Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Regulus remained composed, his tone not harsh: "I am the direct manager of the Black family's businesses in France, and I have handled tonight's events from beginning to end."

He looked at Isabel, a slight smile playing on his lips: "If you wish to speak directly with Mr. Orion Black, that can certainly be arranged, but it will require a different time and place."

Isabel's eyes flickered, and she understood the meaning behind Regulus's words.

It's easy to talk to him here, but if we take things up to higher levels and have a formal conversation with Orion Black, then it becomes a matter between the Black family and the French Ministry of Magic.

She had naturally gone through the Black family files before she came, and she saw everything Gaston had seen, but this was not marked in the files.

From the very first moment he confronted Gaston on the western battlefield, the young man never yielded an inch.

Gaston wanted to investigate the wand, citing international agreements. Gaston surrounded him with his men, and seven people stepped forward from behind him. Gaston demanded a reasonable explanation, shifting the blame back to the intruders.

From beginning to end, he neither showed weakness nor lost control; every response was perfectly timed to the point where the other party had no choice but to accept it.

The same thing happened now, sitting at the negotiating table. Before she could even finish her opening remarks, he interrupted her, and his suggestion to call her "sir" was rejected in a way that was neither too forceful nor too soft.

Her diplomatic approach wasn't particularly sophisticated, but it was effective enough. In most cases, once this process was completed, the other party would gracefully back down.

But from the beginning until now, all her words have been blocked.

His combat ability far surpasses that of his peers—that's all that's written in the file. But right now, it has nothing to do with combat ability; this boy's mental maturity is also far beyond that of his peers.

She exchanged a very brief glance with Gaston, then turned back to Regulus, deciding to abandon the usual routines.

His tone was natural and his voice gentle: "Mr. Blake, what is your assessment of tonight's events?"

Regulus picked up his coffee cup and held it up: "Local French smugglers attacked the Black family's estate, it's that simple."

Isabelle nodded. This characterization was the best version for the French side: the local security incident had nothing to do with Britain or international politics.

Just then, there was a knock on the restaurant door, and Auror, who had been in charge of the site survey, pushed the door open and came in.

He was in his early thirties, with brown hair, and a pair of brass-framed goggles perched on his nose, pushed up to his forehead and left there.

He strode over to Gaston, bent down slightly, and whispered in his ear, "Mr. Gaston, regarding the further test results of the Killing Curse casters, we found remnants of a trigger curse on those three casters. They have the same structure and are pre-embedded. Our preliminary assessment is that the curse remained on the victims for at least three days."

Gaston frowned, nodded, and the Auror straightened up, turned, and left.

He turned his gaze back to Regulus.

A trigger curse, pre-planted, planted before it's even taken action—this is something a smuggler wouldn't do.

Delacroix spent twenty years in the south of France, and Gaston could practically recite his records: smuggling, fencing stolen goods, bribery, intimidation—but he didn't touch that level of black magic.

A wizard who can obtain pre-embedded trigger curses wouldn't be holed up in the port of Cassis selling animal pelts.

Gaston shifted his gaze from Regulus to Isabel.

Isabel nodded to indicate that she understood, her expression remaining largely unchanged, except that she switched the leg she was crossing.

Regulus watched the two men's furtive glances.

He also learned that the Aurors' exploration had reached their target and they had discovered it.

Felix and DuPont exchanged glances, but neither of them spoke.

Regulus remained calm and unmoved, his eyelids slightly lowered.

The atmosphere in the main house froze for a moment.

About ten minutes later, the door opened again, and the same person walked in and whispered something in Gaston's ear again.

"Mr. Gaston, the results of Delacroix's examination are in: two traces of the curse."

He glanced down at the test record in his hand, his voice even softer: "The first one is a memory curse, a high-level pre-embedded type. The triggering condition is related to mental intrusion. The specific mechanism needs to be further analyzed back at the department. After being triggered, the mental structure completely collapses, which is the cause of death."

The second location is in the throat, an organ-blocking curse that causes tracheal expansion and suffocation. Preliminary assessment suggests the trigger condition is related to uttering specific words.

He closed the notebook: "It's from the same system as the trigger curses on the previous three spellcasters, and the method should be from the same wizard."

Gaston listened, remained silent for a moment, then turned his head to look at Isabel. Isabel did not respond, her eyelashes drooping slightly.

Gaston turned back and said to the Auror, "Continue the testing."

Auror nodded, then turned and went out again.

The door to the main house closed behind him.

Gaston abruptly raised his head, his gaze fixed on Regulus.

