Call Me Professor Lily

After dinner, Regulus went to the Library.

The Library was quiet at this time of year. It was mid-March, spring was already in the air, and the young Wizards didn't seem to want to spend much time with their books.

As dusk settled outside the window, small groups of people were seen in the Corridor, some running towards the lake, others chasing and playing in the courtyard.

Several blurry figures were already flying around the Quidditch Pitch, their Broomstick trailing behind them in a series of giggling laughs.

The main gate was crowded with people rushing out, and laughter and chatter drifted in through the windows, echoing through the Castle's Corridor.

The Library was quite quiet. Madam Pince sat behind the counter, dusting an old book with a feather duster, glancing around sharply with each dusting.

A few students sat sparsely in the corner, mostly older students preparing for exams, their heads buried in the pile of parchment, not looking up.

The soft lighting cast small patches of light on each table, while the areas outside the tabletops were darker, and the shadows of the bookshelves stretched long.

Regulus sat in his usual spot, at the table by the window, directly opposite the door.

A thick, hardcover old book lay open in front of me, its spine torn in several places, its cover badly worn, and half of the gold lettering had peeled off, making the title barely legible.

<Forgotten Ancient Magic and the Origin of Souls>.

The name sounds sophisticated, ancient, and profound, but it's actually on a public bookshelf; you don't even need to go into the Forbidden Section.

The content is more narrative than technical, resembling an explorer's notes and a compilation of folk tales, and is far from a rigorous academic work.

The author was a 17th-century Italy wizard; his writing is verbose, but he makes several interesting points.

Occasionally, you can stumble upon old claims that can't be found in serious literature—ancient theories that have been swept into a corner by the academic community, no one takes them seriously, and are categorized as superstition.

He flipped through a few pages and stopped at a description of ritual Magic and soul resonance.

The author believes that ancient wizards did not rely on spells and wands when casting certain high-level Magic, but rather made the Magic happen directly through specific ritual actions and projection of thoughts at the soul level.

The book provides several examples.

A 14th-century France hermit summoned rain through three days of meditation, while an Ottoman Empire astrologer led an entire army astray in the desert by drawing Star Chart.

The author insists that these are all true events, but later mainstream academia has regarded them as coincidences and legends.

Not long after, footsteps came from the doorway, light and cheerful.

Lily came around from behind the bookshelf, carrying Potions book so thick it could be used as a brick, with the title "Advanced Potion-Making" printed on the cover.

A small purple Handbag hung on her shoulder, and her red hair stood out strikingly under the reading room lights.

Upon seeing Regulus, his green eyes crinkled into crescents, the corners of his mouth turned up, and he quickened his pace to walk over, placing the book on the table and pulling out a chair to sit down.

A smile bloomed on her face, "Professor Regulus."

Regulus looked up and smiled, "Lily."

Lily placed her Handbag on the corner of the table, opened the thick book, took out a quill pen and an ink bottle, and began to read.

The two sat quietly, each looking at their own things, neither of them speaking.

The sky outside the window changed from dark blue to deep blue, the last ray of light retreated from the horizon, and the moonlight shone in obliquely, spreading a layer of silvery glow on the table.

The overhead lights brightened, casting a soft white glow that enveloped the two of them in a quiet halo.

Regulus closed the book, tapped his finger lightly on the table, and the Muffling Charm silently activated.

"I won't be here for at least the next week," he said, looking at Lily gently. "Weekend practice will have to wait."

Lily looked up, her finger paused on the page, and her green eyes blinked twice.

She tilted her head, a hint of curiosity in her eyes, and casually asked, "Where to?"

Regulus replied, "Family affairs."

Lily waited a while, and when she realized he didn't intend to continue, she pouted, put her arms on the table, rested her chin on them, and didn't press him for more information.

Marcia had told her that Pureblood families wizards, once they reach a certain age, will always have things to deal with besides their studies.

The older you get, the more of these things you'll have to do; there's always something to keep you busy in the outside world.

She understood these things; it was like children from wealthy families who, when they reached a certain age, were expected to help out with household chores.

I never imagined Regulus would be so busy. He's not even that old yet; he's only thirteen.

She looked at Regulus's face and said, "Regulus, don't you feel like you're a little busier than your peers?"

Her tone was filled with genuine concern, and her green eyes were wide open, as if she were worried about him.

"While the other second-graders are chasing butterflies on the lawn, you've already started handling family affairs."

Regulus chuckled, echoing her tone, and sighed, "I'm used to it."

"That's too busy," Lily muttered, then laughed, her eyes crinkling.

She looked down, poking at the pages with her finger, then looked up at him again. "Be careful."

Regulus nodded. "Yes, don't worry."

Lily was quiet for a moment, her fingers tracing the spine of the book, then, as if remembering something, she leaned closer and said in a low voice, "I want to tell you..."

Regulus probed forward in cooperation.

"I've practiced the Constant Shield Charm so many times this week," she said with a hint of pride. "In the History of Magic class, Professor Binns was talking about the Third goblin, and I secretly practiced it for the entire class period."

Then a hint of embarrassment appeared on her face. "After practice, I couldn't even stand up. Marcia and Susan each supported one side of me and helped me out of the classroom."

Regulus's lips curled into a slight smile.

