Regulus the Cunning

Lily's mouth opened halfway; she had prepared a remark about how the busy Regulus had actually come to the Library in person, but it was stuck on the tip of her tongue.

She blinked. "How did you know?"

"Read the newspaper," Regulus said, resting his arms on the table, his tone the same as before. "Is your heating still on?"

"Yes, there is a fireplace," Lily said, still briefly confused about how the conversation had veered off course. "A gas fireplace, not electric." "But the factory has shut down, and my dad only works three days a week."

As she spoke, her pace naturally quickened, and the feigned anger vanished without her noticing.

"I only get paid for three days of work. Mom says it's okay, we have savings, but Dad can't stay idle, he's worried at home." Regulus continued, "What about your sister?"

"Petunia? Her school also has power restrictions, and only half the classroom lights are on. She said that the people in the back row can't see the blackboard during class, and the teacher can't do anything about it because the chalk writing can't be enlarged."

Lily closed the book beside her: "Their school is considering letting students out early, at three o'clock, because it gets dark early in the winter afternoons and there are no lights." "Three o'clock?" Regulus raised an eyebrow. "Is she happy or unhappy?"

Lily paused for a moment, then couldn't help but chuckle, "She's happy. She said she couldn't take the exam like this, but she's laughing so happily." Regulus watched her laugh, and the corners of his own mouth turned up slightly as well.

"An old lady lived in the house next to ours. Her steps were icy, and she hadn't sprinkled salt on them, so she slipped and fell."

The ambulance said they were out of gas and had to wait in line, so my dad and Mr. Smith lifted her into our car and took her to the hospital." She frowned, her voice tinged with worry, "My dad said there will be more of these kinds of things in the future."

Regulus didn't reply, but watched her gently as she poured out her troubles.

"I'm thinking, I'm here, at Hogwarts, drinking Pumpkin Juice, learning Magic, and I can't help when the power goes out at home. What I'm learning at school..."

She pulled out her wand, glanced at it, and placed it on the corner of the table. "There aren't many things you can use at home, Trace, you know."

Regulus nodded.

"So I was thinking," Lily looked at Regulus, "You said you'd have me practice Magic Manipulation, the kind that doesn't require a wand and doesn't trigger Trace."

"Yes."

"I practiced." She took her hand off the table, opened her palm on her knee, and without her wand, her fingers curled slightly.

The sheepskin on the table swayed, then floated up, folded itself into a Paper Crane in mid-air, and then fell back down.

"I'm thinking, if there really isn't electricity for a long time, at least..."

She tilted her head, a slight smile playing on her lips, a hint of embarrassment in her voice. "At least I can make the candles float by themselves, like at Hogwarts." Regulus nodded approvingly. "That's good."

"My mom also said that if the gas is cut off, we'll go back to my grandma's house in the countryside, where they have a wood-fired stove."

Lily withdrew her hand, rested her chin on her hand again, and said in a slightly softer voice, "She said that's how we spent those years during the war. I asked her which war, and she said every single one."

Regulus continued nodding, "Mrs. Evans is a sensible woman."

"If my mom were a witch, she'd definitely be more capable than me," Lily laughed, a hint of pride in her eyes. "She said when she was young, she worked as a quality inspector in a factory and could spot defective products at a glance."

She said if she were in charge of any department within the Ministry of Magic, she could send all the substandard Potions back.

Regulus raised an eyebrow. "Professor Slughorn will be nervous if he hears that."

Lily covered her mouth and chuckled, then glared at him. "Don't tell the professor."

Regulus smiled and replied, "No."

By this point in the conversation, Lily was quite relaxed.

Leaning back in his chair, he dangled his legs under the table, his gaze shifting from Regulus's face to their reflections in the glass, then back to the book on the table.

Regulus suddenly said, "I forgot to write to you during the holidays, I'm sorry."

Lily looked up at him, first stunned, then squinting, then opening and closing her mouth, and finally bursting into laughter.

She laughed for a while, then glared at him. "Were you doing that on purpose just now?"

Regulus looked completely bewildered. "What do you mean, intentional?"

"Power outage! You cut off the power as soon as you came in! My heating's off, Petunia, and the old lady next door, you've kept me talking for twenty minutes!"

She pointed at him, trying to look angry, but her expression kept veering towards amusement. "And now you're apologizing! I've completely forgotten what I was going to say!"

Regulus asked sincerely, "What were you trying to say?"

Lily opened her mouth, then gave up, slammed her hand on the table, pressed her forehead against her palm, and her shoulders trembled slightly. "Regulus Black, you're too cunning."

Regulus looked at her red hair buried in her hands, a smile playing on his lips, "I really do care about the power outage."

"I know you genuinely care!" Lily lifted her head from her palm, her face slightly flushed, whether from anger or laughter, it was hard to tell, "That's why I can't truly be angry with you."

She stopped mid-sentence, turned her face away, reached for the book, only to find it was already closed, and awkwardly withdrew her hand. Turning her face back, she tried to regain her composure. "Okay, I forgive you."

Regulus nodded slightly and politely thanked her, "Miss Evans."

Lily glared at him, annoyed, but her eyes were still curved into a smile.

Then she leaned forward, glanced around the Library to make sure no one was watching them, and asked in a low voice:

"What did you do during your vacation? Marcia said you got into a fight and burned down someone's house."

Before he could answer, she continued, her tone concerned. "How are you? Are you hurt?"

"You're not hurt, don't worry," Regulus replied softly, a smile in his eyes. "It's just a family matter."

Lily looked at him, waited a while, and when she realized he wasn't going to elaborate, she snorted, leaned back, and muttered softly, "I'm not worried."

