"This is serious! Stalys Black, how many times has it been this semester?"
Professor Slughorn sighed helplessly, his freshly warmed mead still steaming.
"Why is it that you're either sending yourself to the hospital or sending someone else there!?"
Hearing the professor's question, Lys placed Gabon on an empty bed nearby. She adjusted her expression, transforming it into an exaggeratedly sleazy look, clasping her hands in front of her chest in a mocking gesture.
"I'd sooner believe Merlin doing a striptease than believe Stalys Black is a girl. She's just a dumb, hulking brute with violent tendencies. But, tsk, heh, you know what I mean~"
Then, she quickly resumed her poker face, pointing at the boy on the bed who was groaning incessantly. "That's what he did."
Both Professor Slughorn, who choked on his own saliva, and Madam Pomfrey, who exclaimed, "Oh, my Merlin!" were at a loss for words.
What could they say? "Well done, child"? Or "He was wrong, but you shouldn't have hit him"? Madam Pomfrey's gaze toward the boy grew increasingly strange. His behavior was simply too ungentlemanly, too... disgusting.
"And also," Lys suddenly ripped open her shirt with a dramatic flourish, revealing the tank top she had on underneath, which didn't expose anything. Two buttons popped off in the process. "It's not like I wasn't wearing anything underneath! Tell me, what exactly did you want those boys to understand?"
Ever since Snape had complained about Lys casually undressing in the hospital wing, she had been more mindful about such matters.
Lys's gaze turned fierce. "Speak up!" She was starting to feel a headache coming on, her temper flaring.
It was just a simple fight, yet he had managed to make it so disgusting.
The boy on the bed, now pale as a sheet, no longer dared to whimper. "Professor, I want to see Professor McGonagall! She's a brute! I was just joking around!" After a couple of shrill cries, he buried his head in the pillow, too scared to show his face again.
Lys sneered, pulling her shirt closed and fastening it as best as she could. "Professor McGonagall? She would be ashamed of you."
Tapping her temple lightly, Lys picked up Gabon. "I'll be in the common room if you need me," she said with a slight nod toward Professor Slughorn and Madam Pomfrey. "Thank you for your trouble, Madam."
Shaking her head, she returned to the common room and sank into the sofa closest to the fireplace. Leaning forward, she propped her elbows on her knees and buried her face in her hands.
Something was wrong. Everything was wrong. She had delayed taking her soul stabilizing potion because of exams, but even if her potion quality was subpar, the effects shouldn't manifest now. Besides, her emotions had been erratic these past few days, swinging wildly between extremes.
She suddenly recalled a book from the Restricted Section, Advanced Dark Magic, which discussed spells affecting the soul. Closing her eyes, she began to visualize the book as if it were opening before her.
The relevant section was under the chapter on Anubis in ancient Egyptian lore. It told the story of the Scorpion King, who traded his sanity and soul for power under the curses of the pyramids.
Then there was her unusual susceptibility to the ring's allure today. She hadn't even realized she was reaching for it. And the blood on that boy's lips—thinking about it still brought her a strange sense of satisfaction.
Her mother had been right: the soul was Merlin's domain. What she had done to her arm had caused irreparable damage to herself.
The forcibly corrected soul was constantly on the verge of losing control—reckless, imprudent, and excessively vengeful. It found temptations nearly impossible to resist.
Back in her first year, she had hated that stupid dog but still hadn't caused a bloody incident. Thinking back, she had believed that humiliating him was punishment enough. By her third year, when she lost something truly important, she had retaliated harshly because they deserved it.
But now? Lys looked down at her hands and began reciting from the only book she'd had as a child:
"Haelbo stood on the ship far from the shore, crying out for power. Amidst the storm clouds, a mysterious presence… The cowardly wizard with a hairy heart lacked the courage to resist and remained forever at the bottom of the sea… But Haelbo and his companions set foot on fertile land, escaping the dark and bewildering abyss."
Clutching her throbbing head, Lys resolved to act not out of uncontrolled emotion but because she needed to.
She would be the final Haelbo, not the cowardly wizard with a hairy heart who sank into the dark sea.
As for the sleazy boy, his punishment was settled. He received a year-long sentence of labor service, and Professor McGonagall docked 30 points from his house. Professor Slughorn, acknowledging the severity of the boy's injuries, symbolically deducted 5 points from his own house.
Both professors wrote letters emphasizing the importance of character education, sending one to each family involved.
The Gryffindor boy? His mother, an Auror, sent a Howler, berating her son, who was still stuck in the hospital wing.
She declared, "This holiday, you ill-mannered little brat, is going to be very memorable for you."
As for the complaint letter about Lys, it was returned unopened, with a note from Noah Black:
"Well done!"
Professor Slughorn, exasperated, massaged his temples. He vaguely remembered Noah Black from his early days as a professor, back when he was navigating the politics among the elite students. Noah had suffered greatly due to his lineage.
It seemed he was determined not to let his daughter endure the same injustices.
Slughorn tucked the letter into a drawer, not daring to let Stalys see it. She was already uncontrollable enough. If she saw the letter, wouldn't she become even more unmanageable?
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