HP North Star's Radiance

“That’s true!” Sirius sprawled out on the Potters’ sofa, saying, “After all, she’s her precious baby!”

Later, it is said that Regulus became a Death Eater, and then it was said that he disappeared.

In times of war, the disappearance of a person is not a big deal, but Sirius still remembers Regulus dumping jewelry onto the table.

After much hesitation, he decided to find that weak and foolish child and teach him a lesson that listening to his mother would not end well.

Unfortunately, Sirius didn't find Regulus. His investigation uncovered many rumors about Regulus: that he became a Death Eater the year after Sirius left (when he was only sixteen!), that he was afraid of the Death Eater's work, that he wanted to quit…

Sirius almost laughed out of anger! Did Regulus think this was a job, something he could just quit by handing in a resignation letter?

The investigation into his mentally challenged brother made no progress, and then the prophecy of Voldemort's nemesis occurred. Sirius Black didn't have the energy to search for him for the time being, and the investigation was put on hold. The story then fast-forwarded to Sirius Black being in jail.

“That’s it.” Sirius Black tossed the picture frame into the box and said sarcastically, “He probably sacrificed himself for his lofty ideals of pure blood! That madwoman will be proud of him!”

Harry and Prader exchanged a glance, then looked at Sirius, both of them with hesitant expressions.

Sirius scratched his head and asked, "Harry, why are you all curious about Regulus? You look like you can't poop!"

As soon as he said it, Sirius realized that the person opposite him wasn't his bad friend, but his godson and the daughter of that convincing witch (Sylvia)—oh no! The image of his godfather that he had worked so hard to maintain!

Harry looked at Praris and asked hesitantly, "Praris, can I say this?"

Harry was unsure what to do about Horcruxes. He couldn't help but think how nice it would be if Dumbledore were here—but there are no "ifs."

Praris said calmly, "That's your business. Make your own decision."

Harry hesitated for a moment, seemingly lost in thought, but eventually found Regulus's suicide note and handed it to Sirius.

Sirius didn't realize what it was until he opened it and was completely stunned.

He stared at the note over and over again, absolutely certain that it was Regulus's handwriting. Thunder roared in his head, making him unable to hear any other sounds around him.

“This is… Voldemort’s method of resurrection,” Harry stammered. “I think Regulus stole the real locket to stop Voldemort’s resurrection.”

Sirius looked at the note over and over again, as if he had suddenly forgotten how to read.

As brothers, Sirius didn't really hate Regulus. What he hated was the Black family, the pure-blood mentality, and the outdated, stale rules that bound him.

But Regulus, like a docile lamb, willingly offered himself up to be slaughtered and accepted these outdated ideas in the face of Volbuga's madness. This made Sirius very uncomfortable, and he was disappointed in Regulus.

Regulus's obedience sometimes becomes a thorn in Sirius's side, as everyone compares him to Regulus, trying to prove that Regulus is the filial, orthodox, and proper Black.

Although Sirius didn't want these titles, he still felt uncomfortable and experienced an indescribable sense of betrayal, which caused the two brothers to drift further apart.

Sirius disliked Regulus, a blockhead devoid of emotion and passion, and didn't need a brother who would "betray" him. But in his final moments, he made one last effort, hoping Regulus would have the courage to break free of his shackles.

As it turned out, he was a fool to expect a lamb that had been chained up for too long to leave the pen on its own! From then on, he stopped caring about Regulus until his brother disappeared.

Sirius Black never imagined that Regulus's death was actually a fight against Voldemort.

"I'm a fake warrior, you're a real hero."

The younger brother he thought was all bark and no bite, arrogant to outsiders but cowardly to insiders, endured fear alone in places he couldn't see, mustered the courage to break free of his shackles, and took fierce revenge on Voldemort.

"Ha! Haha! Hahaha!"

Sirius laughed loudly, but his eyes were red, and tears slid down his cheeks. His face was contorted with pain and joy, like a surrealist painting.

The note slipped from Sirius's hand, and he clapped his hands triumphantly, raising his voice to say, "Great! Excellent! Rael, my brother, this is the best prank I've ever seen! You've tricked the most wicked dark wizard of all time! I'm so proud of you! I'm so proud of you..."

