Recaps

During Astronomy class, Regulus observed Orion’s Belt and realized that the stars’ subtle movement might be incorporated into his meditation. That night, he synchronized his magic circulation with a dynamic stellar model, creating Star-track Guidance Meditation and strengthening his body, mind, and Magic Power together.

• Professor Sinistra taught the students to locate Sirius, and Regulus explained to Alex Roxier how Astronomy related to advanced magic.
• Regulus observed faint streams of Magic Power connecting the stars of Orion’s Belt and calculated their positions and movement.
• After class, Regulus decided to incorporate the stars’ motion into his meditation.
• That night, Regulus synchronized his Magic Power cycle with his mental model of Orion’s Belt, improving his physical strength, concentration, and control of Magic Power.
• Regulus named the integrated practice Star-track Guidance Meditation and established a new foundation for his training.

Slytherin’s first-years took part in the traditional welcoming duels, where Regulus stood out as calm and capable while Hermes requested to face him. After the other matches ended, Regulus and Hermes were the last two left to duel.

• Narcissa ordered all Slytherins to return to the Common Room for the welcoming program, and Lucretius explained that first-years would duel in pairs.
• The first-years gathered around Regulus, whom many regarded as a reliable ally, while the older students placed bets on the duels.
• Hermes asked to duel Regulus, and Regulus agreed to face him after the other matches.
• Alex lost his match after stumbling, while Avery defeated a half-blood girl with a Slowing Charm and a Disarming Charm.
• The first-years completed their matches until only Regulus and Hermes remained standing in the center of the Common Room.

Regulus Black defeated Hermes Mulciber in a duel after calmly blocking his spells, including an incomplete Dark Arts curse, and disarming him. Lucretius named Regulus the Head of New Students, while the other first-years backed down.

• Regulus deflected Hermes’s attacks without leaving his spot, while Hermes grew frustrated by the effortless defense.
• Hermes cast the Dark Arts spell Blood Boil, but Regulus stopped it with a silver barrier and disarmed him with Expelliarmus.
• Regulus returned Hermes’s wand and criticized the instability of his spell, telling him to commit if he intended to kill.
• Alex Rosier lowered his head, Avery Cuthbert recognized the gap between himself and Regulus, and Hermes retreated into the crowd.
• Lucretius asked whether anyone else wished to challenge Regulus or Hermes, but the new students declined.
• Lucretius declared Regulus Black the Head of New Students.

Narcissa gives Regulus a letter from Bellatrix warning that Voldemort has noticed him and expects him to prove his loyalty. After realizing the threat is closer than he thought, Regulus faces a fresh provocation from Alger Travers in the Slytherin common room.

• Narcissa tells Regulus that Voldemort’s influence is spreading through the Ministry, the Wizengamot, Hogwarts, and Pure-blood families, then gives him Bellatrix’s sealed letter.
• Regulus reads Bellatrix’s demand that he grow stronger and serve Voldemort, along with her warning that the Dark Lord is already interested in him.
• Regulus recognizes that Voldemort may soon test him and realizes he has less time to prepare than he expected.
• Alger Travers taunts Regulus in the common room, questioning his position as Slytherin Chief and provoking him in front of the other students.

Regulus exposed Travers’s attempt to provoke him, then decisively defeated and humiliated the fifth-year in a duel. He left the Slytherin common room as the students looked on in shock, while his deeper unease remained.

• Regulus called out Travers’s plan to make him attack first and challenged him to draw his wand.
• Travers attacked with a Stunning Spell and a fire serpent, but Regulus blocked and extinguished both spells.
• Regulus chained curses that sent Travers flying into mud, then transformed an armchair into a serpent that bound and dragged him around the common room.
• Regulus released the gasping Travers and walked toward the dormitory, leaving the assembled students stunned.
• Hermes silently slipped back into the shadows as Regulus’s reputation among the Slytherins began to change.

Regulus successfully added Betelgeuse to his Star-track Guidance Meditation, forming a preliminary Four-Star Dynamic Model, then saw his standing rise after defeating Alger Travers. The chapter leaves him on his way to Professor Slughorn’s office.

