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Dear Miss Lys Black, Here are your second-year subject grades at Hogwarts:
O (Outstanding) E (Exceeds Expectations) A (Acceptable) P (Poor) D (Dreadful) T (Troll)
Transfiguration: O Astronomy: O Herbology: E Potions: E Charms: E Defense Against the Dark Arts: A History of Magic: D
Please send your response to Professor Slughorn, Head of Slytherin House at Hogwarts, along with your Hogsmeade permission slip, including your elective courses for next term. We await your reply.
Seeing the two O's, Lys heaved a sigh of relief and gave Venom two affectionate strokes.
Senna shared the sentiment. Although the subjects differed from their expectations, two O's would certainly satisfy Noah.
As for course selection? Perhaps her husband could offer some useful guidance to this little wildfire.
Senna returned home carrying both the report card and a large pot of chicken legs that Lys had just finished stewing.
To her surprise, her husband had no advice regarding course selection.
In his view, all those courses were equally worthless and time-wasting, suggesting Lys choose whatever she pleased.
However, he expected her to achieve at least four O's next year.
"Four O's! Your magical proficiency won't cost you points, so let me guess - it's your essays! Four O's means essays! Copying books!"
Upon returning, Senna didn't even address Lys's ongoing duel first, instead seizing her collar and bellowing.
With a flick of her wand, she sent the troublemaking wizard flying out of sight, then, clutching several books and a book bag, she ushered Lys back into the shop.
She randomly marked two subjects on the course selection form: Divination and Care of Magical Creatures.
Observing Lys's wild handwriting and disheveled parchment, Senna determined that her first priority would be teaching Lys to maintain neat paperwork, followed by mastering cursive writing.
The magic sand board, a gift from the second-hand shop owner during first-year enrollment, was excavated from the bottom of the trunk.
Lys practiced drawing elaborate cursive loops, with an open book concealed beneath the table.
Senna chose to ignore this little ruse, provided the final presentation met standards.
Whether due to the shop's poor location in Knockturn Alley or its incongruously clean appearance, business was abysmal, barely covering the costs of potion research.
One rare sunny day, Senna packed a bundle and apparated with Lys to a street in Diagon Alley.
Lys adjusted her slightly askew mask and checked Venom's transformed lizard skin pouch.
She watched as her mother spread a cloth on the ground, displaying various potions including Blood-Replenishing Potion, Invigoration Draught, and Glory Potion.
They positioned themselves between a clothing shop and a magical florist, where passersby would occasionally cast curious glances their way.
"Miss Lamb, what are we doing?" Lys, still mindful of last year's instructions from her mother, kept herself well-covered and addressed her mother as Miss Lamb in public.
"Setting up a stall. Haven't seen one before? Of course you haven't," Senna said, leaning against the wall behind them. This little wild child had never been out, even her school books were bought by Senna.
Lys smoothed her robes and used transfiguration to change her metallic mask into a soft sage-green one adorned with singing lilies.
She crouched down to rearrange the potions by type, rather than leaving them scattered like a pile of potatoes.
Her skillful and perfect transfiguration caught the attention of a lady carrying several shopping bags of clothes. "Oh! Excellent transfiguration work! How much are your Glory Potions?"
The well-dressed lady with luxuriant waves of hair took out her purse, ready to purchase several vials of the pearlescent, clearly high-quality potions. Such quality was indeed rare to find.
"Miss Lamb..." Unsure if the pricing matched their shop's, Lys glanced back at her mother for guidance, only to find her standing motionless without response.
Seeing the lady's growing hesitation and about to put away her purse, Lys sighed and said:
"Beautiful madam, for the finest Glory Potion - a rare delight in potion-making - I believe this price is quite reasonable, don't you think?"
Maintaining her Knockturn Alley habits, Lys indicated a number with her fingers. Though the customer clearly recognized what sort of people used such gestures, she still scrutinized Lys before decisively paying and departing with her purchase.
"Where did you learn that? Were you really at school this whole year?" Senna, hearing that slightly awkward yet smooth-talking tone and choice of words, momentarily thought she was facing her husband from when they first met.
"Um... learned it from classmates in the common room," Lys answered her mother in a lowered voice, referring to those seniors who always held their heads high, striving to maintain their most charming demeanor, and their affected way of speaking.
Living among them, even as an invisible presence, Lys had developed aesthetic preferences quite different from her mother's.
Senna then watched as Lys rapidly sold all of her Glory Potions and some Dreamless Sleep Potions.
"Only sufficient, quality sleep can ensure your skin maintains its natural best condition, madam."
This was Lys speaking from experience - this term's poor sleep had left her with constant dark circles and heavy bags under her eyes.
She also sold some Invigoration Draught, though Blood-Replenishing Potions, being unnecessary for Diagon Alley customers living in sunlight, only sold one vial.