Dumbledore sighed, the honey water in his cup long since cold.
"How about this, Lucien—would you be willing to have afternoon tea with me once a week? Just to chat with a lonely old man?"
As he spoke, Dumbledore even winked at Lucien, as if the earlier silence had never existed.
Lucien didn't hesitate and immediately agreed.
"It would be my honor."
"How about I visit you each time after my tutoring with Professor Quirrell?"
Hearing Lucien's words, Dumbledore nodded with a chuckle.
"That would be even better; we can share our insights on Defense Against the Dark Arts."
Ah, this was the right reaction.
Dumbledore's suggestion put Lucien at ease.
Having afternoon tea and chatting were secondary; the main purpose was clearly to check if Quirrell had influenced him with the Dark Arts.
If Lord Voldemort, in his current weakened state, could still pull off tricks right under Dumbledore's nose…
Then why would he ever have feared Dumbledore back then? He would simply have challenged him to a duel and settled it atop Hogwarts.
"Oh, by the way, Newt also mentioned that you can write to him directly with questions about the Undetectable Extension Charm... Of course, please don't share his contact information with anyone else, or my old friend will have to move again. He prefers quiet, less crowded places."
Lucien promised he wouldn't reveal it.
Uncle Newt was an extreme introvert; he probably spoke more to his magical beasts than to people.
Besides asking about the Undetectable Extension Charm, Lucien could also ask Newt about magical creatures.
When it came to understanding them, no one could surpass him.
If Lucien wanted to pioneer Transfiguration involving magical creatures, he would first need to study the creatures themselves—and Newt was an expert, a living encyclopedia in this field. Who else could he consult?
"Phew, Lucien, do you have any other questions?"
Lucien answered without hesitation: "Alchemy. I have some interest in Alchemy, but Alchemy courses are only offered in later years. And the books on this subject in the library only give popular introductions, with no practical theory or guidance... I heard Madam Pince say that in the Restricted Section..."
However, Lucien's words were cut short by a sharp voice:
"Ha, this boy actually wants to go to the Restricted Section! A first-year daring to access such dangerous knowledge, truly inherently evil…"
"Phineas, can you please shut up! Think with your Troll-like brain—wasn't it your Slytherin that contributed the most fresh blood to Dark Wizards?"
Lucien looked toward the source of the voice: a wall adorned with dozens of portraits.
He quickly recalled the Hogwarts history books he had read, matching the names to the two bickering former Headmasters.
Phineas Black, the most unpopular Headmaster in Hogwarts history, bar none.
Morgan Wiggins, a Gryffindor alumna and author of Dueling is an Art.
Each former Principal of Hogwarts leaves behind a portrait that can speak and interact with the living.
Phineas's unpopularity made perfect sense; Lucien hadn't even said he wanted to go to the Restricted Section, yet Phineas immediately objected and condemned him.
It was easy to imagine how miserable students must have been during his tenure—they probably weren't allowed to do this or that at all.
A Headmaster like that wouldn't care what students learned or how they grew, only whether they caused trouble.
"Heh, those who fell to become Dark Wizards were merely weak-willed. What does that have to do with Slytherin?"
"Albus, as Headmaster, you must strictly control the students…"
Lucien watched the garrulous, goateed old man, when out of the corner of his eye he caught a fleeting glimpse of a figure in the portrait at the upper left.
Bang!
The annoying Phineas toppled, vanishing from the frame.
In his place appeared a beautiful woman wearing silver-rimmed glasses.
If Lucien ignored the thick book in her hand—and ignored the fact that she had just used it to knock Phineas out—he would certainly have thought her an elegant and refined lady.
"I am very pleased that Ravenclaw has such a young Wizard as you."
Lucien stood up and greeted her.
"Good morning, Ms. Wendyrian, I am also very glad to be in Ravenclaw."
Sharon Wendyrian, a Ravenclaw graduate and author of Curses and Counter-Curses.
Sharon looked at Lucien with clear satisfaction, her tone elegant and gentle:
"Ravenclaw's young eagles should pursue wisdom and master knowledge. You are doing very well."
"You were right just now; in the magical world, knowledge and power can be equated."
"So it is normal to encounter danger and the unknown when learning. Don't be afraid, don't always try to solve everything alone, and don't be reluctant to ask the Hogwarts teachers for help…"
Facing Principal Sharon's earnest words, Lucien sincerely said:
"Thank you for your guidance. May your wisdom continue to guide Ravenclaw."
Dumbledore, watching this scene, felt deeply relieved. He could see Lucien's sincerity, his respect for teachers, and his pure thirst for knowledge.
Dumbledore summoned a piece of parchment, and lines of book titles appeared on it, followed by his signature.
"Take this, Lucien, it has what you're looking for."
Lucien accepted the booklist and saw that it contained many titles.
The fields covered were broad: Charms, Alchemy, Herbology, Transfiguration…
And among them, one title made Lucien raise an eyebrow: The Identification of Dark Arts.
Why did old Dumbledore approve this book? Was it to make him cautious, to prevent Quirrell from playing tricks?
Sure enough, the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts library contained real treasures.
That was Hogwarts' greatest wealth!
"Headmaster, this book, The Identification of Dark Arts?"
"Heh, don't worry. This book only teaches how to identify Dark Arts; it doesn't contain specific Dark Arts spells.. Simply understanding Dark Arts, or even mastering Dark Arts spells, won't affect one's mind."
"Only long-term, frequent use and study of Dark Arts will cause irreversible distortion."
Lucien nodded and put away the booklist.
"It was a pleasure talking with you, and I've gained a lot."
…
After Lucien left the Headmaster's Office, he walked down the stairs, planning to head to the library first to borrow books.
Other matters could wait; he would borrow the Alchemy books first.
Hmm, after that, he would go to Hagrid's hut to begin analyzing the Transfiguration pocket watch and attempt solidified Transfiguration.
As he turned a corner in one of the large halls, Lucien saw Malfoy, his hand still wrapped in bandages, and beside him stood a middle-aged man with light blond hair who greatly resembled him.
Oh—young Malfoy and big Malfoy.
Lucius looked at his son with slight confusion.
"Draco, why are you still bandaged? Is the infirmary's standard so poor?"
"Uh, Father, my arm still hurts a bit, it probably hasn't healed completely."
What Malfoy didn't say was that as long as he remained bandaged, he could bring up how Harry had taken care of him in the infirmary and apologized to him whenever he spoke with someone.
Lucius was about to respond when he suddenly noticed a passing student glance his way.
Those dark green eyes inexplicably made Lucius's heart skip a beat.
Although he couldn't pinpoint the source of this feeling, the Malfoy family's unique "art of judging people" immediately stirred his interest.
"Draco, I've prepared a precious healing potion for you; it won't leave behind any hidden injuries or lingering problems."
Draco was delighted and was about to thank his father when Lucius added:
"That student who just passed by—do you know him? Tell me about him."
_
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