Chapter Summaries

Regulus explored the idea of gradually replacing a target’s will and continued monitoring Hermes’s mysterious absences. At an Advanced Charms Seminar, Professor Flitwick introduced how a caster’s state of mind affects spells, and Regulus learned that Dumbledore had studied the subject as Resonance of Mind-Image and Magic.

• Regulus studied defenses against the Imperius Curse and imagined a subtler form of mental control that would infiltrate and replace a target’s will.
• Regulus noted Hermes’s frequent absences and past clues, deciding to keep watch without interfering unless Hermes became a threat.
• Professor Flitwick invited Regulus to join the Advanced Charms Seminar, where he demonstrated how different states of mind changed the Levitation Charm.
• Regulus asked whether a caster could deliberately control and reproduce those changes, and Professor Flitwick named the field Resonance of Mind-Image and Magic, a subject Dumbledore had studied.

Regulus considered Professor Flitwick’s warning about deliberately shaping magic through emotion and tested a rational, starry-sky state of mind to strengthen Protego. As January ended, Hogwarts remained peaceful around Regulus, though he expected the truce among the pure-blood families to eventually break.

• Professor Flitwick explained that a caster’s mental state could affect spells, warned that deliberately cultivating intense emotions was dangerous, and cautioned Regulus to approach such experiments carefully.
• Regulus reflected that magic itself was only a tool and that a wizard’s purpose and beliefs determined how it was used.
• In the Room of Requirement, Regulus cast Protego while meditating on the vastness and order of the universe, producing a denser, silver-gray barrier at a higher Magic Power cost.
• Regulus recorded the experiment as a feasible form of cognitive resonance and considered trying the approach with other spells.
• During the final week of January, Regulus observed that Hogwarts students and pure-blood heirs had stopped provoking him after his appearance at the Malfoy family’s Christmas Banquet, but he expected the peace to be temporary.

Regulus learned from Snape that radical Pure-blood students were gathering and preparing to target Muggle-borns, and agreed to watch for further developments. He chose not to intervene yet and continued practicing Spatial Warp in the Room of Requirement.

• Snape told Regulus that upper-year Slytherins were discussing “Cleaning the Trash” and becoming increasingly fanatical.
• Snape explained that he was sharing the information because he feared Lily Evans could be endangered, and Regulus agreed to keep watch in exchange for payment under their usual terms.
• Regulus concluded that the gatherings might be preparing students to become future Death Eaters and decided to observe rather than interfere.
• Regulus practiced Spatial Warp with a Sickle, sending it three meters away with an error of about forty centimeters.

Regulus mastered the Spatial Anchor Charm and experimented with strengthening Incendio through Star Orbit Meditation, then reflected on inherited magic and his own future legacy. Later, he tried to light Bellatrix, Orion’s fifth star, and began seeking a deeper resonance with its protective symbolism.

• Regulus successfully cast a Spatial Anchor and learned that it could disrupt spatial magic, though maintaining one consumed substantial Magic Power.
• Regulus used Star Orbit Meditation to cast an explosive, superheated Incendio that burned through a Training Dummy but cost three times the Magic Power of a standard fire spell.
• Regulus considered how the Black family preserved inherited magic and imagined leaving behind his own inheritance after developing new magical knowledge.
• Regulus attempted to light Bellatrix but realized that his Magic Power and mental strength were not the problem; he lacked the Guardian Will the star represented.
• Regulus stopped forcing Bellatrix’s model and imagined protection as the resolve to stand firm and maintain a boundary, sensing that the idea resonated within him.

Regulus connected a faint fifth star, Bellatrix, to his Star Orbit Meditation system and tested a more powerful but mentally draining Reducto. After learning that the Ministry’s new review of Dark Arts goods had put pressure on the Burke family, he received permission to visit Borgin and Burkes in Hogsmeade, where he was to represent the Black family.

• Regulus connected Bellatrix’s preparatory light to his Four-Star System, strengthening its defenses without increasing its Magic Power.
• Regulus cast an enhanced Reducto that shattered a stone wall, but the spell consumed about ten percent of his mental strength.
• Lucretius Black invited Regulus to visit Borgin and Burkes during the next Hogsmeade weekend, and Regulus wrote to his father for permission.
• Orion told Regulus that Barty Crouch had established a Special Review Office targeting Dark Arts goods and warned him to stay inside the shop while visiting Knockturn Alley.
• Regulus visited Professor Slughorn, who gave him the signed permission form for Hogsmeade.

