Chapter 44: The Harvest
First, pay attention to the engraving of the rune in the center of the formation. Although it looks like a watermelon, you absolutely cannot draw it like a watermelon...
Then the surrounding spells. Make sure they form a circle... but definitely not a perfect circle. An ellipse, narrow on the left and right...
Also, be careful with the ink used. Veela blood ink is very effective, but according to research, mixing in Dragon's Blood would be even better...
Looking at her densely filled notebook, Lyra's lips curled up slightly.
Finished!
Probably...
After spending a whole day conducting multiple experiments and summarizing her notes, Lyra's Magic Formations notebook had gained another significant entry!
Feeling satisfied, Lyra leaned back in her chair, her pointed ears twitching happily, her blue eyes filled with delight.
But after the delight, Lyra suddenly realized something...
Did I forget something?
Ah! Right! Mr. Lupin's Wolfsbane Potion... Lyra patted her face to wake herself up.
As soon as she got back, she had focused solely on researching formations and accidentally thrown Mr. Lupin's business to the back of her mind... Lyra, you idiot.
Luckily, Mr. Lupin won't need the Wolfsbane Potion in August... I just need to have it ready before mid-September.
However, the Wolfsbane Potion itself required sufficient time; just after brewing, it needed to sit for a full seven days.
Also, Professor Snape said I'm missing Mandrake... but how am I supposed to know where to buy it... I've never eaten it.
Lyra tilted her head, momentarily at a loss. Maybe Diagon Alley is a good choice... but there are just too many people there.
If I go early enough, I should avoid the danger. Then I can write a note in advance telling the shopkeeper what I want to buy... That way, I probably won't have to talk.
You're a genius, Lyra Hamilton... Lyra nodded in satisfaction, leaning back in her chair and rocking slightly.
Then there's nothing else for now. I just have to wait for school to start in September... Wait, school starts?!
THUD!
Lyra lost her balance and fell to the floor, chair and all.
"Ow..." Groaning as she slowly climbed up, Lyra quickly whispered an apology to the startled Theia.
But after apologizing to the owl, Lyra was forced to think about Hogwarts.
Lupin had suggested she wear a mask to class... That's a good idea, but... it doesn't solve the core problem.
How am I supposed to lecture the students?
I can't just stand there stammering, can I?
Lyra pressed her lips together. That would be utterly humiliating. But honestly, speaking in front of so many people was inherently humiliating!
Lyra had just broken her record for speaking to the largest number of people this morning. Thinking about even more people was just too advanced for her right now.
But the date is getting closer... It's already mid-August. In just a few days, I'll have to...
Buzz.
Just as Lyra was agonizing over this, the wristband on her wrist let out a soft hum.
Then, a line of text slowly appeared.
"Good evening, Lyra. Or good morning! Because I don't know if you're in London or Tokyo."
It was Miss Lovegood! Greeting her in her own peculiar way.
Seeing Luna's message, Lyra felt the heaviness in her heart lighten slightly.
"Good evening, Miss Lovegood. I am currently in Diagon Alley," Lyra wrote slowly.
"Is that so? Then open the window quickly."
Open the window?
Lyra paused, then walked to the window and opened it.
The night was beautiful. There were no clouds, and even from Diagon Alley, she could clearly see the starry sky and a crescent moon.
"We are looking at the same starry sky right now."
Seeing Luna's words, Lyra smiled softly... Miss Lovegood is always such an interesting person... even though she called me interesting before.
Oh, right. Should I tell her about today's harvest?
Thinking this, Lyra tapped her wand on the wristband and began to write: "Today I discovered a new Ancient Rune and learned a new formation."
"What formation? Is it for getting rid of Nargles?"
"Probably not," Lyra tapped lightly. "It's about memory."
"Memory (ºДº*)" Luna even drew a surprised emoji on the wristband, which made Lyra chuckle, causing Theia to tilt her head and look over.
"S... Sorry!" Lyra quickly said. "Did I disturb your rest?"
Wait... owls rest during the day, don't they?
Lyra awkwardly turned back and continued chatting with Luna.
"Yes, memory. I can use the formation to see my own memories."
"Only your own?" Luna's reply came quickly, and after a pause, she added, "Can you see others'?"
"If you can see others', can you see my memories?"
"I'm not sure yet, but looking at other people's memories..." Lyra paused, then wrote, "doesn't seem like a good thing."
Right, casually looking through someone's memories is very rude... Lyra couldn't help but think of Dumbledore.
Only someone as rude as him would do that.
"Casually looking at other people's memories is certainly rude, but I want to show you mine, Lyra."
"After all, Lyra taught me a lot about formations. I want to teach Lyra how to deal with Nargles, too."
"They're invisible, you can't see them... If I could let Lyra see my memories, it would be much easier to teach you, wouldn't it?"
If I could see memories...
Seeing this sentence, Lyra froze for a moment, then her eyes widened.
Miss Lovegood, you're a genius!
Lyra slammed her hand on the windowsill in excitement, then immediately clutched her hand in pain while gripping her wand.
That's right, memories!
If I can use the Memory Formation to convey my memories to others... wouldn't that solve the teaching problem?
And those memories are very easy to find!
Lyra had listened very carefully to every Dark Arts class at Durmstrang. If she could just find a way to extract and store those memories like Mr. Riddle did, and then use a formation to share them with the students...
Then I could teach the class without saying a single word!
Miss Lovegood truly is a genius! She should serve Lord Grindelwald just like me!
No, no, no, no... Lyra quickly patted her face to calm down.
Miss Lovegood isn't even eighteen yet. Lord Grindelwald's Zauberpartei wouldn't use child labor, would they?
Even though I was only seventeen back then, I was just days away from being an adult!
Besides, a part-Veela isn't exactly like a normal wizard, right?
Buzz.
Seeing that Lyra hadn't replied, Luna sent another message.
"What do you think, Lyra? Do you want to learn?"
"Of course, absolutely!" Lyra wrote on the wristband. "Also, thank you, Miss Lovegood. Your words gave me a great inspiration."
"Really? That's wonderful."
"After all, we're friends, aren't we?"
Seeing the word "friends," the smile on Lyra's face slowly faded. She thought of the memory she had seen that afternoon.
Friends?
Will I always be friends with Miss Lovegood?
She pressed her lips together, silent for a long time, before slowly writing: "Thank you, Miss Lovegood."
"Good night."