Two Different Experiences

The wooden door closed behind them, cutting off the chill from the corridor.

Lucretia set down her schoolbag and surveyed the Transfiguration diagrams on the wall and the workbench.

The edge of the workbench gleamed with intricate patterns, similar to those she had seen before in Little Barty and Regulus's Ancient Runes books. They shimmered and changed with the light, as if alive.

"Regulus and I both thought this would be the most suitable place for the leaf talisman practice Professor Dumbledore assigned last week."

Little Barty slung an arm around her shoulders and led her towards the central workbench, Regulus naturally following.

On the workbench, a row of familiar silver tools was neatly arranged.

Lucretia picked up a small silver knife, pausing as her fingertips brushed against the familiar inscription on the handle.

Her name, engraved in cursive on the silver surface.

Lucretia looked up. "This is the set you bought for me! Wasn't it in my dormitory? How did it get here?"

Little Barty turned to the workbench. "While this room provides tools, your set is better suited for fine manipulation. I had the school house-elves bring it over in advance."

He then took out a full green velvet bag from his own satchel, shook out several leaves, spread them out, and pointed to an oak leaf with a golden-red edge.

"I did some preparation after class the day before yesterday. The texture is tougher than ordinary leaves, making it more suitable for talismans."

Regulus leaned in to examine it, then looked up at Little Barty, a teasing glint in his eyes. "Oak leaves from the edge of the Forbidden Forest, picked over the weekend after training? Specially for today?"

Little Barty scratched his ear self-consciously and quickly changed the subject. "It was on the way. Regulus, didn't you ask the house-elves to send the Black family's documents?"

Regulus raised an eyebrow and smiled, pulling a small, ancient booklet from his satchel. "Of course, the Black family library always has something useful. Little sister, I found a few pages specifically on Transfiguration that discuss preserving the essence of materials."

At the workbench, the three of them gathered, preparing to attempt Professor Dumbledore's Transfiguration.

Lucretia stood in the middle, with Little Barty and Regulus on either side – their usual formation.

Regulus flipped open a page with an illustration. "Ancient Transfiguration masters believed the material's will was key. It states that one must not force change, but rather attempt to guide it to reveal new possibilities."

Lucretia picked up the oak leaf in her hand. "Just like Headmaster Dumbledore said, cooperate with magic, don't control it."

Little Barty's lips pressed together. He drew his wand, his movements crisp. "But cooperation is more complex than control, and harder to manage variables. Why don't we each try our own way and see which method is more practical?"

The three of them each selected a leaf and stood before the workbench.

"Headmaster Dumbledore said before that we need to transform part of the material's structure while retaining its living properties..."

Lucretia closed her eyes, a little nervously, feeling the veins and life force of the leaf with her fingertips.

Little Barty raised his wand. "Let's begin. Regulus, remember Dumbledore's incantation."

The Transfiguration did not go smoothly at first.

During Regulus's first attempt, as the leaf's edges began to turn silver, the entire leaf carbonized and turned to ash.

He awkwardly touched his nose and picked up the notes the other two had organized, rereading them several times.

Little Barty shook his head in displeasure and picked up a new leaf.

He readjusted his stance, his wrist taut. "Pay attention to balancing the transformation speed. Dumbledore specifically emphasized that the edges need to be completely metalized, but the interior must remain active."

Fifteen minutes passed. Sweat beaded on Regulus's forehead. He threw his wand onto the workbench, sighed, and pulled a bottle of invigorating potion from his robe pocket, downing it.

"This is too difficult. I've never felt so drained in Transfiguration Class before."

Little Barty was also trying repeatedly. After about ten attempts, the edges of the leaf finally transformed into perfect silver, smooth as a mirror, without a single flaw.

He held his breath, carefully pushing the transformation towards the center.

Then, the entire leaf stiffened abruptly, turning from green to a dead gray. All signs of life vanished in an instant.

Another small pile of useless ash.

Little Barty stared at the pile of ash, a vein throbbing on his forehead.

He looked at his failed creation, then at the equally small pile of ash on Regulus's workbench, and finally lost his composure.

"Damn it."

He threw his wand onto the workbench, the impact ringing sharply.

Then he reached out, grabbed Regulus's invigorating potion, and tilted his head back to drink it.

"Too much magical power. This kind of Transfiguration has nothing to do with precise control."

Lucretia's situation was the direct opposite of theirs.

