Regulus had a million highly illegal, deeply complex things he wanted to do, but absolutely none of it could be accomplished without unlocking his final, unredeemed system cheat—
Eagle Vision!
In the Assassin's Creed games, the protagonist could actively use the literal perspective of his soaring eagle companion in the sky to extensively and deeply scout enemy territory. He could mark targets through walls, track patrol routes, and even directly control the eagle to dive-bomb, harass, and physically attack enemies to create distractions.
When perfectly combined with his newly maxed-out 'Stealth' skill, Regulus could theoretically enter and exit various high-security wizarding locations completely unnoticed. He could easily map out the entire area from above, slip inside, and quietly knock out dark wizards from behind... or even lethally dispose of them before they could even draw their wands!
In his previous life, he had relied heavily on this exact skill combo to effortlessly break into Caesar's heavily guarded palace in Origins. A highly similar mechanic even existed in Hogwarts Legacy, where players could combine an active Disillusionment Charm with a high-ground perspective to cast guaranteed, unblockable Petrificus Totalus spells directly from the shadows.
And right here at Hogwarts, he had already successfully tested the physical stealth mechanics once on that miserable little rat, Peter Pettigrew, effortlessly knocking the Gryffindor unconscious without breaking a sweat.
Furthermore, his 'Climbing' skill allowed him to effortlessly scale almost any vertical surface that ordinary wizards would find impossible to navigate without a broomstick—from the sheer stone walls of Hogwarts to the towering roofs of Muggle London. Unless Fenrir Greyback possessed the ability to permanently hide inside a floating castle in the sky, Regulus would eventually be able to physically approach the werewolf, no matter where he chose to run.
These three passive skills—Stealth, Climbing, and Eagle Vision—were the absolute, undisputed best companions for a game-loving assassin looking to quietly kill and plunder his way through a magical war.
The final item sitting uselessly in his inventory, the 'Hogwarts Astronomy Tower Teleportation Point,' was honestly the least surprising cheat. After all, in this magical world, nearly every qualified adult wizard could simply Apparate across the country in an instant. However, since Regulus wouldn't legally be allowed to learn Apparition for another five years, having a guaranteed, instantaneous escape route back to the safety of the castle was undeniably a life-saving divine skill.
But to make any of this grand conspiracy work... he desperately, urgently needed an eagle!
As it turned out, finding a suitable, highly lethal bird of prey was vastly more difficult than the wealthy, pureblood 'rich second generation' Regulus had initially anticipated!
First, while he was aggressively grinding his climbing proficiency in the towering trees of the Forbidden Forest, he had actively tried to magically "exchange feelings" and bond with any wild eagles passing overhead. He had even gone so far as to prepare massive buckets of bloody, raw meat with Hagrid, attempting to lure the majestic predators down from the mountains. But his efforts had failed miserably; the raw meat only managed to attract a massive swarm of fat, lazy, gluttonous owls from the nearby Hogwarts Owlery.
Secondly, and perhaps most frustratingly—there were absolutely no actual eagles for sale anywhere in the Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley! And don't even mention Eeylops Owl Emporium; as Walburga had so helpfully pointed out, owls are unequivocally not eagles.
Furthermore, the idea of simply sneaking into the mountains and violently trapping a wild eagle with magic felt deeply inappropriate. It lacked the romantic, destined, lifelong bond that Harry Potter had instantly formed when he first locked eyes with Hedwig in the shop.
Regulus wanted to wait for the perfect, destined opportunity. But he also knew he couldn't just stand idly in the wild, foolishly waiting for an eagle to automatically "bow down" in submission to his overwhelming "kingly transmigrator aura."
"I actually know a place where the chances of finding what you're looking for are incredibly high," Sirius suddenly announced one evening in the drawing-room. Seeing his younger brother's deeply conflicted, frustrated expression regarding his lack of an avian companion, Sirius—who usually planned to stay entirely out of Regulus's bizarre hobbies—suddenly came up with a brilliant, highly chaotic idea. "It really just depends on whether or not you can successfully convince our 'dear' Father and Mother to take a highly unconventional field trip."
!?
Sirius always managed to pleasantly surprise Regulus.
And so, on the very first day of the summer holidays, Regulus found himself standing completely disheveled in the London wind, watching in utter disbelief as the aristocratic, fiercely anti-Muggle Orion Black casually pulled out a thick wad of Muggle pound notes. Without a hint of irony, the terrifying patriarch marched his two pureblood sons straight through the front gates of the world's oldest scientific zoo, located just north of Regent's Park.
The London Zoo.
It was the exact same Muggle establishment where a young, highly abused Harry Potter would eventually display his first major burst of accidental magical talent, vanishing a sheet of glass and freeing a massive Boa Constrictor.
