"Hey, Lucien, is that a letter from your family?" Harry asked, looking up at Lucien with curiosity.
Most students got letters from home now and then, but Harry had never received one. The closest he got was Hagrid sending an owl to invite him to his hut.
Lucien shook his head. "Nope. This one's from Newt Scamander."
Silence.
The table went quiet, save for the faint flutter of bat wings and the soft crackle of burning candles.
"Uh, Lucien, you're quite the joker, aren't you?" Ron broke the silence, setting down his mechanical frog with a chuckle. "Newt Scamander? You mean the world-famous magical creatures expert? Gotta be someone with the same name, right?"
Hermione, ever the know-it-all, jumped in. "Newt Scamander, author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, awarded the Order of Merlin, Second Class, in 1979…"
Ron rolled his eyes. He could never quite stomach Hermione's "walking encyclopedia" routine. But even without her lecture, everyone knew who Newt was. His book was practically a gateway for young witches and wizards, introducing them to the wonders of magical creatures. It was like the wizarding version of a wildlife documentary. Newt had a massive fanbase among young students.
Seeing them laugh it off, Lucien didn't mind. Sometimes you tell the truth, plain and simple, and people still don't believe you.
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Tired of Hermione's rambling, Ron cut in with a laugh. "Lucien, if you're really pen pals with Newt Scamander, could you get me a signed copy of Fantastic Beasts? You know, if I score a ninety on the next exam…"
Before Ron could finish, Harry elbowed him. The whole tutoring thing was still a secret. Hermione, for one, had no clue.
As they chatted, Malfoy strolled by with his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, in tow. He gave Harry a cold sneer but froze when his eyes landed on Lucien. After Lucien had brushed off his attempt at friendship, Malfoy had been stewing, his pride wounded. A Muggle-born daring to reject his kindness? Unacceptable!
Fuming, Malfoy hadn't found a chance to get back at Lucien, which only made him angrier. With a huff, he stormed off to the next table.
Noticing Malfoy's glare, Harry frowned and muttered, "Ugh, what's with that look? So annoying."
"Malfoy's worse than Dudley," Harry added.
Ron looked puzzled. "Malfoy's a prat with a nose for looking down on people, sure, but who's Dudley? Someone at school?"
Harry shook his head. "No, Dudley's my cousin. Total bully. His conscience is smaller than his stomach…"
Before Harry could finish, two nearly identical boys crept up behind Ron.
"Ronnie, little darling, whatcha playing with?" one teased.
"What's this? A tiny toad? Planning to swap Scabbers for a frog, are you?" the other chimed in.
Startled by the sudden "affectionate" greeting, Ron choked on his soup, his face turning beet red. When he finally caught his breath, he spun around to face the intruders.
"Fred! George! Stop calling me that!" he snapped.
He glanced at Lucien, Harry, and Hermione. Harry had buried his face in his arms, Hermione was looking away, but their shaking shoulders gave them away—they were laughing! Even Lucien, with his serious expression, was clearly fighting a grin.
Ronnie, little darling. The Weasley twins' love for their youngest brother was… overwhelming, to say the least.
Mortified, Ron's face grew even redder. He glared at his brothers, eyes brimming with indignation. "What do you two want?"
The twins exchanged a glance and spoke in unison. "Percy sent us to check on you. Wanted to see how your studies are going."
"After all, he's a busy Prefect, you know," one added with a mock sigh.
One of them—Fred or George, who could tell?—picked up the mechanical frog from the table, grinning. "Not bad, Ron. Looks decent. This little toad's kinda cute."
The other twin turned to Lucien, winking. "Lucien, did Ron really make this? How'd you teach this numpty? Care to share your secrets?"
Hermione's head snapped toward Lucien. Wait—Lucien taught Ron to make that frog? And his Transfiguration skills too? She glanced at Harry, suddenly piecing things together. Harry was always tagging along with Ron, popping up behind Lucien. Could Lucien be helping with Harry's Potions too?
Lucien was about to explain—start with mechanical theory, engineering diagrams, homework, exams, then Transfiguration—when Ron snatched the frog back from his brother's hand, muttering, "It's not a toad, it's a frog!"
To prove his point, Ron pulled out his wand and pointed it at the frog. "Watch this!"
A few seconds passed. Nothing happened. Ron's face flushed with embarrassment as he shot Lucien a pleading look.
Lucien, unfazed, said casually, "Just give it a tap."
Ron smacked the frog's back with his palm.
"Ribbit!"
The mechanical frog let out a croak, startling the twins. They'd only come to tease Ron after hearing Percy mention his progress, but they hadn't expected this. Their ordinary little brother had actually made a mechanical animal! Sure, it only croaked once, but still.
The twins stared at Ron, then at Lucien, their curiosity piqued. This first-year was interesting—he'd actually managed to teach Ron something.
"Ribbit~"
Another croak, fainter this time. Not because it was quieter, but because the frog had hopped away, its tiny mechanical legs carrying it to the next table.
Splash!
The bright yellow frog landed in a bowl of creamy mushroom soup, splashing around. With a mighty leap, it jumped again, landing squarely on a neatly combed head of pale blond hair.
Soup and mushrooms dripped down the hair as the frog settled in.
Ron stood up, hurrying over, barely stifling a laugh. "Ha—er, I mean, sorry, Malfoy," he said, his tone half-apologetic as he reached to grab the frog.
But Malfoy, snapping out of his shock, shot to his feet and seized the thing on his head.
"Weasley!" he roared.
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