Ancient Magician (Severus x Reader)

Chapter 21: Goldilocks

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𝑌𝑒𝑎𝑟 2 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 21: 𝐺𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑖𝑙𝑜𝑐𝑘𝑠

"𝐼 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑣𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑦𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑡 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡"

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Today's Transfiguration lesson with Professor McGonagall was nothing short of brutal. You'd think after surviving a whole year of Hogwarts, I'd be able to handle a simple spell like turning a beetle into a button. But no—everything I'd learned seemed to have vanished over the summer break like smoke out of a cauldron.

I sighed as I prodded the beetle with my wand, trying not to flinch when it scurried away across the desk for the fifth time. I muttered the incantation again, but all I managed to do was give the poor thing a very slight shimmer before it promptly darted off in the opposite direction. Great.

Across from me, Ron was having an even rougher time. His wand, still clumsily held together with Spellotape, was crackling ominously. Every time he tried the transfiguration spell, a puff of thick, gray smoke billowed up and filled the air around us with a stench that was somewhere between burnt rubber and rotting cabbage.

"Ugh! That smell, Ron!" I groaned, waving my hand in front of my nose.

"It's not like I'm doing it on purpose!" he snapped, jabbing at his beetle—only to accidentally crush it with his elbow. He stared down at the splatter on the desk and muttered, "Oh, brilliant."

Professor McGonagall did not look impressed when Ron awkwardly raised his hand and asked for a replacement beetle. She pursed her lips and summoned another one with a flick of her wand before moving on with a slight eye twitch. Oops.

Just as my brain was about to completely give up, the lunch bell finally rang.

"Thank Merlin," I muttered under my breath, stretching my arms above my head. My thoughts were turning to mashed potatoes and pumpkin juice as everyone began shuffling out the door.

But I stayed behind, lingering with Harry, Hermione, and Ron. Ron was glaring at his wand like it had personally betrayed him.

"Stupid, bloody useless thing," he grumbled, shoving it back into his bag with far more force than necessary.

"You should write home for a new one," Harry suggested.

"Oh yeah," Ron replied bitterly. "And get another Howler in response? No thanks."

I smiled and nudged him. "Well then... how about I buy you one?"

Ron looked up at me, surprised. "You serious?"

"Completely. When do you want to go? Hogsmeade weekend?"

Without waiting for an answer, I looped my arm around his shoulder casually. "My treat."

Hermione didn't look as enthusiastic. "Y/n, it's not your job to buy Ron a wand," she said, giving me that look she always gives when she thinks I'm about to do something reckless, which, to be fair, I usually am.

"Oh, come on, Hermione," I said with a shrug. "It is kind of our fault."

Hermione crossed her arms. "Fine. But if you do go wand-shopping, I'm coming with you. You'll need someone to stop you from blowing your entire savings on a solid gold wand or something."

Harry nodded. "Count me in, too."

We made our way down to the Great Hall, and thankfully, Ron's mood seemed to improve now that food was in sight.