Chapter Summaries

Regulus taught Lily dueling tactics and began training her in Magic Manipulation, assigning her to practice the Patronus Charm without saying she learned it from him. The chapter ended with Lily asking why some people loved picking on others, and Regulus suspecting Sirius and James Potter had bullied Snape.

• Lily used linked spells to restrict Regulus's movement, then caught him off guard with a Disarming Charm during his advice.
• Regulus explained his Constant Shield Charm and told Lily he would teach her Magic Manipulation and the Patronus Charm, while asking her not to credit him for the latter.
• Regulus guided Lily through moving a feather and controlling ripples in water, and she began to make progress.
• Lily asked Regulus why some people loved picking on others, and he connected her distress and Snape's bruises to Sirius and James Potter.

Regulus encouraged Lily to become strong enough to stop bullying herself and asked her to help teach Sirius a lesson for wasting his talent. Lily agreed and left determined to keep training, while Regulus looked forward to seeing her confront Sirius, James, and the others.

• Regulus reflected that James and Sirius had repeatedly bullied Snape, while Snape had later joined Voldemort and helped bring about the Potters’ deaths.
• Regulus asked Lily whether she wanted the strength to stop bullying herself, and she admitted she was afraid she could not beat the others.
• Regulus reassured Lily that training would let her overcome them, and she told him she believed in him.
• Regulus asked Lily to teach Sirius a lesson because Sirius was not practicing properly at Hogwarts, and Lily eagerly agreed.
• Regulus told Lily to keep practicing magic-power control and plan to practice the Patronus next time.
• After Lily left, Regulus anticipated that she might confront Sirius and James and that Snape would react awkwardly if she rescued him.

Regulus received Bellatrix Lestrange’s threatening letter and replied with a dismissive “O?”, intending to use her as a public warning to protect Costa and Vance. After practicing Spatial Transfiguration, he went to Professor McGonagall’s office and found Sirius there.

• An Eagle Owl delivered Bellatrix Lestrange’s warning that this was Regulus’s second chance and there would not be a third.
• Regulus considered how much his magic had advanced and realized that nobody knew the full extent of his abilities.
• Regulus transformed a fry into a quill, wrote “O?” over Bellatrix’s letter, and sent it back with the Eagle Owl.
• Regulus planned to use Bellatrix to make his protection of Costa and Vance clear, while waiting for Rababstan’s side of the matter.
• After Defense Against the Dark Arts, Regulus went to Professor McGonagall’s office to discuss his progress in Spatial Transfiguration and found Sirius seated there.

Regulus mistook Sirius's Transfiguration practice for trouble and apologized to Professor McGonagall, who clarified that Sirius had done nothing wrong and invited Regulus to observe his work. Sirius, flustered but eager to prove his progress, prepared to demonstrate his Transfiguration.

• Sirius continued studying and practicing Transfiguration under Professor McGonagall's guidance, driven by his newly discovered talent.
• Regulus entered McGonagall's office to ask about Spatial Transfiguration and apologized for Sirius, assuming he had misbehaved.
• McGonagall told Regulus that Sirius had made no mistake this time, while Sirius flushed and bristled at the misunderstanding.
• McGonagall invited Regulus to watch as she examined Sirius's Transfiguration, and the brothers sat beside each other.
• Sirius, determined to show Regulus how much he had improved, took a deep breath and drew his Wand to begin.

Sirius demonstrated his improving Transfiguration to Regulus and Professor McGonagall, who praised his progress. Professor McGonagall then asked Regulus to state his question about Spatial Transfiguration.

• Sirius transformed an eraser into several animals, then used a matchstick, parchment, and a chair cushion to create a fish, a Lion, a Stag, and a Big Dog.
• Regulus praised Sirius’s smooth control of Magic Power and recognized that his Transfiguration had advanced, while deciding to find a way to motivate him to practice more.
• Regulus told Sirius, “Not bad. The progress is obvious,” and urged him to keep practicing.
• Professor McGonagall reflected on the brothers’ different levels of Transfiguration and felt relieved that Regulus had acknowledged Sirius’s work.
• Professor McGonagall turned to Regulus and asked him to present his question.

Regulus asked Professor McGonagall why spells disrupted his Spatial Transfiguration, and she showed him how to alter space’s elasticity as well as its shape. He left with a new direction for his magic and a fresh perspective on balancing rationality with intuition, while Sirius finally asked to talk.