Having not appeared for so long, Regulus was probably not alive, but when he didn't hear any news, he always felt that Regulus was still alive somewhere.

Sirius suddenly remembered when Barty Crouch Jr. was thrown into Azkaban, he screamed for his mother, and then fell silent a few days later.

If Rael really died, would he call for his mother before he passed away? Or would he think of his rebellious brother for even a second?

Sirius doesn't know.

Sirius Black simply realized that he hadn't accomplished anything significant over the years, but Regulus had done what he had never been able to do—take revenge on Voldemort.

Chapter 204 Sirius's Regret

Regulus's fate also reminded Praris of Draco, and she couldn't help but feel that he was Draco making another choice.

They share the same absolute trust in their families, the same dependence on their mothers, the same fear of working with Death Eaters, and... they are even both Seekers in Slytherin.

Narcissa was a mother who loved her son more than Walbug, and Draco was weaker than Regulus—in Sirius's words, weaker. He absolutely did not have the courage to betray Voldemort.

Praris knew from the beginning that Draco was a bastard, just not a bastard to her—he wouldn't dare.

Just as Fleur said to Molly, her beauty alone was enough for both her and Bill.

Is Prarese looking for a lover or a rival when she asks him to date someone smarter, stronger, and more decisive than herself?

Perhaps someone's true love is precisely an equally matched opponent!

But that's way too difficult! Are there really people like that among her peers? Even if there are, Praris would only want to become stronger and defeat him.

If we use this standard, then if the other person is defeated by her, then we can break up. After all, the other person's strength is no longer as good as hers.

Sirius Black finally calmed down and realized why Harry had come to him.

"Is this the task Dumbledore entrusted to you?" Sirius asked dejectedly. "He wants to confirm whether Regulus really destroyed the Horcruxes."

Harry seemed stunned, blinking slightly. "More or less..."

"Yes, Dumbledore!"

"I didn't tell Pralis about his actions that night, so how would she know I went with Dumbledore to retrieve the Horcruxes!"

"I wasn't even taken away by Dumbledore until that very night!"

Harry had countless thoughts running through his mind. One moment he thought Prares was omniscient, the next he thought Dumbledore had informed him of the plan in advance, and then he even suspected that Dumbledore might not be dead at all.

"Otherwise, why didn't Praris ask about the Horcruxes when I first went to see her?"

After forcing himself to accept Dumbledore's death, the phoenix in Harry's heart vanished in a raging inferno, leaving only ashes. But at this moment, a bald phoenix rose again from the ashes.

“In fact, I never saw Regulus again after graduation,” Sirius said in a hoarse voice. “Even at school, we didn’t speak. At that time, I didn’t know he had become a Death Eater, but I knew he admired Voldemort and was willing to fall into depravity, so…”

Therefore, Sirius doesn't see Regulus's nose as a nose or his eyes as eyes.

“Kreacher!” Sirius suddenly looked up. “Kreacher was the one who cleaned up Regulus’s things.”

Where is Kreacher? Harry, Prarese, and Sirius don't know.

After the incident at the Department of Mysteries, Dumbledore explained the serious implications to Sirius and persuaded him to reconcile with Kreacher—a reconciliation that could never be complete; the only thing master and servant could do was to turn a blind eye to each other's misdeeds.

However, after the deaths of Orion, Regulus, and Volbuga, Kreacher and the house became Sirius's property and were obligated to obey his orders unconditionally.

"Kreacher!" Sirius shouted into the air.

With a snap, a thin, tiny house-elf stood before the three. Its body was shriveled, its skin pale and wrinkled, and it wore a tattered rag. It looked at Sirius with eyes full of disgust and hatred.

“Master,” Kreacher bowed perfunctorily to Sirius, speaking in a sarcastic tone, “the young master has once again brought filthy fellows into my poor mistress’s noble home. Oh, my poor mistress! Who knows what mischief they will do to the Black family’s house and treasures this time!”

"again?"

Prarese keenly grasped the key point in Kreacher's words. She didn't care about profanity; she had heard far worse things.

