Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

James's eyes widened, his mouth slightly agape, Remus gasped, and Peter let out a short scream before quickly covering his mouth.

Sirius stood in the doorway, his body tense, his fingers unconsciously clenched into fists. He wanted to draw his wand, but he restrained the impulse.

Helping outsiders against one's own brother is dishonorable, regardless of victory or defeat.

Besides, he knew that even if he joined in, he wouldn't win, and continuing the conflict would only make things more embarrassing for him.

Snape stared at the still red ribbon, then slowly turned his head to look at Regulus.

Lily's hand was still tugging at Snape's sleeve, but she had forgotten the gesture and was just staring blankly.

Regulus finally raised his head.

He glanced at James, his gaze as calm as if he were looking at a piece of furniture, then looked at the red ribbon, his right hand still holding the quill, his left hand lightly gripping the wand and flicking it slightly.

The red light faded from vibrant to dim, from solid to transparent, and then decomposed, like ice melting, breaking down into countless tiny red specks.

The specks of light floated and swirled in the air before disappearing silently.

The process was neither fast nor slow, and everyone could see it clearly.

The wand abruptly disappeared from Regulus's hand. He placed his left hand back on the table, lowered his head, and continued writing notes, the quill moving steadily across the paper with a soft rustling sound.

It was as if nothing had just happened.

The silence lasted for at least ten seconds.

James Potter still held his wand, his posture as stiff as a statue.

His eyes were wide open, and the empty air was reflected in his pupils behind his glasses.

Right there, ten seconds ago, a complete disarming spell was solidified, decomposed, and dissipated, as if it had never existed.

"You..." James's voice caught in his throat. He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. "What did you do?"

Regulus did not answer, nor did he even look up at him again.

James clenched his fists, as if deep in thought. He was furious at Regulus's disregard, but ultimately did not lash out.

Of course he knew, or rather, he had studied it.

The appendix to Standard Spells: Beginner briefly mentions that, in theory, a sufficiently powerful wizard can directly dismantle the structure of an inferior spell through magical interference.

The more knowledge you acquire, the more you understand what it means.

James Potter is mischievous, arrogant, and prejudiced against Slytherin, but he is not stupid.

His father taught him basic spell theory, he had seen adult wizards cast advanced spells, and he had read books.

So he understood that what had just happened wasn't a trick used by a first-year student; it was something beyond his imagination that had occurred before his eyes.

The person who used this technique sat there quietly, as if he were an insignificant flying insect.

James clenched his fists, his wand digging into his palm. He wanted to say something provocative to save face, but his throat was dry and he couldn't utter a single word.

"What kind of spell is that?" Remus asked softly, shifting his body to stand in front of James.

"It's not a spell," Sirius said, stepping into the carriage and standing next to James, his gaze fixed on Regulus.

He hadn't expected Regulus to be able to do this much; he knew it represented some kind of superb skill, which left him with complex and indescribable thoughts.

Perhaps it was a family secret he was unaware of?

"What do you mean?" James turned to look at him, his tone unpleasant.

"It means you can't beat him." Sirius's voice was deliberately calm; he didn't want to appear biased between his friend and his brother.

He then added, "We can't beat him right now, so don't mess with him."

Jaime opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but after glancing at Regulus and then at the spot where the spell had disappeared, he ultimately said nothing.

Regulus finally looked up at Sirius, nodded slightly, and then lowered his head again.

They left.

Lily Evans and Severus Snape were still standing in the hallway.

Lily had already let go of Snape's sleeve, but she still stood beside him, her green eyes wide open, looking at Regulus and then at the spot where the spell had disappeared.

Snape's expression was more somber than usual as he stared at Regulus with wary eyes.

"Are you alright?" Lily asked Regulus first.

Regulus looked up, his gaze sweeping over Lily and Snape.

"Thank you for coming. Although, strictly speaking, Mr. Snape is the one who should be thanked, as the spell was originally intended for him."