• Regulus demonstrated how spells made his transfigured space snap back and asked Professor McGonagall where his method failed.
• Professor McGonagall explained that space’s elasticity resisted the transfiguration and demonstrated how to transfigure that property directly, allowing the fold to remain stable when struck by a spell.
• Regulus sensed space’s properties more deeply and realized he had a new way to pursue Spatial Transfiguration, while Professor McGonagall warned him not to fire spells into it before it matured.
• As Regulus and Sirius left the office, Regulus reflected on how he had relied too heavily on physical analysis and needed to recognize when a problem called for magical intuition.
• Sirius caught up with Regulus in the corridor and asked if they could talk.

Regulus agreed to talk with Sirius, who asked why Regulus had accepted Voldemort’s Dark Enlightenment. Regulus challenged Sirius to consider the consequences of refusing and what true power meant, leaving Sirius asking for Regulus’s answer.

• Regulus led Sirius to a dark corridor window, where Sirius asked how long it had been since they had properly talked.
• Sirius explained that he had spent half a year wondering why Regulus accepted Voldemort’s Dark Enlightenment.
• Regulus asked Sirius what consequences might have followed if he had refused, prompting Sirius to consider the risks for the first time.
• Regulus asked Sirius to define true power, and Sirius said it meant winning fights, protecting people, and making enemies afraid.
• Regulus questioned whether those things were enough, and Sirius asked him to explain what true power was.

Regulus explained his layered view of power to Sirius, distinguishing conventional strength, expanding magic, consequential choices, understanding, and freedom from definitions. He challenged Sirius to reconsider how others had shaped his choices, then suggested ways to develop his spatial magic as they headed to dinner.

• Regulus reflected on Dumbledore's reliance on the world, Voldemort's drive to push magic beyond limits, and his own ambitions for Space Magic and Light Magic.
• Regulus told Sirius that power included shaping others' choices, understanding more than others, and bearing the consequences of one's decisions.
• Regulus asked Sirius why the Black family had let him leave and why Voldemort had influenced Regulus to take the Bone Box, prompting Sirius to fall silent.
• Sirius told Regulus he had found that Transfiguration was his strongest field and asked whether the Bone Box affected Regulus; Regulus appeared unaffected.
• Sirius asked about Regulus's Spatial Transfiguration, and Regulus advised him to learn Apparition or try to catch a House-elf to develop his sense of space.
• Regulus and Sirius went toward dinner, and Regulus told Sirius he had practiced Apparition at eleven.

At dinner in Lestrange Manor, Bellatrix received Regulus’s reply to her warning: “O?” written in ketchup. Furious but wary of Voldemort’s wishes and the Black family’s standing, she decided to confront Regulus during the holidays, while Rodolphus chose to keep the Lestranges out of the dispute.

• A house-elf brought Bellatrix the letter she had sent Regulus, returned with “O?” written in ketchup.
• Bellatrix took Regulus’s reply as a challenge to her authority and feared Voldemort would see her as unable to control him.
• Bellatrix rejected the idea of attacking the families of the half-blood students Regulus protected because it could provoke the Black family and overstep Voldemort’s wishes.
• Bellatrix decided to confront Regulus at the Black Ancestral Home during the holidays, with Orion and Walburga present.
• Rodolphus learned the reply was written in ketchup and decided the Lestrange family would stay out of the Black family dispute.

After Sirius and Regulus arrived at dinner without speaking, Sirius brooded in the Gryffindor dormitory while James worried that his brother had upset him. James distracted Sirius by proposing that they visit a spider colony in the Forbidden Forest that night, and Sirius agreed; he remained preoccupied with what Regulus had told him.

• Sirius and Regulus entered the Great Hall together but separated without speaking, leaving Sirius quiet and distracted through dinner.
• James followed Sirius to the dormitory and pressed him about whether Regulus or their family had upset him, but Sirius said he was only thinking.
• James showed Sirius a large spider he had caught and told him Hagrid had mentioned a talking spider boss in a colony deep in the Forbidden Forest.
• James invited Sirius to explore the colony that night, Lupin warned them not to enter the forest, and Sirius agreed to go.
• James, Lupin, Peter, and Sirius settled in the dormitory, while Sirius continued thinking about what Regulus had said.

