Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Avery wore a new silver-grey summer fine wool robe from an old Italian weaver's workshop, dressed very neatly, and looked like a very energetic young man.

Old Cuthbert was talking to a middle-aged wizard nearby, occasionally letting out a short, polite laugh.

Avery hurried over, his mouth stuffed with half a piece of foie gras bread, his cheeks bulging, and he mumbled, "Regulus, come quick, this is delicious!"

After saying that, he grabbed Regulus's sleeve and walked towards the long table next to him.

Regulus was being dragged along by the old man. He had just picked up the plate and hadn't even taken two bites when the old man pulled him away to patrol the area. He was indeed a little hungry now.

He took another plate, picked up two pieces of grilled steak, a spoonful of mashed potatoes, and a few slices of smoked salmon.

Avery had already piled his third piece of lobster meat onto his plate, still chewing on the previous bite, and then reached for the truffle stewed veal with his fork.

Regulus then took a piece, put it in his mouth, and found it to be quite delicious.

Avery ate and talked non-stop: "Did you see that Frenchman's collar button? An eagle and a lily. Do you think I could get one?"

Regulus hummed in agreement.

"The Crabbe and Goyle families, you see them? Sitting together, they're so big, that bench is suffering."

Regulus hummed in agreement again.

"My father told me to go and say hello to the Greengrass family. I did, and that kid of theirs is so arrogant, thinking his whole family is superior just because his brother became a prefect. When he talks to me, his chin could hit the top of my shoe—"

Regulus continued, "Hmm."

Avery didn't seem to mind; that's just how Regulus is. He changed the subject, his voice now tinged with excitement: "This wedding was truly grand! Look at that ceremony—the way your two families' wands touched, that crown of light—I was completely mesmerized!"

After talking about the wedding, the conversation turned to food: "Come on, to the dessert area. I just saw a chocolate lava cake, it's still steaming hot."

Regulus stopped looking at him, swallowed the food in his mouth, took a sip of wine, and turned his gaze to old Cuthbert not far away.

He straightened his cuffs, picked up his wine glass, and strode over.

Avery paused for a moment, his mouth still open, unable to finish his sentence. He stood there for a moment, looked at Regulus's back, and then quickly followed.

Regulus glanced at him sideways but didn't chase him away.

Avery shrank back, fell silent, and followed behind.

Old Cuthbert had just seen off the middle-aged wizard he had been chatting with. He turned around and saw Regulus walking over. A friendly smile appeared on his face: "Regulus."

Regulus stopped in front of him, his posture upright: "Mr. Cuthbert."

Old Cuthbert chuckled, his gaze shifting from Regulus to Avery behind him, then back: "You've had a tough year. I heard you also went to France?"

Regulus glanced at Avery, then turned back: "I went there, and the matter at the manor is settled."

"Amazing, amazing," old Cuthbert said twice, his tone sincere. After he finished speaking, he glanced at Avery, a hint of helplessness in his smile.

The kid was standing behind me, straining to listen, his face clearly showing that I was listening intently, but he obviously couldn't keep up.

Old Cuthbert turned his gaze away and continued chatting with Regulus: "What are your plans for this summer? If you're not too busy, you're welcome to come visit us. We have a small estate in Nice, and I'll be staying there for a while this summer. If you'd like to come along, the Cuthbert family would be very happy to oblige."

"Yeah, yeah!" Avery chimed in from behind, "The beaches over in Nice—"

Old Cuthbert glanced at his son, and Avery shut his mouth and shrank back.

"Thank you for your invitation, Mr. Cuthbert," Regulus smiled, "It might not be convenient this summer, I have some things to take care of at home."

He took a sip of his drink, his tone unchanged, and continued, "By the way, my father said he'd like to invite you to Grimoire Place during the holidays."

Old Cuthbert smiled and nodded, thinking it was just polite talk: "Sure, I'll definitely come over another day. How's Orion doing lately? He looked quite well when we met in Wizengamo last time."

"That's fine," Regulus replied first, then looked up at him with his gray eyes looking at him calmly. "If you have time tomorrow, you can bring Avery along as a guest."

Old Cuthbert's smile remained frozen on his face.

At a wedding, casually mentioning that you'll come over sometime is just polite talk; nobody takes it seriously. Formal social visits require writing a letter in advance, arranging a time, and sending a visiting card.

But if an invitation is made in this kind of setting, and a date is even set, then something important must be happening, something that's inconvenient to discuss here, and something urgent.

Orion had his son deliver a message at the wedding, rather than write a letter, to show that this matter could not be left in writing; it was either a big deal or a bad thing.

What's been going on with the Black family lately? Who are they involved with? What cooperation do they need from the Cuthbert family?

These thoughts raced through his mind, but his expression remained unchanged as he smiled and nodded, "Perfect timing. It's been a while since I've had tea with Orion. How about tomorrow afternoon?"

Regulus also seemed relaxed: "My father is home at two o'clock in the afternoon."

"it is good."

