Lucien carefully folded Professor McGonagall's letter and put it away. He now had a preliminary path forward, a glimpse of the possibility of pioneering a new direction in Transfiguration, and a clearer idea of how to repay his loan. He turned his head and saw that the snowy owl was still perched on his windowsill, calmly preening its feathers.
Sitting down at his desk, Lucien began to write his reply. "Dear Professor McGonagall, thank you for your guidance. I will keep your warning in mind and will not attempt..."
Since the professor had so solemnly explained the dangers, Lucien had no intention of being stubborn and immediately trying to transfigure magical creatures. You eat a meal one bite at a time, and you walk a path one step at a time. He knew he needed to master the fundamentals first. With a strong enough foundation, he could then attempt truly high-end, innovative magic. As long as he could develop a stable method for transfiguring magical creatures within the year, he would complete his loan mission.
The pen scratched across the parchment. Having quickly finished his reply, Lucien sealed it in an envelope and was about to hand it to the waiting owl. Suddenly, a pale golden blur shot through the open window, heading straight for the plump, snow-white bird.
"Hoo! Hoo—!" The owl was instantly startled, hooting in alarm as it flapped its wings and darted frantically around the room.
Lucien merely waved a hand helplessly at the sight. "Kai, don't scare it."
The golden figure stopped mid-air, its large, golden-red eyes blinking as it looked at Lucien. He returned the gaze with a fond smile. Liuguang was the name he had given the little Qilin. It meant 'flowing light,' a fitting name for its shimmering, pale gold scales. With a wisp of cloud coiling around its feet, kai stepped through the air to Lucien's side, affectionately rubbing its forehead—where its horns had not yet grown in—against his cheek.
"Go soothe the owl," Lucien said gently. "I still need its help to deliver a letter."
Understanding its master's intent, Liuguang turned its head towards the owl, which was still flying wildly around the room. Without any discernible action from the little Qilin, the startled owl's flight began to slow, and it finally came to rest on the windowsill again. It tilted its head, letting out a soft, questioning "Hoo." Kai tilted its head back at Lucien, as if waiting for praise. This was the Qilin's telepathic communication at work; it could directly convey meaning and intent to other creatures. Kai had projected feelings of goodwill and comfort, and combined with its own nature as an auspicious creature, the owl had quickly calmed down.
Gently rubbing kais small head, Lucien smiled. "Well done." He handed the envelope to the owl, which took it in its beak, flapped its wings, and flew off into the night.
At ten o'clock on the morning of September 1st, Lucien arrived at King's Cross Station, a major transportation hub in London teeming with passengers. He moved through the crowd and arrived at the famous barrier between platforms nine and ten. He slowed his pace, waiting until he saw a family walk straight into the solid brick pillar and vanish. Lucien followed, calmly walking into the dividing wall. He passed directly through, emerging into a new world.
The Hogwarts Express, a magnificent old steam train, sat waiting on the tracks. It hadn't blown its whistle yet; departure time was still a while away. Lucien wasn't in a hurry to board. He walked a short distance along the platform, examining the magical train. With its scarlet engine and black carriages, it didn't look much different from a Muggle steam train. However, Lucien knew it was a genuine alchemical creation, a magical product that interacted more with the Muggle world than any other.
He scanned the platform, which was filled with young wizards saying goodbye to their parents. The older students were calm, having made this journey several times. But the newly admitted first-years were a different story. Many were frowning, and some were even teary-eyed. It was understandable; these were eleven-year-old children, many of them separating from their parents for the first time to enter an unfamiliar school with new classmates and teachers.
Stepping onto the train, a smile curled Lucien's lips. Hogwarts, here I come.
He walked through the train, found an empty compartment at random, and stowed his luggage. In truth, his luggage consisted of only a single suitcase. But this was no ordinary suitcase; it was one he had purchased on a return trip to Diagon Alley, one enchanted with an Undetectable Extension Charm. The actual space inside was vast, large enough to hold all his daily necessities and his growing collection of books. Of course, it couldn't compare to Newt Scamander's famous case from Fantastic Beasts, which was practically a small world in itself.
Later, he mused, I can study the Undetectable Extension Charm and see if I can modify my own suitcase. Imagine being like Newt, unleashing a whole menagerie of magical creatures in a battle. It would probably give my opponent quite a shock. Thinking this, he opened his suitcase and took out a few books. With plenty of time still on the journey, he leaned against the window and began to read.
"Platform Nine and Three-Quarters actually requires you to walk into a pillar?" Hermione dragged a pile of luggage, panting as she made her way through the narrow carriage corridor. She had arrived at King's Cross early but had spent a considerable amount of time searching for the hidden platform. If she hadn't glimpsed a family walk into the pillar and magically disappear, she probably would have wandered around for even longer. Her haste had left her nose dotted with beads of sweat, and her already bushy brown hair was even more disheveled than usual.
Walking past compartments that were already full, she arrived in front of a closed door. She took a moment to calm her breathing, then raised her hand and knocked gently. "Hello? Are there any empty seats inside?"
"Yes, please come in."
The voice sounded vaguely familiar, but Hermione didn't think much of it. She just wanted to put away her heavy luggage and sit down! Pulling open the door with a whoosh, she looked inside. A young man was leaning by the window, absorbed in a book. Sunlight streamed through the glass, falling on his dark golden hair and reflecting a faint, ethereal glow. Hearing the door open, his deep, dark green eyes lifted from the page and turned to her.
"Oh, Miss Granger. What a coincidence."
Looking at that handsome face, a faint smile playing in his eyes, Hermione momentarily forgot how to reply. The compartment was silent for almost a full minute.
"Ah, yes! Lucien! What a coincidence, what a coincidence," she finally stammered, her face flushing. Luckily, it was already red from exertion, so it wasn't very noticeable. She turned her head slightly and whispered, "Can I sit in here?"
Lucien gestured with his hand. "Feel free."
Clearing her throat, Hermione was about to turn and wrestle with her luggage when she heard him speak an incantation. "Wingardium Leviosa." She watched in amazement as her pile of luggage floated up and drifted neatly onto the overhead rack.
"You learned spells in advance too?!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise as she stared at the wand in his hand. Embodying her own academic drive, Hermione had read many basic magic books over the summer and had even tried to learn a few simple spells. But the Levitation Charm was not among them; she had assumed it would be taught by a professor at Hogwarts. She hadn't expected Lucien to have already mastered it. Judging by the smooth, controlled flight of the luggage, his proficiency must be quite high. Could he be a pure-blood wizard, taught by his family in advance? His noble demeanor certainly suggested it, but she didn't recall the name Grafton from her reading about pure-blood families.
"Oh, thank you for helping me with my luggage," she said, belatedly remembering her manners.
"I was just taking the opportunity to practice a spell. No need to be polite," Lucien replied with a polite smile, before putting away his wand and returning to his book.
Seeing him resume his reading, Hermione quietly sat down opposite him, not daring to speak. But only a few minutes passed before her restlessness got the better of her. She wanted to take out a book herself, but that would mean taking down her suitcase, which would make noise and disturb him. And she certainly didn't want to trouble him to use the Levitation Charm again.
"You can take any of the books on the table if you'd like to read," Lucien said without even lifting his head, continuing to flip through his own book. He was still a child herself, and Lucien found her shy, fidgety demeanor quite amusing.
Hearing his permission, Hermione softly said thank you. She reached out and took the first book from the small pile on the seat beside him. It happened to be Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.