Precisely Pinpointing Your Identity

Regulus wasn't in a hurry to make arrangements; he didn't even plan to do it himself. He didn't have many people around him, but each one of them was capable of being used by now.

Since speaking in the lounge last time, Avery seems to have awakened some strange new ability; he starts to think one step ahead when faced with a situation and analyzes and considers things from a particular perspective.

Of course, he was learning from others, perhaps from his father, or perhaps from the way the officials in the Ministry of Magic spoke and acted.

Sometimes he speaks with an air of importance; his tone, pauses, and even the way he holds his cup sound like he's in a meeting.

Regulus observed all of this and found it amusing.

Avery's imitation is still quite immature; sometimes the mature perspective is used at the wrong time, and what he says sounds awkward, like a teenager trying to act mature for his age.

But the direction is right; he's growing in that direction.

This is progress; Avery himself moved in that direction without even needing his guidance.

Regulus didn't interfere, nor did he intend to; he simply let it continue to develop.

From the very beginning, he saw Avery as the face of the public, a spokesperson, someone who could stand in front of the crowd and speak.

The young master of the Cuthbert family will eventually have to learn how to make a name for himself in the Pure-blood Circle. It's a good thing he's getting it early.

Alex is a different story.

A little over a year ago, Alex was the kind of little wizard who didn't dare to speak loudly in the Dormitory, afraid of being noticed or bullied.

Then came the incident at the Astronomy Tower.

Looking back now, Regulus realizes that the incident was no small matter.

The cursed Chamber of Secrets, the Plague Wand — Hermes almost didn't make it back; he himself endured that mass for a while.

Even for a sufficiently skilled wizard, this would be extremely dangerous, yet Alex went in and came out unharmed.

People change when they experience a real crisis and survive it.

In addition, Alex's Magic skills have improved considerably over the past year or so.

He may not be considered exceptionally talented, but he is willing to practice and is obedient, so his progress is genuine.

When you accumulate strength to a certain degree, your state of mind changes. That kind of confidence is something you develop through practice; it can't be hidden or faked.

Hermes, was an exception.

Since fully joining this little group, Hermes seems to have made a decision: to dedicate his brain to the study of Magic, leaving everything else to Regulus.

Aside from his own Magic, he's almost never seen using his brain to do anything.

He did study, but his method was simply to cram the material needed for the exam into his brain, and as long as his grades were passable, that was enough. He mainly spent his days figuring out his "Dark Arts" (a term used to describe unorthodox or unorthodox methods).

When things happen, Regulus makes arrangements, and he does as he's told, never asking questions or coming up with alternative solutions himself.

It's like he feels that as long as Regulus is around, he can be more careful with his brain.

But Hermes ' talent was indeed strong; in the lower grades, his strength was exceptionally high.

Those older students might have more Magic Power than him, and might know more Magic, but if it really came down to a fight, Regulus believed Hermes could take down a few of them.

However, his current behavior makes it hard not to think that he acquired all his skills through intelligence.

But Regulus ignored him; who can say that this wasn't a precise form of self-identification?

And then there's Snape; Regulus put him in a dilemma with just one sentence.

By saying that Roxier should find him, Snape was forced to choose sides.

It's either Black or Lestrange; there's no middle ground.

Snape could certainly leave, pretend he never saw Regulus, go back to being an outsider in Slytherin, or pretend nothing happened tonight.

Regulus wouldn't say anything, much less pressure him.

He probably knows Snape better than Snape himself.

In his eyes, Snape was a highly talented and valuable asset.

In their first year, Regulus stopped James from surrounding Snape. Afterward, Snape began providing information, for which Regulus paid him and recommended him to Slughorn, making him his assistant.

Through this series of actions, Snape has been brought under his influence.

But they weren't friends or partners; it was more like a Slytherin -esque superior-subordinate relationship based on value exchange and unspoken understanding.

Of course, from Snape's own perspective, they might have been collaborators.

But Snape should have known better than anyone that even if Regulus let him go, Lestrange wouldn't.

