Chapter Summaries

Regulus settled the estate after the battle, met Frances Whitmore, and received a French Portkey and a cursed recording device from the Ministry of Magic. After rewarding the estate workers at a communal meal, he left the follow-up work to Felix and returned to the main house with Baruk.

• Regulus ordered the estate workers to rest, arranged treatment for the injured, and assigned Felix to coordinate with the Ministry of Magic and oversee prisoner transfers.
• Frances Whitmore met with Regulus, praised his efforts, and said someone at Hogwarts often talked about him before leaving with her group.
• The estate workers spread stories about Regulus defeating more than forty adult wizards, while Felix returned with a certified cross-border Portkey and a cursed alchemical recording ball from the French Ministry.
• At the estate meal, Baruk wrapped Claire in silk after she tried to touch its bristles, and Regulus freed her with a snap of his fingers.
• Regulus promised every worker a bonus equal to one year's salary, then left repairs, Ministry coordination, and security restoration to Felix before returning to the main house.

Regulus reflected on Voldemort’s attempts to test and control him, then decided to stop being passive and visit Andromeda in France. He left the square and arrived at a small café on Paris’s Left Bank.

• Regulus concluded that Voldemort had used Bellatrix and the Killing Curses to test whether Dark Enlightenment had changed him, and that Bellatrix had failed her assignment.
• Regulus recognized that Voldemort’s limited understanding of him offered a measure of safety, but resolved to find a way to take control of their relationship’s rhythm.
• Regulus considered the different paths chosen by the Black family and decided to visit Andromeda while he was in France.
• Regulus left the square, changed into Muggle clothing, and traveled to Paris’s Left Bank with Baruk on his shoulder.
• Regulus walked through the streets of Paris and entered Le Coin Fleuri, a small café facing the road.

Regulus visited Andromeda and Ted’s café in Paris, where he caught up with his cousin and learned she was expecting a daughter named Nymphadora. He left convinced the girl would eventually reject her ornate first name and insist on being called Tonks.

• Regulus arrived at Andromeda’s café with Baruk, and Andromeda greeted him warmly before refusing his request for Firewhisky.
• Ted welcomed Regulus, invited him to dinner, and left to shop so the cousins could talk privately.
• Regulus and Andromeda discussed his visit to France and her new life running the café with Ted.
• Andromeda told Regulus she was nearly six months pregnant and had chosen the name Nymphadora for her daughter.
• Regulus warned that Nymphadora would dislike her name and eventually demand to be called by her surname, but Andromeda insisted it was lovely.

As Earth prepared to send Regulus away on an orbital elevator, Avery Cuthbert reported that the launch system was ready. Regulus awakened Baruk and departed with the shrunken creature on his shoulder, leaving humanity to repair the damage to the Himalayas.

• Avery Cuthbert told Regulus that all modules were in place and the launch window was next month.
• Regulus pressed his palm to the ice and awakened Baruk, causing the mountain to rise and the Himalayan ridge to split apart.
• Baruk emerged from the mountains before shrinking to palm size and leaping onto Regulus's shoulder.
• Earth's people began organizing repairs to the geological damage left by Baruk.

Regulus prepared to leave Earth aboard a massive Alchemy-modified asteroid, then reached across time to contact Grindelwald in 1946 and extend his life. The asteroid launched into space, carrying Regulus and Baruk away from Earth.

• Regulus stood on the completed asteroid and sensed Grindelwald’s foresight reaching toward the future from Nurmengard.
• Regulus seized Grindelwald’s prophetic gaze and made him see the future, including the transformed Earth and Regulus among the stars.
• Regulus sent a spell across time that stopped Grindelwald’s telomeres from shortening and extended his lifespan.
• Regulus broke the thread connecting them, then activated the asteroid’s Alchemy circuits and boarded it with Baruk.
• The asteroid departed, and Earth dwindled into a pinprick before vanishing among the stars.

Andromeda and Regulus spent an evening at her Paris café, where her unborn daughter’s Metamorphmagus ability became clear. After closing, Andromeda and Ted brought Regulus upstairs to their home, where the ordinary warmth of family life left him smiling.

