The Headmaster's office fell silent for a moment.
Lucien's response made Dumbledore nod gently.
"Lucien, you're a good child—one who truly loves to learn."
"By the way, have you encountered any difficulties in your studies recently?"
Lucien thought for a moment. Lately, his main focus had been on Transfiguration—specifically, biological fusion Transfiguration.
He had already mastered the fusion of simple biological traits, but when it came to merging structures like bones, muscles, organs, and limbs, the finer and more intricate the transformation, the harder it became. He was still falling short in that area.
He had originally planned to ask Professor McGonagall for guidance, but since Dumbledore had brought it up first…
Besides, Dumbledore himself had been a renowned Transfiguration master in his time, once serving as Hogwarts' Transfiguration Professor in his early years.
"Headmaster, my recent studies in Transfiguration—particularly biological Transfiguration....…"
As Dumbledore listened to Lucien's question, he initially assumed the boy was struggling with the step of transforming inanimate matter into living beings.
He thought to himself that although this child possessed exceptional Transfiguration talent—so great that even the Sorting Hat had described him as 'unprecedented in his lifetime, the greatest in a thousand years'—Lucien had only begun studying magic formally after arriving at Hogwarts. His earlier foundation was limited, so it was natural that he might be stuck on a particular point of knowledge.
"Headmaster, I've already mastered the Transfiguration from inanimate to living, but…"
With that, Lucien took a small hoe from his pocket and pointed his wand at it.
The hoe immediately twisted and transformed into a green turtle.
Dumbledore was just about to praise Lucien for the natural and fluid execution of the spell when he saw him lightly tap his wand again—the turtle instantly transformed into a small white rabbit.
This time, Dumbledore was genuinely taken aback.
Transfiguration overlay?
That wasn't a simple Transfiguration technique at all.
Performing multiple Transfigurations on the same object increased the difficulty of each transformation exponentially!
Just as Dumbledore thought Lucien was about to ask how to increase the number of overlays, Lucien cast yet another Transfiguration on the rabbit.
And he didn't stop there.
By the time he had layered nine Transfigurations in succession, Lucien finally paused.
Then, he performed one last spell—but this time, unlike the previous ones, the transformation was noticeably slower and far more difficult.
A strange "creature," fused from multiple animal characteristics, appeared on Dumbledore's desk.
Dumbledore adjusted his half-moon spectacles, studying the being carefully. After a long moment, he finally spoke:
"This… Transfiguration overlay—did you learn it from Professor McGonagall?"
But Lucien shook his head.
"No, I read about it in a book, practiced a few times, and learned it."
"You learned this from a book… again?"
Lucien looked at Dumbledore in mild confusion.
"Yes, Headmaster. I don't think I did it wrong—it feels quite natural. By the way, why did you say 'again'?"
"This…"
Dumbledore dropped another sugar cube into his teacup.
"It's like this. I discussed it with your Head of House, Professor Flitwick, earlier."
"He mentioned that when you first enrolled, you had already mastered quite a few advanced spells. Since you come from a Muggle family, we assumed you must have studied magic on your own from books."
As Dumbledore spoke, Lucien understood.
So that was it. No wonder, when he once chatted with Professor Flitwick and mentioned that he had learned his spells through self-study, the professor had looked so bewildered.
Ah, he'd forgotten to ask for a little cake that time.
Professor Flitwick's treats were always the best—unlike Dumbledore's.
Lucien glanced at the several plates of sweets on the table. Their shapes had changed, but they all shared one thing in common—they were still unbearably sweet.
"Ahaha, Lucien, you truly are a gifted child, and so eager to learn."
"Please, continue. What did you want to ask about Transfiguration?"
Lucien nodded and pointed to the strange creature on the table—something that shouldn't even exist in the natural world.
"Headmaster, regarding the fusion of different biological traits…"
As Lucien spoke, he continued to cast Transfiguration spells on the creature with his wand.
At first, Dumbledore's expression remained calm. But as Lucien began describing the finer details of internal biological changes, a faint solemnity appeared in the Headmaster's bright blue eyes.
In the field of Transfiguration, using multiple overlays to selectively retain and merge different traits was considered an advanced technique.
However, it was rarely practical—usually more of a demonstration of skill than anything else.
A wizard capable of such precision could easily perform multiple Transfigurations at once, using that control to gain far more flexibility in actual combat.
Simply fusing creatures, on the other hand, was both slow to cast and inherently unstable.
As the saying went: with this level of control, one could perform other Transfigurations to respond far more efficiently to the situation.
"Lucien, that's an excellent question. Fusing creatures.....…"
Dumbledore began explaining the limitations and feasibility of such an endeavor.
Lucien had, of course, already considered these things long ago.
For one, he had the help of the Chimera Handbook, which documented numerous related experiments and theories.
When it came to attempting deeper and more complete biological fusion, Lucien didn't feel like he was starting from nothing.
He was standing on the shoulders of giants, moving forward.
Yes—the author of the Chimera Handbook, that ancient wizard—though seemingly mad, possessed extraordinary talent and depth of research beyond reproach.
His studies had already carved out a broad path ahead.
And perhaps due to his SSS-level Transfiguration talent, Lucien had a strong intuition about the possibility of deeper, more thorough biological fusion.
It was feasible.
The new creatures born from it might not possess the strange magical abilities of true magical beings, but they would certainly far surpass the limits of ordinary creatures.
This was a profound pursuit—a true exploration of Transfiguration. It was a process he had to experience if he wished to fully master the art.
If he didn't even dare to try when the path had already been shown by those before him, then how could he ever innovate or open new directions in Transfiguration?
"Thank you, Headmaster. I understand what you said, and I also have some…....."
Lucien shared with Dumbledore some of his recent experimental results and ideas, referencing several techniques from the Chimera Handbook to make his concepts sound more practical.
Dumbledore listened patiently to Lucien's explanations, occasionally interjecting with questions or offering bits of advice.
The longer they spoke, the more astonished Dumbledore became.
This child possessed not only immense talent but, more importantly, the willingness to put that talent into real, focused effort.
What truly moved Dumbledore, however, was Lucien's passion and determination in the pursuit of knowledge.
As their discussion went on, Dumbledore was no longer content to simply offer verbal guidance.
After exchanging thoughts with Lucien, he drew his distinctive Elder Wand and began putting some of the ideas into practice.
That afternoon tea session stretched unusually long. The old and the young worked side by side, conducting numerous Transfiguration experiments in the Headmaster's office.
And this time, Dumbledore truly witnessed the terrifying speed at which Lucien learned.
As the hours passed, Dumbledore couldn't help but recall the words the Sorting Hat had once spoken to him:
"…Cultivate Lucien well, and Hogwarts will be great again…"
__________
11 Advance Chaps- P@treon/DarkDevil1