Seeing It Through to the End

The lounge was already getting crowded, and all eyes turned to Regulus as soon as he appeared.

Several members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight approached Regulus and shook hands with him.

A seventh-grader said, "Well done last night. Belmont should be made to realize the situation."

Another sixth grader nodded. "Well done!"

Regulus responded politely, shaking hands with a moderate firmness.

Alecto Carrow stood on the periphery of the crowd, his eyes burning, his tongue licking his lips as if he wanted to devour Regulus.

Those in the lower grades didn't dare to come directly over, but the way they looked at him changed.

With a mixture of awe and worship, Regulus fit their image of the strong.

Regulus weaved through the crowd toward the lounge exit.

Lucretius Burke was still sitting in the same spot as last night in the armchair in front of the fireplace.

He saw Regulus, stood up, and walked over.

The two shook hands, Lucretius's grip was a bit too strong, as if he were conveying some kind of signal.

"Professor Slughorn was here an hour ago," Lucretius said in a measured tone. "He took Arnold Belmont with him and wants you to go to his office after breakfast."

He leaned forward slightly and added in a voice only the two of them could hear, "The professor's attitude is alright, no need to worry too much."

Regulus nodded. "Thank you."

He really wasn't worried.

From the House's perspective, Slughorn is the Slytherin Head of House, and the fact that a student was Spellcasting to kneel all night is truly appalling.

But this is Slytherin, so the usual standards can't be applied here.

It could even be said that Professor Slughorn will benefit from this.

Regulus walked out of the lounge, followed by Avery and the other two.

Narcissa was waiting in the Corridor outside the door. When she saw Regulus, she went up to him.

Avery and his companions wisely stepped back a few paces, making room for each other.

Narcissa reached out first to straighten Regulus's cuffs and then his collar.

"If needed," Narcissa said formally, "the Malfoy family will also offer assistance. Lucius sent me a letter this morning saying he supports your actions."

Regulus nodded. "Please Mr. Malfoy for me."

Then Narcissa smiled, the formulaic expression fading in place, replaced by a warm one.

"Regulus," her voice softened, "I'm proud of you. I've said it more than once, but I'll say it again: I'm proud of you."

Regulus looked at her; the sincerity and joy in Narcissa's eyes were undeniable.

She was genuinely happy for her cousin and relieved that the Black family had a worthy successor.

Regulus felt a warmth rise in his heart and smiled. "After all, I'm your cousin."

Narcissa's eyes reddened slightly, but she quickly composed herself and patted Regulus on the shoulder. "Go on, Professor Slughorn is waiting for you."

Regulus nodded and turned to walk down the Corridor leading to the Great Hall.

Avery and his two companions followed, and as they passed through the underground Corridor, they received twice as many stares as usual.

The Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students were also watching, their eyes filled with a complex mix of curiosity, wariness, and awe.

Sure enough, the news spread.

Regulus kept his eyes straight ahead and his steps were steady.

He knew that from today onward, there would be another new version of the rumors about Regulus Black at Hogwarts.

At breakfast time, Orion's reply arrived.

When the owl landed in front of Regulus, several pairs of eyes turned to look.

Yesterday's events have already spread, and any letters Regulus receives now could become clues for deciphering them.

Regulus opened the envelope and took out the letter.

The content is simple:

"The letter has been received, and the matter is known. The Belmont family will pay the price."

Orion approved of Regulus's handling of the situation and made it clear that the family would follow suit.

Regulus folded the letter again, put it in his inner pocket, and continued eating his fried egg.

The edges of the egg white were fried until slightly browned, giving it a crispy texture when bitten.

A gaze fell upon Regulus from the Gryffindor table. Regulus looked up and his eyes met Sirius's.

Sirius sat there with a fork in his hand, but barely touched the food on his plate.

He looked at Regulus with a complex expression, a mixture of confusion and something else.

Regulus could guess what he was thinking.

Sirius probably heard about what happened last night.

Given his way of thinking, he probably wouldn't have considered those intricate details.

Why could a single sentence ignite such a huge conflict? Why could an accusation of disrespect silence the entire Slytherin? And why was Arnold Belmont ultimately treated that way?

He only sees the surface.

Regulus used Magic to force a seventh-grade student to kneel all night in the Common Room, a place frequented by many people.

But he also knew that Regulus was upholding the family's honor, so he was conflicted.

He loathed the Black family's Pure-blood supremacy, hated the family's use of rules and traditions to Restraints people, and loathed Walburga's fanatical obsession.

