Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

The library was a place Regulus had to visit before leaving school; several books needed to be returned.

The library was so quiet you could hear the soft rustling of pages turning. Most students had already packed their bags and were ready to go home, with only a few still engrossed in researching.

Regulus walked slowly along the bookshelf, when a hesitant voice came from behind him.

"Regulus?"

Regulus turned around and saw Lily Evans standing between two rows of bookshelves, holding a thick stack of books, the top one being "Advanced Potion Making".

"Lily." Regulus stopped what he was doing and responded gently.

Lily took a few steps closer, her voice slightly nervous: "I...I wanted to send you a Christmas present, but I don't know your address?"

"Could you tell me the address?" Lily's green eyes stared at Regulus's gray eyes, a look of anticipation in them.

Regulus was silent for a moment, his tone still gentle but apologetic: "I'm sorry, Lily, the address of the Black family is protected by ancient magic and cannot be revealed by me; it is bound by magic."

Furthermore, external correspondence, especially that from non-magical channels, cannot be delivered directly.

Number 12 Grimmauld Place was shrouded in powerful protective magic.

The address itself contains powerful magic and is a top secret. Even if an outsider only knows the address, it will trigger a warning spell.

Moreover, Walbuga despises everything in the Muggle world. If he receives a gift from a Muggle family, not only will the gift be destroyed, but it may also cause Lily unnecessary trouble.

Lily's face dimmed, she lowered her head, and her long red hair fell down, obscuring her eyes.

After a long pause, her voice trembled with sadness: "Is it because...my family is a Muggle family?"

"It has nothing to do with that," Regulus shook his head.

Number 12 Grimmauld Place does indeed have a protective charm against Muggle emails, but if you really want to block it, there's always a way, though he certainly can't tell you the truth.

"Any outsider who knows the address will trigger the defense, without exception. Even close relatives will be cursed if they casually reveal it."

"The magic will automatically identify those who are not of the family bloodline. If a package is received from someone who is not recognized, not only will the package be destroyed, but the sender may also be implicated."

Lily nodded upon hearing this, and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

This knowledge was her blind spot; it was never taught in Hogwarts classes—things like family protection magic, address curses, and automatic bloodline identification.

These are the unspoken traditions of pure-blood families, the hidden magic flowing through ancient walls and family trees.

None of the other pure-blooded wizards she encountered brought these things up on their own initiative; they wouldn't explain, nor did they feel the need to explain.

Perhaps to them, this is common sense, as natural as a Muggle knowing that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

If a Muggle-born person like Lily breaks a taboo because of ignorance, it's not their problem; it's just that the Mudbloods lack manners.

She never tried to please anyone; she simply believed that Regulus was a friend worth having, based on respect and equality—a rare quality in the wizarding world rife with bloodline prejudice.

As long as Regulus doesn't object to her gift or reject her friendship, the address doesn't matter at all.

Since that was the case, she didn't ask any further questions, but simply held the book in her arms even more securely.

She turned to leave, then stopped, glanced back at Regulus, her green eyes sparkling with a smile: "Well... I'll bring you a present after the holiday, okay?"

"Sure." Regulus nodded decisively this time. "If you don't mind, tell me your address. I also have a gift I'd like to give you."

Lily paused for a moment, then gave a genuine smile: "My home address is No. 4, Lilac Drive, Kirkworth Town."

Merry Christmas, Lily.

"You too, Regulus."

He sighed softly as he watched Lily's figure disappear at the end of the bookshelf.

The gap between two worlds can never be bridged by a little kindness, but he will cherish this friendship.

The next morning, the Hogwarts Express arrived at the platform on time, where it was bustling with noise, with hordes of young wizards, their laughter and the hooting of owls mingling together.

Regulus carried the suitcase, Hermes stayed at school, and Avery and Alex followed behind. The three of them walked towards the train with the flow of people.

Avery leaned closer, lowered his voice, and said with barely concealed schadenfreude, "Lestrange didn't make it."

