After dinner, Regulus returned to his room and stood by the window, looking out at the London streets covered in a thin layer of snow. Car tires had left uneven tracks in the muddy road.
In the distance, Muggle lights blurred into hazy orbs behind the curtain of snow, forming a faint dividing line with the invisible magical barriers surrounding Grimmauld Place.
He recalled Walburga's expression at the dinner table just now. Maternal love wasn't absent; it just always came after glory.
His mother's eyes always held a peculiar light, something fervent and stubborn.
She had praised his performance at the Malfoy family banquet, saying he had brought honor to the Black family, that those families now knew the Blacks had a promising heir with a bright future.
Regulus traced a smiling face on the cold glass with his finger.
He actually understood Walburga, or rather, he understood people like her.
What she wanted was never for her son to live a happy and comfortable life; she wanted a son who could become her most impressive medal in social circles.
Family glory was her living faith, and her children were the sacrifices she offered to this faith. The more dazzling the sacrifice, the higher her standing before her faith.
But such a mother wasn't difficult to handle. Listen to whatever she says, and say whatever she wants to hear.
The key wasn't how much truth was in his words, but whether his words could make her more firmly believe that she had raised a son capable of restoring the Black family to its peak, or even surpassing it.
He only needed to provide her with enough material to boast about, and she would be content, immersing herself in the glorious fantasy she had woven, no longer disturbing what he truly needed to do.
Regulus turned away from the window and walked to his desk, sitting down.
His practice of Nature Magic was already on track.
The magical power of those magical plants indeed had an inherent inclination, as natural as water flowing downhill or fire rising upward.
Wizards transformed these inclinations into potions that could be ingested through boiling, mixing, fermenting, and rituals. He, however, skipped these steps and directly guided the magic itself.
The direction was correct, but the efficiency was laughably low. The entire magical power of a white dittany was only enough to heal a small cut, and cultivating one took a full three months.
However, the memories of Ancestor Eldrin told him that this path wouldn't be like this later on.
When one could harness the vitality of an entire forest, the flow of an entire river, or even the natural might contained within storms and lightning, that would be the truly worthwhile direction to pursue.
He was still at the starting line now, with only a few seeds in hand, but at least he knew in which direction to sow them.
Regulus leaned back in his chair, his thoughts wandering.
His current magical system was like something cobbled together from various parts. Star-track Guided Meditation formed the foundation, with other things piled on top.
He knew a little of everything, but nothing in depth. Nothing could truly become an absolute force capable of changing the course of a battle.
When a wizard's strength is still insufficient, mastering a few powerful spells can indeed boost combat effectiveness in a short time.
Expelliarmus can still knock down a group of people; the Shield Charm can block most attacks.
But if one truly wants to reach higher, relying solely on spells is not enough. It's like building a tower with sand; no matter how high you pile it, it's still made of sand and can be washed away by a single wave.
He thought of Dumbledore and Grindelwald. They were never powerful because of a single spell, but because they had their own understanding of magic, a complete system, and the ability to integrate different magics.
He wasn't sure about Lord Voldemort. Although Dumbledore had clearly stated that he had gone further than anyone on the path of the Dark Arts and understood death more deeply than anyone.
But Lord Voldemort indeed started with the Killing Curse and rarely used other magic.
Harry Potter's 'Expelliarmus conquers all' doesn't count; that really makes no sense.
Regulus pulled his thoughts back and continued pondering.
He was still in a period of rapid growth. His talent determined that his ceiling wasn't low, and apart from magics requiring specific aptitudes, he had almost no obvious weaknesses.
Therefore, before finding his own core path, well-rounded development was the optimal solution.
Spatial magic was a good direction, and Apparition was the first step into this field.
In the original story, Apparition was a sixth-year course, requiring a Ministry of Magic exam for legal use.
This was actually quite interesting. Spatial magic should be high-level power, yet it became a skill students could master.
