Lucas lay in the hospital bed, breathing laboriously through the oxygen mask, various machines plugged into him.
Beside him sat a middle-aged woman in a lab coat, looking at the data flashing across the screen.
She sighed. "I'm sorry, Lucas."
Lucas lifted his hand, that felt it lead and removed the oxygen mask.
"It's alright... Dr. Wheeler. You've already done enough…"
Mrs. Wheeler shook her head. "It's what I should do. You're Catherine's son after all."
Hearing his mother's name, a wave of sadness welled up inside him.
Lucas has had Cardiac Conduction Fault since birth, a chronic condition requiring a lot of money to keep the body functioning.
His dad left him and his mother had to work 3 jobs just to pay the medical bills. He was 12 when she passed away. For the past 7 years, he has been surviving on his own.
Dr. Wheeler held his hand. "You should have come to me sooner. I don't even know how you managed to pay the bills all these years."
Lucas didn't reply. 7 years of survival had equipped him with a variety of… unconventional skills. He could tell that the woman was just trying to sound nice. If he tried, he could get a few hundred dollars out of her, but that would be it.
But that was not why he was here.
"Dr. Wheeler… could you… tell me more… about my mother?"
That was it. He didn't have much time left. Not without spending hundreds of thousands or millions. So, in his final moments, he just wanted to know about his mother's past life.
Because she never had the time to have a life after having him.
Dr. Wheeler nodded immediately. Just like that, listening to the childhood tales about his mother, Lucas set off on his next great adventure.
…..
Somewhere in France, the lone figure of a boy could be seen trudging through the dense greenery, trying his best to retrace his way out.
-crunch-
While walking, his steps suddenly faltered, almost making him fall.
Lucas cursed, feeling another wave of vertigo wash over him. He examined his newly occupied body.
His clothes were in tatters, barely hanging on to his skeletal frame. His whole body was covered in dust and soot and his hair was in disarray.
Overall, he looked like someone who walked out of an explosion.
"Finally," he muttered as he emerged from the forest at last. In front of him was a luxurious Chateau covered in wards from all sides.
But Lucas simply passed right through them, sneaking in through the backdoor. This was a magical household, and the previous owner of his body used to work here as a servant.
As he padded through the elegant and luxurious interior, he looked quite out of place in his disheveled state.
'Gotta fix this,' he thought as he made a beeline for the servant's quarters to tidy his appearance.
"Merde! What in the world happened to you?!"
Lucas paused in his steps. Turning around, he saw a beautiful woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties looking at him with an alarmed gaze.
She had light brown hair, and almond eyes which were currently filled with concern. She wore a Classic French maid outfit which failed to hide her curves. Her name surfaced in his mind. She was Vivienne, the head maid.
"I'm completely fine, Miss Fontain. I just need to get changed," he replied scurrying away before she could inquire further. Vivienne Fontain, the head maid and the only bearable person in this household.
But this woman knew the previous Lucas well. Having newly arrived, he hasn't even gone through all the new memories yet, not to mention adjusting his behaviour patterns to mimic his predecessor.
Entering his room, he slammed the door and sighed, contemplating his next actions.
"First things first..."
He quickly took a bath and got changed into a fresh pair of clothes. Funnily enough, even though his clothes were destroyed and his face was covered in soot, his body suffered no aftereffects except for a massive amount of fatigue.
He finally examined himself in the mirror.
Jet black hair, and oddly enough, striking golden eyes. A handsome face that looked quite innocent and honest at first glance.
His breathing quickened and a laugh escaped his lips, the eyes in the mirror getting slightly misty.
"No more suffering…" he murmured. In his previous life, he was constantly fighting his body to survive.
Frequent infections of all kinds, the feel of a constant, bone-deep exhaustion, numerous pills every day, damaged lungs, headaches, joint pain, muscle aches... all this is gone.
While this body is incredibly weak, it still feels so… healthy.
Looking at the face that clearly should not belong to a scumbag like him, Lucas had to finally accept that he really had transmigrated.
"Still can't believe this is the Harry Potter world though… " he muttered.
Yes, he had transmigrated into the Harry Potter world. Or more precisely, it was an alternate version of that world. There were quite a few points which didn't match the originals, but the fact of the matter was, magic was a real thing in this world.
Around an hour ago, the previous owner had died in some sort of explosion and Lucas had just transmigrated in this body. Though, the surprises don't end there.
"And can't believe I've been living with veela," he murmured, looking through the memories again and again. This is the Delacour Household, home to the Beaubaton's champion Fleur Delacour.
Veela are semi-human magical beings; beautiful women with white-gold hair and skin that appears to shine moon-bright. And there are three of them currently residing in this house.
Living the dream, right?
Not exactly.
