Lily picked up the stack of books again, but hesitated and put them back down. "Actually, I'm looking for material to write a Potions essay.
Professor Slughorn assigned a review on the principles of how moonstone works in Draught of Peace, requiring at least three primary source citations."
She looked at the pile of books in distress. "But I don't know how to organize it. These materials all say more or less the same thing, yet they aren't exactly the same."
Regulus glanced at her, knowing that young wizards had never received any relevant writing training. He asked, "How do you usually write your essays?"
"Well… copy the content from the books and add my own understanding?" Lily said uncertainly.
Regulus sat at the table and gestured for Lily to sit down as well.
He said, "Muggle universities have a systematic method for writing papers—"
Hearing the words "Muggle university," Lily's eyes lit up instantly.
Regulus continued, "First, don't start writing right away. Skim through all the materials first, note down every useful point, and mark the source."
Lily blinked and listened intently.
Regulus pulled a blank piece of parchment from his notebook and tore it into several small strips. "For example, write down: The lunar magic of moonstone can neutralize the restless magic residue of dreamgrass; see *Moonlight and Potions*, page 147."
He wrote "Reference 1" in the corner of the strip.
"This way, you have an independent piece of information. When you've prepared enough literature, start categorizing: 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 viewpoints." Regulus tapped with his wand, and several slips of parchment floated in the air.
"For instance, you find that Book A says moonstone should be powdered, Book B says it should be sliced, and Book C says it should be soaked whole.
At this point, you have to think: why the difference? Is it a different recipe? Or a different school of thought from the authors? Or perhaps the moonstones they studied came from different origins?"
He let the slips of paper arrange and combine in the air. "Find the reason for the differences, and you can write a paper with depth.
Finally, use your own logic to string these fragments together: 'Considering factor X, Viewpoint A is more applicable to situation Y, while Method B is superior under condition Z; therefore, the comprehensive suggestion is…'"
Lily was completely captivated. She took out her own parchment and quill and quickly noted down the steps.
"Skim, check literature, categorize, find connections, string together logic… this is so useful! Can I tell others? My friends are also worrying about their essays!"
Regulus nodded. "You can, but don't say I taught you."
Lily stopped her pen and looked at him, her expression puzzled. "Why?"
"Because I am a Slytherin and you are a Gryffindor," Regulus said calmly.
"There are some boundaries that don't need to be crossed intentionally, nor is there any need to provoke others. If your friends ask, just say it's a method you saw in a Muggle library."
A Slytherin teaching a Muggle method was a taboo in pure-blood circles, especially in the current climate.
But he believed Lily would keep the secret; she understood the importance of boundaries.
At the same time, this was a test to see if she could keep a promise.
This was very important.
After thinking for a moment, Lily understood Regulus's meaning. He was a pure-blood Slytherin and shouldn't be actively discovering, proposing, using, or even sharing methods from Muggles.
Even if it truly helped everyone.
Lily nodded vigorously. "I understand. Thank you, Black."
"You're welcome."
Lily packed her things and prepared to leave. When she reached the end of the bookshelf, she looked back. "You know? If you were in Gryffindor, we might have become very good friends."
Regulus looked up, meeting Lily's serious expression.
His voice was very soft. "Friends aren't divided by houses, Miss Evans."
Lily smiled, a smile as bright as a ray of sunlight piercing through dark clouds.
"Then… goodbye, Regulus."
"Goodbye, Lily."
The red-haired girl disappeared between the bookshelves. Regulus remained seated in the wooden chair; he knew someone would come.
Five minutes later, a cold voice came from the shadows of the bookshelf: "Stay away from her."
Severus Snape stepped out from the darkness between two rows of bookshelves, his black robes almost merging with the shadows.
His face was even paler than usual, his lips pressed into a thin line, and suppressed anger swirled in his black eyes.
Regulus stopped what he was doing and looked at him calmly. "Snape, is something the matter?"
"I said, stay away from Lily." Snape's voice was low and sharp, like a serpent's hiss. "Your tricks, I see them clearly. Pretending to be gentle, pretending to be different—it's all just to gain trust, and then—"
"And then what?" Regulus interrupted him, asking in return. "Exploit her? Hurt her?"
Snape took a step forward, his fingers pressing against his sleeve, his tone intense. "You think you're cleverer than those people? You think I don't know what you're planning?"
Regulus gave a slight sigh. "Snape, you've been watching over there the whole time, haven't you? Watching Lily talk to me, watching her smile, watching her leave, and then you come out to warn me."
He looked directly at the other. "Do you think this is protecting her? Or is it that you just can't stand her showing kindness to someone other than yourself?"
Snape's expression suddenly turned ugly. "You—"
"Let me finish." Regulus raised a hand in a small gesture. "You're angry not because I might hurt Lily—you know very well I won't, at least not now.
It's just because Lily took the initiative to talk to me, because she smiled at me, because she seems… willing to trust a Slytherin other than you?"
He leaned back in his chair. "And you want to be the only wizard she trusts, don't you? That special, unique person who can understand everything about her."
Snape's breathing became heavy, and his fingers trembled slightly.
Clearly, his thoughts had been hit spot on.
Regulus shook his head, his tone turning cold. "Today she can talk to me; tomorrow she might even do Potions experiments with James Potter."
At the mention of Potter's name, Snape's pupils suddenly contracted, and his fingers almost hooked around the handle of his wand.
"See," Regulus said. "Just the mention of the name and you lose control."
"I'll give you a word of advice, Snape. If you truly 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 let her choose to stay by your side of her own accord, not because you've driven away all the competition."
Snape stood where he was, his body tense under his black robes. After a few seconds, he finally spoke: "What do you know… how could a pure-blood young master like you possibly understand—"
"I understand more than you imagine." Regulus interrupted again, looking directly into Snape's eyes. "I understand the arrogance of pure-blood families, the struggle of half-blood wizards, and the isolation of Muggle-borns.
But none of that is a reason for you to act this way."
He stood up and walked straight past Snape. "Warning me?"
He said no more, picked up *Astral Meditation*, and walked toward Madam Pince's registration desk, leaving Snape standing alone in the shadows of the bookshelf.
Regulus thought to himself that Snape was a walking contradiction—stunningly talented, yet trapped in inferiority and possessiveness, craving power and chasing darkness.
In the original story, he didn't truly wake up until he lost Lily, but by then there was no turning back.
He might not necessarily listen to these words today. If he was smart enough, he would start to reflect; if not… at least he knew that I am not his enemy.
Interestingly, his obsession with Lily was precisely his greatest weakness. Lord Voldemort would exploit this in the future, and so would Dumbledore.
Perhaps when everyone else is exploiting his paranoia, someone who doesn't will instead reap unexpected rewards.
And speaking of Snape, one couldn't avoid James Potter.
In Regulus's view, this "official match" for Lily was an expendable minor character.
A school bully—could he be celebrated as a hero just because he later had a sudden realization and joined the side of justice?
Could he naturally obtain love, friendship, family, and posthumous honors?
This world was truly ironic sometimes; the boundary between good and evil, hero and villain, often only depended on which side you stood on in the end, rather than what you had once done.
Snape was no good person, and Potter even less so. In fact, from a certain perspective, Potter was worse.
Regulus quickly reined in his thoughts. Since this world recognized the return of the prodigal son, he didn't need to dwell on it.
Madam Pince checked the book. "*Astral Meditation*. An obscure book. Loan period is two weeks."
"That's enough." Regulus signed his name.
When he left the library, the torches in the castle corridors were already lit, their flickering light casting long shadows on the stone walls.
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