As the sun drifted westward, its rays gradually favored her resting spot. Soon enough, her black school robes had absorbed so much heat that Lys began to perspire.
Gathering her book and wand, she intended to find another spot to continue reading, but spotted Lily and Snape beneath her chosen beech tree, practicing the needle transformation spell.
Dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves, dancing across their figures, and Snape's characteristically sharp tongue had fallen silent.
Lys noticed something different in his eyes as he watched Lily - something quite unlike his usual gloom from the previous night.
Hope, pure and unguarded.
Lily was animatedly sharing her transformation success when she turned and noticed the red-headed Slytherin who had set the desk ablaze earlier, watching them in the sunlight.
Though Lys wasn't particularly fond of the girl, she certainly didn't want to ignite any more desks or her own hair again.
Swallowing her pride, she approached them, "Hello, Evans, hello, Snape," pressing on despite Snape's darkening expression:
"Sorry to interrupt, but could you teach me the transformation? I," the socially inexperienced Lys fumbled for words, touching her singed hair, "I'd rather not be sent out of Transfiguration class again."
Lily Evans harbored a general dislike for Slytherins and maintained her guard with Lys. Though too polite to refuse outright, she was reluctant to interact with any Slytherin besides Snape.
"Sorry, I'm not sure how to teach you. But, um, I have my Transfiguration notes here - you can look at them," Lily passed a red notebook across Snape.
"Wow, thank you!" Lys's opinion of Lily Evans improved instantly - she was truly kind!
Taking the notebook, she retreated to the farthest spot within their sight and picked up a small twig, placing it well away from the precious notes before beginning her experiments.
After countless attempts, she heard Lily Evans cry out "No!"
The grass before Lys, along with the twig, had pulverized into powder, with the remains transmuted to silver.
Evans had been monitoring Lys's practice and noticed that the Black girl unconsciously raised her arm while waving her wand, and her pronunciation was completely incorrect. Before worse could occur, she finally intervened.
"Your arm," Lily Evans grasped Lys's sleeve, steadying her arm, "repeat after me."
Staring cross-eyed at the eyeless needle on the ground, Lys exclaimed, "Wow, this is my first successful spell! You're brilliant, Miss Evans!"
Those grey eyes sparkled so brightly at Lily Evans that she became somewhat flustered. "It's nothing, um, thank you for the kind words."
Noticing the men's shirt peeking from Lys's robes and her singed short hair, Evans wasn't quite sure how to address her.
Seeing the brooding Snape behind Lily, Lys quickly dusted off the notebook and returned it to Lily, bidding farewell before he could speak.
She returned to her dormitory in an ecstatic daze, clutching the small metal rod she'd transformed. With no afternoon classes, she planned to enjoy some time in the bathroom before continuing her reading practice.
At the common room entrance, after two attempts, she pronounced the password correctly. The doorway opened, and Lys hurried to her room, head down. Her roommate was absent - she had the room to herself.
Approaching the window, she pulled back the silver-threaded curtains, ready to welcome the sunlight. "Wow!" What a sight!
In the lower right corner outside the window was a cluster of seaweed, a small octopus clinging to the glass, and two fish swimming to and fro!
Her dormitory was underwater - the entire window looked out into the depths of the lake!
Lys instinctively felt along the connection between the window and wall, slightly concerned about drowning in her sleep.
She belatedly realized why the common room and bedroom had been so cold last night - she was sleeping underwater! How fascinating.
Intrigued now, she wanted to examine the common room again. She'd been too exhausted when she arrived last night, and then too shocked by the fighting challenge to look around properly.
"Wow!" Hogwarts was truly magical - an entire wall plus a half-domed ceiling was transparent, revealing the sunlit greenish lake water and underwater scenery.
A giant squid drifted past the glass dome, seemingly basking in the rare sunny day.
Lys fiddled with her eyeless needle until it reverted to a twig, curled up in a corner sofa listening to two first-years chat nearby. It was then she reaffirmed that her home was indeed different from others'.
She wanted to join their conversation, but whether boys or girls, they either elegantly vacated their seats upon noticing her or simply ignored her presence.
Now hardly anyone at Hogwarts spoke to her.
Oh! Except for Evans and Snape.
And Madam Pomfrey had been exceptionally kind too!
Settling back into her corner sofa, she withdrew the silver pocket watch hanging from her neck, opened it, looked, closed it, couldn't resist another peek, then hugged it while wiggling happily in her seat.
After a brief nap in her dormitory, with daylight still remaining and dinner time distant, Lys decided to return to the tree to practice the transformation spell.
After creating three silver craters, she finally managed to produce another eyeless metal rod.
Delighted, Lys created a row of metal rods and tucked them into her robe pocket.
Noticing the darkening sky, she quickly checked her pocket watch - time to wash her clothes before dinner!
But back in her dormitory, she searched everywhere but couldn't find the wet school robe from last night. She distinctly remembered leaving it in the basket at the foot of her bed - where had it vanished to?
Knowing anxiety wouldn't help, Lys headed to the Great Hall for dinner while trying to recall what might have happened.
Sitting at the end of the table, she realized she'd arrived early - besides herself, only two older students occupied the Slytherin table, jointly writing something on a large piece of parchment.
Bored, she counted the metal rods in her pocket while observing the blue table next door.
Their banner above contained bronze accents, with an eagle emblem - Ravenclaw. Everyone there either clutched a book or was writing something.
Next was the yellow and black table, where four young wizards exchanged sweets. Their banner displayed a black and white creature, and a chocolate frog leaped from its package onto someone's head, triggering laughter.
On the other side of the hall sat Gryffindor, with its gold and red lion. How to put it... Lys thought they might blow the roof off with their volume. One witch with braids even stood atop the table, mimicking something.
Lys found this inappropriate, considering food would be served there shortly.
Glancing at the still-empty staff table at the front of the hall, she figured dinner was still some time away and retrieved her reading book again.
As the hall filled up, Lys found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on her book - Gryffindor was simply too boisterous. She looked up at the staff table, expecting teachers to intervene, but saw Acting Headmaster Dumbledore watching the Gryffindor table with fond satisfaction.
She quietly tucked her reading book away and stared at the table, waiting for dinner to begin.
Tonight's dinner wasn't as spectacular as the previous night's feast, but still delicious. Unfortunately, the plate of sausages remained just out of reach, and Lys finished her meal still thinking longingly of them.
She even pocketed a piece of bread in case she overslept again tomorrow morning.
Indeed, having a clear self-awareness is a rare and precious trait.