Chapter Summaries

In Professor Vance’s Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Regulus demonstrated his dueling skill in a fast-paced match against the professor. Vance ended the duel impressed, awarded Slytherin twenty points, and dismissed the class as the students watched Regulus leave with his friends.

• Professor Vance criticized the class’s uneven practice, praised Cuthbert and Roxier for guiding their partners, and called Regulus forward for a demonstration.
• Regulus opened the duel with Transfiguration traps and combined familiar spells with quick counters, forcing Professor Vance to defend and reposition.
• Regulus increased the speed of his attacks and drove Professor Vance back with a linked sequence of spells before Vance called the duel off.
• Professor Vance told the class that Regulus had fought beyond the level of a second-year using standard spells and awarded Slytherin twenty points.
• Regulus collected his book and left with Hermes, Avery, and Alex, while Lina and Samuel stayed behind.

Regulus developed a plan to use controlled light to transmit emotional information into another person’s mind by adapting ideas from Legilimency. After building the light carrier and preparing emotional samples, he began combining the techniques but became stuck on how to establish a stable mental connection.

• Regulus considered how light could carry information and reasoned that he needed to make the recipient’s brain process it as its own thought.
• In the Forbidden Section, Regulus studied Legilimency and concluded that its memory-extraction process might be adapted in reverse to send information inward.
• Regulus left the Forbidden Section intending to first prove that light could carry information into another person’s eyes.
• In the Room of Requirement, Regulus modified Lumos so he could control its colors, brightness, and rhythm, and created isolated samples of distinct emotions.
• Regulus began merging the improved Lumos with Legilimency’s mental-positioning and connection methods, but he got stuck on how to make their magic structures work together.

Regulus developed a crude spell that used a light beam to influence emotions and chose Aragog as a test subject. He traveled into the Forbidden Forest to Aragog’s nest, where Aragog challenged him over his proposed experiment.

• Regulus used a trace of the Starry Sky Kite’s silver light as a buffer between Legilimency and Lumos, forming an unstable spell to transmit emotions.
• Regulus decided to test the spell on Aragog because the Acromantula could speak, had a complex mind, and possessed magical resistance.
• Before dawn on the first Tuesday of November, Regulus crossed the grounds under a Disillusionment Charm and entered the Forbidden Forest.
• Regulus followed signs of the spider colony to its nest, where he sensed Aragog and Mosag and found a large gathering of Acromantulas.
• Regulus revealed himself and said he had come to conduct an experiment, prompting Aragog to angrily ask whether he meant to experiment on its kin.

Regulus confronted Aragog in the Acromantula nest and demanded that the giant spider cooperate with his experiment. Aragog held back from attacking, wary of Regulus’s power, and continued weighing his response.

• Regulus told Aragog that he wanted Aragog himself, not the whole clan, to cooperate with his experiment.
• Aragog warned Regulus that Acromantulas were dangerous and said that Hagrid’s influence kept the clan from attacking young wizards.
• Aragog remembered the powerful Hogwarts wizards and sensed that Regulus was dangerous, so he chose to talk rather than attack.
• Aragog advanced with the colony surrounding Regulus, but Regulus said Aragog should be grateful he had not used his wand.
• Aragog’s instincts stopped him from striking, and he ordered the other spiders to retreat.
• Regulus considered Aragog’s unusual intelligence and Hagrid’s skill with Magical Creatures while Aragog remained silent and deliberated.

Regulus explained his experiment to Aragog, who questioned why he had not approached the Centaurs and offered Baruk as a willing subject instead. Regulus exposed Baruk to a patterned beam of light that appeared to provoke arrogance and contempt, then asked how it felt.

• Aragog asked Regulus why he had chosen the Acromantulas instead of the Centaurs, and Regulus admitted he had not considered them.
• Aragog asked about the experiment’s risks, then proposed that its clever offspring Baruk cooperate under the condition that the test stop if Baruk was harmed.
• Regulus aimed a modulated beam of light at Baruk, and the spider suddenly acted arrogant and contemptuous toward the others.
• After about ten seconds, Baruk’s behavior subsided, and Regulus extinguished the light and asked how it felt.

