The moment Regulus sensed it, a chill ran up his spine.
This was not ordinary Dark magic.
Ordinary Dark magic was aggressive and destructive. It had direction and intent.
This was different. It felt alive, something that had taken root inside Hermes, spreading, feeding.
Its magical nature was cold and viscous, steeped in despair. The feeling was intrinsic, like poison being inherently toxic. This spell was inherently despairing.
It was reproducing inside Hermes's magical system. Every second, it gnawed at his magic, devouring it and converting it into nourishment for itself, releasing more despair in the process.
Standing beside the bed, Regulus let his fingers shift slightly and sent out a thread of magic, thin as silk.
The instant it touched Hermes's skin, a dense darkness wrapped around it.
Within that darkness echoed countless wails of despair, as though thousands were struggling in unbearable agony. It clung like a bone-deep parasite, infectious, surging along his magical thread and trying to burrow into him.
His mind moved at once. He severed the thread.
The mental barrier formed through his star guided meditation snapped into place, blocking the invading darkness outside his body and dissolving it in an instant.
It resembled a magical plague, warped and twisted by Dark magic, saturated with the stench of a curse.
Hogwarts professors were never short on methods. Broken arms, shattered legs, even snapped necks could be healed as long as the student had not died on the spot. Ordinary curses were hardly worth mentioning.
But this level of Dark magic, this level of curse, would absolutely be a priority for the faculty.
Cuthbert stood beside Regulus, his brow drawn tighter than ever. The anger in his eyes nearly spilled over, yet he forced it down, fists clenched at his sides.
"He…" Cuthbert's voice trembled. "Will he wake up?"
Madam Pomfrey approached, carrying a silver tray lined with glass vials filled with strangely colored liquids.
"He will," she said evenly. "But it will take time. This kind of curse must be drawn out slowly. It cannot be rushed."
"What kind of curse is it, Madam?" Regulus asked.
She glanced at him, her gaze sharp and unyielding. "You do not need the details. The professors will handle it."
Alex stood at Regulus's side, head lowered, unable to look directly at Hermes. His hands were buried in his robe pockets, his body trembling faintly, fear written plainly in his eyes.
Cuthbert swallowed. "Who would use something like this on him…"
"I don't know," Madam Pomfrey cut in. "The professors are investigating. It is not your concern."
She looked at Regulus. "Visiting time is over. Go to class. Do not linger here."
Regulus inclined his head. "Thank you, Madam."
He turned and walked out. Cuthbert and Alex followed. At the doorway, Regulus glanced back once.
Hermes lay against the white sheets like an unfinished corpse.
A thin line of morning light slipped through a gap in the curtains, landing precisely on the dark blotch along his neck. Under the light, the edges shimmered with a sickly purple-black sheen.
Outside the Hospital Wing, several Hufflepuff students hurried past with bread in hand, their laughter echoing against the stone walls.
Once they were clear of the corridor, Cuthbert could not hold back any longer. He muttered a curse under his breath. "This is disgusting. Whoever used something that vicious… I'll drag them out myself."
Alex nodded, still shaking. "It's horrible. Those marks… just looking at them makes my skin crawl. If that ended up on us…"
Regulus did not respond to either of them.
If Hermes had been injured while exploring the castle on his own or carrying out some family task, then it was simply a matter of insufficient ability. He would have reaped what he sowed.
Regulus could have ignored it entirely.
But if someone had attacked him, that changed everything.
Hermes might no longer have followed him, but he was still a member of their dorm. Last term they had moved together as a unit. An attack on him could easily be interpreted as a provocation.
If it was deliberate, Regulus could use it.
Follow the thread. Identify whoever stood behind it. Understand their motives or their faction.
Turn this incident into leverage to consolidate his position, and perhaps clear out potential threats within Slytherin.
Part of him almost hoped it had been deliberate.
It would give him legitimate grounds to intervene. And perhaps unravel the secret behind that vicious magic.
