Inside Hagrid's hut.
"Phew, the permanent Transfiguration should be complete."
Lucien looked at the metal ring in front of him, which he had Transfigured from a discarded cup.
After studying the papers and books given to him by Professor McGonagall, he had attempted his first semi-permanent Transfiguration—and to his surprise, the process went exceptionally smoothly.
Indeed, top-tier Transfiguration talent was truly remarkable.
With the research of those who came before him as reference, his learning speed had been impressively fast.
Now that the permanent Transfiguration was complete, he could move on to refining and assembling the mechanical animal forms.
He still needed adhesive—he would borrow some Cerberus blood tomorrow night.
He wondered if Harry still remembered the room where the Cerberus was kept. Well, he could always ask Hermione; that little girl had a sharp memory and was far more reliable than Harry and Ron in the early days.
He glanced at the metal ring. Since it was his first permanent Transfiguration and he hadn't infused too much magic into it, it should revert to its original form in about ten minutes.
He'd test it again to see if there were any flaws.
"Hagrid, can you help me with something?"
Hagrid set Fang down from his arms.
"Of course, no problem."
Lucien handed the metal ring to Hagrid.
"Can you inject some magic into this? No need to cast a spell—just channel your magic into it directly."
Hagrid nodded, pulled a small pink umbrella from inside his coat, and pointed it at the metal ring.
Lucien's mouth twitched. So Hagrid really had hidden his wand inside that umbrella. What a unique disguise.
A three-to-four-meter-tall half-giant holding a small pink umbrella shorter than his forearm—what a sight.
After Hagrid handed the ring back, Lucien picked it up and inspected it carefully.
No problems. Still very stable.
"By the way, Hagrid, can I borrow Fang for a bit? I want to take him for a walk in the Forbidden Forest."
"Oh, sure, but don't go too deep. It's dangerous in there, and Fang's a bit timid—he tends to run off."
Lucien nodded, gave a light wave of his wand, and the metal ring floated toward Fang's head, expanding as it moved. It settled around his neck and then shrank to fit perfectly.
Casting another Transfiguration, a ring of spikes formed on the outside of the metal band, and a thin chain extended from it, winding its way into Lucien's hand.
"That's beautiful magic! A collar like that really suits Fang, my little darling."
Hagrid was delighted, feeling like his dog had just received a stylish new accessory.
Lucien glanced at the sturdy, black Fang—now wearing a spiked collar, he looked exactly like a fierce attack dog.
His original intention had been purely practical: the spiked collar was meant to protect Fang's neck from being bitten by other creatures. If Hagrid thought it looked cute, then so be it.
In the eyes of a half-giant, all animals were cute—whether it was Fang, the Cerberus, or even the Acromantulas deep in the Forbidden Forest.
Perfect.
He'd look for Acromantulas while in the forest.
Not only could he collect venom for the "Delayed Truth" Potion, but they were also magical creatures worth documenting.
Bidding farewell to Hagrid, Lucien led Fang into the Forbidden Forest.
As they moved deeper into the woods, Fang began to glance nervously around.
If Lucien hadn't noticed his tucked tail and trembling hind legs, he might have thought Fang was diligently scouting the area.
"Lumen."
At Lucien's call, the Little Qilin appeared before him.
"Woof! Woo—pow pow...."
At the sudden appearance of the Qilin, Fang let out a startled bark—then immediately whimpered and hid behind Lucien.
Lucien looked back at the trembling Fang—who, in truth, couldn't even fully hide his large, stocky body.
He rubbed the dog's head, smiling helplessly.
He hadn't expected him to be this timid. Even a Qilin, which normally made animals instinctively feel at ease, had scared him?
After a good amount of comforting, Fang finally stopped trying to hide behind Lucien at every moment.
Just as Lucien was about to encourage interaction between Fang and Lumen, he suddenly caught sight of a white figure streaking toward them like lightning.
It wasn't until the figure stopped twenty to thirty meters away that Lucien got a clear look.
A pure white steed, its body adorned with intricate silver markings, and a spiraled horn extending from its forehead.
A Unicorn!
What a rare sight—it moved at incredible speed, and its horn, hair, and blood all contained powerful magical properties.
Hmm, also Voldemort's favorite blood bag.
As Lucien studied the Unicorn, considering whether to record it..