She twirled her fingers around the ends of her hair, her gaze shifting from Regulus's face to the book on the table, "Basic Alchemy Theory: From Hermes to Paracelsus."

After staring at the gold-embossed Hermes on the cover for a while, I noticed that the spelling of the letters was exactly the same as that of the gloomy boy in Slytherin.

She curled the corners of her lips slightly, but didn't press the matter of the fight.

Domestic affairs, burning down houses—these words seem to make sense when applied to Regulus.

Since it was a family matter, it must have been someone else who provoked him first, she naturally came to this conclusion, and then laughed again. Regulus was a little confused. "What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing," she said, reopening the book, picking up the quill, twirling it between her fingers, glancing down at the pages for a moment, then looking up at Regulus: "Are you really not hurt?"

Regulus met her gaze, a slight smile playing on his lips, "Really."

Lily nodded and put the quill back next to the ink bottle.

She seemed to want to say something, her lips moved slightly, then she pursed them again.

Then she rested her elbows on the table again, propped her chin on her hand, lingered on Regulus's face for a moment, and then looked away, returning her gaze to her book.

Regulus opened the book on basic Alchemy.

The first chapter is about the life of Hermes Trismegistus, the Triple Great Hermes, the legendary founder of Alchemy, the Emerald Tablet, Hermeticism.

Chapter Two: Fundamental Theories of Matter Transformation.

The book contains information that can be found in publicly available literature: the purification of metals, changes in material properties during Potions making, and the intersection of Alchemy and Potions.

There was nothing related to the conversion of Magic Power and mass, just as he had expected.

Lily sat quietly across from me, reading her book.

The only sounds in the Library were the turning of pages. In the distance, Madam Pince pushed her cart past, the wheels making a soft creaking sound on the stone slabs. After a long while, Regulus suddenly looked up.

I just apologized for forgetting to write the letter. The word "forgot" triggered something else in my mind. Forgot to write the letter? What else did I forget?

He remembered.

Last semester, I tried incorporating Guardian Image into the space, Room of Requirement and the Astronomy Tower, but all attempts failed.

The space at Hogwarts has its own ideas and does not respond to his Guardian Will; it requires some kind of recognition or invitation.

The initial assessment was that, theoretically, it should be fine in a different location, in an ordinary natural space outside of Hogwarts.

As a result, when I went home for the holidays, I buried myself in researching the "Whomping Willow" and the Disintegration Charm," completely forgetting about the whole thing.

His brow furrowed slightly, his gaze momentarily unfocused as he stared at the open pages of the Alchemy book on the table, not looking at anything else.

Lily seemed to sense something, looked up, and caught his expression.

She didn't know what he was thinking, only assuming he was still guilty about forgetting to write the letter, which dispelled the last bit of her stubbornness. She closed the book, leaned forward, rested her elbows on the table, and rested her chin on her interlaced fingers, softly saying, "Okay, okay, I forgive you."

Her voice was soft, and she added, "Really."

Regulus snapped out of his daze, saw Lily's expression, and realized that she seemed to have misunderstood something, but there was no need to correct her.

He relaxed his shoulders slightly and sincerely praised, "Miss Evans, so generous."

"You know that much," Lily snorted, lifting her chin off her fingers and twirling the quill pen between them.

The Library fell silent again.

They each read their own books, occasionally glancing up to exchange a few words.

As closing time approached, the sky outside the window was completely dark, with only the treetops at the edge of the Forbidden Forest casting blurry outlines in the moonlight. Lily took a small object from her Handbag, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards Regulus.

"A Christmas present," she said, pulling her hands back and placing them on her knees, her gaze fixed on the object without looking at him, "I made it up over the whole holiday and opened it several times."

Small pendant woven from fine copper-colored thread, with a tiny knot about the length of a finger joint.

The braiding technique wasn't very skilled; a few knots were tied too large, and the edges showed signs of being unraveled and re-braided.

The color scheme was intentionally chosen to be dark green and silver-gray, typical of Slytherin colors.

The center of the ornament is woven into the shape of a star, with five points that are not quite symmetrical, one point being slightly longer than the other four.

Regulus picked it up and placed it in his palm, his thumb gently gliding over the surface of the star.

"Regulus," he said softly, "The brightest star in Leo."

He turned the ornament over, revealing neatly arranged stitches on the back. "The heart of Lion, which in Latin means 'little king'."

Lily's eyes lit up, the corners of her mouth turned up, and her voice held an undisguised anticipation. "You know?"

Regulus nodded, his gaze softening. "I know."

"It's only right that someone whose name is Star receives this," Lily tilted her head, her tone cheerful.

Regulus tucked the ornament into the inner pocket of his robe, close to his chest. "Thank you, Lily, this is a very thoughtful gift."

Lily watched him put the ornament away, her smile widening. "Merry Christmas, Regulus."

She stood up and slung her Handbag over her shoulder. "The matter of not receiving the letter is completely over."

Regulus continued his praise, "The just Miss Evans."

"Don't change my title again." She wrinkled her nose at him, pushed her chair under the table, and turned to walk towards the Library entrance. Regulus also stood up. The torches in the Corridor were half-burnt, and the light was dimmer than when they arrived.

Lily took two steps and turned back. "Will you come again tomorrow?"

Regulus nodded. "Come."

Lily smiled and said, "Goodnight, Regulus."

Regulus smiled slightly. "Goodnight, Lily."

Lily's red hair swayed over her shoulder, then she skipped towards the Gryffindor Tower.

Regulus turned and walked toward the Dungeons, his footsteps echoing off the stone walls.