Keep Practicing, Lily

Lily finally calmed Nox down; his tail slipped off her wrist and swished gently.

The little guy had been throwing a tantrum several times tonight, and now he was nestled in her arms, a few gurgling sounds still lingering in his throat. She gently stroked his back until he calmed down.

She lowered her head to coax it, a strand of her red hair hanging down and falling onto the cat's black fur, one red and one black.

Regulus leaned against the windowsill, his gaze fixed on her, his Magic Perception following her line of sight.

The Magic Power remained largely unchanged; if anything, it only increased slightly and steadily.

This kind of increase is common to all young wizards; as they reach a certain age, their Magic Power naturally increases, and you can't rush it or stop it.

Overall, it's not much different from a few days ago.

She was quite lively now, her emotions surging. Having just defeated Potter, she was talking animatedly, her feelings pushing her Magic Power to its limits, bubbling and bubbling upwards. It had nothing to do with her skill level; she was just happy.

Regulus looked away.

It's been more than half a year since I first seriously taught Lily Magic Manipulation.

Watching him practice, I can see that he has made solid progress. He can pull an entire suit of armor off from several steps away and use it to smash someone. His improvement is evident.

With the foundation laid to this point, it's almost time to move on.

He leaned against the windowsill, watching the little witch still coaxing the cat, and a slight twitch appeared at the corner of his mouth.

After listening to her brag, it's time to get down to business.

Lily looked up, loosened her grip, and the kitten immediately darted out of her arms.

It ran a few steps to the old desk furthest from the window, put its front paws together, tucked its hind legs under its body, and curled its tail around its front paws, squatting down properly.

From a distance, deep blue eyes slowly swept over Regulus and settled on him without moving.

The cat's face was expressionless, but its posture made it clear: I'm here, you're here, let's just stay here, and nobody should get too close. Lily looked at the cat, then at Regulus, her gaze shifting back and forth between the two.

One was leaning against the windowsill, the other was squatting on the table, separated by most of the classroom, neither of them touching the other.

But that arrogant attitude, that stubborn refusal to back down first, made Lily want to laugh more and more.

She sensed it the day she received Nox; the little guy's demeanor was somewhat similar to Regulus '.

The same aloofness, the same reservedness, the same "I don't dislike you, but don't expect me to come over" attitude.

Right now, the person and the cat are sitting separately across the entire classroom, like looking in a mirror.

She pursed her lips, suppressing a smile, her eyes crinkling as she secretly sized him up, then blatantly glanced at the cat, before looking back at it.

Nox perched on the table, its tail tip gently tapping the surface. Its deep blue eyes glanced at Regulus before looking away, and it raised its front paw to lick it.

That look made her want to laugh even more.

Regulus met her gaze, then followed it to the cat sitting upright on the table, and raised an eyebrow.

You can probably guess what she's amused about; it's nothing more than the old saying about cats and people clashing, and the little witch has found something to laugh about it.

He ignored it and turned his attention back to the important matter at hand.

Some people practice dueling Tiantian, training like crazy.

You can recite a spell hundreds or thousands of times until you don't need to think about it anymore. The gestures will come naturally, and the Magic Power will come on its own. You'll make the actions and the Spellcasting instinctual.

This path is universal; it requires effort and dedication, and most people can succeed.

Lily isn't on this path, so she doesn't need to.

Her Magic Power itself isn't particularly outstanding; it's just average among young wizards her age. Her spell mastery and usage are considered excellent, but excellent is still a long way from being top-tier, and she's currently still within the realm of ordinary young wizards.

Among young wizards of this age, victory or defeat depends on speed and accuracy of spells. Most cannot outrun their opponents and can only take the beating. Ultimately, it comes down to two things: skill and speed; it's a contest of fundamentals.

Lily isn't at a disadvantage in this area, but she excels when it comes to intelligence.

She fights by calculation, prediction, positioning, spell combinations and connections, and even tactics.

