HP: The Stellar Witch [OFC]

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The Forbidden Forest had a different kind of eeriness at night. Moonlight flickered silver through the trees, while distant branch shadows swayed and blurred as if something lurked within. Unlike the castle's interconnected corridors where one only needed to watch front and back, here the open wilderness demanded vigilance with every step.

Crunch seemed cold, coiling entirely around Lys's neck, making it slightly cool. As Lys focused intently on searching for prey, she suddenly felt something brush her hair. She whirled around, wand raised, but saw nothing except a small dead tree.

After scanning the area breathlessly for a long while, she realized it was just Crunch's tail that had swept across her hair. Sighing in relief, Lys stroked Crunch - they needed to move faster, as the snake's body temperature was getting low.

Just as Lys had caught two birds and a nest of mice, preparing to put them in a cage transfigured from stone, she felt Crunch's scales suddenly contract around her neck before the snake launched itself away.

Lys quickly reached out to grab it but underestimated Crunch's speed. After two fluid leaps, Crunch had vanished from sight.

Panicked, Lys rushed after Crunch's direction, forgetting to watch her step. Apart from occasional owl hoots, only her footsteps, heavy breathing, and the rustle of disturbed leaves broke the forest's silence.

A sudden "hiss" made Lys jump, but she quickly looked toward the sound. Almost lying flat on the ground, it took several glances to distinguish Crunch's white head and pale markings among the dead leaves.

Lys wiped her forehead with her robe - between the fright and running, she'd worked up a sweat despite the cold. She wished she'd learned some tracking spells before bringing Crunch out.

Wanting to see what Crunch had caught, Lys raised her wand and cast "Lumos." The sudden brightness dazzled her eyes, and she quickly adjusted the intensity, blinking as she examined Crunch's catch.

"How to Care for Your Snake" had mentioned that Crunch's species, being large, had substantial dietary needs and would eat almost anything. However, some foods needed screening as improper diet could lead to illness and death.

After her vision cleared, Lys finally saw it was a small snake. The hissing had come from this prey, and now it was too late to stop Crunch even if she wanted to.

Crunch never released anything once bitten, and now only the tail tip remained outside. Lys could only wrap her cloak tighter and retrieve the dropped prey cage while waiting for Crunch to finish eating.

As she relaxed, something felt off - why were the owl sounds getting louder, as if right overhead?

Raising her wand, Lys frowned in the wandlight - why did this grey-black owl look so familiar? Before she could remember, the owl suddenly circled once and dove straight at her.

Frightened, she ducked to avoid the first attack. A thought was forming in her mind, and when the owl dove again, Lys quickly protected Crunch - this was the owl that had delivered her wand.

The same one that had tried to prey on Crunch on the first day of school!

After the owl had scratched several bloody marks on her arms and face, Crunch finally finished eating and crawled over. Lys, who had been watching anxiously, quickly grabbed Crunch and ran, pausing only to snatch up the cage.

The owl finally left them alone once they exited the forest. Back in her dormitory, Lys examined her scalp in the mirror - she swore that owl had torn out a chunk of her hair, as that spot was still bleeding!

When Lys appeared in Charms class, Flitwick was startled - even the most mischievous Gryffindors had never shown up covered in scratches with leaves and twigs tangled in their hair.

Before class officially began, Flitwick used "Episkey" to heal the wounds on Lys's face. Seeing this opportunity, she quickly rolled up her right sleeve and looked hopefully at Flitwick, who good-naturedly healed those injuries too.

Professor Flitwick enjoyed when students were comfortable with him and didn't mind small requests. He even cleaned up Lys's hair, waiting for her to show her left arm, as her way of holding books suggested injuries there too.

But the student simply adjusted her hair, thanked him cheerfully, and found a seat.

Flitwick was delighted during that lesson, as the Slytherin student who had struggled with charms finally showed improvement - a feather quill jumped unsteadily twice under her spell, without changing color! He immediately awarded Slytherin 5 points.

After class, he learned while chatting with Lys that her recent illness was due to magical exhaustion from improper spell use. But after experiencing the difference between magical depletion and fullness, she had finally understood what he meant about magical energy.

Watching Lys cast "Lumos" at normal brightness instead of her previous destructive version, Flitwick felt slightly disappointed.

"Can you still make objects change color so persistently? Or can your spells achieve their previous power level while under control?"

Lys hadn't considered this. She glanced at the professor, ready to try.

Recalling her previous uncontrolled technique, a Levitation Charm reduced the feather to silvery ash.

"Ahem, well, congratulations Miss Black, you'll make an excellent witch," Flitwick said approvingly from his chair. "Oh, and please be more careful when experimenting with spells to avoid injury. Young witches and wizards your age are still developing their magic - any harm could have unpredictable results. Magic is mysterious, isn't it?"

Leaving Professor Flitwick's office, Lys was excited. After all, he'd wanted to revisit after-class tutoring at the start of term, but now he wouldn't bring it up again. She'd have plenty of time to catch food for Crunch and experiment with the magic from her father's books.

As for the homework essays - well, she'd try her best.