Once Lily's breathing had fully settled, Regulus set down his cup.
"Lily. The Patronus. How's it coming?"
Her eyes brightened. She stood without a word, walked to the center of the floor, drew her wand, and closed her eyes.
A slow breath in. Her body loosened, expression softening.
After a moment she opened her eyes and pushed her wand gently forward.
"Expecto Patronum."
The wand tip ignited. Silver-white light poured out, far brighter than last term.
Back then her Patronus Charm had produced only a thin wisp of silver mist that dispersed within seconds.
Now the light had substance. Texture. No longer vapor fading into nothing, but a genuine mass of concentrated silver.
Fine patterns rippled through the silver, slow and weightless. No shape. No outline. Still far from a corporeal Patronus. But leagues beyond where she'd been.
She held it. The silver hung from her wand tip for close to thirty seconds.
Then it began to waver, thinning, and dissolved. The light withdrew.
Regulus watched the entire display, one finger tapping Baruk's carapace in a lazy rhythm. Baruk waved his chelicerae in time, one beat for each tap.
The progress wasn't fast, by conventional Patronus standards. Months of practice and still at the formless-light stage. Most witches and wizards would have started doubting themselves by now.
Lily stowed her wand and turned to him, expression serious, eyes bright, a thread of anticipation. Waiting for his verdict.
"Student Lily." Regulus stood and walked over to her. A nod. "There's progress. I can tell you've been working hard."
The delight hit her face all at once, mouth curving, eyes crinkling.
"I have been practicing!" The words tumbled out fast, as if she was afraid he wouldn't believe her. "Almost every night in the dormitory. Building the emotion, focusing on the desire, then casting."
Her voice picked up speed. "I even went to Professor McGonagall. She knows I'm working on this, and every time she gives me pointers, helps me correct my wand movement. Then Marcia saw me practicing and started practicing too."
Lily's chin lifted a fraction, her smile gaining an edge of pride. "I'm ahead of her."
The smugness lasted a few seconds before she caught herself, ducking her head, a strand of hair slipping from behind her ear.
"But... it's been so long, and I still can't produce a full Patronus."
She looked up at him. Not discouraged, exactly. More sheepish.
Regulus met her gaze, his voice gentle. "The Patronus is extraordinarily advanced magic."
Patient, measured. "The vast majority of adult witches and wizards never manage it in their lifetime. Those who can produce a corporeal Patronus are considered highly accomplished by any standard in the British wizarding world. To have reached the level you're at, at your age, shows remarkable talent."
Lily had been listening closely. Then a particular word triggered something. Her eyebrow arched, her look turning suspicious. "Are you calling me old?"
Regulus blinked. Genuinely thrown.
Where did that come from?
Your age. How could you hear it that way?
I'm talking about your age because I'm saying your talent is impressive.
He gave a small cough and shook his head, expression earnest, tone sincere. "No. I'm saying your talent is exceptional."
Lily studied him for another moment, realized he wasn't teasing, and that he looked about as earnest and sincere as a person could manage.
It occurred to her that he was always like this when they were together. Everything he said and did carried the weight of someone much older.
She'd remarked on it to Marcia before. Sometimes he reminds me of my dad.
Mr. Evans had the same manner when he explained things to her. Serious. Patient. Treating her like an adult.
But it made no sense, because Regulus was younger. She was the older one. She was the big sister here.
Lily shot him a look, muttering half under her breath. "I'm older than you. I'm the big sister..."
Regulus heard. He elected not to. "When you cast the Patronus, what are you thinking about?"
Lily abandoned the grumbling, considered for a moment, and her expression softened.
"Knox. The little black cat you gave me. And Petunia. The two of us sitting on the carpet, picking out a name. Petunia said..."
A smile. Eyes curving. "Petunia said we should just call it Little Monster, because it came from magic. I said no, it needed a proper name. We went through half a dictionary."
Her voice gentled. "I want Petunia to always be my sister. She loves me, I know she does. I don't want to lose her because of..."
