Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Regulus was first discovered by Remus Lupin.

Lupin sensed the presence of danger almost instantly. He turned his head and saw Regulus standing quietly at the end of the corridor. His expression changed slightly, and he immediately nudged Jaime, who was still babbling on, with his elbow.

Regulus raised an eyebrow slightly. Was it a beast's instinct?

James followed Lupin's gaze, his smile freezing on his face. He instinctively gripped his wand, a flicker of fear and forced hostility flashing in his eyes.

Peter was so frightened that he hid behind Lupin.

Sirius Black also looked over.

When the two pairs of gray eyes met, Sirius's cynical smile slowly disappeared.

The two brothers stood a dozen feet apart, silently staring at each other in the hallway filled with malicious laughter.

Sirius's thoughts drifted.

He remembered that James had said he would go and avenge him and teach Regulus a lesson, but when he returned, he looked as if his soul had been drained.

And then there was Remus's whispered description of that brief, desperate battle.

He also remembered his younger brother from his childhood, who always quietly followed his mother and could easily do things that he himself could not do even with great effort.

She also recalled the countless times since she enrolled that she had caught glimpses of Regulus hurrying by alone with thick books in the library, in the corridors, and on her way to class.

He seems to always be studying, or on his way to study.

This thought suddenly popped into Sirius's mind.

This was completely different from his life, and the life he and James led, which consisted of spending their days thinking about Quidditch, playing pranks, and exploring the secrets of the castle.

He used to think that was boring, rigid, and a sign of being bound by his family.

But now, considering James's experience and the invisible pressure that Regulus was exerting simply by standing there, he finally had a different idea.

The gap has grown so large without us even realizing it?

It's not just the suffocating gap in magical strength, but also... a difference in the completely different choices and levels of commitment they made to their own paths.

"Have you had enough of the show?" Sirius's voice was a little drier than usual, but it still carried his unique stubbornness that refused to back down.

But his gaze no longer met Regulus's directly; instead, it swept towards the wall beside him.

Regulus then stepped forward, his footsteps clearly audible in the stone corridor.

He didn't look at James, nor at Snape or anyone else, but simply walked to the middle of the two sides and stopped, his gaze falling on Sirius.

"Is bullying a lone person your way of proving courage and finding amusement?" Regulus said calmly. "If that's the case, then Gryffindor's courage is far too cheap."

James wanted to argue, but remembering the lesson he had learned last time and Regulus's cold warning, the words stuck in his throat.

It's not the right time yet, he thought. I'm not ready yet!

Regulus continued looking at Sirius, his tone devoid of much emotion: "Wasting your time and energy on this kind of thing won't do you any good."

The world will soon have less room for jokes and games.

If you don't want to one day find yourself unable to protect yourself or those you want to protect, you should start thinking seriously now about what you should use your magic for.

And, how to make it truly useful.

Sirius didn't hear any sense of reprimand in Regulus's words; it was more like a reminder based on facts, and he could even vaguely sense something complex.

Out of blood relation, I'll give you a piece of advice.

Sirius felt a jolt in his heart.

He wanted to loudly refute, to say that he didn't need preaching from Slytherin, from his traitorous brother, to say that he lived a free and happy life, and that he would protect those important to him in his own way in the future.

But what Regulus mentioned was like a few pieces of ice, smashing into his head, which was somewhat feverish from rebellion and friendship.

He recalled the increasingly tense atmosphere at home, the veiled references in his parents' letters, and his cousin Bella's growing madness.

Perhaps Regulus is right.

But this made him even more irritable and rebellious.

"My business is none of your concern!" Sirius bluntly retorted, then turned to James and the others, "Let's go, this is boring."

James seemed to want to say something more, but Lupin gently tugged at him.

They followed Sirius and hurriedly left the corridor, their backs looking somewhat rushed.

After the raiders left, only Regulus and a disheveled Snape remained in the corridor.

Snape quickly used a cleansing spell to remove the stains from his robes, tidied his wet hair, and his face remained gloomy.

His gaze toward Regulus was filled with wariness and suspicion, as well as a hint of shame and indignation at being seen in such a disheveled state.

"I don't need your help, Black," Snape's voice was hoarse and clearly defiant. "I don't need any pure-blood lord's charity."

Regulus was not surprised by his reaction.

Severus Snape was exceptionally intelligent, with a high aptitude for potions and dark magic, but he was also extremely sensitive and insecure, his heart filled with a twisted pride and resentment stemming from his birth and experiences.

He craves power, recognition, and integration into the pure-blood circle, yet he harbors an instinctive suspicion and defensiveness towards any approach from the core members of this circle.

In Regulus's eyes, Snape was a highly valuable potential collaborator, or even a valuable asset.

A future potions master, with profound knowledge of dark magic, meticulous mind, and good at patience.

If a connection can be established in the right way, its value far exceeds that of Avery or even Hermes.

"Charity?" Regulus repeated the word, his tone still flat. "You think I was standing here just now to enjoy your misery, or to bask in the superiority of saving you?"

Snape pursed his lips and didn't speak, but his eyes conveyed certainty.

"You're wrong," Regulus said. "I just happened to be passing by, and they were blocking my way. As for you..."

He looked Snape up and down: "Your potion-making talent is so good that even Professor Slughorn has praised it highly."

Your understanding of Defense Against the Dark Arts... or rather, of certain specific areas of magic, far surpasses that of your peers. What you possess is far more valuable than many who merely flaunt their family history.

Snape tensed slightly. Regulus's words struck a nerve with his innermost contradictions. He both loathed the arrogance of purebloods and longed for his talents to be recognized by that circle.

"However," Regulus changed the subject, "if you continue to waste your energy on childish confrontations with Potter and his friends, or are content with just what's in the school textbooks, you'll always be on the defensive, and your talent will be buried."

True power cannot be gained solely from the public areas of the Hogwarts library and from self-studying those scattered notes on dark magic.

A flicker of shock and deeper wariness crossed Snape's eyes: "What...do you mean?"

"The meaning is simple." Regulus took a step closer, lowering his voice to make sure only the two of them could hear: "It's not shameful to accept help, Snape."

You can't rely on yourself alone, especially when you want to acquire knowledge and power that are monopolized by certain people.

I can provide some access to books you might not have the opportunity to read, or limited exchanges in certain areas.

In exchange, I might need your insights on potions or certain obscure magical research.

Regulus's offer was vague, but extremely tempting.

"You can think about it slowly." Regulus said, then turned and prepared to leave without saying another word.

He knew that pushing someone as suspicious and proud as Snape too hard would only backfire.

Regulus disappeared around the corner of the corridor, leaving Snape standing alone, his mind in turmoil.

Regulus Black's words echoed in his mind like a spell.

The humiliation lingered, but the impact of those words was even stronger.

Blake recognized his talent and may even have known that he was secretly studying dark magic!

Is the opportunity he's offering... real? Or is it a trap?

To win him over?

Or is he simply trying to take advantage of his potion-making abilities?

But it cannot be denied that Blake has a point.

What's the point of getting entangled with Potter and his gang if all you get is humiliation and a waste of time?

What the school taught him was simply not enough to give him real power, not enough to help him escape his current situation, and not enough to make him worthy of... Lily!