Two Letters from Parents
Monday morning, Great Hall restaurant.
The long table was laden with food: bacon, baked eggs, and hot oatmeal, the steam rising into the air.
The young Wizards weren't fully awake yet. In Gryffindor, someone was slumped over a table, forehead pressed against his arm, while a classmate held up toast for him.
Hufflepuff was as lively as ever, Ravenclaw was quiet, and Slytherin was well-behaved, though some people were yawning.
Flocks of owls flew in through the high window, their wings flapping rapidly, and letters and packages fell to the ground.
Two letters lay before Regulus.
Two owls arrived one after the other, one gray and one brown, both from the house. After landing, they shook their wings and perched by the plate, waiting.
Regulus glanced at the envelope.
The first letter, on thick parchment, sealed with black lacquer, bears the Black family crest and Walburga's handwriting, with heavy strokes.
The second letter was thinner, and the seal was also black, but it had an extra Rune on it—the exclusive mark of the Black family head, which was only present on the patriarch's letters.
Regulus placed the two letters beside the plate, then cut off a piece of bacon and put it in his mouth.
If it's just Orion writing to me alone, it's probably about the progress of family affairs, the aftermath of the Whomping Willow incident, or news of changes in the situation.
If it was just Walburga writing to me alone, it's probably because he heard some rumors about his performance at school and got agitated.
But if the two letters come together, it means they are about the same thing, only the two people wrote their own versions.
They wouldn't write letters together; Orion and Walburga's views on many things were too far apart to be put on the same piece of paper.
Regulus swallowed the bacon and picked up Walburga's letter to open it.
Unfolding the parchment, the handwriting was indeed in Walburga's style: large, heavy, and full of exclamation marks!
Regulus!
Bellatrix wrote me a letter, and I read it three times!
I don't know what you did at school that made her so angry, but her wording really bothers me!
She said you ignored her advice, openly protected two Half-bloods- race students, and responded to her warnings with extreme arrogance!
Is this true?!
Bellatrix is your cousin, the eldest daughter of the Black family, and she now represents more than just herself!
That Dark Lord was standing behind her! You should know better than anyone what that means!
You are the Heir of the Black family, and your talent has made the entire Pure-blood Circle talk about you!
This is honor! But honor is not used to turn against your own people!
I'm proud of you, always have been! But pride doesn't mean complacency!
Bellatrix said she'll come to Grimmauld Place after the Christmas Banquet to talk things over with you in person!
I agree!
Think it through before she arrives!
Think clearly about what you should do, what you shouldn't do, what you can say, and what you can't say!
The Heir of the Black family can be tough, but toughness should not be directed at his own people!
Listen to your mother!
Walburga Black
Regulus finished reading the letter, folded it, and placed it next to the plate.
really.
Bellatrix wrote a warning letter last time, and he replied with ketchup; this time, she'll skip him and go straight to his parents.
She probably knew it was pointless to contact him again; that little bit of ketchup had likely made her furious.
But Bellatrix's actions also demonstrate that she is keeping this matter confined to the Black family.
She approached Walburga and Orion, following the path of the family elders, and wanted a formal occasion to resolve the matter.
But for Regulus, it was just right.
The illumination of Saiph requires exerting influence on the outside world. Bellatrix is the core of the Death Eaters, and confronting her directly will naturally spread the influence.
The Christmas holiday Pure-bloods dinner is being hosted by the Lestrange family this year, and most of the Pure-blood Circle will be there.
Bellatrix wanted to come to Grimmauld Place after the dinner, so why not resolve the matter at the dinner?
Let Lucius and Narcissa stay, along with Orion and Walburga; all the core members of the Black family are present, and treat this as an internal family matter.
Bellatrix wanted formality, and he gave her formality.
Regulus reread Walburga's letter.
His mother loved him, but that love came with conditions.
What Walburga loved was the heir who could bring glory to the Black family, the genius young wizard who was the talk of the entire Pure-blood Circle, the son who could make her hold her head high at a tea party.
If he were no longer these things, he couldn't say how much that love would shrink, but it would definitely shrink.
Our own people.
Walburga considered Bellatrix one of his own.
Regulus recalled the scene when Bellatrix had last come to Grimmauld Place to deliver the Dark Enlightenment.
Walburga greeted her first, his tone enthusiastic and his eyes shining, but Bellatrix's attitude was clearly perfunctory.
Walbuga considers Bella one of his own, but what does Bella consider Walbuga to be?
She was just a reasonably respectable the Master of the Black family, nothing more.
But Walburga himself couldn't see it, or didn't want to see it.
She believes in the glory of Pure-bloods, Bellatrix is the most fervent executor of that glory, so Bellatrix is right, Bellatrix is one of them, and they should listen to what Bellatrix says.
This is Walburga.
Regulus stuffed the letter into the inside pocket of his robe, picked up the second one, which contained only a few lines.
Regulus:
Bellatrix has written; she will be at Grimmauld Place after the Christmas Banquet.
You handle it yourself.
Orion
My father's style: give a notification, grant authorization, and that's it.
