"Wait, Ron, what is that you're leading?"
Hearing his brother's question, Ron looked puzzled—wasn't it obvious?
He lifted the rope in his left hand.
"This is Fang, Hagrid's dog."
Percy's mouth twitched. He knew his brother's way of thinking all too well, yet still felt exasperated.
"I meant the other one."
Percy frowned, staring at the mechanical creature standing beside Ron—a completely white, dog-like construct.
Its tail wagged naturally, the tip flickering with faint magical embers.
"Oh, you mean this! This is White Fang—Hagrid named it too," Ron said proudly. "It's the Alchemy machine Lucien made. This is what I want to learn."
He pointed at the white mechanical dog as he spoke.
Percy turned to look at Lucien, his expression complicated. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
After all, he had been sent by his mother to keep an eye on Ron.
But before Percy could even say a word, his brother had already brought an Alchemical mechanical dog right up to him.
"Oh, right, Lucien," Ron said, "when we were out for a walk just now, White Fang's front right leg seemed a bit stiff. Could you take a look?"
Lucien nodded, stepped outside, and drew his wand to inspect White Fang.
The metal casing, gears, and bearings slowly detached and floated into the air.
Several thin strands of magic extended from the tip of his wand, skillfully maneuvering within the mechanical structure.
Hearing the noise, Harry came out of the hut as well.
He greeted Ron's brother, Percy, before joining Ron to watch Lucien repair the dog.
"Hmm, it's fine. Nothing serious," Lucien said after a moment. "Just need to realign a few parts and add some lubricant and adhesive."
As he spoke, he used Transfiguration to adjust the shapes and details of several small components.
Then he pulled two small jars from his pocket, extracted a bit of liquid from each, and guided them into the gaps between the parts.
Standing behind them, Percy silently watched the entire process, saying nothing.
But inside, his mind was in turmoil.
He had just begun his fifth year—he wasn't even allowed to take Alchemy yet.
But Percy, always disciplined and strict with himself, had already studied ahead for various subjects and possessed some basic knowledge of Alchemy.
So when he saw Lucien at work, he immediately realized—with absolute certainty—that this first-year student before him truly understood Alchemy.
Alchemy was an extraordinarily complex field, covering an immense range of disciplines.
This type of mechanical creation was just one branch—and even so, this mechanical dog wasn't anywhere near the most advanced kind.
Percy remembered reading in a book that the pinnacle of Alchemical engineering was the construction of massive golems.
It was said that ancient Alchemists had once created giants as tall as mountains—miracles of their time.
Even so, the techniques Lucien demonstrated were astonishing.
Those fine magical threads he conjured were precisely the kind of control Percy was supposed to learn in fifth-year Charms—yet he was still struggling to grasp the basics.
At that moment, Percy suddenly realized something: Hogwarts had gained an incredibly talented new student.
And his brother Ron… had befriended someone extraordinary!
"Ron, come here for a moment."
Percy beckoned, motioning for his brother to step aside.
Ron set down the leash and walked over to him.
"What is it, Percy?"
Percy pulled two things from inside his cloak—a red envelope and a thin little notebook.
After hesitating for a moment, he handed the small notebook to Ron first.
"This is from Mum. It's about some spell-casting techniques."
He paused, then added,
"Mum means that you're still at the stage of building your foundation, so don't focus too much on how many spells you know. Work more on your casting technique—once you've got that down, learning new magic will come much faster."
Percy fully understood his mother's reasoning. The family's inherited spellbooks weren't something easily lent out.
For wizarding families, their legacy wasn't just magical bloodlines—it was also the knowledge and experience in magic passed down through generations. That was their true foundation.
Ron accepted the small notebook happily. He didn't think too much about it—he was just glad that he could now continue following Lucien and learn how to make Alchemy machines.
If Lucien thought this material wasn't enough to create mechanical creatures like White Fang, he could at least start with simpler machines.
But before he could finish feeling pleased, Percy handed him the other item.
Ron looked down at the red envelope in his hand, and his smile immediately froze.
"This… this is a Howler, isn't it? Mum—Mum sent it?"
The hand holding the envelope trembled slightly as Ron looked at his brother in disbelief.
But when he looked up again, Percy had already taken several steps back, simply nodding firmly at him.
"I suggest you open it quickly. The longer you wait, the louder the Howler will get."
Hearing that, Lucien also stood up, leading Fang and the now-repaired White Fang, and moved to stand beside Percy.
Although Harry didn't know exactly what a Howler was, he wisely followed Lucien's lead.
Left alone, Ron hesitantly tore open the Howler.
A sharp, piercing woman's voice immediately rang out:
"Little Ronniekins! Since you've made your decision, then study hard! Learn from your friends—learn from your brother!"
"Be a man and keep your promises!"
"I'll have Percy check your progress regularly!"
"And remember to dress warmly in the mornings and evenings! Eat properly, but don't overeat! The Hogwarts infirmary—"
As his mother's voice filled the hut, Ron's face and ears turned as red as his hair.
He glanced at Lucien and Harry, his expression utterly mortified.
It was nice to be cared for by his mother, of course—but for a boy his age, being fussed over like that in front of his friends was undeniably embarrassing.
"Alright, my mission here is done," Percy said, bidding farewell to Lucien and the others before heading back toward Hogwarts Castle.
Ron, having recovered from his embarrassment, quickly handed the notebook to Lucien with excitement.
"Lucien, take a look—is this kind of thing okay?"
Lucien accepted it and flipped through the small notebook.
Hmm, all notes on spell-casting techniques.
The handwriting varied from page to page—it had clearly been passed down through several owners, likely the accumulated experience of generations of Weasley wizards.
Still, it couldn't really be considered a true family inheritance.
That was only natural; they wouldn't hand over their most valuable magic books on the first exchange.
Those were the lifeblood of every wizarding family.
Well, except for Harry's case—that had been a complete accident.
Like a prodigal son selling off ancestral land without hesitation, going straight for the good stuff.
Never mind—one had to have a conscience, after all.
The knowledge recorded in those magic books was easily worth Harry's tuition for a year or two.
Lucien thought about Harry's recent progress. Hmm, his talent for Potions was quite good—it was time to step up the difficulty.
After flipping through a few more pages, Lucien came across several techniques that caught his attention.
For example, during combat, one could build momentum through continuous spellcasting, using specific combinations to make spell transitions smoother and more efficient.
These insights and experiences from past generations were indeed valuable—they could save him a great deal of unnecessary trial and error.
"Yes," Lucien said finally, closing the notebook. "Let's start with the basics. Theoretical mechanical construction, Transfiguration requirements…"
"Once you've mastered some of it, you can show your progress to your brother."
Ron's face lit up instantly, nodding eagerly as he listened to Lucien's explanation.
He didn't even notice Harry watching him with a look of quiet sympathy.
Lucien's teaching was undeniably effective—but his strictness… tsk, tsk, tsk.
Harry recalled his own past lessons.
That's right—good brothers should share both the joy and the suffering!
__________
11 Advance Chaps- P@treon/DarkDevil1
