Evans and Snape

James's eyes widened, his mouth hanging slightly open. Remus sucked in a breath, and Peter let out a short cry before hurriedly covering his mouth.

Sirius stood at the door, his body tense, his fingers unconsciously curling into fists. He wanted to draw his wand, but restrained the impulse.

Helping outsiders deal with his own brother, whether he won or lost, would not be very honorable.

Besides, he knew that even if he joined in, they would not win. Continuing the conflict would only make him look even worse.

Snape stared at the motionless red ribbon, then slowly turned his head to look at Regulus.

Lily was still clutching Snape's sleeve, but she had forgotten the gesture entirely and could only stare blankly.

Regulus finally raised his head.

He glanced at James, his gaze as calm as if he were looking at a piece of furniture. Then he looked at the red ribbon. His right hand still held the Quill, while his left lightly gripped his wand and gave it a slight flick.

The red light faded from bright to dim, turned from solid to transparent, then broke apart like melting ice, dissolving into countless tiny red Light Points.

The Light Points drifted and spun through the air before silently vanishing.

The process was neither fast nor slow, and everyone saw it clearly.

The wand abruptly vanished from Regulus's hand. His left hand returned to the tabletop, and he lowered his head to continue writing his notes. The Quill moved across the paper with a steady scratching sound.

As though nothing had happened.

The silence lasted for at least ten seconds.

James Potter's wand was still raised, his posture as stiff as a statue.

His eyes were wide, and behind his lenses, his pupils reflected nothing but empty air.

Right there, ten seconds ago, a complete Disarming Charm had been frozen, dismantled, and dispersed, as though it had never existed.

"You..." James's voice caught in his throat. He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. "What did you do?"

Regulus did not answer. He did not even raise his head to look at James again.

James clenched his fists as though engaged in some fierce internal struggle. He was furious at Regulus's disregard, but in the end, he did not lash out.

Of course he knew. Or rather, he had learned about it.

There was a brief mention in the appendix of Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1: theoretically, a sufficiently powerful wizard could directly dismantle the structure of an inferior wizard's spell through Magic Interference.

The more knowledge one possessed, the more one understood what that represented.

James Potter loved pranks, was arrogant, and was prejudiced against Slytherin, but he was not stupid.

His father had taught him basic spell theory. He had seen adult wizards perform advanced Magic. He had read books.

So he understood that what had happened before his eyes was not some little trick used by a first-year new student. It was something beyond his imagination.

And the person who had performed it sat there quietly, as though he were nothing more than an insignificant fly.

James's fists tightened, his wand digging into his palm. He wanted to say something provocative to save face, but his throat was dry, and he could not force out a single word.

"What spell was that?" Remus asked softly, shifting to stand in front of James.

"Not a spell," Sirius said. He walked into the compartment and stood beside James, his gaze falling on Regulus.

He had not expected Regulus to already be capable of such a thing. He knew it represented an extraordinary level of skill, and his feelings were too complicated to put into words.

Perhaps it was some family secret he did not know about?

"What do you mean?" James turned to him, his tone unfriendly.

"It means you can't beat him." Sirius's voice was deliberately calm. Between his best friend and his younger brother, he did not want to seem biased.

Then he added, "At least, you can't beat him right now. So don't provoke him."

James opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but he looked at Regulus, then at the spot where the spell had vanished, and ultimately said nothing.

Regulus finally looked up at Sirius. He gave a tiny nod, then lowered his head again.

They left.

In the Corridor, Lily Evans and Severus Snape were still standing there.

Lily had already released Snape's sleeve, but she remained beside him, her green eyes wide as she looked from Regulus to the place where the spell had disappeared.

Snape's expression was darker than usual. He stared at Regulus, his eyes filled with wariness.

"Are you all right?" Lily spoke first, asking Regulus.

Regulus raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Lily and Snape.

"Thank you for coming over. Though strictly speaking, Mr. Snape is the one who should be thanked. The spell was originally aimed at him."