Kreacher glared at Praris with a vicious look: "Kreacher dislikes the bastard child of the madwoman. If the mistress knew that the madwoman was living in her house, how heartbroken she would be!"

Harry sat bolt upright and shouted, "I won't allow you to talk about Ms. Priscilla and Prader like that! Ms. Priscilla has been so good to you!"

That's obvious; Prairie had almost never seen Ms. Priscilla treat anyone badly. If Harry hadn't spoken up, she wouldn't have associated the word "madwoman" with Ms. Priscilla at all.

Harry wasn't Kreacher's owner, so he couldn't control him. Kreacher, with his neck stiff, berated Prim Purnell: "That madwoman has defiled the mistress's house! That madwoman likes women—"

Praris stroked the wand hidden in his sleeve and slowly narrowed his eyes.

"Shut up!" Sirius shouted angrily at Kreacher, then looked somewhat awkwardly at Praris, "Actually..."

"Thank you, but it's none of your business to offer comfort or explanation. Is this some kind of strange thing?" Prarese said calmly. "Let Kreacher answer my question: what do you mean by 'again'?"

Sirius said irritably, "That's all because I threw away my mother's tapestry! It's holding a grudge!"

A glint flashed in Praris's eyes: "What Kreacher meant was that the person you brought in touched the Black family's treasure, not you yourself. Do you understand?"

Harry also had something to say.

He wondered if they might have lost something while cleaning. But he felt Praris might have other considerations, so he dismissed the idea.

Sirius immediately ordered Kreacher: "Kreacher, I want you to answer all of Praris Prince's questions truthfully!"

“Yes!” Kreacher said reluctantly, “Mundungus Fletcher! That thief! He stole the precious treasure of the noble Black family!”

“Kreacher,” Prarese said softly, “I know you hate us. But you should remember, these things are Sirius’s property now—don’t be upset!”

She spoke calmly and clearly: "Now, Sirius has inherited everything here, and only he has the right to take it all back—don't you want to get back the Black family's treasures?"

Kreacher seemed to be lured by her words, muttering to himself, "Kreacher doesn't like bastards talking to Kreacher, but Kreacher has to protect the Black family's treasures."

Praris ignored the malicious intent in Kreacher's words and calmly said, "Tell me, what exactly is it?"

“Photographs of Miss Bella and Miss Cici, gloves of my esteemed mistress, the Order of Merlin, First Class, goblets with family crests, and, and…”

Kreacher suddenly hesitated.

"There's also a locket, isn't there?" Praris said casually.

Harry looked up in surprise, wondering why Praris thought the locket was among the stolen items.

"And the locket! The locket of the esteemed young master Regulus! Kreacher made a mistake and failed to carry out the young master's orders!"

Before he could finish speaking, Kreacher turned and rammed into the wall beside him. Harry almost instinctively lunged forward, slamming him to the ground. At the same time, a spell struck Kreacher, immobilizing him.

Harry quickly called out to Sirius, who then said, "Kreacher, I command you not to harm yourself."

"Damn Mundungus!" Sirius exclaimed angrily. "Does he think I'm dead?!"

“First, Mundungus is dead,” Praris said calmly. “Second, you were practically dead here anyway, since you didn’t care what happened to this place.”

Kreacher's filthy gaze surprisingly revealed a faint hint of admiration, making Prareas wonder if he had been too harsh.

"Did you see Mundungus steal those things?" Prareas asked again. Kreacher immediately began to curse viciously, tears streaming down his face as he swore.

It turns out that this happened the day after Dumbledore's death. On the night Dumbledore "died," almost all the combat-capable members of the Order of the Phoenix were summoned to patrol Hogwarts.

That night, all the magic Dumbledore had placed within the Order of the Phoenix lost its effect. Although Winnie's magic remained, it accounted for a small portion and was negligible.

While the members of the Order of the Phoenix were attending Dumbledore's funeral and the house was undefended, Mundungus sneaked in and stole everything.

Kreacher tried to stop Mundungus, but he was too old and powerless. Mundungus mocked Kreacher and walked away.

It turns out that Slytherin's locket had been in the Black family's old house all along.