Go, bring them back for me

Two o'clock in the afternoon, at the Library.

Regulus sat in his usual spot by the window, a bound volume of back issues of "Transfiguration Today" spread out in front of him. He turned to a page in the middle, paused, and didn't turn any further.

It's time.

Finding books is something anyone can do; Madam Pince is better than Samuel and Lina. She knows where every book is even with her eyes closed.

The main purpose of sending them is to conduct an assessment.

Let's see if these two people can get things done, what they can accomplish, and what their attitude will be afterward.

This is the first door; once the door is open, there's a path ahead.

At exactly two o'clock, two people appeared at the end of the bookshelf.

Regulus didn't look up; he knew they had been waiting at the door for twenty minutes.

He even knew they were pacing back and forth in the Corridor, glancing at the clock on the wall from time to time, their breathing sometimes rapid and sometimes slow, and their Magic Fluctuation fluctuating accordingly.

The two arrived early, but didn't come in; they pushed open the door just in time.

They walked up to him and stopped opposite him.

Lina's chin was slightly raised, her eyes were shining, and the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned. Her hands hung at her sides, and her fingertips gently twirled the edge of her robe.

Samuel pulled his shoulders back slightly, lowered his head a little, and kept his gaze fixed on the table, avoiding eye contact.

Regulus glanced up at them and nodded his chin toward the chair opposite him.

Lina plopped down, causing the chair to slide forward half an inch, but she quickly braced herself, making no sound.

Samuel slowed down, pulled the chair out from under the table, sat down, moved forward a little, put his hands on his knees, and stopped.

Regulus looked away; let them pretend if they want.

In an environment like Slytherin, some people desperately try to climb the social ladder, joining various cliques, wanting to be seen, accepted, and gain opportunities for upward mobility.

But that chance is slim.

Snape was talented; his Potions talent was among the best in the entire UK Wizarding World.

His talent for Dark Arts was also considerable; he was able to develop the Sectumsempra during his student years.

Although Regulus felt that the spell was not particularly profound and its power was average, it was still quite effective compared to most people.

But if Voldemort hadn't shattered the old rules, could someone like Snape have risen to prominence?

able.

With his talent for Potions, he can rise to prominence, make a name for himself, and be remembered by Pureblood families when they need a good potion.

Perhaps I could earn a Order of Merlin, Second Class, and publish a few papers in the Potions Review that would earn the approval or even respect of my peers.

Those who wear custom-made robes will call him Mr. Snape, treat him with respect, and acknowledge his abilities.

But he will not become one of them.

He can live well on his own merits, but he can't get into that circle because the rules of that circle are not determined by ability, but by one's background.

Pureblood families control the most core resources, connections, and information in the Wizarding World— trust accumulated over hundreds of years and written in their family trees.

No matter how capable a Prince named Snape Half-bloods, he can't cross that threshold.

He can live well through his own abilities, but he will never have real power.

Snape only had a real chance when Voldemort shattered those rules.

But that's not an opportunity to be accepted; it's an opportunity to move up.

When those in custom-made robes knelt down, Snape stood up, because he had the ability.

Regulus pondered these thoughts, then glanced at the two people opposite him.

If Lina and Samuel are efficient, capable, and can prove their worth, he wouldn't mind giving them resources to see how high they can climb.

He'd be even happier to see them climb higher and higher.

The fact that two Half-bloods established themselves in Slytherin speaks volumes.

Placing them under Alex, with their Gentle Pureblood yet Half-bloods, could serve as an outlet for their small group to the outside world.

After graduation, Regulus will need someone to go where he can't directly reach out.

There are some things that are not suitable for Pureblood families to do, and some messages that are not suitable to be passed through family channels. That's when these people come in handy.

Regulus knew the future trend: Half-bloods and Muggle-borns would inevitably rise to prominence, because Voldemort had utterly destroyed the Pureblood families.

The Wizarding World is already small, so vacant positions always need to be filled.

Even in terms of population size alone, the number of Half-bloods and Muggle-borns will continue to increase.

This is the trend, it's inevitable, and now is the perfect time to start.

Moreover, the person he helps up must stand on his side.

But that's for later; before that, let's get things done.

For Regulus, providing them with shelter was the simplest and most basic thing to do.

It requires no cost, no effort, just a word; but if you want more, you need to prove yourself more.

Regulus pulled a slip of paper from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and pushed it to the center of the table.

Lina was quick; she reached out almost the instant the note stopped, pressed her fingertips on it, and gently pulled it towards her.

She opened the note and looked down.

The text only contains a few lines: Aerodynamics, Jet Propulsion, Information Transmission, Wave Mechanics, and Principles of Optics.

She didn't recognize any of those words; the fact that she could pronounce them was a testament to her good family upbringing, but she knew they weren't Magic words.

Her brow furrowed slightly, then quickly relaxed.

Then she raised her head, glanced subtly at Regulus, looked away when her gaze met his face, and handed the note to Samuel.

Samuel took the note, looked down at it, and without looking up, pushed it back to Regulus.

Neither of them spoke, but their expressions were somewhat enigmatic, a mixture of surprise and confusion, though both were suppressing their emotions.

Regulus tapped the table lightly with his index finger.

The paper strip began to change color from the edges, turning yellow, curling, and then gray. The gray scatters into extremely fine powder, which sinks and disappears into the wood grain of the tabletop, leaving nothing behind.

The whole process happened in the blink of an eye.

Lina's eyes lit up, and Samuel's eyes widened.

Regulus leaned back, his expression unchanged, and calmly asked, "What's the problem?"

Lina spoke first, her tone hesitant. "Mr. Black..."

Regulus shook his head slightly, the movement very small. "This is Hogwarts, we are classmates, there is no teacher."