I heard he was caught red-handed by Professor McGonagall yesterday conducting dark magic experiments in an abandoned classroom. He was injured and will be receiving treatment in the Medical Wing over the Christmas holidays, after which he will be put in solitary confinement.

Regulus raised an eyebrow but didn't ask any further questions.

Rabastan's fate was exactly as he had predicted. Hermes and Avery's methods, though not particularly sophisticated, were effective enough.

"Isn't that Potter and his friends?" Alex suddenly said.

Regulus followed his gaze and saw James Porter, Remus, and Peter standing at the train door, chatting and laughing.

Sirius leaned against the car door, still wearing his faded jeans. When he saw Regulus, his smile froze, and he turned away.

Lily was standing not far away, saying goodbye to a girl. When she saw Regulus, she waved and smiled broadly. Regulus nodded slightly.

The train whistle sounded as it started moving, and Regulus boarded the train and found a window seat.

Avery and Alex sat across from him, excitedly discussing their holiday plans to buy the latest broom in Diagon Alley and try out the newly opened magic item shop in Tumblecomb Alley.

Regulus didn't participate; he simply watched the scenery outside the window slowly recede, the fields, woods, and farmhouses covered in snowflakes, like a still painting.

As the train arrived at King's Cross station, the snowflakes fell more heavily, melting instantly on our shoulders and bringing a touch of coolness.

Regulus bid farewell to Avery and Alex and walked alone to a quiet corner at the edge of the platform.

"Master." Kreacher's voice suddenly rang out beside him. The house-elf, dressed in tattered linen clothes, bowed respectfully, his nose almost touching the ground.

"My master sent me to take you home."

Regulus nodded. "Let's go."

Kreacher raised his withered hand, a faint silver light shining from his fingertips.

Without any incantations or wands, and without even any obvious magical fluctuations, an invisible barrier enveloped the two of them.

The surrounding scenery began to distort and spin, and the noise of the platform seemed to be muted, fading away in an instant.

Space was no longer an obstacle, but rather like a piece of cloth that could be folded at will. They stood at the folds of the cloth and crossed over in the blink of an eye.

When I opened my eyes again, I was already standing in the foyer of the Blake family home.

The fireplace burned with indigo ceremonial flames, and the portraits on the wall cast their gazes, whispering amongst themselves.

Regulus stood rooted to the spot, the spatial displacement of that instant leaving a clear imprint on his mind, fundamentally different from the wizard's apparition.

He had read detailed accounts of Apparition in the family library and heard Orion describe his own experience.

It's like being forcibly stuffed into a narrow rubber tube and then squeezed out.

The wizard needs to concentrate all his attention on the destination; the slightest deviation could result in the wizard splitting apart.

The whole process was filled with a sense of forced compression, as if the barriers of space were being brutally broken open, forcibly squeezed in, and then squeezed out from the other end.

This method is more like forcing your way through, requiring you to overcome the resistance of the space itself. Every movement is accompanied by intense discomfort, and it is extremely limited by distance; it cannot be done beyond a certain range.

But Kreacher's magic is completely different.

There was no feeling of being squeezed, no resistance to forcefully breaking through, and no discomfort whatsoever; it was as if the space itself had voluntarily made way for them.

Or perhaps they simply teleported from one point to another without any intermediate process.

This is pure spatial displacement, requiring no resistance; it's more like moving in accordance with the laws of space.

Regulus twitched his fingertips slightly, and magic flowed gently across his body.

He began to think that house-elves could cast complex magic without a wand and could teleport to their master's side instantly, even from a great distance.

Moreover, this movement seems to be unaffected by magical barriers, and the Anti-Apparition Charm is ineffective against it.

In his predetermined fate, the cave where he died was one that even Dumbledore couldn't Apparate into, but Kreacher could come and go freely.

If we could unravel the essence of this spatial magic, we might be able to break through the inherent framework of wizarding magic and no longer be limited by spells, wands, and distance.

It can even break free from the constraints of gravity and truly achieve free movement.

And this is the only way to reach the stars. To break through the atmosphere and explore the universe, spatial magic is an indispensable foundation.

Once this thought arises, it can no longer be ignored.