• Andromeda told Regulus that her unborn daughter changed the color of her skin and hair, and Regulus recognized her as a Metamorphmagus.
• Andromeda served the café’s regular customers while Regulus watched her settled routine in Paris.
• Ted arrived with groceries and invited Andromeda and Regulus upstairs for Burgundy beef stew.
• At home, Baruk explored the apartment and tentatively interacted with a magical plant.
• Andromeda and Ted teased each other while Ted prepared dinner, and Regulus watched their family life with a smile.

Regulus shared dinner with Andromeda and Ted in Paris, then placed Bellatrix's Guardian Will around Andromeda's unborn daughter to protect her. He urged Andromeda to keep her peaceful life away from the growing danger in England and left, while she wished him well.

• Ted served Regulus, Andromeda, and Baruk dinner, and Baruk finally ate the beef Regulus tossed into its dish.
• Ted cared for pregnant Andromeda throughout the meal, while Regulus observed how comfortably they lived together in Paris.
• Regulus touched Andromeda's belly and surrounded her unborn daughter with Bellatrix's Guardian Will, promising he would know if anything happened.
• Andromeda thanked Regulus, and he said the baby was family; Baruk also clicked as Andromeda told her daughter it was protecting her.
• Regulus urged Andromeda and Ted to keep living as they were and stay away from the growing danger, then vanished into the Paris night.
• Andromeda watched the street with Ted beside her, and the baby kicked as she smiled.

Regulus returned from France and briefed Orion on the raid, Bellatrix, and his new Resonance Disk, which Orion agreed to use as the basis for expanding the Black family's influence in Alchemy. Regulus also told him that Andromeda was expecting a Metamorphmagus daughter named Nymphadora, then went to bed before returning to school.

• Regulus arrived at Grimmauld Place, greeted Kreacher, and met Orion in the Study.
• Regulus reported that the smuggling group had attacked the French estate, that the raid had been contained, and that Bellatrix had been behind it.
• Regulus showed Orion the Resonance Disk and explained his plan to cooperate with France while eventually shifting production and the industry to the UK.
• Orion recognized the opportunity to build an Alchemy industry around the disk and agreed to arrange coordination with France.
• Regulus told Orion that Andromeda was nearly six months pregnant with a girl who was a Metamorphmagus, and revealed that she would be named Nymphadora.
• Regulus returned to his room, found Baruk settled on his bed, and went to sleep.

Regulus returned to Hogwarts after a month and a half away, reuniting with his Slytherin classmates and resuming his studies. After telling Professor Slughorn that everything was fine at his family estate, he headed upstairs to class with Baruk in his pocket.

• Regulus entered the Great Hall, where his return stirred the Slytherin table and drew the attention of students from the other houses.
• Pollux Greengrass and Veronica Yaxley greeted Regulus and helped restore order, while James Potter complained and Lily watched him with a smile.
• Avery caught Regulus up on school gossip, and Alex described recent changes to their classes; Regulus said little about his time in France.
• Regulus met Professor Slughorn, ended his leave, and assured him that matters at the Black family estate were fine.
• Regulus left Slughorn's office and headed to class, with Baruk clicking in his pocket.

After returning to Hogwarts, Regulus drifted through his quiet school days and forgot the Transfiguration homework he owed Professor McGonagall. She assigned him replacement essays, and he left dinner by ordering five friends to meet him in the Room of Requirement for training.

• Regulus spent over a week back at Hogwarts avoiding his friends’ promised training and passing his free time in the Library.
• During Transfiguration class, Regulus expertly transformed a turtle into a teacup, and Professor McGonagall asked him to stay behind.
• McGonagall asked Regulus for his overdue homework, and he tried to distract her with a discussion of Transfiguration and Alchemy before claiming he had lacked the means to write while traveling.
• McGonagall rejected Regulus’s excuse, assigned him essays of at least thirty inches each, and welcomed him back to Hogwarts.
• At dinner, Regulus ordered Avery, Hermes, Alex, Lina, and Samuel to meet him at eight in the Room of Requirement.

