The quartet was still at the entrance of the Restricted Section, studying the map.
"Is there something wrong with the map? Should we try some other spells or restart it?"
"Good idea. Mischief managed, ahem, I solemnly swear that I am up to no good!"
"Look, it's still overlapping. Oh, it's gone again..." The sound of flipping parchment echoed. "Other names are normal, only the Divination teacher patrolling back and forth. Why is this name abnormal?"
Lys glanced at the spot where the three stood, urging them to leave quickly. She had seen it just now; that invisibility cloak wasn't big, and three people squeezing inside must be uncomfortable.
"Forget it, let's find Moony first. There's always another chance, right?" The chaotic footsteps faded away.
Lys turned around, crouched down again, soothing the restless Bang in her hand, and stared at the last bookshelf that appeared, feeling troubled. She feared if...
"There's really no one, Padfoot. I told you, I just checked!"
The sudden voice startled Lys again. These guys hadn't really left.
"Oh, of course, I don't doubt you; it's just that something feels odd."
"Let's go, Wormtail is still waiting for us at the library entrance."
This time, Lys didn't easily believe it. She hadn't expected that besides Lupin, these guys actually had brains!
"James said there's no one, but Sirius just doesn't believe it and made me wait two more minutes. The Restricted Section is always creepy; I need to leave quickly!"
Though she thought it was unlikely, Lys, feeling paranoid, released silent, invisible magical waves towards suspicious spots, the low-power magic balls she usually used to entertain Bang.
Only when she confirmed there was no one did she turn back towards the bookshelf. As moonlight was briefly blocked by flowing clouds, the bookshelf disappeared again, and that voice came again.
"Stalys Lam Black~"
The trembling tail of the voice sounded like the last sigh left in the world, especially as it called her name, making Lys feel uncomfortable all over.
When the moonlight returned, the twisted bookshelf reappeared.
But Lys ignored it.
She cast a Silencing Charm, jumped off the shelf, picked up "Alchemical Rhapsody," and left the Restricted Section.
Since no one else could hear the voice calling her name, there was no rush for now...
Lys had developed the habit of taking books from the Restricted Section to read last year. These books didn't require unlocking charms each time; you could take them directly without triggering alarms in the library.
Back in her dormitory, Lys stayed up late transcribing all the content she was interested in, grateful for the quick-correcting quill. If she had to transcribe by hand, given her reading volume, even if the quill flew off the page, she wouldn't finish.
Then, in broad daylight, she returned the book. Madam Pince rarely kept an eye on her.
Since the start of the term, Lys had been sleeping only three or four hours a night. If it weren't for the side effects of the invigorating potion causing mental confusion, she'd want to sleep just two hours.
But she occasionally caught up on sleep during class, like now, in Defense Against the Dark Arts.
Last year's professor had an accident during the holidays. While handling a Boggart used as a teaching tool, he mishandled it and was scared witless by its transformation into a Dementor. Although he recovered under the protection of alchemical armor, he chose to resign. His nerves were extremely fragile, unable to withstand any disturbance.
He asked Professor Slughorn to give Lys a thumb-sized crystal ball, warm to the touch, but its purpose was unknown.
"The poor fellow just shivered and handed this to me, asking me to give it to you as a token of gratitude for saving his life, without saying much more..."
When handing it to Lys, Professor Slughorn said, "You almost saved his life."
Lys silently tucked the crystal ball into her robe. A Boggart transformed into a Dementor couldn't actually drain souls.
The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was a stuttering man who liked slicking back his hair. He either read directly from the textbook or bragged about his experiences in Knockturn Alley. If young wizards questioned his stories, he'd give them detention.
He was downright annoying, but fortunately, he seemed to be an incompetent fool. Lys's headband could block his gaze and perception, allowing her to read extracurricular books or catch up on sleep from the previous night's lack of four hours.
Many students complained about not having a good teacher for such an important fifth year with OWLs exams, knowing these grades would affect their future jobs.
Lys didn't care much. Since her dad told her during the holidays that grades didn't matter anymore, she could find something she liked, then, like him, find her own hope and bring back a few friends she liked.
Lys relaxed a bit but didn't completely slack off. Like her thoughts in second year, she genuinely felt that spells and interesting materials brought a dawn-like future to her life, promising and practical, and were her biggest assurance of returning home.
That's why she continued to push herself even without grade pressure. She felt she needed to do her best quickly; otherwise, when the need arose, she'd regret being powerless.
Ignoring the boastful professor on the podium, Lys tore a piece of parchment and, holding her wand in her left hand and a pen in her right, organized her goals for the year.
The most important was resolving the hidden danger in her arm. As she grew older, her sensitivity to magic increased, and she felt the sluggishness in her magic during fights was due to her left arm.
Next, her alchemy seemed different from mainstream thought over the past few centuries, and she needed to confirm her learning direction.
Then there was the library incident. She shouldn't explore a potentially dangerous secret alone at night, but who could she find to ensure her safety?
As for the rest, Lys casually listed: map, friends, grades, Patronus Charm.
After pushing Bang's tail off the table, Lys wrote a few more words. Her pen suddenly paused and then continued.
Roast chicken legs, household magic, handling Bang's snacks.
Putting down her quill, Lys slightly raised her head to look at the professor at the front of the classroom, still talking disdainfully about werewolves, his gaze wandering.
So the person staring at her earlier wasn't him. Lys gently brushed her hair, feeling slightly annoyed.
First, her name appeared on Potter's broken map, then she was constantly watched by unknown eyes, and the library shelves even called her real name.
It was frustrating, but she had no way to drag them out.
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