Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Lily picked up the stack of books again, but hesitated for a moment and put them down again: "Actually, I'm looking for information to write a paper on potions."

Professor Slughorn assigned a review on the mechanism of action of moonstone in sedatives, requiring at least three original references.

She looked at the pile of books with a troubled expression: "But I don't know how to organize them. These materials all say similar things, but they are not exactly the same."

Regulus glanced at her, knowing the young wizard had never received any formal writing training, and asked, "How do you usually write your papers?"

"So... you just copy down the contents of the book and add your own understanding?" Lily said uncertainly.

Regulus sat at the table and gestured for Lily to sit down with him.

He said, "Muggle universities have a systematic approach to essay writing—"

Upon hearing the words "Muggle University," Lily's eyes lit up.

Regulus continued, "First, don't start writing. Browse all the materials, note down every useful point, and cite the source."

Lily blinked and listened attentively.

Regulus pulled a blank parchment from his notebook and tore it into several strips: "For example, write down that the moonlight magic of moonstone can neutralize the restless magic remaining in Nightmare Herbs, see page 147 of 'Moonlight and Potions'."

He wrote "Document 1" in the corner of the note.

"In this way, you will have a separate piece of information. When you have enough literature, you can start to classify which ones talk about properties, which ones talk about preparation, and which ones talk about side effects."

Lily's eyes widened: "And then?"

"Then find the connections between these ideas." Regulus tapped his wand, and several strips of parchment floated in the air.

"For example, you find that Book A says moonstone should be ground into powder, Book B says it should be sliced, and Book C says it should be soaked whole."

At this point, you need to consider: why are there differences? Is it due to different formulas? Or different schools of thought among the authors? Or perhaps they studied different moonstone deposits?

He let the slips of paper arrange themselves in the air: "Find the reasons for the differences, and you can write insightful papers."

Finally, use your own logic to connect these fragments: "Considering factor X, A's viewpoint is more applicable to situation Y, while B's method is better under condition Z. Therefore, the overall recommendation is..."

Lily was completely captivated. She took out her parchment and quill and quickly jotted down the steps.

"Browsing, searching literature, categorizing, finding connections, connecting the dots... this is so useful! Can I tell others? My friends are also struggling with their papers!"

Regulus nodded: "Okay, but don't say I taught you."

Lily stopped writing, looked at him, and asked with a puzzled expression, "Why?"

"Because I am Slytherin, and you are Gryffindor," Regulus said calmly.

"Some boundaries don't need to be deliberately crossed, nor is it necessary to actively provoke them. If your friend asks, just say you saw the method in a Muggle library."

For a Slytherin to teach a Muggle method is taboo in pureblood circles, especially in the current environment.

But he believed Lily would keep the secret; she understood the importance of boundaries.

This is also a test of whether she can keep her promise.

This is very important.

After a moment's thought, Lily understood what Regulus meant. He was a pure-blooded Slytherin and shouldn't have proactively discovered, suggested, used, or even shared methods from Muggles.

Even if that does help, it doesn't help anyone.

Lily nodded vigorously: "I understand, thank you, Blake."

"You're welcome."

Lily packed her things and prepared to leave, but when she reached the end of the bookshelf, she turned back and said, "You know what? If you were in Gryffindor, we might have become very good friends."

Regulus looked up at Lily's serious expression.

His voice was soft: "Friends are not limited to academies, Miss Evans."

Lily smiled, a smile as bright as a ray of sunshine piercing through the dark clouds.

"Well... goodbye, Regulus."

Goodbye, Lily.

The red-haired girl disappeared among the bookshelves, while Regulus remained seated in the wooden chair, knowing someone was coming.

Five minutes later, a cold voice came from the shadows of the bookshelf: "Stay away from her."

Severus Snape emerged from the shadows between the two rows of bookshelves, his black robes almost blending into the shadows.

His face was paler than usual, his lips were pressed into a thin line, and a suppressed anger surged in his dark eyes.