Regulus confirmed that his light-based magic could implant emotions in a spider’s mind, then revealed his control over Fiendfyre to explain his confidence to Aragog. He left after securing Aragog’s promise to keep his visit and magic secret, while Aragog asked whether Regulus would seek out the Centaur.

• Baruk described how Regulus’s light had briefly made him feel stronger and fit to lead, and Regulus confirmed that the experiment had succeeded.
• Regulus offered Aragog the chance to name a favor, and Aragog chose to decide later.
• Regulus summoned controlled orange-red flames, frightening Aragog and sending the other spiders into a panic.
• Regulus told Aragog to keep his visit and magic secret, and Aragog promised he would.
• Regulus said he would return, praised Baruk, and vanished after Aragog asked whether he would seek out the Centaur.

During Charms class, Regulus used the Sonorus and Muffliato spells to consider how magic controlled sound and whether the same principles could help him control light. Later, he explained his approach to practicing spells to Lily, who asked to join him the next time he practiced.

• Professor Flitwick taught the students Sonorus and Muffliato, and Regulus examined how Sonorus directed and concentrated sound waves.
• Regulus experimented with narrowing Sonorus's sound toward a target and wondered whether magic could similarly control light.
• At the Library, Lily asked Regulus about his rumored duel with Professor Vance and how he made spells so fast, accurate, and powerful.
• Regulus explained that mastering a spell meant improving its speed, accuracy, and stability beyond simply learning to cast it.
• Lily asked whether Regulus thought she could improve, and he encouraged her.
• Lily asked to join Regulus during his next magic practice, and he agreed.

Regulus accepted Snape’s potion and recognized that Snape was seeking both repayment and a possible business connection, but he left the offer unanswered. Meanwhile, Orion secured two mature Whomping Willows from the Bulgarian Preserve, and Regulus learned they would arrive in Cornwall before Christmas.

• Snape gave Regulus a high-quality potion as a thank-you gift and asked about the Black family’s potion shop in Diagon Alley.
• Regulus praised the potion’s brewing but left Snape’s business proposal unanswered and went to breakfast.
• Orion met Stoyanov in Sofia and hinted that the Black family wanted Whomping Willows from the Bulgarian Preserve.
• Orion offered five years of Herb Garden output support, and Stoyanov agreed to provide two mature Whomping Willows instead of saplings.
• Orion sent Regulus a letter saying the two Whomping Willows would arrive in Cornwall before Christmas.

Regulus tested his developing Light Magic and Spatial Network while the others trained until exhaustion. He then told Alex to invite Samuel Vance and Lena Costa to lunch in the Great Hall the next day, leaving Alex unsure why Regulus wanted them seen there.

• Avery and Alex continued dueling while Hermes trained his reflexes and endurance by dodging spells without using his wand.
• Regulus tested compressing and encoding Lumos, considering how the light could carry information and affect people’s thoughts and emotions.
• Regulus used the Spatial Network to release eight light spheres at once and fire thirteen Disarming Charms from different directions simultaneously.
• Regulus stopped the exhausted training session and floated Hermes, Avery, and Alex back to the Dormitory.
• Regulus told Alex to invite Samuel Vance and Lena Costa to lunch in the Great Hall the next day, and Alex agreed despite not understanding the purpose.

At Sunday lunch, Regulus let Samuel Vance and Lena Costa sit beside him at the center of the Slytherin table, drawing attention to his association with two Half-bloods. He left them with instructions to meet him in the Library that afternoon, while the Slytherins began speculating about what his choice meant.

• Regulus reflected on Slytherin’s pure-blood social order and the power Voldemort would soon wield over its members.
• Samuel Vance and Lena Costa walked past the edges of the Slytherin table and approached Regulus, prompting the other students to watch them.
• Regulus invited Samuel and Lena to sit and eat beside him, while assessing their different temperaments and potential.
• Regulus considered how his protection of the two Half-bloods could serve as a deliberate show of defiance toward Bellatrix.
• Regulus told Samuel and Lena to meet him in the Library at two o’clock to help him find books, then left with Avery, Alex, and Hermes.

