Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Back in his dorm room, Regulus sat at his desk and gently stroked the cover of Professor McGonagall's dark blue dragon-skin notebook.

He quickly browsed through a few pages, and as the professor had said, there were no specific incantations, but they were full of profound reflections on the essence of transfiguration.

One passage about the gradient of the difficulty of material deformation caught his attention.

Professor McGonagall believes that the difficulty of transfiguration is not only related to the complexity of the object, but also closely related to the inherent stability of the material's internal structure and the strength of its morphological memory.

Based on today's discussion and his own practice, Regulus has essentially confirmed a conclusion about transfiguration.

Transforming an element into another is more difficult than transforming a complex compound into another, especially when such transformation involves a radical change in the inherent properties of the substance.

Turning a wooden stick into an iron rod is like transforming a complex organic structure into another metallic crystal structure; essentially, it's about changing one given structure into another.

Many junior wizards can do this, although most can only change its appearance.

Turning graphite into diamonds involves changing one form of elemental carbon into another.

It requires creating two substances with drastically different physical properties simply by completely reconstructing their internal connections, or changing their molecular arrangement, without altering the basic elements.

This involves understanding and reshaping the most microscopic level of matter, which is far more difficult than ordinary form transformation.

He took out a small piece of graphite that he carried with him and began to practice.

He used his magical perception to penetrate deep into the graphite, attempting to pry open the stacked layers, causing them to twist and cross-link locally, forming a small area of ​​material with increased hardness and altered luster.

This process is extremely difficult.

Graphite's loose, layered structure has a peculiar slip property; when magic is involved, it often causes the entire layer to slide, making local reconstruction impossible.

The slightest carelessness can destroy its integrity, or even turn it into a pile of fluffy toner.

He must use extremely precise magical control, like the most skillful carving knife, to carve and weld at the molecular level.

This gave him a deeper understanding of wizards and magic.

Wizards may not have developed a scientific system based on experimentation and mathematics to understand the world and the microscopic composition of matter like Muggles, but they are by no means backward.

Professor McGonagall was able to accurately determine the differences in the intrinsic properties of graphite and diamond with just a brief observation.

This intuitive perception of the essence of matter is something that Muggle technology can hardly achieve at present.

Of course, Regulus's situation is different, thanks to his basic scientific education in his previous life and his exceptionally keen magical perception after transmigrating.

Professor McGonagall was able to make similar judgments based solely on her experience and magical intuition. The difference between them lies in the profound understanding she has accumulated over decades of immersion in the field of Transfiguration.

This also made him see the path to further advancement in Transfiguration: not only must one be able to change its form, but one must also understand its principles, ultimately reaching the level of changing its essence.

The legendary alchemy, especially the supreme achievement represented by the Philosopher's Stone, has probably already touched upon an even more terrifying realm.

That should not be just a matter of molecular rearrangement; it may involve a more fundamental level of atomic reconstruction.

For example, turning lead into gold likely means changing the number of protons in the atomic nucleus, or at least perfectly simulating all the chemical bonds and macroscopic properties of a gold atom.

This goes far beyond the scope of Transfiguration, not to mention that it can grant immortality and prolong life, thus possessing immense magical power.

Even Voldemort wanted to use it to resurrect himself.

During breaks in practice, his thoughts continued to wander.

The air is filled with various elements and compounds, including nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and rare gases...

Most wizards' magic, whether protective, offensive, or life magic, does not specifically filter or resist these subtle changes in the invisible and intangible components of the air.

It's not that it's impossible; it's not difficult. It's just that we subconsciously ignore it.

For example, oxygen.

A thought suddenly came to mind: what if the oxygen in the air around the human body could be instantly transformed into other substances based on oxygen atoms that the human body cannot utilize?

For example, ozone.

It can even transform other substances into oxygen, which can be inhaled into the body, and then revert back to its original state after gas exchange.

For example, fiberglass, asbestos, or radioactive elements—anything will do.

The key lies in the high-precision identification and instantaneous transformation of specific elements.

