Chapter 76: The Amazing Rabbit
Regulus looked up and saw Lily Evans.
She carried several books hugged to her chest. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she wore a bright, easy smile that made the library feel less like a tomb of ink and more like a place people actually lived.
Regulus gave her a small nod in greeting, then lowered his gaze to his book again.
Lily seemed used to him by now. She sat down quietly, pulled quill and parchment from her bag, and began to write.
There was no conversation. Only the turning of pages, and the soft scratch of a quill tip moving across paper.
The silence held until close to lunchtime.
Regulus closed his book, preparing to head to the Great Hall. Lily packed her things at the same time. She hesitated, then reached into the small satchel Regulus had given her, the one with the Undetectable Extension Charm.
She brought out a package wrapped in plain brown paper and tied with a dark green ribbon.
"For you," Lily said, pushing it across the table. Her voice was gentle, a touch embarrassed. "A late Christmas present. I hope you do not mind."
Regulus took it. The moment his fingers touched the parcel, he knew it was knitwear. Soft. Thick. Likely a scarf, or gloves.
The wrapping was simple, with none of the glossy fuss of Diagon Alley shops, yet the ribbon was neatly tied and the corners folded with care.
He could picture it without trying. Lily at home in Cokeworth, sitting near the fire, knitting stitch by stitch. She would have had to ignore Petunia's looks and her parents' questions, working by lamplight after homework, finishing it slowly, patiently, because she had decided it mattered.
It was not expensive. Ordinary wool. Basic stitches. Anything prettier could be bought, if you had the money.
But this had time in it. Thought. A girl's honest wish for a friend.
Regulus held the parcel as if it were something delicate, met Lily's eyes, and said, "Thank you."
Lily's face lit at once. The awkwardness vanished, replaced by pure relief and happiness.
"I am glad you like it," she said, suddenly cheerful. "I did not have much to do at home during the holidays, and since I could not practise magic, I thought I would knit something…"
They left the library together and walked toward the Great Hall, talking about their holidays as they went.
Regulus, naturally, did not mention what his holiday had actually contained. Malfoy dinners. Pure blood gatherings. Knockturn Alley patrols. A short, brutal fight in a side street. None of that belonged in Lily's smile.
He kept it ordinary.
He practised at home. He attended a few social events. Nothing interesting.
Lily listened with open envy.
"You can practise at home," she said. "At my house I do not even dare keep my wand near me. I am afraid I will do magic by accident. Once, helping Mum wash dishes, I saw a stubborn stain on a plate and the Cleaning Charm just popped into my head. I nearly jumped out of my skin. I locked my wand in the deepest part of a drawer."
"The Trace can only catch underage wizards when there are no adult witches or wizards nearby," Regulus said, following her lead.
"If you truly want to practise during holidays, stay with a close classmate for a few days. Someone with adult wizards in the house. When there is an adult present, the Trace will not react the same way."
"Really?" Lily's eyes widened. "That works?"
"The Ministry's system is not that precise," Regulus said. "It is mostly aimed at young witches and wizards from Muggle families, to stop them exposing magic in front of Muggles."
"If an adult wizard is nearby, the system assumes the adult did it. It does not pin the blame on the child."
Lily stored the information away like it was treasure. Then she hesitated, and her gaze flicked to her satchel.
"Why did you give me something so expensive?" she asked quietly. "I have seen bags like this in Diagon Alley. The prices are… frightening."
Regulus was silent for a beat.
He could hardly say, It is expensive only for you.
"Value is relative," he said at last. "To me, it is simply useful. Convenient."
"The charm used to make it is not that advanced. The Ministry bans private use, but if you are discreet and do not use it for anything illegal, it is fine."
He added, "If you are interested, there is a book in the library called Basics and Applications of Space Magic. It explains the Undetectable Extension Charm in detail, including practice methods."
"In theory, if your control is precise enough, and you understand spatial expansion, you can make one yourself."
Lily's eyes widened again, even more.
"I can make one myself?"
"Of course," Regulus said, as if it were obvious. "Magic is learned. If you are willing to study and practise properly, many things that look advanced are not as difficult as people pretend."
In the original story, Hermione Granger had managed a beaded handbag with the same charm by seventh year. If Hermione could do it, Lily could as well. It was not certain who was cleverer.