Regulus stopped what he was doing and looked at him calmly. "Snape, what's wrong?"

"I said, stay away from Lily." Snape's voice was low and urgent, like a viper's hiss: "I see through your tricks. Pretending to be gentle, pretending to be different, it's all just to gain trust, and then—"

"And then what?" Regulus interrupted him, asking, "Use her? Hurt her?"

Snape stepped forward, his fingers digging into his sleeve, his tone fierce: "You think you're smarter than those people? You think I don't know what you're planning?"

Regulus let out a soft sigh: "Snape, you've been watching all along, haven't you? Watching Lily talk to me, watching her laugh, watching her leave, and then you come out and warn me."

He looked the other person directly in the eye: "Do you think this is protecting her? Or are you simply unable to tolerate her showing kindness to anyone other than you?"

Snape's face suddenly turned ugly: "You—"

"Let me finish." Regulus raised his hand, the movement small. "You're angry not because I might hurt Lily. You know very well that I won't, at least not now."

Just because Lily initiated the conversation, because she smiled at me, because she seemed... willing to trust someone other than you, a Slytherin?

He leaned back: "And you want to be the only wizard she trusts, right? The special, unique one who understands everything about her."

Snape's breathing became heavy, and his fingers trembled slightly.

It was obvious that his thoughts had been exposed.

Regulus shook his head, his tone turning cold: "Today she can talk to me, tomorrow she can even do potion experiments with James Potter."

Upon hearing Potter's name, Snape's pupils contracted sharply, and his fingers almost hooked onto the handle of his wand.

“Look,” Regulus said, “you lose control just from mentioning names.”

"I have a piece of advice for you, Snape: if you really care about Lily, don't try to control who she makes friends with or who she talks to. That will only push her further away."

You should make her choose to stay with you willingly, not because you drove away all the competitors.

Snape stood rooted to the spot, his body tense beneath his black robes. After a few seconds, he spoke: "What do you know... How could a pure-blooded young master like you possibly understand—"

"I understand more than you think," Regulus interrupted again, looking directly into Snape's eyes. "I understand the arrogance of pure-blood families, the struggles of half-blood wizards, and the isolation of Muggle-borns."

But none of that justifies your actions.

He stood up and walked straight past Snape: "Warning me?"

He said no more, picked up "Astrological Meditation" and walked toward Mrs. Pince's registration desk, leaving Snape standing alone in the shadow of the bookshelf.

Regulus thought to himself, Snape is a contradiction. He is incredibly talented, yet he is trapped in inferiority and possessiveness, craving power and chasing darkness.

In the original story, he only truly realized his mistake after losing Lily, but by then it was too late to turn back.

He may not listen to what I said today. If he is smart enough, he will start to reflect. If he is not smart enough... at least he knows that I am not his enemy.

Interestingly, his obsession with Lily is precisely his greatest weakness, which Voldemort will exploit in the future, as will Dumbledore.

Perhaps when everyone is taking advantage of his paranoia, the one who doesn't will reap unexpected rewards.

And when talking about Snape, one cannot help but mention James Potter.

In Regulus's view, Lily's official partner is a minor, dispensable character.

Can a school bully be hailed as a hero simply because he later repents and joins the side of justice?

So they can rightfully obtain love, friendship, family affection, and posthumous honors?

The world is sometimes ironic; the line between good and evil, between good and evil, often depends only on which side you ultimately stand on, rather than what you have done in the past.

Snape was no good person, and Potter was even worse; in some ways, Potter was even more despicable.

Regulus quickly collected his thoughts. Since the world accepted the prodigal son's return, he didn't need to dwell on it.

Mrs. Pince checked the book: "Astrological Meditation, an obscure book, two-week borrowing period."

"That's enough." Regulus signed his name.

When he left the library, torches had been lit in the castle corridors, casting long shadows on the stone walls in the flickering light.