Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Chapter 581 I Will Be the Strongest

Regulus, holding the tiny baby in his arms, took another turn in his thoughts.

There are only two people in the next generation of the Bright family bloodline: one is Nymphadora in his arms, Andromeda's daughter.

The other is Draco Malfoy, Narcissa's son, who hasn't been born yet, but will come sooner or later.

Two older cousins, two children, all carrying the blood of the Black family; there's no one else like them.

Thinking of Narcissa brings to mind the Malfoys, Lucius, Abraxas, and a perfectly timed dragon plague syphilis.

The previous plan was to wait until something happened to Abraxas, until Lucius took over all the responsibilities of the Malfoy family, until he could no longer withstand Voldemort's oppression, and then take action to bring the Malfoy family under the protection of the Black family.

Narcissa is of the Black family bloodline, and her husband and children are an extension of the Black family.

When Lucius truly needed allies, the Black family's offer was far better than him struggling under Voldemort's control.

But Narcissa's children will also be of the Black family bloodline, and perhaps some things don't need to wait until the worst outcome occurs before cleaning up the mess.

The thought flashed through my mind for a moment, but I quickly dismissed it. I'll go to Lucius's banquet next and see what happens then.

Not long after, the therapist Andromeda had hired opened the door. He looked tired but relaxed and said to the people in the living room, "Andromeda is all ready and in good condition. Her family can come in to visit now."

The young wizards around them consciously stepped back and made way, showing that friends are friends and family should go first.

Isabel moved a few steps forward from where she was standing, not too close, but further away than the circle that Andromeda's friends had made way for, and her gaze fell on the baby in Regulus's arms.

The baby had blue hair, and less than an hour after birth, the color of that little tuft of hair had already changed several times.

Blue is the base color, but the shades vary, and occasionally a hint of another color flashes within the blue and then disappears.

Disguised as Magus.

Isabel's eyes flickered.

A natural master of human transformation, one of the rarest bloodline talents in the wizarding world, with an extremely low probability of being born. Most wizards study transformation magic their entire lives and still cannot reach the starting point that a Disguise Magus is born with.

The Black family bloodline.

Her gaze slowly shifted from the baby, swept over the people standing in the living room, and finally landed on Alfard, her smile becoming increasingly polite and gentle.

Alfred shivered inexplicably, zipped up his leather jacket, and looked around suspiciously. He saw that it was that French woman smiling at him again, a smile that made his skin crawl.

Isabelle's smile deepened.

Gaston glanced at Isabel from the apartment entrance, his expression beneath his short, gray hair unchanged. Isabel ignored him.

Regulus glanced at the images from the side.

He had nothing to do with the flirting among the French, but he found it amusing that the French were flirting with Alfred.

He didn't interfere much; the Blake family needed to expand.

He carried the baby toward the bedroom door, with Alfard following beside him, walking quickly.

The air in the bedroom was dry and refreshing, the smell of herbs had dissipated, and the window was slightly ajar, allowing the afternoon sunlight from Paris to stream in through the gap in the curtains, casting a narrow, pale golden band of light on the white sheets at the foot of the bed.

Andromeda leaned against the headboard, wearing a white cotton-linen nightgown with long sleeves and loose cuffs, and two stacked pillows behind her back.

Long, black hair was scattered over her shoulders and on the pillow, with a few strands clinging to her face. The ends of her hair were slightly curled, and although it was mostly dry, it still carried a hint of dampness.

His complexion was pale, his lips were light, and there were traces of blue under his eyes. He seemed to be in good spirits, with a warm light shining in his gray irises, and his whole face was relaxed.

Ted sat on the chair by the bed, holding Andromeda's hand, a satisfied look on his face, still grinning foolishly, his mouth wide open.

Andromeda's gray eyes lit up when he saw Regulus carrying the baby in.

She knew he would come; he had promised.

Regulus walked to the bedside, glanced down at her, and then down at the baby in his arms.

Andromeda's voice was a little hoarse from exhaustion, but her tone was light: "You've come."

Regulus said casually, "I said I'd come."

He lowered the baby a little so Andromeda could see it. The baby's face was turned toward Andromeda, its blue fur shimmering slightly in the sunlight, and its mouth was still moving.

Andromeda looked at the baby with a smile on her lips. After a while, her gaze shifted from the baby's face to Regulus's. "He's holding you better than I expected."

"Holding a baby is no different from holding anything else," Regulus said with a hint of smugness. "The important thing is not to let her fall."

Andromeda rolled her eyes: "Tell her that again when she's older."

"She won't remember."

Andromeda chuckled, reached out and gently touched the baby's face, his fingers sliding from the cheek to the tuft of blue hair above the forehead.

She ran her fingers back and forth a couple of times, then touched it: "You were right, Nymphadora really is a disguised Magus."

Regulus raised the corners of his mouth: "Of course, I'm right."

