Forcing You to Choose

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Regulus lay in the darkness, the thick, dark green curtains surrounding the bed to create a closed space, isolating it from all light and sound.

(A reliable website to relieve boredom)

The only sounds were his own steady breathing and the soft ticking of the pocket Pocket Watch beside his pillow.

His eyes were open, his pupils slowly dilating in the darkness.

Abros Mulciber's last look kept replaying in my memory.

Warning, but why?

Hermes has fallen; the mission has stopped at the final step, and he's out of the game.

Abros appeared with the Family Potion, which means the treatment will be accelerated, Hermes may soon regain consciousness.

The person hiding in the shadows doesn't have much time left. They must complete their exploration before Hermes speaks, or silence Hermes forever.

But Abros chose to go along with the flimsy lie about the fourth-floor armor room.

The Astronomy Tower is located on the fourth floor of the West Wing Tower, on the east side, and it almost runs across the entire Castle.

Dragging an unconscious person this far couldn't have been for the simple purpose of providing medical treatment or ensuring Hermes was discovered in time.

It's just a way to distract oneself.

Abros knew about the Astronomy Tower, but chose to remain silent.

Abros knows who his accomplices are, but he won't say.

He would rather let his son lie in bed, allowing the murderer to continue moving freely, and perhaps even watch as the other party completes what Hermes did not finish and takes away the spoils behind the Stone Gate.

This doesn't make sense.

Unless taking the fruits of their labor is also beneficial to the Mulciber family.

Or at least, the cost of ruining this is greater than watching the results be taken away.

Regulus considered two possibilities.

The first plan is for Abros to wait until the other party gets the item, and then take it back outside the school.

There are far too many instances of betrayal and infighting within Pureblood families, with one family plotting against another.

What follows is the exchange of bargaining chips at the negotiating table, changes in the numbers at Gringotts, or the green light of a wand tip shining in a dark alley.

He couldn't do anything inside the Castle; the walls of Hogwarts were too high.

But once the items leave the school gates, reach the Knockturn Alley, the other party's home, or those corners where the law doesn't apply, it becomes much easier to get them back.

When we settle accounts then, we'll demand retribution for the injuries our son suffered and the disgrace our family has borne, with interest.

The second possibility is that Abros dares not expose them.

Because the people behind them are people the Mulciber family can't afford to offend.

That might not be a parallel conflict between families; perhaps there is a higher will pressing down from above.

Hermes' injury was the price to pay; continuing the mission was an order, and he could only obey, not resist.

A secret society that has already taken shape?

Someone in the Pure-blood Circle whose words carry more weight than the Patriarch?

Or simply --

He stopped.

These deductions are not complicated. If he could think of them, why couldn't Slughorn? Why couldn't Dumbledore see them?

Looking back now, I realize that every word Professor Slughorn said during his questioning in his office that day, and his instructions regarding the unusual situation, was pointed out to be significant.

As for Dumbledore, every unusual occurrence in the Castle would eventually come to his attention in some form.

But the principal did nothing.

Why?

Either Dumbledore believed the matter was still within the realm of student squabbles and not worth intervening in, or he was waiting.

Let the things behind the scenes surface on their own, let the cracks within the Pureblood families widen further, and let the roots that have grown in the shadows be exposed to the sunlight.

If it is indeed the latter, then what he is doing now is very likely going down the path that Dumbledore has tacitly approved.

On the morning of the fifth day, Avery was awakened by the rustling sound of Alex putting on his shoes.

He mumbled as he turned over, reaching for the pocket Pocket Watch the bedside table before even opening his eyes.

Regulus was already sitting at his desk. Outside the window, the Black Lake was gloomy, with occasional bioluminescent jellyfish swimming by, their green light shattering into fragments on the water.

Avery sat up and ran his fingers through his messy hair. "Going to the Hospital Wing again today?"

"I'm not going." Regulus turned to face them.

"Abros is here. Unless his accomplice is stupid, he won't go back. Besides, Hermes might wake up in the next two or three days. The enemy doesn't have much time left."

Avery's eyes lit up. "So he's going to make his move soon?"

"Perhaps," Regulus nodded.

Alex looked up at Regulus, his lips pressed into a thin line, wanting to speak but hesitating.

