Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Chapter 418 The Cat Is Missing

The first Sunday of March, 8 p.m., in an abandoned classroom on the fourth floor.

Regulus pushed open the chipped wooden door, walked to the window, and cracked it open.

The night breeze blew in, making it less cold, carrying the refreshing coolness exhaled by the castle's stone walls after a whole day of sunshine.

The moon hung in the sky at the beginning of the month, mostly missing, with thin clouds gliding across its surface, casting a silvery-white glow on the classroom floor.

He leaned against the window and waited for a short while when he heard footsteps in the corridor, light, hurried, and with a slightly bouncy rhythm.

The door opened, and Lily poked half her body in, her red hair swaying in the moonlight.

Upon seeing him, his green eyes crinkled into a smile, and he said, "Professor Regulus."

"Lily." Regulus smiled and straightened up from the wall.

She pushed open the door and came in, holding a pure black object in her arms—Knox.

The kitten curled up in her arms, its two front paws resting on her sleeve. Its deep blue eyes gleamed in the moonlight, scanned the classroom, and then settled on Regulus.

Its ears splayed slightly to the sides, and its tail flicked gently against Lily's wrist.

Lily closed the door, put Knox on the ground, and waved her wand twice towards the pile of old tables and chairs in the corner.

Several pieces of wood were stretched and deformed, pieced together to form the shape of a clothes hanger, and stood steadily in the corner of the wall.

She took off her school robe and hung it up, then turned to look at Regulus.

Regulus also took off his robe and hung it beside her.

The gold and red trim of Gryffindor and the silver and green snakeskin of Slytherin hung side by side, harmonizing beautifully under the moonlight.

Lily glanced at it, a slight smirk playing on her lips, and then turned to roll up her sleeves.

Knox crouched on the floor, his four legs tucked under his body, the tip of his tail gently patting the ground, his eyes never leaving Regulus.

Lily rolled up her sleeves and was about to walk to the center of the field when she caught a glimpse of Knox out of the corner of her eye.

The kitten's back arched in a full curve, its short, pure black fur bristled from the nape of its neck to the base of its tail, its ears were flattened against its scalp, its deep blue eyes were wide open, and it was making very faint hissing sounds from its throat.

"Knox!" Lily quickly crouched down and reached out to stroke its fur: "Why are you doing this again—"

'

Knox shrank to the side, dodging her hand, and hunched over, letting out another "ha" towards Regulus.

Lily squatted on the ground, her hand still in the stroking position, looking down at the cat, then looking up at Regulus.

My most precious little black cat, a gift from Regulus, was introduced to Penny. I spent half a dictionary looking up its name, and even when I practiced Guardian Angel, I pictured it lying on my lap. But it just so happens to clash with the person who gave it to me.

This has happened so many times already; it's the same every time.

Regulus stood a few meters away, looking at the little thing on the ground that had exploded into a ball of black fur, without any expression.

He picked out this cat; it's a French civet mix, a high-end pet breed, not found in the UK.

The Black family's employees personally delivered it to Kirkworth, along with the basket and velvet cloth, and now breathed on it.

I bought it, and you breathe on it?

Okay, it's nothing special.

He glanced again at Knox's tense posture, found it amusing, and then took a step forward.

Knox thrashed even more violently, arching his back so high he was almost flipping over, his breath coming in sharp, loud gasps, and scratching the floor with his claws, determined not to let him get any closer.

Lily quickly scooped it up and held it in her arms, one hand supporting the cat's bottom and the other pressing its head against her chest, coaxing it to stop making a fuss.

"It's not usually like this," Lily looked up, her expression a mix of exasperation, amusement, and a touch of embarrassment, her voice slightly muttered, "It likes everyone except you."

Regulus's lips twitched slightly as he looked at the cat in her arms, then at her.

Nonsense, how could it like everyone? It clearly only likes its owner.

He raised his right hand, his fingertips twitching slightly, and the black thornwood wand in the inner pocket of his robe was enveloped in a very thin layer of magic.

Using the same method as when wrapping Baruch at the funeral, the magic suppressed the fluctuations, sealing away the remaining dark magic aura on the wand as well.