"But there's been progress," Lily held up a finger and gestured in the air, "I can now pull out a stable thread for about two seconds."

As he spoke, he got more and more excited, glancing back at Madam Pince to make sure she was busy with her own things and not looking in their direction.

Then he turned back, winked at Regulus, extended his right index finger, slightly bent it, and became focused.

A wisp of extremely fine silver-white thread floated on her fingertip, trembling in the air; it was so delicate it was almost invisible.

The thread hung there, held for about a second, flickered twice, then broke and vanished into the air.

Lily withdrew her finger, looked up at him, her green eyes shining with "Praise me! Praise me!"

Regulus nodded seriously. "Last time you couldn't even pull out the thread, but this time you managed to hold it for a second. That's a significant improvement."

"More than a second!" Lily immediately corrected, "I tried it in the Dormitory yesterday, and I could last almost two seconds--"

She stretched out her finger as if to demonstrate, then looked around and withdrew it. "Never mind, I'll try again when we get back. If Madam Pince catches me here, I'll get scolded again."

Regulus sincerely praised, "Very good, great progress, very talented, no wonder you're Lily."

Lily's green eyes widened, her face flushed slightly, and after staring at him for a moment, she huffed irritably, "You're just trying to fool me again."

Regulus smiled.

Lily glared at him, then looked down at her book with a smirk on her face. After a few pages, she looked up again.

"And the Enhanced Senses Charm," her voice softened, tinged with a hint of wistfulness, "I activate it once every night before bed."

"It was in my Dormitory, right by the window. The first time I practiced, I was looking at the moonlight. I thought it was so beautiful that it became a habit. I would turn it on once, look at the moonlight for a while, and then turn it off to go to sleep."

Regulus raised an eyebrow. "What did you see?"

Lily narrowed her eyes slightly, recalling the scenes that only she could see in her mind.

"There are so many more things," she said quickly, eager to share, "The moonlight is actually in slivers, unlike the patches we usually see."

You can see the colors in the light, layer upon layer, with blue under silver, and purple under blue, very deep and far away, and the stars are brighter than usual.

You can still hear sounds: footsteps in the Corridor, the direction of the wind outside the window, and the sound of Nox turning over; its tail flicks first when it turns over.

She snapped out of her daze and smiled sheepishly, "Then I just couldn't hold on anymore, I was too tired. Every time I would collapse on the bed and catch my breath for a long time, but each time I felt a little better than the last."

Regulus looked at her, a smile playing on his lips, and said gently, "Very good, Lily, you're wonderful."

Lily beamed with delight at the compliment, then realized why the tone was so familiar, like she was being coaxed a child.

She glared at him, then lowered her head and secretly chuckled to herself.

After a while, she rested her chin on her hands, looking up at him with her green eyes.

This person reads here almost every day, and practices spells with her in the Abandoned Classroom every week; they've gotten used to it.

Suddenly having to leave for at least a week makes me feel a little empty.

But she didn't say it.

She sat up straighter, cleared her throat, put on a serious expression, and said in a deliberately affected tone, "Regulus, if you take leave from school, you'll fall behind in your studies. As your senior, I'm very worried about your grades."

Regulus, seeing her earnest posture, smiled and agreed, "Senior is right."

Lily couldn't hold it in and laughed, then tried to stop herself, but her lips were already twitching uncontrollably.

She pulled the thick notebook in front of her and patted the cover. "If you're going to miss class, I can lend you last year's notes."

After saying that, he leaned forward, lowered his voice, and said mysteriously, his green eyes gleaming. "I'll tell you a secret."

Regulus tilted his head slightly in agreement.

"The content of the Hogwarts final exams each term," Lily said, her voice barely audible, with a hint of smugness as if she'd pulled out a secret weapon, "Is basically the same."

She raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a wide smile, "Look at my notes, I guarantee you'll get an O."

Regulus laughed; he was genuinely amused.

"You've been a huge help," he said, his tone extremely sincere. "You know, if I don't get good grades, I'll get nagged at home—"

"How could the Black family kids get E's? It's a disgrace to the family."

Lily nodded emphatically, a sense of mission in her eyes. "Don't worry, leave it to me. If there's anything you don't understand, I can tutor you."

She patted her chest, chin held high. "You'll have a great vacation, leave it to me!"

Regulus nodded and said with a smile, "Then I'll leave it to you, Lily."

Lily's green eyes widened. "Call me Professor Lily."

Regulus bowed slightly, his expression serious. "Professor Lily."

Lily beamed, her green eyes curving into two crescent moons, and her red hair swaying.

Then, adopting a haughty demeanor, he placed his hands clasped on the table, mimicking someone's usual air, and gave a slight nod, speaking in a steady tone, "Classmate Regulus."

The two looked at each other and laughed.

It's almost seven o'clock, and the sky outside the window is completely dark.

Regulus stood up and closed the book on the table. "We're leaving tomorrow, let's go back and prepare."

Lily stood up, slung her Handbag over her shoulder, and picked up the thick book.

Standing by the table, she looked up and smiled at him, "Be careful, Regulus."

Regulus looked at her, his gaze gentle. "Alright."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the door.

Lily stood there, holding the book, watching his figure walk further and further away, turn a corner, and disappear.

She lifted the book up slightly and walked towards the Gryffindor Tower.