"Oh, yes, yes, Snape," Lys sneered, "Perhaps you'd like to call me Starylys. When you grit your teeth and call me 'Black,' it makes me feel like I'm that dumb dog from Gryffindor."
Navigating carefully, Lys bypassed Snape before releasing her magic. Since Snape always carried potions, she didn't need to use magic to probe his surroundings.
But she paused amidst the sound of Snape grinding his teeth. "Almost forgot, thanks to that dumb dog. Snape, do me a favor~..."
Names are curious things, simultaneously private and public. Those who aren't close or lack deep connections typically address each other by surnames—like calling Severus Snape "Mr. Snape" or Starylys Black "Miss Black."
But close acquaintances use given names to show intimacy. For instance, Lucius Malfoy calls Snape "Severus," and Lily Evans went further, affectionately calling him "Sev."
Now, Snape was thoroughly annoyed. She had the audacity to ask him to use her given name?!
"Snape, brew me a vial of Felix Felicis. Name your price!" Lys said nonchalantly, ignoring the grinding sound of his teeth. "Preferably before the next full moon. I'm in a hurry, so I'm counting on you, Snape! Oh, and Severus!"
At that moment, Snape felt like he might grind his teeth to dust.
Lys patted Snape's shoulder with a knowing chuckle, roughly gauging his outline. "I have a few Dark Arts books I can't use. Would you like to try them?"
The sound of teeth grinding stopped. Snape glanced at Lys. Even she couldn't use them? He was genuinely intrigued. "Before the next full moon, then."
Satisfied with the deal, Lys didn't care that Snape had eavesdropped on her conversation with Sirius Black.
After all, it wasn't a big deal.
Holding Gagbone's tail, Lys decisively skipped class. She was already late, so there was no point. This year's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, while skilled, seemed off. He appeared more interested in Dark Arts than defending against them. One wonders how Dumbledore selected him.
It wasn't that Lys had a problem with Dark Arts; she was indifferent. But the professor's eccentric behavior was concerning.
Given her current condition, she decided to stay away from him as much as possible.
Lys planned her tasks for the day. She needed to scour Hagrid's hut for materials. She spent the morning climbing to the top-floor owlery to borrow an owl and send Hagrid a note. By the time she returned to the ground floor, Hagrid was already waiting on the steps.
"Sorry, Hagrid. Being blind adds a lot of inconveniences to life—not just for me, but for everyone around me."
Hagrid shrugged indifferently. He wasn't busy anyway. Considering her blindness, he added, "It's no trouble at all."
Sitting on Hagrid's oversized sofa, Lys tried to identify each material by holding it to her eyes, but the results were disappointing.
"Hagrid!" she shouted at the snoring Hagrid on the bed. "Do me a favor—send an owl to Severus Snape in Slytherin and ask him to come and help me."
Rubbing his eyes, Hagrid sat up, pausing as he looked at the once-confident Lys, who used to talk about how capable she was, treating a trip to Knockturn Alley like a stroll in the park.
Snape arrived quickly and in a foul mood. Hagrid didn't like him, and the feeling was mutual.
"Severus Snape, Lily mentioned you to me. Oh, maybe I should go check on that pregnant unicorn." Muttering to himself, Hagrid sidled out of his hut.
Lys laid out everything she had scavenged from Hagrid's hut, asking Snape for help in sorting them.
"If there's a suitable material here, along with the improved potion formula I gave you... What's this?" Just as he was about to reiterate the payment mentioned in her note, Snape picked something up from the ground.
Lys took it and felt it. "Oh, a Moon Turtle shell. No idea where that old guy who dared to keep a Nundu got it. But this one isn't great—the age doesn't meet the standard." She shoved it back into Snape's hand.
Snape, of course, recognized it as a Moon Turtle shell. But he hadn't expected to find such a rare item among this pile of oddities.
Moon Turtles are highly aggressive and, like unicorns, curse any creature that consumes parts of their body. This piece of luminous, pristine shell was an exceptional find, regardless of its age.
"I also have two vials of Moon Turtle blood. I think they're from my third year... when I opened a shop in Knockturn Alley... um... stolen?" Lys seemed unsure. Actually, they were a gift from August, though he had stolen them.
"Help me out, Snape. Being blind has put many of my tasks on hold. Time is always short, but this won't do. After all, I've already pledged my allegiance to the Dark Lord."
Relying on the contract she had with Snape, Lys spoke freely about these sensitive topics.
"Quickly sort these materials for me. You can take whatever you like as a reward, okay?" Lys absentmindedly traced patterns on Gagbone's spine.
Amidst the rustling sounds ahead, Lys heard Snape's question:
"Is he really that powerful?"
Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Lys turned her face toward Snape. "Not just powerful. His magic is..." She pursed her lips, frowning as she carefully chose her words. "Very different. And on that foundation, he can duel the headmaster. The magic at the time was so dazzling I couldn't tell who had the upper hand. But, Severus..."
Lys shifted her gaze to her left hand, as if the Blackthorn wand symbolizing submission was still resting in her palm.
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