As expected of a free, all-inclusive 'Harry Potter Themed' transmigration package, Regulus thought giddily. The lore accuracy is completely genuine! Overwhelmingly excited to be standing in a canonical location, Regulus immediately marched up to a vendor near the park entrance. He bought two cheap, Muggle-made lemon ice pops—exactly the kind Harry had eaten—shoved one into Sirius's bewildered hands, and happily started licking his own.
It was a quiet weekday afternoon, so the zoo wasn't overly crowded. The majority of the visitors were completely normal Muggle parents dragging their exhausted children around. If it weren't for the fact that his father and brother possessed exceptionally striking, aristocratic looks that made them resemble high-end Muggle movie actors, the Black family could have perfectly blended in with the surrounding tourists.
At Regulus's strong, completely nostalgic request, they headed straight for the Reptile House first. Behind the thick, brightly lit glass windows, dozens of massive snakes—the undisputed, biological representatives of Slytherin House—were either tightly coiled up under heat lamps, lying flat on heated rocks, hanging lazily from artificial branches, or slowly crawling around their enclosures, making soft hissing sounds.
Regulus stopped dead in his tracks in front of the largest display in the room. He stared intensely at the thick sheet of glass separating him from a massive, sleeping python. He narrowed his eyes, focusing all of his mental energy, desperately trying to make the glass simply vanish with his mind.
One minute passed. Two minutes. Three agonizing minutes...
The glass before him remained entirely, stubbornly solid. The giant python behind the glass remained tightly coiled up, completely still, sleeping soundly and ignoring him entirely.
Regulus sighed, dropping his intense glare. He had to humbly admit it: little Harry Potter's raw, accidental magical talent must have been terrifically high to be able to perform such complex vanishing magic simply by strongly wishing for it. Feeling slightly ashamed of his own lack of innate, wandless power, Regulus inwardly saved face for himself by secretly adding 'Intensive Wandless Magic Practice' to his already brutal summer training schedule.
Finally, leaving the disappointing snakes behind, they arrived at the massive, outdoor aviary dedicated to large birds of prey.
A prominent, brightly painted informational sign stood in front of an incredibly large, beautifully decorated, and heavily reinforced iron cage. The enclosure was easily two stories high. A small, noisy crowd of local citizens had gathered around it, immediately attracting the attention of the three wizards.
Regulus stepped forward, reading the brass plaque attached to the bars:
"Golden Eagle 'Godric' and his mate, 'Regina'."
The Golden Eagle (scientific name: Aquila chrysaetos) is a massive, highly lethal bird of prey native to the Northern Hemisphere. Belonging to the order Accipitriformes, it is globally renowned for its striking, majestic appearance and its incredibly agile, powerful flight capabilities.
"Godric" is undoubtedly one of the London Zoo's most notable, infamous stars. He possesses a highly documented history of rebellion, having successfully escaped from his reinforced enclosure twice in 1965, surviving in the skies over London for as long as two weeks at a time. During his second escape, the zoo was forced to borrow specialized tracking equipment from the Royal Navy, and 'Godric' was eventually lured back to the ground and captured by a team of specialized zookeepers.
What magnificent, terrifyingly intelligent great birds, Regulus thought, his breath catching as he stepped right up to the heavy iron bars. He stared up at the two majestic, beautifully plumed golden eagles perched high inside the cage.
Golden eagles. The absolute, undisputed kings of all birds of prey. And eagles... were technically eagles.
And these specific eagles already possess a documented, canonical history of violently breaking out of prison?! Regulus's eyes shone with pure delight. And they are a bonded pair?!
A dramatic, highly romanticized scene from the classic Wuxia novel The Return of the Condor Heroes suddenly popped into his modern mind. A wandering warrior, accompanied by massive, fiercely loyal giant eagles...
This was his ultimate fantasy romance.
Regulus stepped back, put his fingers to his mouth, and blew a sharp, piercingly loud whistle that cut through the chatter of the Muggle tourists. High above, the two lazy, clearly bored golden eagles—who had been miserably preening their dull feathers—were suddenly disturbed by the sharp noise.
As if guided by the invisible hand of fate (or at least, this was exactly how Regulus chose to romantically imagine it in his head), both massive birds snapped their heads around and looked directly down at Regulus and the other two wizards.
Dark grey eyes met fierce, piercing golden ones.
Godric, acting exactly as if he had been magically summoned, proudly raised his massive, feathered head. He spread his astonishingly long, powerful wings to their absolute maximum wingspan, opened his sharp golden beak, and let out a solemn, ear-splitting, utterly terrifying eagle cry that echoed toward the cloudy London sky!
