Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

When Mrs. Pomfrey saw him, her brow was still furrowed, but she did not stop him again: "Five minutes."

Regulus politely thanked her, "Thank you, madam."

Mrs. Pomfrey waved her hand and went about her business.

Hermes' condition is similar to that of the day before yesterday.

His complexion was still ashen, the dark spots on his neck and collarbone remained unchanged, and spiderweb-like patterns slowly crawled across his arms.

But his breathing became more steady, his chest rose and fell rhythmically, and his eyes stopped darting around; he appeared calm.

Regulus stood by the bed, but did not approach.

He used his magical perception to sense that the curse within Hermes was still active, but its rate of erosion seemed to have slowed down.

Another gentle magic flowed through her body; it was Madam Pomfrey's healing magic.

He watched for two minutes, then turned and left.

On the afternoon of the third day, when he opened the door, there was another person in the medical wing.

The man stood with his back to the door in front of Hermes' bed. He was nearly six feet tall and wore a black robe.

The robe was made of dark-patterned silk, with an exquisite cut but an outdated style. The cuffs and collar were embroidered with a pattern of thorns wrapped in silver thread.

Regulus recognized it; it was the coat of arms of the Murseb family.

The lights in the medical wing shone on the fabric, almost without reflecting light.

Hearing the door open, the person turned around.

Abros Murseb's face was sculpted, with high cheekbones, deep-set eyes, and gray-brown eyes that would squint when looking at people, staring at their throats.

His lips were thin, and the corners of his mouth naturally drooped, giving him a somewhat sinister look even when he wasn't expressionless.

He exudes the aura of someone who has been exposed to black magic for many years; it is a sense of alienation from life that makes people uncomfortable and fills them with a cold, oppressive feeling.

Regulus stopped at the door and nodded slightly: "Mr. Murseb."

Abros sized him up, his gaze moving from Regulus's face to the Black family crest, and then back to his face.

"The youngest son of the Black family," Abros began, his voice low and husky, "Regulus."

"Yes, Mr. Murseb." Regulus nodded steadily.

"Hermes mentioned you," Abros turned and continued looking at the hospital bed, "saying you're not quite the same."

Regulus didn't reply. He took a few steps closer, stopping two steps to the side of Abros: "How is Hermes?"

"He can wake up." Abros replied briefly, turning his gaze to Hermes, his eyes devoid of emotion.

He took out a small crystal bottle from the inner pocket of his robe. It contained a thick, dark purple liquid with tiny golden specks floating on its surface.

"The family potion, combined with Madam Pomfrey's treatment, should remove the curse within three days."

Regulus stared at the potion bottle, the liquid slowly flowing along the bottle's sides.

"He was unlucky," Regulus said. "He was out at night alone and ran into something so dangerous."

Abros pointed at the crystal bottle but didn't reply.

"I thought he would be more careful," Regulus continued, his tone sounding like he was concerned about a classmate. "After all, there's always been a legend that the Astronomical Tower is protected by an ancient spell, and it's easy to get into trouble if you break in without permission."

Abros paused, slowly turning his head, his narrowed eyes sharpening: "The Astronomical Tower?"

"Isn't that what everyone in the castle says?" Regulus looked up, meeting his gaze, his face expressionless.

"They say that the secret chamber where Hogwarts was founded is hidden beneath the Astronomy Tower, protected by ancient magic, and anyone who trespasses will be cursed."

The atmosphere fell silent.

The only sounds in the medical wing were Hermes' faint breathing and the slight clatter of Madame Pomfrey tidying up the medicine cabinet in the distance.

Abros stared at Regulus, his lips pressed into a straight line.

A few seconds later, Abros turned back and placed the crystal bottle on the bedside table.

"There are many legends about Hogwarts," he said in a flat voice, "most of them are just to scare children."

"Indeed," Regulus nodded. "Then where was Hermes discovered?"

"The east corridor on the fourth floor, near the entrance to the abandoned armor display room," Abros said. "I guess they were looking for a place to practice magic and stumbled upon something they shouldn't have."

"How unfortunate." Regulus shook his head regretfully, feeling sorry for Hermes's fate.

"Hmm." Abros nodded in agreement, displeased with his son's recklessness.

The conversation ends here.

Abros clearly didn't intend to say more. He pulled a pocket watch from his pocket, checked the time, and nodded to Regulus: "I should go."

