Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

I highly recommend *Hogwarts: Regulus, Lord of the Stars*! Click to enter the story world.

"When voting on legislation for the Ministry of Magic, cast the vote we need; when the review process expands, inform us in advance; and when necessary, say a few favorable words at the hearings."

Old Bock said calmly, "It's a fair deal. We provide the goods, and you provide the political resources."

Regulus didn't answer immediately; he was thinking to himself.

The three items are indeed valuable. The cursed box can be used to study the principles of ancient blood curses, the skull can be used to peek into soul magic, and the staff is of unknown use, but intuitively it is useful.

But the risks are equally enormous, especially the pressure of scrutiny from the Ministry of Magic.

Should the Blake family take this risk?

It depends on the father's assessment of the situation, his evaluation of the value of the Bock family, and his expectations for the depth of future cooperation.

"I will pass on the message," Regulus said solemnly.

Old Burke turned and walked towards the door: "It's time to go back. Lucretius will see you off."

They walked out of the warehouse and back into the shop's front hall. Lucretius was still standing by the counter, and when he saw them come out, he relaxed slightly.

Old Bock didn't say much, he just waved his hand, signaling them to leave.

Lucretius led Regulus toward the fireplace and grabbed some fly powder.

"Hogsmeade, Burke House."

The flames turned green, and the two entered one after the other.

Back in the grey stone house in Hogsmeade, Lucrezius visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

He stood by the fireplace for a few seconds, as if in thought, then turned to Regulus: "How are you feeling?"

"Very enlightening," Regulus replied briefly.

Lucretius's lips twitched, as if he wanted to laugh, but he didn't.

"I was twelve when I first went there." He lowered his head slightly, looked at Regulus, and spoke with a mix of emotion and sincerity.

"My father took me to familiarize myself with the area. That day, the store was inspecting a batch of... special goods. What I saw there gave me nightmares for two months afterward."

He looked out the window; the laughter of students echoed from Hogsmeade's main street, and the sweet scent of Honeydukes wafted into the house from afar, mingling with the dusty smell of the room in a strange contrast.

"The Burke family has been doing this for five generations," Lucretius said in a low voice, as if talking to himself.

"Our family has been dealing in dark magic items in Knockturn Alley since my great-grandfather's time. We've seen the darkest things, encountered the most dangerous people, and know how to survive in the cracks between light and shadow."

He turned back and looked at Regulus again.

"But that doesn't mean we like the darkness. It's just that this is the path our family chose. We were born on this path, and we can only move forward."

Regulus listened quietly, sensing the complex emotions in Lucretius's words: pride, helplessness, heaviness, and a hint of weariness.

The identity of a pure-blood heir is not just an honor, but also a responsibility and a shackle, a life trajectory set from birth.

Sirius Black was different; he ran away, refused responsibility, and broke free of his shackles.

Lucretius Burke will take over the family business and continue to run the shop in Knockturn Alley, living in darkness.

This was his fate; he accepted it, but he may not have enjoyed it.

"Let's go." Lucretius took a deep breath, regaining his usual composed demeanor. "It's time to go back to school."

The two left the stone house and returned to the main street of Hogsmeade.

At 3 p.m., there were even more students on the streets.

Three brooms lined up at the door, Honeydukes was packed with people, and a group of Hufflepuffs surrounded the Devils-Bans window, pointing and commenting on a new peephole.

Lucretius led Regulus toward the village entrance, occasionally greeting acquaintances along the way, to which he nodded in response, without stopping.

As Regulus approached the vicinity of Joko's joke shop, he suddenly felt a spatial fluctuation behind him.

It was very faint, but it definitely existed, a sign of Apparition's landing point.

Someone is about to appear here, very close, less than ten meters away.

This is quite common; there are no Muggles in Hogsmeade, so wizards would do this, but Regulus still reacted.

He didn't stop walking. He instantly mobilized the magic power in his body, and an invisible barrier unfolded against his skin. It was as thin as a cicada's wing, yet tough enough.

His left hand fingers flexed and extended under the cloak, the fingertips glowing with a scarlet light, while his right hand slid into the sleeve to grasp the wand handle, the tip pointing to the ground, ready to be raised at any moment to unleash a spell.

The next moment, a loud explosion of air rang out.

A figure appeared out of nowhere, staggering two steps before regaining his balance.

He was a middle-aged male wizard, his black robes were tattered, his face was covered in blood, and the wand he held in his right hand was broken in half.

Upon appearing, he immediately looked around and saw Regulus and Lucretius. His eyes lit up, or rather, he became ruthless.

He lunged forward, but not in an attack stance; instead, he dodged.