Regulus looked at him, waiting for him to speak.

"Actually... there's someone who goes to the Hospital Wing to see Hermes every day."

Regulus nodded, letting him continue.

"It seemed like a regular visit; they stood for a while and then left without saying a word."

Alex's voice was a little weak. "But after Mr. Mulciber came yesterday, that the Dark Lord never went back."

"Who?" Regulus asked.

Darren Macnair, fourth grade.

Avery straightened his robes and frowned. "The Macnair family? Don't they specialize in Dark Arts items and ancient artifacts?"

Regulus leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest.

The Macnair family.

Their family has been studying the creation and dispelling of Dark Arts artifacts for generations, and they are especially skilled at dealing with dangerous objects imbued with Ancient Magic.

Several shops in Knockturn Alley are supplied by Macnair's family. At least 30% of the cursed items in Borgin - Burke's shop with their exorbitant prices have been processed or authenticated by them.

Darren Macnair is the second son of this generation; his eldest son died a few years ago in an accident during a Dark Arts experiment.

However, this is the version published in the Daily Prophet; the version circulating privately within the Pure-bloods community is even bloodier.

In short, Darren is now effectively the eldest son, and family resources will be tilted towards him.

The Mulciber family is also known for their research in Dark Arts, though their focus differs, their core areas overlap.

It would be perfectly normal for the two institutions to collaborate off-campus, such as jointly exploring an ancient wizarding site or deciphering a laboratory left behind by a master of Dark Arts.

If they discover clues during their exploration that point to something hidden beneath the Hogwarts Astronomy Tower.

Therefore, it makes perfect sense for the family members at school to cooperate in carrying out this plan.

In Pureblood families, it's commonplace for one side to betray the other and try to monopolize the spoils of cooperation until the very last moment.

Regulus looked at Alex: "This discovery is very important."

"Well done," Regulus added.

Alex's shoulders relaxed slightly. His lips moved, but he didn't speak. However, a faint yet obvious light flashed in his eyes.

Avery was pacing excitedly back and forth in front of the sofa, clenching and unclenching his fists. "I knew it! It must have been them!"

The Macnair family, they're always so gloomy, messing around with all those broken boxes and junk jars—"

"This is just speculation," Regulus interrupted him. "There's no evidence."

"What other evidence do you need?" Avery turned around, his eyes wide. "He's avoiding Abros, isn't that a sign of guilt?"

"There are many reasons for feeling guilty." Regulus's tone remained unchanged. "Maybe he just doesn't want to get into trouble, or maybe he has nothing to do with this at all and just happened to miss yesterday."

We need conclusive evidence, not guesswork.

Avery opened his mouth, but in the end, he silently sat back down on the bed.

Alex spoke up then, his voice even weaker. "Then... shouldn't we tell the professor?"

Avery immediately turned to look at him. "Tell the professor? And then what? Have the professor arrest Macnair, question him a few times, and put him in solitary confinement for a few days?"

What about what's behind that Stone Gate? Don't you want to know what's inside?

Alex's face paled, his fingers twisted together again, and after a few seconds of silence, he whispered, "I... don't want to know."

He was telling the truth, Regulus could see it; there was genuine fear in his eyes—fear of the unknown, of danger, of anything that might shatter their peaceful lives.

But after Alex finished speaking, he looked at Regulus, as if awaiting a verdict.

Regulus neither nodded nor shook his head. He stood up, the hem of his robe hanging down, the fabric rustling softly as it rubbed together.

Regulus went to the window, his back to the two men, and looked at his reflection. "Avery is right, tell the professor this is the end of it."

He turned around again, his gaze landing on Alex's face.

"Of course, you can choose to withdraw, attend classes as usual, eat meals, do your homework, and act as if nothing happened. What happens afterward is none of your business."

Alex froze.

His lips trembled, his eyes darted between Regulus and Avery, before finally settling back on his fingers.

After a long while, long enough that Avery was about to lose his patience and speak, Alex looked up.

"I... I'll go with you."

The voice was very soft and trembling.

Regulus nodded, without saying anything more.

The exciting chapter <Chapter 97 Forcing You to Make a Choice> is now available online. Click to read it now!