Early summer, 1973.
A breeze rippled across the Black Lake, scattering the reflection of clouds into playful waves. For Britain, it was almost suspiciously good weather. Students had spilled out during lunch break—reading, practicing charms, sharing food, flirting, gossiping, falling in love, or just making themselves noticed.
"Lily! Did you hear? Regulus from Slytherin's going to jump off the Astronomy Tower!" Mary Macdonald's voice was practically bouncing with excitement, her Gryffindor robes swishing as she rushed over.
"Regulus? The quiet Black boy? What on earth could drive him to that?" Second-year Lily Evans frowned, concern creasing her brow. "Jumping off the Astronomy Tower? That's insane—we've got to stop him!"
"Lily, don't forget—we're wizards." Mary, breezy as always, twirled her wand with a grin. "I'll bet you three Silver Sickles he'll be fine."
Even after nearly two years at Hogwarts, and with Quidditch players zooming around overhead on a regular basis, Lily still thought the risk sounded ridiculous. A Quidditch pitch was what, fifty feet up? The Astronomy Tower was at least four times that.
Rumour, of course, travelled through Hogwarts faster than a Golden Snitch, and it wasn't long before it reached the ears of Sirius Black—who, lounging by the lake, looked both baffled and annoyed.
"Jump off the Astronomy Tower?"
"No, I really don't know."
"Maybe he's being bullied by other Slytherins?" Remus Lupin suggested cautiously. Regulus had always carried that air of being just a little too easy to pick on.
Sirius, Hogwarts' reigning golden boy, scowled and shoved wind-tossed hair out of his face.
"Your brother's up to something," James Potter muttered, idly tossing the Golden Snitch between his hands. When Sirius didn't answer, James pocketed the Snitch and grabbed his arm. "Come on, let's see what's going on."
Remus rose as well.
"What's the point? If he's dead set on jumping, I can't exactly stop him," Sirius grumbled, though he let James drag him to his feet, eyes flicking nervously toward the tower.
More and more students gathered on the Astronomy Tower, and down in the courtyard below, a crowd had already formed, staring upward.
…
At the very edge of the tower, black hair whipping in the wind, stood a skinny boy in Slytherin robes—Regulus Black. From behind, he almost looked like a miniature version of Sirius: straight posture, dark hair, undeniable presence.
Inside, though, his thoughts were a mess.
Transmigration? A System?
He hadn't grown up with abusive relatives. He wasn't some mistreated orphan. He didn't even have a beautiful younger sister to look after.
So why him?
A modern soul, dropped into Regulus Black's body in 1973. And all because his Steam username happened to be "Regulus"? If he'd known, he'd have picked "Sirius" just to enjoy being ridiculously good-looking.
And really—why here? Why not in Harry Potter's timeline, where he actually knew the canon plot? He could've played the stock market, invested early in Apple, retired rich.
But no. He'd landed in 1973, Voldemort at his peak, even Dumbledore keeping his distance.
As Regulus, he was… more than a little uneasy.
Once again, he called out to the suspicious "Steam System" that had come along for the ride—
[Quest: Leap of Faith — Jump from the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts]
[Reward: Assassin's Creed skill set]
[Progress: 0/61]
[Witnesses: 144/976]
What the hell? This was Hogwarts! If cheats were on the table, why not give him Hogwarts Legacy powers? That version of him had torn through Death Eater strongholds like they were paper, stomping Voldemort along the way.
Still… if he was honest, against fragile wizards, the Assassin's Creed toolkit might actually be more useful than slogging through spellbooks.
He wasn't sure what the "witness count" meant, but if the System wanted a spectacle, then fine—he'd give them one. A grand Leap of Faith.
Shortcuts were popular for a reason.
Even if he wasn't sure his faith was strong enough.
The wind whipped past, cold and sharp. Regulus clenched his jaw and decided to trust the System.
Life was a grand adventure. The brave got to enjoy it first—or die trying. He slid his wand back into his robes, psyching himself up. All or nothing.
Either way, life ended in a fall.
"Filch and Madam Pomfrey are here!" someone shouted from below. "And Madam Hooch! Professor Slughorn!"
The crowd parted as Slughorn wheezed his way through, flanked by two witches.
"Cough—Rolanda, Poppy—no need to panic. If I recall, the Astronomy Tower is warded to prevent students from harming themselves. He shouldn't be able to—"
Slughorn's words cut off as his eyes bulged, nearly popping from his head.
"Merlin's beard!!"
Because in front of everyone, Regulus stepped forward, struck a dramatic pose—
—and jumped.
Somewhere above, an eagle's cry split the air.
[Progress: 1/61]
[Progress: 2/61]
Teachers and students surged toward the parapet.
"Leviosa!"
"Arresto Momentum!"
Spells shot down, but every one of them missed. Under the System's influence, Regulus twisted midair, pulling off a forward 270-degree flip to land back-first.
The counter ticked up. Faster and faster.
…
[Progress: 60/61]
[Progress: 61/61]
And just like that—faith outweighed gravity.
There was no sickening splat.
Instead, Regulus vanished into the low trees just beyond sight, crashing through branches like a fish diving into water. A bird, disturbed mid-preening, gave him a side-eye and went right back to grooming its feathers.
Calm, composed, Regulus pulled out his wand. He pointed it at a leaf, muttered—
"Leviosa."
Then he stepped out of the brush, brushing twigs and leaves from his robes, utterly unharmed.
[Quest Complete: Leap of Faith]
[Unlocked Passive Skill: Stealth (Proficiency 0/100)]
[Unlocked Passive Skill: Climbing (Proficiency 0/100)]
[Unlocked Skill: Eagle Vision (Proficiency 0/100)]
[System notice: no eagle companion detected; skill unavailable]
[Unlocked Fast Travel Point: Hogwarts Astronomy Tower (Cost: 10 witness points)]
…
Only then did Regulus notice his heart hammering like mad.
God, that was exhilarating.
He threw both arms up to show he was perfectly fine, flashing a victorious grin at the stunned onlookers.
From the tower, he was just a tiny black speck moving.
From the ground, the crowd gasped as one.