Knox's breathing suddenly stopped.

It poked half its head out from Lily's arms, its ears perked up, and it turned left and right. Its deep blue eyes stared at Regulus, its pupils slowly widening from a narrow slit.

The discomfort that had been making it feel so uncomfortable seemed to have vanished instantly.

The cat's face clearly showed confusion. It was still the same person, so why did it suddenly not need Ha anymore?

But the vigilance remained, their eyes were still fixed on him, and their tails were still a bit stiff.

Regulus waited a moment, then reached out quickly and lightly, his fingertips brushing against the tip of Knox's swaying tail.

Knox sprang up, using all four legs to propel himself into the air. When he landed, he had already turned ninety degrees, his tail snapping into a bottle brush shape. He turned back and glared at him.

Regulus had already withdrawn his hand, standing still, looking down at the cat with no expression on his face.

Lily hugged her empty arms, looked at the cat, then at him.

This person can handle anything, everything is under his control, and he always speaks to everyone with a calm and composed demeanor.

Now I'm picking a fight with a cat.

Her lips curved upwards, and the smile in her eyes was almost impossible to hide.

This Regulus was different from usual.

Regulus, who stroked the cat's tail, startled the cat so much that its fur stood on end, then withdrew his hand and pretended nothing was wrong; she noticed him a little more than others.

She saw it, though others couldn't.

Something welled up inside me, soft and indescribable.

She crouched down, picked Knox up and hugged him again, rubbed her chin against the tip of the cat's ear, and couldn't bring herself to smile.

The classroom was quiet for a moment. Knox was still staring at him, his tail frozen in mid-air, his deep blue eyes filled with a mixture of wariness and confusion.

Regulus turned his head away from the cat and stopped teasing it.

Lily scratched Knox's chin with her fingers, slowly calming the cat down from its ruffled state.

She looked up at Regulus, who was leaning against the windowsill again, the moonlight shining from the side, outlining half of his face.

This is the person who just scared her cat half to death, and is now standing there like nothing happened.

"Do you know?"

She picked up the kitten and placed it on the old desk next to her, then looked up at Regulus with bright green eyes: "On Thursday night, I knocked James Potter's wand away."

Regulus's eyebrows twitched, and his tone carried a hint of surprise: "Tell me."

Lily blushed slightly. She tried to hold it in, but couldn't, and started talking with gestures.

"I came out of Professor Slughorn's office, walked up the stone steps, and around that corner, I saw the three of them. Potter was pointing his wand at Severus's face, and Black was leaning against the wall watching."

She stammered when she mentioned Sirius, and glanced at Regulus.

Regulus nodded gently, signaling her to continue.

Lily pursed her lips and continued, "I mean, Sirius, he ambushed Severus with a disarming charm and a petrification charm."

Her voice flared up again, but it was quickly drowned out by her excitement as she continued speaking.

"Porter didn't take me seriously at all. He thought I was just there to tell him to stop, just like he always has."

The green-eyed man stared straight at Regulus, his tone laced with a triumphant air: "This time it's different!"

She began to recount the fight, how Potter struck first, how she used the Obstruction Charm to force him to jump, how she used the Tripping Charm to strike his feet as he landed, and how the spell hidden among the birds almost shaved off a few strands of his hair.

Regulus leaned against the windowsill, and upon hearing this, his eyebrows rose slightly and the corners of his mouth turned up.

"When he got serious, he made me feel suffocated," Lily said, gesturing the trajectory of a famous incantation in the air, her speech becoming faster and faster, her voice rising in pitch: "Too fast."

The disarming spell was unleashed in quick succession. The second one predicted which way I would dodge, and I took it head-on, but was knocked back two steps.

Before I could even regain my footing, the Stunning Charm struck again. I dodged to the side, falling flat on my face. As I lay there, he used the third Disarming Charm to knock my wand away.

She stopped to catch her breath, opened her palm, and the marks of the previous abrasion were gone from her palm.

"He flicked my wand up, letting it float in mid-air, teasing me, making me jump up to reach it."

