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Resets Weekly! [Monday]
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"Why are you stopping me from confronting that evil Slytherin? Madam Pince's incident must have been their doing. Slytherins are capable of such things, especially since they're..."
"Enough! The child is only in second year - have you lost your mind? Even as a seventh-year, could you possibly overpower Madam Pince? Cross, these baseless accusations only make you look utterly foolish."
Such conversations frequently circulated among the numerous Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors who remained at school, though they always kept their distance from the subject of their gossip, leaving Lys largely unaware.
As the holiday ended, Lys found herself falling behind on coursework again, which caused her considerable anxiety. After class, she quietly approached Professor Flitwick to ask if this would affect her final grades.
"Not significantly. As long as you can successfully demonstrate your abilities in the end, professors won't hesitate to award you an 'E' for Exceeds Expectations."
"What about an 'O' for Outstanding?"
Professor Flitwick merely smiled, gently shaking the Charms essay Lys had submitted.
The ink was smudged, the content incomprehensible.
Lys felt panic rising. Though final exams were still distant, if this continued, she'd never achieve the two 'O's her father expected.
After all, all her essays were equally abysmal.
Having developed this sense of urgency, Lys began observing classmates whose essays received praise, swallowing her pride to ask about their approach to assignments.
But everyone avoided her. The high-performing Slytherins from noble families considered it beneath their dignity to speak with her and simply ignored her existence.
Students from the other three houses scattered like startled birds whenever she approached, making it impossible to catch anyone.
At her wit's end, Lys returned to Snape with snake skins procured from Hagrid.
Evans was there too, and though tension hung between them, it didn't deter Lys from making her request.
"Snape, these are for you. Might I perhaps look at your essays?" Lys forced an awkward smile as she offered her gift, noting Snape's eyebrow twitch and his expression become less thoroughly impatient, which gave her hope.
"And if you could teach me how to write essays, that would be even better." But Lys had offered too much this time - enough for numerous experiments - so Snape declined her second request.
Evans stood aside, disapproving of Snape's behavior yet reluctant to become entangled with Lys, a Slytherin.
She had heard about the Christmas incident with Madam Pince, and though she thought it improbable, Evans told herself some caution was warranted.
In the end, Lys gained access to Snape's homework essays after each class. Though not all Outstanding, they far surpassed her own work.
Following Snape's approach and format, after two months of determined effort, Lys's essays finally became passable in most subjects. Except for Defense Against the Dark Arts, where the professor harbored his own particular views about Slytherins.
He deeply resented these children who showed more aptitude for Dark Arts than defense against them.
Especially this Black who made no attempt to conceal her interest in Dark Magic.
After every class, the child would inquire about Dark Magic, claiming she couldn't find relevant information in books.
How could Dark Magic affect emotions and souls?! By Merlin's beard! He detested these offspring of Dark wizards!
When her long separation from her wand finally ended, Lys's first priority was frantically completing all her practical coursework for each subject.
Once, in her haste, she accidentally transformed a pear's color, but her spell demonstration still earned her an 'E'.
When Flitwick spontaneously bisected the pear, he discovered the silver coloring had penetrated beyond the skin, creating varying shades throughout the flesh.
"Oh, mysterious magic! It seems Madam Pince's neck will remain silver forever."
During her final visit to the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey remarked, "Even Madam Pince recovered faster than you. Do take care of yourself, dear. Congratulations on your recovery!"
Upon receiving this news, Lys grinned and that very night ventured into the Forbidden Forest to find bird eggs as treats for Gaben, though the snake ate almost anything and, despite occasional pickiness, was quite easy to please.
Clutching Gaben protectively, Lys once again raced through the forest. Wasn't this owl supposed to deliver mail for wizards? Why did she keep encountering it in the Forbidden Forest?
The bird was so nimble in its attacks that Lys's spells couldn't find their mark. She could only protect her hair and Gaben while trying to navigate her way out of the forest.
But something wasn't right - where was she? By her calculations, she should have been near Hagrid's hut by now.
Looking around, Lys froze - she had lost her bearings, and the owl had vanished.
Cursed owl! She loathed owls!
Scaling a nearby tree, Lys surveyed her surroundings and barely discerned the forest's edge. Gaben lay alert across her shoulders and neck, head raised vigilantly.
Seeing Gaben's acute sensitivity and alertness, Lys dared not move carelessly. Only after that sickening full moon vanished from the sky did Gaben finally relax.
Returning to her dormitory empty-handed, Lys could only retrieve a six-legged mouse from the cage for Gaben to hunt for entertainment.
Even more vexing was that during the week's final day, while delivering mail-order items to a senior Slytherin, that same owl engaged in another skirmish with Lys in the Great Hall.
It seemed to have learned the pattern of Lys's spellcasting, always striking when she was vulnerable, attempting to tear at her black shirt to get at the snake hidden beneath.
Eventually, Lys abandoned the fight, curling into a protective ball around Gaben, who had grown irritated and was "hissing" to emerge and teach the bird a lesson.
It took two spells from Prefect Malfoy to subdue the bird. "Where did this deranged owl come from? Deal with it," he said with evident displeasure.
The bird wasn't dead - killing magical mail carriers carried serious consequences, so the platinum prefect had merely stunned it.
Professor Flitwick, arriving late at the staff table, collected the bird from a Slytherin student and intercepted Lys as she attempted to cast healing spells on herself.
"Your wounds are on your face - surely you don't want permanent silver scars?" After removing the marks, he cast "Scourgify" on her hair to remove the feathers.
And so Lys attended Herbology with clean but wildly frizzy hair and a shirt torn in two places.