A Little Bird

Crouch's brow furrowed as he stared at Regulus: "I'm asking if you'll cooperate with the investigation!"

Moody tightened his grip on his wand, lifting the tip off the bridge. He took a half-step outward with his left foot, his eyes growing increasingly wary as he looked at Regulus.

The ultimatum has already been laid out, and the other party is still asking this question. There's no need for further argument or explanation; the next step will most likely be to let them see for themselves.

Regulus glanced at him, unconcerned, and stepped forward from between his parents.

Orion remained where he was, Walburga's gaze followed his son before settling on Crouch's face.

The black-robed group behind the two stood silently, while the twenty or thirty Auror opposite them held wands, their gazes following Regulus's steps, their wand tips also tilting towards him.

Regulus glanced at the Wizards behind Crouch's shoulder.

Everyone gathered, and they didn't even get to eat lunch, but what they saw today was worthwhile; they'll have plenty to talk about for a long time when they get back.

Crouch still wanted Black to give him an explanation for his investigation, so he gave him one.

His gaze shifted to the professors. McGonagall stood in front, Aksha next to her. All four heads of the department were present, but Dumbledore was missing.

Slughorn had already informed the old man that there was enough time; with Dumbledore's abilities, if he really wanted to come back, he wouldn't need to...

We've waited until now.

They're probably planning to take another look.

The deeper the conflict between Black and the Ministry of Magic escalates, the more likely the existing situation in the UK Wizarding World will change, but Voldemort would probably prefer a complete break.

How does the Ministry of Magic treat the Ancient Families? What will those Pure-bloods who are still waiting to see what happens be their fate?

Dumbledore had simply allowed things to happen without considering the changing circumstances, the price he would have paid would have been too high.

Besides, this is a school. The old man wouldn't wait for the Auror and Black to kill a few people and then steer the situation in a way that would benefit the Order of the Phoenix.

During their conversation after returning from France, Dumbledore asked about his decision and reminded him that hesitation could cost those around him.

Before leaving, he told him that if he couldn't sleep after finishing his work, he should go sit with him for a while.

Regulus was willing to believe the old man, but he also knew that after nearly a century of life, experiencing war, and standing in his current position, Dumbledore would certainly have his own calculations and would hope that the situation would develop in a certain direction.

But the old man also knew to leave others a choice. The current conflict was still under control, so he wasn't in a hurry to clean up the mess for everyone.

The old man knew his strength, his thoughts, and his restraint; leaving the matter to him probably had that other meaning as well.

Perhaps.

Regulus looked away, a slight chuckle escaping his lips.

Since the old man is willing to sit still, let him do as he pleases. But when things get lively later, let's hope he doesn't complain that he's making too much of a fuss.

He raised his hand, palm up.

Dumbledore's words, spoken while holding his teacup, surfaced in his memory. "The Guardian Will should not be the chain of Fiendfyre; it is its Fiendfyre nature."

Previously, he would first suppress the Fiendfyre and then make it act according to his plan. After the Guardian Will joined in, the flames became more obedient, so he continued to use the suppression method.

Now, when you feel that destructive impulse again, what it wants to burn and what it wants to hold onto can be traced back to the same thing.

A ball of orange-red flame shot up in his palm, its edges elongating and transforming into the shape of a ferocious beast.

The beast's head opened its mouth, flames protruding from between its teeth, and a curved back arched up beside it, with several small, ferocious beasts jostling each other and lunging out of the palm.

The flames stopped on the palm, the beast's head reached the edge and then turned back, its long tail coiling into the flames, then flipping up from the other side.

Regulus let it change, the urge to devour things came again and again, but he always kept it firmly under control.

The air above his palm distorted, and a wisp of mist that had drifted along the stone railing dispersed, carrying heat in the wind as it touched the faces of several nearby Auror.

Crouch recognized the flames, his expression changed drastically, and he shouted sharply, "Black!"

The Auror he brought were all elites, and almost all of them recognized what the thing was.

Fiendfyre, or Fiendfyre that is about to spiral out of control.

A look of horror flashed across their faces simultaneously, followed by clenching their teeth and adopting a state of vigilance and alertness.

