Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Rock's face flushed red with discomfort, anger, and a little panic.

He had prepared a very eloquent speech, about the power of the Black family, about the same banner, and about the future of purebloods.

He felt he had spoken very well, with sound logic and respectful wording, giving Regulus face while asking the real question.

Regulus Black just wanted to know what he was.

Regulus didn't give him time to compose himself and continued, his voice flat: "You came here not to find out the Black family's attitude."

Rock opened his mouth, as if to say something.

"You came because you felt that asking this question was a gain in itself. You don't care how I answer it; what you care about is that you asked the question so that you'll have something to take back and talk about."

Regulus stopped, his gray eyes looking down at the other's face, noticing the blood fading from it.

"You still think that person needs you to do this for him?"

One of the Death Eaters on the periphery suddenly raised his head.

Rock's expression shattered.

His stated purpose was to share his master's burdens, and all his logic was based on the premise that his master couldn't ask, so he asked instead. But once it was said to his face, the meaning changed, and the premise became an overstepping of authority.

You think you're doing this for your master, that your master needs you to do this for him, but what makes you think that person needs you?

If he wants to know the Black family's attitude, when is it your turn?

Regulus shifted his gaze from Rock's face, tilting it slightly to the right, sweeping it over all the Death Eaters in the hall. The temperature seemed to drop the moment he turned his head.

There were thirty or forty faces, some in front, some in the back, and some had already retreated to the side of the gate.

Everyone was looking at him, and he was looking at everyone.

"The Luo family is on your side."

The main hall fell silent.

"and then?"

The instruments playing automatically in the corner all stopped at the same moment. The cello bow hung in mid-air, the harp strings vibrated, and before the last note had completely dissipated, it was suppressed by this sentence.

The expressions on thirty or forty faces all changed. Some people's breathing became heavy, and some people's hands were pulling into their sleeves, probably wanting to take out their wands, but they forcibly stopped themselves.

Some people took a half step back, then stopped abruptly, not daring to let those around them see them retreating. No one dared to speak, no one dared to make a move.

Everyone knows the Roll family: early followers, one of the first families to be marked with the Dark Mark, Voldemort's executioners, a family that specializes in dirty work.

He did everything he was supposed to do, he expressed all the loyalty he was supposed to express, and he branded himself with the mark he was supposed to brand earlier than anyone else present.

They've come together, so what?

Even the foundation was blasted into the ground, leaving no survivors. The manor was turned into a pit, and the soil in the pit was burned into glass.

The surname Roll was permanently erased from the records of the British magical community, and in the end, he gained nothing and had nothing left.

Did that person protect the Roel family? Where was that person's protection when the Roel family was smashed to pieces from the sky?

Every Death Eater present had the Dark Mark on their arm, and they all stood together, including the Roll family. The Roll family was gone.

Some might think deeper, about the inner circle: Evan Rozier, Nott, and even Lucius.

The Roll family was destroyed because they offended the heir of the Black family.

Now someone is standing in front of the Black family heir and saying the same offensive things. What's the difference between this and what the Roll family did?

Some people were looking at Rock as if he were a dead man. Regulus was telling the truth.

The Rolle family did indeed stand with the Death Eaters, and they are indeed gone; not a single word in that statement is wrong.

As for what those who heard it interpreted, did that person protect you? Do you think that having a brand on your arm means you can do whatever you want without any scruples?

These are each person's own thoughts, and have nothing to do with Regulus.

He wasn't provoking anyone; he was simply stating a fact.

Regulus withdrew his gaze from those faces and fixed it back on Augustus Rock.

Rock's face had completely changed; most of the color had faded, fine beads of sweat covered his forehead, and his body was trembling uncontrollably.

He was still standing, his neck still straight, still holding on.

But the moment Regulus’s gaze fell upon him again, his knees buckled.

The mental pressure had been transmitted through Regulus's emotions; there was no magic or spells, just the feeling of being at the top of the food chain looking at you.

There was no anger, no murderous intent, not even displeasure in his gray eyes; they were empty.

Emptiness is more terrifying than anything else. "Who told you to say that?"

Rock stopped breathing, instinctively took a few steps back, opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound, he couldn't answer.

No one instructed him to say these things; he said them on his own initiative, believing his logic to be impeccable.

But now that Blake has asked this question, he realizes that the biggest problem with this logic is something he can't cover up himself.

Randomly implicating someone and dragging others down with you is definitely not acceptable, especially if you're a subordinate or peer. That would be treating Blake like a fool and could result in immediate consequences.

Trying to bite upwards is even worse; Death Eaters are not a benevolent organization, and shifting responsibility upwards will get your whole family killed.

He claimed it was his own idea, admitting to overstepping his bounds. He might not have his whole family die, but he himself would certainly not survive.

He didn't say anything, just stood there, looking at the people in the core circle opposite him, finally landing on Lucius's face, and seeing that look in his eyes.

Whether he speaks or not, he's going to die anyway; whatever he says, he's going to die. He's finished.

His legs were going weak, his knees were buckling inward, the mental pressure was making his vision blur, his breathing was rapid, and his chest was heaving violently.