This fighting style can't be developed through thousands of repetitions; it requires a bit of inspiration. So she doesn't need to grind it down Tiantian; grinding it down too much would just be a waste of her energy.

She has already taken the first step toward becoming a skilled sorcerer, and the Patronus can be summoned through desire.

However, it was only the first step; the foot hadn't even landed yet.

Regulus snapped out of his thoughts.

"Let's talk about your Magic Manipulation first," he said, looking at Lily gently. "To be able to pull an entire suit of armor off from a distance, that's quite impressive."

Lily's face lit up immediately, the corners of her mouth turned up, and the base of her ears turned a little red.

"It wasn't that amazing," she said modestly, but her eyes darted at him Winky. "I just happened to think of it." She immediately felt a pang of guilt; she had clearly turned the tables with that one move. Her chin lifted slightly, her modesty quickly betraying her true intentions. "But my trick really worked," she added softly. "Potter would never have imagined it."

Regulus looked at her with a hint of amusement in his eyes. "So, next, we can try something even harder."

Lily immediately perked up and leaned forward. "What should we learn?"

Regulus said, "Constant Shield Charm."

Lily was stunned for a moment, then her eyes widened.

"That," she gestured towards him, then pointed to her own chest, "the Shield Charm that you wear all the time without Spellcasting?" Regulus nodded with a smile.

Lily's mouth was open, frozen in place.

Of course she knew this; she'd seen it on Regulus last semester.

That time, she hit him squarely with the Disarming Charm, and the spell exploded upon impact.

A thin layer of Silver Light flashed across his body, and then everything vanished; the spell dissipated completely, as if it hadn't hit him at all.

Later, when she pressed him for details, he said it was Shield Charm that was always on, so he didn't need to cast it manually each time.

She remembered it back then, and now he's going to teach it to her.

She beat Potter because she proved herself, Regulus taught her the spell because he thought she was qualified and acknowledged her efforts over the past six months. Something inside her skipped a beat, and a warm feeling welled up inside her. This recognition alone made her happier than winning that fight.

His eyes were even brighter than when he was talking about the fight, but his whole demeanor slowly calmed down, his shoulders straightened, and the excitement on his face turned into seriousness. Nox, sitting on the desk, tilted his head and, seeing his the Master's expression, let out a soft gurgling sound.

They're too far away; there's no need to go over and offer a perfunctory greeting.

But Lily heard this, freed one hand, and behind Regulus's back, secretly gave Nox a fist bump as a sign of encouragement, then quickly pulled it back, like a thief.

Regulus watched this scene unfold, and a slight smile curved his lips.

A person who wanted to learn advanced Magic first exchanged a secret signal with his cat.

He composed himself, his tone becoming serious, but he remained relaxed, still leaning casually against the windowsill.

"Let me make this clear first: this spell is very difficult, so difficult that most adult wizards can't do it in their entire lives."

I don't expect you to learn it quickly. It's normal if you don't master it in three or five years. It's a slow and steady skill.

He looked at her and continued, "If you feel hopeless while practicing and give up halfway, that's normal. Most wizards who practice this do that."

"Who's going to give up?" Lily stiffened her neck, her red hair swaying, and glared at him with her green eyes. "You haven't even taught me yet, and you're already saying I can't learn?"

Regulus raised an eyebrow, his tone nonchalant. "I didn't say that."

"Hmph," she said defiantly, "Difficult is difficult, but I'm not afraid of difficulties."

Regulus watched her get all worked up, unable to suppress the smile in his eyes.

Lily looked over, her eyes becoming suspicious, as if Regulus was trying to trick her.

"It is indeed difficult," he coughed lightly, then changed the subject. "But you don't have to just focus on whether you can learn it or not. The process of practicing it is itself an advancement in Magic Manipulation."

Even if you don't master it in a year or two, your Magic Manipulation will improve steadily during that time. Learning is the result, but the process of practicing is what you truly gain.

Lily's brow relaxed, and she nodded.