The outline of this matter is clear enough.

Delacroix's smuggling gang had never touched the Black family's estate before, nor did he touch any large, pure-blood family property.

A smuggler who has been able to operate peacefully for twenty years knows all too well who he can and cannot mess with. No matter how envious he is, he would not be foolish enough to touch a business with a pure-blooded British family background.

But he did make his move anyway, choosing to do so while the Black family heir was staying.

His subordinates were pre-planted with trigger-based curses, and he himself was also pre-planted with two high-level curses, one to seal his mouth and the other to silence him.

He mobilized his entire family's resources, serving as cannon fodder in a probing attack, only to be killed on the spot by the curse within himself.

There are certainly wizards in France capable of arranging curses of this caliber, and quite a few at that.

But Gaston couldn't imagine who would have the time or inclination to go through all that trouble just to pull this stunt.

With the Killing Curse, the shared origin of the curse, and Black, Gaston was almost certain that this was not a local crime at all; it was foreign.

The French probably have a good idea of ​​what powers the Black family is involved with in Britain.

The British wizard who called himself the Dark Lord had gathered a large following, so naturally, things were far from harmonious.

Everything was fine for the past few decades, but things have become increasingly turbulent in Britain in recent years.

Or to put it more simply, there might be internal conflicts within the Black family, perhaps a split, perhaps even death, and someone might be trying to do something to this thirteen-year-old heir.

The infighting within pure-blood families is always more brutal than outsiders imagine.

Regardless of the outcome, the result was the same: Britain's mess spilled onto French soil, and France became someone else's battlefield.

Gaston's lips twitched down slightly, and Isabel shifted her leg position again.

accurate.

He rose from the lowest-ranking patrolman to a high-ranking official in the Enforcement Division within the Auror System, and this was the kind of thing he hated most.

If someone else has a grudge and causes trouble on their territory, handling it well means cleaning up their mess, while handling it poorly shows incompetence of the French law enforcement system. Moreover, the very nature of this incident is a trap.

If we acknowledge that this was an organized act by the British, with British influence infiltrating France and manipulating local illegal organizations to plan an attack against an heir to a pure-blooded British family, then it is an international incident.

International incidents need to be reported to the International Wizarding Federation, cross-border investigations need to be launched, and disputes need to be resolved with the British Ministry of Magic.

If it is not acknowledged, but classified as a local security incident, with French smugglers attacking the Black family's estate, and the French Auror arriving in time and the two sides cooperating smoothly, this incident would cause the least damage to France's face.

A thirteen-year-old British boy single-handedly dealt with over forty invaders, while the French Ministry of Magic was completely unaware beforehand, did nothing during the incident, and was subsequently summoned to sweep the floor. This kind of thing, which is even more shameful than the British causing trouble, should not be written into the report.

Gaston looked at the composed and well-mannered boy opposite him and suddenly realized that he had probably thought of this from the very beginning.

Isabel put her legs down, leaned back, and in a gentle tone, definitively defined what would happen tonight.

"Mr. Black, the initial assessment from the French side is that this was a violent intrusion by a local smuggling ring into a foreign estate."

The Delacroix gang, a criminal organization wanted by the French Ministry of Magic for many years, was defeated on the spot during its crime tonight. The actions of the manor's owner in self-defense were entirely legal, and the French side has no objection to this.

She continued, "Regarding the follow-up, all members of the Delacroix gang currently in custody, the injured, and related physical evidence will be handed over to the French Ministry of Magic's Enforcement Division for unified processing."

These individuals are French sorcerers who committed crimes on French soil and should be dealt with according to French law. We will ensure the full compliance of the proceedings.

At this point, she glanced at Gaston.

Gaston continued, "After the prisoners are handed over, the Enforcement Division will launch a full-scale manhunt for the remaining members of the Delacroix gang."

The gang operated in southern France and was involved in smuggling, illegal detention, bribery, and various illegal transactions involving magical creatures. This arrest is a significant breakthrough for the law enforcement department.

After Gaston finished speaking, Isabelle took over again: "The French side will also pay a higher level of attention to the security of the Black family's properties in France. Specific measures can be coordinated with us by Mr. Laval later, including increasing the frequency of Auror patrols, conducting security assessments of the area surrounding the estate, and providing rapid response support when necessary."

Regulus listened, but his attitude remained noncommittal.

Calling Aurors was the intention from the beginning; he couldn't just kill everyone.

Actually, if the situation and identity were different, killing him wouldn't be a big deal. Fiendfyre, Disintegrate Charm, anything would do; it's just a matter of wielding a wand.