The reason was probably that the principle of Apparition was relatively straightforward: wave the wand, lock onto the target, be determined, have clear intent, and you could tear through space and complete the displacement.
For him, these conditions were already met, so learning it wouldn't be difficult.
More importantly, Apparition would allow him to initially grasp the nature of space, laying the foundation for exploring more complex spatial magic later.
He needed this skill, not just for mobility, but to understand the rules of space, just as Nature Magic allowed him to understand the attributes of natural magical power.
He stood up, straightened his robe cuffs, and pushed the door open to leave his room.
Orion was in the study reviewing backlogged Wizengamot files. The quill made a soft rustling sound as it moved across the parchment.
Hearing the knock, he said "Come in" without looking up, his quill tip continuing to make notes beside a certain clause.
Regulus pushed the door open and entered the study, stopping before the desk.
Orion finished writing the last few words before setting down the quill. He leaned back into his high-backed chair, looking at his son, waiting for him to speak.
"I want to learn Apparition," Regulus stated his purpose directly. "I need you to supervise."
He was worried about Splinching, but not overly so. The main issue was the Anti-Apparition Jinx at home, which required Orion to lift.
Orion looked at him for two seconds, nodded, closed the open file, stood up from his chair, and said, "To the practice room."
The black iron door of the family training room slowly opened. Orion walked to the runic array in the corner, waved his wand, and a silver light flashed.
"The Anti-Apparition Jinx is lifted, but only within this room. Don't try to jump outside."
The training room had returned to its original state. Regulus walked to the center of the room and stood still, his wand slipping into his palm.
He suddenly thought of what this old house would become over twenty years later.
The Weasley twins would use this training room as their laboratory, creating all sorts of strange inventions here, blowing up the walls and floor to a state even more chaotic than after his last duel with Orion.
By then, the house would probably only have the Fidelius Charm still active, or perhaps one cast later. Other protective magics, including the current Anti-Apparition Jinx, would likely have long since failed.
It would be as if the house had died, leaving only an empty shell. The once vibrant magic within would have passed away along with its masters.
Sirius, what a wastrel!
Regulus reined in his thoughts and focused his attention on the present.
Orion stood by the door, his voice steady as he reminded him of the precautions: "Three things you must remember: Destination, Determination, Deliberation.
Missing any one could lead to Splinching, from leaving behind a few hairs to having your arms and legs separated."
Regulus nodded, his gaze falling on the stone platform in the opposite corner of the room. That was his destination.
He took a light breath and raised his wand level.
"Apparition!"
A sensation of compression instantly assaulted him from all sides.
The rubber tube appeared again, its walls pressing inward from all directions.
The air was brutally squeezed from his lungs. His ribs creaked faintly under the pressure. His vision darkened, and a sharp ringing sounded in his ears.
The next moment, the pressure abruptly vanished.
He stood beside the stone platform, still holding his wand. Orion was looking at him, his face expressionless, but a flicker of approval shone in his eyes.
Success on the first try. It was only to be expected.
Regulus stood still, carefully savoring every sensation from that fleeting moment.
This was different from when Orion had taken him along with Side-Along Apparition. Back then, he was a passive passenger, merely enduring the squeeze and release, with no control over the process.
It was also different from when Kreacher had taken him through space. House-elf magic seemed to have no process; you just blinked, and you were already somewhere else.
This time, he was in control.
He clearly felt space being forcibly pried open by some force. He squeezed through that crack and emerged from the other side.
Tearing open space with brute force and tunneling from one end to the other, while effective, was crude, direct, and utterly inelegant.
Orion walked over from the doorway. "How did it feel?"
"Like being stuffed into a tube," Regulus said, moving his somewhat stiff body. "And having to force your way out."
"That's the feeling," Orion said with a hint of a smile. "You'll get used to it after a few more practices. Once you're used to it, it won't feel so unpleasant."
Regulus didn't respond. Instead, he raised his left hand, his fingertips slowly tracing through the air as if drawing some invisible trajectory.
In that moment just now, he had seen something.
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