Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Regulus stood there, his fingers unconsciously rubbing together as he fell into thought.

Professor Sprout's words echoed in his mind. The emotion was inaccurate, but the nature was accurate: magic itself carried a tendency.

He suddenly realized something.

After acquiring the inheritance of natural magic during the holiday, he guided Bai Xian's magic to heal wounds and observed the process of plants withering. He did indeed vaguely sense a certain tendency in the magic.

Some are as gentle as spring water, while others are as fierce as flames.

But this is not the same as the tendency Professor Sprout mentioned; his understanding is more like the magical nature the professor described.

At that time, he thought it was a secret knowledge passed down through his family, a secret known only to a few.

Now he understood that Professor Sprout had taught herbalism here for twenty years and had personally cared for hundreds of magical plants.

She had seen how poisonous tentacles could paralyze animals, how the devil's web could stretch out its tendrils at night to draw life force, and how mandrakes grew from seedlings to mature plants.

She knows far more than he does, much more than he does.

He only acquires knowledge through inheritance and draws conclusions through experiments, while the professor summarizes the rules through decades of practice.

The slight sense of superiority that Regulus had just felt vanished instantly.

"The seedling's magic is not yet complete," Professor Sprout continued. "So the crying can only cause discomfort, not death, but the magic is already there, just not strong enough."

She looked at Regulus, and Regulus also looked up and met the professor's eyes.

With a gentle brown complexion and fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, she was looking at him with a profound expression.

Regulus realized that the professor had seen through him.

The professor knew that he had just touched the seedling with natural magic, knew that he was studying the properties of magic, and might even have guessed that he had acquired some kind of magic.

But that's fine too, since natural magic isn't something that needs to be hidden away.

Now that I've been seen through, I can openly ask for your advice and practice openly.

Moreover, the professor didn't say it outright; she was simply imparting knowledge, telling him in the simplest way.

Sound is merely a vehicle; its true destructive power lies in the decomposition of this property itself, and that is the tendency of magic.

The seedling's magic is incomplete, so it can only cause discomfort; the mature plant's magic is complete, so it can lead to death.

The professor withdrew his gaze and softened his tone again: "Studying the magical properties of magical plants is a valuable direction, but it is also dangerous. Once some properties are triggered, there is no way to undo them."

Mandrake is just one example; there are others, such as the nerve paralysis from poisonous tentacles, the life drain from devil's web, and the physical crushing from the Whomping Willow.

The professor was reminding and guiding him not to focus only on the appearance of magic, but to understand its deeper nature, not to rashly come into contact with dangerous plants, and to first build up sufficient knowledge and protection.

But what followed was the key point; with each word the professor uttered, a certain understanding in Regulus's mind was unlocked a little.

This inspired Regulus, and he also felt a slight tightness in his back.

Paralyze, absorb, crush, decompose.

These words are not magical terms, nor are they spell names, at least not in textbooks.

They describe the result, the final state that appears after the magic takes effect; the magic itself carries the properties that lead to these states.

In the current context, let them sound closer to something conceptual.

They transcend specific spells; they are more fundamental, more direct, and more abstract.

This is genuine guidance.

Regulus did have some ideas in his mind, but they were vague and uncertain, like tiny bubbles of inspiration.

He may discover this knowledge on his own in the future, or he may not.

We may have to take many detours, and we may miss crucial clues.

Now the professor points it out directly, saving us time of trial and error and clarifying the direction forward.

This direction may be near or far, he doesn't know, but he will continue in this direction.

Sometimes the true teaching can be summed up in a single sentence.

"Thank you, Professor," Regulus said, bowing deeply in gratitude.

Professor Sprout smiled, his wrinkles smoothing out.

"You are very talented and have many ideas. Stay curious, but also be cautious. The magical world is vast, and some things take time to understand."

Regulus nodded earnestly and thanked him again.

He recalled something similar from Professor Flitwick after his Charms class: magic is there, everyone understands it differently, but you must believe in the power of the mind.

The two professors expressed themselves differently, but the core message was the same: don't rush, take your time, and keep an open mind.

As Regulus walked back to the castle after leaving the greenhouse, he was still processing the conversation he had just had.

At the same time, a thought popped into my head: just how powerful is Professor Sprout?

