Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Chapter 363 Regulus the Just

On Friday noon, on the way back to the dormitory after lunch, Alex quickened his pace and walked alongside Regulus.

"Lina and Samuel want to see you."

Regulus hummed in agreement, not stopping his steps or asking what was wrong: "After class this afternoon, to the library."

Alex nodded and said nothing more.

Lena and Samuel wanted to see him, but instead of asking him in person, they asked Alex to convey their request.

interesting.

They're not usually like this.

When they sat together for a meal, Lina said whatever she wanted to say directly, and although Samuel was not a man of many words, he didn't need to relay messages.

We often walk together to and from get out of class, chat occasionally, nod when we bump into each other, and ask each other questions during class—all of this is normal.

Regulus treated them no differently; he considered them his own people and there was no need for him to put on airs.

But this time we went through the formal process: reporting, applying, and waiting for a response.

These two are establishing rules.

Regulus never asked for this; he never said anything that required going through Alex first, nor did he establish any hierarchy.

But they built the hierarchy themselves.

I'm casual most of the time, but I follow procedures for serious matters.

Following procedures means there are procedures; having procedures means there is organization; having organization means they are not just two half-bloods following Regulus, but people in this group responsible for specific tasks.

They know exactly which path to take for those individuals mentioned above.

Now the small group only has a few people, and the distinction between superiors and subordinates is not obvious, so whether or not to follow procedures is actually irrelevant.

But what about later?

The number of people surrounding Regulus will only increase.

Once the small group has truly expanded, the order that Lena and Samuel, as some of the earliest members, have actively established will become meaningful.

Newcomers will find that even the outer perimeter has its own rules, which I must also follow. Those who have already secured a place naturally stand at the top of the rules.

clever.

These two were paving the way for themselves, not grabbing, not fighting, not getting close to Regulus, but quietly establishing the rules and then waiting for the rules to speak for them.

Regulus saw this but had no intention of getting involved.

It's normal for those below to have their own agendas and ulterior motives.

He doesn't need a bunch of wooden figures, as long as the direction is right.

How they find their place within this framework and how they manage their own interests is their own business.

Don't be stupid, don't be greedy, don't betray others, and let them do whatever they want with the rest.

As soon as the bell rang for the end of the last class in the afternoon, Lina and Samuel were the first to rush out of the classroom.

Regulus saw it but ignored it. He put away his notes and textbooks and walked leisurely toward the library.

There weren't many people in the library at this time.

Mrs. Pince sat behind the lending desk, a feather duster beside her, frowning at a newly arrived copy of "Practical Potions Monthly," probably because some young wizard had dirtied it.

She raised her eyelids slightly, recognized Regulus, and then lowered them again.

Regulus sat down in his usual spot by the window, facing the door.

It was still light outside the window. The January sun sets early, and the light was already turning yellow. It slanted in through the window and shone on the table, making the gold-embossed cover of "Basic Alchemy Theory" reflect light.

He flipped to the place he had last read, but after reading only a few pages, footsteps came from the doorway.

The two of them walked quickly, but in an orderly fashion.

One of them paused at the door, probably looking for him, and then walked straight this way.

Regulus looked up.

Lina walked ahead, carrying a small, bulging cloth bag. The drawstring at the top of the bag was tied tightly in a knot.

She had sweat on her forehead, a few strands of dark hair stuck to her cheeks, her face was a little red, her breathing was rapid, and her chest was rising and falling noticeably.

Samuel followed behind, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, but he looked alright.

Lena walked to the table, took a moment to calm her breathing, and then called out crisply, "Black."

Samuel followed half a step behind her without saying a word.

Regulus looked up from his book, glanced at the two of them, and then at the cloth bag in Lina's hand.

He slightly raised his chin: "Sit."

The two people sat down opposite each other.

Lina placed the bag on the table and loosened her fingers from the opening.

Regulus closed the book, pushed it aside, and looked at them without saying a word, waiting.

Lena spoke first. She always made decisions quickly and reported concisely: "The books have been found. According to the words on the note, the basic textbooks on aerodynamics, wave dynamics, and optical principles are all there."

Regarding jet propulsion, I only found one popular science book, which wasn't professional enough; I couldn't find a suitable one related to information transmission.

.

After she finished speaking, she looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then began taking books out of her bag and stacking them on the table one by one.

The top one is "Fundamentals of Aerodynamics," published by MIT. It has a dark blue cover, library labels on the corners, and a call number printed on the spine.

Below is "Introduction to Wave Dynamics", and below that is "Principles of Optics". Both are hardcover books with slightly worn covers, but they are in good condition.

