Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Sirius's brain has finished rebooting, and his jumbled emotions are slowly returning to normal; at least his senses are no longer fighting each other.

He tucked his wand into his sleeve, turned and walked a few steps before sitting down in a patch of thick grass.

There's no particular posture to it; just stretch both legs out in front, one hand behind you, the other on your knee, then lift them up and pat the grass next to you twice.

Regulus shrugged, walked over, and sat down next to him. The two sat side by side, their backs to the crooked trees at the edge of the wasteland.

A few wisps of thin clouds drifted in from the other side of the sky, blown slowly by the wind. Several small figures, trailing thin lines, traced across the sky above the village. Occasionally, one of them would make a sharp turn and disappear in another direction.

Sunlight streamed in from the side, making the dewdrops on the tips of the grass sparkle. The air smelled fresh, and the outlines of the low hills in the distance were soft in the morning light.

The two sat there, enjoying the breeze for a while. It was very quiet, with only the rustling of grass blades in the wind and the calls of birds in the distance.

Sirius glanced at the guy next to him. His black curly hair was blowing in the wind, and he had a relaxed expression that made you want to punch him. He was looking at the sky, looking like he didn't intend to speak.

He pursed his lips, turned his head, and asked himself, "After you finished that, you disappeared without a trace, like you vanished. What did you do?"

Regulus watched the group of figures flying around in the sky.

Of course, you can't tell him that he went to find Dumbledore, spent half a month in the deep mountains of Norway, and was hit by a five-and-a-half-meter-tall female giant with a battle axe for two weeks, and was beaten from one end of the training ground to the other.

He couldn't tell him that after the surgery, he lay in Place Grimmauld for almost a month filling the hole in his brain, doing only three things every day: eating, sleeping, and letting Baruch swing his webs above his head. "I went to France a couple of days ago," he turned his head, glanced at Sirius, and said in a softer voice, "Andromeda had a baby."

Sirius's expression changed slightly. His eyebrows relaxed, his lips pursed, the light in his eyes shifted, and he looked further into the distance before falling silent.

He had no idea that Regulus and Andromeda were still in contact. After Andromeda was expelled, she disappeared from his mind from the Black family world.

They had only met at family gatherings before, and barely exchanged a few words a year. He thought that would be their last encounter.

He wanted to ask why he was still in contact with her, but he opened his mouth and swallowed the question back.

The fact that Regulus maintained contact with Andromeda already showed more than he had imagined.

There was a moment of silence.

"Boy or girl?"

She added softly, "Is she alright?"

Regulus leaned back with a relaxed posture, his hands resting on the grass behind him, looking up at the clouds in the sky.

"She's doing well. She's a girl named Nymphadora. She's doing well and owns a coffee shop in the Muggle neighborhood."

Regulus turned to look at him, his gaze somewhat off. Though he was smiling, it was clear he was looking at a less-than-promising junior with the disappointment and frustration of a parent looking at a wayward child. "The child is a Disguised Magus."

Sirius was stunned. To have given birth to a disguised Magus was truly remarkable.

But why give your child such an extravagant name? Nymphadora? A gift from a fairy? Aren't you afraid your child will be ridiculed by classmates when they go to school?

Then I saw Regulus's look in his eyes again.

He felt resentful and silently chuckled.

Once I turn it into an Animagus, I'll give you a real surprise.

He didn't say it aloud; this was his trump card, specially meant to shock Gules. But that didn't stop him from putting on a clearly sour face and turning his chin to the side.

Regulus glanced at him and casually remarked, "Alphad went too."

Sirius paused for a moment.

He turned back, his gray eyes fixed on Regulus, his mouth opening and closing slightly, his expression subtly tense.

His voice stammered, "What...what did you say? He didn't say anything strange, did he?"

He had written letters to Alphad, many of them, the contents of which he knew perfectly well. He was terrified that Alphad would spill the beans to Regulus. Regulus gave him a sideways glance, a half-smile playing on his lips: "Like what? What did you say?"

Sirius glared at Regulus, his gray eyes wide open. He stared for a long time, his pupils contracting briefly before relaxing again. His expression shifted from tension to defensiveness, and then from defensiveness to resentment.

Finally, he squeezed out a "Tch" through gritted teeth.

He turned his head to the other side, refusing to look at Regulus, his chin held high and his neck stiff as if it were touching the sky.

Regulus didn't say anything more.

Alphad talked to him all afternoon without mentioning Sirius, but seeing Sirius's current state, he knew what the guy was up to.

Sirius Black was still looking away, his eyes fixed on the grass on the distant hillside, full of energy.