The Unicorn had already stepped forward, its posture graceful and its stride calm.
It walked up to Lumen, and after a few seconds of silent eye contact, gently lowered its head.
Seeing this scene, Lucien communicated with the Little Qilin telepathically.
"Lumen, what's going on?"
"Master, this horned horse says it sensed me nearby and thinks I am very powerful, sacred, peaceful, beautiful, kind—"
"Stop. That's a Unicorn, and don't misuse the adjectives I taught you a few days ago."
"Oh, but it really did describe me that way."
Lucien was speechless. It seemed Unicorns had very unique senses—it had actually detected Lumen's presence and specifically come running.
Raising his hand, Lucien instinctively reached out to pet the Unicorn.
But the Unicorn immediately turned its head, dodging his hand.
However, after glancing at Lumen, it turned its head back again.
Just as Lucien's hand was about to make contact, the Unicorn moved away once more.
Watching the Unicorn's repeated, strange behavior, Lucien's hand froze mid-air.
Uh… is this Unicorn mentally unwell?
"Master, it says it only likes witches."
Lumen's voice echoed in his mind, and Lucien's mouth twitched instantly.
Well, the books were right—Unicorns only liked being petted by witches.
Hmm… if a wizard used Polyjuice Potion to become a witch, could he fool a Unicorn?
And if he were discovered, would he be instantly gored to death by an enraged Unicorn?
Since it wouldn't let him touch it, Lucien didn't bother recording data on this Unicorn. There was only one here, after all; for a proper record, he needed data from both a male and a female.
After signaling Lumen to ask the Unicorn to leave, he continued with his plan.
"Lumen, based on the coordinates I gave you, have you found the Acromantula's habitat?"
Receiving an affirmative answer, Lucien held down Fang's head, and Lumen Apparated them to a nearby location.
...
Beside a large rock covered in white spiderwebs.
Lucien, as usual, used a combination of the Disillusionment Charm and cloak oil to hide himself while recording the Acromantulas active in the hollow.
Lumen and Fang weren't with him—Fang was too timid, so Lucien had the Little Qilin take him for a walk nearby.
There were many spiders here: juveniles, sub-adults, and full-grown adults.
Hagrid had only released one Aragog back then, and even found it a mate—and now they'd reproduced this much?
They were incredibly prolific.
Lucien was still observing the spiders when an old, hoarse voice suddenly rang out:
"Ah, it's been a long time since I've seen such a young wizard."
Lucien turned toward the source of the voice and saw a massive Acromantula emerging from the dark cave.
Unlike the other spiders, this one was enormous—about the size of an elephant—and completely grayish-white.
Its eight eyes weren't black like the others, but also a dull gray-white.
Aragog. He could actually detect Lucien's presence.
Hmm… perhaps losing his sight had heightened his other senses?
More sensitive hearing, smell, or even touch? Or maybe some other form of perception?
So the Disillusionment Charm and cloak oil still had their limits. Maybe it was time to consider developing a new concealment spell…
Lucien removed his disguise.
The surrounding spiders, both large and small, immediately noticed him—but didn't attack, at least not right away. It was as if they sensed something familiar in him and were unwilling to harm him.
However, after Aragog rubbed his mandibles and let out a sound, the spiders began to slowly close in around Lucien.
"There's something unique about you," Aragog said. "It makes me inexplicably not want to harm you."
The old voice rang out again.
Lucien glanced at the surrounding spiders, then calmly looked at Aragog, his tone flat:
"Hello, Aragog."
"Heh heh, you know my name—so you must be Hagrid's friend."
Aragog paused, then continued: "Hmm… friends. Cannot harm friends."
"But Hagrid's friends don't always seem to be my friends."
Though he had lost his sight, Aragog still stared in Lucien's direction with those grayish-white eyes, as if gazing at a tender, delicious piece of prey.
Watching the swarm of spiders slowly close in, Lucien suddenly smiled—a relaxed, unbothered smile.
The tip of his wand began to spark with faint arcs of electricity, crackling softly in the air around him.
In an instant, Lumen appeared at Lucien's side in a flash of light, and crimson-gold flames surged up from its body, radiating intense heat in all directions.
"Thanks. Hearing you say that puts me at ease about what I'm going to do."
__________
11 Advance Chaps- P@treon/DarkDevil1