Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Regulus walked to the front row and stood next to Narcissa. A sixth-year Nott wizard snorted, "Black kid, there's no place for you here."

Regulus ignored him, but remembered him.

His gaze fell across the corridor, where Frank Longbottom's wand was already raised, its tip glowing—the starting position for the Disarming Charm.

Almost simultaneously, Lucretius Burke also raised his hand.

It's time to take action.

Regulus moved faster, swinging his right wand and sending an invisible magical force crashing into Frank Longbottom's wand.

That wasn't a spell at all, just a disruptive magical force. Frank's spellcasting rhythm was interrupted, and the light at the tip of his staff instantly dissipated.

This method isn't particularly sophisticated; any experienced adult wizard could easily handle it. However, it's perfect for dealing with inexperienced young wizards.

At the same time, Regulus pressed down on Lucretius Burke's wrist with his left hand.

Just as Lucretius was about to cast the spell, his wrist was suddenly grabbed.

He instinctively tried to break free, but the hand was as tight as an iron clamp.

It wasn't just simple strength; it felt like something more sinister. He felt his magical flow being cut off at its source, his entire arm went numb instantly, and his wand almost slipped from his grasp.

He turned to look at Regulus in shock.

Regulus, however, did not look at him, but instead turned his gaze to Narcissa.

His goal was to stop the impending academy conflict, and any spell could ignite it, so he chose to interfere and suppress it.

Narcissa was about to reach for her wand when she met Regulus's gaze and saw him shake his head very slightly.

Narcissa's wrist stopped moving.

The whole process was extremely brief, and everyone on both sides of the corridor was stunned.

Everyone saw Regulus's action, and then both prefects suddenly stopped, momentarily confused.

Completely incomprehensible.

On the Gryffindor side, Frank Longbottom looked at his wand, then at Regulus, with an expression of disbelief.

On Slytherin's side, Lucretius was still trying to break free, but the hand remained motionless.

James Porter, oblivious to the situation, continued shouting through the crowd, "Despicable tactics! Vipers!"

Sirius Black chimed in, jumping up and down, "No honor whatsoever!"

"Shut up," Frank Longbottom interrupted them, staring at Regulus. "Who are you?"

"Regulus Black." Regulus released Lucretius's wrist, his posture subtle yet his aura commanding: "First year."

"First year?" Frank frowned, glancing at Lucretius and Narcissa behind Regulus.

The two seventh-grade prefects actually tacitly allowed this freshman to get away with it?

He certainly knew Regulus, but what methods did this Black use?

Lucretius cracked his knuckles, his face grim, but he didn't say anything.

Narcissa stepped forward and stood to Regulus's side and slightly behind, as if to support or protect him.

Regulus looked at Frank: "Prefect Longbottom, Mrs. Hooch's ruling has taken effect. If Gryffindor questions the referee, they should appeal through the proper channels, not cause trouble here."

He then turned to look at Slytherin, but said something to both sides: "As for the fouls in the game, the referee has already given warnings."

Striving for victory within the bounds of the rules is part of the competition. If you feel the rules are unfair, you should push for rule changes or adapt to the rules.

Post-match retaliation is hardly dignified.

James was about to say something, but Frank raised his hand to stop him. The seventh-year prefect stared at Regulus for a few seconds, then said, "You're right, this should be discussed with the professor."

He put away his wand, and the Gryffindor students behind him followed suit, but their eyes were not friendly.

Just then, Professor McGonagall and Professor Slughorn arrived.

The two professors squeezed through the crowd and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the standoff had been resolved.

McGonagall swept her gaze sternly across both sides: "Everyone, back to the common room immediately! Prefects, keep an eye on your own houses!"

Slughorn walked up to Regulus, a smile of approval on his plump face: "Well handled, Mr. Black. Slytherin and Gryffindor shouldn't have made such a fuss over the match."

Regulus bowed slightly: "I just don't want things to escalate, Professor."

"A wise move." Slughorn patted him on the shoulder, then looked at Lucretius and Narcissa: "Take Slytherin back."

As the crowd began to disperse, Regulus felt a gaze upon him as he turned around.

He looked up toward the professors' table. Dumbledore was still sitting there, looking over from a distance, his eyes behind his half-moon spectacles unreadable.