Regulus frowned slightly upon hearing this.

Potter isn't satisfied with just winning; he has to kick you while you're down.

Making someone who has lost their wand jump around trying to reach it is something only Potter would do, and he probably thinks he's quite funny afterward.

Arrogant, jerk, ill-mannered.

He looked at Lily; there was no trace of humiliation or grievance on her face. Her voice was still high-pitched, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were bright. Clearly, she didn't take the matter to heart.

Regulus glanced at her a few more times, making sure there was nothing wrong with her face, and his brows relaxed.

A hint of amusement flashed in her eyes, and her voice held anticipation: "And then?"

Lily met his gaze, and the worry in his eyes hadn't completely disappeared.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she pursed her lips, trying not to let her smile show too obviously.

"He was incredibly smug. He thought that since I didn't have a wand, I could only be toyed with by him."

Lily raised her left hand, spread her fingers, and made a pulling motion: "I didn't reach for the wand floating in the air, I went to pull the armor in the alcove."

She was extremely pleased with herself, her chin slightly raised, and then she pulled down with all her might: "The whole thing, from the helmet to the greaves, was ripped off with a 'whoosh'!"

Regulus raised an eyebrow: "Magic manipulation?"

"Magic manipulation!" Lily nodded vigorously, her red hair swaying over her shoulders, her eyes shining: "The entire suit of armor was smashed down. He reacted really fast. He didn't even raise his head before casting a Barrier Charm with his wand."

But in that instant, he was so focused on those metal lumps above his head that my wand fell to the ground, and I grabbed it and cast a disarming spell.

Regulus, with a gentle expression, asked with a smile, "Did you hit it?"

"Got it!" Lily grinned, her face full of satisfaction after doing something impressive. "You didn't see Potter's expression; he was dumbfounded."

Then she summarized: "There were a few close calls. If he hadn't been intimidated by the armor, or hadn't blocked it, and if his attention had been on me, I wouldn't have had a chance to get the wand back."

Her expression softened a bit, and she pouted, "I really can't beat him in a head-on fight."

Regulus nodded, his eyes encouraging her to continue.

"He's too fast," Lily said seriously, analyzing her shortcomings: "I know how to get him to go the way I want, but his speed makes it impossible for me to finish. Several times I've been interrupted just as I started."

Regulus listened quietly without interrupting.

She was using her own brain, dissecting the process, and identifying her own weaknesses.

Last year, she could only say she couldn't do it in the abandoned classroom, but now she can sort out her problems one by one.

After Lily finished speaking, she took a breath, looked up at Regulus, and her face still showed lingering excitement.

Regulus looked at her expression and gave her a thumbs up: "Well done."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "Amazing."

Lily's eyes lit up, and the corners of her mouth turned up, but she quickly pursed them back, though she couldn't quite manage it: "You think it's pretty too?"

Regulus looked at her, trying to be modest yet unable to suppress her smugness, and a smile flashed in his eyes: "After playing against Potter, did you ask yourself that question several times in front of the mirror?"

"No!" Lily picked up the Knox from the table and stuffed it into his arms.

The cat exploded in mid-air, scrambling back onto Lily's shoulder, gripping her robe collar tightly, and yelling at Regulus.

Lily looked down at the cat, then at Regulus, and sighed, "It really does like everyone."

Regulus glanced at the black cat perched on her shoulder and nodded. "It has good taste."

Lily paused for a moment, then her face flushed as if she had just thought of something.

She subconsciously reached up and touched her earlobe, tucked the stray hairs that had fallen in front of her ear behind it, then raised her face and wrinkled her nose at him.

After a while, she seemed to suddenly remember something, her gaze falling on Regulus's shoulder: "Where's Baruch? Why didn't you bring him?"

Regulus raised his hand and touched his shoulder: "Going home."

"Go home?" Lily tilted her head. "Isn't it your pet? Why would it need to go home?"

Regulus said casually, "It's going back to its kin for a while. It's trying to befriend the trees, but it hasn't made a single one yet."

""

Lily was amused by this statement, and Knox shifted closer to her, wrapping his tail around her wrist.