Chapter 84

Translator's Note: Let me reiterate at the start—this is a story about an ordinary person. There won't be any meteoric rises or sudden empowerment here. On the contrary, the journey might be fraught with challenges. The tone of this book might clash with the desire for a lighthearted escape. Nevertheless, I am committed to translating this story to its conclusion. Many readers, after finishing around eighty chapters, have expressed feelings of distress, hoping for a major turnaround in Lys's future.

Unfortunately, dear readers, there isn't one.

[No earth-shattering twist. None!] Imagine the author's voice, hoarse and exasperated.

There is only the process of a resilient yet ordinary soul growing.

As for whether the journey will be more sorrowful or joyful, I cannot make any promises, as I haven't finished reading it myself...

Feel free to choose your own path and comment as you wish.

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When Lys ran to the staircase on the second floor, she had intended to find an empty classroom to hide in.

However, when the staircase began to move freely, carrying Lys further and further away from her destination, she could only pause in confusion before slipping into the most familiar place she could find.

As for Snape? Hopefully, he wouldn't get caught.

And if he did, it wouldn't matter, as long as he didn't implicate her like Potter and his gang. She certainly didn't want to serve another detention; she had already finished processing all of Professor Slughorn's materials.

This floor housed the library, and Lys still vividly remembered the Restricted Section from that night. However, the memory no longer frightened her as much.

Although nothing compares to firsthand experience, that experimental notebook had undeniably pushed her threshold for fear to unprecedented heights.

Entering the library, Lys sat in an empty reading room near Madam Pince. Yet, her taut nerves refused to relax, causing her head to ache and her magic to become unstable. To ease her tension, she grabbed a book from the nearest shelf outside the door and began reading.

But before she could knock on the eagle-head knocker again, she sensed a faint warning signal from Gabbang. To avoid making noise with the knocker, she quickly hid under a table.

The sound of chaotic footsteps suggested at least two people, but there was no light from a lantern, indicating they weren't patrolling teachers.

Peeking out slightly, Lys saw no one—no suspicious shadows, not even a trace.

It had to be either an Invisibility Cloak or an advanced Disillusionment Charm.

"The alchemy book in the Restricted Section is truly fascinating, brother. If it weren't for my terrible spellwork and my reliance on you, perhaps you could get some proper sleep," a soft, boyish voice came from between two rows of tables.

Lys was certain now—it was a Disillusionment Charm.

The other voice, much more mature and cautious, replied in a low tone, "Shh, don't talk."

Lys was conflicted. They were heading to the Restricted Section.

She didn't want to meddle and risk being discovered. But if something like the incident with Madam Pince happened again, could she really just ignore it?

In the end, she decided to cast a Silencing Charm on herself and keep an eye on them while pretending to read a book.

Lys squeezed herself into the gap between the shelves, though it was a tight fit. Her legs were too long, and crouching made her tremble slightly. Eventually, she had to sit at the base of the first shelf in the Restricted Section. It seemed safe enough, with its thick, heavy chains wrapped around it.

From her position, Lys soon heard the sound of pages turning, accompanied by the soft boy's murmurs and his brother's deep, restrained voice.

"The books in Ravenclaw's library aren't nearly as interesting. Although some experiments are indeed unorthodox, isn't it an honor for these test subjects to sacrifice themselves for knowledge, brother?"

Lys clearly heard the older brother inhale sharply. "I don't want to argue with you about this. If you're done reading, we can leave now," he said, his suppressed anger evident.

Lys, under the protection of her Silencing Charm, cast a few additional spells, including a Shield Charm and another Silencing Charm. She dared not move after hearing their conversation.

Although the experimental notebook her mother had bought didn't capture or sketch any clues about the experimenters, their language and mindset were undeniably insane.

Unlike hunting for survival, the experimenters' notes revealed a kind of reckless amusement, a disregard for consequences. One of them had expressed ideas eerily similar to the boy's.

Unsure of their posture, Lys soon grew tired of crouching. Nervous, with her head aching and her magic fluctuating, she couldn't risk drinking a stabilizing potion, as its scent might give her away. To distract herself, she began examining the nearby bookshelf.

Hmm, wooden.

That was all Lys could deduce. However, a book on the second shelf caught her attention—it was the same large, thick, coverless, grimy book with a peculiar odor that she had used to bolster her courage during the Madam Pince incident. Her footprints were still visible on it.

The book didn't seem to bite, so maybe she could take a look. Gathering her courage, she carefully pulled it out, even casting a Silencing Charm on the book itself. She was genuinely terrified of lunatics, like the dark wizard across from her mother's shop who experimented on Muggles!

Opening the book, Lys immediately wished for her first-year literacy book. What was this? It wasn't even English—she couldn't recognize a single word.

Feeling illiterate once more, Lys flipped through the pages, hoping to find something she could understand, like illustrations or photographs.

She was soon captivated by a moving illustration. It depicted a monkey progressing from eating insects and fruits to using tools for hunting. In the next image, the monkey appeared to have refined its tools and donned something resembling a house-elf's tea towel.

The subsequent page stunned Lys further. The monkey had built a hut, formed a community, and established roles!

Taking advantage of her shock, Lys refreshed her Silencing Charm and listened to the voices nearby. The younger boy was still murmuring and flipping pages, while his brother's breathing, though faint, indicated he hadn't moved.

Lys continued reading. The primitive village of monkeys eventually gave rise to a bipedal figure. The other monkeys prostrated themselves before it as it held up a branch, which, judging by the leaves, seemed to be willow wood.

A wild theory crossed Lys's mind, causing her breathing to quicken. Turning the page, she saw the monkey's face transform as it raised the willow branch, eventually becoming human!

Lys pinched her arm. Am I a monkey that was transformed? Did Mom and Dad find me in the woods and use their wands to turn me into a little witch?

She tried to reassure herself. This book's text was incomprehensible—perhaps it was just a foreign storybook?

Yet even the next day, as she sat in Professor Flitwick's class, she couldn't shake the thought. Her mind wandered to the photo on her father's desk that she hadn't yet seen.

Could it be a picture of her as a monkey?

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