"One more thing," he held up a finger, "the Magic Manipulation you practiced before, whether it was pulling things or channeling spells, was all about using your own Magic Power to interact with the outside world."

But this is different. The Constant Shield Charm doesn't rely on incantations, wands, or external objects; it directly works on one's own Magic Power, shaping it into the form you desire.

This is the next step in your mastery of Magic Manipulation.

Lily's expression completely froze.

She stood up straight, wand in hand, chin slightly raised, her green eyes fixed on him, bright and earnest.

"The principle isn't complicated," Regulus straightened up and took two steps towards the center of the field. "It sounds complicated because it's difficult to do." Lily followed, taking two steps closer to him, tilting her head back, and asked, "How do you practice?"

"First, tell me what it is," Regulus said. "You know the Shield Charm. You chant the spell, create a barrier, and block the attack. Once you've blocked it, it dissipates. You have to cast it again before you get hit next time."

The Constant Shield Charm isn't used this way. It involves pressing the spell into a thin membrane, Magic Weaving, attaching it to the body, spreading it evenly, and then continuously supplying Magic Power to allow it to maintain itself.

"You don't need to chant incantations to create a barrier before each attack; it just stays there by itself."

"Continuously supplying Magic Power," Lily frowned, asking in confusion, "Doesn't that mean it's constantly being depleted?"

"Yes, it's constantly draining," Regulus nodded, "And also draining our mental energy."

The membrane needs to be thin, even, and stable; all of these require mental focus to maintain. The Magic Power must also remain unbroken, otherwise it will collapse. This is the first major challenge."

Lily's face scrunched up, but she still nodded.

"The second difficulty is that it's not a skill to just stand still and maintain it. When a real fight breaks out, you have to run, jump, and Spellcasting. When you're moving, the Magic Power is all over the place, but you still have to keep that membrane firmly attached."

Maintaining stillness while at rest is different from maintaining stillness while in motion; the latter is much more difficult.

Lily asked, "It will fall apart once it starts moving?"

"If your mind is focused on Spellcasting and you neglect the other thing, the Magic Power will dissipate as soon as it's cut off. You need to practice Spellcasting, running, and maintaining the movement all at the same time, without letting any of them interfere with the others, before you can say you've stabilized it."

Lily listened intently, her brows slightly furrowed, and didn't interrupt.

"So you can't expect to succeed in one go," Regulus held up a finger. "You have to take it one step at a time."

The first step is to focus the Magic Power on this one finger, drawing it into a thin, even, and steady thread.

Anyone can just smear a lump of Magic Power on something, but that won't work. You have to extract the threads, and that alone will take you a long time to master."

Lily asked again, "And then?"

"If one finger is stable, add two; if two fingers are stable, add five, forming a small patch on the palm."

Once the palm area is stable, then you can start spreading it up your arms, then your body, and finally cover your entire body, achieving a constant consistency."

He finished explaining the whole road in one breath, then stopped himself. "But tonight, take only the first step, one finger. Don't think about the rest."

Lily nodded emphatically. "Mm."

Regulus extended his right index finger, the tip glowing slightly. A thin wisp of Magic Power seeped from the fingertip, silvery-blue, even and pure. With a gentle twist of his wrist, the wisp of Magic Power circled halfway around his fingertip, suspending itself steadily, neither scattering nor trembling, remaining the same thickness from beginning to end. Lily stared in disbelief.

"That's how it is," he said, stopping his hand as the threads unfurled, looking at her. "Try it."

Lily raised her index finger, staring intently at the tip.

She had the foundation, Magic Power was obedient; she easily channeled it to her fingertips, and a point of light quickly gathered on her fingertip.

But as the Magic Power gathered, it condensed into a small ball, bulging on her fingertip, round and without a trace of thread. "It's clumped together," Regulus said, looking at her Magic Power. "You tried to extract it all at once, too hastily. The Magic Power didn't have time to thin out before it clumped together."

Lily scattered and started again, this time slower, pulling her Magic Power outwards. She managed to draw out a thin thread, but it dissipated as soon as it appeared, turning into a very faint silver mist and disappearing.

