Lucien put away Professor McGonagall's letter.
He now had a preliminary glimpse of the possibility of pioneering new directions in Transfiguration, and a clearer idea of how to repay his loan.
He turned his head and saw that the owl was still there, preening its feathers.
Sitting down at his desk, Lucien began to write his reply to Professor McGonagall:
"Professor, thank you for your guidance. I will keep your warning in mind and will not attempt..."
Since Professor McGonagall had solemnly explained the dangers of transfiguring magical creatures, Lucien naturally wouldn't be stubborn and insist on trying it immediately.
You eat your meal one bite at a time, and you walk your path one step at a time.
Lucien knew very well that he should first master the basic knowledge, and with enough foundation, then attempt truly advanced and innovative Transfiguration.
As long as he could develop stable Transfiguration of magical creatures within a year, he would complete his loan mission.
The pen tip scratched on the paper.
Having quickly finished his reply, Lucien put it into an envelope, just about to hand it to the owl perched by the window.
Suddenly, a pale golden figure flew in through the window, heading straight for the plump, snow-white bird.
"Hoo! Hoo—"
The owl was instantly startled and hooted incessantly, flapping its wings and darting around the room.
Lucien merely waved his hand helplessly at the sight.
"Lumen, don't scare it anymore."
The golden figure stopped, its large golden-red eyes blinking as it looked at Lucien.
Lucien also looked at the Little Qilin, a smile on his lips.
Lumen was the name he had given the Qilin.
It meant "light" in Latin, which was quite fitting for its pale golden scales.
With a cloud coiling around its feet, Lumen stepped through the air to Lucien's side, rubbing its forehead—where short horns had not yet grown—against Lucien's cheek affectionately.
"Go soothe that owl; I still need its help to deliver a letter."
Understanding its master's meaning, Lumen turned its head toward the owl flying wildly around the room.
Without the Qilin seeming to do anything, the startled owl slowed its flight and finally stopped on the window again.
"Hoo."
The owl tilted its head.
Lumen tilted its head back at Lucien, seemingly waiting for praise.
This was the Qilin's psychic communication; it could directly convey meaning to other creatures mentally. Lumen expressed goodwill and comfort to the owl.
Coupled with the fact that Qilins are auspicious symbols and inherently friendly to other creatures, the owl quickly calmed down.
Gently rubbing Lumen's small head, Lucien smiled: "Well done."
He handed the envelope to the owl at the window.
The owl, having received the letter, flapped its wings and flew away.
...
10:00 AM, September 1st.
Lucien arrived at King's Cross Station.
This was a transportation hub in London, with an extremely high flow of passengers.
Lucien walked through the crowd and arrived at the famous Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
He slowed his steps, waiting until he saw a person walk straight into the third pillar.
Lucien followed that person, naturally walking into the dividing wall.
He passed directly through it, arriving in a new world.
The Hogwarts Express, an old steam train.
It hadn't blown its whistle yet and sat quietly; it wasn't time for departure.
Lucien was not in a hurry to board. He walked along the platform, examining the magical train.
With a red engine and black carriages, it didn't look much different from a Muggle steam train.
However, Lucien knew very well that this was a genuine alchemical creation; the Hogwarts Express was likely crafted by Wizards and was the magical product that interacted most with the Muggle world.
He scanned the platform, full of young students saying goodbye to their parents.
The older students were fine, as they had already been to Hogwarts several times.
But the newly admitted first-years mostly wore frowns, and some even had teary eyes.
It was inevitable; these children were only eleven years old, many of them separating from their parents for the first time, entering an unfamiliar school, and meeting new classmates and teachers.
Stepping onto the train, Lucien's lips curled into a smile.
Hogwarts, here I come.
He walked through the train, found an empty compartment at random, and went inside to put away his luggage.
In fact, his luggage consisted of only one suitcase.
This was no ordinary suitcase; it was one Lucien had bought on another trip to Diagon Alley, charmed with an Undetectable Extension Charm.
