Regulus of Hogwarts: Lord of the Stars

Chapter 373 Girl, What Do You Yearn For?

Once Lily's breathing had completely stabilized, Regulus put down the cup.

"Lily, Guardian Angel, how is it?"

Lily turned her head, her eyes lit up, then she stood up, walked to the center of the arena, drew her wand, and closed her eyes.

She took a breath, relaxed her body, and her expression softened.

After a short while, she opened her eyes and gently pushed her wand forward.

"Protect the Gods."

The tip of the staff lit up, emitting a silvery-white light that was much brighter than last semester.

Last semester, her Guardian Angel spell could only summon a thin wisp of silver mist that dissipated in the air and disappeared in a few seconds.

Now the light has solidified and gained texture; it is no longer a scattered mist, but a truly dense silver light.

The light spreads outward from the tip of the cane, creating a soft halo that slowly diffuses in the air, then bounces back when it hits the wall, circling around and around, making the abandoned classroom glow white and bright.

There were subtle patterns flowing within the silver light, very slowly and lightly, without shape or outline. It was far from meeting the standard of a guardian deity of the flesh, but it was already much stronger.

She held on, and the silver light hovered on the tip of the staff for nearly half a minute.

Then the silver light began to flicker, grew thinner and thinner, and finally dissipated, its radiance fading away.

Regulus watched the whole thing, lightly tapping Baruch's carapace with his finger, one tap at a time. Baruch swung his chelicerae in rhythm with the taps.

This progress isn't fast. By the standards of an ordinary guardian deity, after several months of training, they're still at the silver stage. Other wizards would probably have already started to doubt themselves.

However, considering the desire to unite the guardian deities, it is not slow, and could even be considered fast, because desire itself is not a standard path.

The Guardian Charm, in essence, is about purifying, solidifying, and manifesting the strongest positive emotions within oneself.

Most wizards are driven by happy memories. This path is direct: as long as you have been happy, that memory is in your mind. You can retrieve it, fill it in, and your guardian spirit can be activated.

Happiness is the easiest fuel to obtain. As long as a person is mentally sound, they will have happy moments by their teens.

Even something as simple as a good meal, a sunny afternoon, or the laughter of a friend counts.

Voldemort must have had his happy moments at Hogwarts: the first time he was favored by the professor with a perfect score, the first time he frightened his classmates, and the first time he created a Horcrux.

If even he has experienced happiness, then others are certainly no less fortunate.

Using happiness to drive the guardian spirit may have a high barrier to entry, but the success rate is high.

Therefore, most wizards who cannot summon a Patronus are stuck on spell techniques, not on the emotional source of their abilities.

With the right technique and a strong enough memory, your guardian spirit will appear.

But desire is a completely different thing; it moves forward and points to something that hasn't happened yet.

What do you crave? What do you truly want?

This question sounds simple, but most adult wizards never figure out what they truly desire in their entire lives.

They work at the Ministry of Magic, get paid, and go to the pub for a couple of drinks on weekends. They live a good life, but if you ask them what they want, they can't say.

They talk about promotions, raises, and their children getting good grades, but those are goals, not aspirations.

Desire is something deeper, like waking up in the middle of the night staring at the ceiling, a voice that keeps echoing in your heart but never gets a response.

Desire is not a specific desire; that's too small, so small that it seems laughable in the face of a guardian deity.

True desires are about what kind of person you want to be, what kind of life you want to live, and what you are really pursuing in this world.

These questions are all so vast that it may take years, decades, or even longer for the answers to gradually emerge.

And even if you see it clearly, it will still change.

What a person desires at thirteen may not be the same as what they desire at twenty, and even more different from what they desire at thirty.

It yearns to grow, to change, and to move forward alongside people's experiences and understanding.

Therefore, using desire to drive the guardian spirit is destined to be much slower than using happiness.

Happiness is like firewood, piled up there, all you need to do is light it.