Please give my regards to Orion.

"I will, sir."

Abros strode away, the hem of his black robe dragging softly across the stone pavement.

As he reached the door, he paused and glanced back at Regulus.

That look was complex; Regulus sensed a warning, and perhaps something else entirely.

The door closed.

Regulus stood still, his gaze fixed on the crystal bottle on the bedside table, the deep purple liquid shimmering eerily under the light.

Abrus knew about the Astronomical Tower, which was to be expected; Hermes's mission was likely at his behest.

Moreover, Abros knew what the curse in Hermes was, and the potion he brought was clearly targeted.

Finally, Abros was hiding something; he provided the refresh point for Hermes but didn't mention the collaborators or even the perpetrators.

Finally, Abros was hiding something; he provided the refresh point for Hermes but didn't mention the collaborators or even the perpetrators.

Otherwise, the school will react.

Regulus turned and left the medical wing.

As darkness fell outside the window, he walked down the stone steps, continuing to ponder.

Abros's arrival is a sign that Hermes's treatment will be accelerated.

This is a dangerous sign for the mastermind; the sooner Hermes wakes up, the greater the risk of him being exposed.

Although Hermes might not voluntarily reveal the information based on Abros's performance, the professors will urge him to speak.

So what will the other party do?

They might wait and see, betting that Hermes wouldn't or dare not reveal himself.

Or take action to ensure that Hermes never wakes up.

They are more likely to complete the exploration under the astronomical tower first, take the results, and then pretend nothing happened.

If Regulus was the traitor, the most sensible strategy, given that his actions had already been exposed, would be to finish the job quickly.

......

That evening, Regulus began making preparations.

He placed warning spells on several key routes leading from the common lounge to the Astronomical Tower.

The spell is based on an old notebook in the library about tracking magic. It can set a time, path, and magic power standard. As long as the conditions are met, it will trigger an alert.

He placed one at the corner of the moving staircase near the Gryffindor Tower, one in the hallway outside the Ravenclaw Astronomy Classroom, and one next to the portrait at the entrance to the Hufflepuff Kitchen.

As for Slytherin, he had one at the entrance to the common room, one at the entrance to the bedroom passage, and one at the bottom of the main staircase leading to the upper levels of the castle.

The setup took two and a half hours. By the time we got back to the dorm, it was almost midnight. Avery and Alex were both asleep, breathing evenly.

Regulus lay down on the bed, closed his eyes, and let his consciousness sink into the depths.

The model of Orion's four and a half stars lit up in the darkness, and the halo around Betelgeuse was more stable than it had been three days ago, with clearer edges.

The magic circulates along the trajectory of the stars, and with each complete cycle, the strength of the body and mind increases by one point.

He maintained this state for three hours, then let his consciousness surface and drift into sleep.

He woke up at 2:17 a.m.

A slight stinging sensation came from the inside of my left arm, like being gently pricked by a needle. The warning charm had been triggered, and the location was in the Slytherin common room.

Regulus opened his eyes and listened intently. The only sounds in the bedroom were Avery's snoring and Alex's rustling as he turned over.

He sat up silently, took his wand from beside his pillow, and cast an illusion spell on himself.

The outline of the body blurred and faded in the air, eventually merging into the darkness.

He pushed open the dormitory door and walked into the common lounge.

The flames in the fireplace had burned to ashes, leaving only dark red charcoal and a few sparks occasionally.

The lounge was empty, with armchairs leaning askew and a few pieces of parchment and empty cups scattered on the coffee table.

There were two figures on the rug by the fireplace.

A boy and a girl, both in fifth grade.

The boy had his back to Regulus, and the girl was leaning against him, their bodies pressed close together, their heads touching, making soft sucking sounds.

The girl's hand groped around the collar of the boy's robe, while the boy had his arm around her waist, his fingers sinking into the fabric of the robe.

Regulus stood still and stared for two seconds.

Then he turned around, silently walked back to his dormitory, closed the door, dispelled the illusion spell, and lay back on his bed.

The stinging sensation of the warning spell dissipated; it had been triggered by the two fifth-graders, not by those heading to the Astronomy Tower.

Regulus closed his eyes.

A trivial thought popped into my head.

In fifth grade, during my OWL year, I stayed up late instead of studying and sleeping, and we kissed in the common room.

So much free time.