Ravenclaw dormitory.
He glanced back at his roommate, Terry, confirming he was still fast asleep.
Lucien gently stroked Lumen, now the size of a house cat, while reading Newt's reply.
"The expansion of space lies in the nodes inscribed by the Undetectable Extension Charm…....."
As expected, different permutations and combinations of the charm produced significant variations in their effects on space.
If he had tried to figure it out on his own, it would have been an extremely slow and gradual process.
But with Newt's guidance, many issues were resolved directly.
Now he could begin experimenting with crafting Undetectable Extension items—especially ones that could accommodate living creatures, which would be even more convenient.
Was this the depth of family heritage? Whether it was the Potters' knowledge of potion-making or the Scamanders' expertise in Undetectable Extension, both demonstrated highly specialized magical understanding.
Lucien traced the edge of the letter, unable to deny that, when it came to magical heritage, ancient Wizarding families were truly enviable.
Well, Harry could still lend him a few magical texts.
But if he could borrow family grimoires from a few more classmates, it would be even better.
After all, one can never have too much knowledge.
When he read that Newt had politely declined his request to trade for Erumpent Exploding Fluid, Lucien frowned.
He didn't blame him, though—Newt's reasoning was perfectly valid: one should have some knowledge of magical creatures first, and Newt was clearly acting out of genuine concern.
Lucien pulled out a thick stack of notes and materials—all detailed observation records of Mooncalves, Diricawls, Acromantulas, and Puffskeins.
Looking at the pile of paper, nearly half his height, he figured this should count as having some understanding, right?
If he made a copy of these documents and sent them to Newt, maybe he could convince him that he did indeed have the necessary knowledge of magical creatures.
He could also collect data on additional creatures to bolster his credibility.
For instance, that Cerberus—though there was only one, and the recorded data wasn't enough to meet his loan requirements—it might be sufficient for Newt.
In that case, he might as well take another trip into the Forbidden Forest to see if he could find another Unicorn. Information on such a magical creature would probably be more persuasive.
"Lumen, can you tell me about your interaction with Mr. Newt?"
The little Qilin recounted the entire encounter in detail—from knocking on the door, to politely saying goodbye, and closing the door as it left.
As he listened, the smile on Lucien's face grew wider.
Newt had actually managed to resist closely examining the upgraded Qilin, even though its appearance clearly marked it as a rare, possibly unknown, magical creature.
Though Newt was famously shy around people, he was undoubtedly passionate when it came to magical creatures.
Uh, could it be that Lumen behaved too intelligently, and his manner of communication was too human-like?
And since Newt was encountering him for the first time—unfamiliar and unknown—his social awkwardness kicked in?
"Lumen, the next time you deliver a letter to Mr. Newt, try to chat with him a little. He should be very interested in you."
Lucien put away the letter and looked out at the moonlight.
Perhaps he should go see the Cerberus tonight—observe and record it, and also collect some blood for potion refinement.
"Let's go. I'll show you something fun."
Placing Lumen into his pet space, Lucien left the dormitory and the Ravenclaw common room.
Let the first night stroll through Hogwarts Castle begin!
...
Lucien, concealed under a Disillusionment Charm and cloak oil, wandered leisurely through the castle.
He walked down corridors and climbed staircases.
Recalling the route Hermione had described, Lucien made his way smoothly toward the room where the Cerberus was kept.
"Meow—"
A gaunt, dark-grey cat appeared at the far end of the corridor.
It stared with its bulbous yellow eyes, constantly scanning the area, seemingly searching for young Wizards breaking curfew.
Trailing behind it was a thin old man with long, straw-colored hair.
The old man held an oil lamp, his eyes just as wide, patrolling the castle at night alongside the cat.
Lucien didn't hide or retreat; he simply walked past them naturally.
Neither the man nor the cat noticed his presence as they passed right by him.
Lucien shook his head. With his form concealed and both sound and scent masked, an ordinary house cat couldn't possibly detect him.
Heh, the school strictly forbade students from wandering at night, yet they sent a Squib who couldn't use magic to enforce it.
Wasn't that basically encouraging students to sneak out?
He reached the door to a room.
"Alohomora."
After unlocking it, Lucien took a canister of Sleeping Draught from his pocket, lit it, and gently tossed it into the room.
He waited patiently for two or three minutes to allow the potion to take full effect.
Then, putting on a refreshing clear mask, Lucien stepped into the room.
At the same time, he lightly waved his wand, casting a soundproofing spell over the entire room.
This way, no sound from inside would leak out.
Lucien tapped his wand again, transforming a dusty lampstand in the room into a violin.
As he moved forward, the violin began to play beautiful, soft music on its own.
Amid the scent of orchids and the soothing music, the snoring gradually deepened.
Lucien looked toward the source of the snoring.
A massive, pitch-black dog with three ferocious heads lay sprawled in the center of the room, thick drool slowly dripping from each of its mouths.
Fluffy—Hagrid's pet Cerberus.
It loved music. The more beautiful the melody, the more relaxed the Cerberus became.
Lucien nodded. With the combined effect of the music and the enhanced Sleeping Draught, Fluffy should now be in a very deep sleep.
Still, he couldn't afford to be careless.
With a wave of his wand, Lucien cast several layers of Protego and Impedimenta, along with other protective spells, on himself.
Then he released the Qilin from his space.
"Lumen, keep an eye out for me."
"Yes, Master."
Lucien took out paper and a pen, starting with recording the Cerberus's physical characteristics...
After a brief set of notes, he retrieved an iron bottle.
He planned to draw a little more blood—since it was his first time refining adhesive, some loss and waste were inevitable.
He pointed his wand at the Cerberus's hind leg, and a very small incision appeared.
Slowly, he drew the blood out, carefully guiding it toward the bottle's mouth.
Just then, Fluffy's nose twitched, and its once-relaxed body suddenly tensed, as if jolted awake by the presence of an unfamiliar intruder.
Its wild, feral instincts took over. Without even opening its eyes, it lunged forward with jaws wide open.
However, before its shadowy fangs could touch the protective spells surrounding Lucien—
A flash of golden light burst out from beside him.
The blur collided with the Cerberus mid-air, knocking it straight back.
Lucien put away the bottle and continued recording with his quill:
Cerberus.
Extremely sensitive perception...
Just then, three furious barks erupted.
Blazing golden flames burst forth, instantly engulfing the entire room.
Lucien stood calmly in the midst of the golden inferno, his quill untouched by the flames as he continued to write.
As the pained whimpers grew louder and more persistent, Lucien finally set his pen down.
"Lumen, that's enough."
__________
11 Advance Chaps- P@treon/DarkDevil1