[HP] Lost and Returning

When Regulus was very young, he didn't attract much attention at home, because his parents' attention was focused on his elder brother Sirius. Indeed, his elder brother was more dazzling than him, both in appearance and strength. , so many times, Regulus would always stay in the study or a corner to read quietly, docile and studious like a Ravenclaw.

Regulus likes black magic, not only because of his family's education, but also because of his own interests. If he likes it, he likes it, but he rarely uses those magics on a living creature. His cousin who knows him best Narcissa once commented on him, saying that he has the claws of a wolf but is kind like a sheep.Regulus felt that this was very good. It was just right for him to join Ravenclaw in the future. Although his family admired Slytherin, it was not impossible for Ravenclaw to be the second choice.

Unfortunately, everything was just his wishful thinking. In the year when Sirius entered Gryffindor, all his dreams were shattered into pieces. His mother cursed hysterically at home. Weeping, and his father frowned all day long. Regulus became the new hope and sustenance of his parents. They taught him that he must enter Slytherin, otherwise...

Regulus knew what was behind otherwise. He heard the ridicule from the noble families, and saw his father's more gloomy expression after he returned from a trip. He knew that he lost the right to choose a side, even if it was for his parents. He also had to enter Slytherin, and he had to serve the Dark Lord.

A year later, Regulus entered Hogwarts, entered Slytherin, and sat quietly at the corner of the long table. He looked at the place surrounded by gold and red opposite him. His brother smiled freely and freely, Sighing inwardly, he withdrew all his longing and expectations, and decided to be his Slytherin in peace.

Regulus is not very gregarious. He always likes to stay in the library and read books. He tries his best to minimize his presence. He doesn’t have many friends. In the past three years, he even tried to socialize with Ravenclaw students, but nothing happened. His own shy personality is one factor for his success, and Slytherin's isolation due to the turmoil in the current situation is another factor. Until the fifth grade, Regulus didn't make any real friends, and his cousin Narcissa took care of him as always, So he is not alone.

In the fifth grade, when Narcissa graduated and left school, Regulus didn't mind these things any more, books were his friends.

Regulus was a very docile young man, quiet but not gloomy, compared to the Severus who was a year older than him?According to Snape, that person was really gloomy and mean, so although Regulus had no friends, he was not particularly disgusting, except that Slytherin himself was not popular.

And everything turned around in the fifth grade. The original cause was a letter written by Regulus to his cousin Narcissa (of course, at that time, Regulus did not know that this was the beginning). He was already engaged to Lucius, and Regulus, who was actually a bit childish in his bones, added a sentence in his daily greetings with hidden black magic: Narcissa, I think Mr. Malfoy's hairspray on his hair is too much. too much.

Regulus didn't want to write it for anyone. He was very confident in his black magic, but he just found it very interesting. He believed that his sister would not find out. He was really bored and really just wanted to have some fun and entertain himself.

But no one would have thought that the owl delivering the letter flew directly to the hall of Malfoy Manor this time, and at this time, Malfoy Manor was welcoming His Royal Highness the Dark Lord.

A week later, Regulus was having breakfast at the long table when an owl threw him a package and flew away without even asking for payment.

pack?Regulus thought, could it be that Narcissa sent him?Other than that, he couldn't think of anyone else.Back in the dormitory, he opened the package and saw that there was a contact book inside, and there was only one line on the attached parchment: To anyone.

Regulus looked at the contact book in a daze, he knew what it was, a new game popular at Hogwarts, two identical notebooks, when one person was writing, both notebooks would display something, like The writing version of the double-sided mirror is similar to the game of making pen pals. According to the meaning on the parchment, it is probably someone who wants to find a virtual friend.

Regulus didn't think it was interesting, so he put away the contact book. He didn't have any friends, but he didn't need this kind of unrealistic communication.

For the next two months, he would still write a letter to Narcissa a week as usual, adding one or two swear words with black magic at the end as usual, as long as he thought of the serious face of cousin Narcissa When reading these letters, he found it interesting.

At Christmas, his elder brother had another big fight with his parents, dragged his luggage and left the house. Regulus hid himself in the bedroom, depressed, and ignored everyone.

At that time, the contact book just fell out of his luggage.

Regulus picked it up in a hurry, opened the first page in a strange manner, and wrote a sentence【This Christmas is terrible. ] After waiting for a long time, there was no response. A somewhat disappointed Regulus lay back on the bed again. That's right, he neglected things for nearly two months, so it's no wonder that someone paid attention.

