James's eyes widened, his mouth slightly agape; Remus let out a sharp intake of breath, and Peter gave a short cry of surprise before quickly covering his mouth.
Sirius stood at the door, his body tense and his fingers unconsciously clenching into fists; he wanted to draw his wand but restrained the impulse.
Helping an outsider deal with his own brother, regardless of winning or losing, was not honorable enough.
Moreover, he knew that even if he joined in, they wouldn't win; continuing the conflict would only make himself more embarrassed.
Snape stared at that stationary red ribbon, then slowly turned his head to look at Regulus.
Lily's hand was still pulling at Snape's sleeve, but she had forgotten the action, merely staring blankly.
Regulus finally raised his head.
He glanced at James with a gaze as calm as if he were looking at a piece of furniture, then looked at the red ribbon; his right hand still held his quill, while his left hand lightly gripped his wand, giving it a slight flick.
The red light faded from vivid to dim, from solid to transparent, and then decomposed like melting ice, breaking down into countless tiny red specks of light.
The light specks floated and swirled in the air before silently dissipating.
The process was neither fast nor slow; everyone saw it clearly.
The wand abruptly vanished from Regulus's hand, his left hand returned to the desk, and he lowered his head to continue writing notes, the quill moving across the paper with a steady rustling sound.
It was as if nothing had happened just now.
The silence lasted for at least ten seconds.
James Potter's hand was still holding his wand, his posture as rigid as a statue.
His eyes were wide, and in the pupils behind his glasses, the empty air was reflected.
Right there, ten seconds ago, a complete Expelliarmus had been frozen, decomposed, and dissipated, as if it had never existed.
"You…" James's voice was stuck in his throat; he swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. "What did you do?"
Regulus didn't answer, nor did he even look up at him again for a single glance.
James clenched his fists as if engaged in some intense internal debate; he felt angry at Regulus's disregard, but in the end, he didn't lash out.
He knew, of course—or rather, he had studied it.
In the appendix of *The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1*, there was a brief mention: theoretically, a sufficiently powerful wizard could directly dismantle the structure of an inferior's spell through magical interference.
The more knowledge one possessed, the more one knew what this represented.
James Potter loved pranks, was arrogant, and had prejudices against Slytherin, but he was certainly not stupid.
His father had taught him basic spell theory, he had seen adult wizards perform advanced magic, and he had read books.
So he understood that what had just happened before his eyes wasn't a first-year student using some minor trick; it was something beyond his imagination taking place.
And the person who had performed this was sitting there quietly, as if he himself were an insignificant fly.
James's fists tightened, the wand digging into his palm; he wanted to say something provocative to save face, but his throat was dry, and he couldn't squeeze out a single word.
"What spell was that?" Remus's voice was very soft as he shifted his body to stand in front of James.
"It wasn't a spell," Sirius spoke up, stepping into the carriage and standing beside James, his gaze falling on Regulus.
He hadn't expected Regulus to have reached such a level already; he knew it represented a high degree of skill, which left him with complex and indescribable thoughts.
Perhaps it was some family secret he didn't know about?
"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; caught between his best friend and his brother, he didn't want to appear biased.
He then added, "At least not for now. So, don't mess with him."
James opened his mouth to argue, but after looking at Regulus and then at the spot where the spell had vanished, he ultimately said nothing.
Regulus finally looked up at Sirius, gave a very slight nod, and then lowered his head again.
They left.
In the corridor, Lily Evans and Severus Snape were still standing there.
Lily's hand had let go of Snape's sleeve, but she still stood beside him, her green eyes wide, looking at Regulus and then at where the spell had disappeared.
Snape's expression was gloomier than usual; he stared at Regulus, his eyes full of wariness.
"Are you alright?" Lily spoke first, asking Regulus.
Regulus raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Lily and Snape.
"Thank you for coming, although strictly speaking, Mr. Snape is the one who should be thanked; the spell was originally aimed at him."
Lily was stunned for a moment, not expecting him to say that, but it was indeed the case. "No… I mean, it's nothing."
The corner of Snape's mouth twitched; he was still staring at Regulus. "How did you do it?"
Regulus didn't answer; instead, he stood up to introduce 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 younger brother?"
Regulus gave a slight nod, his right shoulder and hand extending slightly outward.
"I'm Lily Evans." Having it confirmed, the name surprised her, and Lily quietly took a deep breath.
Her tone then became a bit more formal than before: "Second year, Gryffindor. This is Severus Snape, also a second year, Slytherin."
Snape's lips pressed into a thin line, and he only gave a slight, stiff nod.
Regulus nodded to both of them in greeting. "I know your names."
Lily blinked. "You do?"
"Professor Slughorn mentioned you," Regulus said in a tone as natural as stating a fact.
"He said Hogwarts has two second-year students whose talent in Potions far exceeds their peers: Lily Evans and Severus Snape. He suggested that if I had the chance, I should interact with you more."
Lily's face flushed slightly with happiness; her eyes lit up, and the corners of her mouth curved into a sincere smile. "Really? Professor Slughorn said that?"
Snape's expression was much more complex; his chin lifted slightly, as if with the pride of being recognized, but his eyes remained wary.
He was all too familiar with such words—talent exceeding one's peers sounded like praise, but in Slytherin, it was often accompanied by a subtext: but your bloodline doesn't match your talent.
"So you know who we are," Snape's voice was somewhat dry as he brought the topic back. "But what did we just see? That was definitely not something a first-year should know, Mr. Black?"
Regulus looked at him, knowing that the young Snape was sensitive, insecure, yet proud—a contradictory figure.
Toward pure-bloods, he was simultaneously wary and longing to belong.
Regulus explained, "Spell Analysis and Magical Interference. The principle isn't complicated; it just requires a very high level of control precision."
And, of course, magic perception.
"How high?" Snape pressed.
Not only sensitive, insecure, and proud, but also lacking manners, Regulus silently complained to himself. But he didn't mind; Snape was very valuable.
"High enough that most adult wizards cannot do it," Regulus replied calmly. "I practiced for a long time."
Lily looked at him curiously. "At what age did you start practicing magic?"
"As far back as I can remember," Regulus said nonchalantly. "My family has a library."
The Black family's library was indeed famous; rather, every ancient family had its own collection.
But no amount of books could allow a child to master advanced magic techniques without a teacher.
However, Lily accepted this explanation because she came from a Muggle family; she had no library at home and didn't know what a pure-blood family's education was like.
She nodded, her green eyes showing a bit more friendliness. "So you're also… the kind of person who likes to study."
"Study is necessary," Regulus nodded in agreement. "For a wizard, knowledge is power."
He then silently added in his mind: *and even more so for Muggles.*
This sentence made Snape's brow twitch slightly; he glanced at Regulus, the wariness in his eyes decreasing a bit, replaced by some recognition.
"So," Snape asked, "which house do you intend to go to?"
"Slytherin," Regulus said without hesitation. "It is a family tradition."
Lily's expression dimmed for a moment. She looked at Snape, then at Regulus, her lips moving before she finally said, "Slytherin… isn't 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 simply nodded. "In every house, there are people worth learning from and people who aren't worth wasting time on."
These words made Lily's expression brighten again, and she smiled. "You're right. So, see you at the Sorting Ceremony?"
"See you at the Sorting Ceremony."
Lily pulled at Snape's sleeve. "We should head back, Severus."
Snape gave Regulus one last look, nodded, and then turned to leave. Lily waved at Regulus and followed him.
The carriage became quiet once more.
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