Regulus tested Lina and Samuel by asking them to find several Muggle physics books, then told them they no longer had to hide while eating in Slytherin. He sent Lily a note inviting her to meet him at eight o’clock in the abandoned classroom on the fourth floor.

• Regulus gave Lina and Samuel a list of Muggle subjects and asked them to bring back books on those topics.
• Lina and Samuel accepted the task, and Regulus told them they could eat openly in Slytherin from then on.
• Regulus watched Lina and Samuel leave, judging whether they could be trusted to handle the request discreetly.
• Regulus transformed a leaf into a parchment bird and sent it to Lily by the Black Lake.
• Lily read Regulus's invitation and waved excitedly toward the Library while Marcia Flint stood beside her.

Lily enjoyed a transformed leaf from Regulus and prepared carefully to meet him for spell practice, while Marcia worried about the differences between their families and houses. The chapter ended as Lily and Regulus met in an abandoned classroom and playfully addressed each other as professor and student.

• Lily’s note from Regulus changed back into a leaf, and she put it away as a keepsake.
• Marcia teased Lily about Regulus and told her that her family expected the Blacks to produce someone formidable.
• Lily, Marcia, and Susan chose a pale purple robe for Lily to wear to her spell practice with Regulus.
• Regulus told Avery, Alex, and Hermes to practice without him, then went to meet Lily at the abandoned classroom.
• Regulus moved the classroom furniture aside, and Lily greeted him as Professor Regulus before he called her Student Lily.

Regulus tested Lily’s spellwork by catching and dispelling every spell she cast, then explained that true magical basics meant controlling magic directly. He began coaching her on her technique, and the lesson ended with Lily eager to learn from him again the next day.

• Regulus asked Lily to cast every spell she knew at him and caught each one without a wand.
• Lily asked how he had stopped her spells, and Regulus explained the difference between silent, wandless spellcasting and direct magic control.
• Regulus judged Lily an excellent young witch with room to improve, then demonstrated spells and corrected her technique.
• Lily practiced under Regulus’s precise guidance until nearly ten o’clock, when he ended the lesson.
• Lily asked whether Professor Regulus would teach her again tomorrow, and he said they would see.

James Potter and Sirius Black attacked Snape in a corridor, leaving his face gray-black and impossible to cleanse. After Rababstan Lestrange ordered him to investigate why Black was protecting Lena Costa and Samuel Vance, Snape disguised his face and waited for Regulus, who asked how he had gotten darker.

• Snape encountered James Potter, Sirius, Lupin, and Peter in the corridor, and James taunted him about his robe.
• Snape and James exchanged spells until Sirius joined in, and Snape was knocked to the floor with his face turned gray-black.
• Lily tried to help Snape and confronted James and Sirius, while the group left and Snape went back to the Dormitory.
• Snape tried several charms to remove the discoloration, then brewed Whitening Potion, but it made his face unnaturally white.
• Rababstan Lestrange ordered Snape to ask why Black was protecting Lena Costa and Samuel Vance and what he had arranged for them.
• Snape waited near the Library in a hooded robe, approached Regulus, and heard him ask how Snape had gotten darker.

Regulus restored Snape’s face and learned that Rababstan Lestrange had sent him to investigate Regulus’s protection of Lena Costa and Samuel Vance. Regulus drew Snape into his plans against Rababstan, and Snape accepted a place in Regulus’s circle before heading to the Great Hall.

• Regulus recognized that Snape’s dark complexion came from a curse or potion and removed the Whitening Potion covering his face.
• Snape told Regulus that Rababstan Lestrange had ordered him to investigate Regulus’s arrangements for Lena Costa and Samuel Vance without revealing who sent him.
• Regulus considered using Rababstan’s actions against Lena and Samuel as grounds to retaliate against the Lestrange family.
• Regulus told Snape that Rosier would contact him, making clear that he intended to bring Snape into his plans.
• Snape realized he had already chosen Regulus’s side, nodded his agreement, and left to get food in the Great Hall.

Regulus considered how his companions fit into his group and planned to let Rababstan Lestrange make the first move against Lina and Samuel. He left Avery and Alex to coordinate the response while warning them to prevent serious harm.