Regulus kept looking at the ceiling, but couldn't fall asleep. He didn't want to go out. He could imagine that his mother must still be cursing or crying in the living room. In the middle of the night, Regulus got up to drink a glass of water, and his eyes fell again. Going to the contact book, I opened it again with self-deprecation, but suddenly found that there was an extra line on it【Do you use this as a special item for venting? ] Regulus suddenly wanted to laugh. Even if he couldn't see the other person's face, he could still imagine the dissatisfaction in the other person's tone. After thinking about it, Regulus sincerely apologized [Sorry, I'm not in a good mood today. ] I don’t know how to explain it. I haven’t used this all the time, so I simply don’t explain it.

【Same. ] After a long time, there was a reply over there.

Regulus didn't know whether the other party was pretending to comfort him or something else, so he didn't get to the bottom of it, he changed the subject [What are you doing? 】【Reading. ] Very short answer.

like reading?Regulus suddenly felt that it would be nice to have a pen pal he didn't know 【What kind of books do you like? 】【dark magic. 】

This word startled Regulus a lot. Those who like black magic are mostly Slytherins, but why is the character who speaks so blatantly to strangers so Gryffindor?

Regulus hesitated for a moment, but did not reply. He should not casually tell people that he also likes black magic.

At this time, another sentence emerged [I cast a spell on the owl, it will only send this contact book to people who have the same interests as me. ] The implication is: don’t hide it, you also like black magic.

Regulus' face flushed immediately, and his fingers holding the quill were tightened. He felt that he was teased, or offended, you bastard!Regulus closed the contact book heavily, gritting his teeth.

After about 10 minutes, the sleepless Regulus rested his chin in a daze. Being able to identify black magic on the owl proved that the opponent was still very powerful. In fact, Regulus, who lacked a confidant, finally reopened the contact book , followed the next sentence, with a grudge-like taunt [Really, obviously your spell was not good enough, the poor owl lost its direction after delivering the package and almost hit the wall. ] Regulus was satirizing the opponent for failing to eliminate the negative effects of black magic on the living body.It's just that Regulus still doesn't know that the so-called cursing the owl is just a fool's talk, and the real reason for the owl's gaffe is fear.

[If you are, what are you going to do? 】

[At least make it look like a normal owl. ] Regulus thought for a while, and then wrote [Use a spell to eliminate traces, so as not to arouse suspicion. 】

[Are you suspicious? 】

Regulus immediately became annoyed when he read this sentence, he didn't pay attention at all at the time [It's always good to be careful. ] Almost at the same time, another sentence appeared in the book [I think high-profile performances are the way to use black magic. 】Is the other party a Gryffindor?Regulus was confused, forget it, don't write this kind of speculation, if not, maybe the other party will recite it angrily, if you don't write this sentence, Regulus should not be stingy with the sarcasm [reduce black The negative reaction to magic is more important to protect yourself. Many black magics have their backlash effect, even if it is negligible, it will accumulate over time. This is common sense, I thought you knew it. 】The other party didn't reply for a long time, Regulus thought, he must be angry.

[Power is more important. ] Just when Regulus was tired of staring at it, this line of words floated out.

【Fool! 】Regulus shrugged, the pursuit of power while ignoring his own behavior seemed stupid to him【I don’t want to talk to you, I’m going to sleep. 】It is very strange that Regulus fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes. It seems that it is good to have someone to chat with him, although this person is a bit strange.

During the following Christmas holidays, Regulus would open his contact book and chat with that unknown person, mostly at night, because that person seemed to be very busy during the day, and the content of their chats was usually related to books and black magic, Regulus Si can feel that the other party is a person who has a lot of research on black magic, and likes to attack magic, but doesn't care much about defense. Apart from the awkwardness of the unknown identity, Regulus feels that he can chat with him very well.

The longer the chat, Regulus felt that he became a lot more frank. It was because he didn't know him that he was so unscrupulous. The other party should be a Slytherin, because this person knew many nobles. Regulus sorted out The data obtained are ultimately used to draw inferences.

[Those so-called etiquettes are necessary, but they are indeed trivial and annoying. ] Once, Regulus talked about the so-called Christmas party.

【Based on the banquet at Malfoy's house? ] The other party also knew that the etiquette of the No. [-] nobleman in the magic world was the most complicated.

[Probably, I doubt that Mr. Malfoy's first lesson since childhood was makeup. 】Regulus joked casually, he has always been puzzled by the fact that men love beauty, but his sister Narcissa likes that man very much【However, he does have the qualifications to show off. 】

[Is this a compliment? 】

[I think, for Mr. Malfoy, this is indeed a compliment. ] Regulus giggled, but unfortunately he couldn't tell his brother-in-law.