I longed to chop wood myself, to find wood, to figure out what kind of wood could burn, what kind burned brightly, and only then could I start a fire.

But precisely because of this, the guardian spirit driven by desire will become even stronger once it takes shape.

Happiness will be consumed, memories will wear down if revisited too often, vivid images will gradually fade, and details will slowly become blurred.

Dementors feed on happy memories; the more you search for a Dementor, the more it enjoys eating them.

But desire doesn't last; if you don't get what you want, it will always be there.

The more you don't get it, the stronger it becomes.

Dementors cannot devour desire, because desire lies ahead, not in the past.

Lily is on this path now; it's difficult, but it's bright enough.

She's just getting started, but the silver sheen already has texture and grain, which means she's found a direction, but it's still far from being fully formed.

It can't be rushed.

Lily put away her wand, turned to look at him, her expression serious, her eyes bright with a hint of anticipation, waiting for him to speak.

"Lily," Regulus stood up, walked over, and nodded, "You've improved. I can tell you've worked hard."

Lily's face lit up with joy; the corners of her mouth turned up and her eyes crinkled.

"I have practiced!" she said quickly, as if afraid he wouldn't believe her. "I practice in my dorm room almost every night, getting into the right emotions, feeling the longing, and then chanting the mantra!"

Her tone became a little excited: "I even consulted Professor McGonagall. She knew I was practicing this, and she would always tell me some techniques and help me correct my gestures."

Then Marcia saw me practicing, and she started practicing too.

Lily raised her chin slightly, her lips curving into a smug smile: "I'm progressing faster than her."

After feeling smug for a while, she became a little embarrassed, lowered her head, and let stray hairs slip down her ears.

"However... it's been a long time, and I still haven't been able to summon the complete guardian deity."

She looked up at him, her expression not downcast, just a little embarrassed.

Regulus looked at her and said gently, "Guardian deities are a very profound form of magic."

He patiently explained: "The vast majority of adult wizards will never be able to summon a guardian deity in their entire lives. Those who can summon a physical guardian deity are considered highly skilled wizards in the entire British magical world."

To have achieved this level at your age is truly remarkable; you have a lot of talent.

Lily was listening intently when a certain word suddenly triggered her. Her eyebrows rose, and her eyes became suspicious: "Are you saying I'm old?"

Regulus paused, looking somewhat bewildered, which was unusual for him.

Where is this going?

How can you say such a thing at your age?

I told you your age not to imply that you are highly talented, but because I thought you were.

He coughed lightly, shook his head, and said earnestly and sincerely, "No, I'm saying you're very talented."

Lily stared at him for a while and realized that he didn't seem to be teasing her; he looked very serious and sincere.

She remembered that Regulus was always like this whenever she was with him, speaking and acting with an adult-like air about him.

She had previously remarked to Marcia that this person sometimes resembled her father.

When Mr. Evans reasoned with her, he did so in the same manner: earnest, patient, and treating her like an adult.

But Lily felt this didn't make sense; he was younger than her, she should be the older sister.

Lily rolled her eyes at him, muttering, "I'm clearly older than you, I'm the older sister..."

Regulus heard him, but decided to pretend he didn't, and immediately changed the subject: "What were you thinking when you summoned your guardian spirit?"

Lily withdrew her pouting lips, thought for a moment, and her expression softened.

"Knox, the little black cat you gave us, and Penny, we sat on the carpet and named it. Penny said..."

She smiled, her eyes crinkling: "Penny said to just call it Little Monster, since it was sent by magic. I said no, we need a proper name, so we flipped through half a dictionary."

Her voice softened: "I hope Penny will always be my sister, that she loves me, I know that, and I don't want to..."

""

She paused, looking at Regulus: "Because of magic, you know, Penny...she's actually in a lot of pain, and I don't want to lose her."

Regulus looked at her, his eyes gentle and understanding, and nodded.