Regulus returned to the Room of Requirement and tested how much Hermes, Lina, Samuel, Alex, and Avery had improved. He left them to practice on their own after defeating them and directing Baruk to capture Lina and Samuel.

• Regulus confronted the five for not seeking him out or reporting on their training, then challenged Hermes to a duel.
• Hermes used several spells against Regulus but was disarmed and pinned down by a Pressure Charm, though Regulus acknowledged his improvement.
• Regulus sent Baruk after Lina and Samuel, and Baruk captured both with webbing after Lina tried to slow it and Samuel tried to escape.
• Alex and Avery worked together to attack Regulus, but he blocked their spells and sent them flying into the padded walls.
• Regulus praised the group’s improvement, told Hermes to continue training next week, and left the others to practice on their own.

Regulus visited Eleanor Bones to ask for a plant that Baruk could tend in the Slytherin Dungeon, and she suggested a shade-loving Hebrides Cave Starwhisker Vine. Their conversation turned to Sirius repeatedly stealing leaves from Eleanor’s Mandrake, and the chapter ended as Eleanor spotted Sirius approaching and prepared to confront him.

• Regulus handed in his essays and walked around the Black Lake with Baruk, deciding to find the spider a plant to care for.
• Regulus asked Eleanor Bones for advice, and she recommended the Hebrides Cave Starwhisker Vine or Welsh Redcap Gnome Vein Moss.
• Baruk sensed the plant in Eleanor’s flowerpot, and Eleanor realized it could detect plant Magic Power.
• Regulus asked whether Eleanor still had enough Mandrake leaves, and Eleanor complained that Sirius had plucked three leaves and their roots.
• Eleanor spotted Sirius approaching and set her expression for a confrontation.

Regulus watched Sirius quarrel with Eleanor over her Mandrake plant, then heard Sirius say he would spend the holidays with the Potter family instead of returning to Grimmauld Place. Regulus supported his choice, and the brothers left for lunch together.

• Sirius teased Eleanor about her Mandrake plant, and they tussled while Payne and Regulus watched.
• Eleanor left with Payne after she and Sirius stopped arguing, and Regulus questioned Sirius about why he kept provoking her.
• Regulus asked where he had been, and he said he had visited France to handle family business.
• Sirius told Regulus he would stay with the Potter family for the holidays rather than return to Grimmauld Place.
• Regulus approved of Sirius's decision, and the brothers walked toward the Castle together.

Regulus reunited with Lily and tested her progress in the Constant Shield Charm and Enhanced Senses Charm. After warning her about improvising with an unfinished shield, he gave her a score of seventy-five and left her wondering why he deducted twenty-five points.

• Regulus met Lily in the Abandoned Classroom and told her he had been in France handling family business.
• Lily demonstrated that she could cover her palm with the Constant Shield Charm and described how her Enhanced Senses Charm had improved.
• Regulus tested Lily in a mock duel, where she used her senses to dodge spells and improvised a fragile shield to block a Slowing Charm.
• Regulus warned Lily not to rely on her unfinished shield in combat, and Lily promised to use it only as a last resort.
• After Lily held the Enhanced Senses Charm for just over forty seconds, Regulus stopped the practice and gave her a grade of seventy-five.

Lily told Regulus about her recent duel with Potter and received encouragement to keep training. She also shared news about her friends and Petunia, then left for Gryffindor Tower as Regulus returned to the dungeons.

• Lily recounted how she challenged Potter after seeing him bully a younger Slytherin, but lost when her Enhanced Senses Charm faded and Potter disarmed her.
• Regulus praised Lily’s progress and encouraged her to build her stamina so she could keep up with Potter’s speed.
• Lily told Regulus that Marcia had invited her to visit the Flint estate for part of the summer, and he advised her to stay on the estate and be cautious outside it.
• Lily explained that Petunia had not replied to her photos of Nox but had sent cat food and Nox’s old mat, which helped ease their relationship.
• Lily joked about Nox, her revision plans, and Professor Slughorn before Regulus ended their late-night conversation.
• Lily wished Regulus good night and left for Gryffindor Tower, while Regulus headed toward the dungeons.