Because of this unknown friend, Regulus had a decent Christmas.

When he returned to school, he was busy with exams, but this time, he did not forget this friend. Every weekend, he would take a day to chat, talk about black magic, talk about his views on certain nobles, Talk about interesting things that happened around you, and it is really a good thing that someone is willing to listen to what you have to say.

A year later, Regulus, who was in the sixth grade, already placed this friend in a very important position in his heart. Although he didn't know the details of the other party's wealth, in his opinion, that kind of thing didn't matter at all.

One day, Lucius came to visit him at school and talked about joining the Death Eaters. As the Slytherin son of the Black family, he absolutely couldn't avoid this matter, but he didn't expect it to come like this quick.

"Let's talk about it." Regulus replied lightly, not daring to refuse completely: "I haven't graduated yet." Can he get some more time freedom.

Lucius just patted him on the shoulder and left, it was always good to ask Regulus' intentions before the Dark Lord spoke.

In the evening, Regulus flipped through the full contact book, and he was only a page or two away from finishing it. Sure enough, even having friends is a luxury for him, so let’s stop writing this time, it’s good for everyone

【Are you there? 】

【kindness. 】Their dialogue has developed very concise.

[It's almost finished. ] Regulus wrote pens.

[May I give you another copy of the owl? ] The other party wondered why it was necessary to raise such a non-issue.

[No need. ] Regulus had a hard time writing something like severing ties.

【What happened? 】

Regulus thought for a while, swirling a lot of thoughts in his mind, and finally only wrote a question [Are you a Slytherin? ] He thought he was a Slytherin, and now, he wanted to be sure.

【Are you actually questioning my academy?Or is it that I don't act like a Slytherin. 】The other party seemed very annoyed. After talking for more than a year, he was suspected of not being a Slytherin?

【No, no. ] Regulus smiled bitterly, bit his lips, and wrote a question that was not suitable for discussion [What do you think of the Dark Lord? 】It took a long time to reply this time, and there was no answer, just a rhetorical question【What do you think?What kind of person is he? ] Regulus suddenly felt a little crazy, talking about the Dark Lord seemed to be more taboo than talking about black magic, and remembering Lucius' visit in the morning, Regulus raised his pen and continued writing [I don't know. ] He really wanted to talk about this.

【have no idea? 】

【Are you a Death Eater? ] Regulus took a deep breath and asked. The other party's position will determine whether he can say more. He believes that the other party will not lie to him.

【no! ] There was an immediate response, without any hesitation at all.

【fine. 】Regulus is a little envious, the neutral Slytherin, how wonderful, but unfortunately, as Black, he has no choice.

【You think the Dark Lord...is bad? 】The other party's handwriting was a bit procrastinated, as if he had thought for a long time before using the word "bad".

[I don't know, it's rude to judge someone you haven't met. ] Regulus began to write down his true thoughts [I think the name Dark Lord is like a powerful symbol, just a symbol, but it has no sense of reality as a human being, and everyone is looking up to the existence of this power, with the most A humble gesture, but that's not what I want. 】【Why? 】

[Blindly following other people's words will only lead to losing oneself in the end, shouldn't a Slytherin raise his head and go his own way? ] Regulus drew heavily with the quill pen, with complicated and excited emotions [People are supposed to be equal, who would be willing to be another person's slave! 】【For profit? 】

[No interest can override freedom. ] Regulus wiped away the unshed tears from his eyes. He admitted that he was afraid. After Lucius came to him, he was afraid because of the fate he did not want to accept.

For a long time, there was no reply.

Regulus calmed down his breathing, and slowly wrote 【Sorry, let you listen to my complaint. 】【fine. 】

[Let's stop here for our contacts, I don't want to involve you in one day. ] Regulus wrote the final farewell word by word [Nice to meet you, no matter who you are, I will always remember you as a friend. 】The other party did not reply goodbye, Regulus's nose was sore, he was looking forward to a farewell, or something else?He doesn't know, but he can't expect anything superfluous, at least a "goodbye"!

After 1 minute, a line of words emerged [Tom, my name is Tom?Riddle. ] Regulus's heart warmed, and he smiled, even if the other party couldn't see [So, goodbye, Tom. 】Not telling the other party your name is also a form of protection.

Regulus closed the contact book, hugged it in his arms, and closed his eyes, as if he was holding a treasure. A quarter of an hour later, Regulus opened his eyes, and he threw the contact book into the flames. In the fireplace, there were some things that could not be left: "Goodbye, Tom." Regulus watched the pages of paper covered with handwriting turn into ashes, and then knelt powerlessly on the floor. He had nowhere to escape.