Cats Can't Stand Each Other

The first Sunday of March, 8 p. m., in Abandoned Classroom on the fourth floor.

Regulus pushed open the peeling wooden door, walked to the window, and cracked it open.

The night breeze blew in, making it less cold, carrying the refreshing scent that the Castle's stone walls exhaled after a whole day of sunshine.

The moon hung in the sky at the beginning of the month, half of it missing. Thin clouds slid across its surface, and the light spread a silvery white across the classroom floor.

He leaned against the window and waited for a short while when he heard footsteps in the Corridor —light, hurried, and with a slightly bouncy rhythm.

The door opened, Lily poked half her body in, her red hair swaying in the moonlight.

Upon seeing him, his green eyes crinkled into a smile, and he said, "Professor Regulus."

"Lily." Regulus's lips curled up slightly as he straightened up from the wall.

She pushed open the door and came in, holding a pure black object in her arms— Nox.

The kitten curled up in her arms, its two front paws resting on her sleeve. Its deep blue eyes gleamed in the moonlight, scanned the classroom, and then settled on Regulus.

Its ears splayed slightly to the sides, and its tail flicked gently against Lily's wrist.

Lily closed the door, placed Nox on the ground, and drew her wand, waving it twice towards the pile of old tables and chairs in the corner.

Several pieces of wood were stretched and Transfiguration, pieced together to form the shape of a clothes hanger, and stood steadily in the corner.

She took off her school robe and hung it up, then turned to look at Regulus.

Regulus also took off his robe and hung it beside her.

The gold and red trim of Gryffindor's robes and the silver and green snakeskin of Slytherin's robes hung side by side, harmonizing beautifully under the moonlight.

Lily glanced at it, a slight smirk playing on her lips, then turned and began rolling up her sleeves.

Nox crouched on the floor, his four legs tucked under his body, the tip of his tail gently patting the ground, his eyes never leaving Regulus. Lily rolled up her sleeves and was about to walk to the center of the arena when she caught a glimpse of Nox out of the corner of her eye.

The kitten's back arched in a full curve, its short, pure black fur bristled from the nape of its neck to the base of its tail, its ears were flattened against its scalp, its deep blue eyes were wide open, and it was making very faint hissing sounds from its throat.

"Nox!" Lily quickly crouched down and reached out to stroke its fur. "Why are you doing this again?"

Nox shrank to the side, dodging her hand, and hunched over, letting out another "ha" towards Regulus.

Lily crouched on the ground, her hand still in the stroking position, looking down at the cat, then up at Regulus.

My most precious little black cat, a gift from Regulus, whom I introduced to Petunia, I spent half a dictionary looking up its name, and even when I practiced Patronus, I could only picture it lying on my lap, yet it just so happens to clash with the person who gave it to me.

This has happened so many times already; it's the same every time.

Regulus stood a few meters away, looking at the little thing on the ground that had exploded into a ball of black fur, his expression unchanged.

He picked out this cat; it's French Kneazle Half-bloods, a high-end pet breed, not found in the UK.

The Black family's employees personally delivered it to Town of Cokeworth, presenting it with the basket and velvet cloth, and now breathed on it.

I bought it, and it's breathing on me?

Okay, nothing special.

He glanced again at Nox's tense posture, found it amusing, and then took a step forward.

Nox flared up even more, his back arched so high he was almost flipping over, his breath coming in sharp, loud gasps, and he scratched at the floor with his claws, determined not to let him get any closer.

Lily quickly scooped it up and held it in her arms, one hand supporting the cat's bottom and the other pressing its head against her chest, coaxing it to stop.

"It's not usually like this," Lily looked up, her expression a mix of exasperation, amusement, and a touch of embarrassment. She mumbled, "It likes everyone, except you."

Regulus's lips twitched slightly as he looked at the cat in her arms, then at her.

Nonsense, how could it like everyone? It clearly only likes its the Master.

He raised his right hand, his fingertips twitching slightly, and the Blackthorn in the inner pocket of his robe was enveloped in a very thin layer of Magic Power.

