Taking out insurance
"But he won't actually drink it," Alex continued, speaking a little slower than before. "Hermes will appear at that time, stop Snape, and take him away."
Regulus noticed that Alex was observing his reaction.
He said he'd make Costa and Vance suffer a little, and Alex heard that, but knowing his personality, he probably wondered what that "a little" meant.
In his current plan, neither of them will suffer any losses. Snape will catch one of them, pretend to force-feed him drugs, Hermes will appear in time to keep the whole process under control.
Alex was worried that the arrangement was too mild and he would feel it wasn't enough.
Regulus looked at him, said nothing, and after a moment nodded. "Well arranged."
Alex shrugged slightly, exhaled noticeably, then realized what he'd done and smiled, as if embarrassed.
"Hermes," Alex called out, turning his head.
Hermes lay on the bed, breathing evenly, his hand resting on his stomach, unresponsive.
Alex called out again, "Hermes."
Hermes ' eyelids twitched, he opened them, turned his head, and his gaze fell on Alex's face.
He took about a second to assess the situation, then sat up, put on a serious listening expression, and nodded.
Avery, standing nearby, couldn't help but grin and burst out laughing.
Alex suppressed a laugh, turned his head away, and pretended not to see.
Regulus glanced at Hermes but ignored him.
Alex arranged for Hermes to take the lead, probably to give him a sense of involvement.
It doesn't really matter who goes; Alex himself or Avery takes the shot, the effect is about the same.
If Rababstan and Snape were discovered giving a young wizard Veritaserum, they would be lucky to escape, let alone destroy the evidence. They wouldn't have time to stand there exchanging spells.
The only advantage of Hermes's presence is his intimidating power; the moment he stands there, Black energy emanates from him, Rababstan would likely run even faster upon seeing him.
"And then it's my turn," Avery said, leaning closer, his voice brimming with excitement.
He rubbed his hands together. "I'll handle the acting part."
He began to recount what had happened a few days prior.
It all started with his pretentious warning to Snape in the Common Room, how he put on airs, how he lowered his voice, and how he waved Snape away like a fly.
"You didn't see Snape's face." Avery's expression was very vivid, his eyebrows raised, the corner of his mouth pulled to one side, and his hand gesturing in the air.
"My aura at the time--"
He cleared his throat, lowered his voice, and mimicked his own tone from back then. "Those two are Black's men, mind your own business."
After he finished learning, he nodded to himself in satisfaction. "How was that?"
Alex couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Regulus looked at Avery, who was lost in his own world, shook his head, and said nothing.
Avery continued, "When Snape stopped them, Costa retorted, 'Who are you asking for?' 'Come find out for yourself!'"
He slapped his thigh. "I was hiding at the other end of the Corridor watching, and I almost applauded her."
Alex added, "Samuel works too. He just said, 'You're in the way,' Snape moved aside."
Avery nodded. "Yes, those two acted quite well. If I hadn't known beforehand, I would have really thought they had a grudge against Snape."
Regulus listened to them talk, leaning back against the headboard.
The plan itself was sound; each step was meticulously planned, from the initial act to the fabrication of materials to the final takedown.
Alex took the lead in this matter.
From arranging the partnership between Costa and Vance to designing the transition between Snape and Lestrange, and finally bringing Hermes in to finish the show, the strategy was clear and the pacing was steady.
He was soft-hearted and concerned for Costa and Vance, not wanting them to get really hurt, so he changed the plan to a controlled version.
That's good. Things that needed to be arranged have been arranged, and people that needed to be protected have been protected. They both set a trap for Lestrange and took care of their own people.
Alex's strengths lie in his ability to win people over, his meticulousness, and his steady approach to tasks.
It wasn't a big deal, but it was well arranged.
Avery was in charge of the job: acting in the Common Room, keeping watch in the Corridor, and passing messages. These tasks didn't require him to use his brain; he just had to talk.
But he was very enthusiastic about his work, and even seemed to enjoy it, as you could tell from his earlier account.
Regulus glanced at Avery, then at Alex: "You both did a good job."
Avery grinned.
Alex nodded, a hint of relief in his expression.
Then Regulus looked at Hermes.
Hermes leaned against the headboard, about to close his eyes again, when he felt a gaze sweep over him. He opened them briefly, glanced at Regulus, and then tried to close them again.
Regulus looked away and didn't call out to him.
He was thinking about something else.
The groundwork and the act beforehand don't matter; they're for Rababstan's benefit. Whether the performance is good or bad, or what they've fooled, there are no consequences even if these things are exposed.
But the final step is different in nature.
Hermes was a member of the Mulciber family.
He acted on behalf of Regulus against Rababstan, Rababstan was a member of the Lestrange family.
At the junior wizard level, this is just a second-year student fighting a third-year student; if things escalate, it would just mean detention and point deductions.
At the family level, however, the Mulciber family fought against the Lestrange family, and the Mulciber family sided with the Black family.
This line of reasoning points to Black versus Lestrange.
Hermes himself probably didn't think about these things.
His mind was only concerned with two things: Magic and fighting.
He'll fight whoever he's told to, regardless of their family or power; those things probably don't even exist in his mind.
He didn't care about hitting people, and he didn't care who he hit, but Regulus had to think about it for him.
