Hydrus Lestrange woke up buried in gold Galleons.
She grabbed a handful, lifted them, and watched the glittering coins slip through her fingers, clattering back onto the bed.
A perfect morning starts with being drowned in money.
Today was Potions class. Hydrus had already made up her mind—she was getting an exemption from her Head of House, no matter what.
With that goal in mind, she sat up, energy surging through her.
A little effort now, for a lifetime of laziness later.
"Momo!"
With a sharp rip, the house-elf appeared.
"Little mistress, what would you like for breakfast today?"
Hydrus thought for a moment. "Pan-fried dumplings. And if you have egg pancakes, even better."
Knock, knock.
Someone rapped on the door. Hydrus opened it—and Iselin bounced straight in.
"Hydrus!"
Hydrus was momentarily speechless. When they'd first met a week ago, Iselin had seemed like a perfectly mannered aristocratic lady.
Turns out that was all an act. Once you got to know her, she was pure chaos.
"Oh! A house-elf!"
Iselin peered past Hydrus and froze when she saw Momo. "Wait—Hydrus, aren't you Muggle-born? Why do you have a house-elf in your room?"
Momo had been about to leave, but Iselin's dramatic entrance caught her red-handed.
The elf panicked, snapped into a stiff, awkward salute, and darted her eyes around helplessly.
Hydrus smiled. "I never said I was born into a Muggle family."
Ignoring Iselin's probing stare, Hydrus pushed her back out the door, then turned and added casually, "Momo, make two servings. Let Iselin try some too."
Hydrus had figured Iselin out early—she was a foodie.
If you wanted her to keep quiet, feeding her was far more effective than any threat.
After all, hadn't this friendship started with just two little crayfish?
The moment Hydrus stepped out of the common room, she was surrounded by ghosts again.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Hydrus sighed, "if you keep this up, I'm going to apply for withdrawal."
The Fat Friar immediately nodded. "Yes, yes, quite right! We mustn't trouble Miss Astre—Nick! I'm talking to you. Give the young lady some space!"
The ghosts obediently drifted back—from one meter away to one and a half.
Hydrus felt exhausted.
Isn't there any way to deal with them?
Wait.
A basilisk.
A basilisk's gaze could petrify ghosts.
Hydrus, who normally loathed the thought of entering the Chamber of Secrets, suddenly felt motivated.
…For about two seconds.
Nope. Still disgusting.
But if a basilisk worked on ghosts, there was no way none of the magical creature traits she possessed could do the same.
A fire dragon? Maybe dragonfire would work—but she couldn't exactly set the castle on fire.
House-elves were obviously useless.
Nifflers. Acromantulas. Occamies. Demiguise. Arrow snakes…
Unicorns?
Unicorns.
Ghosts were remnants of witches and wizards who refused to pass on, suspended between life and death—often considered impure.
Unicorns, on the other hand, represented life itself. Sacred, untouchable.
The image of moonlight spilling over Heidi the night before surfaced in her mind—that overwhelming sense of holiness.
Worth a try.
Hydrus didn't hesitate. She switched to her unicorn trait.
Instantly, chaos erupted.
"What is this?!"
"That horrible aura!"
"No—! I feel like I'm dying!"
The ghosts scattered in all directions, and the temperature around her rose sharply.
Hydrus beamed.
If I'd known this worked, I would've gone to the Forbidden Forest on my first day.
She happily headed to the Great Hall with Iselin. The younger students, long accustomed to seeing Hydrus trailed by ghosts, felt oddly unsettled.
"Why aren't the ghosts following Hydrus today?"
"No idea."
Hermione frowned. "What if someone used Polyjuice Potion to disguise themselves as her?"
Ron blinked at Harry. "What's Polyjuice Potion?"
Harry looked just as curious.
Hermione explained, "It's a potion that lets you turn into someone else."
Ron scoffed, then grinned at Harry. "Wow, I like that. I'd turn into George or Fred and mess with Mum together."
George grinned. "Ronald Bilius Weasley, I didn't know you had such potential for mischief."
Fred added, "More like he's jealous we're taller and wants to experience life from up here."
