Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Chapter 595 Sirius Black is finally removed from the list.

After leaving Orion's study, Regulus walked along the corridor to the east side of the third floor.

Walbuga's room was at the end of the corridor. The door was ajar. He knocked twice, and his mother's voice came from inside.

"Come in."

Pushing open the door, this room was brighter than the other rooms in Piazza Grimoire, with a large bay window opening onto the inner courtyard.

Several magic laurels grow in the garden outside the window. Their leaves gleam with a silvery-green luster in the afternoon light. Occasionally, one or two small creatures, no bigger than a palm, dart about among the branches, dragging long, thin tails as they weave in and out of the bushes.

Walbuga sat on the soft cushions of the bay window, leaning against two dark-colored pillows, holding a thick book with a black leather cover in his hands.

The book was old, with worn edges and most of the writing on the spine blurred. Only a line of Old English could be vaguely discerned, with a root word related to blood and death.

She wore a dark green house robe with fine silver thread embroidered on the collar and cuffs, and her hair was loosely tied back with a few stray strands hanging down beside her ears.

Regulus walked over and sat down on the cushion next to her.

Walbuga closed the book in his hand, placed it on the windowsill behind him, turned to look at him, and a smile appeared on his face.

"My Rael."

"Mother."

"Everything is ready," she said, smoothing the wrinkles in his collar and stroking it a couple of times before letting go. "The robe is hanging in your bedroom closet. Remember to wear it tomorrow. The new winter overcoat is at the bottom of the trunk; it might be cold this winter."

Regulus smiled and said, "Thank you, Mother."

"And for all those odds and ends you usually use, I had Kreacher slip you two extra packets of candy so you can eat them while you're studying in your dorm tonight."

Regulus blinked; he didn't like sweets.

"...What Mother prepared can't be wrong."

Volbuga nodded in satisfaction, leaned back against the cushion, looked at Regulus, and asked softly, "Is there something you need?"

Regulus looked into his mother's eyes: "I want to talk about Sirius."

Volbuga's smile faded slightly as he looked at Regulus.

"That's just his personality, he can't change it," Regulus said with a smirk, his tone slightly mocking. "He's unhappy at Grimmauld Place, but he's like a madman at the Potters' house. This guy isn't ambitious, but he does have his own path to follow."

Volbuga watched him quietly.

"My father and I had already decided that he would side with Dumbledore."

Walbuga frowned slightly, but still didn't say anything.

Regulus leaned closer to his mother, put his arm around her shoulder, and gently shook her twice, his eyes filled with affection.

Walbuga's tense expression relaxed at his gesture, and he slapped him lightly, saying irritably, "You're talking to me."

Regulus put his arm around his mother's shoulder: "Mother should know about the current situation; war may break out next year."

"The Black family is too big, too powerful. Whichever side you're on will have the upper hand," he said, a smug smirk playing on his lips. "Of course, it's all because of me."

Volbuga's expression softened, and he reached out to touch Regulus's hair, his fingertips gently tracing the curls on his forehead.

Her voice was soft, and her eyes flashed with satisfaction and pride: "My Rael is the best."

Regulus blinked and continued, "At the Malfoy family's party yesterday, some Death Eaters were testing the Black family's stance."

Walbuga's gentle expression instantly turned cold, his eyes sharpening: "Whose is it? What's its name?"

Regulus put his arm around her shoulder and shook her again, his smug expression returning: "Mother, why should I do these things myself now?"

Walbuga's cold expression was disrupted again. He tried to put on a stern face, but he couldn't keep it up halfway and finally snorted.

She leaned back against the cushion, her gaze fixed on the laurel bushes outside the window, without saying a word.

Regulus waited a moment, then continued, "Sirius is still on the tapestry at home. The Death Eaters may make further moves, and if anyone wants to target the Black family, he is the easiest target."

According to the rules of purebloods, once someone is removed from the list, they are removed from the list.

Blood ties hold the highest weight in the world of purebloods; being expelled means being stripped of everything.

Even though they still share the same blood and use the surname Black, in the laws of purebloods, they are no longer related to the family.

Conversely, if someone attacks a former family member who has been expelled, it means that the other party's malice has crossed all the default boundaries and is a declaration of war to the death.

At that point, all bottom lines will cease to exist, and only war will remain.

The Blake family is not afraid of war.

Regulus looked at his mother and said softly, "Let's remove Sirius from the list."

Volbuga was stunned, his gaze fixed on Regulus's face.

Regulus continued, "We've discussed it with Father, and Sirius knows about it too. He doesn't plan to come back."

Volbuga fell silent.

In the past, she would have wanted to do this a long time ago.