People like Rababstan despise his background while forcing him to do things.

In his eyes, Half-bloods were things he could trample on at will, and it didn't matter if he damaged them. With contempt and coercion coming at him, Snape had almost no room to resist.

So the real question was never whether or not to choose Black, but whether Snape had even a shred of dignity that he didn't want to be trampled on.

Snape was a man whose inferiority complex and pride were two sides of the same coin; his inferiority complex stemmed from his background, while his pride came from his talent.

He was sensitive and obsessive, remembering every slight clearly, but he was also shrewd, knowing how to assess the situation and when to align himself with which side.

He got nothing from Rababstan, only humiliation.

On Regulus's side, he was at least treated as a human being.

Intelligence is exchanged for knowledge, and recommendations are exchanged for rewards. Every time something is given out, something of equal value is returned. The rules are clear and unambiguous.

This was the best possible cooperation Snape could find in Slytherin.

There's no need to think about which side to choose.

So Snape lowered his head and made that tap.

Regulus mentally reviewed the group of people; the number wasn't large, but it was enough.

At 8 PM, the Room of Requirement.

Regulus recounted what had happened that night.

The tone is objective, recounting the events from Rababstan's search for Snape, to Snape's arrival, to what Snape said, in chronological order, without adding any commentary.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Avery asked, his hand already reaching for his wand in his pocket. "Let's go find him. He attacked first, so it's only right that we fight back."

Regulus glanced at him.

Avery's logic is simple: Rababstan sending Snape to inquire about Regulus's men is a provocation, and provocations should be retaliated against.

As for what would happen after the fight, he hadn't thought about whether the Lestrange family, who were behind Rababstan, would clash with the Lestrange family Cuthbert family because of it.

The Cuthbert family is also Sacred Twenty-Eight. At his age, conflicts between young wizards are just that—conflicts between young wizards. It's unthinkable for a fight between children to escalate to the point of involving two entire families.

It's just a matter of a fight; there's no need to bring up his father's theories.

Alex sat beside him, his brow furrowed.

"How about we let Lina and Samuel go into hiding for a while? Cola, your personal Library has more than ten thousand volumes." He hesitated slightly, "Lestrange is keeping an eye on them. If they're not around, Lestrange will have no target."

Alex knew Regulus had planned for him.

Although he never said it outright, he understood the tasks he was usually asked to do—running errands, relaying messages, and keeping an eye on someone's movements—after doing them for a long time.

His role in this group is to keep people connected and make things run smoothly.

He likes this position; it's safe and secure, he doesn't have to be at the forefront, but he's still considered a core member.

Now that Lestrange has intervened, things have changed, and his first reaction is to avoid risks.

Hermes leaned against the oak door, silent, his eyes fixed on the ground, as if lost in thought.

But his Magic Power was surging, and Black energy rose from his shoulders, wisps twisting in the air.

His eyelids were half-closed, and he would occasionally lift them, his eyes seeming to gleam.

Regulus looked at him and a slight twitch appeared on his lips.

Hermes, who usually doesn't like to use his brain and lets others arrange everything, is now starting to think.

But their approaches Taiyi.

While others are thinking about how to plan and how to end things, he's thinking about how to take people down.

But there's nothing wrong with that. Everyone has their own way of using it. Hermes can think however he wants, as long as it gets the job done.

"What I mean is, let Lestrange make the first move."

Avery stopped, Alex looked up, Hermes lifted his eyelids.

"Costa and Vance don't need to hide," Regulus said. "They'll show up normally, Lestrange will go after them. If he makes a move—"

He paused for a moment, then continued, "We can make them suffer a little loss."

Alex paused, wanting to ask something, his lips moved but he didn't say anything.

Regulus never does anything without a reason.

He nodded, frowned, lowered his eyes, and began to think.

If we use Lina and Samuel as bait, won't they be afraid? Won't they actually get hurt?

Regulus said he was willing to suffer some losses, but how much loss would be enough?

It's too light. Won't it disrupt Regulus's plans?