George snapped his fingers. "In that case, why not try our 'Grow-Taller-Quick' potion from last year?"
Fred nodded solemnly. "Guaranteed results. One vial and you'll be nice and tall."
Ron shook his head violently. He remembered exactly what happened when they force-fed that potion to the garden gnomes.
They'd stretched like pulled noodles—long and skinny.
He had no desire to end up wand-shaped.
Hydrus didn't care what the others thought.
For the first time since arriving at Hogwarts, she was finally living like a normal student—and that alone was priceless.
As she reached the Slytherin table, she spotted Aronia Rohl, who had been missing for an entire week.
The once-fierce upperclassman looked haggard now, likely due to the contempt radiating from those around her.
That kind of silent exclusion could be brutal.
Then Hydrus's unicorn trait reacted.
She stared at Aronia, eyes widening in disbelief.
Iselin tugged her sleeve. "What's wrong, Hydrus?"
"Oh, nothing," Hydrus smiled. "I just didn't expect Rohl to recover so quickly."
Fifth-year students filled the Potions classroom, confidence high.
They sat neatly, waiting for Professor Snape to speak.
Since today was supposedly review, they'd revised diligently—at the very least, they wouldn't end up like Wood, dragged out as an example of stupidity.
The great bat arrived right on time.
Snape swept to the podium and spoke without preamble.
"Today, we will be brewing the Calming Draught."
The students exchanged stunned looks.
Wasn't this supposed to be a review of Years One through Four?
Then what was the point of all that frantic studying?
They could've crammed before the O.W.L.s and gotten the same result.
Class ended as expected.
Hydrus once again took top honors, earning Slytherin twenty points.
Snape's face remained icy—but inside, he was practically blooming.
"Professor Snape," Hydrus said, approaching him as he packed up, "I'd like to apply for an exemption from Potions. Is that possible?"
Snape's brow furrowed sharply. "A bit of talent, and you think you're omnipotent?"
He looked genuinely angry. "I didn't expect you to be so arrogant, Miss Lestrange. Potions requires time, repetition, and deep study! How dare you utter the word exemption in front of me!"
Hydrus sighed—and began pulling bottles from her pouch.
One after another.
Calming Draught.
Invigoration Tonic.
Wit-Sharpening Potion.
Everlasting Elixir.
Confusion Concoction.
Then came sixth- and seventh-year brews.
Euphoria Elixir.
Felix Felicis.
Draught of Living Death.
Dreamless Sleep Potion.
Snape examined each bottle in silence, his expression darkening.
Every potion was top-grade—each bearing the same signature trait of Hydrus's brewing: faint, starlike magical glimmers.
Distinctive. Unmistakable.
He snapped his head up, staring straight into her eyes.
"Even under Nicolas Flamel's guidance, you couldn't have brewed this many potions in two months," he said coldly.
"So you already knew Potions. You're not from the Muggle world."
"Who are you?"
Hydrus's heart skipped.
In her eagerness to skip class, she'd been careless—and now Snape was suspicious.
But she steadied herself quickly.
"Professor, if you wish to know my background," she said calmly, "you can ask Professor Dumbledore. I'm sure he'll give you a satisfactory answer."
Suddenly, a powerful will pressed against her mind, attempting to pry into her consciousness.
But with a soul twice as strong as normal, even without Occlumency, she was nearly impossible to read.
The result—
Snape staggered back two steps and drew his wand, eyes sharp and wary.
"Professor Snape," Hydrus said, forcing a smile, "I'm not your enemy. I'm your student. Could you please put your wand down?"
After a moment, Snape lowered it.
He had overreacted.
Since Harry Potter's arrival, he'd been watching the boy obsessively.
Annoying as James Potter reborn—but those eyes…
Lily's child had to be protected.
And Hydrus Lestrange?
Mysterious. Powerful.
A potential threat?
Seeing his guard drop, Hydrus finally relaxed.
"Then, Professor Snape… about my exemption request…"
Snape's expression grew steadily worse.
She hesitated—then said it anyway.
"So… could you approve it?"