Can she apply the qualities and tendencies the professor just mentioned, as she has given her guidance?

Or is it just a theory derived from observation?

Regulus was uncertain, but one thing was certain.

Professor Sprout shouldn't just be a gardener who grows flowers; she has a profound understanding of magic and her own system.

Professor Sprout must be a powerful witch.

She is gentle, patient, unassuming, and her insightful advice always hits the nail on the head.

Professor Flitwick pointed out the irrational side of magic to him, Professor McGonagall guided him to delve into the essence of transfiguration, and Professor Sprout pointed him in the direction of natural magic.

Every professor at Hogwarts guides students in their own way; they are all truly good people.

He felt the professors' kindness.

A sense of emotion welled up in Regulus's heart, but he quickly suppressed it.

Feelings are emotions; what he needs is to transform those emotions into actions and inspiration into strength.

Slughorn, old...

Dear Professor, we're just waiting for you! Let's get those coins rolling!

......

The Defense Against the Dark Arts class on Fridays is on the third floor, with windows facing the courtyard outside the castle, offering a view of the snowy edge of the Forbidden Forest in the distance.

When Regulus entered the classroom, most of the students were already seated.

Avery and Alex saved him a seat in the middle row by the window.

Hermes sat alone in the last row corner, looking down at his textbook.

Professor Galatia Meles stood on the podium.

He was a middle-aged male wizard with neatly combed hair, wearing a dark gray robe, and an exaggerated expression on his face.

"We'll learn two things today," Professor Mellors said, opening the textbook.

"The first one is the Flash Charm. The incantation is 'sparks burst forth,' which is used to emit a red signal light to warn companions when lost or in danger in the wild."

He wrote the incantation and its pronunciation on the blackboard.

"Turn your wrist like this, with the tip of the wand pointing upwards. While chanting the spell, imagine red or green light shooting out from the tip of the wand, and then maintain the spell."

He demonstrated once, and a fist-sized ball of red light emerged from the tip of his wand, hovering in the air and emitting a soft red glow.

The ball of light lasted for three seconds, then turned green, and then went out without leaving any trace.

"Safe spells won't cause harm," Professor Mellors said. "Now practice in pairs."

The students began practicing, and Avery was still paired with Regulus.

Regulus succeeded on his first try; the orb was perfect, the color was pure, and the duration was precise.

But his mind wasn't on practicing; another thought popped into his head.

Light source magic.

Light is essentially wave-particle duality, possessing both wave and particle properties.

The red color is due to the magic frequency—

Thinking of this, Regulus suddenly stopped and decided to try a different approach.

Don't think about these things, don't think about duality, don't think about frequency, think about magic.

What if it's not just about emitting light, but about letting light carry information?

Light itself can carry information, and information can sometimes be used as a weapon.

Or give light a physical form, imbue it with energy, and then let it explode.

It can be given symbolism and meaning.

Simple light, brightness, brings warmth and wards off darkness.

As the thought continues to expand, light can also be the light of civilization.

Regulus pondered these thoughts as he mechanically practiced, the light orb lighting up and then going out again and again.

Half an hour later, Professor Mellors called a halt to the practice.

"The second topic is goblins." He turned to another page of the textbook.

"Goblins are magical creatures, averaging thirty inches tall, with pointed ears. They like to steal magical plants and are commonly found in gardens and courtyards; they are pests."

The book contains simplified diagrams and anatomical illustrations of goblins to help young wizards understand.

"To deal with goblins, use the Grapple Charm. The spell is Gripping Charm. Grab them, spin them, and throw them out of bounds."

He recited the incantation once and made the gesture, but did not demonstrate it.

"Next class will be a practical exercise: cleaning up the goblins in the Hogwarts courtyard. Today, let's learn the theory first."

A low cheer erupted in the classroom.

Practical classes are always more interesting than theoretical ones, especially subjects like Defense Against the Dark Arts, which should be fun but are actually quite tedious.

Several Gryffindor students had already begun whispering about how to throw the goblin further, while the Slytherins were relatively restrained, though anticipation was also evident on their faces.

Regulus wasn't very interested. Goblins were low-level magical creatures with practically zero combat power. Their only problem was their large numbers, speed, and ability to dig burrows.

In comparison, with too many projects on hand, any new ideas that come to mind have to wait.