Even if Lily was young, that did not matter. Regulus could give her the right direction.
They entered the Great Hall and split to their house tables.
Regulus sat down, and Avery leaned close at once, voice low.
"Are you very close with that Evans girl?"
"Academic exchange," Regulus replied.
Avery's mouth twisted. He said nothing more.
To a pure blood boy like Avery, getting too close to a Muggle born was a bad idea. Still, he did not dare push. A warning was as far as he could go without stepping over the line.
Regulus did not care. Most pure blood students could not compare to Lily.
Wednesday afternoon brought Transfiguration.
Professor McGonagall stood at the front with her usual severity, posture straight as a blade.
Today she wore deep green robes with Gryffindor and Hogwarts badges pinned at her collar. Her silver hair was combed to perfection.
"Today's lesson is turning a handkerchief into a rabbit," Professor McGonagall said, voice crisp and firm.
"This is a key part of this term's curriculum and will be on the final exam. The requirement is simple. Keep the rabbit in its form for ten minutes without it reverting."
She picked up a white handkerchief and tapped it lightly with her wand.
The cloth wriggled, swelled, and stretched. Fur texture rippled across the surface. Ears rose from the edges as if the fabric remembered what it wished to be.
Seconds later, a living white rabbit sat on the lectern, pink nose twitching, long ears alert, hind feet thumping softly on the wood.
"Transfiguration relies not just on magical power," Professor McGonagall said, "but even more on concentration."
"You must clearly imagine every detail of the form. The texture of the fur. The distribution of muscles. The structure of the skeleton. Even the colour and lustre of the eyes."
"The clearer your image, the more stable your transfiguration, and the longer it will last."
She tapped her wand again, and the rabbit became a handkerchief once more.
"Now, begin."
Regulus picked up the handkerchief set before him. Cotton, with the Hogwarts crest embroidered along the edge. Soft. Thick.
He closed his eyes.
A rabbit formed in his mind, not as a vague idea but as a complete model assembled from the inside out.
Skeleton first. Skull, spine, ribs, limb bones. The precise connections.
Then muscle. What powered a jump, what moved the ears, what worked the jaw.
Organs. Heart placement, lung capacity, intestinal length.
Then the outside. Fur length and density. Eye transparency and reflection. The blood vessels in the ears. The sensitivity of whiskers.
For Regulus, this was effortless.
For many first years, it would have been impossible. Half of them probably could not say whether a rabbit had a tail.
When his image was complete, Regulus lifted his wand and tapped the cloth.
"Vera Verto."
The handkerchief began to change.
But unlike Professor McGonagall's smooth demonstration, Regulus's transfiguration was precise and layered.
The cotton fibres rearranged into the framework of bone first. Muscle formed and wrapped around it. Organs took shape, settling into their correct positions. Fur grew last, spreading across skin like frost across glass.
The whole process took about five seconds.
A white rabbit stood on the table, nearly identical to McGonagall's.
Only, a closer look revealed differences. Its eyes looked brighter, more alive. The rise and fall of its chest was more natural, the breathing rhythm steady. When its ears turned, there was the faintest whisper of cartilage, as if it were truly made, not merely shaped.
Regulus studied it for a moment, then tapped his wand again, aiming at the rabbit to continue.
The skin along the rabbit's back bulged. Subcutaneous tissues reorganised. Bones extended. Muscles attached.
A pair of wings grew from the shoulder blades.
Batlike, membranous wings.
The bones were slender, jointed for flexibility. The membranes were thin but tough, laced with fine blood vessels.
At the same time, the rabbit's chest shifted. Ribs expanded to make space for new flight muscles. The heart adjusted position for stronger pumping. The lungs enlarged for improved gas exchange. Hind leg muscles altered to better suit takeoff and landing.
Outside, it was still a rabbit. White fur. Pink eyes. Long ears.
Inside, it was something else entirely.
Students around him gasped.
"Black transfigured a magical creature," a Hufflepuff boy blurted.
"Is that a rabbit? Do rabbits have wings?"
"It has to be a magical creature. Only magical creatures look like that."
TL: Check out my newly released fanfic
Germany: The Thousand Year Empire