In a corner of the library, candlelight cast a warm glow on the thick pages of a book.
Lily Evans finally couldn't help herself; she put down the heavy Potions tome in her hand and looked earnestly at Regulus opposite her with her green eyes.
"That duel in the Slytherin common room, against a fifth-year—I heard about it." She lowered her voice, her tone carrying a pure and unbiased curiosity.
"They said you only used basic spells, but the effect was completely different, as if we weren't studying from the same textbook. How is it possible to achieve that level?"
Regulus raised an eyebrow in slight surprise upon hearing this. He hadn't expected her to ask about it, though on second thought, it seemed normal.
Internal Slytherin activities were never supposed to leak details; this was a consensus among all Slytherins, such as the Dark Arts that appeared at the welcoming party.
However, Travers's proactive provocation and unsightly defeat were excellent fodder for gossip; no one would hide it for him.
He looked up at her, able to discern that Lily's curiosity held no probing or hostility, only a fascination with magic itself. This made him willing to say a few more words.
"The spells themselves are indeed from the books," he answered calmly. "The key lies in how they are used."
"You mean there's a trick to it?"
"Understanding, proficiency, body, and consciousness." Regulus waved his wand and cast an Imperturbable Charm.
He continued, "Understanding the essence of a spell—what kind of magical properties it mobilizes, what substance or energy it acts upon, and what change it expects to achieve.
Proficiency means countless hours of practice until the spell becomes almost instinctive. The incantation, gestures, and magic output must be perfectly synchronized, without a hint of excess or hesitation.
Body—a duel isn't about standing in place and chanting. You need to move to avoid spells, adjust angles for better casting positions, and maintain balance to respond at any time.
A strong physique and agile reflexes are themselves part of one's combat power."
Regulus thought for a moment and added, "This is a point many wizards overlook."
"Finally, consciousness." Regulus's grey eyes appeared exceptionally deep in the candlelight. "Predicting the opponent's intentions, calculating the trajectory and intersection points of spells, and making the optimal choice in an instant.
In many cases, a duel is a contest of consciousness before it is a collision of magic."
He then added in his heart: *Of course, this is only for conventional duels and doesn't involve more profound magic.*
This also doesn't apply to everyone—for example, Lord Voldemort, Dumbledore, Grindelwald, and in the future, me.
Lily was stunned as she listened. She had never heard anyone analyze a wizarding duel so clearly and structurally.
At Hogwarts, the professors taught young wizards the pronunciation and gestures of spells, emphasizing the importance of practice, but they rarely linked magic usage to the overall quality of the caster so deeply.
This made her faintly sense a profound chasm between Muggle-borns and peers from ancient wizarding families.
She opened her mouth, wanting to ask if this wasn't a form of unfairness.
Children from pure-blood families were exposed to these deeper concepts from a young age, while they… As if seeing through her thoughts, Regulus shook his head slightly. "This has no necessary connection to whether one is pure-blood.
Family heritage does provide a path to earlier exposure to these concepts, but that is only 'knowing.' Moving from 'knowing' to 'doing' requires individual research, practice, and reflection.
Many pure-blood wizards also remain only at the 'knowing' level, or even neglect practice due to arrogance.
My level stems more from my own investment."
His words were like a bucket of cold water, waking Lily from her faint internal sense of injustice.
She suddenly remembered that Professor Slughorn had also praised her and Severus's talent, and they had achieved good results through their own hard work.
Resources might be unequal, but effort and wisdom are things anyone can possess.
Regulus wasn't defending pure-blood monopolies; he was emphasizing the decisive role of personal effort, which actually made it easier for her to accept.
Lily nodded thoughtfully.
But she hadn't considered: besides Regulus, would any other pure-blood say these things to her?
The conversation unknowingly grew deeper.
Lily hesitated for a moment but still asked the doubt that had been circling in her mind for a long time. "Recently, I've felt the atmosphere in school has become a bit strange.
Especially in Slytherin, and… some other pure-blood students in higher years from other houses.