Sirius Black entered Gryffindor the day her anger reached its peak.

Every subsequent conflict, every confrontation, and every instance of Sirius Black's silence and disdain towards the Black family only fueled the fire.

She had thought countless times about burning that name off the tapestry, the cleaner the better.

Things changed later, though she couldn't pinpoint exactly when that change began.

Perhaps it was Regulus' first Christmas, perhaps it was Regulus' hug after Borcox's funeral, or perhaps it was her own gradual realization that her son was not the same as she had originally thought.

Whether her changing feelings for Regulus extended to Sirius was something she herself wasn't sure.

The hatred faded, turning into indifference. Whether Sirius was home or not, she no longer cared much. If she couldn't see him, she would pretend he didn't exist; if she didn't mention him, she wouldn't think about him.

Now, her proudest son has said those words in a very relaxed tone, and her mind is completely blank.

There was neither the expected pleasure nor anger; it was just a decision that had been made, and that's how it was supposed to happen.

Regulus stood quietly by his mother's side, his hand still on her shoulder, without saying anything more.

He knew she didn't need comforting; he was just sitting there.

After a while, Volbuga looked away from Regulus's face and gently patted the hand that was resting on his shoulder twice.

"Let's go."

She got up from the bay window, straightened the front of her robe, and walked towards the door.

Previously, Regulus and Orion would discuss family matters privately, and she was either the last to know or unaware of them.

Now Regulus has come to her and told her about the war situation, the Death Eaters' probing, and Sirius's plans.

She was placed in the position that a mother and mistress of the house should have been in.

As for Sirius Black, let him be removed; I've wanted to remove him for a long time.

Since Rael has said so, let's just do it.

Regulus got up, and the mother and son left the room one after the other, walking down the stairs.

Orion was already waiting at the end of the downstairs corridor, in front of the tapestry.

He had his back to the stairwell, his hands hanging at his sides. Hearing footsteps, he glanced at the wall, said nothing, and then turned his gaze back to the tapestry.

Regulus and Volbuga walked over, and the family of three was all there.

There was no further communication; everything that needed to be said had been said, and everything that needed to be decided had been decided.

Walbugar pulled his wand from his sleeve, raised it, and aimed the tip at the center-left of the tapestry.

The Black family genealogy tapestry covered half a wall, with gold-threaded vines extending from left to right, weaving names and portraits, generation after generation.

The central section of the tapestry is the branch of Orion and Volbuga, which branches off into two lines, one leading to Regulus and the other to Sirius.

Walbuga tapped Sirius's portrait with his wand, his expression silent, his movements swift and decisive.

The gold thread began to change color, from bright gold to dark gold to brown, and then it started to char.

Sirius's image was burning; his face, his grey eyes, his unruly black hair—all of it curled and contracted in the flames.

The gold thread of the name gradually faded, S—I—R—I—U—S, each letter changing from bright to gray to black, until it turned to ashes.

A wisp of smoke was still rising from the charred edge, but it dissipated a few seconds later.

Another black hole has appeared in the tapestry.

Regulus crossed his arms and rubbed his chin.

The rest of the tapestry is in good condition; the gold-embroidered tendrils still stretch from one end to the other, with each name clearly listed.

However, besides the hole Sirius Black had just burned away, a piece was also missing next to Walbug's name, where Alphad should have been.

Down the row, at Andromeda's location, there is also a hole.

The three charred holes stand out quite prominently against the golden silk threads, enhancing the artistic quality of the tapestry and giving it a sense of historical weight.

The people were expelled, but they are all doing well and living freely outside.

Alfard might be running a bar and playing his band in Camden, or perhaps he's drinking and chatting with a middle-aged woman in France.

Andromeda opened a café in the Muggle neighborhood of Paris, just days after Nymphadora was born.

Sirius Black ate well, slept soundly, and played wildly in Godric's Hollow.

It's a win-win situation, everyone gets what they need.

Regulus watched as Sirius, representing everything the Black family had to offer, disappeared from the tapestry.

He was at Potter's house, where he was safe, well taken care of, happy, and even had chicken legs to eat when he got tired of playing.

The name disappeared from the tapestry, stepped out of the shadows of the Black family home, and into the sunlight—this was the best arrangement he could give Sirius.

The outcome of being removed from the list remains the same, but the process has changed.

He glanced at his mother.

Walbuga had already retracted his wand into his sleeve, his gaze fixed on the tapestry, his eyes calm.

Does his mother still hate him?

Maybe I don't hate him anymore.

Does Sirius still hate this family?

Maybe I don't hate him anymore.

He turned his gaze back to the tapestry.

Sirius Black has finally been removed from the list.

Sirius Black has indeed been removed from the list.