# Snape: "Have I been too lenient with you lately, making you think you can talk to me like this?"
He raised his wand at her.
## Orli: "No need for you to throw me out; I can leave on my own."
Orli felt tears brimming in her eyes but held them back with effort, refusing to let them fall.
## Orli: "But I don't have the slightest bit of affection for Malfoy, so please stop wasting your time."
After saying this, she turned to leave, but Snape slightly lowered the tip of his wand.
# Snape: "Then tell me, Miss Orli Waters, the heroic Gryffindor, what great power compelled you to risk your life to save Draco Malfoy? Was it your sense of justice and mission?"
His tone was laced with sarcasm.
## Orli: "I was just worried that Hagrid might get fired by Lucius Malfoy."
Orli suppressed the lump in her throat, speaking in a flat, mechanical tone.
# Snape: "So, you managed to self-study Potions to N.E.W.T level during the holidays, but you couldn't remember to learn the Shield Charm?"
Snape said with a blank expression.
Orli froze for a moment before realizing how foolish she had been. She had only remembered to redeem the Patronus Charm during the holidays but had overlooked the much more practical Shield Charm!
# Snape: "Now, get back to the Gryffindor tower."
Snape said coldly. However, just as Orli was about to step out the door, he added:
# Snape: "No sweets for a month. You should know that sugar reacts with the ingredients in Sneezewort."
Orli couldn't remember how she managed to step out of Snape's office door. She simply let her subconscious guide her feet as she climbed the stairs back to the tower.
Her heart felt full to bursting. Sometimes, she thought about Snape deliberately arranging for her to be alone with Malfoy, and she felt unbearably sad. But other times, she recalled his parting words and couldn't help but feel a hint of joy bubbling up inside her—he knew the scar-removal potion she used contained Sneezewort, even though he had never visited her in the hospital wing. This could only mean one thing: the potion she used was specially made by Snape.
So, all the way back, Orli's expression was incredibly strange—sometimes she looked sad and aggrieved, and other times she seemed to smile with delight. Peeves, who met her at the corner on the third floor, thought she had gone mad.
# Peeves: "Crazy girl, crazy girl, the school has a new crazy girl! Crazy Luna, crazy Orli!"
Peeves immediately made up a terrible song and sang it loudly.
## Orli: "Shut up, Peeves!"
Orli pulled out her wand and cast a "Waddiwasi" spell at him, just like Lupin had done. A small stone at her feet flew swiftly and hit Peeves on the forehead, causing him to somersault backward and fly away.
The commotion seemed to have alerted Filch, as a flickering oil lamp appeared at the far end of the corridor. Orli hurriedly took three steps at a time and fled back to the Gryffindor tower.
That night, she redeemed several practical high-level spells from the system, including the Shield Charm, Summoning Charm, and Disillusionment Charm. But the bad news was that her contribution points were perpetually insufficient. There were still several spells, like Apparition, that she hadn't redeemed yet. If she continued accumulating contribution points as she had before, it might take another year or two, and she simply couldn't wait that long.
It seemed she needed to come up with another plan—perhaps she would have to expand her range for collecting herbs. Before falling asleep, this thought flashed through Orli's mind.
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Author's Notes:
① For now, I don't plan to develop any deep romantic entanglements between the female lead and Malfoy. Malfoy won't take on the role of the second male lead.
② Snape did deliberately arrange for Malfoy and Orli to be alone together, but it wasn't for Malfoy—it was more for Orli. He assumed Orli saved Malfoy because she had feelings for him. That's why he was so angry when Orli accused him of matchmaking for male students.
③ Do you think Snape might want to use a time-turner to give himself an Avada Kedavra after recalling this day years later? He almost personally found Orli a boyfriend.
④ I'm not sure if the Shield Charm can block physical attacks from Buckbeak, but since it can separate two arguing wizards (I forgot which book mentioned this), I'll assume it can. The Shield Charm is also a high-level spell, roughly equivalent to the Patronus Charm. During the Second Wizarding War, the Weasley twins discovered that most adult wizards, even those working at the Ministry of Magic, couldn't cast a decent Shield Charm. Harry learned it at the age of 14.
⑤ Why doesn't Orli go to the library to learn those spells? Firstly, her level in Charms isn't as advanced as Hermione's, who can self-study effectively. Many high-level spells are also difficult to self-study and require professional guidance; otherwise, Hogwarts would only need to open its library, and Professor Flitwick could retire honorably. The high-level spells redeemed through the system come with various casting tips and detailed instructional guidance, comparable to Professor Flitwick's teaching. For spells like Occlumency, the system even provides sparring partners.
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