"It didn't hold its shape when pulled out," Regulus said. "It needs to be slower and finer."

"I know." Lily bit her lower lip and tried again.

This time, the silk thread was pulled out and hung on her fingertips. She held her breath, not daring to blink.

But the thread was sometimes thick, sometimes thin, sometimes bulging, sometimes deflated, and after shaking twice, it disintegrated.

She tried to control her Magic Power output and tried again.

As soon as the silk took shape, she was distracted to check if it was even. Her grip loosened, and the silk broke in two and vanished.

Lily sighed, her shoulders slumped; this was completely different from what she had practiced before.

In the past, when she practiced Magic Manipulation, Magic Power was used by extending her hands—whether pulling armor or lifting feathers—the force was directed outwards and applied to external objects. She could see at a glance whether those objects moved or not, making adjustments easy.

This time it's different; this time she's dealing with her own Magic Power itself.

Don't use it outside; just pinch and knead it finely and evenly on your fingertips.

There was no external force exerting any pressure on her, no feedback from anything; she relied entirely on her own senses to feel whether the Magic Power was thick or thin, steady or scattered at her fingertips. It was more direct, and also more elusive, making it much more difficult.

"The Magic Power output isn't precise enough," Regulus said calmly. "This is different from Spellcasting. Spellcasting involves pushing Magic Power out, and the more you push, the better."

Conversely, you have to be careful, even, and slow and steady to make the silk thread fine. Right now, you're using the same force you'd use to Spellcasting to draw the silk, so naturally it'll be thick and easy to break."

Lily paused for a moment.

"And one more thing," he continued, "You're used to gripping the wand the way you use it, that's the routine you're used to."

But you don't need a wand for this; you have to touch it directly with your mind and control it with your will. It's much lighter and more delicate than touching an external object directly; if you touch it too hard, it will break."

Lily closed her eyes briefly, then opened them again, starting over, keeping them still, even, gentler, even gentler.

The wisp of silk was pulled out from the fingertip again, this time fine, even, and suspended.

"It's done!" Her eyes lit up, and she was about to smile when the strand of silk lasted less than two seconds before disintegrating.

Lily stared at her fingers, unwilling to give up, and tried again, but couldn't pull them out. She tried again, but they clumped together again.

"Alright," Regulus interrupted, "It's already quite good that you managed to pull out the silk for two seconds on your first try."

"Only two seconds," Lily muttered.

"Two seconds and zero, there's a whole step difference," he said patiently. "The rest is up to you to work on yourself. You can't rush it. Practice every day, that's what you're practicing. If you can spare two seconds today, three seconds tomorrow, maybe you can last ten minutes in six months. That's how you hone this spell."

Lily stared at her fingers for a long time, then sighed and asked earnestly, "How many times a day should I practice? Morning or evening?" "Practice whenever you have free time, don't pick a time. It doesn't take up your regular time. You can practice while walking, while sitting and daydreaming, or even while daydreaming in class. Practicing on ordinary days is more effective than sitting there for two hours straight."

Lily's eyes lit up; she loved hearing this.

She lowered her voice, took half a step closer, and asked mysteriously, "Can I practice in the Dormitory? Or do I have to do it secretly?"

There's a reason for this; Regulus had told her during the time with the Patronus that she couldn't tell anyone.

Regulus understood what she was asking and smiled, "This can be practiced openly. The Patronus is different; that involves many things. This one doesn't. If someone asks, just say it."

He stopped, looked at Lily, and his smile widened, "You could say you're figuring out how to Magic Manipulation. Nobody will believe a third-year student is practicing the Constant Shield Charm; they'll just think you're messing around."

Lily breathed a sigh of relief, but was then taken aback by his words and glared at him.

"You think you can't master it in a few years?" She slung her wand behind her back and raised her chin. "I'll show you in a year."

Regulus watched her intently, saying nothing, but his smile deepened.

One year, done.