Chapter 11: Blinding Light

During lunch, Lys reviewed her schedule. With no afternoon classes, she pondered how to spend her day.

Her priorities were mastering the new vocabulary to avoid future confusion and practicing the transfiguration spell again on the castle's outer slopes. She couldn't help but wonder why success came so easily to Evans while eluding her.

After a brief nap, Lys gathered her textbooks and reading guide, planning to settle into a corner sofa in the common room. However, her attention was caught by a newspaper, its pages dense with text and dominated by a large photograph of a woman repeatedly preening and flirting with readers.

The textbooks' already minimal appeal instantly vanished. Consulting her reading guide, she identified the paper as "The Daily Prophet". She laboriously read the article below the photograph, which detailed Mrs. Zabini's inheritance of a vast fortune following her husband's death.

Though lacking substance, the article deeply fascinated Lys. The author had devoted considerable space to illustrating the inheritance's magnitude, describing magical effects of precious potions, pre-Goblin Wars silver artifacts, and valuable ancient runic manuscripts.

It revealed a world that seemed fantastical to Lys, who had previously viewed magic as merely movement between places - explosions, flames, motion, and transformation.

Now she discovered the magical world extended far beyond wandwork, particularly in potions. The descriptions of brewing glory and miracles evoked memories of her mother at the cauldron, chopping ingredients, dispatching insects, and grinding powders.

She remained engrossed in the newspaper until darkness crept into her corner. Looking up, she realized night had fallen.

"Oh no, dinner! I'll miss it if I don't hurry!" Fortunately, Lys managed to grab dessert - "Made it for the sweets at least!"

The next day, having missed breakfast again, Lys felt distinctly uncomfortable in Charms class when Professor Flitwick mentioned Professor McGonagall's request for help in restoring a silver table's original color in the Transfiguration classroom.

"This exemplifies why proper pronunciation and wand movements - which your Standard Book of Spells cannot directly teach - are crucial. I recall a wizard who mispronounced the Levitation Charm and found himself flat on his back with an African buffalo standing on his chest!"

Professor Flitwick, the diminutive Charms teacher likely of goblin descent, routinely stacked books behind his podium to see over it during lessons.

"That table, mind you - we had to wait for the spell's magic to completely dissipate before restoration was possible. I must say, that student's spell showed remarkable resistance to modification - quite an extraordinary gift in that respect."

"Now then, let's begin with our first charm! Lumos - an essential spell you'll use frequently. The theory..."

"Wands down, please. Repeat the incantation with me twice. Excellent, you may now practice."

Within two minutes, several students produced faint light from their wand tips.

"Well done! Even better if you can maintain steady illumination. Three points to Slytherin."

Lys concentrated intensely on replicating Professor Flitwick's gestures and pronunciation as she raised her unwieldy fourteen-inch wand. "Lumos!" "Lumos!"

As class drew to a close, only a handful of students remained unsuccessful, Lys among them. Despite her trembling hands, no light appeared. Lys desperately willed there to be light!

Flitwick had been monitoring this student McGonagall had mentioned in the staff room, concerned about potential silver patches appearing in his classroom too. Until then, he had felt relatively secure.

He was about to begin individual instruction from the front row, correcting pronunciations, when he was suddenly struck blind.

An intense silver light exploded throughout the daylit classroom. "Freeze! Don't move! Finite Incantatem! Nox! Finite Incantatem!"

Flitwick wished he had watched her more carefully. After quickly restoring his vision, he used the brief respite from the counter-spell to conjure Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder around Lys's wand tip, containing the blinding flash.

In the hospital wing, Lys remained confused about what had gone wrong. Having stared directly at her wand tip during practice, she suffered worse effects than her classmates - everything now appeared overlaid with multiple silver afterimages.

"Slughorn, I apologize for interrupting your lunch, but this child and I require your assistance. Though my diagnostic spells prove ineffective, examination indicates she needs at least two different potions for ocular recovery."

"Furthermore, she appears to have significant magical control issues. As her Head of House, perhaps you could intervene," Madam Pomfrey addressed Hogwarts' Potions Master and Slytherin Head.

While Slughorn typically favored talented students or those from influential families, having Stalis Black in the hospital wing twice during the first week warranted attention - a Head of House had responsibilities after all.

"Dear Poppy, according to McGonagall and Flitwick, the child's difficulties stem primarily from incorrect pronunciation and gestures rather than exceptional magical ability. Nevertheless, I'll arrange suitable assistance."

Faced with Madam Pomfrey's disapproving look, Slughorn felt compelled to propose a solution, though its implementation would depend on his remembering - at present, a hot mead with lunch seemed more appealing.

"Well then, enjoy your lunch. The potions will arrive tomorrow morning."

When Lys discovered she could at least discern rough outlines from her peripheral vision, she began turning her head to view objects. "I'm terribly sorry, Madam Pomfrey, for causing more trouble."

"This is precisely my role, dear. Your wand and books are on the bedside table. Lunch will arrive shortly. For now, rest with your eyes closed, dear. The intense light has caused some damage, but don't fret - the potions tomorrow morning will set things right."

Lys touched her wand, her initial enthusiasm for the wooden implement having diminished considerably. Why could everyone else succeed where she could not?