Chapter 189: Chapter 189
Then came the scene of her fighting Walburga. Even though it was Lys who fought, she couldn't recall it clearly. But now, watching it unfold, she truly resembled an evil dark wizard—her eyes bloodshot, her expression deranged, manipulating the blood drawn from the gathered corpses...
It's well-known that a significant portion of a wizard's power resides in their blood. The manipulation of blood has long been a fascination of dark wizards.
Then came the moment when she knelt down, loudly proclaiming her honor and loyalty to the Dark Lord. Lys left everything to Dumbledore for judgment.
She said to Dumbledore, "I've done my best."
The memory played until the moment Lys and Senna tumbled into his office. Lys handed Senna a pile of food before hiding behind the sofa, clutching her arms and trembling.
The old man sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder. Lys was suddenly yanked by her hair out of the Pensieve.
Again with the hair-pulling...
Lys muttered as Dumbledore returned the silver strand of memory to her temple. She then moved to stand beside Senna once more.
The final judgment came.
"Yes, child, you did very well. I must admit, under the premise of protecting yourself and your family, you helped as many people as you could."
Dumbledore, sitting in his high-backed chair, looked at Lys over his glasses. "I don't believe you did anything wrong."
Lys let out a deep breath.
Then Dumbledore, visibly weary, pinched the bridge of his nose. "You said you don't want to pick a side. As a Slytherin, that doesn't surprise me. I can see your choice. If you face any problems, I hope you'll seek help promptly, alright?"
After the conversation ended, Lys escorted her mother to the infirmary. While Lys was skilled at treating bleeding wounds, Senna's injuries—a mix of curses and spells—left her at a loss.
Madam Pomfrey stated that a combination of potions and magical treatment was necessary, requiring hospitalization. Senna, insistent on returning home to reassure her family, was incredulous.
"You must stay in the hospital. This is non-negotiable! Now I understand why Lys ends up in the infirmary four or five times a year! Such disregard for one's body and safety must be the bad example set by you parents!"
In the end, Senna was forcibly kept there. After all, the protective charms at home hadn't been triggered; otherwise, Senna would have made Lys raise her wand and take her out of Hogwarts.
Lying in the hospital bed, Senna silently cursed: Damn Hogwarts, with its anti-Apparition wards across the entire territory!
Later, Lys borrowed an owl from Hagrid to send a note of reassurance. A day later, the owl returned in a huff, carrying a letter.
Lys guessed that the protective magic at home had given the owl a bit of trouble.
Senna unfolded the short letter and read it several times before lying back down, reassured.
"Senna, knowing that you and Star are safe puts my mind at ease. I've extinguished the fire under your cauldron. There's nothing urgent at home. Don't worry about me; Coco will take care of me.
Take care and heal well.
Love you."
Lys looked at the parchment, faintly marked with traces of heavy writing from the previous page, all filled with worries about her mother.
Silently, she tucked the letter under her mother's pillow. Then Lys turned into the inner compartment to help dismantle curses and alleviate the effects of dark magic for injured members of the Order of the Phoenix hurt in the final battle.
Though Madam Pomfrey was experienced, her methods were too conservative for those wounded by dark magic yet unwilling to reveal their identities at St. Mungo's.
After observing the recovery of the three on the high platform, especially Moody, Dumbledore asked Lys to help ease the pain of these patients and reduce Madam Pomfrey's workload.
As a result, the recovery rate and speed of this batch of patients at Hogwarts far surpassed their counterparts at St. Mungo's.
However, this masked healer's temper grew increasingly irritable as time went on. By the time the last few patients were about to be discharged, even minor inconveniences would make her fly into a rage, cursing the patients for having troll brains.
Returning to her dormitory, Lys tore off her mask and clutched her arms, gasping for air. All the soul stabilizers were in the reading room. Her mother's slow recovery left her without a legitimate reason to return. She had visited home once to check on her father but couldn't retrieve the stabilizers.
The scars on her left arm, especially the two she had dug out herself, were showing signs of decay again. Although she didn't know where her soul was, the gnawing pain made it impossible for Lys to control her emotions.
She could barely maintain patience in front of Senna—just a little. Fortunately, Senna didn't pay much attention to her.
If this continued, the stench of decay would be discovered. Tampering with souls, whether others' or one's own, was an absolute taboo.
She wanted to return to the reading room.
And the Daily Prophet mentioned that Diagon Alley had resumed operations, with two squads of Aurors patrolling daily.
Just two days before the new term began, Lys sent off the last patient, who was too terrified to speak after her scolding. Senna was also declared mostly healed, though she might occasionally feel a bit disoriented, which would improve over time.
To help, Lys placed her Ouroboros ring, which aided in clarity, on Senna's finger.
Then Lys's temper worsened. Before Senna led her out of Hogwarts, she scratched her arm in frustration, leaving several wounds.
From the window of his office, Dumbledore finally had a brief respite after dealing with the aftermath of the incident. Watching Starylys Black pacing like a caged beast but restraining herself behind Senna, he felt a sense of recognition and relief.
In his view, love for family would be her boundary against abusing power.
But if you asked Lys, she'd say that only power and authority confined in a cage could be trusted, as a Muggle book once wrote.
After opening the reading room's door, Lys cast a detection spell before letting Senna in. Then she rushed to the medicine cabinet, shakily pouring the potion into her mouth without even closing the lid.
Her uncontrollable state made Senna frown—potion addiction?
After ingesting the potion, Lys collapsed to her knees. The delayed dose was too potent, and its effects were intense—very intense.
Once she calmed down, enduring the increasingly glaring world, Lys even went out to buy groceries and cooked a meal.
Senna Apparated home to bring Noah back.
Opening the door, they saw a terrified Lys. Noah, tense, almost stood up from his wheelchair...
"What's wrong with you, Lys? Are you feeling unwell!?"
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