Chapter 77: Seventy-Seven
This weekend marked the Hogsmeade visit day. Hogsmeade, a wizarding village near Hogwarts, was primarily home to shops catering to students.
However, due to its open environment, there was an age restriction for visiting students—only those in their third year and above were permitted, to avoid unnecessary risks.
Lys was thrilled, as this would be her first real outing alone. She was so excited that, for once, she didn't wake up early but slept in until five in the morning.
She prepared her coin pouch, her signed permission slip, and her shopping list. A sweater was at the top of her list, and she also wanted to buy some candy.
Other than the magical sweets Elle had given her during her first-year hospitalization, Lys hadn't had any of those fun, magical candies since.
She planned to buy some to try and then bring some home for her mom and dad. If there was enough, she'd save some for Coco too.
"Don't bring those damned habits to the shops, you little lunatic," she still remembered her mom's warning. Senna had said this to her on the last day of the holiday, when they went to Diagon Alley together to sell potions.
Although wizards who recognized those habits would know they came from Knockturn Alley, it didn't mean they wouldn't feel uneasy seeing a dark wizard from Knockturn Alley appear in their normal lives.
Because of this, Lys had rehearsed normal shopping conversations she'd overheard in Diagon Alley several times before even getting out of bed.
Her first outing made her a bit nervous—no, very nervous. She even buttoned her shirt wrong, which a senior student noticed and pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
Black trousers, a dark green shirt, and a deep green cloak lining made Lys look neat and composed, except for her hair. Ever since Dryncorpse had been given a bit of dental-strengthening potion, it had developed a liking for messing up Lys's hairstyle.
As Lys stood at the school gates with her signed permission slip, she felt a small spark of happiness. It had been a long time since she'd felt this way.
"Your permission slip... Alright, although it doesn't have a clear name, it does bear magical validity. Go ahead. Next," the professor checking the slips paused briefly but understood. Many wizards preferred not to let their signatures fall into uncontrollable hands, so as long as the form bore magical validity—even just a scratch from a guardian—it was considered signed.
Following the crowd, Lys walked along the muddy path to the first wizarding village she had ever visited on her own—Hogsmeade.
She maintained her usual habit of scanning and observing every place she visited, but this wasn't quite what she had imagined. Some shops were even closed, and it wasn't as bustling as she had expected.
After confirming her targets, Lys first entered a wizarding clothing store.
The shopkeeper was surprised when Lys asked for a sweater. Ever since a wizard had published a book teaching people how to knit sweaters, most clothing stores had stopped selling them. The only ones available were enchanted with magic, such as color-changing or warming spells, but those were very expensive.
This young witch, though neatly dressed, was obviously wearing old clothes. She clearly couldn't afford such a sweater.
In the end, Lys left the shop somewhat dazed, carrying a packed household book and a large bundle of black and green yarn.
Looking at the items in her hands, Lys scratched her head, patted Dryncorpse, and then walked into a candy store—
Honeydukes.
The place was bustling, packed with both upper and lower-year students.
But no one dared to squeeze past Lys. The main reason was the snake around her neck. Anyone with eyes could see it—a large triangular snakehead, clearly venomous.
Another reason was the rumors circulating in the school. Some said that this Lys Black had sent the Gryffindor quartet to the hospital on the day of the Quidditch match.
A crazy person from the Black family—if people said he was mad, then he probably was.
Moreover, she rarely appeared in public. Apart from classes, she didn't even go to the Great Hall on non-holiday days.
A weirdo.
Regardless, Lys, though finding it a bit strange, tucked Dryncorpse's head into her arms to prevent it from getting too curious about the jumping candies in the boxes, as if it were trying to catch bugs.
Calculating the money she saved by not buying a sweater, Lys bought a little extra of Pepper Imps and Drooble's Best Blowing Gum.
She planned to give some Pepper Imps to Hagrid as a token of apology for sneaking into the Forbidden Forest and taking his flowers. Although Hagrid didn't particularly like those flowers, taking them was still taking them.
As for the Blowing Gum, Lys couldn't deny her love for that peculiar shade of blue—it was beautiful. The bubbles could stick to the ceiling for days. It would be even better if Dryncorpse didn't pick up the gum remnants from the floor to eat.
She even bought a small amount of those jumping bug-like candies that had piqued Dryncorpse's interest—not much, as candies containing magical properties or ingredients were much more expensive than toffees or chocolates. Oh, and she also bought some candied pineapple to give to Professor Slughorn.
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