Dear Miss Marietta Edgecombe,
Greetings as if we were meeting face-to-face. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation on the train today. I heard that your mother is Madam Edgecombe, a high-ranking official in the Floo Network Authority of the Department of Magical Transportation. Many of your peers would envy you for such a connection. I wonder if I might be fortunate enough to receive an introduction, and perhaps get to know your family. I believe that would greatly benefit my own networking within the Ministry of Magic.
However, upon further reflection, such a request might come across as taking advantage of our friendship, staining it with motives of personal gain—and that's not something I wish to see happen. So, perhaps it's best to set aside the idea of an introduction for now.
Even as I wrote those words above, I felt they were inappropriate. But since my intentions are purely grounded in friendship, I won't go back and rewrite them. Instead, I would like to extend an invitation to you and your family to visit the old Black family estate. My house-elf is quite skilled at preparing an excellent steak.
Finally, I wish you a joyful Christmas. As a token of friendship, I've prepared a gift which will be delivered together with this letter.
Your friend,
Regulus Black (handwritten)
At that moment, Regulus Black's snowy owl was happily pecking at the sausages on a plate. The letter and gift had already been delivered, but the recipient hadn't opened the window to let the owl leave—clearly, they intended to write a reply.
The gift Regulus Black had sent to Marietta Edgecombe was a lipstick—a well-known, high-end product even in the Muggle world. If Marietta's family paid any attention to Muggle society, they would surely accept the gift and understand its value.
Upon receiving the lipstick, Marietta Edgecombe was overjoyed for quite a while. After all, her family background gave her some exposure to Muggle products, and she herself was very interested in women's fashion trends.
She couldn't wait to try it on in front of the mirror. Of course, she'd also have to think about matching makeup, hairstyle, accessories, and clothes—but the lipstick's shade was truly stunning, especially since it complemented her reddish-gold hair.
"Oh right! I need to write back to Mr. Black."
Licking her soft, golden-red lips, Marietta, still in her thin pajamas, lay across her desk and began to write her reply.
Dear Miss Penelope Clearwater,
Greetings as if in person. It was a pleasure chatting with you on the train today. I could see that you are a very intelligent and beautiful young woman. From your surname, I gathered that you don't come from a pure-blood wizarding family. I sensed a touch of insecurity in your words, perhaps stemming from that fact.
That thought saddened me deeply. Such a talented and graceful student like yourself shouldn't feel that way just because of family background. This, I believe, is the fault of outdated beliefs. I sincerely hope that someone as brilliant as you won't concern yourself with such things.
One day, when you marry another wizard, your children will be considered pure-bloods as well.
See? The so-called concept of "pure-blood" is really that simple. It only takes time for it to solidify.
Compared to the vast knowledge that awaits in our world, this notion isn't even worth mentioning. It is in the sea of learning where Ravenclaw's little eagles spread their wings and soar.
If you ever run into any academic questions, feel free to come to me. I'd be happy to share my humble knowledge to help clarify things for you.
Let me share a little secret—Ravenclaw is the most united house at Hogwarts and holds considerable influence within the Ministry of Magic.
Never look down on yourself. Once you leave Ravenclaw, you'll see how wide the world truly is. The worries that once burdened you will simply become scenery along the roadside—worth noticing, but not worth lingering over.
When the day comes that you open your doors to guests, I hope I can be the first to visit.
This Christmas, I've prepared a gift that I believe any young woman would appreciate. I hope you'll like it.
Your friend,
Regulus Black (handwritten)
The gift Regulus Black sent to Penelope Clearwater was also a lipstick—one that matched beautifully with her curly brown hair. It was a reddish-brown shade. Coming from a mixed-blood family, Penelope was a little surprised by the price after reading the brand name on the packaging.
Watching the snowy owl—who had just finished the bacon on her plate and showed no signs of leaving—Penelope quickly grabbed pen and paper to write her reply.