The bottom one is thinner and is called "Jet Propulsion and Flight." The cover features a fighter jet with orange-red flames shooting out from under its wings, which looks quite flashy.

Samuel, standing beside her, looked at the table without glancing at Regulus, and said in a somber tone, "The library is experiencing a power outage, so there aren't many people around, making it easy to come and go."

Regulus glanced at him, then looked away.

He stretched out his right hand and brushed his palm across each book, causing them to shrink, thin, and eventually become several palm-sized cards.

He flipped his palm, and the card disappeared.

A hint of envy and longing flashed in Lina's eyes, bright and clear.

Samuel looked down, glanced at it, and then looked down again.

Regulus looked up at them.

The assignment given last semester is only being submitted now.

Samuel's mother was a Muggle elementary school teacher, so public libraries were no problem for her; she didn't even need a library card, she could just walk in and look for books.

Lena's family lives in London. Her mother is a witch from Portugal, a foreigner, but she has lived in the Muggle community in England for several years.

No sane wizard would pull their trousers over their robes and pull out Galleons to pay in a Muggle shop.

Such wizards are not uncommon in the magical world; they never interact with the Muggle world in their entire lives and don't even understand how to dress.

Lena's mother was clearly not like that; she could live a normal life in the Muggle community, and a library wouldn't be a problem for her.

Both companies have the necessary conditions, the task itself is not difficult, and the note clearly states which books to look for and what direction to take.

It's been dragging on for almost two months. If it's not a matter of ability, then it's a matter of willingness.

Both sides had their own agendas.

Lina's family is a small family from Portugal, without a pure-blood title, small in size, and shallow in roots.

Her mother should know what kind of family Black came from. Although they came from a small family, they were from the magical world and would not be unaware of the power structure of pure-bloods in Britain.

Perhaps it is precisely because we know this that we are more cautious.

The idea of ​​his daughter working for the Black family heir in Slytherin sounds like an opportunity, but for a family of such small size, every step is risky.

Small families cannot afford to make mistakes; one wrong step could mean no turning back.

Her mother's attitude was probably to wait and see, not to rush into anything, in case Blake was just having a passing fancy.

Asking your daughter to run an errand to find a few books may not seem like a big deal, but once she does it, it's like confirming a relationship.

Taking this step is easy, but taking it back is difficult, so they hesitated and dragged it out without offering any help.

The Samuel family was even simpler. His father was an ordinary wizard from Hufflepuff who ran a secondhand magical item shop in Diagon Alley and married a Muggle.

A small shop owner's understanding of how the purebred blood circle operates is probably limited to knowing that such a thing exists.

He might not have thought that deeply about the size of the Black family, the influence of the Black heir in Slytherin, or the layers of meaning behind asking his son to help find the book.

His reaction was probably more direct: "My son is already a worry enough in Slytherin, and now he has to go to the Muggle world to do things for them?"

They won't support it, but they won't strongly oppose it either; Hufflepuff people don't do that.

He just won't cooperate or help. Maybe if he drags it out, Blake will forget about his son.

As for Lina and Samuel themselves, they knew perfectly well.

These two were assigned to Slytherin, which already had some history to it.

The Sorting Hat likely sees a lot: perhaps ambition, perhaps resentment, perhaps an instinct to make life better, or a combination of all of these.

Lina has a drive to push forward; she's quick-witted, direct, makes decisions fast and decisively, takes initiative, and is willing to stand up for others.

Samuel was more composed, low-key, cautious, unhurried, and uncompetitive, but his eyes were always watching.

The two people wanted slightly different things, but they were both aiming upwards.

Their desires come from themselves, not from what their families teach them; their families are even holding them back.

The child wants to improve, but the parents prioritize safety.

The differences between the two generations have nothing to do with bloodline, but rather with the size of the family.

Then news of the banquet spread, and they witnessed the scene on the first day of school.

The result was obvious: the books arrived less than a week after the start of the semester.

This shows that this matter was not difficult at all. The delay was purely a matter of will. Once the situation was clear, it was completed in just a few days.

As for the power outage, that was a ready-made excuse, probably something the two of them came up with themselves.

It took almost two months to complete the task, so there has to be a plausible reason.

During the power outage, public facilities were closed and staff were not present, so they used this as a step.

It's not that we didn't want to do it, it's just that it's always been inconvenient. We happened to be out of power and no one was around, so we took the opportunity to get it done.

It's not particularly clever, but it makes sense.

Regulus didn't care.

It's only natural for two small families, given their size, to take a wait-and-see approach.

Waiting until you've assessed the situation before placing a bet shows you're smart and more reliable than those who rush in without thinking. Their choices are based on careful consideration.

