HP: The Stellar Witch [OFC]

~ Push the story forward with your Power Stones

~ Every 400 PS = Bonus Chapter!

***********************************************************************

Senna set a series of rules for Lys: whenever there were outsiders present, both of them had to wear masks, and Lys was forbidden from calling her "Mother," instead addressing her as "Miss Ram." Additionally, Lys was strictly prohibited from revealing any information about their family.

After laying down these rules, Senna shoved Lys, who had lifted her mask, into a small compartment and told her to organize her belongings.

The compartment, which doubled as a bedroom, kitchen, and storage room, was a mess. Dirty clothes were scattered on the floor, dishes from previous meals sat unwashed, and the shelf for potion ingredients was in complete disarray. Lys could now roughly guess where her mother spent her time when she wasn't home. She also began to understand why her mother had once confused potion ingredients with vegetables. This... this was just too...

After placing her suitcase and book bag in a corner, Lys began tidying up. She gathered the dirty clothes from the floor and stuffed them into a laundry basket behind the door, giving herself room to walk. Then, she soaked the dirty dishes in the sink and shoved the trash into the overfilled trash can, which let out a burp. Finally, she swept the food crumbs off the bed, replacing the old sheets with fresh ones from the wardrobe.

When Senna, who was brewing potions outside, remembered that the little waste she'd brought along hadn't eaten yet, she returned to find a room that, while still far from clean, was at least somewhat presentable.

Senna had originally intended for Lys to organize just her own belongings, but this result wasn't bad either. She walked over to the stove, lit the fire, and began preparing a steak for their combined lunch and dinner.

Watching her mother's clumsy cooking technique, Lys, despite being too short to reach the stove, offered to take over the cooking. When Senna discovered her daughter could cook, she was genuinely shocked. She had no idea Hogwarts offered cooking classes.

With a flick of her wand, Senna transformed a square chair into a slightly lower stepping stool and handed it to Lys. Then, she leaned against the doorframe, watching as Lys cooked the steak, adding various seasonings—some of which even Senna didn't recognize—into the pan. During the spare moments, Lys even managed to wash a few dishes in the sink for later use.

Little did Senna know, Lys's mind was screaming the entire time: "Mom is watching me!"

This made Lys so nervous that the steak ended up slightly overcooked. But it didn't matter; Senna was very satisfied with the meal when she tasted it.

Although the little waste was now like a house-elf, she did make Senna's years of reckless living seem a little more put-together. If that incident hadn't happened back then, perhaps she might even have felt proud. A faint smirk of self-mockery tugged at the corner of Senna's lips.

While the atmosphere at the Knockturn Alley shop remained relatively peaceful, the mood back home was tense. Cocoa was crying outside Noah's door, covering her eyes. The reason? The letter Senna had casually left behind had caused the master of the house to overturn the entire meal.

Noah had discovered a piece of parchment stuck to the bottom of the tray Cocoa had brought him. It was his daughter Lys Black's report card. The grades were abysmal! It even suggested that she repeat the year! Repeat the year!

How could the Black family produce someone like this... Noah's turbulent emotions suddenly paused. Right, this was a child who didn't even know how to read before starting school. And yet, she managed to get an "Exceeds Expectations"...

Noah silently used his wand to clean up the spilled food and sent it into the trash. He stared at the "Dreadful" grade in Charms and recalled the child's embarrassing attempts to cast even a simple Levitation Charm. He let out a deep sigh.

He instructed Cocoa to bring him another meal and began contemplating discussing their daughter's education with his wife, Senna. He had once thought that if the child could rank in the top three, she might reconnect with the Black family, allowing him to leave on his own. Then Lys, as a member of a distinguished family, could secure some protection for her future, sparing Senna from her current anxious and exhausting life. But now...

Perhaps it was better to focus on whether this child could lead a normal life in the wizarding world. Repeat the year!

Lys hadn't slept a wink the previous night. She was too excited about being able to sleep with her mother, almost to the point of being kicked out of the shop.

Senna had no intention of shuttling Lys back and forth between home and the shop. This would significantly increase the risk of exposure, and there was only one bed in the shop.

Being able to sleep with Mom!

Lys was so thrilled that the next day, with swollen eyelids and dark circles under her eyes, she began her new life of processing potion ingredients.

Meanwhile, Senna went to the Owl Post Office to send a letter to Lys's Head of House, rejecting the suggestion to repeat the year.

Realizing that Lys could independently handle most of the potion ingredients with decent quality, Senna began brewing large quantities of potions such as restorative draughts, blood-replenishing potions, and Dreamless Sleep potions. Once the inventory was sufficient, she moved on to producing some contraband. This caused the shop's income to skyrocket within just half a month.

Senna even entertained the idea of pursuing her own potion research, hoping to delegate the brewing of blood-replenishing potions to Lys. However, the batch Lys brewed turned out so poorly that they were completely unsellable. In the end, Senna had no choice but to abandon the idea.