Dumbledore watched Lys's figure disappear, enveloped in the vivid green flames of Floo Powder, his eyes reflecting a trace of nostalgia.
The Prewett brothers had been like that too. They once tried to smuggle out the toilet from their dormitory, causing a flood in Gryffindor Tower.
The Prewett brothers...
Dumbledore shook his head, the smile on his face gradually fading.
Using magic to levitate the suit of armor, the headmaster carried it back to the underground dungeon. However, he couldn't recall where the armor was originally placed.
He tried to ask the armor, but it seemed to have lost its magic, remaining silent.
At that moment, a paper crane from McGonagall had already arrived, urging him to meet with the board of governors. He could only place the armor in a corner of his office.
He thought he would remember to find a proper spot for the armor later, but evidently, he forgot.
After Apparating in the public Floo fireplace at Diagon Alley, Lys marveled at Dumbledore's talking Patronus before dragging her suitcase home—
The small house on the hillside.
Lys unpacked her books and notes, arranging them neatly in her room.
Sitting on the bed, she looked around at the spotless room maintained by the house-elf, Coco.
Although she had rarely stayed in this room, it felt more like home than her little corner in the library.
She clasped her wand between her palms.
People are often trapped by what they once desired but couldn't obtain.
Previously, all she wanted was for her mother to pay her more attention, to eat well, dress warmly, and live without pain.
Now she had everything she once wished for. So, what's next?
The mocked surname... the turbulent wizarding world... the rejected application to leave the country...
What's next? Lys held up her wand vertically, questioning herself.
What's next...
She was no longer the little girl who wished for her mother's outstretched hands, seeking shelter like a meatball.
Now, she was an equal member of this family.
She had succeeded in protecting her family like her mother, in bearing the external pressures to maintain peace and harmony at home.
She had left school, and she could achieve even more!
She would become the protector of this family! With her own hands, with her own power!
Lys softly but firmly recited the incantation.
"Expecto Patronum."
Though Lys had little joy and hadn't experienced much light, her intent to protect was undeniable...
Just like the stories of the Knights of the Round Table.
In the face of terror, amidst the intent to protect, Lys believed she herself was the Patronus.
With the belief in protection: I am the Patronus I've been waiting for!
If the Knights could stand firm in darkness and fear, so could she!
Vast magic overflowed from the room, swirling and rising into silver mist that filled every corner around Lys.
Suddenly, the mist condensed, and a massive figure leapt out from the silver haze.
Lys was somewhat surprised. Her hand instinctively reached out to pat the Patronus's big head, only to pass through it, causing a dazzling silver glow.
It turned out to be a giant gorilla—a silverback gorilla.
Lys had always thought her Patronus would be a wolf like her parents', or a familiar animal like a snake similar to Gaggle.
After all, a Patronus's meaning and form are reflections of a wizard's traits and perceptions.
But a silverback gorilla? Lys recalled the scene she had witnessed a year ago in the forest while searching for experimental gorillas, and her subsequent understanding of them.
Extremely territorial, family-oriented, willing to use force to defend their kin if their territory is invaded. Mostly herbivorous, yet unhesitant to kill when necessary.
Sensitive, afraid of pain, yet fearlessly charging forward when protecting their kin...
And the Patronus before her, currently acting playful, had bright silver fur on its broad back, standing over two meters tall. It was a robust adult male silverback gorilla—a true guardian of its family.
Lys suddenly chuckled, laughing aloud as she watched the silverback gorilla Patronus stand upright on two legs, comically walking through walls, circling the room and house twice before leaning against the fruit tree outside, picking its nose, and disappearing.
A gorilla?
Now she had truly become the "wand-waving gorilla" her mother always joked about...
Standing in the room, Lys suddenly felt like the day she first got this room. She lay on the floor, raising her wand in her right hand, but without the exploding wand or blood dripping to the corner of her eye.
This was what time and knowledge had brought to Lys.
Power and knowledge would grant her everything she sought.
Even the smallest return for her efforts felt incredibly rewarding—
Opening her suitcase again, Lys took out the Grindelwald clippings.
She glanced around and pasted one of the countless copies she owned onto the window.
Imitating the pose on the clipping, she spun in place, her robes billowing, and sighed.
As the sky darkened, Lys prepared to head to the library. Two days later, she was to attend the Malfoy banquet, and she needed to prepare her outfit. Now was also a good time to cook dinner for her parents.
Lys packed what she planned to bring, grabbed Gaggle, and Apparated.
"Yes, noble banquets have such customs. The same outfit shouldn't be worn twice, especially for your first social banquet after graduation."
Noah said as he raised the clothes he had sewn for Lys, hesitating over which set she should wear.
These were designs he had recently learned from subscription tailoring journals.
Including the specifications for formal attire and some unspoken, implicit rules.
He carefully walked over and compared one of the outfits against Lys.
Lys put down the green-striped old suit she was holding and quickly took the clothes from Noah, trying them on over her shirt.
Noah shook his head. This outfit didn't turn out well; he had tried to make Lys's temperament softer but ended up making it too complicated.
He laboriously picked up another set and handed it to Lys. Lys quickly took it and changed again for Noah to see. She didn't care which outfit she wore, as long as it wasn't high heels or a dress.
This outfit looked better on Lys than the previous one but still wasn't particularly striking.
Noah sat back in his wheelchair, thinking his craftsmanship still couldn't match store-bought clothes. He suggested Lys visit Madam Malkin's shop to get a tailored outfit.