She could maintain the vitality in the center of the leaf, but whenever she tried to harden the edges, the magic would stall.

She dejectedly put down her wand. "I wish I had your control. But from the edge to the center, it's like two different magics repelling each other."

Regulus sighed. "Let's take a break first. I remember the Transfiguration diagrams on the wall mentioned a key to controlling the degree of transformation for every inch."

Twenty minutes later, amidst a dozen empty bottles of invigorating potion, the three of them finally managed to complete a barely formed work each.

Little Barty's talisman had perfectly silver edges, but the green center was almost gone, leaving only faint patterns.

He picked up the talisman, a look of annoyance on his face, and threw it back onto the workbench. "Too stiff. It's like it died completely before it was even born."

Regulus's creation retained more green, with a distinct leaf texture, but the edges were uneven and cracked.

He flicked the talisman with his fingernail, producing an ominous crisp sound. "That's still better than mine, which is destined to die right after birth."

Lucretia's talisman was vibrantly alive at its center; the leafy parts even trembled slightly with her breath, but the outer edge felt soft, almost melting, with barely any metallic quality, making her pout.

"Mine's softer, like I have heatstroke."

Little Barty adjusted his expression and walked over, slinging an arm around her shoulders to comfort her.

"At least you kept the most crucial part, the vitality. Mine's much better, mine turned completely metallic."

Regulus placed the three talismans on the central countertop and looked at the two of them thoughtfully.

"Each one has flaws. But you know, I remember reading in a book that there's a basic principle in magic called balance and complementarity."

Lucretia thought for a moment and quietly suggested, "Brother Regulus, do you mean we should combine our strengths and try together?"

Little Barty asked, "What do you mean?"

Her tone held a hint of hesitation, "You control the form, Brother Regulus balances the structure, and I... I'll try my best to maintain the vitality?"

Little Barty pondered for a moment and nodded, "Let's give it a try."

The three of them once again stood in their familiar triangle formation.

Little Barty shook a few surviving golden-red oak leaves from the velvet bag and carefully placed them in the center of the workbench.

"Ready?"

Lucretia nodded, her throat tightening.

The three of them chanted the spell simultaneously, and the tips of their wands lit up.

Little Barty's magic surged towards the leaves, a silver light like threads, attempting to bring the entire leaf under his control.

Regulus's blue magic tried to establish a balance between them, flexible like flowing water, but it was constantly being scattered by Little Barty's push, barely re-forming before being scattered again.

Lucretia's green magic enveloped the center of the leaf, protecting that point of vitality.

As Little Barty's magic pressed forward, she could feel herself being squeezed smaller and smaller.

The leaf began to tremble, emitting a faint hissing sound.

Regulus's voice held a hint of tension, "Relax, Barty. You're going to scatter all my magic. I never knew you were so controlling."

Little Barty shot him a glare, gritting his teeth, "I'm trying to relax, but this is completely chaotic."

Lucretia looked at him, "Barty. Don't fight Brother Regulus. Let your magic flow, like rivers merging into a lake."

Under her gaze, Little Barty's shoulders relaxed slightly.

Reluctantly, but indeed, he lessened his intensity.

In that brief moment, Regulus seized the opportunity. His magic found a point of leverage, and Lucretia's vitality had a solid foundation.

Lucretia could feel her magic gradually merging with Little Barty's and Regulus's magic, supporting each other.

The three magics began to fuse.

Silver, blue, and green intertwined in the air, forming a flowing halo.

Little Barty provided the boundaries and form, Regulus connected and balanced, and Lucretia maintained the pulse of life.

Lucretia could feel the leaf beating within the magic, as if it had its own heartbeat.

She could sense the magical intentions of the other two.

Little Barty wanted to protect and shape, Regulus wanted harmony and perfection.

And they could also feel her desire to preserve that vibrant life force.

It was like three people finding their own parts in the same piece of music.

This feeling reminded her of that night in the East Tower when she and Sirius stabilized a potion together.

That was also a fusion of magic, but...

Her hand paused over the talisman.

That time was different.

Sirius's magic had cooperated with hers from the beginning, without contention, without rivalry.

His power enveloped hers, protecting without controlling, supporting without interfering.

It was like dancing, their steps naturally in sync.

But this time...

She looked at Little Barty, who was examining the edge of the talisman.

This time, it was cooperation after persuasion, a balance achieved through Regulus's mediation.

Little Barty had restrained his desire for control.

Both experiences were precious, touching her magical instincts in different ways.