Alphad joined in, his gray eyes glancing at Andromeda before he grinned, "Anti, you're amazing! Disguised as Magus, well done!"

Andromeda smiled at him, his voice weak but his expression lively: "Your words sound like a message of consolation after a battle."

"Isn't that just like fighting a war?" Alphad winked at Andromeda and gave him a thumbs up. "I just hugged him. He's strong and has a loud voice, just like you."

Andromeda's smile deepened. He shook his head, said nothing, and his gaze returned to the baby in Regulus's arms.

Alphad didn't bother Andromeda much; he went to bother Ted instead.

"What did I say? Blue hair, look at that!"

Ted snapped out of his daze and glanced speechlessly at Alphad, who was extremely smug, as if that little tuft of blue hair had anything to do with him.

Regulus glanced sideways at Ted.

There were three Blacks in the room: Andromeda, Alphad, and him, plus the baby in his arms who was half Black.

The room was full of Blacks, except for Ted, who wasn't named Black.

I really want to kick him out.

Regulus withdrew his gaze.

Forget it, keep them. They're the ones Andromeda chose.

Andromeda's fingers were still on the baby's hair, gently stroking the soft fur.

“It has been changing since birth,” she said with a fresh sense of wonder. “Mrs. Beaumont said she has never seen a newborn with such active magic.”

Indeed, the fact that the Disguise Magus's talent operates automatically even unconsciously indicates that his magical energy is abundant to a considerable degree.

Level.

He looked up at Andromeda and said softly, "When Nymphadora is a little older, I will teach her Transfiguration."

Andromeda's gaze shifted from the baby to Regulus's face, her gray eyes filled with curiosity. After a while, the smile in her eyes deepened.

She didn't say anything polite, just nodded, and her gaze returned to the baby.

Regulus's gaze also fell on Nymphadora, the little creature blowing bubbles at him.

The blue fur color changed again, jumping from light blue to dark blue and then back to light blue, with a slightly luminous texture.

One of her small hands emerged from the package, her fingers spread, and she darted haphazardly through the air, her fingertips brushing against the back of Regulus's hand before falling back down.

He looked up, his gaze shifting to Ted: "Nifadora will be a powerful wizard."

Ted's expression softened slightly.

He was an ordinary wizard, with mediocre magic, but he wasn't stupid.

Regulus said he would teach his daughter Transfiguration, saying she would become a powerful wizard. The man, who had just become a father, thought it would be good if someone was willing to teach his child.

But he also knew that Regulus was not just a relative willing to teach Transfiguration; he was the heir to the Black family, accompanied by high-ranking officials from the French Ministry of Magic, and his reputation was immense.

Ordinary visits to relatives are fine, but his teachings might mean that their small family has become connected with something larger.

The facts will not disappear because of that heartwarming conversation.

A man's instinct as a husband and father made him more hesitant.

Regulus saw the concern in Ted's eyes, but he said nothing.

Andromeda watched the two of them from the middle, his gray eyes moving from Ted's face to Regulus's face, and then back to Ted's face.

She understood what Ted was thinking and what Regulus was saying.

She reached out and shook Ted's hand, not with much force. Ted looked down at her, then looked up at Regulus.

Regulus looked at him calmly, without any extra emotion.

Ted's Adam's apple bobbed, and he nodded.

Andromeda smiled at Regulus: "Then you'd better teach him well."

"Of course," Regulus lowered his head, a slight smirk playing on his lips, "Of all the people you could find, I'd be the strongest at Transfiguration."

No one knows where the limit of the mouth-changing Magus is, because there are few people, and because the limit is difficult to reach.

But he wanted to give it a try.

Andromeda leaned against the pillows, her gray eyes reflecting the sunlight streaming in from the window, bright and clear: "I believe."

Alphad leaned against the wall by the door, his hands in his leather jacket pockets, looking in Regulus's direction.

He hadn't uttered a sound since Regulus started speaking, and the lively enthusiasm that had been on his face throughout had vanished, replaced by a quiet calm in his grey eyes.

The powerful younger brother Sirius Black mentioned in his letter, the one who took on everything, the funny boy who was just on the sofa talking about Pink Floyd, the moon landing, and the future, and now the one holding a newborn baby and saying she will be a powerful wizard—it's the same person.

He turned his gaze away from Regulus, looked down at the tips of his boots, paused for a moment, and then looked up again.

Then he grinned and laughed again, the calmness in his gray eyes shattering, returning him to his carefree and nonchalant self.

He straightened up from the wall, took two steps, and reached out to pat Regulus on the shoulder.

Regulus looked up, and Alphad gave him a thumbs-up, revealing a row of bright white teeth.

The sunlight continued to shine through the window, and the bedroom was quiet for a moment.

The baby's nostrils twitched, and its little face turned slightly toward the inside of the swaddle, resting on Regulus's arm, and remained still.