"Lucas?! Where did you disappear to? Bring me a glass of wine!" Called out a voice. It was a pleasant voice, as if belonging to an angel, but the tone was extremely rude.
Yep, he was a servant to the Delacour family.
Since the Delacours are a family that is big on creature rights, they haven't employed any House-elves, the perfect slaves. Hence the need for servants. And among them, Lucas was the only male.
'What to do? Do I need to play a servant to her now?' Lucas was a bit lost now. Though his previous life had not been good, he at least had the free will of doing whatever he wanted. He had never been subservient to anyone other than his late mother in his previous life.
"Lucas! Did you drop dead or something?!"
He snapped out of his thoughts. "Coming!" He yelled back, seeing no other option.
"I swear you are turning more and more useless each day."
Lucas frowned at the bitchy tone of the speaker. As explained, not a dream life. No matter if many men in the world would want to trade places with him, but being a servant of the Delacour women... is not an easy job. Especially not if you're a squib.
Apparently, this body couldn't perform magic, meaning that the previous Lucas was a Squib.
He was only hired because he was not unpleasant to look at, and because he was immune to the allure. And now that Lucas has replaced him, he didn't know if he'd be able to resist the allure or instantly become a bumbling idiot.
Sighing, he decided to get the wine. It would be for the best to pretend to continue his role as a servant of the Delacour Household. For now.
Squibs have no place in the Wizarding world and he is not going to get a better job than this with his fourteen year old body immediately, even in the muggle world.
But recalling the memories of previous Lucas, he knew that staying here also poses significant challenges.
Making his way into the kitchen using the memories, he pulled out a bottle of 'Cabernet Sauvignon' from the cabinet containing many other classics.
He smoothly popped open the cork and poured the red liquid into a wine glass with practiced movements. It seems like the skills and reflexes which the previous owner had acquired as a servant have stayed as well along with the memories.
Putting the glass into a tray, Lucas quickly made his way towards the harpy who had been calling for him.
—knock knock—
"Your wine, Miss Fleur."
"Bring it in," came the annoyed voice from inside.
When he opened the door, Lucas's jaw dropped at the sight he saw inside.
The room was quite spacious, and it was divided into three parts. The first was filled with books and various objects, clearly related to studying. Another part had targets, training dummies, and exercise equipment placed, and the third place had a large bed with elaborate design. But that wasn't what surprised him.
In the armchair facing the window, a girl sat leisurely with her fair legs crossed, which were visible through the knee-length bathrobe she was wearing.
Her platinum blond hair glistened with moisture, and her facial features were perfect, arranged in a way that gave her a haughty air. This is Fleur Delacour, the most beautiful student at Beauxbatons.
Lucas breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that he had not been affected by the magical allure. The girl was beautiful, probably the most beautiful he'd seen in his previous life, but he could still think rationally.
Though currently, the girl was glaring at him in displeasure, interrupting his appreciation. "What took you so long? Do you need another training session?" She asked in irritation even as Lucas bent his waist in proper etiquette to offer her the wine.
'Training session?' Lucas frowned as he recalled the memories. She basically means using Lucas as a live target for her spell practice.
Previously, these 'sessions' used to be rather infrequent, but Fleur has recently gotten in her head to practice aiming and chantless casting skills. And for that, she uses Lucas as a live dummy.
"No, I'll pass," He said, turning to leave.
'Damn it, I'm not good at pretending to be a servant,' he realized.
Fleur picked up on his impolite response, and her delicate eyebrows raised. "Oh?" She said, uncrossing her legs. "Since when did you think it's your decision?" She asked, leaning forward. But it exposed a whole lot of cleavage and more of her legs.
'Sigh... someone tell this girl that being resistant to the allure doesn't mean I'm not a man,' thought Lucas, trying not to look at her as he searched for a response.
"Fleur!" At this moment, he heard another voice from outside, this one soft and childish.
The door opened again, and a 12 year old girl stepped in. She looked a lot like a younger version of Fleur, but her blond hair was arranged in twintails and her features were softer and more delicate, in comparison to Fleur's aggressive beauty. Wearing a pink frock, she looked the picture of cuteness. Currently, her lips were set in a pout as she looked at Fleur in protest.
"Fleur! Are you bullying Lucas again?" She asked, coming to stand in front of Lucas like a protector with her hands on her hips.
This was Gabrielle Delacour, Fleur's younger sister. Unlike the books, she was born much earlier in this world.
"And why don't you cover yourself up? Lucas is standing right here!" She exclaimed, pulling Fleur's bathrobes together.
'Sigh...' Not that Lucas wasn't grateful for the consideration, but he wouldn't have minded if the view was kept unobstructed.
But then he was startled, realizing even though he had resistance, the allure still had a certain impact on him.