Just like when he wrapped Baruk at the funeral, the Magic Power suppressed the fluctuations, sealing away the lingering Dark Arts aura on the wand. Nox's breath suddenly stopped.

It poked half its head out from Lily's arms, its ears perked up, and it turned left and right. Its deep blue eyes stared at Regulus, its pupils slowly widening from a narrow slit.

The discomfort that had been making it feel so uncomfortable seemed to have vanished instantly.

The cat's face clearly showed confusion. It was still the Dark Lord, so why did it suddenly stop needing to hum?

But the vigilance remained, their eyes were still fixed on him, and their tails were still a bit stiff.

Regulus waited a moment, then reached out quickly and lightly, his fingertips brushing against the tip of Nox's swaying tail. Nox sprang up, leaping with all four legs, landing a full ninety-degree turn, his tail bristling like a bottle brush, and glaring back at him. Regulus had already withdrawn his hand, standing still, looking down at the cat, his face expressionless.

Lily hugged her empty arms, looked at the cat, then at him.

This person can handle anything, everything is under his control, and he always speaks to everyone with a calm and composed demeanor.

Now you're picking a fight with a cat.

Her lips curved upwards, and the smile in her eyes was almost impossible to hide.

This Regulus was different from usual.

Regulus, who stroked the cat's tail, Regulus the cat so much that its fur stood on end, then withdrew his hand and pretended nothing was wrong. She saw a little more than the others. What others couldn't see, she did.

Something welled up inside me, soft and indescribable.

She crouched down, picked Nox up again, rubbed her chin against the tip of the cat's ear, and couldn't bring herself to smile.

The classroom was quiet for a moment. Nox was still staring at him, its tail frozen in mid-air, its deep blue eyes a mixture of wariness and confusion. Regulus turned his head away, shifting his gaze from the cat, and stopped teasing it.

Lily gently scratched Nox's chin with her fingers, slowly calming the cat down from its ruffled state.

She looked up at Regulus; he was leaning against the windowsill again, the moonlight casting a silhouette on half his face. This was the same man who had just terrified her cat, yet stood there as if nothing had happened.

Do you know?

She picked up the kitten and placed it on the old desk next to her, then looked up at Regulus with bright green eyes. "Thursday night, I knocked James Potter's wand away."

Regulus's eyebrows twitched, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Tell me."

Lily blushed slightly. She had tried to hold it in, but couldn't, and began to speak, gesturing as she went.

"I came out of Professor Slughorn's office, walked up the stone steps, and around that corner, I saw the three of them. Potter was pointing his wand at Severus's face, and Black was leaning against the wall watching."

She stammered when she mentioned Sirius, and glanced at Regulus.

Regulus nodded gently, indicating that she should continue.

Lily pursed her lips and continued, "I mean, Sirius, he ambushed Severus, with Disarming Charm and Petrifying Spell." Her voice flared up again, but it was quickly overshadowed by her excitement as she continued.

"Potter didn't take me seriously at all. He thought I was just there to tell him to stop, just like he always has."

The green-eyed man stared straight at Regulus, his tone brimming with a sense of triumph. "This time it's different!"

She began to recount the fight, how Potter struck first, how she used the Slowing Charm to force him to jump, how she used the Trip Jinx to strike his feet as he landed, and how the spell hidden among the birds nearly shaved off a few of his hairs.

Regulus, leaning against the windowsill, raised an eyebrow and smiled as he heard this.

"When he got serious, he made me feel suffocated," Lily said, gesturing the trajectory of a spell in the air, her words growing faster and her voice rising. "Too fast."

The Disarming Charm was unleashed in quick succession. The second one predicted which way I would dodge, and I took it head-on, but was knocked back two steps.

Before I could even regain my footing, the Stunning Spell struck again. I dodged to the side, but fell flat on my face. As I lay on the ground, he used the third Disarming Charm to knock my wand away.

She stopped to catch her breath, opened her palm, and the marks of the previous abrasion were gone from her palm.

He lifted my wand, letting it float in mid-air, teasing me and making me jump up to reach it.