But Lys didn't go shopping. She wore the deep forest-green suit Noah made for her to the banquet, paired with a white shirt underneath and her amber pendant.
The banquet was an annual event hosted by various noble families, intended to foster connections among young people from different regions. Due to the large number of attendees, the banquet was held in the manor's garden.
Standing in a corner of the banquet, Lys observed the crowd of young people and felt this was normal. Previously, she had wondered why Hogwarts had only a few dozen students each year, yet the wizarding world still had such a large population. Where did all the people come from?
Now it seemed many wizarding families had their own traditions, like the Black family's branches specializing in alchemy, the sparse Ollivander family with their unique skills, and Professor Babbling's family, which passed down secret curse-breaking expertise.
Even the second sons and daughters of fallen minor families affiliated with major families sometimes chose to specialize in a skill.
These children began learning their family's craft before the age of ten, either at designated locations or at Hogwarts.
Lys stood in the corner with an unidentified drink for a while before Lucius, the host of the banquet, stepped forward to give a speech.
The gist was that everyone present was an exceptional talent from families with long histories, and he hoped the attendees would interact well, striving for a better future for themselves and their families.
Scanning the crowd, Lys noticed some young people standing beside nobles, raising glasses and conversing. But in the opposite corner, the situation was quite different—a young man was surrounded by nobles.
After observing for a moment, Lys shrank back into her corner, sipping her drink slowly.
After his speech, Lucius mingled briefly with a few people before heading toward Lys.
"Oh! My dear junior, have you seen that young man?"
Lucius raised his glass toward the direction of the surrounded young man.
"A French alchemy prodigy. I'm interested in recruiting him, but I don't want to provoke those old foxes standing nearby today. Could you go talk to him for me?"
With that, Lucius clinked glasses with the stunned Lys and turned away, leaving her standing there alone.
Talk? About what? How?
Was Lucius planning to find more value in her after graduation?
How to talk? What outcome to achieve?
Lys frowned, rubbed her ring, and looked at Lucius, who raised his glass at her from afar.
Finally, she walked toward the young man, mimicking Lucius's earlier gesture by raising her glass.
The nobles left their names and dispersed in small groups, deeming the young man unappreciative. Only a few remained for occasional conversations.
Lys quickly struck up a conversation with him.
Their dialogue went smoothly. Lys asked what he learned under specialized alchemy teachers, resolving her own curiosity.
She sipped her drink and said to the young man, "I also make small things myself, but Hogwarts doesn't have alchemy teachers, so I often end up blowing myself up." Lys pointed to her pendant and ring. "And based on what you've said, my thinking seems quite different from current mainstream approaches."
The young man reassured her, saying Lys's level was already outstanding for her grade. Many apprentices in workshops and teachers' homes spent more time processing materials, only learning something when their teachers were satisfied or in good moods.
"Moreover," the young man observed, "many teachers won't teach other families' children their most valuable knowledge. Much of it has already been lost due to generations of hoarding."
Lys didn't fully understand but acknowledged it might be true.
They didn't continue this topic, instead discussing alchemy until the young man's teacher arrived.
The teacher was a smiling old witch with a cane, who nodded at Lys.
She pointed to Lys's ouroboros ring, commenting that the crafting method was crude and posed risks.
Upon learning Lys had made it herself, she stomped her cane heavily.
"Which old fool taught you to be so bold? Anything related to souls, even fragments, shouldn't be casually touched!"
She warned Lys not to be hasty, sighing as she patted her apprentice's hand, lamenting it wasn't a good era.
Lys coughed lightly, noting that at least half the nobles present leaned toward the Dark Lord. It was best to tread carefully.
The old alchemist looked at Lys and shook her head helplessly.
"Thank you for the reminder, child, but there's nowhere in Britain to showcase talent without taking sides. Perhaps we'll visit France or Russia soon."
Lys glanced at the old woman, thinking, "Not taking sides?" She smiled and continued discussing alchemy achievements and drawbacks across various schools until the banquet neared its end. Lys then politely took her leave.
She found Lucius and conveyed the young man's teacher's perspective.
"Not taking sides? No matter. Perhaps a simple supply contract will suffice. There are officials in France who support the Dark Lord... I think I can manage the tax rate."
Lucius didn't care about the teacher's stance. If the benefits were sufficient, even dancing a close waltz with Dumbledore... Well, maybe not. Too disgusting.
When Lucius received the supply list, he also received a notebook the old woman had asked him to pass on.
"That young man has been misled by his teacher—too hasty, lacking a solid foundation! Give this notebook to her as thanks for connecting my student."
Lucius glanced at it and had his owl deliver it to Lys.
He thought such basic notes lacked sincerity...
However, Lys carefully studied the notebook upon receiving it.
Lys had initially approached this subject as a distraction from struggling with charms, starting clumsily and developing her own methods.
During her conversation with the old woman, her lack of foundation, whimsical ideas, and boldness left a deep impression.
Learning that this child had once manually compressed magical crystals for use as energy sources in alchemical items, the old woman was astonished. How irresponsible must her teacher have been?
Discovering Lys's research direction had no overlap with mainstream life magic, including the Philosopher's Stone, the old woman oddly admired her teacher's uniqueness.
Out of appreciation and a desire to nurture talent, the old woman gifted Lys some foundational teaching notes.
These were precisely what Lys, despite her extensive reading of the Hogwarts Restricted Section and the Lam family library, had been lacking.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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