Reporting Sirius

On the last day of September, the sky was overcast, the clouds hung low, and a few drizzles occasionally drifted down, falling on the stone walls of the Castle and leaving dark watermarks.

In the morning, it was Professor Binns's History of Magic class. He floated behind the podium and continued talking about the Giant Wars.

From the encirclement phase we discussed last time, to the Giant ' defeat and escape, and their eventual exile to the most remote mountains of Europe.

Regulus sat in his usual spot, his thoughts drifting for a while, then drifting again.

When the Dismissal Bell, a sigh of relief filled the classroom.

At noon, Regulus and his group went to the Great Hall for lunch.

The long table was laden with food: roast beef, Yorkshire Pudding, baked potatoes, carrot sticks, and a large jug of Pumpkin Juice.

House-elf's craftsmanship remains consistently excellent.

Avery and Alex were sitting together, discussing something quietly, but their expressions were excited.

"Did you see those freshmen this year?" Avery poked at the potatoes on his plate with his fork. "The one from the Nott family, he looks pretty fierce."

Alex chewed on his pudding, his voice muffled. "And the Flint family, they're really tall."

"What's the use of being tall?" Avery adopted a condescending attitude. "We were freshmen last year too, look at Regulus..."

As he said this, he subconsciously glanced in Regulus's direction, and his voice lowered even further.

Regulus heard this but ignored it; he was indeed not as tall as he was this year last year.

Avery is talking about tonight's events: the Slytherin Welcoming Party, the battle for Head of New Students.

At this time last year, Regulus stood among the new students and used an Shield Charm to make everyone remember his name.

Hermes was still not convinced and used his Blood Boil to beat her, but then he was pinned to the ground.

Looking back now, those things seem like they happened a long time ago.

Avery continued commenting on this year's new students.

"The one from the Nott family looks rather gloomy; he must be something. The one from the Flint family is big, but clumsy; he probably won't last two rounds."

And that... you, from the Selwyn family? Was it a girl or a boy who came this year?

"A girl," Alex said, "Rosalie Selwyn."

"Yes, Rosalie." Avery nodded, looking like he was giving orders. "The Selwyn family are all formidable, but freshmen, no matter how formidable they are, are still just so-so."

We watched Hermes last year and thought he was amazing, didn't we? And what happened?

Alex nodded in agreement, his face bearing that look of someone who had certainly seen it all.

Hermes, sitting nearby, twitched his lips upon hearing this.

He recalled what happened last year.

At that time, he had just learned a few Dark Arts from his family and thought he was very impressive. Then Regulus showed him what a difference there was.

But he still felt that Hogwarts was a place full of rules, and if it really came down to a life-or-death situation, the outcome was uncertain.

Thinking back now--

How embarrassing! So embarrassing!

It feels like looking back at the silly things you wrote when you were a child, and you wish you could dig those memories out of your head.

He shook his head, continued eating, and didn't participate in the discussion.

Regulus listened to their conversation, but his mind was elsewhere.

The competition for the Head of New Students —this kind of ceremonial activity is actually quite interesting.

On the positive side, it gives new students an opportunity to showcase themselves.

Slytherin value strength, something instilled in them from a young age. Establishing their place in the school during their first year benefits them for the next six years.

Moreover, the status earned through hard work is much more secure than one obtained through family background or connections.

This is true, at least in the lower grades.

However, there is also a negative side. Such activities can make some people overconfident, thinking they are invincible after winning one or two matches or learning a few spells at home in advance.

Hermes did the same thing last year, and then he got a lesson.

This demonstrates a simple logic: if you want to stand a certain height, you must first prove that you deserve to stand at that height.

Regulus didn't particularly like or dislike this kind of thing, but he had to show up tonight.

You don't need to do anything, just sit there.

He could remain outside of Slytherin, and no one would say anything. Even if someone wanted to say something, they wouldn't dare to say it to his face.

That's status—earned in first grade, established in first grade, and no one dares to question it.

But that's just the atmosphere in Slytherin. There are some things he can ignore, but there are also occasions where he needs to show up to show his acceptance of the group's rules.

After finishing his meal, Regulus put down his knife and fork and stood up. Hermes followed suit, having already finished eating.

Avery and Alex stood up at the same time.

But Avery wasn't in a hurry to leave. He pulled over a first-year wizard who had come over during the meal.

Avery patted the kid on the shoulder and whispered his advice, "Don't be too nervous in the first round, just stay calm."

You know how to use Slowing Charm, right? If not... then start running. Don't try to take them down right away; observe your opponent first.

Last year, some people were too eager to show off, and as a result, they didn't even make it past the first round.

The young wizard nodded frantically, his face filled with admiration.

There was a small boy next to Alex, wearing Slytherin's new long robes, talking to him quietly.

The boy seemed a little nervous, and Alex was comforting him.

Hermes' side, on the other hand, was peaceful.

His face was there, gloomy, with an innate "don't bother me" aura.