Regulus frowned slightly upon hearing this.

Potter isn't content with just winning; he has to kick you while you're down.

Making someone without a wand jump around trying to reach it is something only Potter would do, and afterwards he probably thinks he's quite funny. Arrogant, jerk, and ill-mannered.

He looked at Lily; there was no trace of humiliation or grievance on her face. Her voice was still high-pitched, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were bright. Clearly, she didn't take it to heart.

Regulus glanced at her a few more times, making sure there was nothing wrong with her face, and then his brow relaxed.

A hint of amusement flashed in her eyes, and her voice held anticipation. "And then?"

Lily met his gaze, and he still hadn't completely hidden the worry in his eyes.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she pursed her lips, trying not to let her smile show too obviously.

"He was incredibly smug; he thought that without my wand, I was just someone he could play with."

Lily raised her left hand, fingers spread, and made a pulling motion. "I didn't reach for the wand floating in the air, I went to pull for the armor in the Niche."

She was extremely pleased with herself, her chin slightly raised, and she pulled her whole body down with a forceful jerk. "The whole thing, from the helmet to the greaves, was ripped off with a whoosh!"

Regulus raised an eyebrow. "Magic Manipulation?"

"Magic Manipulation!" Lily nodded vigorously, her red hair swaying over her shoulders, her eyes shining. "The entire suit of armor slammed down, and he reacted incredibly fast. He didn't even lift his head before casting a Slowing Charm with his wand."

But in that instant, he was so focused on those metal lumps above his head that my wand fell down, and I grabbed it and cast a Disarming Charm."

Regulus, with a gentle expression, asked with a smile, "Did you hit it?"

"Got it!" Lily grinned, her face beaming with satisfaction at having accomplished something great. "You saw Potter's expression, he was completely dumbfounded."

Then she summarized, "There were a few close calls. If he hadn't been intimidated by the armor, or hadn't blocked it, and if his attention had been on me, I wouldn't have had a chance to get my wand back."

Her expression softened a bit, and she pouted, "In a head-on fight, I really can't beat him."

Regulus nodded, his eyes encouraging her to continue.

"He's too fast," Lily said seriously, analyzing her shortcomings. "I know how to get him going in the direction I want, but his speed makes it impossible for me to finish. Several times I've been interrupted just as I started."

Regulus listened quietly without interrupting.

She was using her own brain, dissecting the process, and identifying her own weaknesses.

Last year, she could only say she couldn't do it in the Abandoned Classroom, but now she can list out her problems one by one.

After Lily finished speaking, she took a breath, looked up at Regulus, and her face still showed lingering excitement.

Regulus looked at her expression and gave her a thumbs up. "Well done."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "Amazing."

Lily's eyes lit up, and the corners of her mouth turned up, but she quickly pursed them down, though she couldn't quite manage it. "You think it's pretty too?"

Regulus looked at her, trying to be modest yet unable to suppress her smugness, and a smile flashed in his eyes, "After playing with Potter, did you ask yourself that question several times in front of the mirror?"

"No!" Lily picked up the Nox from the table and stuffed it into his arms.

The cat exploded mid-air, scrambling back onto Lily's shoulder, gripping her robe collar tightly, and hissing at Regulus.

Lily looked down at the cat, then at Regulus, and sighed, "It really is loved by everyone."

Regulus glanced at the black cat perched on her shoulder and nodded. "Its taste is alright."

Lily paused for a moment, then, as if struck by a sudden thought, her face flushed.

She subconsciously reached up and touched her earlobe, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, then tilted her head back and wrinkled her nose at him. After a moment, as if suddenly remembering, her gaze fell on Regulus's shoulder. "Where's Baruk? Why didn't you bring him?" Regulus raised his hand and touched his shoulder. "He went home."

"Go home?" Lily tilted her head. "Isn't it your pet? Why would it need to go home?"

Regulus said casually, "It's going back to its kin for a while. It's trying to befriend the trees, but hasn't made a single one yet."

Lily chuckled at this, Nox shifted closer to her, wrapping his tail around her wrist.