The actual space inside was large enough to hold all of Lucien's daily necessities and books.
Of course, it couldn't compare to Newt Scamander's suitcase in Fantastic Beasts.
His suitcase was like a small world, containing who knew how many magical creatures.
Later, I can study the Undetectable Extension Charm and see if I can modify and expand my suitcase.
If I could be like Newt, throwing out a large group of magical creatures in battle, it would probably give my opponent quite a shock.
Thinking this, Lucien opened his suitcase and took out a few books.
Since there was still plenty of time on the journey, Lucien leaned against the window and leisurely read.
...
"Platform Nine and Three-Quarters actually requires you to walk into a pillar?"
Hermione dragged a pile of luggage, panting as she walked through the carriage.
She had arrived at King's Cross Station early, but ended up spending quite a while searching for the platform.
If she hadn't glimpsed a family walking into a pillar between Platform Nine and Platform Ten, and then magically disappearing, Hermione probably would have wandered around for even longer.
Because she was in a hurry, Hermione's nose was dotted with beads of sweat, and her already bushy brown hair was even more disheveled.
Walking past the compartments that were already full, Hermione stopped in front of a closed door. She first calmed her slightly hurried breathing, then raised her hand and gently knocked.
"Hello, are there any empty seats inside?"
"Yes, please come in."
The voice sounded a little familiar, but Hermione didn't think much of it. She just wanted to put away her luggage and sit down to rest.
Pulling open the door with a whoosh, Hermione looked inside.
A young man was leaning by the window, holding a book.
Sunlight streamed through the train window, falling on the young man's dark golden hair, reflecting a faint golden glow.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, those dark green eyes left the book and turned to Hermione.
"Oh, Miss Granger, what a coincidence."
Looking at that handsome face, with a faint smile in his eyes... Hermione actually forgot to reply for a moment.
The compartment was silent for almost a full minute.
"Ehm.. Ah, yes, Lucien, what a coincidence, what a coincidence."
Hermione's face flushed a little, but luckily she was already red from exhaustion, so it wasn't very noticeable.
She turned her head slightly and whispered:
"Can I sit inside?"
Lucien raised his hand.
"Feel free."
Clearing her throat, Hermione was about to turn to move her luggage.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
Hearing the spell, Hermione saw her pile of luggage float up, drifting neatly toward the luggage rack above.
"You also learned spells in advance?!"
The young witch looked at the wand in Lucien's hand with surprise.
True to her academic nature, Hermione had read many basic magic books during the summer and tried to learn some very simple spells.
But this did not include the Levitation Charm Lucien had just used; Hermione estimated that this spell would only be taught later by Hogwarts professors.
She hadn't expected Lucien to have already mastered this spell, and judging by the smooth flight of the luggage, his proficiency in the Levitation Charm must be quite high.
Could he be a pure-blood wizard, taught magic in advance by his family elders?
Looking at Lucien's demeanor, he did seem noble. Was he from one of those pure-blood families mentioned in books? But Grafton didn't appear on that list…
"Oh, thank you for helping me with my luggage."
Hermione belatedly thanked Lucien.
"Just taking the opportunity to practice a spell, no need to be polite."
Lucien smiled politely, then put away his wand and continued reading the book in his hand.
Seeing Lucien resume reading, Hermione quietly sat down opposite him, not daring to speak.
But only a few minutes passed before she couldn't hold back anymore.
Hermione also wanted to follow Lucien's example and take out a book to read, but that would mean pulling down her suitcase, which would definitely make noise and disturb him. She also didn't want to trouble Lucien by asking him to use the Levitation Charm again.
"You can take any of the books on the table if you want to read them."
Lucien didn't even lift his head, continuing to flip through the book in his hand.
Hermione was still a child after all, and Lucien found her shy demeanor quite amusing, so he simply reminded her to take a book to read.
Hearing Lucien's permission, Hermione softly said Thank you.
She reached out and picked up the first book from the pile.
It happened to be: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them