He wasn't afraid of killing and damaging his soul, and he had every reason to do so, but it was unnecessary and he didn't want to.

Since Dumbledore knew he was in France and that he was there to deal with Voldemort's observation, it's hard to say the old man wasn't watching him.

If he killed all these people tonight, Dumbledore would be unhappy, and Voldemort would be very happy, so he wouldn't do it.

He knew Voldemort's intentions beforehand, and he observed him, or rather, tested him.

But no one told him the specifics of the test. He didn't know that Voldemort wanted to see if he would kill anyone; he was just following his own understanding of the rules.

I'll do whatever you arrange. If you send someone to come and see, I'll let you come and see. If you send someone to force me to take action, I'll take action.

Although I summoned the Aurors, I didn't let them interfere; I single-handedly dealt with all forty-odd adult wizards.

What else are you dissatisfied with?

Even if you're not satisfied, it's not my fault. Go find Bella. She didn't explain things clearly to me; that's because she's inefficient.

Moreover, the Black family had no need to keep prisoners, nor any interest in extracting assets from these smugglers.

It is perfectly reasonable and logical to have the Aurors receive the prisoners afterwards; there is nothing wrong with that.

But then again, he was the one who hit the person, and it's unacceptable to let the French Ministry of Magic benefit from it so easily.

He may not have been interested in those assets, but what Delacroix had accumulated over twenty years was more than just Galleons.

Smuggling channels, black market connections, and goods hidden in the warehouses of Cassis Port—these are all freebies for the French Ministry of Magic, and they certainly can't give them away for nothing.

Regulus stated directly, "The Black family can accept these conditions, but there's one thing."

Isabel raised her eyebrows slightly.

Regulus continued, "The Black family is considering expanding its alchemy-related industrial cooperation in France, including standardized measurements at the tool level, to lower the barriers to entry in the industry."

It's still in the early stages, but France is one of the most mature markets for the alchemy industry. If it becomes a viable option in the future, we hope to receive support from the relevant departments of the French Ministry of Magic.

He didn't go into details, didn't mention the resonant disk, and didn't explain the technical details; he only touched on the subject briefly in this context.

Isabel realized that this was a bargaining game.

Alchemy, tools, standardized measurements, the Black family name, and the fire manipulation that the boy in front of me just demonstrated on the battlefield.

She works in an office, but her magical skills are quite high. She has a general idea of ​​what a wizard who can control fire directly without incantations is capable of in alchemy.

France's alchemy industry is the benchmark for all of Europe, with the entire system operating for centuries, from the Beauspatton education system to the materials supply chain along the Mediterranean coast.

If the Black family has tools that can lower industry barriers, implementing them in France would be a win-win situation: France would achieve industrial upgrading, and the Black family would gain access to the European market.

Isabelle's answer was equally brief: "The French Ministry of Magic has always supported practically valuable magical technology cooperation. The Department of International Magical Cooperation has a dedicated office for commercial and technical exchanges that can handle initial coordination. If the Black family has a concrete plan, we are willing to engage in formal discussions."

Regulus nodded: "The Black family will send someone to discuss the follow-up."

Isabel picked up her coffee cup, took the last sip, and then put the cup back on the saucer.

"Regarding the official characterization of tonight's events, I will submit a draft report by tomorrow morning. Mr. Gaston will be responsible for the subsequent prisoner transfer and site cleanup."

She stood up, reached into the file in front of the legal advisor, pulled out a business card, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Regulus: "If you have any questions, feel free to contact me."

Regulus also stood up, and Baruch rolled over on the windowsill, transforming from a dark red blanket back into a spider shape, his eight legs climbing down the table leg and leaping back onto his shoulder.

"That's settled then, Madame de Lavigne."

Isabel walked over and extended her hand. Regulus shook it briefly and then let go.

Gaston also stood up, walked over, and extended his hand: "Mr. Black."

Regulus reached out and shook hands: "Mr. Gaston."

Gaston didn't say anything more, nodded, and followed Isabel out.

When the Auror team withdrew from the manor, it was still dark, and the last one to leave was the brown-haired prospector.

Looking out from the manor, the Apparitions' points of light flickered sporadically a few times on the western outskirts before darkness returned.

Regulus stood on the second-floor windowsill of the main house.

Orion has already set, and only Sirius remains lit in the west. The eastern horizon has changed from pure black to dark gray, and the outlines of mountain ridges are slowly emerging from the darkness, their edges becoming clearer.

The night passed.