Regulus stopped looking at him, turned around with his wine glass in hand, and returned to his position in the inner circle.

Lucius stepped forward, passing Regulus, and stopped in front of Rock. His gaze slowly swept from Rock's head to his toes, then back again.

His expression had vanished, leaving only a cold, hard look: "You lost face at the Malfoy family's banquet."

He deliberately avoided mentioning his Death Eater identity and handled the matter according to the rules of pure-blood nobles. In the name of the family, Lucius could be manipulated at will.

He raised his right hand, hooked his finger behind him, and a figure flashed out from the depths of the main hall.

It was so fast that most people only saw a blurry outline emerge from the shadows, and the next instant it was standing in front of Rock.

Tall and broad-shouldered, he wore a simple, dark robe without any family crest.

The Malfoys' vassals, or rather, the forces they kept and maintained, specifically to preserve their dignity.

A hand pressed down from above, landing on Rock's head.

The hand was large, with fingers spread out, covering most of Rock's skull, then tightened.

Rock's eyes bulged out, his mouth opened as wide as it would go, and a sharp cry of pain was stuck in his throat and he couldn't get it out.

The skull creaked and groaned under my palm, the squeezing sound traveling from the top of my head to my temples, to my jawbone, and to the back of my head.

Everyone present heard the bone rustle. Rock's hand loosened, the glass fell, the wine spilled onto the carpet, the veins on his neck bulged, his face turned from red to purple, and his knees buckled completely.

But it didn't fall down; it was lifted into the air by that big hand.

The next moment, *snap*, the two of them vanished simultaneously, leaving only a broken wine glass and a dark red stain on the ground.

Regulus returned to the center of the inner circle, the indifference on his face gone, replaced by the relaxed demeanor he had when chatting with Lucretius.

This is almost a large-scale replica of the Belmont incident.

During his first year, Belmont tried to coerce him into making a statement in the Slytherin common room, but was publicly humiliated.

Two years have passed, the setting has changed, and the person has changed, but the routine remains the same. Someone jumps out, using a respectful attitude and polite words, trying to force him to answer a question that is a trap no matter how he answers.

The difference is that Belmont was just a student, and behind him stood only a Dorfen.

Augustus Rock may be backed by the entire Death Eater youth faction, and there may be deeper intentions behind that faction.

Whether anyone actually pushed for it is hard to say.

It's possible that there were genuinely intelligent people among the Death Eaters, or perhaps some who thought themselves clever, who believed Voldemort didn't want to have a united front, so they deliberately created conflict.

It could be one of Voldemort's core associates, trying to test the Black family's limits. Or it could be a plan devised by a few hot-headed young men, without any authorization, purely out of youthful ambition.

Anyone would have to think about this.

Now all of Britain knows who Regulus is, who can wipe out an entire family at the drop of a hat, and yet someone is so blatantly provoking him, there has to be an explanation.

Perhaps some people thought he would become arrogant after gaining power. Although he never showed arrogance, a person who possessed such power at the age of thirteen should, in common sense, have a large part of arrogance in his personality.

Some people wanted him to take action on the spot, wanting to see how he would react.

He didn't even use Legilimency.

If you happen to discover something you shouldn't have seen, such as this person being personally instructed by Voldemort, then you'll make a fool of yourself.

Once you know something, you have to react; reacting means you have to express your opinion; expressing your opinion means you've been successfully tested.

The safest way is not to look, and the cleanest way is not to know.

Who cares who it is, the result is the same. The Rock family is finished, and it won't even be his turn to take action. Lucius will handle it all.

He took a sip of his drink and glanced at the people in the room from above the rim of his glass.

The Death Eaters' group fell silent. Some had already started to leave, in twos and threes, pretending to leave naturally. Others remained standing, but silent, their glasses in hand, eyes fixed on the ground.

Some people were probably cursing Augustus Rock in their hearts, thinking he was asking for trouble by doing this to Blake.

Some people might feel even more uncomfortable now, thinking that the Black family is indeed not one of their own, and is from another world.

On the inner circle, it was as if nothing had happened.

Lucretius leaned over and clinked his wine glass against Regulus's, then raised an eyebrow and tilted his chin slightly outwards.

Regulus shrugged.

It feels very familiar. Back in Hogwarts, before Belmont was about to jump out, it was Lucretius who reminded him in an anonymous letter.

Tonight's scene is a bit like that day, except last time Regulus cooked it himself, but this time someone else did it for him.

Regulus's expression softened, and he relaxed again. He glanced at Lucretius, picked up his wine glass, and took a sip.

Evan Rozier remained expressionless throughout, standing at a distance.

He was a Death Eater, just as young, and had the same Dark Mark on his arm, but the distance between him and the group of guys in front of him was greater than the physical distance.

The inner circle continued drinking and chatting, saying what needed to be said and laughing as if nothing had happened. The Death Eaters dwindled in number, quietly leaving, trying to appear as natural as possible.

The divisions on both sides are clearly visible.

The automatically playing instruments played a new tune, with a slightly more upbeat rhythm.

The lights at Malfoy Manor were still so soft.