In the middle of the corridor, the chimera slithered with its serpentine body, trying to slip behind a stone pillar. But with a flick of Lucien's wand, the menacing creature instantly reverted to a large wooden mallet.
Lucien glanced toward the pillar, catching sight of two figures scurrying away. A smirk tugged at his lips.
"Alright, let's head back to the dorms. We've got class tomorrow," he said, tucking the mallet away and waving his wand to erase any traces of the troll.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood there, stunned, before hurrying to catch up with Lucien. After a moment of silence, Ron spoke up, his eyes practically sparkling.
"Lucien, that thing just now… was that Transfiguration?"
"Yeah," Lucien replied. "A more… complicated kind of Transfiguration."
Ron's eyes lit up even brighter at the confirmation.
He'd always thought Transfiguration was just a stepping stone for learning alchemy. But now? Seeing it in action like that? Lucien had conjured a bizarre creature with a wave of his wand and taken down a troll like it was nothing! Ron couldn't help but imagine how cool it'd be to pull off something like that himself.
"Lucien, do you think… could I learn that?" Ron asked, barely containing his excitement.
Lucien raised an eyebrow, reading Ron's enthusiasm instantly. "You want to learn it?"
Ron nodded eagerly, like a bobblehead.
"Have you finished your homework? Got those diagrams done?" Lucien asked.
Ron's face froze, and he scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh, well, with everything that happened tonight, I… haven't gotten far…"
Lucien shook his head with a faint smile. Kids—always chasing the next shiny thing when they haven't even mastered the basics. Still, Ron had shown off his mechanical frog to the Weasley twins, proving his progress. That should earn him some approval from his family. Maybe they'd even send him more valuable books or notes soon. Who knew what kind of magical knowledge those might hold?
"Ahem," Hermione piped up, unable to hold back any longer. "Lucien, are you… tutoring Ron with his schoolwork?"
She'd been dying to ask for a while, and tonight's events had only fueled her curiosity. Lucien didn't bother hiding it—honestly, he was surprised it took her this long to figure it out. With her sharp mind, she should've noticed ages ago. Had Harry and Ron been keeping their distance from her lately? In the books, the trio's friendship didn't really solidify until later…
"Yep," Lucien said bluntly.
Hermione blinked, caught off guard by his straightforwardness. After a moment, she glanced at Harry. "And Harry—his Potions grades have been improving lately. Is that… you too?"
Lucien nodded.
Hermione bit her lip, clearly wrestling with something. As they neared the point where they'd split off to their respective common rooms, she finally mumbled, "Can I… learn from you too?"
"What do you want to learn?" Lucien asked. "You're already good at pretty much everything, aren't you?"
"Everything!" Hermione blurted out.
Lucien wasn't surprised. Classic know-it-all Hermione, hungry for all the knowledge she could get her hands on.
Tutoring two was no different from tutoring three, really. But Lucien wasn't running a charity—knowledge came with a price. Besides, with his new "Polymorph Puppet" project, the next phase of Transfiguration was on the horizon: living-to-inanimate, living-to-living, and eventually, Animagus transformations. Things were about to get busier. If someone could help him save a bit of time…
He looked at Hermione and smiled lightly. "Can you grade homework?"
---
Elsewhere in the castle, Snape limped into view, spotting Dumbledore and the other professors gathered. His voice was cold, but a faint tremor betrayed some suppressed pain. "Why the sudden meeting? Aren't we still searching for that intruding troll?"
His eyes flicked toward Quirrell, glinting with suspicion and disdain.
Dumbledore stroked his long white beard. "Thank you all for your efforts tonight, but there's no need to keep looking. You can all head back and rest."
He paused, his tone turning slightly odd. "Er, the troll… has left the castle."
The professors exchanged skeptical glances. A dim-witted, brutish creature like a troll just… leaving on its own? That didn't add up.
"Left?" Snape said, his voice dripping with skepticism. "Really? Or is someone hiding it somewhere?"
His pointed tone clearly aimed at Quirrell, but Dumbledore seemed to miss the jab entirely, coughing lightly. "Ahem, I'm quite certain. Sir Nicholas confirmed it—he saw the troll leave with his own eyes."
A translucent, silvery figure floated through the wall—Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost. He adjusted his wobbling head and, at Dumbledore's nod, spoke up. "Yes, the troll, well, it's gone from Hogwarts. No danger to the students now."
The professors nodded. The castle's portraits and ghosts served the headmaster loyally—they wouldn't lie to Dumbledore, especially not about something involving student safety. After a bit more discussion, the professors said their goodbyes and left to prepare for the next day's lessons.
Only Dumbledore and Nick remained.
After a long pause, Nick hesitated before speaking. "Headmaster, that young wizard, Lucien… that creature he conjured. Was it…?"
Dumbledore pushed his half-moon glasses up his nose, a wry smile on his face. "That boy," he said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "always full of surprises… or scares."
---
In the Slytherin dorms, Malfoy lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He couldn't remember how he'd gotten back—had Daphne Greengrass dragged him here?
Images flashed through his mind: Lucien casting spells with effortless grace, toying with the troll like a conductor leading an orchestra. A flick of his wand, and a wooden mallet transformed into… into…
A monster. A grotesque, terrifying creature that shouldn't exist in this world. And it had taken down a troll like it was nothing. Lucien had created it with a casual wave of his wand!
And then, at the end… those translucent, unblinking eyes haunted Malfoy's thoughts, frozen in his mind.
He rolled over, burying his face in his blankets. A glance at the window showed the sky beginning to lighten.
Malfoy realized he hadn't slept a wink all night.
It was already the next day.
And today… wasn't he supposed to duel Lucien?
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