Regulus visited Hogsmeade with Lucretius Black and traveled to Borgin and Burkes to inspect dangerous items the Burke family hoped to move before a Ministry review. Old Bok led Regulus into the shop’s warehouse, where the inspection was about to begin.

• Regulus received Orion’s warning about the Burke family’s sensitive inventory and was told to look only, make no promises, and stay alert in Knockturn Alley.
• Regulus met Lucretius at Hogsmeade’s entrance, and Lucretius introduced him to the village’s shops and their connections.
• Lucretius took Regulus to a secluded Burke family house and used its fireplace to travel by Floo Powder to Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley.
• Regulus met Caractacus Burke, known as Old Bok, and learned that Borgin and Burkes was a joint venture between the Burke and Borgin families.
• Old Bok led Regulus through a corridor lined with jars of organs and unlocked the warehouse, where dangerous objects and records were stored.

Old Bok showed Regulus three dangerous artifacts sought by the Ministry of Magic and proposed exchanging them for the Black family's political support. Regulus left knowing that the decision rested with Orion, while the exact support the Burke family wanted remained unspecified.

• Old Bok showed Regulus a Cursed Box that carried a bloodline curse and explained that the Ministry of Magic was reviewing it.
• Old Bok revealed a Soul Container with a fractured consciousness inside and warned that the Ministry was investigating soul-preservation items.
• Old Bok described an unnamed staff that drove seven wizards to madness and suicide, while explaining that he had resisted its effects by refusing to study it.
• Regulus questioned how the staff worked and why Old Bok was unaffected, then Old Bok covered the artifacts and described the risks they posed to the Burke family.
• Old Bok asked Regulus to tell Orion that the Burke family would trade the three artifacts for three years of the Black family's support in the Wizengamot, and Regulus asked what specific support they wanted.

Regulus returned from the Burke family’s Knockturn Alley shop after Lucretius described the family’s grim trade. In Hogsmeade, they were caught between the Dark Wizard Finn and the Aurors pursuing him, including Alastor Moody, who captured Finn and questioned Regulus before leaving.

• Old Bok offered the Black family valuable Dark Arts items in exchange for political support, and Regulus agreed to report the proposal to his father.
• Lucretius escorted Regulus back to Hogsmeade and reflected on the Burke family’s generations in the Dark Arts business and the burdens of its chosen path.
• Near Zonko’s Joke Shop, the injured Finn Apparated into Hogsmeade and tried to use Regulus and Lucretius as hostages while evading Alastor Moody and a young female Auror.
• Moody and the female Auror immobilized Finn and stunned him, then the Auror took him away for the Ministry of Magic.
• Moody questioned Regulus about why he had not fought or dodged, and Regulus said he had trusted the Aurors to handle the danger before Moody left.

After Moody arrested Finn in Hogsmeade, Regulus reflected on the Burke family’s proposed alliance, Lucretius’s silence about Slytherin’s radical gatherings, and the growing political dangers around them. He reported the day’s events to his father and later reassured Avery and Alex that he had not been hurt.

• A patrolling professor dispersed the Hogsmeade crowd, and Lucretius explained that Finn was a black-market dealer whom the Aurors had pursued for stealing a magical item.
• As they returned to Hogwarts, Lucretius told Regulus that Moody had seemed to suspect him because of the Burke name, and Regulus warned him to be careful as the Auror Office gained power.
• Regulus returned to the Slytherin common room, considered the risks and benefits of the Burke family’s proposed alliance, and sent his father a letter about the day’s events.
• Regulus reflected that Lucretius likely knew about Slytherin’s radical gatherings but had chosen not to involve him, and he reminded himself not to rely on incomplete knowledge of the magical world.
• At dinner, Avery condemned Finn’s attack while Alex worried about the rising tensions, and Regulus assured both that he was safe.

Regulus ate dinner after the Dark Wizard hostage incident, then met with Lucretius and Slughorn, who questioned them about their trip to Hogsmeade and Knockturn Alley. Slughorn warned Regulus to be careful and asked him to stay behind for a private conversation.

