Chapter 18: Oh! Fluffy!

Lys was supposed to be discharged after a week, but Madam Pomfrey kept her for two more days. When a Hufflepuff student brought in a fluffy wolf cub for treatment, Lys's reaction was quite alarming. Though the student was quickly dismissed with Madam Pomfrey's "I'm a school nurse, not a veterinarian. You should consult the Care of Magical Creatures professor or the gamekeeper."

However, Pomfrey noticed Lys clutching a glass vial, her face ashen. It took several calls to snap her out of her trance. Upon examination, nothing seemed physically wrong. Lys explained she was simply frightened by the sight of furry animals.

Recognizing this as a side effect of the Mental Intimidation spell, Madam Pomfrey insisted on keeping Lys for two more days. El Elbow complained that without Lys to copy from, his homework seemed to lack substantial value that week.

Breathing in the cool, fresh air from the castle grounds, Lys truly adored Madam Pomfrey. However, during her stay, the matron kept bringing her excessive food and restricting her to bed rest. She had desperately longed to leave the hospital wing.

After a deep breath, she shivered violently. Time had passed quickly; now, missing the best midday sun meant encountering a biting chill. Snow would come soon. Clutching her cloak, she abandoned the idea of walking to the beech tree.

Professor Flitwick, spotting her in class, reminded her again: after-class tutoring!

Ten grueling hours later, Flitwick finally applauded Lys's intact feather. Making it levitate would be the next ten-hour challenge.

In the staff room, professors listened unusually attentively as Flitwick complained about having such a challenging student. After more than ten tutoring sessions, she could barely manage not to destroy the target object!

Professor Sprout expressed surprise, "Oh, I know that child, stayed in the hospital wing so long. But I find her quite clever, at least in my greenhouse."

"That Black who can't even spell properly in essays, yes, I know her," Slughorn, the Potions master and Slytherin Head, added. "Though her classwork barely passes, she handles ingredients skillfully and knows her place."

Going around the room, only in Flitwick's class did this Black show no progress, even managing to control McGonagall's Transfiguration.

Flitwick saw this as a test of his teaching abilities in recent years, and he refused to back down.

After tutoring, Lys met El at the kitchen entrance. They exchanged homework and essay ideas before settling down to feast. The enthusiastic house-elves even prepared a special table for them, as they were regular visitors.

"El, there's an old lady in the portrait of the Mermaid on the eighth floor who tells great jokes. You should visit sometime."

"Why were you up there? We don't have classes there."

"Trying to avoid those Gryffindors. Don't know what's wrong with them, they follow me everywhere. Somehow they disappear when I reach the eighth floor."

"El, stay away from them. Except for Lupin, who has some sense and doesn't bully others, the rest are trouble," Lys mumbled around a mouthful of beef ribs.

After dinner, El led Lys out of the kitchen, promising to show her something interesting. "Hehe, it's a Puffskein, but different from others. It was being bullied, so I bought it from a classmate."

Seeing the furball El pulled from his robes, Lys felt her limbs go numb, blood rushing to her head - that inexplicable fear of furry animals returning.

After a moment, she recovered slightly.

Watching El tenderly stroke the furball, she fought against her fear and extended a finger to touch what might have been its head or bottom. The happy Puffskein made pig-like grunting noises.

As her fear subsided, Lys found the texture amazing and couldn't resist poking it several more times. How delightful!

"Lys, would you like to keep it for a few days?"

"Better not. My roommates don't think I'm very... er, elegant. It wouldn't be convenient to keep pets in the dormitory."

"Speaking of that, Lys, isn't your roommate the younger Greengrass daughter? You know how pureblood families have all these gatherings. My sister met her - apparently, she's been badmouthing you to showcase her own nobility."

Lys shrugged. She'd known about this but hadn't cared. She couldn't grasp these Slytherins' mindset, especially after witnessing the power struggles among upper years. She'd abandoned any thoughts of getting close to those senior students.

They were calculating, prioritizing benefits, with power and glory close behind. She had none of these to offer them and couldn't provide any advantages. She was destined to walk a different path.

She was nothing like Herpo in the stories, who made friends wherever he went.