They sometimes talk in low voices about 'That Person' or 'That great wizard.' They're very fanatical. Is something happening outside?"
Regulus fell silent for a moment.
He knew Lily had grown up in the Muggle world and had limited knowledge of the wizarding world, but her keenness had allowed her to sense the abnormality.
But obviously, key information would not be made public to a wizard of her background.
However, Regulus didn't mind saying a bit more.
"The wizarding world… is on the eve of a transformation." He chose his words carefully, avoiding direct mention of that name.
Lily could get that name from elsewhere, but it wouldn't be from him.
"A powerful wizard advocating pure-blood supremacy is rising, and he has attracted the support of many ancient families.
He believes pure-blood wizards should re-establish absolute rule over the wizarding world and purge impure elements."
Lily's green eyes widened. "That's ridiculous! Just because of one's birth?"
"Whether it's ridiculous or not depends on one's stance." Regulus's voice remained calm. "For many ancient families, they hold the vast majority of the wizarding world's wealth, knowledge, and power. This dominance has lasted for hundreds or even thousands of years.
They believe this is a natural right brought by bloodline, and the increase in half-bloods and Muggle-borns is diluting and threatening this right and purity.
That wizard's propositions happen to cater to their anxieties and ambitions."
He looked at Lily earnestly. "The pure-bloods you interact with from other houses, like Potter, Longbottom, Prewett, and Weasley—their families might be more open-minded or more satisfied with the status quo.
But for Slytherin, and many families closely connected to it, the situation is different."
Lily bit her lip and looked at Regulus, her voice very soft. "Then what about you? You must also… support that view, right? You're a Black; you're practically a synonym for pure-blood."
Regulus didn't answer immediately. He turned his head to look at the gradually deepening night outside the window, as if through it, he could see the chaotic situation isolated outside Hogwarts Castle.
"Bloodline," he began slowly, "is like an ancient key that can open some dusty doors, granting access to resources and perspectives that others can hardly reach.
It represents tradition and vested interests. I cannot deny that I enjoy and utilize everything it brings."
He turned his head and looked at Lily with an honest gaze. "But bloodline cannot represent wisdom, cannot represent character, and certainly cannot determine a person's entire value.
Historically, many wizards who pushed for magical progress were not pure-bloods. Attributing everything to bloodline is lazy and narrow-minded.
The stance of many pure-blood families is less a matter of faith and more a matter of… maintaining existing interests and dominance.
They monopolize knowledge and resources, and through marriage, they form a closed and powerful class."
At this point, he suddenly complained silently in his heart: *In my past life, I had a dog whose bloodline was incredibly pure, but besides being good-looking and delicate, I didn't see it being any smarter than a mutt on the street.*
Listening to this almost cold analysis, Lily was shaken.
She hadn't expected someone from the most prominent pure-blood family to view pure-blood itself in such a way.
He wasn't fanatical, he wasn't defensive; he was simply calmly stating an analysis based on history and interests.
This made her wonder: was Regulus Black perhaps not the typical pure-blood supremacist she had imagined?
If she were to ask this question, Regulus would tell her that he could be, and he could also not be.
For the following time, the two returned their attention to their books.
Regulus searched for records regarding skin-adhesive potion carriers, magic slow-release matrices, and the stability of rune-engraving media.
The books he was leafing through had already exceeded the scope of ordinary O.W.L.s and even involved N.E.W.T. content.
Lily was initially just curious about what he was looking for, but when Regulus occasionally whispered questions or made incisive comments on certain difficult passages, she was once again shocked by the depth of her peer's knowledge.
She guessed that Regulus might be researching a rather obscure and advanced topic.
"What are you researching?" she couldn't help asking again. "This content… is very specialized."
Regulus looked up and thought for a few seconds.
Lily's talent for Potions was recognized by both Slughorn and the original author, and she had a sharp mind and strong curiosity; she might be a good helper.
But he couldn't reveal his true purpose.
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