• Regulus spent nearly two hours integrating Betelgeuse with Orion’s Belt and established a preliminary Four-Star Dynamic Model.
• Regulus recognized that expanding the model would demand increasing effort and that solidifying its perpetual motion remained a major challenge.
• News of Regulus defeating fifth-year Alger Travers spread through Slytherin and the pure-blood circle, prompting students to reassess him.
• Slytherin students wrote home about Regulus’s power, and a seventh-year student told him Professor Slughorn wanted to see him.
• Regulus headed to the Underground Classroom to visit Professor Slughorn’s office.

Regulus gained Slughorn's help exploring potion-based rune materials and received sharply different letters from his parents about his future. At Gryffindor, James planned to confront Regulus, while Sirius's unease and curiosity kept him from stopping the plan.

• Slughorn praised Regulus and offered his connections, then agreed to research safe potion carriers for runes with him.
• Regulus received Walburga's fervent letter urging him to serve Voldemort's cause and Orion's cautious letter granting access to more library shelves.
• Sirius worried that Regulus's growing reputation would draw The Dark Lord's attention and pull him toward the Death Eaters.
• James told Sirius that he, Remus, and Peter would ambush Regulus, and Sirius ultimately let the plan stand.

Regulus Black defeated James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew after they blocked his way, then warned James not to provoke him again. Regulus left for the Library with Lily Evans, while James resolved to regain his dignity with a better plan.

• Regulus sensed that Remus Lupin was a Werewolf but decided not to reveal his secret.
• James Potter attacked Regulus with two spells, but Regulus blocked them and quickly disarmed James, petrified Lupin, and bound Peter Pettigrew.
• Regulus warned James that another provocation would be his last, then invited Lily Evans to the Library and left with her.
• Remus helped James up, and James decided he would need a more thorough plan or a better opportunity before confronting Regulus again.

In the Library, Regulus explained his approach to dueling and discussed the rise of pure-blood supremacy with Lily, who questioned whether he supported it. He later studied advanced potion-carrier and rune research, and considered whether Lily might assist him without revealing his true purpose.

• Lily asked Regulus how he made ordinary spells so effective, and he described understanding, practice, physical ability, and awareness as the foundations of dueling.
• Regulus told Lily that pure-blood inheritance could offer early access to knowledge, but personal effort mattered more than blood status alone.
• Lily asked about the strange atmosphere at Hogwarts, and Regulus explained that a powerful pure-blood supremacist was gaining support among Ancient Families.
• Regulus acknowledged that his Black bloodline granted him advantages, but criticized the use of ancestry to justify rule and preserve existing interests.
• Regulus returned to research on potion carriers, Magic Power matrices, and rune media, while Lily asked what he was studying.
• Regulus considered Lily as a possible assistant but kept his real purpose secret.

Regulus recruited Lily as a collaborator on topical potion research, then perfected an improved Disillusionment Charm to enter the Forbidden Section undetected. There, he read A Brief History of Soul Magic and learned about Horcruxes, soul damage, and the importance of soul stability.

• Lily eagerly agreed to help Regulus research topical potions, and promised to keep his confidences.
• Regulus practiced the Disillusionment Charm and developed an improved version that also concealed his heat and magical presence.
• Regulus used the charm to evade portraits and Filch and enter the Forbidden Section.
• Regulus read A Brief History of Soul Magic through Magic Perception without removing it from its shelf.
• Regulus learned that Horcruxes split and corrupt the soul, and concluded that soul stability might help someone withstand the Dark Arts.

After making rapid progress through Star-track Guidance Meditation, Regulus strengthened his ties with Avery Cuthbert by laying out expectations for their relationship and advising him to value useful allies. He also assessed Hermes Mulciber as a potentially useful but dangerous associate, while Avery began reconsidering his contempt for Alex Rosier.

• Regulus woke refreshed after Star-track Guidance Meditation and reflected that his early rapid growth would eventually slow.
• Avery told Regulus that his father wanted him to maintain a good relationship with the Black heir because of Regulus's strength and the changing Ministry atmosphere.
• Regulus agreed to be companions with Avery, but urged him to build pride through personal strength, think ahead, and observe basic limits.
• Avery raised concerns about Hermes Mulciber's nighttime absences and strange behavior, and Regulus advised respecting his privacy while keeping a watchful distance.
• Avery disparaged Alex Rosier, so Regulus pointed out Alex's strengths and family connections, prompting Avery to reconsider the value of keeping him close.

