The residual magic in the training chamber had yet to dissipate. The protective runes etched into the stone walls still glimmered with a faint red light, and the floor was pitted and uneven, rubble scattered everywhere.
Regulus and Orion sat side by side on the ground, their backs against the cold black stone wall. The air still carried the heat and dampness left behind by colliding spells.
Regulus was regulating his breathing, restoring his magic. After a short while, he spoke first.
"Sirius not coming home might not be a bad thing."
Orion's movement paused. His gaze darkened, but he did not respond, waiting for Regulus to continue.
"He's comfortable at Hogwarts. James Potter and the others treat him sincerely, and the Gryffindor atmosphere suits him."
Regulus's tone was calm, as if he were talking about someone unrelated to himself.
"His temperament is too intense. The Black family's rules, the twists and turns of the pure-blood circle, he'll never accept any of that."
He turned to look at Orion. "The choice he's making now may seem rebellious, but it's actually the path that suits him best. Leaving Grimmauld Place and staying away from pure-blood conflicts is the only way he can live freely."
Orion remained silent, but fragments of memory suddenly surfaced in his mind.
When Regulus was young, whenever Sirius had been scolded by Walburga, whenever Sirius complained about the family's restraints, Regulus would casually talk about choices, about paths, about leaving.
Details Orion had once ignored now linked together, sending a jolt through his chest.
Could it be that this younger son had already been subtly guiding Sirius toward this road long ago?
"He'll stand with Dumbledore in the future," Regulus said with certainty, as if he were already looking at what lay ahead. "That's the best arrangement."
Orion lifted his eyes, confusion flickering there, along with careful scrutiny. "Why are you so sure?"
"The situation makes it obvious." Regulus traced lightly over the floor with his finger, sketching a simple outline of the factions involved.
"Voldemort's rise is, at its core, an assault by pure-blood supremacy on the existing order. What Dumbledore represents is the force that maintains a diverse balance.
Sirius despises the hypocrisy and cruelty of the pure-blood circle, so naturally he'll stand with Dumbledore."
Regulus's voice rose slightly. "And more than that, he's only suited to living in the light.
On Dumbledore's side, there's a righteous and open stance, friends who fight alongside him, and a sense of justice he believes in. Those are exactly the things he wants.
Letting him do what he truly believes in is far better than trapping him in the family and turning him into a resentful rebel."
Orion looked at his son's clear line of thought and listened to his orderly analysis, and waves stirred in his heart.
"The balance of the wizarding world has already been broken," Regulus continued, his fingertip never stopping.
"Pure-blood families control resources and heritage, yet cling stubbornly to tradition. In truth, it's just an unwillingness to give up benefits. Mixed-blood and Muggle-born wizards are rising, but they lack enough influence for now. That will change. They'll only grow stronger, until they can no longer be suppressed.
The Ministry of Magic appears to control everything, but in reality it's weak. Voldemort's appearance only dragged these contradictions fully into the open."
"The future won't be a simple black-and-white divide. It'll be about competing interests.
If Sirius stands with Dumbledore, he leaves the Black family a way out. We maneuver on this side and protect the family's foundation.
Two paths that complement each other. No matter which side gains the upper hand in the end, the Black family survives."
Orion was silent for a long time. The only sounds left in the chamber were the steady breaths of the two of them.
He had to admit that, when it came to predicting the future, he was not as sharp as his eleven-year-old son.
Regulus already possessed formidable strength, but more importantly, he had a clear mind and long-term vision. That mattered far more than raw magic when it came to ensuring the Black family's continued legacy.
After thinking for a long while, Orion finally nodded, his tone carrying a trace of release. "From now on, I won't interfere with his choices."
He looked at Regulus, his gaze turning solemn, as if making a formal handover. "Anything concerning him will be left to you."
Regulus did not respond. He simply looked quietly at his father.
Orion took a deep breath, as though he had made a difficult decision, his voice low. "Regulus, if it truly comes to it… you take priority."
Regulus understood what that meant.