• Avery praised confronting Dark Wizards while Alex urged caution, and Regulus quietly ate as students watched him.
• Eleanor Bones crossed to the Slytherin table to check on Regulus, then returned to Susan Payne.
• Regulus noticed James Potter, Sirius, and Lily watching him from the Gryffindor table and exchanged a nod with Lily.
• Lucretius led Regulus to the Potions Office, where Slughorn questioned them about their activities in Hogsmeade and Knockturn Alley.
• Lucretius admitted they had visited Borgin and Burkes for family business, and Slughorn warned Regulus to avoid dangerous places.
• As Regulus and Lucretius prepared to leave, Slughorn asked Regulus to remain for a private conversation.

Professor Slughorn praised Regulus’s potion skills, offered his connections, and warned him that he still needed to develop creative talent. Back in the Slytherin common room, Regulus discussed the Ministry’s plans and the Burke family’s offer with Narcissa, then heard Avery and Alex debate what they would do if they encountered a Dark Wizard.

• Lucretius left Slughorn’s office, and Slughorn praised Regulus’s talent while offering to help him with connections and rare materials.
• Slughorn told Regulus that becoming a true potions master required creativity, and Regulus acknowledged that he needed to improve in that area.
• Regulus told Narcissa that the Burke family wanted Black family support in exchange for several high-risk objects, while his father planned to observe the situation before deciding.
• Narcissa and Regulus discussed Ministry tensions and his studies before Regulus returned to the Dormitory.
• Avery said he wanted to visit Hogsmeade next time to see an Auror confront a Dark Wizard, while Alex warned him about the danger.
• Alex and Avery asked Regulus what he would have done without the Aurors, and Avery proposed several spells for fighting or escaping.

Regulus and his roommates investigated Hermes's mysterious Dark Arts injury, visiting him in the Hospital Wing the next morning. Regulus sensed that Hermes's magic was weak and fractured, while foreign magic remained in his body.

• Avery told Regulus that Hermes was unconscious in the Hospital Wing with a serious injury caused by the Dark Arts.
• Regulus urged Avery and Alex not to spread rumors or act without evidence, and said they would visit Hermes in the morning.
• Regulus, Avery, and Alex went to the Hospital Wing, where Madam Pomfrey allowed them five minutes to see Hermes.
• Regulus examined Hermes from a distance and sensed that his magic was chaotic, his core was collapsing, and foreign magic remained within him.

Regulus discovered that Hermes had been afflicted by a vicious curse and found a map clue pointing to a hidden entrance beneath the Astronomy Tower. He planned to investigate it with Avery and Alex after class, using the mission to test their fledgling team.

• Regulus sensed that a despair-filled curse was consuming Hermes's Magic Power, while Madam Pomfrey said he could recover if the curse was slowly drawn out.
• Regulus considered that Hermes might have been attacked and decided the culprit could be a threat to their Slytherin group.
• Regulus found Hermes's map marked with a confirmed, protected entrance beneath the Astronomy Tower and noted that Hermes had been trying to crack it.
• Regulus told Avery and Alex to join him at the Astronomy Tower after afternoon classes; Avery agreed eagerly, while Alex reluctantly accepted.
• At lunch, Regulus listened for rumors about Dark Arts and night roaming as Avery watched the students and Alex ate nervously.

Regulus, Avery, and Alex investigated a hidden passage beneath the Astronomy Tower and found evidence that Hermes had entered with another student. They turned back before opening a dangerous stone door, planning to wait for whoever was responsible to act again.

• After History of Magic, Regulus led Avery and Alex to a concealed entrance behind the Astronomy Tower.
• Regulus found that someone had recently broken through the protective magic, and he identified footprints belonging to Hermes and another student.
• Regulus guided the group through the passage's confusing, magically protected forks to a sealed stone door.
• Regulus sensed that something dangerous behind the door was connected to the curse that had injured Hermes.
• Regulus refused Avery's suggestion to force the door open and decided they should return without revealing their visit, so they could catch the person behind Hermes's injury.

Regulus concealed the passage beneath the Astronomy Tower and began investigating who had attacked Hermes, while keeping the secret from his friends and the professors. After Slughorn questioned them, Regulus continued his ordinary routine and went to visit Hermes at the Hospital Wing.

• Regulus told Avery and Alex to keep quiet about the passage and watch for suspicious visitors to Hermes in the Hospital Wing.
• Regulus reasoned that Hermes may have been attacked by an accomplice seeking to finish an ancient mission beneath the Astronomy Tower, and decided to wait for the culprit to return.
• Professor Slughorn questioned Regulus, Avery, and Alex about Hermes, and they denied knowing anything unusual.
• Regulus reminded Avery and Alex to maintain their story, and the three returned to their usual routines.
• After two days of classes, Regulus arrived at the Hospital Wing at three in the afternoon.