Lily was taken aback, not expecting him to say that, but it was indeed the case: "No... I mean, it's nothing."

Snape's lips twitched, but he remained staring at Regulus: "How did you do that?"

Regulus did not answer; instead, he stood up and introduced himself.

"Before answering, perhaps we should get to know each other first. I am Regulus Black."

"Black?" Lily's eyes widened slightly. "You're... Sirius Black's brother?"

Regulus nodded slightly, his right shoulder and right hand extending outwards slightly.

"I am Lily Evans." Upon receiving confirmation, the name surprised her, and Lily quietly took a deep breath.

His tone then became more formal: "Second year, Gryffindor. This is Severus Snape, also a second year, Slytherin."

Snape's lips were pressed into a thin line, and he merely nodded slightly, his movements stiff.

Regulus nodded to the two men: "I know your names."

Lily blinked. "You know?"

"Professor Slughorn mentioned it," Regulus said naturally, as if stating a fact.

"He said that Hogwarts has two second-year students whose talent in potions far surpasses that of their peers, Lily Evans and Severus Snape. He suggested that if I have the opportunity, I should talk to you more."

Lily blushed slightly, her eyes lighting up with joy, and a sincere smile curved her lips: "Really? Professor Slughorn said that?"

Snape's expression was much more complex. His chin was slightly raised, as if he were proud of being recognized, but his eyes remained wary.

He was all too familiar with this kind of talk: "Your talent far surpasses that of your peers." It sounded like a compliment, but in Slytherin, it often carried the unspoken implication that "your bloodline doesn't match your talent."

"So you know who we are," Snape's voice was a little hoarse as he steered the conversation back to what had just happened, "but what we just saw was definitely not something a first-year student should know, Mr. Black?"

Regulus looked at him and knew that Snape was a contradictory person in his youth—sensitive, insecure, and proud.

He was both wary of purebloods and eager to join them.

Regulus explained, "The principles of spell analysis and magical interference are not complicated, but they require a very high degree of precision in control."

Of course, there's also magic perception.

"How tall?" Snape pressed.

Not only is he sensitive, insecure, and arrogant, but he's also impolite, Regulus thought to himself, but he didn't care; Snape was very valuable.

“It’s beyond what most adult wizards can do,” Regulus replied calmly. “I’ve practiced for a long time.”

Lily looked at him curiously: "How old were you when you started practicing magic?"

"From as far back as I can remember," Regulus said casually, "there was a library in the house."

The Black family's library was indeed famous, but it's more accurate to say that every old family has its own collection.

But no amount of books can teach a child advanced spell techniques without a teacher.

But Lily accepted this explanation because she came from a Muggle family, her family didn't have books, and she didn't know what education in a pure-blood family was like.

She nodded, a hint of warmth appearing in her green eyes: "So you're also... the kind of person who likes to learn."

“Learning is necessary,” Regulus nodded in agreement. “For wizards, knowledge is power.”

He then silently added to himself, especially to Muggles.

This made Snape raise an eyebrow. He glanced at Regulus, his eyes less wary and more approving.

"So," Snape asked, "which house do you intend to go to?"

"Slytherin," Regulus said without hesitation, "that's a family tradition."

Lily's expression dimmed slightly. She looked at Snape, then at Regulus, her lips moved, and finally she said, "Slytherin... not bad, Severus is there."

At the same time, she thought to herself, "But there are also many people there who hate people like me."

Regulus understood, and he simply nodded: "Every academy has people worth learning from, and people not worth wasting your time on."

These words brightened Lily's expression again, and she smiled, "You're right, then, see you at the Sorting Ceremony?"

See you at the Sorting Ceremony.

Lily tugged at Rasneap's sleeve: "We should go back, Severus."

Snape glanced at Regulus one last time, nodded, then turned and left. Lily waved to Regulus and followed him.

The carriage fell silent again.