But when he saw Regulus using such forceful methods to defend that surname, something inexplicable welled up inside him.

It's as if someone is forcefully, earnestly, and even violently protecting something he discarded, trampled underfoot, and wished to tear to shreds.

That feeling was strange.

It's a bit like seeing someone pick up his old toys that he threw away, clean them, and put them on a shelf as treasures.

He wouldn't want the toy back, but he would feel somewhat offended.

Still feeling a little disappointed?

It's hard to say.

James Potter then nudged him with his elbow and leaned in to say something.

Sirius turned back, his face once again filled with that carefree smile, and he started playfully wrestling with James, suppressing the complicated emotions he had just felt.

Regulus looked away and finished the last bite of his fried egg.

Regulus knocked on the door of Professor Slughorn's office, and a warm voice, as always, replied, "Come in."

He pushed the door open and went inside.

Slughorn wore a Deep Purple Robe embroidered with silver vines today, and his hair was neatly combed.

"Regulus," he called out, his expression more serious than usual, but without anger in his eyes, "Sit."

Regulus sat down in the armchair opposite the desk, his back straight, his hands resting on his knees.

Slughorn pulled a piece of parchment from the pile of documents, looked at it, and then put it down.

"Arnold Belmont," he said, his tone slightly flat, "Was picked up by his father this morning. He's not feeling well and needs to rest off-campus for a few days."

He looked at Regulus: "His family asked me to convey their wish that Hogwarts would allow him to take the exams, and that he not return to school until then."

Regulus understood that the Belmont family was asking for his permission, but then his mind changed. Did he still have the mind to take the exam?

But he didn't care; even if Arnold Belmont didn't go home, Regulus wouldn't target him anymore.

The matters within the school have been resolved; Orion will take over the matters outside the school.

He didn't think Arnold would have a chance to come back for the exam; the Black family wouldn't do things halfway.

If you're going to do something, do it thoroughly.

Arnold will most likely be sick until the end of the exams, or even longer.

But he didn't need to voice these thoughts.

Regulus's expression remained unchanged, and his tone was humble. "Professor, our matter is over."

Slughorn looked up at him.

This is easy to understand. The personal matters between Regulus and Arnold are over, but the conflict between the Black family and Belmont family may have just begun.

Slughorn stared at Regulus for a few seconds, then nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

"This matter," Slughorn leaned back in his chair, his fingers clasped on his stomach, "Is simply forgotten by me."

Regulus nodded politely. "Thank you, Professor."

Slughorn was certainly aware of the increasingly turbulent atmosphere within Slytherin.

Those pronouncements about Cleaning the Trash, those secret gatherings, that increasingly undisguised fervor.

Regulus's actions this time, in a sense, ruined the plan that was brewing.

Slughorn wore a somewhat helpless expression, rubbing his temples as if he had a headache.

"Regulus, I understand why you did that. The Belmont family's attitude was indeed problematic; that occasion and that tone were inappropriate."

He observed Regulus's reaction; Regulus simply sat quietly, his expression respectful, like a well-behaved student.

"But," Slughorn changed the subject, "Making a student kneel all night, especially in that way, is a bit inappropriate according to school rules."

Regulus understood that the professor was paving the way for him.

Slughorn understood and condoned his actions, but as Dean, he had to maintain a semblance of impartiality.

Therefore, a punishment procedure needs to be added to ensure that the whole matter has a proper beginning and end.

Make a mistake, be punished, and it's over.

This way, everyone could step down, Regulus accepted the punishment, and the professor proved that he had not shown favoritism.

Slughorn upheld the school rules, proving he had fulfilled his duties as dean.

Some people also see that the Black family heirs act with discretion and accept treatment within the rules.

"So," Slughorn looked at him, "How about solitary confinement for a week?"

Regulus nodded. "I'm sorry to trouble you, Professor."

Slughorn laughed and didn't respond to that.

To say it's not troublesome would be tantamount to the dean endorsing Regulus's actions, which seems unfair.

Saying "this will not happen again" would be tantamount to assuming Regulus was wrong, which is inappropriate.

So it's best to smile and let it go.

"The confined contents," Slughorn said, twirling the gemstone ring on his finger, "Are for processing my Potions ingredients. You know, the slime from those Poison Tentacle, the slough from African Tree Snake —it always requires manpower."

"Understood, Professor." Regulus stood up and bowed slightly to Slughorn.

"That's settled then," Slughorn waved his hand. "Go on, it's time for class."

He left the office, the door closing softly behind him.

That's settled then; procedural justice has been served.