Avery stood behind, looking a little bewildered.

How did we go from talking about summer vacation plans to going to Blake's house tomorrow? Didn't Regulus just say he was busy with family matters during the holidays?

Old Cuthbert glanced at his son's expression, and his lips twitched.

He turned to Regulus, smiled, and said in a relaxed tone, but with a hint of entrustment: "From now on, let this kid stay by your side more often and learn something."

Regulus glanced at Avery, then raised his glass to old Cuthbert: "Avery has helped me a lot."

Upon hearing this, Avery visibly straightened his back.

Old Cuthbert smiled, shook his head, patted Regulus on the shoulder, picked up his wine glass, and walked in another direction, leaving the room to the younger generation.

Avery leaned closer, looking completely out of sorts: "What's wrong? Going to your house tomorrow? Mr. Blake wants to see my father?"

Regulus hummed in agreement.

"What is it?"

You'll find out tomorrow.

Avery opened his mouth, then closed it again, looking thoughtful, his brows furrowed, his lips pressed together, and his eyes darting around in their sockets.

He looks quite convincing, but his eyes don't seem to hold anything; he still looks completely lost.

Regulus ignored him and shifted his gaze to the side.

On the other side of the hall, Abros Murseb was whispering something to Dag Rol at a corner of a corridor.

The Murseb and Rol family do the same kind of work within the Death Eater camp, with overlapping functions and similar ecological niches.

They were more like competitors than colleagues. If one person took a bigger bite, the other would take a smaller bite. Whether it was competition or cooperation depended on Voldemort's allocation, but the positions were somewhat crowded.

Abros was a size larger than Dag. When the two stood together and talked, one would occasionally nod and the other would shake his head, which appeared to be a normal conversation between colleagues.

Hermes leaned against the wall not far away, wearing a dark robe, his face stern, his eyelids drooping, almost asleep.

Regulus's gaze lingered for a moment between Abros and old Raoul.

If the Rolle family is taken down, someone will have to fill the vacancy for the dirty work around Voldemort, and Abrose Mulceber is a ready-made candidate.

By eliminating the Rohr family, the vacated ecological niche will naturally be filled by Murseb, which is equivalent to incidentally helping his friend's father to make room for advancement.

He even thought of after-sales service for Voldemort.

Of course, he couldn't decide who Voldemort would use.

Whether Abrose can advance depends on Voldemort's will and Abrose's own ambition; it's not up to the Black family to decide. However, the Black family can give the Moorselbers a heads-up beforehand.

There was a conversation between Abrose and Dumbledore, after which a certain understanding developed between them, which stemmed from an old story involving Hermes.

Therefore, the Moorselbers' position is more complex than that of most Death Eater families. Abrose works hard for Voldemort while maintaining a covert connection with Dumbledore. Such a person is very valuable in the situation.

Ventilating the room beforehand is always beneficial.

Moorselber and Rolls were on the same track. Rolls was gone, and Moorselber was the direct beneficiary. Knowing the news in advance, Abros could adjust its strategy before the contract took effect.

Cut off business ties beforehand, make early contact with key personnel, and secure your niche in advance.

Moreover, Hermes is already one of his men. Abros had his son learn magic from him, which shows that his attitude towards the Black family has changed from ordinary allies to someone worth betting on.

The Black family's decision to tip off Murseb before taking action was a sign of trust and would further sway Abros towards the Black family.

After the fall of the Rohr family, there will be a brief power vacuum in the pureblood circle. Whoever can fill the gap immediately will be in a more advantageous position in the subsequent landscape. If the Murseb family is aware of this in advance and acts properly, they can seamlessly take over.

This kind of favor is quite valuable.

Of course, in the end, it was all because of Hermes. If Hermes wasn't his man, what would the Black family care about Abrose's life or death?

Regulus beckoned to Hermes.

Hermes had already seen this side. He straightened up from the base of the wall and slowly walked over. His expression was the same as before, wooden and unreadable.

He walked up to Regulus, and without asking what was wrong, he just stood there.

"If you're free tomorrow or the day after, you and your father can come over to the Blake's house for a visit."

Hermes nodded blankly, without asking why, what it was about, or what he was going to do. Regulus said he would go, so he went.

Avery tilted his head to the side, looking even more confused.

First his father went to the Black family, and now Hermes' father is going too?

He tried to make his expression look like he had figured it out, his brows furrowed even more, and his chin was slightly raised.

Hermes glanced at him, his usually expressionless face showing a rare twitch as the corners of his mouth turned down and his eyes were full of disdain.

Just as Avery was about to explode, Hermes stopped looking at him and turned to Regulus, asking, "Want to bring your wand?"

"...what ever."

Hermes nodded again, returning his blank expression to its previous state.

The white peacock bells in the distance rang again, and the laughter of the guests came from the direction of the main hall. The warm golden light of the crystal ball slowly rotated overhead, and the banquet continued.

The three people stood in a corner of the hall, each eating their own food.