"What incredibly elegant creatures," Orion murmured, a rare look of genuine, pureblood appreciation crossing his aristocratic features. "What fierce, beautifully free souls." Without anyone noticing, Orion's right hand was already firmly grasping the carved handle of the wand hidden deep beneath his Muggle coat.
Overwhelmingly excited, Regulus desperately tried to calm his wildly beating heart. He blew another short, distinct whistle, staring directly into Godric's golden eyes, trying to forcefully project the desperate question burning in his mind:
Would you like to come with me?
High on his artificial branch, Godric actually seemed to understand the magical intent. He immediately turned his massive head, letting out a series of low, clicking chirps to communicate with his mate, Regina, for a brief moment. Then, in perfect, eerie synchronization, the two massive golden eagles turned back to Regulus, nodded their heads sharply, and let out two slightly gentler, highly agreeable eagle cries.
A bright, translucent blue notification exploded across Regulus's vision:
[Skill "Eagle Vision" Successfully Bound. Bound Objects: Godric and Regina]
Instantly, a massive, overwhelming rush of foreign thoughts and raw emotions flooded directly into Regulus's mind. He could vividly, painfully feel Godric and Regina's profound boredom, their crushing depression, and their absolute, suffocating helplessness at being trapped inside the iron cage.
Suddenly, his vision fractured. He could effortlessly access four completely new, highly elevated perspectives at once. Through the eagles' eyes, he could see the distant, cloudy high sky, the pathetic artificial branches they were forced to perch on, and the tops of the heads of the noisy Muggle tourists standing outside the cage...
In an entirely unnoticed, shadowy corner near the back of the enclosure, Orion Black casually flicked his wrist, secretly casting a highly focused, wandless Reducto curse. High above, the thick metal bars forming the roof of the eagle cage began to silently twist, groan, and violently deform, tearing a massive, gaping hole in the iron mesh. The passage to absolute freedom was suddenly thrown wide open.
The very next morning, the bold, front-page headline of the BBC News read: "London Zoo Panic! Infamous Golden Eagle 'Godric' and Mate Mysteriously Escape Enclosure Yet Again!"
That evening, as the sun began to set over the gloomy rooftops of London, it was Sirius's turn to stand completely disheveled in the biting evening wind.
He stood frozen on the slate roof of 12 Grimmauld Place, his jaw practically unhinged, watching Regulus happily talk, gesture, and laughingly interact back and forth with two massive, terrifyingly lethal eagles that were easily over a meter tall.
Sirius aggressively rubbed his temples. He had obviously heard of Parseltongue—the fabled, intensely dark magical ability to speak to snakes. But Eagle-tongue?! Did such a ridiculous thing even biologically exist?! What in the name of Merlin's baggy Y-fronts is going on with Slytherin House these days?! Has a literal, biological descendant of Rowena Ravenclaw suddenly appeared in my family?!
If he brings those monsters to school, Sirius thought blankly, won't the entirety of Ravenclaw House go absolutely, completely insane with jealousy next semester?
Regulus, entirely ignoring his brother's existential crisis, was utterly thrilled. He had just discovered that his maxed-out 'Stealth' skill actively extended to his bound companions, Godric and Regina. This meant he could cast an area-of-effect stealth field around them, allowing the massive birds to fly freely over the densely populated skies of Muggle London completely unnoticed by radar or human eyes. This time, even if the Royal Navy and the British Civil Defence Force aggressively teamed up to hunt them down, they would never, ever be able to catch the eagles again.
"That is so bloody cool... Regulus, that is so incredibly cool..." Sirius muttered, his raw, unvarnished envy practically palpable in the evening air. He cautiously took a step closer to the massive birds. "Say, mate... do you think Godric and Regina could be trained to deliver mail? Because that would be vastly more intimidating than using a bloody barn owl."
"Sirius, you must understand that respect is deeply mutual," Regulus said softly. He offered a slow, highly respectful bow to the birds, and only after receiving a soft chirp of permission from Regina, did he reach out and gently stroke her beautiful, light golden back feathers. "If you want them to help you with anything... you must treat them as equals, not pets."
Respect is mutual.
Hearing the soft reprimand, Sirius paused. He looked at the fiercely proud, intelligent golden eyes of the massive eagles, and he suddenly seemed to deeply understand the weight of his brother's words.
"Hello, Godric. Hello, Regina," Sirius said, his voice dropping its usual arrogant drawl. He sincerely, deeply bent at the waist, offering the birds a flawless pureblood bow. When he straightened up, his beautiful, striking grey eyes were sparkling with genuine, boyish wonder.
Regulus watched him from the side and sighed internally. Alright. Fine. If anyone in this entire fictional universe was naturally born to play the role of the devastatingly handsome, tragic hero who falls in love at first sight and is doomed to a life of dramatic, romantic misery... it absolutely had to be his older brother, Sirius Black.