he had every time he had seen Regulus.

This is what makes him most uneasy.

If Regulus had emerged with that cracked state from before, he would have known what to do.

She rushed up to him, grabbed his collar, and demanded to know what had happened and what that thing had done to her.

But Regulus was exactly the same as usual.

Where did that person go?

Where did that person go, the one who smiled and cast some kind of spell on Bella, who was lying on the ground, making her scream one by one, with an unnaturally bright eye and an aura that made people want to back away?

Just like last time in the training room.

He felt the same way when Orion and Regulus played that match in the training room.

A figure moving at high speed, eyes so calm they didn't look like those of an eleven-year-old, and the final moment when darkness descended.

Then the battle ended, and Regulus stood there, transforming back into his slow, composed, and debonair younger brother.

He couldn't tell the difference.

Last time, I couldn't tell the difference between Regulus in battle and Regulus in everyday life.

This time it's more serious.

Is the Regulus we just saw the same Regulus who is now standing on the lawn apologizing to Narcissa?

If it's the same person, then which one is real?

Was the previous one real, and this one is fake?

Is this the real one, and the one from before was just an act?

If what you just did was an act, who were you trying to impress? Who were you putting on that act for? What was your purpose?

If what happened just now was real, then when did Regulus become like that? Or has he always been like that, but he just doesn't know it?

I can't tell them apart, I really can't tell them apart.

He felt his mind was a mess and his heart was heavy.

He wanted to ask, but he couldn't ask here; Narcissa was there, Lucius was there, Orion and Volbuga were there too.

Let's talk about it when we get home, or when we get back to Hogwarts.

He clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly, and in the end, he said nothing.

The Blake family Apparated and disappeared.