The Hogwarts treasure and such—was just too lethal a concept for a young wizard Severus's age! He couldn't even begin to imagine what would happen if Sirius Black and Potter found it first. They'd be absolutely insufferable.
At this point in time, Snape was far from the future master of Occlumency. Whatever he was thinking was practically written all over his face. Just by looking at his expression, Regulus knew—
He'd hooked Severus good.
"I'm trying to brew, uh… Amortentia," Snape hesitated, then decided to confess. "But it's not quite successful yet."
"What?! Why would you want to make that?" That was the last answer Regulus had expected. "No wonder it smells so pleasant."
"You nearly ruined my potion just now," Severus said, still a bit shaken, though his hand kept stirring without pause. "Seems like you know what this potion is used for."
Of course he did. This was the famously notorious Voldemort baby-making brew—The Love Potion!
In Regulus's private "House Cup," Severus had just earned himself a few more points. Severus continued, "As for what I want to use it for… uh, that I can't tell you—yet."
You're not thinking of using it on James and my brother, are you?
Regulus had a strange thought flash through his mind. Now that would be something to see.
"Everyone has their secrets, don't worry," Regulus said, suppressing a smirk and giving a shrug. "As for the Hogwarts treasure… well, from my earlier investigation, details can wait for later —" Regulus: because I haven't made it up yet. "—for now, I'm searching the castle for anything with Slytherin-related symbols."
He paused, then kept weaving the story: "It's partly luck, really. I'm exploring the castle as I go—and right here, I found a rather rare crest." Regulus shamelessly pointed to an ornate bronze faucet.
Snape set down his potion and stepped forward to examine it with Regulus. Sure enough, there was a serpent-shaped engraving. The craftsmanship was quite fine, though nothing especially remarkable at first glance.
"Lumos!" Regulus waved his glowing wand. Under the flickering light, the snake seemed to move, instantly making it look more impressive. "I'm still studying these different symbols. I heard this is Myrtle's territory, so I wanted to ask if she knew any secrets. But before you came in, we didn't really get along—she flew off."
"Severus, you must keep this a secret!"
"Of course. A Slytherin never tattles."
Snape's expression turned unusually serious.
There was nothing like sharing a secret to strengthen a friendship. If there were a friendship progress bar, Regulus was sure it had just shot up quite a bit.
"But now that you mention it," Regulus shifted the topic, "Amortentia goes for a pretty high price, doesn't it? I remember seeing someone selling it in Diagon Alley—a tiny bottle, just one sip's worth, and it cost quite a lot. At least sold by the Galleon."
Snape glanced toward his cauldron, half in doubt, but his eyes slowly lit up. The shimmering potion inside suddenly seemed to reflect a golden future.
"Of course, finding buyers at first won't be easy. And you'll need a large stock of ingredients. But if you can guarantee quality and consistency—not just with this one, but with other reliable potions too—there's real demand out there."
Regulus began seriously thinking it through.
"Sev, your family's in London, right? How about we check out Diagon Alley together over the summer?"
How did it suddenly become Sev—?
Severus was still a bit dazed.
"My family doesn't live in London."
"Then it's settled," Regulus cut off any chance of refusal. "I'm heading back. Take care. See you!"
"..."
…
The next day, May 12th, Saturday.
That morning, while having breakfast in the Great Hall, Regulus unexpectedly received a package delivered by owl.
"Dear Reg:
Cissy told us about your recent reckless behavior. We were very disappointed to hear that you caused trouble and were given detention.
However, Professor Slughorn also wrote to us. He said you only acted to demonstrate your spellwork, and that your performance has been excellent. We're no longer worried—well done. It seems you are working hard for the family.
Regulus thought: Professor Slughorn—smooth talker, definitely someone worth dealing with!
Remember to uphold the honor of the Black family! Do not follow in your brother's footsteps!
Final exams are approaching. We hope you'll achieve good results—we will reward you.
Yours sincerely,
Mum
P.S. Included are your favorite treats—made by Kreacher."
Regulus set the letter down and opened the package: inside were two bags of French pastries, not only his personal favorite but also Sirius's absolute weakness.
Speak of the devil—Sirius and Potter were walking over to the breakfast table, whispering something with clear tension between them.
Regulus picked up the package and walked over, just in time to catch bits of "Remus," "took time off," "kept it from us," and so on.
"Morning, Siri, James. Mum wrote me."
"Huh?" Sirius immediately looked alarmed.
"These are pastries made by Kreacher. This half is yours."
Regulus shoved one of the bags into Sirius's arms and smoothly sat down beside them.
Sirius had always been unable to resist Kreacher's pastries. He tore the package open right away, pulled out a piece and handed one to James. James chewed it skeptically—and then his eyes lit up.
"Wow, this is amazing! Kreacher made this? The one you said was—"
James tapped his temple and traced a little circle with his finger, "That house-elf?"
"Well, he is kinda nutjo…"
Sirius remembered that Regulus was fond of Kreacher, and swallowed the rest of his sentence.
"Yeah—his cooking really is flawless."
As he spoke, Sirius sharply noticed a few unfriendly, gossiping looks from the Slytherin table. He frowned and asked:
"Aren't you worried your housemates won't be too happy seeing you talk to us like this?"
"Who are they, and what does it matter to them?"
Regulus shrugged nonchalantly and dropped a deafening bit of motivational wisdom—
"If I cared about what they thought of me, I'd be their slave!"
Hearing something that deep come out of Regulus's mouth left both Sirius and Potter momentarily stunned.
"Pretty good, right? I read it in a Muggle book."
?!
At that, Sirius and James looked like they'd just been struck by lightning, completely speechless. Especially Sirius—his little brother, the young heir of the Black family, reading Muggle books? Even he hadn't gone that far yet!
Regulus calmly finished his pastry, cast a Cleaning Charm on his hands, and got up to leave.
He had a major project today—at Hogwarts—practicing climbing.
"Thanks for the pastry," Sirius felt he ought to say something. "Uh—we're heading to Hogsmeade later for the weekend. Want us to bring anything back for you?"
Wait a minute, you're only second-years, how are you even going to Hogsmeade?
Regulus kept that thought to himself.
"Thanks, but everything I wanted to buy, I already ordered by mail," Regulus said, spreading his hands. "What I really need now is an eagle."
"An eagle? Why do you need an eagle?" James asked, curious.
"Because an owl isn't an eagle," Regulus said helplessly, mentally complaining about the system again—You give me the 'Eagle Vision' skill but no actual eagle? What's that about?
"Owls obviously aren't eagles," Sirius said, amused by the resigned look in Regulus's eyes.
"Don't you think… owls kind of look like eagles with cat heads?"
Sirius chuckled, while James said carelessly from the side, "If you want an eagle, that's easy. Just ask your family."
Sirius nodded, adding silently:
"Especially now that Regulus is our parents' favorite. If he asks for an eagle, Kreacher'll probably bring him three."
Wait a minute.
That's right—he was a rich kid, too.
The kind from a family where the parents had already mentally written off the "large-sized older model" and were now spoiling the "precious younger version" like mad.
That was his real cheat code.