Chapter 60

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Lys surveyed the two-story building, a stark contrast to their previous semi-basement dwelling.

She cast an uncertain glance at her mother, who clearly harbored little patience.

"I trust your grades will satisfy Noah this year, or your snake might face consequences!"

Upon seeing Lys wearing the snake draped around her neck like a shawl, Senna realized the creature held far more significance to her daughter than she'd imagined.

"Go prepare dinner," she commanded, as if addressing a house-elf, leaving behind last year's blackthorn wand and the password before departing.

Lys explored the premises with her luggage, gradually mapping out the various areas.

Her mother's remarkable indifference toward housekeeping and living conditions was evident.

She deftly employed various spells to clear food debris from the bedroom, tackle the overflowing laundry basket and nearly bursting garbage bin in the kitchen, and finally organize scattered potion ingredients in the dedicated storage room.

Thanks to her now fluid command of magic, Lys prepared meals with remarkable efficiency.

When Senna returned carrying paper bags, she looked slightly startled at her daughter wielding a wand, but merely twitched her lips without comment.

Upon entering, she called out sharply, "Where's my rack?"

"In the storage room, Mother."

After a pleasant lunch, Senna hesitated before giving Lys a metallic mask and an oversized cloak. "I move shops every few years to avoid troublesome attachments. Be grateful - at least you're not playing a donkey-eared imp this year."

Taking a large gulp from her water flask, Lys mused silently that it was more likely because she'd grown too tall to pass as an imp anymore.

"What are you drinking?" Senna, with her years of potion-brewing experience, hadn't missed the faint taste.

Lifting her flask, Lys replied, "Diluted Magic Replenishment Potion, Mother."

Seeing her mother's frown, she quickly explained, "I had a magical outburst during Christmas. This is under the matron's orders to prevent adverse effects on my magical development."

"You? A magical outburst? In all those years before Hogwarts, even in extreme situations, you never had one. I find it remarkable that you're suddenly capable of magical outbursts."

Senna examined Lys with the fascination of one observing an English-speaking orangutan. "Tell me, what extraordinary circumstance could cause a wand-waving ape to have a magical outburst?"

Lys swallowed her water, quickly organizing the sequence of events in her mind.

Starting with the lingering effects of Sirius Black's first-year psychological torment, through her magical depletion from experimenting with Dark Magic, to the two months of physical and mental distress, and finally the library incident culminating in Dumbledore's furry shock, Lys spent half an hour satisfying her mother's curiosity.

"..."

After listening, Senna remained silent, slightly raising her chin as if seeing a living person before her for the first time.

Then she changed the subject entirely, "Come downstairs when you're done. I'll test your potion-making skills." She turned and descended the stairs.

Lys stood bewildered for a moment, then waved her wand to make the dishes queue up and clean themselves in the sink.

Looking down at her hands and the blackthorn wand, she wondered if her mother was dissatisfied.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Senna was silently raging.

The Blacks were all mad, and her own offspring was no exception! Any single incident she described would have been enough to trigger a magical outburst in most young wizards, yet she only erupted after repeated accumulation - the little lunatic!

The entire Black family, except her husband, were all mad!

Having copied Snape's homework for half a year, Lys had made considerable progress in Potions, and she approached this test with utmost concentration.

The final product's pearly sheen radiating outward pleased Senna.

"Seems I needn't worry about your report card this year," at least in Charms and Potions, the child's grades wouldn't be disappointing.

Seeing her mother in good spirits, Lys quickly retrieved a bag from her trunk.

It contained potion ingredients traded from Hagrid - though she wondered what kind of friends Hagrid had to obtain such rare items.

As a gift, she hoped her mother would appreciate it... probably.

Senna accepted the bag, gave it a cursory glance, and tossed it onto the ingredients rack without further inspection. Had she looked deeper, Lys might have faced her mother's smiles all holiday, but she didn't.

"Remove that snake from your neck. It's too conspicuous."

In Knockturn Alley, the cardinal sin was showing too much personality before becoming powerful enough.

Danger lurked in every shadow of this dark corner of the wizarding world.

After Lys dealt with a troublesome Dark wizard in the shop, following her mother's example by throwing him out, Senna completely abandoned shop matters, either immersed in potion research or napping after meals.

The figures in Knockturn Alley always hurried past, both people and environment perpetually grimy.

One day, Lys couldn't resist - during a downpour, she cast Scourgify on the filthy shop windows and thoroughly scrubbed years of grime from the doormat.

This caught the attention of a Dark wizard lurking in the corner. A new potion shop might offer opportunities for profit, and if not - well, he had nothing left to lose.

Breaking in, he found the proprietor was short, face and head covered in typical Knockturn Alley fashion.

Disregarding his dripping robes that fouled the floor, he raised his wand threateningly: "Hand over the Galleons or lose your life!"

Following her mother's instruction to never be without her wand, Lys rendered him senseless before he could finish his slurred incantation.

Unable to control his tongue, the wizard naturally couldn't complete his spell. Lys lifted the curse and calmly asked:

"How may I help you, customer?"

The frightened wizard quickly cast a curse, which Lys's pre-cast triple Shield Charm blocked. "What potion do you require, sir?"

Receiving another curse in response, Lys swiftly and steadily cast three spells, then opened the door and levitated the wizard-shaped mass outside, following up with a Scourgify on the floor.

Sipping diluted Magic Stabilization Potion from her flask, Lys looked up to see her mother softly clapping, and her lips curved slightly upward.

"Next time, don't let them raise their wands at all. I'd hate to have to cook for myself after a flash of green light."

At this, Lys's smile faded.

Returning to the counter, she continued reading the books her mother had provided. The power they described drew Lys deeper into exploration. Though much remained beyond her comprehension, it didn't diminish her desire to understand, to know power...

Brushing away cookie crumbs that had fallen from where her mother ate on the second-floor railing, Lys closed the book and prepared to bake more cookies - her mother seemed to enjoy them.

She released a Scourgified rat from its cage behind the door, fed it to Gaben, then headed to the kitchen.

Her mother had been bringing increasingly strange ingredients lately, often unsuitable for cookbook recipes, forcing Lys to improvise.

As they ate ginger-stewed chicken legs and salt-baked moonflower eggs, an owl was deflected by Senna's protective charms and tumbled inside.

Taking the letter from the owl's leg and giving it a piece of bread as payment, Senna opened the letter.

Dear Miss Stalys Black, your second-year grades at Hogwarts School are as follows.

Undoubtedly, this was Lys's report card.