One by one, the wands were raised, pointing at Regulus, their tips glowing with various colors—red, white, green, and blue—all coalescing together.

Twenty or thirty streams of Magic Power surged up simultaneously, converging into a force that pressed forward, scattering the wind that swept across the bridge and distorting the floating mist.

Black remained silent; no one moved, and their wands were all tucked into their sleeves.

Orion looked at the Fiendfyre in Regulus's palm with satisfaction in his eyes.

He knew the extent to which the boy had Fiendfyre, and he also knew he wouldn't burn Crouch and all the Auror in public like this.

Regulus needs to do is demonstrate a power beyond what is expected.

Walburga watched Regulus's retreating figure, a flash of pride crossed his eyes, followed by a hint of contemplation.

If the son really burned all the Auror along with Crouch in front of everyone, then things would have to move on immediately.

There were too many witnesses; it was impossible to hide them. Hundreds of mouths would go home and tell everyone, and by tomorrow morning, even the wizards in UK would know.

She recalled the conversations of several ladies at gatherings, where Crouch occupied a seat, some praising his competence, some clearly dissatisfied, and others mentioning their own husbands with a hint of resentment in their voices.

If it really comes to that, all of these things will come in handy, and the position of Department of Magical Law Enforcement isn't unchangeable.

The person who takes over may not be willing to speak well of Black, but they will certainly be willing to talk about Crouch's recklessness. The predecessor was foolish enough to highlight the brilliance of the current one.

It will be complicated, but it can be done.

Walburga smoothed his brow and looked back at his son.

Moody shifted half a step to the side, his wand aimed at Regulus, his rough voice pressing down on those behind him. "Hold your positions and await orders."

The Fiendfyre had already been unleashed, and Black was still controlling it. If they unleashed a barrage of spells at that moment and someone fell to the ground, they would then have to face the onslaught of the Fiendfyre.

Flitwick at the bridgehead raised his wand, Sprout reached out to stop the little wizards pushing forward, and McGonagall stared at Regulus's palm, her right hand still in front of her, her face serious.

Slughorn's face tightened instantly. He glanced at McGonagall out of the corner of his eye, saw nothing else, and breathed a slight sigh of relief before looking back at the bridge.

Regulus knew he could tame Fiendfyre, so there was no need to worry about it getting out of control. But if the boy really intended to burn people, it would be better to burn them all to death than to burn one or two.

He probably won't do that, but after today, the situation in the UK Wizarding World may change, for better or for worse, the Black family will be different from before.

Aksha immediately stood up straight, her brown eyes brightening, and stepped toward the bridge, her arm immediately grabbed by McGonagall.

She turned around, her voice a little hurried, her gaze still darting forward. "Let me go take a look."

McGonagall shook her head firmly, gripping her hand even tighter.

Aksha had no choice but to stop, turn to the side, and stare intently at the beast heads that kept emerging from Regulus's palm, a pleased smile spreading across her face.

Blue appeared in Regulus's eyes, and his Guardian Will entered the orange-red flames.

The old man's last words flashed through my mind. "When your relationship is no longer one of confrontation, all Fiendfyre needs is a target."

He followed the urge of the Fiendfyre to devour everything in its path, merging his will into it. The beast heads that had been biting each other gradually turned toward the same spot, their pressing against each other receded, and the flames that were protruding outwards slowed down.

The blue color spreads upwards from the bottom, flowing along the beast's neck and across its open mouth, before fading away to orange-red.

Regulus slightly raised his hand, and several tiny bodies huddled together in response, extending their beaks and spreading their wings.

A small blue bird perched on my palm. Its feathers were made of overlapping fine flames with gently undulating edges. Its tail feathers trailed a few wisps of fluorescent blue flame. Its eyes were two dark Fire Core, with the surrounding blue flames receding and blinking.

It hopped on his palm, its wings opening and closing, its little claws scratching his hand, and then it chirped.

Clear, crisp, and short—just that one sound, carried by the wind across the bridge to both ends.

Regulus looked down at it, a smile flashing in his eyes.

The power that used to be drawn back by him every time it was devoured was now resting in his palm, following his will.