Between the family's survival and Sirius's safety, his father had ultimately chosen the former. He had chosen the younger son who could better shoulder the Black family's future.
Something stirred in Regulus's chest. He did not say anything eloquent. He simply reached out and patted Orion's shoulder firmly, the strength in his palm steady and resolute.
Orion looked at his son's calm profile. The tension at the corners of his mouth eased into a faint smile, the heaviness in his eyes fading, replaced by relief and trust.
The conversation naturally shifted to the upcoming Malfoy family Christmas banquet.
"At Malfoy gatherings, all the major families will be there," Orion said.
Then he asked directly, "I want to hear your thoughts."
"If Voldemort wants loyalty, we give him loyalty. If he wants resources, we provide resources."
Regulus had already organized his thoughts. "But we can't go all in like the Lestrange family, binding the family's fate completely to him."
He refined the ideas he had once discussed with Narcissa. "We show loyalty on the surface, while maintaining independence in secret.
He needs the Black family's strength and prestige, and we use that as leverage. Within his sphere of influence, we preserve our own decision-making space and room to grow.
We don't provoke trouble, and we don't obey blindly. At critical moments, we need our own judgment. We can't let ourselves be completely assimilated."
Orion listened and nodded slightly, tapping his fingers against his knee. "What you're thinking aligns closely with the family's current plans."
His tone carried a shrewd edge. "Voldemort is indeed powerful, and his charisma is exceptional, even by wizarding history. But he hasn't reached the point where every family should stake everything on him."
He turned to Regulus and decided to share more internal details. "Some families are truly fanatical and follow him without reservation, but more are simply watching.
There are even a few families who deliberately push those foolish enough to the front, letting them pledge themselves completely. In reality, they're observing.
They want to see what kind of ending awaits those who attach themselves entirely to Voldemort."
Regulus's heart stirred, and he understood immediately.
He had always thought that, with a transmigrator's foresight, he saw the situation clearly, as if he had a god's eye view.
He had forgotten that Orion had led the Black family for many years and survived countless political struggles. When it came to these intricate maneuvers, Orion had far more experience.
The Black family's thousand-year legacy had never relied on brute force alone, but on this kind of cautious, calculated advance.
He had indeed been somewhat arrogant before, underestimating the survival wisdom of these ancient families.
But then another thought followed.
Even if Orion saw through it all, in the predetermined fate, the Black family still met a tragic end.
Walburga's fanaticism, Sirius's break from the family, Bella's madness, and Voldemort's suspicion and cruelty. None of those could be resolved by cleverness alone.
In the end, only sufficiently overwhelming power could allow one to control their own fate amid the storm.
Orion did not notice his son's thoughts and continued, "You want to place the Black family in the position of a collaborator. It's a bold idea, and a risky one.
Voldemort's desire for control is extreme. If he senses it, it would be seen as provocation, and the consequences would be dangerous."
Then his tone shifted. "But it's not impossible.
As long as we display enough value to make him feel the Black family is indispensable, while staying low and not stealing the spotlight or crossing his bottom line, we can quietly develop our own power right under his nose."
He looked at Regulus. "At the banquet, you'll stay by my side. Leave everything to me.
We'll put on the proper front, say what needs to be said, and avoid asking what shouldn't be asked. Your strength is already enough to earn their respect. There's no need to deliberately show it off."
Regulus nodded, then brought up the matter that had been on his mind. "Father, I want to see the inheritance stored in the family vault."
Orion's expression darkened immediately, and he refused without hesitation. "No."
"Why?" Regulus pressed.
"The family inheritance is not ordinary spellbooks," Orion said gravely.
"Our ancestors sealed the powerful magic they mastered in their lifetimes, their insights into magic, and their combat experience into memory crystals.
Those memories don't just contain complete methods. They also carry the ancestors' magic and spiritual will."
He emphasized his words. "That magic is immense, and the spiritual will is extraordinarily strong. To make contact rashly, at best, means being suppressed by an ancestor's will and having your own magical path affected.
At worst, it leads to mental collapse and backlash, turning you into nothing more than a vessel for the inheritance, stripped of your self."