Gabon refused to approach the stone. With every step Lys took forward, Gabon tightened its grip on her and lashed her with its tail furiously. Considering Gabon's current size, the force of its tail strikes was quite strong.
Using the hem of her shirt, Lys wiped Gabon's scales, patted its head, and placed it on the sofa.
Stopping two steps away from the stone, Lys crouched down. After casting a few spells, there was no reaction from it. She used the tip of her wand to scrape away the mud covering the surface.
"Nothing major. It looks like an old practice formation carved by someone ages ago. Many parts are etched incorrectly. It seems to be for banishment or intimidation. Hagrid, do you mind if I just smash it?" Hagrid, still clueless about what had happened, nodded indifferently.
Lys casually cast a Blasting Curse. Just as she was about to turn around and deal with her damp shirt, she heard a metallic "clang" as something hit the ground. Among the rubble of the shattered stone was a faintly golden ring, seemingly made of an impure alloy.
Remaining cautious, Lys conducted another round of detection spells. Only then did she, wearing gloves, pick up the ring. It was a ring shaped like an Ouroboros.
The Ouroboros holds ancient symbolic meanings. Lys recalled its repeated appearances in alchemy. The serpent devours itself and regenerates itself, symbolizing eternity. It often appears in a twisted, figure-eight shape to represent infinity.
The ring's band was slightly distorted. From every angle—front, side, or bottom—it displayed the infinity symbol. Additionally, the serpent's belly and back formed a continuous loop, seemingly alluding to a Möbius strip. This imbued the ring with a triple-layered meaning of eternity and infinity.
The more Lys looked at it, the more she liked it. Endless pursuit, ceaseless progress, eternal and immortal life? Holding it up to her eyes, Lys's gaze turned obsessive. She couldn't wait to take off her gloves and put the ring on her finger.
But Hagrid's booming voice suddenly snapped her out of it. "Oh no, Lys! Gabon's thrown up!"
The ring slipped from her hand and clattered to the ground. The obsession and infatuation quickly faded from Lys's eyes. Almost leaping to her feet, she distanced herself from the ring as fast as she could.
Glancing at Gabon, Lys noticed it seemed fine. Its vomit didn't contain any suspicious liquids or odors. It was likely a normal reaction for a snake startled into expelling its stomach contents to maintain agility.
Even though she had nearly fallen for a piece of metal, Lys still had the presence of mind to think that vomiting didn't seem to affect Gabon's agility much, given its naturally hefty build.
Snapping back to reality, Lys fixed her gaze on the ring. Rubbing her fingertips together, she noticed her gloves had been corroded, leaving small holes. It appeared to be a contact-based magic—silent, insidious, and powerfully enticing.
Recalling the details of the ring, Lys noted that the serpent's scales were somewhat irregular, forming peculiar patterns. The twisted belly of the serpent seemed to bear two runes. Lys didn't know their exact meaning, but she recognized them as ancient scripts often found in sacrificial texts.
Quickly checking herself, Lys found nothing amiss aside from some residual tension. She levitated the ring into the large stone basin used for washing Gabon and sealed it with Transfiguration.
"Hagrid, do you mind if I take your new basin with me?"
"Take it, take it. But you're so nervous—are you sure there's nothing wrong with it?"
"I don't know. But maybe I can examine it with a professor. I'll come back later to pick out materials. Thank you, Hagrid." Lys cast several Scouring Charms on Gabon's vomit before taking the slightly listless snake back to the castle.
On the way, Lys used a Levitation Charm to carry the large stone basin while deep in thought. She planned to consult Professor Babbling. After all, the professor was far more knowledgeable about runes than she was. Perhaps she could also consult… hmm, for enchantment magic, Professor Flitwick?
Sighing, Lys recalled what Dumbledore had said on several occasions: "I hope you can trust our faculty." But she couldn't! This enchantment magic should ideally be brought to the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Yet, thinking about that incompetent fool reading from the textbook…
Professor Babbling's office was on the seventh floor. Lys decided to take a shortcut through a passage behind a tapestry. But standing outside the tapestry, Lys felt an urge to set it ablaze.
She lifted a corner of the tapestry, ready to eavesdrop on the conversation inside.
"I'd sooner believe Merlin is dancing in fishnet stockings at a bar than believe that Stalys Black is a girl," said a boy with an exaggerated expression, his back to Lys. "Think about it—a dumb, hulking giant carrying a snake that's been fed to the size of a pig, always showing off her violent tendencies. Oh~"
His eyes darted around before he made a lewd gesture over his chest. "Tsk, but hey, you know what I mean." Lys couldn't understand what he expected the other boys, who clearly looked uncomfortable with his words and actions, to know.
Even if he had been present earlier, Lys had been wearing a tank top underneath her shirt. What could he have possibly seen?
Controlling the stone basin with a flick of her wand, Lys slammed it into the boy.
The impact sent the lewd boy crashing into the wall, wailing, "My ribs! My bones! They're broken! Who did this?!"
Lys pulled back the tapestry. "The dumb, hulking giant carrying a snake. What, didn't your Merlin-in-fishnets tell you?"
"Pfft… Haha, cough, cough." One of the Gryffindor boys couldn't hold back his laughter. Apologetically waving his hand, he said, "Carry on. We've got class, so we'll leave now." Before leaving, he turned back and gave Lys a cheerful smile, as if he found her quite amusing.
"Well, maybe just send him to the hospital wing and call it a day," he said to Lys before departing.
Lys manipulated the stone basin to give the lewd boy a thorough "massage" before tossing him out from behind the tapestry. Send him to the hospital wing? Unnecessary. Even if all his bones were broken, Lys's healing magic could ensure he wouldn't die.
"Next time, watch yourself. Or else, heh, you know what I mean~" Lys mimicked his words, her tone dripping with mockery. Strangely, she felt quite satisfied.
Carrying the stone basin, she knocked on Professor Babbling's door, explained her findings and suspicions, and the two spent the afternoon studying the ring from a safe distance of one foot. Several times, Professor Babbling had to stop Lys from attempting to touch the ring.
"I don't think you're in the right state to keep the ring. Its allure has a strong hold on you. Similarly, I'm not fit to keep it either. My magical abilities are too weak; I wouldn't even be able to protect myself if something went wrong."
"Then, Professor, where should I take it?"
"Flitwick's office is nearby. Leave it with him. Come see me tomorrow." Professor Babbling suddenly tilted her head and frowned. "It's an 'it,' not a 'he.' It's just a ring."
Lys carried the stone basin to the tower, with Professor Babbling following behind, still uneasy.
And that's how Lys ended up staying with Professor Flitwick. The boy she had injured had already been sent to the hospital wing, and his condition had nearly escalated to the point of requiring transfer to St. Mungo's.
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