When she could finally use her right hand freely, the grass outside began to sprout.
Professors who had been owed assignments also came knocking, and Lys was almost performing a play of catching up on assignments in various classrooms: Astronomy charts, Charms demonstrations, Transfiguration's human transformations, and identifying creatures in Care of Magical Creatures.
Especially with human transformations, the faces Lys transfigured for her classmates received unanimous praise, even the Gryffindors had to admit, "So handsome, if Rufus looked like that, I'd chase him even if he were shorter!"
Recalling those anatomy diagrams, Lys knew she had been meticulous from bones to muscles to skin—how could it not look natural and handsome?
After the teachers unanimously awarded her 'O' (Outstanding) grades, Lys resumed her research on her arm.
She sculpted the shape of the arm bones using the bones Hagrid gave her, every detail and indentation was meticulously crafted. Even during class, Lys would hold the bones, comparing them to pictures to find flaws.
OWLs exams were in May, just three months away. If she now... No, Lys shook her head vigorously; there were still a few potions not ready, especially the crucial stabilizer.
In her spare time, Lys either stayed in the dormitory reading and studying or went to the beech tree on the hill to study.
In class, whether it was textbook knowledge or practical spell work, Lys's performance left other students feeling hopeless. With important exams looming, almost everyone envied Lys.
But they forgot how many of them had mocked her for being illiterate when her mother sent howlers in their first year.
And how many nights Lys had only slept four hours before getting up to study, never attending any clubs, never appearing in the Quidditch stands, never participating in any extracurricular activities.
The number of 'O's in this OWLs exam would determine their happiness in sixth year.
Almost everyone had their heads filled with books, except for those few Gryffindor fools. Lys waved her wand to lift the Leg-Locker Curse from a Hufflepuff student.
"Just because he passed by you! And you happened to be unhappy?!" Lys swung her wand, sealing Potter's and that stupid dog's mouths with a transfiguration spell.
Watching them fumble to find their mouths on their faces, Lys shook her head, "I get a headache hearing your voices, so I sealed your mouths. By your logic, it makes sense."
Sirius Black's leather jacket flapped open, revealing strange tattoos underneath.
Carrying Crunch, Lys mockingly poked Sirius Black's chest tattoo with her wand, "What, does the failed medal from third year take so much effort to conceal?"
That was a mark left by her dark magic when they stole her singing lily in third year.
Lys mocked the two, "I heard you want to be Aurors after graduation? With your current behavior, are you sure the closest you'll get to an Auror won't be being arrested by one for causing trouble?"
Taking two steps back and flicking her cloak, Lys was about to leave when she quickly disarmed Black's raised wand with a "Disarm You".
"I said, don't point your wand at me, before and always." Lys was a bit irritable; the date she set for repairing her arm was approaching, and she was unusually sensitive.
Turning to see Snape smirking at the commotion, "And you, Snape, stop laughing! The potions I asked you to make, deliver them, I'm—" Lys restrained her emotions, "I'm in a hurry!"
Lys really wanted to leave this time; she still had some books to finish.
But behind her followed the Hufflepuff she had rescued, the little badger still gazing at her with sparkling eyes, making her feel somewhat awkward.
"Stop staring! Go study, have you mastered Transfiguration and Charms? Memorized the Goblin Rebellions in History of Magic? Can you draw the constellation Arcturus is in?"
"Oh heavens..." "Why are there exams!"
Amidst the groans of fifth and seventh years, Lys quickly left.
After dinner, Lys returned from Hagrid with Crunch's food and also stopped a senior Slytherin from cursing a Gryffindor.
"He nearly lost his leg forever!" Lys complained to Professor Slughorn, exhaling heavily and accepting the professor's candied pineapple.
"And he'd be expelled; even the Dark Lord only wants graduates! What's he planning?!" Lys didn't know what she was saying, anxiety made her explode at the slightest provocation.
Shivering slightly, Professor Slughorn quickly changed the subject, handing Lys a bottle of mead, "Relax, child, relax. Maybe the exam pressure is too much; you need to unwind."
In Lys's current state, he dared not mention her handling of the situation had some issues.
Because that Gryffindor ended up in the hospital wing.
And the Slytherin?
Also sent to the hospital wing, Lys had been a bit heavy-handed in stopping him.
Over the next month, prefects from all years silently thanked Lys, even Lupin.
Lys's temper was visibly volatile, any disturbance or harassment of others' studies and peace was met with her reprimand.
For a while, the prefects' workload lightened considerably, giving them more time to study.
With less than two months until exams, the day to repair her arm arrived.
Lys hadn't planned to do it so hastily, scheduling it so close to the exams.
But Lys's growth spurt was accelerating; she was now taller than most boys in her year.
And every day delayed reduced the chance of her arm recovering in line with her body's growth.
Originally, Lys had set an earlier date, but she had injured herself too severely in the library incident, delaying things significantly.
Going home to repair her arm wasn't an option; firstly, her father would feel very uncomfortable, and secondly, there wasn't a Madam Pomfrey at home skilled in medical magic.
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