She paused, looking at Regulus. "Because of magic. You know how Petunia is... she's hurting, underneath. I don't want to lose her."
He looked back, understanding in his eyes, and nodded.
Lily smiled again. "That's the image I hold. Clear as anything. I can see Petunia's face. I can hear the cat meowing."
Then the smile faded to a pout. "But it blurs after a few seconds. I can't hold it. The harder I try, the faster it falls apart."
She raised her eyes to him, bright and expectant, waiting for him to tell her what to do.
Regulus listened, and thought for a while.
He'd taught her the difference between the two paths. Memory looked backward. Desire looked forward.
She'd chosen desire, because she trusted him. He'd taught it, she'd learned it. No hesitation.
She'd taken the first step. Not wanting to lose Petunia. But it was only a beginning.
"You chose desire," he said. "You found a direction. That's good."
Lily's eyes narrowed slightly, listening hard.
"But it's only a starting point. On its own, it's not enough. Desire isn't something you find ready-made. You have to live your way toward it."
A small crease formed between her brows.
"Not wanting to lose Petunia. That desire is real, but it's not sufficient."
He continued. "Desire needs something more fundamental. Who do you want to become? What kind of life do you want? Those questions are far larger, far deeper. You need to see more, meet more people, feel things, hit walls, discover what matters to you. Getting to know the world is also getting to know yourself, and only when you know yourself can you see what you truly desire. Once you do, it'll become concrete, clear, unshakable. You'll be able to hold it, and it won't dissolve. That process is growth itself. Which is why it's slower, and harder."
Lily's brow stayed furrowed, thoughtful.
For a girl her age, what he'd said had already gone well past the boundaries of a magic lesson.
Know yourself. Know the world. Find your true desire. He was talking about spellwork, but he was also talking about life.
She didn't need to understand all of it now. She only needed to remember the direction, and then let time and experience test it, challenge it, overturn it, or confirm it.
Lily was quiet for a moment. Then her wand came out. "Let me try."
Eyes closed. A deep breath. Eyes open. "Expecto Patronum."
Silver light surged forth, about the same as before. No stronger, no weaker.
It held for five or six seconds and faded, shorter than the last attempt.
Normal.
She'd just absorbed a dense stretch of reasoning. Her mind was still processing, thoughts still active, and when the mind was busy, the emotion couldn't be pure enough.
The Patronus Charm demanded immersion, not analysis. Once she'd internalized what she'd heard today, the next session would be different.
Lily let out a breath, a little disappointed.
But she knew better. One conversation wasn't going to get her there. Regulus had told her as much. This path was harder.
She looked up at him, lips pushing forward in a small pout, voice soft. "I can't do it."
Regulus laughed quietly.
"You're doing well, Lily. Your talent is remarkable. Keep going and you'll get there." He caught her expression and added, "And you'll be formidable."
Lily stared at him for a beat, tilted her head, and asked out of nowhere, "More formidable than you?"
The corner of his mouth pulled up. His chin rose a fraction, a note of cool arrogance slipping into his voice. "How do you think I cast mine?"
Lily huffed.
Every so often he let that side show, a flash of pure smugness, completely at odds with his usual composure.
She found it immensely entertaining. She decided not to say so, keeping the laughter tucked away behind a face that said fine, fine, whatever.
---
Nearly ten o'clock.
Lily pulled her school robes off the rack and shrugged them on, wound her scarf twice around her neck. Regulus dressed too, scarf draped loosely over one shoulder.
Baruk poked his head out of the inner pocket, amber eyes flicking toward the window. A single click.
They stepped out of the abandoned classroom. The corridor lay still and quiet, torches burned down to their lowest flicker.
Lily walked a few steps toward Gryffindor Tower, then turned and waved, smiling. "See you next time, Professor Regulus."
Regulus returned the wave with suitable gravitas. "Off you go, Student Lily."
Her eyes crinkled. She turned and ran, footsteps tapping down the corridor, growing fainter, rounding a corner, gone.
Regulus stood in the doorway, watching the direction she'd vanished. Then he turned and headed for the dungeons.