Dark Wizards Are Fine; Black People Aren't

Regulus stared at Snape's face, his thoughts a jumbled mess.

The Wizarding World has been practicing discrimination for hundreds of years, and the targets of discrimination are very precise: Muggle bloodline, that's all, everything else is disregarded.

The Shacklebolt family, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, was included in the Directory of Pure-Blood Families in the 1930s and is officially recognized as Pure-bloods.

They have obvious Africa ancestry and are well-connected in Pure-blood Circle. In fact, because of their ancient bloodline and unique origins, they are even regarded as an alternative and noble group by some people.

Regulus had nothing to say about this.

Earth is simply not big enough for wizards. With their abilities, wizards can go wherever they want and whenever they want.

If you like a place, settle down there. If you stay long enough, you'll become a local.

The Shacklebolt family doesn't even have a clear origin; no one knows when they came to UK or how they ended up as one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight among a group of white wizards.

However, the Directory of Pure-Blood Families recognizes it, the Ministry of Magic recognizes it, and other Pureblood families also recognize it.

There's no record of Muggle intermarriage in the Shacklebolt ' family tree, so they're Pure-bloods, it's that simple.

The Boot family are also Black and are on the list, so there's not much to say about them.

It can only be said that the Wizarding World has always been diverse, and as long as one's bloodline is clean enough, skin color has never been a topic of discussion.

Regulus glanced at Snape's face.

Although the Prince family had declined, it was still an old and respected family name.

Erin Prince married a Muggle and had this child, making him Half-bloods, but Prince's blood is in the child, which is beyond question.

The problem is that there are indeed Pureblood families in the UK Wizarding World, and they are doing quite well.

Regulus accepted it; existence is existence, there's no point in beating around the bush.

But after searching through his memory, he had never seen a Pure-bloods white family with no Africa ancestry suddenly produce a black person.

While the Wizarding World doesn't discriminate based on skin color, he had indeed never seen a precedent for interracial marriage between Black and White people.

Even Black the Black family, there was never a Black person.

So this face in front of me...

Regulus glanced at Snape's face again.

There was something coated on it, probably some kind of potion. To an ordinary novice wizard, it would probably just look like the face was unnaturally pale.

But Regulus's Magic Perception followed his gaze, and the color beneath the potion was clearly visible.

The forehead was gray, the cheekbones were gray, and it got darker and darker down to the chin, almost completely black.

It looks terrible.

Regulus looked away.

Snape stood there, the Corridor light dim, making it impossible to discern the shades of his face, but one could see his brows furrowed tightly and his lips pressed into a thin line.

He stood in front of the mirror in his Dormitory for who knows how long, being looked down at and scrutinized by Rababstan, and then waited for half an hour in the corner of the Corridor.

The anger in my heart was neither subsiding nor rising; it was stuck in my chest, neither making me feel particularly uncomfortable nor not uncomfortable.

Black had just taken a step back with a look of disdain, and for a moment he didn't know how to categorize that action.

insult?

He said no.

He sensed something different from Lestrange.

That kind of gaze sweeps from head to toe, but it never lands on him as a person; rather, it focuses on his origins, his lineage, his family background, and the wear and tear on the cuffs of his robe.

So Snape thought almost nothing, his mind was completely blank, and he simply walked towards the Library.

He knew that Black... Slytherin's Black was different.

Snape couldn't pinpoint exactly what was different, but after spending over two years in Slytherin, he had witnessed countless forms of contempt and had discerned the distinction.

Some people look down on him because he is inferior to others, using family background, lineage, clothing, and everything else to rank them.

Black also looks down on people, but he doesn't use this approach.

There's no need to elaborate on how pure the Black family's bloodline is. They rank among the top of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, and their family tree goes back more than ten generations and they're all Pure-bloods. They're so pure that there's no need to compare them with anyone else.

Moreover, Black's own demeanor, the way he stood there doing nothing yet exuded an aura of dominance over everyone around him, made Snape think that bloodline and lineage probably didn't really matter to him.

It's as if what he sees is on another level; if you look further down, you won't see anything about bloodlines.

That's completely different from Lestrange's approach of using his bloodline to step on others and then stomp on them.

But Black took that step back—

Snape frowned.

He could tell that Black was only looking at his face, at his disheveled state, and nothing else in his gaze.

No, there are other reasons, like disdain.

This made him frown even more.

Then he thought of Sirius, that bastard was Black, and his current state was all caused by that spell.

The one in front of me is also Black.

Snape's face darkened.

Regulus looked at the face hidden in the shadow of his hood, his expression shifting back and forth, and guessed that someone had done something to him to make him look like this.

For some reason, Regulus felt a sense of relief.

As long as it's not something he wanted to become like this, that's fine; otherwise, he really doesn't know whether he should accept it or not.

Although the Wizarding World is diverse and the Shacklebolt family exists, the Prince family bloodline has never gone in that direction.

Snape could become Dark Wizard, but he couldn't be black.

Regulus raised a finger and pointed it at Snape.

Snape swayed back slightly, his hand already reaching for his robe pocket—a swift, instinctive reflex.

Then he stopped.

If Black wanted to hit him, he wouldn't be here; besides, there's no reason for it.

Snape steadied himself, removed his hand from the edge of his pocket, and didn't move again.

