Throughout the Christmas break, Lynn spent her time incessantly reading the books in the Hogwarts Library, aside from completing her homework and relaxing with Hermione and the others.
Finally, halfway through the Christmas break, she placed the last book from outside the Restricted Section back onto the shelf.
Now, in the entire Hogwarts Library, only the books in the Restricted Section remained unread by her.
Scanning the shelves of the Restricted Section with a calm gaze, Lynn turned and walked out of the Library with a light step.
To read the books in the Restricted Section, she would first need to ask Professor Flitwick for a signed permission slip.
At the same time, Hermione, Maranhao, Marietta, and Penelope were not idle either.
With Penelope acting as their teacher, she was leading the other three younger students in learning the Patronus Charm.
This was something they had started doing since the very first day of the Christmas break.
Progress in learning the Patronus Charm was going very well for Hermione, Maranhao, and Marietta—one could even say it was exceptionally smooth.
Their happy lives since childhood and their privileged environments meant they had absolutely no difficulty in selecting happy memories.
Simply picking some everyday memories was enough; all that remained was the determination to protect themselves and others, as well as mastering the application of the Patronus Charm to produce a corporeal Patronus.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Hermione waved her wand forcefully, tracing a specific arc in the air. Wisps of white vapor drifted from her wand, forming a barrier-like shield in front of her.
Taking a deep breath, Hermione gripped her wand tightly. She could clearly feel the magic draining from her body, yet she still tried her best to make the white mist solidify.
"Whew..."
Exhaling a long breath, Hermione lowered her wand in frustration.
No matter how much she persisted or how much magic she channeled into her wand, she couldn't make the white mist solidify any further.
It simply floated before her, thick and hazy, refusing to take the shape of a distinct creature.
"It's really discouraging..."
Hermione muttered, shaking her wrist. Penelope, who had just finished guiding Maranhao, walked over and playfully tapped her on the head.
"Don't just talk about Lynn; don't be too hard on yourself either. Your learning speed is already very fast."
As Penelope spoke, she turned to look at Maranhao and Marietta. Both of them also lowered their wands, wiped the sweat from their foreheads, and looked over.
"There are many adult Wizards who can't use the Patronus Charm. For instance, in the Ministry of Magic, I'd bet at least half the people don't know this spell."
Penelope shrugged as she spoke, a hint of pride for her three younger housemates unconsciously showing on her face.
"So, you should understand how rare it is to reach this level after only practicing for a week, right?"
"But," Hermione said, taking a large bite of a chocolate bar from her pocket, "it seems like everyone in Ravenclaw knows the Patronus Charm?"
"Well," Penelope raised an eyebrow, "because in Ravenclaw, most people are very interested in Charms, so basically everyone starts learning the Patronus Charm in their fourth year."
"In a year's time," Penelope held up a finger, "one can basically master the Patronus Charm."
"However, based on my judgment, I don't think it will take you three a year."
"Sigh... especially you," she reached out to ruffle Hermione's hair, clicking her tongue, "such enviable magical talent."
Beside them, Maranhao and Marietta nodded vigorously in agreement. Merlin knew how hard they were working just to keep up with their younger housemate, Hermione.
Her talent was truly exceptional; she could produce white mist on her first attempt, and with every subsequent try, the mist became thicker and more solid.
Among the students they had seen, only Lynn's magical talent could surpass Hermione's.
Facing the praise from her seniors, Hermione smiled bashfully and scratched her cheek.
The urgency she had felt earlier gradually dissipated. Yes, she shouldn't just talk about Lynn; she couldn't push herself too hard either.
Perhaps it wasn't the best thing to say, but... after all, they still had Headmaster Dumbledore and the Professors standing before them.
With them around, the sky over the Young Wizards wouldn't come crashing down.
"Professor Flitwick, I'm sorry to disturb you. May I come in?"
Lynn stood at the door of Professor Flitwick's office, raised her hand to knock gently, and then stood silently by the door.
Within seconds, the door opened. Professor Flitwick looked up at her with a warm smile. "Welcome, Miss Lynn. Please, come in."
He stepped aside to clear the doorway, and Lynn walked into his office.
"Please, have a seat." Professor Flitwick gestured toward a nearby sofa.
"Thank you, Professor Flitwick." Lynn nodded politely in thanks and sat on the sofa.
"Have some juice."
Professor Flitwick waved his wand, and a glass of juice appeared on the table in front of Lynn.
Lynn thanked him and took a large gulp. Having been reading for so long without water, she was indeed quite thirsty.
"So, you've come to see me because you've finished reading every book in the Hogwarts Library except for those in the Restricted Section?"
"Yes, Professor Flitwick," Lynn nodded, setting down the juice. "So I've come to ask for a signed permission slip to read the books in the Restricted Section."
"Mhm, of course, no problem."
Professor Flitwick nodded with a smile, walked to his desk, opened a drawer, and took out a slip of paper to hand to Lynn.
Seeing Professor Flitwick produce the slip so directly, Lynn was slightly stunned. Had Professor Flitwick... prepared this for her long ago?
But shouldn't the Restricted Section require a signature for each specific book? How could Professor Flitwick know in advance which book she wanted to read?
These thoughts flashed through Lynn's mind. She quickly snapped back to reality, took the slip, thanked Professor Flitwick solemnly, and looked down at it.
The slip didn't grant permission for a single book; instead, it bore the signatures of Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, and even Professor Snape—a whole host of Hogwarts Professors.
It explicitly stated that all of Lynn's subject Professors, including the Headmaster, agreed to let her read any volume in the Restricted Section. Beyond that, there were no additional restrictions whatsoever.
"Professor Flitwick..."
Lynn looked up with a blank expression. She tilted her head at Professor Flitwick, wanting to ask if this wasn't against Hogwarts school rules.
Flitwick shook his head, interrupting her. "Miss Lynn, your learning ability is something we have never seen before, and your character is evident to us all."
"We Professors naturally trust you. Go and read those books as you see fit; you'll be fine, won't you?"
Seeing Professor Flitwick's encouraging smile, Lynn tucked the slip away. "Yes, I'll be fine, Professor Flitwick."
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