Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

As the banquet drew to a close and the guests began to leave, Regulus found a corner to sit alone, watching the crowd flow out.

Orion and Volbuga said goodbye to Abraxas in the foyer. Volbuga kissed Narcissa on the cheek, and Orion shook hands with Lucius.

Before leaving, Orion glanced in Regulus's direction, said nothing, turned around, and took Volbuga's arm as they walked away.

The crowd slowly dispersed, leaving the banquet hall mostly empty. The food on the long tables was almost completely cleared away, and the house-elves began silently tidying up the tables.

The crystal ball in the silver arcade was still shining, the lavender wall in the garden exuded fragrance in the twilight, the white peacock perched on the low wall, its neck tucked into its wings, and the silver bells fell silent.

Just a moment ago, the hall was packed with people, a mix of languages ​​and accents, laughter and clinking glasses filling the entire space. Now, it's all gone.

The next time so many wizards are gathered in one place will probably be for war.

There are no more weddings to hold. All the marriages that were supposed to happen have happened, and all the alliances that were supposed to be formed have been formed. This time next year, there will no longer be a dozen long tables in the Malfoy family garden, no longer the aroma of truffle stewed beef, and no longer the silver bells of white peacocks forming wedding hymns.

Next June, the stone walls of the manor may be splattered with blood; the last vestiges of dignity have been used up today.

Regulus walked to a sofa in the side hall and sat down, tearing apart a piece of bread and eating it.

The banquet food was exquisite and plentiful, but every bite was filled with social interaction, so it was impossible to eat properly and get full. He was at the age where he was growing, so he ate a lot, but he also got hungry quickly.

Footsteps came from the direction of the entrance hall; Lucius had seen off the last group of guests and was walking back from outside.

His platinum blonde hair was a little messy from the evening breeze, but he didn't bother with it. He rubbed his neck with one hand, twisted it a couple of times, and cracked his neck twice.

He saw Regulus sitting on the sofa eating bread, and for a moment he didn't know what kind of expression to make.

It was the Malfoy family's banquet, or rather, his wedding. After the party, a guest was seen huddled in a corner eating bread by himself. It was hardly a respectable thing to get out.

However, the one eating bread is Regulus, one of our own. So what if it's not dignified?

He walked over, plopped down on the sofa opposite him, slung himself back, and stretched out his legs in a rather unseemly posture.

"I'm exhausted," he said, closing his eyes briefly before opening them again. "I've been standing since this morning, my legs feel like they don't belong to me anymore."

Regulus glanced at him, then looked down at the bread in his hand, thought for a moment, tore off a piece, and handed it over.

Lucius reached out and took it, then put it in his mouth and chewed it, seemingly not quite full.

"Father went to his study," he mumbled. "Let's talk slowly."

Regulus didn't respond, and the two of them sat facing each other, chewing their bread.

A moment later, footsteps came from the stairs, and Narcissa came down from the second floor.

She changed out of her wedding gown and into a light purple loungewear dress with a loose neckline. Her long golden hair was draped over her shoulders, and she had removed her floral crown. A little makeup remained on her face, with traces of glitter around her eyes and lipstick still lingering.

My whole demeanor was different from when I was receiving congratulations from guests in the garden. I was relaxed and at ease, with a sense of relief after accomplishing something important.

From this day forward, she is Mrs. Malfoy.

She saw that Regulus was still there, her eyes crinkled, and she walked over with a thud, then she saw what he was doing.

Eating bread.

Then I looked at Lucius, who was sitting opposite Regulus, also eating bread.

The two of them were sprawled on the sofa, each with a blank expression, their cheeks bulging, watching each other chew.

Narcissa slowed her pace and glanced back and forth between the two people eating bread.

"...The Malfoy family's banquet actually left the guests so hungry." She shook her head, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes.

Narcissa walked over to Lucius, looked down at the bread in his hand, then at the expression on his face as he chewed it with gusto, and patted him on the shoulder.

"You're just going to let him eat this?"

Lucius swallowed the bread in his mouth, looked up at her, and said innocently, "Darling, I'm eating too."

Narcissa glared at him.

Regulus stayed behind; she knew there was something to discuss, but there was no rush.

She sat down next to Lucius, her hand resting naturally on his arm.

Lucius snapped his finger at the house-elf, and a moment later, a small round table was set up.

The meal was for three people, a simple meal that couldn't compare to the lavish banquet we had just attended. It consisted of a cheese platter, a few slices of cold ham, a basket of sliced ​​baguette bread, and a bottle of unopened white wine.

The three people sat down around the small round table. The flames in the fireplace crackled and popped. The noise of the banquet subsided, and the spatial expansion spell on the manor was removed, restoring it to its original size.

Lucius poured three glasses of wine, picked one up, and suddenly, as if remembering something, looked at Regulus's chest: "Baruch?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Regulus's inner pocket twitched, and two small amber eyes peeked out from the edge of the pocket, looking left and right.

Hearing someone call its name, the spider poked its head out most of the way, placed its two front legs on the edge of the bag, and made two clicking sounds at Lucius.

