In the center of the corridor,
the Chimera, with its serpentine body, tried to slither behind a stone pillar.
But Lucien pointed his wand, and the monstrous creature instantly reverted into a large wooden mallet.
Lucien cast a sidelong glance toward the pillar.
Seeing two figures quickly retreating, a faint smirk appeared on his lips.
"Alright, head back to your dormitories. We have class tomorrow."
He put away the mallet and waved his hand, erasing all traces of the Troll.
Harry and his two friends stood frozen for a moment before hastily following Lucien.
After a brief silence, Ron spoke, his eyes gleaming.
"Lucien, just now—was that Transfiguration?"
"Yes," Lucien replied calmly. "A rather complex form of Transfiguration."
At his confirmation, the light in Ron's eyes grew even brighter.
He had originally thought Transfiguration was just a tool to help him study Alchemy—but he hadn't expected…
Transfiguration could be used like that!
Creating a bizarre creature with a flick of the wand and taking down a Troll in mere moments!
Ron could hardly imagine how incredible it would feel to perform something like that himself.
"Lucien, then… do you think I could—?"
Seeing Ron's eager expression, Lucien immediately understood what he meant.
"You want to learn?"
Ron nodded quickly, like a pecking chick.
"Have you finished your homework for today? Have you drawn the blueprints?"
Ron's face instantly stiffened. He scratched his head awkwardly.
"Well, there was a bit of an accident today, uh… I haven't written much yet…"
Lucien sighed softly and shook his head. Children were always impulsive—always wanting to learn something new the moment they saw something exciting, even when their foundation still needed work.
Hmm, Ron had shown the mechanical animals to the Weasley twins, so his progress over this period hadn't been bad.
His family's approval would also increase, and perhaps before long, they would send him more valuable books and notes. He wondered what kind of magical knowledge they might contain.
"Ahem… about that, Lucien, are you tutoring Ron's homework?"
Hermione finally couldn't hold back her curiosity. She had wanted to ask for quite some time, and today's events had only deepened her astonishment.
Lucien had no intention of hiding it.
On the contrary, he was a little puzzled as to why Hermione was only asking now. Given her personality, she should have noticed much earlier.
Perhaps Harry and Ron hadn't interacted much with Hermione recently?
It seemed that, just like in the original story, the bond between these three would truly strengthen only after they saved her from the…
Never mind. He had already changed certain things anyway. This was just a small matter—it wouldn't have any major impact.
"Yes, that's right."
Lucien's straightforward answer caught Hermione off guard. After a few seconds, she turned to Harry.
"Then Harry—your Potion skills have improved a lot lately. Is that also because of you?"
Lucien nodded.
Seeing this, Hermione bit her lip, wanting to say something, but hesitating.
As they were about to part ways for their respective House common rooms, Hermione finally whispered,
"Then… can I learn from you?"
Lucien raised a brow. "What do you want to learn? You don't seem to have any weaknesses, do you?"
"I want to learn everything!"
Lucien wasn't surprised by her answer.
Hmm, that fit Miss Know-It-All's academic nature perfectly.
Well, herding two sheep or three—it was all still herding.
But tuition fees had to be fair; he couldn't show favoritism. Knowledge was equal for everyone.
Now that he had the Shapeshifting Flesh Golem, the next stage of Transfiguration studies could officially begin—transforming living things into inanimate, living into living, and finally, Animagus.
He would only get busier from here. If someone could help him save some time…
Lucien glanced at Hermione and chuckled softly.
"Can you grade homework?"
…
Somewhere in the castle.
Snape limped over, seeing Dumbledore and the other professors already gathered.
His tone was cold but carried a faint tremor, as if he were suppressing pain.
"Why the sudden summons? Aren't we still searching for the invading Troll?"
As he spoke, Snape's eyes flicked toward Quirrell, filled with wariness and disdain.
Dumbledore stroked the white beard on his chest.
"Thank you all for your hard work tonight, but there's no need to continue searching. Please, return and rest."
He paused, his tone turning slightly peculiar.
"After all, the Troll… the Troll has already left the castle."
At this, the professors exchanged incredulous looks. It was hard to believe that such a foolish and brutish creature would leave on its own.
"Left? Really? It wasn't hidden away somewhere by someone, was it?"
Snape's voice was low and dark, his words carrying a clear implication.
But Dumbledore seemed not to notice his insinuation that Quirrell might be involved. He simply cleared his throat.
"Ahem, I am quite certain of this. Mr. Nearly Headless Nick told me he personally saw the Troll leave."
A gray, translucent figure floated out of the wall—it was the ghost, Nearly Headless Nick.
He adjusted his almost-slipping head, glanced at Dumbledore, and after receiving a nod, spoke:
"Yes, that Troll has already left Hogwarts and will not harm the children."
The professors nodded. The portraits and ghosts of the castle served the Headmaster; they would never deceive Dumbledore, nor had any reason to, especially when it concerned the students' safety.
After a brief discussion, the professors took their leave, returning to prepare for the next day's classes.
Only Dumbledore and Nearly Headless Nick remained.
After a long silence, Nick hesitated before saying,
"Headmaster, that young wizard named Lucien… that creature he created—was it not…?"
Dumbledore pushed up his half-moon spectacles and said with a wry smile,
"Ah, that boy—always full of surprises… or scares."
…
In the Slytherin dormitory,
Malfoy lay on his bed, eyes blank.
He couldn't remember how he'd returned to the dormitory. Had Greengrass dragged him back?
Fragments of memory flashed through his mind:
Lucien casting spells with effortless grace, like a conductor toying with the Troll…
With a flick of his wand, he had turned a wooden mallet into a... A monster!
What kind of strange, terrifying creature was that? Something that shouldn't even exist in this world.
A creature that had easily overpowered a Troll—created by Lucien with a casual wave of his hand.
And finally…
A pair of translucent eyes appeared again in Malfoy's mind, lingering there.
He rolled over and buried his head under the covers.
A moment ago, he had glanced out the window—the sky was already faintly bright.
Only then did Malfoy realize he hadn't slept all night.
And today… he was supposed to duel Lucien.
__________
11 Advance Chaps- P@treon/DarkDevil1