Regulus questioned Abros Mulciber about Hermes’s curse and suspected that someone would act before Hermes woke. He set Warning Charms around the Castle, then discovered that a triggered charm had only caught two Slytherin students kissing in the common room.

• Regulus visited Hermes and found that his condition had stabilized slightly under Madam Pomfrey’s treatment.
• Abros Mulciber arrived with a Family Potion and said Hermes would wake, while claiming Hermes had been found outside the Abandoned Armor Gallery.
• Regulus hinted at the Astronomy Tower’s hidden chamber, but Abros denied the legend and gave little information about Hermes’s attacker or collaborator.
• Regulus reasoned that Hermes’s recovery could prompt the culprit to act, so he set Warning Charms along routes toward the Astronomy Tower.
• At 2:17 a.m., a Warning Charm in the Slytherin common room woke Regulus, who found two fifth-year students kissing and returned to bed.

Regulus considered why Abros had concealed the accomplice and suspected the Mulciber family might be involved in a larger plan. After Alex identified Daren McNeil as a regular visitor to Hermes, Regulus proposed investigating further, and Alex chose to join him despite his fear.

• Regulus reasoned that Abros might be allowing the accomplice to continue because the Mulciber family hoped to seize the hidden object later or feared whoever stood behind the accomplice.
• On the fifth morning, Regulus told Avery and Alex that the accomplice would likely act soon because Hermes might wake within days.
• Alex revealed that Daren McNeil had visited Hermes every day until Abros arrived, prompting Regulus to suspect cooperation between the McNeil and Mulciber families.
• Avery accused Daren of guilt, but Regulus insisted they needed decisive evidence rather than assumptions.
• When Alex asked whether they should tell a professor, Regulus said that would end their investigation and offered Alex the choice to withdraw.
• Alex admitted he was afraid but chose to go with Regulus and Avery.

Regulus followed Daren McNeil with Avery and Alex as Daren carried a crystal to the sealed stone gate beneath the Astronomy Tower. Daren’s ritual made the gate shudder, leaving the three of them watching from the passage.

• Regulus woke Avery and Alex after his Warning Charm detected movement and identified Daren McNeil carrying a box whose magic resembled the Protective Charm beneath the Astronomy Tower.
• Regulus cast improved Disillusionment Charms on Avery and Alex, and the three followed Daren through the castle and into a hidden passage beneath the Astronomy Tower.
• Daren reached the stone gate and opened the box, revealing a crystal containing swirling grey mist with faces emerging inside it.
• Daren chanted in an ancient language as the runes on the gate glowed and cracks spread across the crystal.
• Daren recited the final syllable, and the stone gate shuddered.

Regulus and the others watched Darren weaken the barrier over the cursed Grey Mist, only for it to shatter and unleash the horrors within. Regulus fled with Avery and Alex, but the Grey Mist pursued them, and the narrow passage ahead threatened to trap them.

• Darren used a spell to weaken the Stone Gate's barrier, revealing countless twisted human faces in the Grey Mist.
• The Grey Mist shattered the barrier and began eroding Darren and the passage as he scrambled for his broken Wand.
• Regulus revealed himself and Avery and Alex, then ordered them to run from the spreading Grey Mist.
• Regulus dragged the frozen Alex along, pulled Avery close, and cast protective and slowing spells behind them.
• The Grey Mist overwhelmed the barriers and closed in as Regulus realized they could not escape through the narrow passage at their current speed.

Regulus led Avery and Alex toward a narrow passage while the deadly Grey Mist pursued them, then stayed behind to hold it off. As his Starry Sky-enhanced Shield Charm began to fail, a silver-white Starry Sky Kite Patronus emerged from his wand.

• Regulus kept the Gripping and Levitation Charms on Avery and Alex, refusing to abandon them as they fled the Grey Mist.
• Regulus used a Repelling Charm to send Avery and Alex into the passage and told them to escape and find a professor.
• Avery hauled Alex into the passage while Regulus raised a Shield Charm strengthened by Starry Sky Imagery and Bellatrix's protective power.
• The Grey Mist battered Regulus's barrier with its countless suffering faces until his Magic Power ran low and cracks spread across the shield.
• A warm power surged through Regulus, and his silver-white Starry Sky Kite Patronus appeared before him.