Then it crawled out of the inner bag, jumped onto Regulus's shoulder, and continued to stomp at Lucius.

It recognized him; the good wizard who provided it with food.

Lucius's lips curled up slightly as he raised his glass to it: "Long time no see."

Narcissa's gaze fell on Baruch. She had never met Baruch in person, but Lucius had mentioned him.

Lucius turned to Narcissa and said, "I told you, Regulus's furry little guy ate several pieces of Swedish short-nosed saury neck meat at the manor last time. He's very picky about food; he won't even touch ordinary meat."

Narcissa looked at Baruch, and Baruch looked at Narcissa.

Eight amber eyes stared at the blonde woman for a moment, then clicked, opened its chelicerae briefly, and then retracted them, looking very obedient.

Regulus chuckled softly. "It's greeting you."

Narcissa smiled and raised her hand to wave at Baruch: "Hello, Baruch."

After saying that, she found it amusing and reached out a finger to touch its spider head. Baruch tilted his head and rubbed his fingertip against hers.

Lucius summoned a house-elf and indifferently ordered, "Go and cut a plate of Swedish short-nosed dragon neck meat."

The little elf bowed deeply, its nose touching its knee, and then vanished with a snap.

A moment later, it reappeared carrying a silver platter filled with thinly sliced ​​dragon meat, the dark purple fibers still glistening with blood.

Baruch launched himself off Regulus’s shoulder and landed on the edge of the round table. His eight thin legs tumbled around a couple of times, and his chelicerae grabbed a piece of dragon meat and stuffed it into his mouth.

Its mouthparts grinded rapidly, making crunching noises as it ate, completely absorbed in its meal and oblivious to everyone else.

Regulus glanced at it, shook his head, and his eating manners became increasingly worse.

"You look great in this outfit today. Did Aunt Walbuga pick it out for you?" Narcissa gently swirled the wine glass in her hand, her gaze sweeping over Regulus.

Regulus shrugged. "She picked it out. I'm just responsible for wearing it."

Narcissa smiled, picked up her glass and took a sip: "She's always had a good eye. She picked out all your clothes when you were little. Once, she dressed you in a little white dress, and you tripped and fell after taking a few steps, crawling on your hands and feet—"

"Cousin," Regulus said expressionlessly, "I don't remember this."

This is fabricated, a serious fabrication of facts. He remembers everything that happened to him from childhood to adulthood, but he has never fallen down.

"I remember that's fine," Narcissa said with a smile, then turned to Lucius: "Lucius's gown today was also tailored by her. Did you notice his cufflinks? She picked those out too."

Regulus raised his wine glass to Lucius: "Nice cufflinks."

Actually, he hadn't noticed what cufflinks Lucius was wearing today, but Narcissa specifically mentioned it, so it wouldn't be appropriate for him not to respond.

Lucius raised his wrist and shook it, a slightly smirk playing on his lips. "I think I look good in anything."

Narcissa turned to look at him, her expression somewhat subtle: "You're hopeless."

"You thought I was good-looking the first day you met me," Lucius chimed in, his tone both affectionate and self-assured.

Regulus looked at her sympathetically: "Always like this?"

“It’s always been like this,” Narcissa shook her head helplessly, “It’s been like this since the first day I met him.”

After saying that, he turned and glared at him, Lucius shrugged, and still had that not-so-serious smile on his lips.

Narcissa couldn't help but laugh, and patted his arm, leaving her hand there afterward.

Lucius raised an eyebrow at Regulus triumphantly, but Regulus didn't understand what he was so smug about.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Narcissa inquired about France: "How's it going in Provence? Are the people at the estate doing well?"

"DuPont did a good job," Regulus said, popping a piece of cheese into his mouth. "There's a clever girl named Claire. Last time Baruch wrapped her up in a cocoon, she wasn't angry. All the protective spells were repaired, and the grapevines are growing better than in previous years."

Regulus picked up his glass, took a sip, put it down, and looked at Narcissa: "Cousin, do you remember what happened in the common room when I was in first year?"

Narcissa tilted her head slightly, a look of confusion in her eyes: "Which one?"

"Arnold Belmont".

Narcissa's expression changed, her brow furrowed slightly, and then she suddenly realized.

Belmont, a surname that has disappeared from the map of pure-blooded Britain for almost two years, but she remembers it.

She was the prefect of seventh grade at the time, and she watched from beginning to end in the common room when Arnold Belmont jumped out and forced Regulus to make a statement, using the name of that adult to blackmail the Black family heir.

Regulus used magic to force Belmont to his knees all night. The next day, Belmont was taken away by Slughorn. A few days later, the entire family was expelled from England, and all their property was lost.

"The Belmont family is no longer in England." Narcissa said with a hint of doubt, not understanding why Regulus would suddenly bring this up.

Regulus shook his head: "Belmont himself doesn't have that ability; he can't create that kind of scene."

Lucius squinted at the side.

The Belmont incident was a minor news story, and at the time he felt it was a normal display of the Black family's power, a reasonable retaliation after being offended.