Regulus asked Professor McGonagall whether Graphite and Diamond could be transformed into one another despite their radically different structures. After discussing the challenge, McGonagall demonstrated her mastery by effortlessly turning Graphite into a Diamond.

• Regulus transformed a beetle into a perfect black button in Transfiguration class and earned five points for Slytherin.
• Professor McGonagall praised Regulus's talent and invited him to bring her carefully considered questions grounded in his studies.
• Regulus visited McGonagall's office and asked how Transfiguration could change Graphite into Diamond or Diamond into Graphite.
• McGonagall explained that Diamond's dense, orderly structure differed from Graphite's loose, layered arrangement, then praised Regulus's insight about rewriting a substance's internal structure.
• McGonagall used her wand to transform Regulus's Graphite into a clear crystal and then polished it into a small Diamond.

Professor McGonagall gave Regulus her old notebook on advanced Transfiguration, then warned Dumbledore about his unusual talent, secret practice, and careful influence over others. Dumbledore agreed to keep observing Regulus as the wizarding world faced Voldemort’s growing shadow.

• Professor McGonagall explained the limits of Transfiguration and the Philosopher’s Stone, and Regulus gained new insight into the subject.
• Professor McGonagall gave Regulus her notebook of reflections on advanced Transfiguration and urged him to guide his will with wisdom and morality.
• After Regulus left, Professor McGonagall went to Dumbledore and described his exceptional ability, secluded magical practice, friendship with Lily Evans, and influence over Avery Cuthbert.
• Dumbledore said he had been watching Regulus since the Sorting Hat reported that the boy had chosen Slytherin while gazing toward the Starry sky.
• Dumbledore told Professor McGonagall to teach and observe Regulus, intervening if necessary to keep him and others safe.

Regulus studied McGonagall’s insights on Transfiguration and practiced changing Graphite’s molecular structure, while considering how precise transformations of substances in the air could harm people. His roommates quietly adjusted to the changed Dormitory atmosphere, but Hermes returned still confident that his family’s Dark Arts could give him a chance to kill Regulus.

• Regulus read McGonagall’s notes and concluded that transforming one pure substance into another was harder than changing complex compounds because it required restructuring matter at a microscopic level.
• Regulus practiced altering Graphite’s internal structure and reasoned that Transfiguration’s limits might be extended by understanding matter’s principles and essence.
• Regulus considered transforming Oxygen in the air into Ozone or other substances, imagining ways precise elemental changes could affect a person’s breathing.
• Avery Cuthbert and Alex Rosier returned to the Dormitory and stayed quiet while Regulus practiced, and Alex felt the atmosphere among the roommates had become less oppressive.
• Hermes Mulciber returned and privately recalled several family Dark Arts, believing they could help him kill Regulus in an unrestricted fight.

Regulus demonstrated the deadly potential of Transfiguration by making the air around Hermes unbreathable, then released him and returned to his experiments. He concluded that manipulating substances in the environment offered a promising avenue for further attacks.

• Hermes mocked Regulus's Transfiguration practice as impractical, and Regulus challenged his narrow view of power.
• Regulus used Non-directional Transfiguration to make the surrounding gases unbreathable, leaving Hermes unable to breathe or cast a spell.
• After Hermes began to lose consciousness, Regulus withdrew his Magic Power and let him gasp for air.
• Regulus asked Hermes what he thought of Transfiguration, while Hermes and the other roommates reconsidered Regulus's power.
• Regulus returned to his desk and considered how he could take his experiments with environmental substances further.

Regulus began developing Legilimency and other passive defenses to prepare for Voldemort, while continuing to imagine more advanced uses of Transfiguration. The chapter ended with him witnessing James Potter and Sirius Black torment Severus Snape in a corridor.