It was too heavy; he couldn't bear to.

He had to find a way to stop the momentum, to make Lestrange think he had succeeded, but in reality, Lina and Samuel hadn't done anything.

Avery reacted quickly; he figured it out almost instantly: if Lestrange made the first move, the conflict wouldn't have been started by Regulus.

Fighting is a matter between junior wizards. After a fight, at most, they'll be locked up and have points deducted, and at worst, the professor will be alerted.

But if Rababstan makes a move against Costa and Vance first, the situation will be different.

That was the Lestrange family provoking the people Black was protecting. Once that line is crossed, it's no longer just a fight between young wizards; it becomes a matter between two families.

The Cuthbert family isn't as powerful as the Black family, but they're still one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, a force to be reckoned with on behalf of the Lestrange family. And his father's side...

Avery racked his brains and then remembered something his father had said.

My father worked at the Ministry of Magic for so many years and has seen all kinds of partnerships.

That's what it means to be family. It means to overcome a trouble together and fight an enemy together.

The Astronomy Tower incident last year was great; we should continue doing that in the future.

Avery thought about it and felt that what he said made sense in the present situation.

He swallowed hard, leaned back against the wall, and turned to look at Alex: "Then we have to make Lestrange feel like he has a chance before he'll make a move."

Alex looked up and got into the zone.

"Lina and Samuel have been spending a few regular times alone lately, after Potions Class, on the way back to their Dormitory from the Basement, when there are few people in the Corridor."

"Someone got blocked at the corner on the third floor today."

Avery nodded. "Then let's start with that section of road. Let Rababstan know that they are alone during that time period. If he's going to make a move, he'll naturally choose that moment."

"How do we get the message over there?" Alex asked.

"Let him hear," Avery said. "Find a place to say it, and make sure his men happen to be there."

Alex paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "But they're really going to suffer..."

Avery pursed his lips, glanced to the side, and didn't reply.

Alex knew the matter was settled. Regulus said they would suffer a loss, and that meant it. He couldn't change anything by hesitating, but he felt a little uneasy.

Lina and Samuel were the two he interacted with the most. One was clever, and the other was serious. Life in Slytherin was already difficult enough, but now they were being deliberately sent into danger.

He suppressed his emotions, raised his head again, and said in a normal, firm voice, "I'll make the arrangements."

The two got more and more excited as they talked, and one plan grew into two, then four, the circle getting bigger and bigger, and the content becoming more and more outrageous.

Regulus listened to their discussion without interrupting, and he didn't say what Lestrange really wanted.

Although Rababstan is stupid, he wouldn't be stupid enough to personally go and ambush someone; he didn't point that out.

Let them think it through, discuss it, and come up with a plan on their own. Even if they go astray, it's still a rare opportunity.

Last year at the Astronomy Tower, they were passively drawn into the incident, but this time it's different.

This time, they stood together and discussed how to handle the same thing together; this kind of experience doesn't come around often.

He glanced in Hermes' direction.

This guy listened for a long time, and the light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter, but he still didn't participate in the discussion; he just pondered it by himself.

He interrupted Avery, who was getting into a particularly exciting part of his speech. "Alex."

Alex turned around immediately.

"Snape is involved in this too; he's part of the plan. Go and coordinate with him. As for Costa and Vance, tell them what's going on and let them choose for themselves."

Avery's lips twitched slightly, he didn't say anything, and shifted his gaze elsewhere.

Alex paused for a moment, then nodded. "I understand."

Regulus added, "Keep a close eye on them, make sure nothing serious happens."

After saying that, he stood up, walked towards his Private Cabin, and pushed open the door to go inside.

The talking outside hadn't stopped; Avery's voice was more intense as he discussed some details with Alex, his tone energetic and enthusiastic.

Alex spoke softer, but he kept talking, and the two of them took turns saying things, pushing the conversation further.

Then came Hermes ' voice, just one sentence. "Tell me when you're done discussing, and I'll take charge."

Regulus sat down in the Cabin.

It's not a big deal, let them handle it themselves.