The young Wizards, upon seeing him, instinctively felt he wasn't a good person and didn't want to approach him, nor dared to. With a flick of their finger, they were instantly transported to the exciting world of Chapter 207, where he sued Sirius.

Avery finally finished teaching, patted the kid on the shoulder, and said, "Alright, see you tonight."

Alex finished his shift and quickly caught up.

The four of them walked out together.

Behind them, the two first-year wizards stood still, watching their backs.

One said, "That's it..."

The other nodded without speaking, but his eyes held both awe and longing.

As Regulus walked into the middle aisle, he heard someone call his name.

"Regulus!"

The sound came from the Hufflepuff table.

Regulus turned his head and saw Eleanor Bones standing up from her seat, with Susan Payne sitting next to her. He reached out to tug at her clothes but missed.

Eleanor turned around, said something, patted Susan on the shoulder, and then strode over.

Regulus stopped, Avery and the others stopped as well.

Regulus's impression of the Hufflepuff girl wasn't particularly deep, but it wasn't shallow either.

I bumped into him in the Small Garden when I was in first grade. We talked about Herbology. She was loosening the soil for Dittany, and he happened to be there studying Magic daisies.

Later, on Halloween, Eleanor asked Regulus to help her use Transfiguration to create a pumpkin lantern with Honey Badger features.

Last semester at Hogsmeade, when he was taken hostage by Dark Wizard, she even came to the Slytherin table to check on him.

We barely spoke a few words to each other throughout the year, and we didn't meet many times, but his generous, frank, and sincere personality was truly endearing.

They could even be considered familiar classmates, and maybe they'll become friends in the future.

Eleanor was wearing a yellow-trimmed Hufflepuff robe today, her light brown hair tied in a loose bun with a few stray strands falling around her ears.

She strode over, somewhat aggressively, but when she got close, she winked at Regulus.

Regulus was a little confused.

What's going on here?

Then he felt a gaze coming from the Gryffindor table, fixed on him.

I don't even need to turn around to know who it is, Sirius.

Regulus's heart skipped a beat, and he roughly guessed what was going on.

Avery and the others saw Eleanor call Regulus aside and assumed they had something to discuss, so they were about to leave.

Eleanor waved to them, "Cuthbert, don't go."

Avery paused, then stopped in his tracks. Alex and Hermes also remained still.

Eleanor walked up to Regulus and spoke directly, her tone complaining, but she didn't seem to be angry with Regulus.

"Regulus, you need to control your brother."

Regulus raised an eyebrow.

Eleanor continued, "I've been tending to a Mandrake in the Greenhouse for over half a year, and it's almost mature. Do you know what I've been doing?"

He plucked all the leaves! Not a single one was left! I asked him what he was going to do with them, and he told me to mind my own business!

She stood with her hands on her hips, looking indignant. "Tell me, they're both Black, how come there's such a big difference?"

Upon hearing this, Avery's lips twitched.

None of them ever mentioned Sirius in front of Regulus.

When I first enrolled, I would think to myself that the Black family was just so-so, except for the traitor they produced.

But later, Regulus became more and more... unpleasant, and they mentally kicked Sirius out of the Black family.

That man was nothing like Regulus; they were worlds apart.

Why bring him up?

Regulus simply looked at her, somewhat speechless, and didn't respond.

What could he say?

Was Sirius adopted?

Besides, Eleanor doesn't seem to be here to demand an explanation, so there's no point in getting one from her.

It seems more like they're just here to complain.

Eleanor didn't wait for his answer, saying directly, "I'm not asking you to interfere, the Mandrake leaves were picked, what's done is done, what else can be done? I just wanted to let you know."

She glanced back at the Gryffindor table: "And let that person suffer a bit while we're at it."

His tone was frank and open, without any concealment.

But this way of getting revenge is quite interesting. I won't hit you or scold you; I'll just go and tell your brother.

I know what your relationship with your brother is like, I know all your messy affairs, and now I'm telling your brother, so you'll be upset.

Regulus found the little witch interesting; she was frank, generous, and a little cunning.

He smiled slightly, didn't say anything, and just nodded.

As Eleanor spoke, she glanced back at the Gryffindor table.

Seeing that he wasn't angry, but rather had a smile on his face, she felt relieved.

Then she looked back again, this time making her gesture even more obvious.

It's like telling Sirius, "Yes, I am tattletale."

Regulus followed her gaze.

At the Gryffindor table, Sirius's face was as sour as could be.

James sat next to him, looking like he was about to rush over, but Lupin held him back.

Lupin, holding James's arm, glanced this way and gave him an apologetic look.

Regulus looked away, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.

After Eleanor finished her performance, she started laughing at herself.

She patted Regulus on the shoulder, saying in a serious tone, "Thanks, Regulus, seeing his expression made me feel better."

After saying that, she turned and walked back, her steps much lighter.

The author "Lord of Water-Strengthening" recommends downloading and installing <Hogwarts: Regulus, Lord of the Starry Sky> using the "Renren Library" PP app.