Of course, this is currently just a theoretical deduction, but the direction is definitely correct.

Just as Regulus was engrossed in microscopic deformations and dangerous deductions, the dormitory door was pushed open, and Avery Cuthbert returned.

He saw Regulus sitting at his desk, with a small, distorted object floating in front of him, shimmering with an eerie glow, and a subtle, concentrated light flowing from the tip of his wand.

That's clearly some kind of magical practice in progress.

Transfiguration?

Avery swallowed back the "hey" that was on the tip of his tongue.

He knew he was now on Regulus's side and understood that he shouldn't disturb him. He tiptoed back to his bed and put down his book.

Soon after, Alex Rozier returned with a stack of books, his face showing the relief of having finished his homework.

He saw Regulus and instinctively wanted to greet him, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Avery immediately put his index finger to his lips, glared at him fiercely, and then gestured towards Regulus.

Alex was startled and quickly covered his mouth. Following Avery's gaze, he also saw Regulus practicing intently.

He immediately fell silent, carefully walked to his bedside, and felt quite good inside.

Although Avery still maintained his arrogant demeanor, he only stopped him with his actions, rather than directly petrifying or knocking him unconscious.

Alex couldn't help but sigh; the atmosphere in the dorm room seemed really different from before.

Previously, Avery was arrogant and autocratic, Hermes was gloomy and unpredictable, Regulus was silent and aloof, and he was always trembling with fear.

Now, although there is still a clear hierarchy, at least Avery no longer bullies people at will, and Regulus, although powerful, is not arrogant.

He speculated that this change might largely stem from Regulus's presence and influence.

Thinking of the recent letter from home, his parents, as always, told him to study hard, take care of his health, get along well with his classmates, not to force himself to integrate into the inner circle, and just to be safe and sound.

Alex felt a pang of gratitude toward Regulus. On the edge of this Slytherin inner circle, it was Regulus who had unwittingly created a relatively reassuring atmosphere.

Regulus noticed his roommates' return and the commotion, but he didn't get distracted.

His mind was racing, magic was pouring out, and he was maintaining precise control over the internal structure of the graphite.

He had clearly found the key to the transformation based on molecular arrangement, inspired by Professor McGonagall's demonstrations and notes, but it was still time-consuming and laborious to put into practice.

The last to return was Hermes Murseb.

He pushed open the door, bringing with him a chill from outside.

He immediately spotted Regulus practicing, as well as Avery's slightly provocative gesture of stopping him and Alex's cautious attitude.

Hermes' lips curled into an almost imperceptible sneer.

He didn't take Avery's initiative to surrender seriously, and even looked down on it.

Although he lost to Regulus in that chief duel and was shocked by how easily the other party resolved his immature bone and blood separation, he still maintained a strong sense of self-confidence.

He believes he still has many trump cards up his sleeve, those are his true strength.

There are indeed many methods that are inconvenient to demonstrate at school.

But if it were outside of school, in an unrestrained life-or-death duel, Hermes believed that with the true dark magic passed down in his family, he might have a chance to kill Regulus.

Several family heirlooms or secret black magic spells flashed through his mind.

Shadowbite Bite summons shadow tentacles from dark creatures that not only bind enemies but also continuously drain their life force and magic. Those bound will feel a bone-chilling cold and a weakening of their soul.

The painful echo, once it hits, amplifies and prolongs all the suffering the victim will subsequently experience, including physical harm and psychological fear.

The effects resonate within the body, causing persistent mental breakdown and physical loss of control. Ultimately, the individual often succumbs to the overwhelming pain, either ending their own life or going completely insane.

Breath of Decay is a malevolent curse-like magic. Those afflicted will not die immediately, but will slowly wither and die, starting from wounds or points of magical contact, with their flesh and magic decaying like a plant.

It is extremely difficult to cure, the process is painful and lengthy, and it emits an odor that causes surrounding plants to wither.

These are the kinds of strengths worth pursuing!

Swift, deadly, and filled with pain and intimidation, it can instill fear in the enemy from the depths of their soul.