The next moment, Snape felt a change coming from beneath his skin, from the Magic Power realm, as if something had been quietly unlocked.

Before he could discern the details, he heard Regulus's voice coming from the front, his tone a little more relaxed than before. "Wipe your face."

Snape raised his hand, took out his wand, and touched it to his face, removing the Whitening Potion that had been plastered on his skin.

He waved his wand again, and a mist of water condensed at the tip, gathering to form a thin mirror that hung in mid-air.

He leaned closer for a look; it was a waxy yellow.

It's normal now.

He lowered his head, his voice dry and strained. "Thank you."

Regulus nodded without saying anything.

Snape was waiting for him here in the corner of the Corridor, his hood pulled down over his head, his face looking like that, so he must have something on his mind.

Snape raised his head, his gaze lingered on Regulus's face for a moment, then fell back to the stone wall beside him.

His tone finally softened. "Tonight, Rababstan Lestrange came to see me."

He told me to find out why Black was protecting Lina Costa and Samuel Vance, and whether he had arranged anything for them.

Regulus didn't speak, he just nodded.

"He said he'd find out and come back to tell me," Snape said, turning his gaze from the stone wall to Regulus before looking away again. "He also said not to let you know he'd sent me."

He shut up after he finished speaking, stood there, and waited for Regulus's reaction.

Regulus's expression remained unchanged throughout, nodding occasionally. After Snape finished speaking, he simply replied, "Understood."

The Corridor was quiet for a moment, and the shadows of the torches danced on the walls.

Rababstan Lestrange, who was defeated by Avery, Alex, and Hermes last year.

They were only in first grade then, Rababstan was already covered in dirt and grime, spending their holidays in the Hospital Wing and unable to go home.

There's really not much to say about this kind of person on their own; they're just average.

But his timing was wrong.

Rababstan is a member of Lestrange family, Lestrange family holds considerable influence on Voldemort's side.

Bellatrix married Rodolphus, whose younger brother, Rababstan, was Rodolphus 'Bellatrix brother-in-law.

His sudden appearance at this moment was undoubtedly to inform Bellatrix.

But that's not important; what's important is that he stepped out of that situation.

Although the Lestrange family is not as prominent as the Black family, they are still well-known in the Pure-blood Circle. They are one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, a core member of Voldemort's faction, and the entire Death Eaters.

If Regulus were to directly attack Rababstan, it wouldn't be a mere skirmish between minor wizards.

That would be a conflict between Black and Lestrange, between two Pureblood families, and if things escalated, it would be difficult to resolve.

The key is to let Rababstan take the initiative first.

Lina and Samuel were under Regulus's protection, so if Rababstan made a move against them, he had a reason to retaliate. Moreover, his actions were a response to being offended, so his reasoning was sound and could be traced back to his own position.

This wasn't difficult to do. Rababstan wasn't exactly known for being shrewd; he sent Snape to gather information, and Snape immediately betrayed him. That speaks volumes.

Moreover, regardless of whether Rababstan's actions were truly intended to inform Bellatrix, Regulus could make it appear that way.

He was targeting the Black family; he crossed the line first. The logic isn't hard to follow. Once things move in that direction, there's room for maneuver in how to handle the situation afterwards.

There's one more thing, Saiph.

Since Rababstan volunteered, why not take advantage of it?

Regulus asked calmly, "Why didn't you do as he said?"

Snape didn't answer, his gaze shifting slightly to the side.

Regulus waited for a while, but nothing came, and he didn't ask again.

He could probably guess.

He didn't really understand Rababstan; all he knew was that it was incredibly stupid.

But he knew the Lestrange family; Half-bloods like Snape had no respect in their household.

Regulus looked at Snape and said, "Roxier will contact you."

Snape paused for a moment.

He came to Black to talk about it subconsciously; after he finished speaking, he thought that was the end of it.

He even thought that, given Black's past work style, he would receive a fair return, or even more than expected.

Snape never doubted this.

But when Roxier came looking for him, that was a different story.

Alex Roxier, a member of Black's inner circle, was known throughout Slytherin, and Snape certainly knew him too.

He even knew that Roxier was the one specifically in charge of Costa and Vance, those two Half-bloods.

Black's words made it clear that he was to be used against Rababstan, and that it might even involve the Lestrange family.

This is to include him, to put him on Black's side.

Snape knew perfectly well what the Lestrange family's background was.

He looked up at Regulus, his eyes dark and brooding.

Regulus stood there, not urging him, his face expressionless, just waiting.

The only sound in the Corridor was the crackling of torches, occasionally striking and causing the shadows to tremble.

Snape stood there for a long time, his mind racing with thoughts, which finally settled on one thing.

He's already here. He's explained things. Taking this step means he's already chosen sides, he just hadn't realized it before.

Black is simply making his point clear.

And ultimately, everything he's done so far, all the effort he's put in, has been for the sake of getting into that circle, hasn't it?

Black...

He lowered his head and nodded.

Regulus nodded without saying anything, turned and pushed open the Library door. The hinges turned with a low thud, he went inside, and the door closed again.

Snape remained standing there, staring at the closed door, for a long while before turning around and walking to the other end of the Corridor.

Once I made the decision, I actually felt a sense of relief.

My face has recovered, and I no longer need to hide when I bump into people in the Corridor.

The Great Hall was still open, so he quickened his pace and headed there.

Have a meal.