Avery was from the Cuthbert family, Alex was from a branch of the Roxier family, Hermes was from the Mulciber family.
They followed him; the adults in their family placed the children beside him because they believed in the direction the Black family was heading and were willing to follow.
But following along is one thing; being implicated is another.
He couldn't let them get dragged into the conflict between Black and Lestrange without knowing why.
Things that need to be made clear must be made clear.
Regardless of their own thoughts, regardless of whether Hermes felt indifferent, and regardless of whether Avery thought it was best to just go for it.
He needs to explain this to them.
They can attack Rababstan, but they need to understand what that action means, who it affects, and what the potential consequences might be.
If you understand and are still willing to play, then it counts.
Ultimately, the real audience for these actions and interventions is the adults behind them.
What would the Mulciber family think if they saw their children clashing with the Heir of the Black family and the Lestrange family?
What would the Cuthbert family think if they saw their heirs standing up for the Black family in the Common Room?
What will the Roxier family think when they see their children from one branch of the family clearly taking sides between Black and Lestrange?
These reactions are the true outcome of this matter.
Regulus decided to find a time to explain these things to the three of them.
At 10 p. m., the door to the Room of Requirement closed.
Regulus came out of the Training Ground, Hermes was still training inside, and Avery and Alex had already returned to their Dormitory.
Instead of heading towards the Basement, he turned a corner, went up the stairs, and headed towards the upper floors of the Castle.
The Corridor was almost deserted, and the torches burned low, casting a dim glow.
He was thinking about his vacation.
A conflict with Bellatrix is inevitable.
At the Lestrange family's Christmas Banquet, almost all the key figures from Voldemort's Pure-blood Circle would be present.
Bellatrix wanted to meet him in person at Grimmauld Place after the dinner, but he didn't intend to let her set a time.
As the dinner was drawing to a close, Narcissa and Lucius were asked to stay behind, along with Orion and Walburga, to discuss matters there.
The key figures from Black family and Lestrange family were present, Narcissa was involved on both sides, Lucius represented the Malfoy family, and with Orion and Walburga also present, this lineup was sufficient.
His conflict with Bellatrix was confined to the family.
He could roughly guess how Bellatrix would react.
She might get angry, question things, and might even pull out her wand, but she wouldn't actually do it in that situation.
There were too many people present. With Orion there, she wouldn't Spellcasting on the Heir of the Black family patriarch of the Black family.
She can be crazy, but her madness has a bottom line, and that bottom line is Voldemort.
Voldemort wouldn't want Bellatrix to have a falling out with the Black family at the Christmas Banquet.
None of that matters; if Regulus wants the conflict to escalate, then the conflict can escalate.
But this raises another question.
Will Voldemort intervene directly?
Regulus thought it was highly unlikely.
From Voldemort's perspective, the conflict between him and Bellatrix was utterly insignificant.
Voldemort didn't need to personally intervene in the internal family conflicts between a twelve-year-old wizard and a core member of the Death Eaters.
He had more important things to do: expand his influence, infiltrate the Ministry of Magic, and win over more Pureblood families.
The fact that the Heir of the Black family sheltered two Half-bloods was something he probably wouldn't even report on.
But who knows what's wrong with his brain right now?
Voldemort was a man who was frighteningly shrewd in some things and incomprehensibly obsessive in others.
He might not care about it at all, or he might suddenly start to care because of something that touches him from a certain angle.
What if he cares?
What if he suspects there's something wrong with the Heir of the Black family and needs to see for himself?
What if he shows up at the Christmas Banquet?
Regulus considered this possibility carefully.
If Voldemort's interactions were merely normal—meetings, conversations, and observations—he could handle it.
If Voldemort's interactions were merely normal—meetings, conversations, and observations—he could handle it.
The three-layered barrier of the Legilimency, combined with the Mental Fortress built by Star Orbit Meditation, is sufficient to block conventional Legilimency.
His core consciousness was enveloped by the Orion Five Stars- a-half-star model, with the outer layer being the protection of Legilimency, the middle layer being Mental Anchor, and the innermost layer being his soul itself.
If Voldemort had merely made a tentative sweep, he would have encountered a young wizard with extremely strong mental defenses, who might have found it amusing but wouldn't have suspected anything.
The heirs of Pureblood families possess exceptional mental defenses, which Voldemort would consider normal.
But what if Voldemort wanted to go deeper?
What if he directly uses forced Legilimency, or even worse, physically assaults the person?
That's a different matter.
With his current strength, if he were to face Voldemort head-on, he probably wouldn't last even a single exchange.
Fiendfyre, Severing Charm, Space Magic, and Light Magic —these things are probably nothing more than a warm-up for Voldemort.
Space Magic was his most reliable means of escape, but he wasn't confident against Voldemort.
Therefore, he needs insurance, a means to ensure his successful escape even in the most extreme circumstances.
Nicolas Flamel's Metal Ball counts as one, but one isn't enough.
Regulus climbed the last flight of stairs, turned a corner, and at the end of the Corridor stood a stone sculpture.
He stood in front of the Gargoyle on the stairs and raised his head.
The Gargoyle crouched on its base, its wings tucked behind its back, its mouth closed, and its two stone eyes gleaming faintly in the dim light.
Behind it is the entrance to the Headmaster's Office.