He was seething with anger after learning about Sirius's involvement in the family's revenge war.

Given Sirius's personality, if they meet at the start of the school year, he'll definitely confront him, yell at him, and might even explode the moment they meet at the station or on the train, without even waiting until school starts.

After all, they'd been holding it in all summer, and the more they held it in, the angrier they got. They might even have planned out several ways to bring it up.

But the so-called "combined elimination and attack" approach.

The scene underground had pretty much thrown Sirius's emotions into disarray. From anger to fear, to shock, to praise, to questioning, to curiosity, to silence, his emotions were being tossed around in circles, and now they were completely disjointed. Sirius probably couldn't understand what was going on right now; he was probably just feeling stifled and could only turn his head away with a sour face.

He'll probably realize what happened afterward, but by then it'll be too late. He'll have asked what he needed to ask and what he wanted to ask. If he still wants to get angry, then he's just being immature.

That matter was simply brushed aside.

Regulus spoke casually, his tone carrying a hint of ambiguity: "You've been playing like this all your vacation?"

Sirius turned around, and seeing Regulus's expression annoyed him. He retorted irritably, "Can't you see how much my Transfiguration has improved?"

"snort."

Sirius exhaled through his nose, his face stretched even longer, and he bared his teeth.

After a short silence, the wind blew from the other side of the hill, pressing the patch of grass next to their backsides in the same direction.

Sirius suddenly stumbled, bumping into Regulus's shoulder, and said in a slightly aggressive tone, "Can't you be serious for once? Aren't you afraid I might lose control and actually hit you?"

Just now underground, the crimson light that shone from the tip of the wand when it was pressed against Regulus's chin was a spell he didn't even know he had chanted in his nervous state. If he hadn't been able to control himself at that moment, that spell would have been fired.

Regulus looked at him with a very strange expression.

Your intentions are good, but do you want to listen to what you're saying?

He didn't say anything, just watched.

Sirius felt uncomfortable being stared at; his gray eyes darted to the side, and his neck stiffened.

Regulus chuckled, "Hehehe."

Sirius's face darkened further, and he muttered words like "sick," "pervert," "lunatic," and "dog shit."

The wind blew from afar, carrying with it another whiff of the laughter of the little wizards in the sky.

Regulus looked at Sirius and thought for a moment. Children shouldn't be constantly discouraged; they need encouragement.

"Don't worry, I won't give you the chance to point your wand at me again."

Sirius glared at Regulus, his face full of resentment, baring his teeth: "You just wait!"

Then, coming to her senses, she exclaimed, "—Later?!"

Regulus was no longer looking at him; he turned his head slightly and looked elsewhere. His tone was polite and natural: "Good morning, Mr. Potter."

Sirius's eyes flashed with disdain and a hint of impatience; this guy was playing him again.

childish.

He snorted, ignored it, and continued looking at the sky.

Then a calm and gentle voice came from that direction.

Good morning, Regulus.

Charles' figure appeared out of nowhere from behind the bushes, with a few blades of grass still clinging to his body and a smile on his face.

Sirius's expression froze, and his mind began to race in an instant.

When did Charles arrive? Did he hear the insults he just heard? Did Charles see him being tricked from heaven to earth? Is there anything more to say after Regulus leaves?

Regulus sat beside him without saying anything more.

Sirius's face hadn't relaxed since Charles appeared; his eyebrows furrowed inwards, his facial muscles oscillated between embarrassment and tension, and his lips trembled as if he'd had a stroke.

This expression never appears in Grimmauld Place. It's fine.

Charles emerged from behind the bushes, his gray hair blowing to one side in the wind. Behind his square-framed glasses, his gaze was gentle as he looked at the two Black brothers sitting side by side in the wasteland bushes.

Sirius Black's face was so sour it looked like it could be wrung out of water. He sat motionless on the grass, his hands on his knees, his neck arched upwards as if he were being hung up.

Regulus sat beside him, relaxed, a smile playing on his lips, looking completely at ease.

Not far in front of the two people was a circular area with grass that didn't match the surrounding area, and the soil had been turned over very clearly.

Charles glanced at the land, then at the brothers' expressions, and knew what was going on.

The younger brother came to visit his older brother and played around on the ground for a while. Sirius was quite frightened, while Regulus had a lot of fun.

He looked at Regulus and said gently, "Come in and have a seat."

Regulus brushed the bits of grass off his trousers, stood up, and nodded slightly to Charles.

"Excuse me, Mr. Potter."

Charles shook his head slightly, extended his hand, and Regulus shook it.

Sirius patted his bottom and stood up, following behind with a sour face, not saying a word the whole way.