After delivering two letters in a row, Regulus Black's snowy owl, Rena, was starting to feel a little tired—and more than a little full.
Each household she visited had offered generous food and drink. Not eating would've seemed rude… and the food was admittedly delicious. Her food intake today had far exceeded normal levels. But now, seeing her master Regulus Black walking over with yet another letter, Rena gave a disgruntled hoot.
"So exhausted! So exhausted! No—so stuffed! So stuffed! I can't fly anymore! I can't fly anymore!"
Regulus Black gently stroked his messenger owl, calming her down from her frustration.
"Rena, this one's for Zhang Qiu. Just one last trip—I promise. No need for a reply this time, so don't go stuffing yourself again."
Already lying on the table in protest and rolling around, Rena was coaxed back into action after her master massaged her belly a few times to help her digest. She flipped upright, gave Regulus Black a cheerful hoot, grabbed the letter in her beak, and soared into the evening sky.
After returning home, Zhang Qiu spent a joyful Christmas with her family. Her room was stacked with quite a number of gifts, most of which were from her fellow Ravenclaws. After a satisfying Christmas dinner, Zhang Qiu was sitting on her bed, unwrapping presents.
A tapping sound at the window caught her attention—it was a white snowy owl outside.
Zhang Qiu took the letter, and with a whoosh, the owl flew off. The letter was written in Chinese, and surprisingly, the envelope indicated it was from Regulus Black—even his name was written using its Chinese transliteration.
Dear Miss Zhang Qiu,
Greetings as if we were meeting face-to-face. I greatly enjoyed our conversation on the train today. First of all, I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas.
I've always had a strong interest in Eastern culture, which is why I've been teaching myself Chinese. If there are any mistakes in my writing, please don't hesitate to correct me.
If possible, I'd truly love to experience the atmosphere of the Lunar New Year in an Eastern country—ideally with a beautiful and familiar friend as my guide, so I could gain a deeper understanding of the local culture and history.
"There's always something to learn from others," and "reading thousands of books is no substitute for traveling thousands of miles"—these two sayings are ones I personally admire very much.
To have a confidante on the path of seeking knowledge—now that would be one of life's greatest blessings.
If you need help with anything at school, feel free to come to me. I may not be a professor, but I am at least a teaching assistant.
P.S.: I know you're Hermione's sister. Among Ravenclaw students, friendships transcend time. Thank you for your care and concern for Hermione. The different cultural atmospheres between our two houses might make it hard for her to stay unaffected—please help guide your sister toward the sea of knowledge.
Courage isn't just the roar of a lion atop a grassy hill; it can also be the wings of an eagle braving the storm.
Your friend,
Regulus Black (handwritten)
Zhang Qiu read the letter several times. Sensitive as she was, she picked up on certain hidden meanings between the lines.
Blushing, she slipped the letter back into the envelope—only to notice something else inside.
She gave it a gentle shake, and a simple silver ring tumbled out. At the same time, the envelope transformed into a mouth and began to speak:
"I'm giving you a magical item I made myself. This ring is called 'EI.' It offers a bit of defense, improves your spell accuracy, and provides a touch of illumination. It's not a very powerful magical tool, and I don't have much use for it, so I'm giving it to you as a Christmas present!"
'EI': In the game Diablo, it's a rune stone that provides different effects when socketed into different armor parts. Specifically, it offers: +50 to Accuracy, +1 to Light Radius, +15 to Defense, and +1 to Brightness.
Regulus Black had managed to craft a ring that included all four of those attributes. Though it might seem insignificant in the game world, in the wizarding world, this kind of item was quite the treasure. After all, when game stats are applied to the real world, they can be quite exaggerated—especially considering how Diablo characters in the late game could have attributes in the hundreds of thousands.
'EI'... Love?
Zhang Qiu's mind went momentarily blank—but her hand instinctively slipped the ring onto her finger.
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