Lily laughed again and continued, "That's the image I'm thinking of, very clearly, where I can see Penny's expression and hear the cat meowing."

Then she pouted: "But it gets blurry in a few seconds, you can't hold onto it, and it falls apart if you try to squeeze it."

After she finished speaking, she looked up at Regulus, her eyes bright, waiting for him to make a decision.

Regulus listened and thought for a while.

He taught her the difference between the two paths, recalling the past while yearning to move forward.

She chose Desire because she believed in him; he taught her, and she learned without hesitation.

She took the first step, not wanting to lose Penny, but this was just the beginning.

Regulus said, "You chose desire, you found a direction, and that's good."

Lily narrowed her eyes slightly, listening intently.

His voice continued, "But it's just a starting point. It's not enough on its own. Desire isn't something you can just have; you have to experience it."

Lily frowned slightly.

"I don't want to lose Penny; this longing is real, but not enough."

Regulus continued, "Desire needs something more fundamental, what kind of person you want to be, what kind of life you want to live, that's much bigger and much deeper."

You need to see more things, meet more people, experience things, encounter setbacks, and discover what you care about.

The process of getting to know the world is also the process of getting to know yourself. Only by getting to know yourself can you see clearly what you really desire.

Once you truly see things clearly, that desire will become concrete, clear, and firm; you can grasp it, and it won't dissipate.

This is growth in itself, which is why it's slower and more difficult.

Lily frowned slightly, lost in thought.

For a girl her age, these words were beyond the scope of magic instruction.

Knowing yourself, knowing the world, finding your true desires—these speak of magic, and also of life.

She doesn't need to figure everything out right now; she just needs to remember the direction and then spend time experiencing, verifying, overturning, or confirming it.

Lily was quiet for a moment, then drew her wand: "I'll give it a try."

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened them: "Palmtops of Protection."

A silver light emerged, similar to before—neither better nor worse.

It lasted for five or six seconds before dissipating, even shorter than before.

normal.

She had just heard a long lecture, and her mind was still processing it. While her thoughts were active, her emotions were not pure enough.

The Guardian Charm requires immersion, not contemplation. Once she truly internalizes what she heard today, her next practice will be different.

Lily sighed, feeling a little disappointed.

But she herself knew that it couldn't be accomplished with just a few words; Regulus had already said that this path was even more difficult.

She looked up at him, pouted her lips, and said softly, "I can't do it."

Regulus chuckled.

"That's great, Lily. You have a lot of talent. Keep going, and you will succeed."

Seeing her expression, he added, "She'll be even more amazing."

Lily stared at him for a while, tilted her head, and suddenly asked, "Will I be better than you?"

Regulus's lips curled upwards, his chin slightly raised, and his tone carried a hint of arrogance: "How do you think I summoned them?"

Lily snorted.

This person occasionally shows this kind of expression, a bit arrogant, which is completely different from his usual composed demeanor.

She found it amusing and decided not to say anything, secretly enjoying herself while putting on an "okay, okay" expression.

It's almost 10 o'clock.

A deep blue night sky peeked through the window, with stars scattered sparsely, and the moon nowhere to be seen.

Lily took her school robe off the hanger and put it on, wrapping her scarf around her neck twice. Regulus also put on his robe and casually draped his scarf over his shoulders.

Baruch poked his head out of his inner pocket, his amber eyes peering out the window, and clicked.

The two walked out of the abandoned classroom. The corridor was quiet, and the torches were burning at the lowest setting.

Lily took two steps toward the Gryffindor Tower, turned around, waved, and said with a smile, "See you next time, Professor Regulus."

Regulus waved his hand dismissively: "Go ahead, Lily."

Lily smiled, her eyes crinkling, then turned and ran. Her footsteps faded into the distance in the corridor, growing fainter and fainter until they disappeared around a corner.

Regulus stood in the doorway, watching the direction she disappeared in, then turned and walked into the basement.

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