Grafton Manor.
Penelope sat at her desk in a bathrobe, one hand pushing up the gold-rimmed glasses on her nose, the other holding a pen as she quickly signed and annotated documents.
In previous years, she would stop all work during Christmas and devote all her time to her nephew.
Lucien had been raised largely by Penelope, who, unmarried and without children of her own, regarded her unfortunate, orphaned nephew as her own child.
However, in a letter a few days earlier, Lucien had mentioned he might not return for the holidays.
So, after spending Christmas Eve with proper ceremony, Penelope returned to her work.
She had been extremely busy lately, especially in the months since Lucien started school.
It wasn't just family matters—there was also a storm brewing in Eastern Europe, shaking the global landscape.
Lucien had discussed that situation with her long ago, and he occasionally mentioned it again in his recent letters.
Penelope hadn't paid much attention at first, but as events unfolded, she could almost "see" the scale of the coming storm.
"That giant really is going to collapse…"
Coo-coo—~~!
With the echoing call, an ordinary-looking grey-brown owl flew into the room.
Penelope was used to this; she and Lucien exchanged letters and packages through these birds.
Instinctively, she opened a drawer and took out a box of treats she kept specifically for these feathered messengers.
But this owl didn't fly toward the food. It simply stood on the desk, tilted its head, and stared at her.
Seeing that the owl hadn't dropped any envelope or package, Penelope couldn't help feeling a bit puzzled.
"You're not just an ordinary owl, are you?"
She was accustomed to these birds bringing her nephew's letters, so her first reaction was to assume it was a wizarding owl sent from Lucien. But the one before her… could she have been mistaken?
Looking more closely, Penelope noticed that the owl's eyes were a rare dark green.
They looked just like her nephew's eyes after his magic awakened.
This immediately piqued her interest, and she even wondered if she should keep this owl as a pet.
"Oh, I wonder if little Lucien is happy at that magic school… My little treasure has grown up. He doesn't even think about coming home for Christmas anymore."
"Hm, Lucien is eleven this year. In two or three years, I can start looking for a fiancée for him, for the Grafton family…"
For some reason, the owl quietly turned its head away—and because of its species' nature, it rotated a full 180 degrees.
Uh… should I change back?
I had Lumen Apparate me home overnight, thinking I'd give Aunt a little surprise.
How did I end up hearing all this?
And "Little Treasure"—wasn't that nickname dropped after I turned six?
Penelope was still thinking about which girl would be the best match for her nephew when she saw the owl suddenly leap off the desk and, with a shimmer mid-air, transform.
"Lucien!"
Seeing her familiar nephew appear before her—having transformed from an owl—Penelope gasped, her fountain pen slipping from her fingers and landing on the carpet.
It was still that charming, handsome face with those striking dark green eyes.
Only his hair had grown longer; the dark golden hair that used to reach his ears now fell to his chin.
Lucien opened his mouth, ready to greet his Aunt Penelope and wish her a Merry Christmas.
But before he could speak, his aunt pulled him into a hug.
After a second, Lucien muttered, "Aunt, I'm eleven now, not six."
Penelope let go of Lucien but immediately pinched his cheek, smiling brightly: "When you were six, you were Little Treasure. Now that you're eleven, should we start calling you Big Treasure?"
"Uh… whatever makes you happy."
For once, Lucien blushed in embarrassment.
"Sigh.. Merry Christmas, Aunt."
"Merry Christmas, Lucien."
The two moved to the tea room, where the servants had already prepared light refreshments and tea.
Although Loxia, the maid in charge, was very curious about when Young Master Lucien had returned, she would never ask unless her master spoke first.
"Merry Christmas, Loxia."
"Merry Christmas, Young Master Lucien."
"Here, I have something for you.. um, and where is Gordon?" Lucien then took out a tube of lipstick from his pocket. It was a magical lipstick he had crafted using potion techniques.
It was safe, edible, lightweight, long-lasting, and could even be used by Muggles without magic.
"Gordon's busy with his new show, and since you told the lady that you weren't coming this Christmas, the lady granted him a long leave. Thank you for the gift, young master, but you didn't have to..."
Loxia accepted the lipstick with both hands, quickly glancing at the color through the translucent casing.
She felt the shade the young master had given her was far too bold for daily work.
Even so, Loxia was delighted; the young master always gave them small gifts during the holidays, and she figured she could use it when she went out with friends on her days off… But in the next second, she blinked in surprise, because the lipstick's color had changed—becoming the exact shade she liked most!
Noticing Loxia's expression and the change in the lipstick, Lucien smiled.
"What? Do you prefer this shade?"
Hearing the young master's words, Loxia's face turned slightly red, embarrassed that her superior had noticed her dissatisfaction with the previous color.
Of course, she felt only embarrassment—never fear.
Young Master Lucien would never punish them over something so small.
At that moment, she didn't even question why the lipstick had changed color, simply assuming it was some high-end luxury product.
Lucien waved gently, signaling Loxia not to worry, and gestured for her to step out.
Once the tea room contained only the two of them, Penelope couldn't help but ask with curiosity,
"That color-changing lipstick—is it magic as well?"
"And you transforming from an owl into a person, just like Professor McGonagall who visited before—magic is really that incredible?"
Lucien nodded.
"That lipstick is a potion application. The field of Potions is very broad; it's the wizarding world's…"
"And transforming into animals—that's a branch of Transfiguration…"
Penelope listened with great interest as Lucien explained these magical concepts.
For young wizards, the Statute of Secrecy did not apply to their guardians. Guardians needed to know where their children studied and what they were learning.
And in cases like Lucien's, where there was a large staff of household servants, the Statute of Secrecy was interpreted more flexibly.
As long as magic wasn't directly exposed to people outside the guardian circle, it was acceptable.
Letting them encounter small items from the wizarding world was also permissible.
That was why Lucien gave Loxia the magical lipstick, and he trusted his aunt to explain the necessary details to her.
Besides, modern people shouldn't be underestimated.
Lucien estimated Loxia would probably assume the lipstick was some kind of high-end tech product and wouldn't connect it with magic, which sounded like something from a fairy tale.
After chatting with his aunt about school life, Lucien began taking out boxes of gifts, large and small.
These were all magical Christmas gifts he had prepared for his Aunt Penelope.
As she smiled and unwrapped them, Lucien stood beside her, patiently and thoughtfully explaining each one.
"Aunt, when you're busy, you can Gordon to brew a cup of this—it helps with focus and restores energy…"
"If you have insomnia, just hold this…"
"This one is for whitening and brightening, though you probably don't need it…"
"This…"
"Aunt, don't worry. Everything I prepared can be used normally even without magic."
As she continued opening the gifts, Penelope suddenly tapped her forehead lightly, frowning a little.
"Oh dear, I didn't know you were coming back. I sent your Christmas present to the school by owl."
"It's fine, Aunt. I'll see it when I go back tomorrow."
"Though… could you tell me in advance what the surprise is?"
Penelope continued unwrapping the gifts her nephew had prepared, speaking casually:
"A contract. You like reading, don't you?"
"Duh."
"Heh~ I built you a library."
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