• Regulus imagined using Transfiguration to synthesize cyanide, while recognizing that the required atomic-level control remained far beyond his abilities.
• After Hermes’s confidence collapsed, Regulus decided to prioritize Legilimency and passive defenses against Voldemort.
• Regulus sneaked into the Forbidden Section and studied books on mental defense, protective magic, and other advanced subjects.
• Regulus began practicing Legilimency, experimenting with mind barriers and partitions, and training himself to maintain a Constant Shield Charm and sense danger.
• Regulus found James Potter, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, and Remus Lupin surrounding a soaked and taunted Severus Snape, and watched without intervening.

Regulus intervened when Sirius, James, Lupin, and Peter were tormenting Snape, then urged Sirius to prepare for a more dangerous future. He offered Snape access to restricted knowledge in exchange for help with potions and obscure magic, leaving Snape unsure whether to trust him but tempted by the opportunity.

• Regulus arrived in the Corridor and rebuked Sirius and the others for picking on Snape and wasting their time.
• Regulus warned Sirius that he should consider how to make his magic useful, but Sirius rejected the advice and left with the others.
• After cleaning his robes, Snape angrily insisted that he did not need Regulus's help or charity.
• Regulus praised Snape's talents and offered him access to books and opportunities in exchange for his insights into potions and obscure magic.
• Snape considered whether Regulus's offer was a trap, but recognized that his own studies and conflicts with Potter were not enough to gain the power he wanted.

On Halloween, Regulus helped Eleanor Bones and Susan Payne create honey badger-themed jack-o'-lanterns for the Hufflepuff Common Room and earned Professor Sprout's praise. He then returned to the Slytherin common room, where students were preparing decorations in their House's contrasting style.

• Regulus met Eleanor Bones and Susan Payne as they struggled to devise distinctive decorations for the Hufflepuff Common Room.
• Regulus transformed several jack-o'-lanterns into honey badger decorations with fierce faces and silver-white flames.
• Professor Sprout praised Regulus's creative, stable Transfiguration and awarded him five points.
• Susan Payne told Eleanor that Regulus seemed polite and far more capable than the rumors suggested.
• Regulus returned with his roommates to the Slytherin common room and observed the older students' elaborate silver-green Halloween decorations.

At the Halloween feast, Regulus rebuffed Rababstan Lestrange’s attempt to invoke family ties and Voldemort’s cause, then approached Bloody Baron to ask about ghosts and damaged souls. Barrow explained that ghosts were souls frozen by an inability to let go, and Regulus ended by asking how someone with a damaged soul could protect what remained.

• Rababstan Lestrange approached Regulus during dinner and hinted that the Lestranges expected him to join their greater cause, but Avery and Hermes drove him away.
• Dumbledore introduced the Moonlight Circus, whose magical performance entertained the students during the feast.
• Regulus noticed Bloody Baron watching Grey Lady and left his seat to speak with him.
• Bloody Baron told Regulus that ghosts were souls trapped by unfinished business and that their souls remained frozen in the form they had at death.
• Regulus connected Barrow’s explanation to Horcruxes and asked how a person with a damaged soul could protect it from further harm.

Regulus heard Bloody Baron’s advice about damaged souls and a hidden Hogwarts secret tied to Rowena Ravenclaw, then navigated growing political pressures among Slytherins. After allowing Avery and Hermes to plan against Rababstan Lestrange, Regulus began building a cautious connection with Snape, who warned him about Lestrange’s hostility.

• Bloody Baron told Regulus that solidifying a damaged soul might stop it from breaking further and hinted that Hogwarts held a secret left by Rowena Ravenclaw, but warned him he was too young to pursue it.
• At the Halloween feast, Evan Rosier, Wilkes, and Alecto Carrow approached Regulus, while James accused him of being likely to join Voldemort’s side and Lily struggled to defend him.
• Regulus permitted Avery and Hermes to deal with Rababstan Lestrange quietly, and Alex offered to help but was ignored.
• In Charms class, Regulus mastered the Softening Charm, Spongify, with an especially effective result.
• Near the Library, Snape warned Regulus that Rababstan had been watching him, and Regulus thanked Snape while suggesting that Lestrange acted out of family pride.

Regulus watched Slytherin win a Quidditch match against Gryffindor through increasingly dirty play, then hurried to stop the post-match confrontation from becoming a fight. The two houses faced off with wands drawn in the corridor as Regulus pushed through Slytherin’s older students toward the front.