Regulus snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the two people in front of him.

Lina sat up straight, her gaze meeting his. She didn't look away, but her lips were slightly pursed, waiting for his reaction.

Samuel lowered his head, glanced up once, and then lowered it again.

Both of them were tense, but one was spreading outwards while the other was drawing inwards.

Regulus observed everything and nodded: "Very good."

Both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Lina's shoulders slumped slightly as she quietly breathed a sigh of relief, then a smile appeared on her lips and her eyes brightened.

The movements were performed quite well, not like acting, but not entirely natural either.

Samuel kept his head down the whole time, only his body was a little relaxed.

There was a moment of silence.

Lina's lips were still upturned, but the light in her eyes slowly faded, probably realizing that there was more to it than just "very good".

"Regarding Lestrange," Regulus said casually, looking at them, "you know about it?"

Lina paused for a moment, then nodded.

Samuel nodded slightly, a very small gesture, his head still bowed.

Regulus did not continue.

He knew they knew.

On the first day of school, Alex told them about what happened at the dinner party: Lestrange Manor had burned down, and Bella had been crippled.

They should also know that the incident involving the betrayal of Labbastan Lestrange last semester is connected to what happened at the dinner party.

He just wanted to confirm.

Now that you know, figure out the rest yourself.

A hint of disappointment flashed in Lina's eyes, and the corners of her mouth drooped. She remained true to herself, wearing her emotions on her sleeve.

She understood. They had put in a lot of effort last semester, and given Blake's usual style, they deserved a reward.

He brought it up now, but didn't mention the reward, which means there isn't one, because the search for the book took too long and it offset the reward.

Regulus didn't ask why, but he didn't say it didn't matter either.

She composed herself and nodded seriously.

This matter could not be hidden from Regulus; he never expected to hide it, he simply did not pursue the matter.

She accepted the result.

Samuel understood and accepted it.

Regulus observed their reaction.

The attitudes of these two people have never changed.

From the moment they received the assignment last semester, to acting as bait to cooperate with a small group in dealing with Rabastan, and now, in the first week of the new semester, they have been proactively submitting their report through official channels. From beginning to end, they have been trying to do their job well.

It was their family that held them back.

Now that things have been moved at home, the whole thing is going smoothly.

But that's their problem. If things dragged on at home, that's their problem. They should accept that, and that's enough. The matter is over.

He leaned back in his chair, letting the light shift from the two people and fall outside the window.

It was already dark, and the treetops of the Forbidden Forest had only a last vestige of grayish-yellow left, soon to disappear completely.

Lina and Samuel stood up.

Lena gave a slight bow, turned and left, with Samuel following behind her.

Once outside the library, the light in the corridor dimmed considerably.

Lina walked ahead, her steps less steady than inside, her shoulders relaxed, and her breathing became a little heavier than before.

Samuel, standing beside him, asked in a low voice, "Why did you do that just now?"

Lina turned her head to look at him: "How?"

“In front of him,” Samuel said, “you knew you couldn’t hide it from him, but you acted as if you were relieved.”

Lina didn't stop walking; she took a few steps before saying, "You think his excuse is that he didn't know?"

Samuel didn't respond.

"Power outage," Lina's lips curled up slightly, but she quickly looked away. "My mother is a witch, not an idiot."

We live in London, just a few blocks from the nearest library. There was no news for over a month, then suddenly they found it when school started. Do I need to explain?

She continued, "Do you think you can keep it from Blake?"

Samuel shook his head.

"If you can't hide it, then don't pretend," Lina said quickly. "It's better for him to see that we know we can't hide it than to pretend nothing happened."

Samuel didn't reply, but nodded.

After walking a few steps, Lina spoke again, her tone tinged with a hint of complaint: "We can't use magic outside of school, otherwise I could handle it myself."

Samuel hummed in agreement.

His family is the same; if he didn't need his family's cooperation, he wouldn't have dragged it out for so long.

After walking a few more steps, Samuel suddenly said, "Black mentioned Lestrange."

Lina paused for a moment, then continued walking.

"But no reward was mentioned," Samuel's voice came from behind.

Lina didn't turn around. After a few seconds, she spoke, her tone tinged with regret, but she didn't seem to care too much: "That's all in the past now."

Samuel nodded.

The two walked along the corridor, their footsteps echoing on the stone slabs and gradually fading into the distance.

In the shadows at the corner of the corridor, someone stood there the whole time.

Dark and thin, leaning against the wall, as if it had grown into the shadows.

Snape.

He watched Lina and Samuel walk away, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.