Sirius reconsidered how leaving the Black family had shifted its burdens onto Regulus, then joined James and Lupin in planning a trip to the Forbidden Forest. Before dawn, Regulus studied advanced human transfiguration and discovered a possible connection to Magic Weaving, though he decided to wait until he was older before attempting it.

• Sirius reflected that his choices to leave home and join Gryffindor may have left Regulus to bear the Black family's expectations and Voldemort's attention.
• James asked whether Sirius was still going to the Forbidden Forest, and Sirius confirmed he was going with James and Lupin after curfew.
• Regulus searched the Forbidden Section for knowledge about human transfiguration and read Eldritch Finn's account of implanting magical creatures' abilities into a wizard's body.
• Regulus read the warnings against underage human transfiguration and learned that too many kinds of magic could damage the body.
• Regulus found a note proposing that an ability be divided into fine threads and woven together, which reminded him of Magic Weaving, and decided to wait before experimenting.

After Herbology, Samuel and Lina encountered Snape, who questioned why Regulus protected them and warned that his protection might not last. They stood their ground, then reassured each other that they could remain useful to Regulus and continued on to find Alex.

• After leaving the greenhouse, Samuel and Lina walked apart from Regulus's group, maintaining the confident posture they had learned as his protégés.
• Samuel and Lina found Snape blocking their way in a corridor, with several Slytherin students watching from farther off.
• Snape questioned why Regulus protected them and suggested they consider their future, but Lina and Samuel refused to explain or be intimidated.
• Snape left, and Samuel and Lina discussed how they had handled the confrontation and worried about losing Regulus's protection.
• Samuel told Lina that if Regulus ever stopped needing them, they would find a way to become more useful, and they continued toward Alex.

Snape reported that Alex Rosier and Avery Cuthbert were watching Samuel and Lina, then offered Rababstan a plan to use Veritaserum to question them. Rababstan agreed to provide the costly ingredients, while Snape privately planned to fake the potion and profit from the materials.

• Snape tracked Samuel and Lina, recorded their routines, and noticed Alex Rosier and Avery Cuthbert watching them.
• Avery publicly warned Snape to stop following Samuel and Lina, claiming they were Black's people.
• Snape told Rababstan that his investigation had revealed little and that Avery had threatened him.
• Snape proposed brewing Veritaserum, and Rababstan agreed to buy the ingredients while Snape handled the brewing.
• Snape persuaded Rababstan to provide extra ingredients and planned to brew a fake potion, sell the surplus materials, and profit from the scheme.

Regulus refined Spatial Transfiguration into a fast technique that twisted a target’s surroundings, then demonstrated it by destroying a training dummy’s head. After reflecting on the method’s limits, he recovered and asked Hermes how he wanted to compete.

• Regulus discovered that pushing aside space’s elasticity let him briefly transfigure a small area with less resistance.
• Regulus spent the afternoon practicing until he could twist a fist-sized patch of space in under a second.
• Regulus used the technique on a Wooden Dummy, twisting its head until it shattered, while Avery and Alex watched in confusion.
• Hermes sensed the danger of Regulus’s technique and recognized that Regulus’s magic was beyond his own.
• Regulus considered the technique’s limits in combat, recovered, and asked Hermes how he wanted to compete.

Regulus sparred with Hermes, demonstrating how speed and precise use of a basic Slowing Charm could overwhelm even powerful Dark Arts. Hermes left with a question to solve about how to counter an opponent who denied him any chance to cast.

• Hermes asked Regulus to avoid the moves that had frightened him in their previous fight, and Regulus agreed to a formal duel.
• Hermes attacked with a rapid sequence of spells, but Regulus dodged them with ease using movement charms.
• Regulus countered with repeated Slowing Charms, breaking Hermes's Shield Charm and forcing him to dodge until he could no longer cast.
• Regulus asked Hermes what he should do when an opponent prevented him from acting, then told him to think it over before their next training session.
• Avery asked what spell Regulus had used to disappear and reappear, and Regulus said it was Apparition.

Lily practiced the Patronus Charm and produced a small silver light while explaining Professor McGonagall’s advice to Regulus. Regulus described how longing for the future, rather than a happy memory, had summoned his Patronus, leaving Lily to consider his distinction between the two methods.