• Regulus watched Slytherin and Gryffindor trade scores as Slytherin used fouls and concealed tricks to build a lead.
• James Potter caught the Golden Snitch, but Slytherin’s final goal left its score ten points higher and won the match.
• James confronted Eliot Rosier over Slytherin’s tactics, and Sirius, Remus, Peter, and other Gryffindors rushed in behind him.
• Regulus led Avery, Alex, and Hermes toward the escalating clash while professors began making their way down from the stands.
• The houses formed opposing lines in the corridor, drew their wands, and nearly began casting as Regulus advanced through Slytherin’s ranks toward Lucretius Black and Narcissa.

Regulus Black stopped a confrontation between Gryffindor and Slytherin after the match by disrupting Frank Longbottom’s spell and restraining Lucretius Black. Later, Lucretius thanked him and acknowledged a debt, while Professor McGonagall worried about Regulus’s growing influence.

• Regulus halted Frank Longbottom’s spell and stopped Lucretius from drawing his wand, then persuaded both sides to take their complaints to the professors.
• Professor McGonagall and Professor Slughorn arrived and ordered the students back to their common rooms, while Slughorn praised Regulus’s handling of the conflict.
• Regulus noticed Dumbledore watching from the professors’ seats, then returned to the Slytherin common room as students made way for him.
• Professor McGonagall worried that Regulus was gaining strength and influence unusually quickly, and decided to discuss him with Dumbledore.
• Lucretius asked how Regulus had interfered with his magic, and Regulus refused to reveal his method.
• Lucretius thanked Regulus for preventing a fight and said he owed him a favor.

Regulus explained to Narcissa that the Black family should preserve its independence by offering Voldemort strategic support rather than committing blindly to one side. Narcissa agreed to gather information from multiple families and the Ministry, and Regulus ended by asking after Mr. Malfoy Sr.’s health.

• Narcissa warned Regulus that his actions had drawn attention and could put him in danger.
• Regulus argued that the Black family should not be forced to choose only between Voldemort and Dumbledore, but should maintain several sources of strength.
• Regulus told Narcissa that Bellatrix’s loyalty could serve the family as one resource while the family also offered calm judgment and strategic support.
• Narcissa realized Regulus had acted to demonstrate the Black family’s value and promised to gather useful information from the Malfoy and Lestrange families, other families, and the Ministry of Magic.
• Regulus asked Narcissa to share sensitive information through secure means or in person, then asked whether Mr. Malfoy Sr. was in good health.

Regulus reflected on his conversation with Narcissa and decided to warn Orion about his suspicions surrounding Abraxas Malfoy's illness. He explained to his roommates that he had intervened in the Quidditch aftermath to build influence and gain a clear view of everyone’s reactions, while they investigated Rababstan Lestrange.

• Regulus used his conversation with Narcissa to strengthen their trust and learned that Abraxas Malfoy was in good spirits despite minor ailments.
• Regulus suspected Abraxas's sudden future death from Dragon Pox might conceal foul play and decided to tell Orion over Christmas.
• Regulus explained to Avery that preventing a fight had earned him influence, a favor from Lucretius Black, and recognition from Professors McGonagall and Slughorn.
• Hermes and Alex reported that Rababstan Lestrange had watched Regulus and visited an abandoned Potions classroom, and Regulus asked them to handle the matter before Christmas.
• Regulus told Avery that he had planned for the post-match conflict and stood at the front so he could observe everyone’s reactions.

As the Christmas holiday approached, Regulus told Sirius that the Black family wanted him home and confirmed that he would follow the family’s path, while Sirius rejected it. The brothers parted with their choices unresolved, leaving Sirius to realize that he barely understood Regulus.

• Regulus reflected on his physical and magical growth from Star-track Guidance Meditation and on his failed attempt to add Bellatrix to his four-star model.
• Regulus met Sirius near the One-Eyed Witch Statue and told him that the family wanted him to come home for Christmas.
• Sirius rejected the family gathering and accused Regulus of choosing to stand with Voldemort’s followers.
• Regulus said he would take the Black family’s path while Sirius followed Gryffindor’s, then wished him well and left.
• Sirius questioned why Regulus would knowingly follow a destructive path and realized their lives had taken roads that would never cross again.