Regulus folded the letter. The system has matched you with a fantasy novel category. Click p
Beside him, Avery glanced in their direction.
He scanned the contents of the last letter, which wasn't marked.
Both letters were formal family correspondence. He glanced at the envelopes once and then looked away, continuing to eat his grilled eggs.
Regulus noticed, but said nothing.
Avery is getting better and better at understanding the importance of discretion.
Potions Class in the morning.
The Underground Classroom was warmer than outside. The fireplace was burning, and green flames danced on the walls. The steam rising from the crucible filled the air with various smells, some pleasant and some pungent.
On the podium, Professor Slughorn held a cup of something deep purple, bubbling with fine bubbles.
He took a sip, swirled his tongue in his mouth, nodded in satisfaction, then placed the cup on the podium and clapped his hands.
Good morning, children!
Slughorn's tone was enthusiastic, and his presence was as strong as his round figure.
He was wearing a dark green vest with gold trim, the buttons fastened a little too tightly, the bottom one trembling slightly as he breathed.
He patted the podium; next to the crucible were several Potions ingredients.
"Today we're brewing Draught of Peace. The recipe is on the blackboard. You'll have one and a half hours. Let's begin."
The Wizards got busy.
Regulus took out the crucible and laid out the materials one by one on the table.
An hour and a half later, Slughorn began his inspection.
He paused in front of each crucible, bent down to examine the color, smell the odor, occasionally stirred it with his wand, and offered a few comments.
When he reached Regulus, he bent down and glanced at the finished product in the crucible.
It's pale blue, slightly transparent, with a thin layer of silvery mist on the surface. The scent is a light lavender fragrance that makes you want to doze off.
Slughorn smiled and said, "Excellent, Mr. Black, as always."
He stirred it with a glass rod from the side of the table, then held it up to look at it and smelled it.
A finished product at the level of a standard answer.
Slughorn straightened up, watching Regulus tidy up the table, and sighed inwardly.
This child's talent in Potions is quite strange.
His creations are always good, sometimes even better than good, but he has no passion for Potions themselves.
Slughorn has seen far too many talented students, but those who are both talented and passionate can be counted on one hand.
Lily Evans was one; that little witch had a sparkle in her eyes, and she practically glowed when she made Potions.
She asked many in-depth questions, digging deep to get to the bottom of things, as if she wanted to understand the nature of every material.
Severus Snape was another one; although the boy was gloomy and taciturn, he would become a completely different person in front of the cauldron.
He has nimble fingers, focused eyes, and can even modify formulas himself, explaining why he made those changes.
Where is Regulus?
He was talented enough, even excessively so, but he just couldn't muster any interest in Potions.
The products they produce are always up to standard, always excellent, but they are always just completing the task; they never do an extra step, and they never ask, "What if we used a different material?"
The child's mind was elsewhere.
Slughorn didn't deny that things like spells and Transfiguration were certainly interesting.
But Potions are what's truly worth investing in.
A bottle of Felix Felicis can help you seize the most crucial opportunity of your life; a dose of Polyjuice Potion can transform you into anyone; a pot of Skele-Gro can make shattered bones grow back.
The spell is gone once it's cast, but the effects of Potions can last for hours, days, years, or even a lifetime.
Moreover, Potions have a low barrier to entry but a high potential; an ordinary wizard can achieve what only exceptionally talented wizards can do with Potions.
This discipline has been underestimated, and always has been.
We need to find a way to get this child interested in Potions.
But how do you get a student who can use Potions but doesn't care about them to suddenly care?
Slughorn stroked his walrus beard, unable to think of anything for the moment.
He patted Regulus on the shoulder. "Mr. Black, if you're free during the Christmas holidays, you're welcome to join my little party. This year's guests include some very interesting wizards."
Regulus nodded politely. "Thank you, Professor. I'll think about it."
Slughorn walked away with a smile, then turned back after a couple of steps, winking. "Oh, by the way, you can take your Draught of Peace. I mean, maybe you want a good night's sleep."
Regulus nodded again and set the filled potion bottle aside.
Slughorn walked to the next student's cauldron, bent down to look at it, and his smile instantly vanished, replaced by a gentle but regretful expression. He began to explain to the student which step they had done wrong.
At noon, after lunch, I went back to my Dormitory.
The door closed, Regulus sat on the edge of the bed, glancing at Avery and Alex.
Hermes moved quickly and was already lying in bed with his eyes closed.
Regulus ignored him and asked directly, "Where is Lestrange?"
Alex, who was taking something out of his pocket, stopped when he heard this, turned around, and said, "That's about it."
He began to speak, his voice soft and delicate, yet clear and articulate.
"Snape has already given Lestrange the ingredient list. He'll pay for the ingredients himself. Snape quoted double the amount, saying he was afraid of making a mistake since it was his first time cooking, and Lestrange believed him."
At this point, Alex glanced at Regulus, then quickly looked away.
"Snape would brew a potion that looked like Veritaserum, and then find an opportunity to separate Lina or Samuel, pretending to Veritaserum— "