The Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had said that anyone who could successfully cast the Patronus Charm in front of him before the final exam results were determined would receive an "O" (Outstanding)!
This chubby professor, who was always wiping his sweat, relied heavily on slides during his lectures. This made many students increasingly dissatisfied, with some dozing off or working on assignments for other subjects during class.
Eventually, this professor led everyone to the classroom on the second floor, which had been repurposed as a practical base for Defense Against the Dark Arts. The room was stripped of its tables, chairs, and tanks, leaving only a broken clock in the corner.
The clock was broken, its hands stuck in place, making a constant clicking sound.
"As mentioned before, the Patronus Charm is the manifestation of positive traits from one's soul. Today, I will show you something different."
"It confronts your fears and transforms into them to drive them away. This is a Boggart, typically found in the corners of dilapidated wizarding homes. Honestly, I've always found this creature quite fascinating. It pairs perfectly with Dementors—yes, very similar and complementary."
The professor wiped his sweat and checked the clock, cautioning everyone to handle it gently. He had gone through considerable trouble to acquire it, and several other classes hadn't seen it yet.
"Ridiculous, ridiculous—that's the spell. I'll invite students to come forward one by one. The rest of you stand against the walls. Too many people might confuse the Boggart, preventing it from showcasing its interesting traits."
"When facing your greatest fear, imagine something funny and then cast the spell. Now, the first one..."
Looking at the professor's sweat-soaked vest, Lys sincerely hoped he wouldn't overexert himself. Slides were perfectly fine—who would want others to see their deepest fears anyway?
Lys certainly didn't, so she positioned herself at the outermost edge of the crowd.
The Gryffindors, as if they had found a new toy, pushed to the front, while the Slytherins unanimously stood at the farthest distance.
Fortunately, the professor, wanting to ensure the Boggart's longevity, didn't insist on students in the back participating. Instead, he assigned a rare essay with a specified length.
For this class, Lys simply stood on the sidelines, watching the show.
That Evans girl turned out to be afraid of a figure resembling herself, shouting at Evans, "Monster! I hate you! You're all monsters!"
Evans was so terrified she couldn't complete the spell, her face pale and voice choked. It was Potter who stepped forward to pull Evans away.
Lys had thought Snape would be the one to help, especially since he was standing right next to Evans. But upon closer inspection, their faces were equally pale.
Oh ho, there's a story here.
But Lys had no time to delve into it further. She had to practice spells, potions, alchemy, the Patronus Charm, study medical notes, and learn Runes.
To be honest, Runes was currently the subject Lys was making the least progress in. It relied almost entirely on time investment to keep up with Professor Babbling's pace. After all, there were few classmates whose notes Lys could copy.
Recently, something seemed off with Gaboon as well. The snake was no longer as lazy as before, frequently slithering around and becoming overly excited whenever Lys cast spells.
Especially during Professor Flitwick's Charms workshops, Gaboon behaved as if it had changed species, causing Lys to constantly keep an eye on it while casting spells, fearing it might suddenly dart into someone else's spell.
The students in the classroom had grown accustomed to having a snake supervise their practice, cheering whenever they succeeded.
Soon, a Ravenclaw student discovered a pattern: the stronger the magic and closer to success the spell was, the more excited the snake became.
If this snake weren't a Slytherin's pet, it might have already been borrowed for research.
Thus, Gaboon became the classroom's mascot, liked by everyone except one Gryffindor.
As Christmas approached, Professor Flitwick noticed Gaboon's behavior and suggested Lys consult the Care of Magical Creatures professor. He mentioned a previous case where a Muggle-born student brought a Muggle cat to Hogwarts. During the student's time at Hogwarts, the cat transformed into a magical creature.
This caused quite a stir, as some feared Muggles might steal wizarding magic by living in magical environments.
"But later, this was proven to be nonsense. The child's grandfather was a Squib expelled from the family, and the cat had a faint Kneazle lineage. Prolonged exposure to the child's rich magical energy activated the Kneazle bloodline, turning it into a magical creature," Flitwick said with disdain.
Lys thought that if Gaboon could become a magical creature, it would gain decades of extra life—a prospect that thrilled her. However, despite extensive inquiries, she couldn't confirm whether Gaboon had such potential.
After all, Kneazles had distinct species behaviors, but a snake? In the end, the Care of Magical Creatures professor could only comfort the disappointed Lys, saying that if the snake showed high sensitivity to magic, the possibility was significant.
From then on, Lys loved using spells to play with Gaboon.
For instance, she would compress a magical orb onto her wand, letting it sway and dangle, prompting Gaboon to slither left and right in excitement, sometimes even leaping like a spring sausage toward the orb.
She even made Gaboon a magical savings jar using a secrecy charm for wizarding homes combined with alchemical techniques. Whenever Gaboon caught a magic orb, Lys would store it inside. Only creatures touching the jar could sense the magic flowing within.
During Christmas, Lys upgraded the jar further. She stuffed the magical fire she'd ignited in a cauldron into the jar, shrinking it to a tiny size. Though it exploded dozens of times, she eventually succeeded.
Afterward, Gaboon acted like a child, insisting on wearing the bell-sized fire jar on its collar whenever it went out.
Seeing Gaboon's fondness, Lys eventually stopped removing the jar. She engraved a few Runes and connected magical patterns between the jar and the collar, allowing the jar's magic to supply the collar.
The collar's added functionality covered Gaboon's entire body, enabling it to stay out of its knitted pouch during winter and perch on Lys's shoulder instead.
Lys declared that carrying ten pounds was nothing! Gaboon loved her magical energy, and she could handle an extra ten pounds easily!
As for who rubbed her shoulders every night before bed, well, let's not expose that.
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