Lina's eyes lit up again. She pursed her lips and leaned forward slightly.

She tentatively asked in a low voice, "Black?"

Regulus didn't react; his gaze remained unchanged, calm, neither cold nor warm.

Lina quickly got to the point. "When do we give you the things?"

Regulus said, "No rush, just keep it and someone will come to get it."

Lina nodded and gave a strong "Mmm".

Regulus turned to Samuel: "And you?"

Samuel kept his head down, but Regulus could see the Magic Fluctuation, which were more intense than Lina's.

He was excited, but he kept it under control; his brows were slightly furrowed, his lips were pursed, and his fingers were curled on his knees, as if he were deep in thought.

Regulus didn't interrupt; he just watched.

Samuel probably realized he'd overdone it; he raised his gaze, his expression now appearing resolute.

He asked, "Is that all? Do you need more?"

Regulus shook his head. "No need, we'll talk about it if needed."

Samuel nodded. "Understood."

He said no more.

Regulus waited a few more moments, but neither of them spoke again.

"Alright, that's all. Go and get it done."

They stood up.

"From today onwards," Regulus's voice rang out from behind, his tone calm, as if discussing a trivial matter, "You won't need to hide your meals in Slytherin anymore."

Lina paused for a moment. She didn't turn around, but she raised her shoulders an inch and then lowered them again, as if taking a deep breath.

Samuel paused, turned around, glanced at Regulus with an expression that was hard to decipher—it was a mix of gratitude and something else—before turning back and walking away with Lina.

Regulus watched their figures disappear behind the bookshelves.

I waited for a while to see if they would ask why.

They didn't ask, which is good. People who don't ask why are the most useful.

The next step is to see if they will act on their own initiative and mess things up.

If it's done well, it means you can continue using it; if it's not done well, that's another matter.

He didn't proactively mention keeping it a secret, nor did he give any other instructions; he left it all to them to handle.

A sense of propriety is something that depends on whether they themselves possess it.

Even if they mess things up, it doesn't matter if people find out.

He wasn't worried about getting into any trouble by looking for Muggle books.

It's just a few physics books; Voldemort's pursuit was power, Eternal Life, and domination.

Aerodynamics and information theory are probably no different from waste paper in his eyes.

His men were also obsessed with Dark Arts, bloodlines, and power.

Muggle don't know how to make things fly or how to put things into light, and even if they did, they wouldn't care.

Even if someone does ask, the most likely answer is Bellatrix.

But that's perfect; what he wanted Bellatrix to see, he had already shown her at noon today.

This is just an extra bonus; it's better if you see it, but it doesn't matter if you don't.

Besides, Lina and Samuel should be able to tell what they can and cannot say; keeping their mouths shut is the most important thing.

And this is really not difficult; it only requires finding a few books and putting in a little effort to get it done.

Lina's family is easy to talk to. They're from Portugal, and although it's just a small family and they don't even have a Pure-bloods title, they have the necessary knowledge and understanding, and their family understands.

Samuel's family was more ordinary; they only had an ordinary wizard in the house, and even if they said something, the wizard might not understand it.

But Samuel himself had spent over a year in Slytherin, so he should know what to do. Even if his family didn't understand, it was enough that he did.

Moreover, Regulus wasn't powerless outside of school; after all, Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley were quite close together.

Regulus withdrew his gaze and turned to look out the window.

The afternoon sunlight shone on the Black Lake, shattering into fragments. The direction of the Forbidden Forest was a dark green, and the branches of the Whomping Willow drooped, occasionally twitching as if they were dozing off.

Little wizards were running around on the lawn, some were chasing a model of the Golden Snitch, and others were throwing crackling Exploding Snap.

Far away, on the Black Lake, two small figures were walking.

The red-haired one is Lily, and the one next to her with light blonde hair is Marcia Fawley.

The two walked slowly, arm in arm, occasionally stopping to talk. Marcia nudged Lily, Lily dodged but then leaned back in.

The youthful energy can be felt even from this distance.

Regulus's lips curved into a slight smile.

He stretched out his hand, pointing his fingertips at the lowest branch of the old oak tree outside the window.

The very last leaf twitched; the petiole twisted, and the leaf began to Transfiguration.

The edges narrow, the veins straighten, and the color changes from deep yellow to grayish-white.

The leaf transformed into a palm-sized piece of parchment, with neat edges, a smooth surface, and writing emerging from the center.

Then the parchment continues to Transfiguration, folding upwards on both sides, bulging in the middle, with a pointed head sticking out at the front and a fan-shaped tail at the back.

A bird, grayish-white, slightly larger than a sparrow, flapped its wings and sprang up from the branch, circling twice in the air.

It chirped once, a clear and melodious sound, and then flew towards the Black Lake.

Lily was squatting down to pick up stones, intending to throw them into the lake, when Marcia urged her on from the side.

Just then, a bird landed on the rock in front of Lily and tilted its head to look at her.

Lily paused for a moment, then the bird chirped again.

She reached out her hand, and the bird hopped on, its claws hooking around her index finger.

Then it tucked its feathers in, tucked its wings in, retracted its head, and stretched its body out, flattening it into a sheet of parchment, which lay in her palm.

Lily looked down and saw words on the paper; she immediately recognized Regulus's handwriting.

"After dinner, at eight o'clock, in the Abandoned Classroom at the end of the Third Floor Corridor."

Lily stared at the words for two seconds, then suddenly turned around and looked in the direction of the Library.

She was far away, and the window was small, so she couldn't see the person inside, but she knew he was there.

She waved her hand vigorously, jumped once, and then jumped again.

Marcia shook her shoulder from the side, Lily ignored her and continued waving.

When she jumps, her hair flies up to her shoulders, then flies back up when she lands.

Regulus, behind the window, watched the figure leap up and smiled.