Regulus didn't linger; he looked away and walked back.

The Slytherin crowd parted automatically, this time not only the younger students but also the older students made way.

Some people looked dissatisfied but didn't say anything, some frowned in thought, and some were just watching the show.

Avery, Hermes, and Alex caught up. Avery lowered his voice: "Regulus, what you just did—"

"Go back and talk," Regulus interrupted him.

Only after the crowd dispersed did Professor Slughorn and Professor McGonagall exchange a puzzled look.

Slughorn gazed admiringly at the vanished figure: "Minerva, that was brilliant, wasn't it?"

"Mr. Black's approach is very efficient, but..." Professor McGonagall's tone was slightly worried, "...he's only a freshman, it's too early."

She recalled Dumbledore saying that Regulus had no interest in power, but for wizards, great strength and influence combined constitute power.

Regulus, on the other hand, is acquiring them rapidly.

This might not be a big deal in other houses, but it's different in Slytherin.

"Minerva, some people are destined to be extraordinary," Slughorn chuckled.

Professor McGonagall was preoccupied with her own thoughts and decided to talk to Dumbledore about Mr. Black later.

"Maybe."

That evening, in the Slytherin common room.

The fireplace was burning brightly, and the green flames cast flickering shadows on the stone wall. Most of the students were discussing the day's competition in hushed tones.

He won, but it wasn't a satisfying victory. Many people had complaints about Regulus not having a proper fight with Gryffindor in the end.

But given Regulus's current influence and the power he has displayed, no one has yet come to him demanding an explanation.

Regulus occupied a sofa all to himself, with a book without a title on his lap.

He is practicing the Constant Iron Armor Spell and has now passed the initial stage, possessing considerable defensive capabilities.

Around nine o'clock, Lucretius arrived. He sat down on the sofa opposite Regulus and remained silent for a few seconds before speaking.

"About what happened during the day," Lucretius said in a lower voice, no longer as aloof as when they first met, "how did you manage to press down on my wrist like that?"

Regulus leaned back on the sofa and looked up at him: "It's just a little trick."

"A little trick?" Lucretius raised his right hand and flexed his wrist.

"It's still a little numb, and the magic isn't flowing smoothly."

I thought about it for an entire afternoon, and even consulted Professor Slughorn, who said it was a very clever technique, involving direct magical interference through physical contact.

But you're only a first-grader, how did you do that?

His voice was very low, only the two of them could hear it. After he finished speaking, his eyes were fixed on Regulus, his expression very serious.

Regulus met his gaze, his expression calm and unwavering.

Lucretius Burke, the eldest son of the Burke family, will inherit Burkin Burke's antique shop, which has connections in both the legal and illegal worlds.

In the original story, this family maintained an ambiguous relationship during Voldemort's first rise to power, and ultimately managed to escape unscathed.

Borgin Burke himself was a shrewd and powerful wizard; even Voldemort worked in his shop and survived unscathed.

You can never take this kind of person too seriously.

But Lucretius is still too inexperienced.

"Everyone has their area of ​​expertise." Regulus, of course, wouldn't tell the truth. He replied with a hint of sincerity, "My control over magic is quite precise."

"So precise that you can cut off someone else's magical flow?" Lucretius stared at him, completely incredulous. "Even my father didn't have that ability."

"Perhaps your father didn't show it to you."

Lucretius was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed, a little self-deprecating: "Fine, if you don't want to say, I won't ask."

But Black... I owe you one. If you hadn't stopped me today, I would have really fought with Longbottom, and Professor McGonagall would have lost at least fifty points from Slytherin.

"The prefect who led the fight probably deserves more than fifty points."

Regulus followed the other's words; he didn't believe Lucretius would care about the academy points.

For a pure-blooded Slytherin prefect of this age, House Credits are merely a means to maintain their status; they can't afford to accumulate more.

"So I owe you one." Lucretius stood up, then turned back before leaving.

Regulus shrugged, not really caring. Forcing someone to do you a favor was also an effective social tactic.

Regulus watched his retreating figure, pondering to himself that Lucretius's attitude had clearly changed, from condescending to equal dialogue, which was a good sign.

Demonstrate strength and reap rewards.