Regulus spent the end of his second year studying forbidden books, tending the recovering Whomping Willow, and helping Lina and Samuel feel less isolated through calming paper birds. He completed his exams with ease, leaving the school year finished and summer break ahead.

• As exams approached, Regulus gave Lina and Samuel calming paper birds, and Lina's roommates inferred that Black was looking after her.
• Regulus spent his free time reading forbidden books on Alchemy, space, and curses while the Whomping Willow recovered outside the Shrieking Shack and grew close to Baruk.
• On June 13, Regulus completed his Transfiguration, Charms, and Potions exams, while Avery's combined spellcasting accidentally turned a window pink.
• Regulus excelled in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Herbology, then quickly finished his History of Magic and Astronomy exams.
• Regulus completed exam week, bringing his second year at Hogwarts to an end.

At the end-of-year feast, Dumbledore announced Slytherin’s seventh consecutive House Cup victory and urged students to think for themselves amid the changing world. Regulus later visited Dumbledore’s office, where he teased the headmaster about his Cockroach Cluster.

• Dumbledore announced that Slytherin won the House Cup with 456 points, followed by Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor.
• Dumbledore warned students not to surrender their fears, anger, loyalty, or judgment to others, and told them to rely on their own experiences.
• Regulus returned to the Slytherin dormitory, briefly patted Baruk, and left for the Headmaster’s Office.
• Regulus tried to stroke Fawkes’s Tail Feather, and the Phoenix warned him off after Dumbledore explained it had recently been reborn.
• Dumbledore offered Regulus Cockroach Cluster, and Regulus joked that live cockroaches were newer; Dumbledore agreed but said the sweets tasted better.

Regulus spoke with Dumbledore about recruiting allies, his control of Fiendfyre, and whether he should kill. Dumbledore advised him to unite protection with destruction and, since Regulus had already decided, not to hesitate; Regulus left for the holiday with Dumbledore planning to continue his travels.

• Dumbledore told Regulus that only a few people had agreed to join the resistance, while others were watching or had refused.
• Dumbledore praised Regulus's blue-white fire and explained that he could guide Fiendfyre by giving its destructive power a protective target rather than suppressing it.
• Regulus asked Dumbledore what he thought about killing and said he had already decided; Dumbledore warned him that hesitation could endanger him and those around him, and offered to talk afterward if needed.
• Dumbledore said he would keep traveling to investigate werewolf camps and enlist help from old friends, while Regulus claimed he would spend the holiday studying at home.
• Regulus wished Dumbledore a pleasant holiday, glanced at Fawkes, and left the office.

Regulus rode the Hogwarts Express to King's Cross with Avery, Hermes, and Alex, reminding his friends to keep training over the holidays as the growing conflict weighed on them. After they parted from their families, Regulus spotted Sirius with the Potters and walked toward him.

• Regulus told Hermes and Alex to maintain their training over the holidays, and Avery decided to arrange dueling practice after his vacation.
• Pure-blood students visited Regulus's compartment to greet him, while Avery handled visitors from less prominent families.
• At King's Cross, Hermes left with Abros, Avery left with Old Cuthbert, and Alex said goodbye to Regulus before joining his parents.
• Regulus saw Sirius surrounded by James, Lupin, Peter, Charlus, and Euphemia, straightened his collar, and walked toward them.

Regulus said goodbye to Sirius at the platform and made sure the Potters knew how to look after him, while Sirius endured his brother’s detailed advice. The chapter ended with Regulus leaving and Sirius heading off with the Potters and his friends.

• Sirius greeted Regulus, and Euphemia hugged him before assuring him that Sirius would be well cared for at the Potters’ home.
• Regulus cast a Muffling Charm and gave Sirius a long list of instructions about sleeping, manners, eating, wand care, chores, and safety.
• Regulus briefly implicated James while warning Sirius about cornering people, embarrassing James and amusing Sirius.
• Several pure-blood adults tried to eavesdrop on the brothers, but Regulus’s blank stare sent them away.
• Regulus thanked Charlus and Euphemia, said goodbye to Sirius, and walked off the platform.
• Sirius watched Regulus leave, then agreed with James to go.