That aura, thick with countless strands of despair and suffering, was unlike anything he had encountered before. It hid something dangerous.
Regulus withdrew his gaze and continued walking. "Back to the dorm."
Cuthbert and Alex nodded and followed. There was still time before class.
Their expressions were complicated. Cuthbert still burned with anger. Alex remained shaken, unable to shake the image of Hermes's condition.
Regulus, meanwhile, was already planning his next move.
He remembered the hand-drawn map Hermes had kept.
On it was a marked room beneath the Astronomy Tower, with a note beside it. Suspected entrance. To be verified.
Hermes's frequent night wanderings were most likely related to that location. His injury was probably connected to that entrance.
Back in the dorm, Cuthbert sat on his bed, muttering curses as he tried to figure out how to identify the culprit.
Alex sat at his desk, cradling a mug of hot chocolate in both hands, attempting to steady himself. His eyes were still restless.
Regulus ignored them and walked to Hermes's bed.
He opened the bag and found the map exactly where he expected it to be.
The paper had yellowed slightly. Ink lines densely traced out a section of the castle.
He flipped through the markings and, as expected, saw a new line of writing beside the room beneath the Astronomy Tower.
[Entrance confirmed. Warded. Breaking protections.]
The handwriting was hurried, scrawled quickly. It must have been updated shortly before Hermes was injured.
Regulus returned the map to its place and turned toward Cuthbert and Alex.
"After classes this afternoon, you're coming with me to the Astronomy Tower."
Cuthbert's head snapped up at once, eyes bright. "The Astronomy Tower? You think Hermes's injury is connected to it?"
"He was investigating a hidden entrance beneath it before he was hurt," Regulus replied calmly. "We'll see for ourselves."
Alex's face went pale. He shook his head instinctively. "We're really going to a place like that? What if it's dangerous?"
"Staying in the dorm does not guarantee safety," Regulus said, meeting his gaze. "If you want to avoid ending up like Hermes, then come."
Alex's lips parted, but he said nothing more. He lowered his head and took another sip of hot chocolate. The fear in his eyes remained, but there was now a reluctant resolve beneath it.
Cuthbert, on the other hand, looked almost excited. He rubbed his hands together. "Fine. I'm in. Whatever's down there, if it dared hurt someone from our dorm, I won't let it slide."
One compelled. One eager.
Regulus, however, was thinking about something else entirely.
Team building.
Not because he needed their help.
Because he needed them involved.
Cuthbert needed to understand his place through action. Alex needed to see the value of protection through fear.
And Regulus needed to evaluate the usability of this fledgling team.
Cuthbert was the heir to the Avery family. Proud by nature, but he respected strength and had already shown signs of aligning himself with it.
He needed experience handling unconventional situations if he was to become reliable in the future.
Letting him participate in seeking justice for a dorm mate would deepen the sense of "we act together."
It would also allow Regulus to observe his judgment and execution under pressure, and decide how best to shape him.
Alex was from a weaker branch of the Rosier family. Timid, but meticulous.
Hermes's injury had shaken his sense of safety. Letting him witness danger being controlled would reinforce his trust in Regulus's protection.
This would also be the first time the three of them confronted a crisis together. A useful test of coordination.
Having both present meant they could corroborate what happened, preventing later distortions or concealed details.
And if real danger arose, numbers could divide attention. They could serve as lookouts or provide cover for retreat.
---
At noon, the Great Hall was loud with chatter.
At the Slytherin table, news had inevitably spread.
Many were discussing Hermes's hospitalization. Some sounded curious. Some almost gleeful. Others carried a faint note of caution.
Regulus and the other two ate in silence, joining no discussion.
Cuthbert scanned the room from time to time, as if searching for suspicious faces.
Alex kept his head down, eating quickly.
Regulus remained composed, slicing his steak at an unhurried pace while quietly listening to the conversations around him.
Whenever words like Dark magic or night wandering surfaced, he committed them to memory.
After finishing their meal, the three of them returned directly to the dorm.