Lily froze for a moment, not expecting him to say that. But that was indeed the case. "No... I mean, it was nothing."

The corner of Snape's mouth twitched. He continued staring at Regulus. "How did you do it?"

Regulus did not answer. He stood up and introduced himself.

"Before answering that, perhaps we should introduce ourselves. I'm Regulus Black."

"Black?" Lily's eyes widened slightly. "You're... Sirius Black's brother?"

Regulus gave a slight nod, his right shoulder and hand shifting a little outward.

"I'm Lily Evans." After receiving confirmation, the name surprised her, and Lily quietly drew in a breath.

Then, in a more formal tone than before, she said, "Second-year, Gryffindor. This is Severus Snape, also a second-year, from Slytherin."

Snape's lips pressed into a thin line. He merely gave a slight nod, his movements stiff.

Regulus nodded to both of them. "I know your names."

Lily blinked. "You do?"

"Professor Slughorn mentioned you," Regulus said as naturally as though stating a fact.

"He said Hogwarts has two second-year students whose talent in Potions far surpasses that of their peers: Lily Evans and Severus Snape. He suggested that, if I had the chance, I should speak with you more."

Lily's face reddened slightly with happiness. Her eyes brightened, and a sincere curve formed on her lips. "Really? Professor Slughorn said that?"

Snape's expression was far more complicated. His chin lifted slightly, as though he were proud to have been recognized, but his eyes remained wary.

He was far too familiar with such words. Talent far beyond one's peers sounded like praise, but in Slytherin, they often carried an unspoken meaning: but your bloodline does not deserve your talent.

"So you know who we are," Snape said, his voice somewhat dry as he brought the conversation back to what had just happened. "But what did we just see? That was definitely not something a first-year should know, Mr. Black."

Regulus looked at him. He knew that the younger Snape was sensitive, insecure, and proud—a contradictory person.

When it came to pure-bloods, Snape was wary of them while also longing to join them.

Regulus explained, "Spell Analysis and Magic Interference. The principles are not complicated; they simply require extremely precise control."

Of course, there was also Magic Perception.

"How precise?" Snape pressed.

Not only sensitive, insecure, and proud, but rude as well, Regulus silently remarked. But he did not mind. Snape was valuable.

"Precise enough that most adult wizards cannot do it," Regulus answered calmly. "I practiced for a long time."

Lily looked at him curiously. "How old were you when you started practicing Magic?"

"Since I could remember," Regulus said lightly. "There's a Library at home."

The Black family's Library was indeed famous. Then again, every Ancient Family had its own collection.

But no amount of books could allow a child to teach himself advanced spell techniques without instruction.

Yet Lily accepted the explanation. She came from a Muggle family, had no Library at home, and did not know what education in pure-blood families was like.

She nodded, and there was a little more warmth in her green eyes. "So you're also... the kind of person who likes studying."

"Learning is necessary," Regulus admitted with a nod. "For wizards, knowledge is power."

Even more so for Muggles.

Those words made Snape raise an eyebrow slightly. He glanced at Regulus, and some of the wariness in his eyes faded, replaced by a measure of agreement.

"Then," Snape asked, "which House do you plan to join?"

"Slytherin," Regulus answered without hesitation. "It's a family tradition."

Lily's expression dimmed slightly. She looked at Snape, then Regulus. Her lips moved, and in the end, she said, "Slytherin... is not so bad. Severus is there."

But there are also many people there who hate people like me.

Regulus understood. He merely nodded. "Every House has people worth learning from, and people who are not worth wasting time on."

Lily's expression brightened again, and she smiled. "You're right. Then, see you at the Sorting Ceremony?"

"See you at the Sorting Ceremony."

Lily tugged at Snape's sleeve. "We should go back, Severus."

Snape gave Regulus one last look, nodded, and turned to leave. Lily waved at Regulus and followed him.

The compartment fell quiet again.