• Regulus welcomed Lily to the Abandoned Classroom, warmed her with magic, and joined her scarves on a stand she had transformed from a broken desk.
• Lily demonstrated her progress with Magic Manipulation and summoned a small, defined ball of silver light with the Patronus Charm.
• Lily told Regulus that Professor McGonagall had advised her to fuel the charm with a powerful happy memory, and described her practice and failed attempts.
• Regulus recalled summoning his Patronus through his longing for freedom and the future, and reasoned that memory looked backward while longing looked forward.
• Regulus explained his approach to Lily, who listened with a growing frown as he said most people relied on memories because their strongest emotions belonged to the past.

Regulus taught Lily to seek a future-facing longing for her Patronus and encouraged her to discover what she truly wanted for herself. After Lily left, he reflected on her predetermined fate and resolved to help her gain the freedom and strength to choose her own path.

• Regulus explained that longing for the future could summon a Patronus, and Lily asked how to find what she longed for.
• Regulus told Lily that discovering her true desire was a personal process that could strengthen her mind and deepen her self-understanding.
• Lily cast the Patronus Charm while searching inward; her silver light appeared dimmer but denser and more defined.
• Lily left after asking when they would meet again, and Regulus considered how her fate had reduced her to her relationships and a doe Patronus paired with James Potter's stag.
• Regulus resolved to show Lily a wider world and help her choose her own future, even if she ultimately chose James and still produced a doe Patronus.

Regulus received letters from Walburga and Orion after Bellatrix complained about his treatment of two Half-bloods, and he planned to settle the dispute at the Christmas banquet. After Potions class, he asked about Lestrange’s plan, and Alex reported that Snape was preparing a deception involving Lina or Samuel.

• Regulus read Walburga’s warning that Bellatrix would confront him at Grimmauld Place after the Christmas Banquet, then read Orion’s brief instruction to handle the matter himself.
• Regulus decided to bring the dispute forward to the Christmas banquet and resolve it with the Black family and other key figures present.
• Regulus brewed an excellent Draught of Peace, and Slughorn invited him to a holiday party and suggested he use the potion to sleep well.
• Regulus asked Alex how far Lestrange’s plan had progressed, and Alex said Snape had supplied Lestrange with an ingredient list and arranged for Lestrange to fund extra materials.
• Alex explained that Snape planned to brew a potion resembling Veritaserum and use it to threaten Lina or Samuel when he could catch one alone.

Regulus approved Alex’s controlled plan to trap Snape and Rababstan, then considered how the attack could draw the Black, Mulciber, Cuthbert, and Roxier families into conflict. As he prepared for a possible confrontation with Voldemort at the Christmas Banquet, he decided he needed more escape insurance and stopped before the Gargoyle guarding the Headmaster’s Office.

• Alex explained that Hermes would intervene before Snape could force Veritaserum on Costa or Vance, and Regulus approved the plan.
• Avery recounted how he had acted against Snape and helped Costa and Vance play their parts, while Alex praised their cooperation.
• Regulus realized Hermes’s attack on Rababstan could be interpreted as the Black family taking a side against the Lestranges, and resolved to explain the consequences to Hermes, Avery, and Alex.
• Regulus planned to confront Bellatrix at the Lestrange Christmas Banquet with Orion, Walburga, Narcissa, and Lucius present, while considering whether Voldemort might intervene.
• Regulus assessed his defenses against Voldemort and concluded that he needed another means of escape before stopping at the Gargoyle outside the Headmaster’s Office.

Regulus visited Dumbledore to ask for a way to escape anywhere despite Anti-Apparition Charms. Dumbledore considered the request and suspected Regulus feared a threat connected to the Christmas holiday and his support for Half-blood students and Lily Evans.

• Regulus entered Dumbledore's Office and greeted Phineas Nigellus Black and Fawkes.
• Dumbledore offered Regulus tea and sweets, but Regulus listed cockroach relatives that Dumbledore's safety spell might miss, prompting him to move the Cockroach Cluster aside.
• Dumbledore asked how Regulus had been, and they discussed Regulus's talent for potions and lack of interest in the subject.
• Regulus told Dumbledore he needed a way to escape anywhere, even where Anti-Apparition Charms were active.
• Dumbledore considered Regulus's abilities and suspected the danger might involve a Pureblood family manor during the Christmas holiday, or resentment over Regulus's support for Half-blood students and Lily Evans.