It lifted its foot, and he didn't need to loosen his claws separately. It turned around, and its wings and tail feathers naturally followed the movement. He slightly relaxed his senses, and even the tiny flames at the tips of its feathers could unfold accordingly.

The flames and Magic Power extended outwards, becoming a power he could directly control; where they burned was entirely up to him.

Aksha stared at the little blue bird, then suddenly laughed, raising her other hand as well, a ball of pure black fire erupting from her palm.

flame.

Black flames swirled, the beast's neck stretched out, its open mouth protruded outwards, and several wisps of curved flame rose from its palm.

She looked at Regulus, her wrist about to move forward, when the hand gripping her arm tightened suddenly.

McGonagall pursed her lips, her brows furrowed, her gaze stern. A surge of Magic Power seeped from her hand, pressing down on the beast head that had just emerged from Aksha's palm. The black flames recoiled and abruptly extinguished.

Aksha looked down at her empty palm, then turned to look at McGonagall, her big eyes wide open.

McGonagall was still staring at her, so she turned her palm over to show her old friend, looking completely innocent.

Moody's attention remained fixed on Regulus. The changes in Fiendfyre were right before his eyes, and the aura of destruction had once swept over him, but now the little thing seemed gentle.

It folded its wings, tilted its head to look at him, its tail feathers swaying gently, and even its call was melodious. If he only saw its appearance at this moment, he would find it hard to recognize it as Fiendfyre.

Moody raised his wand, his gaze sharpening. The sharper the gaze, the more intently he needed to keep an eye on Moody.

He had witnessed its origins firsthand, and he had also seen the Fiendfyre turn blue. Now that the oppressive, deadly threat had faded, he had even less basis to judge when the attack would arrive.

The raging Fiendfyre would at least expand, devouring everything in its path, but this bird was unsettlingly calm.

The Auror behind him also pointed their wands at Regulus, but no one dared to move. Everyone had seen the scene, everyone had seen Fiendfyre change, and everyone knew that it was Fiendfyre.

Crouch's face was extremely grim, his eyes fixed on Regulus, his wand in his hand but unable to be raised, and he hesitated to utter the command to attack.

Regulus looked at him first, his eyes filled with blue light, his pupils hidden within.

Crouch could sense that the other person was looking at him, but he could hardly discern any emotion in their gaze, only indifference.

Regulus glanced at Moody, tilted his head, and looked at him again. The blue light faded, and his gray eyes reappeared.

Ignoring his guarded state, he glanced again at the professor and young Wizards at the bridgehead, then looked away, raised his wrist, and flicked it upwards.

The bluebird leaped from my palm, spread its wings, and flew straight up into the sky.

Crouch's chin slowly rose, and the tips of the staffs of the Auror around him moved with it, then stopped halfway.

The students at the bridgehead looked up one after another. The little wizard in the back row, who couldn't see clearly what was happening, finally spotted the blue bird and quickly grabbed his friend's sleeve, pointing it towards the sky.

The bluebird flew to a height of one or two hundred meters. In the gray-white sunlight, the bird's body was only a tiny dot, but the blue color was still very clear.

It passed through a wisp of mist, spread its wings, and briefly hovered above the crowd.

Regulus lowered his hand naturally and looked up at it.

The bird's wings suddenly lengthened, and its body exploded, spreading blue flames in all directions. As soon as the front edge rose, waves of flame surged up from behind, passing over it one after another, and in the blink of an eye, covering the entire sky above the stone bridge.

The gray-white gaps in the clouds vanished instantly, the sunlight was burned away, and the clouds above were also dispersed by heat Radiation, so the sunlight that leaked through was immediately covered by blue.

The Front Courtyard was brightly lit, and the entire Castle was bathed in blue light. The firelight streamed down the stone railings and onto the damp bridge surface.

Everyone tilted their heads back, their gazes following the expanding blue flames until even the distant sky was obscured.

Aksha's smile froze for a moment.

Her gaze followed the surging waves of fire high above, her eyes widening as her breathing quickened, and a smile quickly spread across her face.

She tilted her head back, staring intently at the raging inferno above her, and let out a short laugh.