• Regulus reflected on Avery's growing confidence, Alex's role as organizer, Hermes's strength, and Snape's choice to align with him.
• At the Room of Requirement, Avery urged an immediate attack on Rababstan, while Alex suggested hiding Lina and Samuel from danger.
• Regulus proposed letting Lestrange target Lina and Samuel first so the conflict could become a matter between families rather than a fight started by his group.
• Avery and Alex planned to let Rababstan overhear that Lina and Samuel were often alone after Potions, and Alex agreed to arrange it despite his misgivings.
• Regulus told Alex to coordinate with Snape, inform Costa and Vance so they could choose whether to participate, and ensure nobody was seriously hurt.
• Hermes said he would handle the action once the others finished their discussion, while Regulus withdrew to his cabin.

Regulus tested whether his Starry Sky Kite could travel through Hogwarts and concluded that the Castle itself was rejecting it, suggesting Hogwarts had a will of its own. Dumbledore watched him leave for the Forbidden Forest and revealed that he was waiting for the Castle to choose Regulus.

• Regulus summoned the Starry Sky Kite on the Astronomy Tower and tested its attempt to travel through Hogwarts, but an unseen force repeatedly bounced it back.
• Regulus reasoned that Hogwarts had its own will and that the Castle’s refusal, not a flaw in his technique, prevented the Kite and his Guardian Will from entering.
• Regulus ended the test, flew from the tower, and headed toward the Forbidden Forest.
• Dumbledore watched Regulus leave and told Fawkes to be patient because Regulus would eventually come to him.
• Dumbledore told the Portraits that Regulus’s Patronus reflected who he was, while Phineas Nigellus Black warned him to consider the risks of involving Regulus with the ancient Castle.
• Dumbledore said the Castle would choose for itself and that it had to choose Regulus for it to count.

Regulus accidentally witnessed Aragog and Mosag mating, then considered how information carried by light might overwhelm a person’s mind. He sealed the memory away and met Baruk, whose eagerness to experience his Light Magic again left their experiment ongoing.

• Regulus Apparated into the Acromantulas’ nest, saw Aragog and Mosag mating, and left in disgust.
• Regulus reasoned that information encoded in light might one day make people collapse or go mad, then sealed the disturbing memory in his Isolation Zone.
• Aragog questioned why Regulus had left, and Regulus explained that he had felt he was intruding before asking for Baruk.
• Baruk came out eager to experience Regulus’s Light Magic again, and Regulus used light shaped by curiosity and eagerness.
• Baruk recovered quickly, tapped its forelegs excitedly, and asked through rapid clicks for another experience.

Regulus tested Baruk’s abilities and devised a possible way to alter its magical structure by using the Severing Charm and drawing in Natural Magic Power. He left to prepare, while considering whether the same method might eventually reshape a wizard’s magic.

• Baruk demonstrated its speed, strength, web range, and fast-acting venom to Regulus.
• Regulus examined Baruk’s magical structure and considered using the Severing Charm in reverse to loosen and reorganize it with Natural Magic Power.
• Regulus told Baruk he needed time to prepare, and Baruk promised not to tell the other spiders.
• Baruk returned to Aragog and submitted to him before retreating deeper into the nest.
• Regulus returned to the Dormitory and considered testing the method on Baruk before attempting to reshape a wizard’s magic.

Regulus tested Lily’s spellcasting in a duel, teaching her how to anticipate an opponent and use movement and timing. Lily showed clear improvement, and Regulus left her ready to keep learning more advanced magic.

• Lily arrived for her third training session with Regulus, and he decided they would move beyond basic spells by dueling.
• Lily tried to predict Regulus’s dodge with a Disarming Charm, but he stayed still and explained how to prepare a follow-up spell for an opponent’s choice.
• Regulus blocked Lily’s next Disarming Charm with a flash of silver light, then praised her faster and steadier casting.
• During their exchange, Regulus taught Lily to hold her Shield Charm until danger passed and warned her that predictable dodges could be countered.
• Regulus and Lily circled the classroom while dueling, and he praised her for attacking from the side at the right moment.