He hid behind the two men, using their bodies as cover, while reaching out with his left hand to grab Regulus's shoulder.

Regulus reacted quickly; half a second before the sorcerer's hand touched him, he slightly turned his body, causing the hand to miss.

He was about to retaliate when he stopped abruptly, because the two spaces in front of him fluctuated simultaneously.

The wizard was taken aback, clearly not expecting that a child who looked so small could dodge so easily.

He stood tall and straight, leaning slightly back, his right hand gripping his wand tightly, his left hand hanging at his side, ready to attack at any moment.

Alastor Moody.

The second one was a young female Auror with short blonde hair, her wand already raised, aimed at the wizard hiding behind Regulus.

"Finn, give up!" the female Auror snapped. "You can't escape!"

The wizard named Finn was panting heavily, his fingers gripping the broken staff tightly.

"Let me go!" he cried, his voice hoarse and desperate. "Or I'll kill these two children!"

Moody looked at Regulus, then at Lucretius, and finally back at Finn.

"Try it," Moody's voice was rough and ruthless: "Your wand is broken."

The situation was at a stalemate. Regulus stood still, his mind racing.

Finn is a dark wizard who was hunted by Aurors and fled here, intending to take hostages.

Moody and the female Auror were the pursuers, and the two sides were locked in a standoff, with him and Lucretius caught in the middle.

Finn's choice wasn't right, it was terribly wrong. Hogsmeade Week was full of junior wizards, with professors accompanying and caring for them.

He might have wanted to kidnap the young wizard and coerce the Aurors, but he forgot that there would be professors here.

Ordinary dark wizards would be too scared to dodge, but he ran right into them.

All I can say is that they have brains, but not many.

Moreover, he chose the wrong target.

Regulus remained completely calm. He was confident he could escape and even counterattack. Finn wasn't powerful, but with outsiders present, he would observe first.

He looked at Lucretius, the Slytherin prefect, whose face was composed and who stood ramrod straight, his right hand already touching the handle of his wand.

He saw Regulus looking over, his eyes flashing with a question: Should we make a move?

Regulus shook his head slightly.

With Moody and the female Auror around, Finn can't escape. Besides, Finn's attention is entirely on the Aurors right now, and he doesn't care about them.

How much power can a little wizard have?

Moreover, Regulus was confident and found the scene interesting, so he decided to wait and see.

Finn sweated, his broken staff shifting between Regulus and Lucretius, seemingly deciding which one to take hostage.

"Back off!" he yelled at Moody. "Let me get out of here with Floo Powder, or else—"

Before he could finish speaking, Moody moved.

With a slight tap of the wand, a beam of silver light shot out, striking the ground beneath Finn's feet.

The ground suddenly softened and sank like a swamp. Finn's ankle sank in, causing him to lose his balance and his broken staff to point off course.

The female Aurors attacked simultaneously, casting a stun spell and a red beam of light that shot directly into Finn's chest.

Finn cursed and tried to Apparate, but his wand broke and the magic failed.

He barely managed to lift the broken staff, trying to block, but his magic output was unstable, and he only managed to deflect half of the spell.

The Stun Curse struck his left shoulder, Finn's body stiffened, his eyes rolled back, and he fell backward.

The ground that had trapped his feet hardened instantly, the whole process taking only two seconds.

Moody stepped forward, used his wand to check Finn's condition, and after confirming that he was unconscious, he turned to Regulus and Lucretius.

He stared at the two of them, his voice not exactly polite: "Names."

"Regulus Black".

"Lucretius Burke".

Moody repeated, his tone unreadable, "Blake..."

"The Burkes," he said, then looked at Lucretius, his eyes devoid of emotion, "the shop in Knockturn Alley?"

"Yes," Lucretius replied calmly.

Moody didn't ask any more questions, and turned to the female Auror, saying, "Take him back and notify the Ministry of Magic that Finn has been captured and some of the items involved have been recovered."

The female Auror nodded, used a levitation spell to lift Finn, grabbed a Float Powder, and left.

A group of students had already gathered on the street, pointing and whispering among themselves.

Several professors appeared in a flash, clearly having heard the commotion and rushed over.

Moody looked at Regulus: "You didn't move just now, why didn't you dodge? Why didn't you fight back?"

“He’s behind me, I can’t see him.” Regulus looked him straight in the eye. “Besides, the Aurors are here, I trust the professionals can handle this.”

Moody stared at him, as if trying to remember him, and didn't believe any explanation. At his age, it was good enough if he could stand firm in this kind of situation, how could he be so calm?

A few seconds later, Moody turned and left.