There must be someone behind Belmont. No family would dare to mess with Blake without someone instructing them, but now that person is gone, the whole family has been driven out. Pathetic losers, not worth your time.

Now Regulus brought it out and, after the wedding, specifically kept it to talk about.

Regulus's tone remained unchanged: "Something happened at the orientation party this year. Your cousin should have heard about it. A freshman got into trouble during the duel for the top spot."

Narcissa's brow furrowed even more.

The competition for the top spot among the new Slytherin members will be closely watched by the pure-blood community.

She had indeed heard that a freshman had taken a potion and lost control of his magic, so Regulus stopped the competition and Slughorn came to take him away, but she didn't know the details.

Lucius brought the glass to his lips, but didn't drink it, and put it down again. He knew more about the matter.

Giving an amplifying potion to a freshman, causing him to lose control during the duel for the top spot against the Black family heir, was a very direct and obvious intention.

The logic is exactly the same as the Belmont case: using someone else to target the Black family while hiding behind the scenes.

Lucius looked at Regulus: "Who did this?"

Regulus didn't answer directly. He shifted his gaze from Lucius's face to the fireplace, where a flame flickered in the hearth, a piece of wood collapsed, and sparks flew up.

He turned back, looked at Narcissa, then at Lucius, and his tone suddenly changed: "Lucius, do you know the Greystone family?"

Narcissa was stunned. Greystone?

Lucius was also taken aback, his brow furrowed, and his mind raced.

"Yorkshire, 14th century," Regulus said before they could react, "At that time, they controlled the magical territory in northern Yorkshire, had seven or eight vassal families, and all the magical creature trade and dragon bone raw material routes in the north went through their territory. They also had exclusive supply contracts with the goblin tribes in the north."

He continued, "Later, they became enemies with the Lancaster family. A contract was issued, and in twenty-eight days, the manor burned down, the vassals dispersed, the bloodline was severed, and not even a burial site was left."

After saying that, he clicked his tongue and said, "What a pity."

Narcissa's eyelashes trembled.

Greystone, Lancaster, Twenty-Eight Days—these words are inextricably linked in the history of the pure-blood family.

These things aren't taught in proper history of magic classes, but every old-fashioned pure-blood family has a copy of the Rise and Fall of British pure-bloods in their study.

Which families rose to prominence in which century, and which families perished in which century? Was their demise due to the extinction of their bloodlines or defeat and annexation?

The family revenge pact, the oldest war rule among purebloods, has not been used for hundreds of years, but it has never been abolished.

Lucius lowered his head slightly, staring at a certain spot on the tablecloth.

Regulus glanced at the expressions on the two men's faces and a slight smile curved his lips.

The Jeffrey Cyril line is difficult to follow; his memories have been tampered with, and the trail has gone cold.

But it wouldn't be difficult for the Malfoys to investigate who the Belmonts were close to and who they were under while they were in England.

"The Black family has something going on during the holidays," Regulus said casually, "just letting you know."

Silence fell over the small round table.

Narcissa looked at Regulus's face.

After the Belmont incident, not a single word was released about who was behind it. This level of cover-up is of very high quality.

Her chest heaved slightly, and her gaze shifted from Regulus to Lucius, who in turn looked at Narcissa. Their eyes met.

Lucius moved his hand from the table and placed it on the back of Narcissa's hand, pressing it gently. Narcissa then grasped his hand in return.

Neither of them spoke, but they confirmed everything.

Regulus glanced at them, finished the last sip of his drink, and placed the glass on the table.

Baruch stuffed the last piece of dragon meat into his mouth, scratched the edge of the silver plate twice with his claws, found it empty, raised his spider head to look at the three people, and then silently crawled to Regulus's hand and lay down.

Regulus stood up: "Let's go."

Baruch climbed up his shoulder along his sleeve, spread his eight legs, and lay there steadily. His spider head turned, and Lucius and Narcissa waved their forelegs, their pincers clicking softly.

Lucius and Narcissa also got up, and the three of them walked toward the foyer, their shadows reflected on the marble floor.

When they reached the door, Narcissa straightened Regulus's collar and whispered, "Be careful."

Regulus patted the back of his hand.

Lucius reached out his hand, and Regulus grasped it.

He patted Regulus on the shoulder with his other hand: "Let me know if you need anything."

Regulus nodded. "Okay."

After saying that, he turned and walked out of the porch, stood on the steps of Malfoy Manor, looked back at the two people, and said in a very serious and sincere tone, with genuine concern in his eyes: "Get some rest early tonight."

Narcissa rolled her eyes, then laughed, her eyes reddening slightly as she laughed.

Lucius's expression was subtle; the corners of his mouth turned up, his eyebrows were raised, and he spread his hands out slightly.

Regulus turned around, took a step, and with a snap, disappeared.

Only Lucius and Narcissa remained at the manor gate.

Narcissa looked at the spot where Regulus had disappeared, the night wind blowing her blonde hair to the left.

Lucius put his arm around her shoulder and gently pressed his hand on her shoulder.

Narcissa rested her face on his shoulder, and the two stood there for a moment before turning and walking into the platinum light.