Fleur pulled Gabrielle into her lap. At some point, her bitchy look had been replaced by a gentle and doting one. "Gabby, you don't have to worry about Lucas. It's not like he would dare to do anything even if he looks," she said, a hint of condescension coming into her voice.
"And you don't have to worry. I was not bullying him at all," she said, sending a glare his way from Gabrielle's back. "Was I, Lucas?"
Gabrielle also looked at Lucas in concern. "Was she really not, Lucas?"
Lucas looked at the two sisters gazing back at him with their faces adjacent to each other, and marveled at the huge difference in their characters.
In the end, Lucas just sighed. "No, Ms. Gabrielle, she was just asking for wine."
For now, he is trying to act as much as the real Lucas as possible to not raise any suspicions. It's a pity that the previous Lucas was a wimp, so he had to let it go for now. He first needed some time to think and analyze his current situation, starting with the circumstances of the previous Lucas's death.
How did that explosion happen? And how was his body unaffected? And, what to do now? He was in a new world now, and these were things he had to figure out.
"Oh, okeiiii…" said Gabrielle, looking confused with Lucas' response. But then she perked up. "Then Fleur, can I take Lucas to play now?" She asked, turning her head to look at her sister with her big round eyes.
Facing Gabrielle's cuteness at such a close range, Fleur melted right away. "Of course, Gabby. You can take him." But as soon as Gabrielle looked away, Fleur went right back to staring daggers at Lucas. "You don't mind, do you, Lucas?" She asked, daring him to say anything but yes.
"I... don't mind," said Lucas half heartedly, his shoulders dropping slightly at the prospect.
"Yayy!" Gabrielle jumped out from Fleur's lap and grabbed Lucas's hand. "Let's go, Lucas!"
As explained, it's not easy to live with the Delacour women. Even though Gabrielle is fiercely protective of Lucas, there's a reason for that. It's because... Lucas is her favorite toy.
Yeah. It's like how little girls always like to protect their dolls and treat them nicely.
"...Sigh..."
Lucas didn't know whether to feel good or bad at the prospect. Being Gabrielle's toy meant he had to put up with anything she does in her games. And according to the memories, it was not always exactly a pleasant experience.
But... on the other hand, Gabrielle is like a ruler of this household. She is the apple of Fleur and her mother's eyes. Those two women spoil Gabrielle to no extent.
So, it would not be a stretch to say that in this household, most of the time, whatever Gabrielle says, goes. Having her protection can definitely be beneficial. Hence, Lucas decided not to deny.
Grabbing his hand with her small and delicate hands, Gabrielle dragged him to her room, which was a stark contrast compared to Fleur's. Everywhere was pink and fluffy, and one could see a lot of dolls and other kinds of girlish toys lying around.
"Let's play!"
The previous Lucas was just fourteen. But as someone who was much older, He wasn't thrilled to be playing Healer-Healer with a 12 year old.
'What the hell is happening with my life right now?' Lucas found himself wondering as he lay on Gabrielle's bed, pretending to be a patient while "Healer Delacour" checked his condition with her toy wand.
His thoughts went back to the circumstances of the previous owner's death. 'It all started with the training sessions,' he thought. Before the previous Lucas died, he had been helping Fleur out with her training. But… the memories are quite confusing.
And more importantly, the explosion seemed to be caused by Lucas himself.
'Is this body really a squib?' He wondered, trying to recall the exact details.
Even though Lucas is considered a squib, his body is surprisingly resistant to magic. Thus, Fleur has started using Lucas as a human training dummy.
Earlier this day, Lucas was in a training session with the girl, and after the session, he had started feeling unwell, as if he was about to burst into pieces.
The guy had stumbled out of the Chateaux, into the forest. Unfortunately, everything after that was quite blurry.
'Sigh... it's all the harpy's fault,' Lucas decided, blaming everything on Fleur. Looking back, Lucas always felt progressively unwell after each of the training sessions.
It was to the point that he would always try to avoid Fleur, which would only make Fleur seek out Lucas more.
'Don't worry, previous Lucas. I will definitely punish that bitch in your place,' he promised.
Recalling the scene of the rude but stunning girl in the bathrobe, Lucas' thoughts ran wild. 'She looks much different than the movie version...' He observed. That makes sense though. Where would the filmmakers in his previous world find a Veela? Fleur's face... it was something hard to replicate. And those two weapons of mass destruction... is that girl really only 17?
"Hm? Lucas? Are you keeping a wand in your pants? It's standing up straight!" While Lucas was lost in thoughts, Healer Gabrielle detected an anomaly in his body, causing him to jump.
...
A.N.: Well, that's it for the first chapter. You can see that the mc is not really a squib. But, he's not a wizard either. Just see how it goes.