Chapter 12
The Brothers Grimm's fairy tales were filled with various stories that children love. Regulus, although aware of this, had never been exposed to such books as a member of a traditional wizarding family; instead, he grew up surrounded by various dark magic texts.
Now, the reason Regulus is interested in a fairy tale is because of his previous life.
That was an extremely ordinary life, not a wizard and without magic, but this life taught the boy named Regulus a lot, such as viewing the same thing from different perspectives.
Although Grimm's Fairy Tales are considered fairy tales, they contain many materials related to wizards.
Regulus is certain that in his ordinary life, there were indeed wizards, but there are also fairy tales about wizards, such as the Harry Potter series of movies and books, which were his favorites as a child.
For Regulus, personally participating in the world of Harry Potter, even becoming one of the wizards, equipped with a system and familiar with the plot, feels like a dream.
Looking back at the fairy tales, Sleeping Beauty was cursed by a witch and fell into a deep sleep, Snow White was persecuted by a witch and fled, Princess Lettuce was raised by a witch, Cinderella was able to attend the ball thanks to her fairy godmother, and the elements of witches or wizards are countless in other stories.
Those once ordinary fairy tales have all changed in the eyes of the current Regulus.
Especially in this edition of Grimm's Fairy Tales, there are even comments from different readers.
"What are the blessings of the thirteen witches in Sleeping Beauty? Why didn't the author write them down?"
"Is the magic mirror in Snow White actually the Erised Mirror? But it feels a bit different."
"Princess Lettuce is so stupid; she could escape to play just by braiding part of her hair into a rope."
"The way to transform into an animal in the fairy tales, could it be Animagus?"
"You can turn into a frog and claim to be a prince to play tricks."
"There are princes and princesses everywhere, giants and dwarfs everywhere, talking animals everywhere, and Muggles using magical props everywhere. Did the Muggle who wrote this book go crazy?"
Regulus flipped through the pages, a rare smile appearing on his indifferent face, even though he had quite a bit of the mischievous nature of a wizarding child.
Thinking of the Erised Mirror, this magical item is somewhere in Hogwarts, used by Dumbledore to comfort Harry Potter, allowing him to see his parents, whom he had never met, soothing the child's young heart.
Later, the Invisibility Cloak was given to Harry Potter, triggering his adventurous spirit and guiding him through the process of defeating the Dark Lord.
The last appearance of the Erised Mirror was when Harry Potter faced Voldemort in the Chamber of Secrets, which also led to Professor Quirrell's death.
At noon, Regulus Black went to the dining hall on the first floor for a meal, casually glancing around.
Among the four long tables of students from different houses, Gryffindor's table was the loudest, while the other three houses were much quieter.
Ravenclaw's table was the friendliest, with upperclassmen taking good care of the younger students.
Slytherin's table had the most style, with most people striving to act elegantly and nobly.
Hufflepuff's table was the most casual, with all students interacting like family, close and harmonious.
"Professor Snape! Do you have any... interesting stories from today's class?"
Regulus turned to ask Severus Snape beside him.
Snape's movements were almost stiff as he finally turned his neck toward Regulus.
"Aside from a few fixed accidents, there's nothing else, and I hope there are no accidents at all."
As a responsible teacher, Severus Snape was quite diligent, even though his teaching style was high-pressure.
Regulus Black began to eat his lunch, but Severus Snape beside him showed no signs of letting up, continually turning his head to look at him. Being stared at like this made the meal taste even less appealing.
Gracefully setting down his knife and fork, wiping his mouth, Regulus prepared to explain the previous topic.
"I know Harry Potter is also a new student, and I believe that the savior who can defeat the Dark Lord must have some extraordinary traits."
Regulus' words were merely to express that he was just curious, nothing more.
Severus Snape squinted for a moment before turning back to continue eating his lunch.
"A mediocre talent, with nothing inherited from his parents except for his looks."
"Believe that over time, his merits will become apparent."
The two ended their conversation, which eased the minds of several professors nearby.
With Snape alone, there was already a storm brewing; now with a Black joining, well, looking at the surname, it certainly leans towards dark.
As long as the two kept a low profile, it was fine; after all, darkness can be like a shadow—present yet not bothersome.
However, if these two turned into rolling black clouds, then thunder and lightning would only spell disaster.
Professor Flitwick was already prepared to use a disarming charm as soon as they made a move!
Finally, they could eat in peace; what a relief!
Dumbledore sat at the center of the professors' long table, seemingly unfazed by the conversation happening to his right, his expression calm and composed.
Although Regulus did not specifically look at Dumbledore, he could sense the gazes of those around him; Dumbledore was definitely not paying attention to this side, which made it a bit hard to gauge his attitude.
The magnanimity of a superior? Hmph...
Regulus quickly finished his lunch and quietly waited.
Just a second after pushing his plate away, a hundred owls swarmed in from both sides of the hall.
These messengers brought a variety of letters, including forgotten school supplies from students' homes, ordered newspapers and books, and family letters.
"Hey! Look! Neville received a rememberall."
"I know this; if you forget something, red smoke will appear inside the ball."
The studious Hermione immediately clarified the function of the memory ball.
Neville stared blankly at his memory ball, feeling doomed! "The problem is... I can't remember what I forgot."
Meanwhile, Harry Potter was captivated by a news article in the Daily Prophet about Gringotts being breached by unidentified wizards or witches, specifically the vault 713 that Harry had previously visited. He knew Hagrid had taken the only item from the vault, and the Gryffindor trio immediately slipped into detective mode.
Soon, several owls flew toward the professors' table, delivering a package to Regulus Black.
With a loud "thud! thud! thud!" it was clear that the dropped item was quite heavy.
Professor Trelawney was startled and ended up splashing water all over herself.
"Professor Trelawney, I hope you weren't burned; let me clean that up for you."
Regulus first expressed his apologies and then helped her clean up before opening the package on the spot.
Inside were books ordered from the Leaky Cauldron: "Magical Aquatic Plants of the Mediterranean and Their Properties," "Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them," "A Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi," "The Complete Book of Potions," and "Powerful Potions."
The Ink and Quill stationery shop sent automatic shorthand pens, color-changing ink, a large bundle of parchment, a brass balance, a telescope, and a set of crystal vials, all of which were customized products.
The Tailored Robes shop delivered a package of clothing, including several sets of custom personal outfits, different styles of wizard robes, and two pairs of dragon-hide gloves, all in black.
The Patched Cauldron shop sent a complete set of cauldrons in all sizes and materials.
This shop sold cauldrons of various models and materials, with a shiny sign outside that read:
Cauldrons All sizes; Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver, Self-Stirring, Collapsible.
Lastly, from the Eeylops Owl Emporium came a large owl, its claws holding a birdcage containing a young owl, similar in kind to Harry Potter's Hedwig, both being snowy owls.