238- Harry Being Strange

Life at Hogwarts continued peacefully.

No one knew that a secondhand diary had once been brought into the school by a red-haired first-year girl and had "almost" opened the long-sealed Chamber of Secrets. No one knew what had taken place in the dungeons or the Forbidden Forest.

Everything remained calm.

Astoria had fully recovered. Now, she was in excellent condition—her once-faint traces of illness had completely vanished, replaced by a youthful energy that even a hundred Philosopher's Stones couldn't grant.

That vitality was something even the most powerful wizards in the world would envy. No matter how advanced the method of immortality, it could never truly replicate it.

Rhys might be able to mimic a fraction of it, but as long as he retained even a sliver of his thousand-year-old memories, he could never perfectly imitate such youthful exuberance.

Astoria had taken about a week to fully recover from the procedure. In fact, she had healed so quickly that Rhys hadn't even had time to finish adjusting the potion formula he had designed for her.

On Sunday evening, Astoria excitedly arrived at the Chamber of Secrets with her sister, eager to attend Rhys' lesson.

"Now that you're free from the curse's influence, why don't you try channeling your mana?"

Instead of teaching them spells as usual or giving them a potion formula to practice with, Rhys asked Astoria to first attempt releasing her own magical power.

"Alright." Astoria complied—only to immediately fall flat on her backside.

But instead of frustration, her face lit up with delight. She could clearly feel the difference: her magic flowed smoothly, with no resistance whatsoever. It was so seamless that she wasn't used to it—hence the fall.

She got up from the ground and tried channeling her magic again. 

This time, she carefully controlled the amount of magic she released and smoothly floated into the air. Within minutes, she was soaring freely through the sky, just like Daphne had before. 

"Excellent!" Rhys applauded, while Daphne watched with excitement. 

Her sister was fully recovered! This was truly wonderful! 

But Daphne quickly realized a potential problem—without the curse holding her back, Astoria's strength was bound to improve rapidly.

Would she end up surpassing her? 

The thought of possibly being sent flying off the dueling platform by her own sister made Daphne resolve to dedicate herself even more to her spellwork. 

Rhys never would have guessed that curing Astoria's illness would come with the unexpected side effect of boosting Daphne's motivation to study—it was a delightful surprise. 

… 

Now that the blood curse no longer constrained her soul, Astoria's abilities advanced at an incredible pace.

By the time the date of the final exams appeared on the calendar, she was already able to hold her own against Daphne in their duels in the Chamber of Secrets. 

As final exams approached—even with a month still to go—the school began to buzz with nervous energy. The usually quiet and empty library became incredibly crowded, with barely a single seat to be found.

The students of Gryffindor House were something of an exception—they had a rather laid-back attitude toward exams.

Most of them only started cramming the week before exam week. Their study strategy was simple: review subjects in the order of the exam schedule. 

For example, if Potions was on Monday, they would study Potions on Sunday.

If History of Magic and Transfiguration were on Tuesday, then Monday night would be dedicated to reviewing those subjects. 

They even had a well-reasoned, if somewhat dubious, theory: studying too early would only lead to forgetting the material and having to relearn it anyway.

So, it was better to put in the effort right before the test, ensuring that their knowledge lasted just long enough to make it to the final bell. 

Honestly, their logic wasn't entirely unfounded.

But there were always exceptions—like Harry. He was one of the rare students who had actually drawn up a study plan. 

"Wait, mate, there's still a whole month until finals, and you've already made a study schedule?!" Ron picked up the parchment in front of Harry, looking utterly dumbfounded. 

Harry's behavior was so unusual that Ron could hardly recognize him. 

"Are you sure you haven't been possessed by some kind of evil spirit?" Ron pulled a mock-frightened expression, flailing his arms in exaggerated panic, making the whole thing even more comical. 

"It's just that we still have a lot of Quidditch practice coming up. Wood is practically betting his life on winning the final match, so I figured I'd just ask someone to help me make a study plan. I also borrowed a set of notes while I was at it." 

Harry pulled a neatly written, well-organized set of notes from his bag.

"Let me borrow that!" Ron instinctively grabbed the notes, planning to copy them. 

He probably wouldn't actually look at them until the exam started, but just having his own copy would give him a strong sense of security. 

"I'm heading to the library to study for a bit. Want to come?" Harry glanced at the clock and realized it was about time to review. He packed up his books and got ready to leave. 

Before heading out, he turned to Ron and asked. 

Ron: "!!" 

"Harry, you're like a completely different person today!" 

But Ron was tempted. He was seriously considering whether to go to the library with Harry....

"Ron, want to play cards? We need one more player!" 

Just as Ron was about to decide, a voice called out from the other side of the common room. It was Lee Jordan, Fred and George's close friend, who often hung out with Ron and Harry. 

Ron: "…"

Between the library and playing cards, Ron chose the cards. A man has his priorities, after all!

The final exams were still a month away, and every fiber of his being resisted the idea of studying. 

Harry arrived at the library alone. He was lucky today—the library wasn't completely full, and he managed to find a spot in a quiet corner. 

Spreading out his textbooks and borrowed notes on the table, he began his exam review. 

Harry was in great form today, completely immersed in the sea of knowledge. By the time he snapped out of it, the sky outside had already turned pitch black, and the library had emptied out significantly. 

Stretching lazily, Harry glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that there were less than fifteen minutes left until closing time.

He started gathering his books and notes, preparing to head back to the dorm to wash up and get a good night's sleep. 

Honestly, the sense of fulfillment and security that came from a solid evening of studying couldn't be matched by playing a hundred rounds of cards. That game only led to emptiness and regret over wasted time. Tonight, he was going to sleep soundly. 

Just then, Harry suddenly heard a familiar voice—the same one he had heard before! 

[Run! Run! Run!] 

This time, the voice was incredibly close, as if it was coming from right above him! 

Harry instantly became excited.

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