After finishing the final batch of potion ingredients in Snape's office, Lucien flexed his aching fingers and prepared to leave.
Before he could say goodbye, Snape's cold voice stopped him.
"Wait."
Lucien turned back immediately.
"Go to the Headmaster's office. Professor Dumbledore wants to see you."
Snape continued grading papers without even looking up.
"The password for the gargoyle is 'a pile of cockroaches.'"
"Yes, Professor."
Lucien nodded politely, though confusion flashed through his mind.
During the past two months, he hadn't interacted with Dumbledore very often. Aside from the matter regarding Harry, the two of them had mostly maintained a tacit understanding from a distance.
Could something have happened with the shops in Diagon Alley?
Carrying that suspicion with him, Lucien headed toward the Headmaster's office.
The moment he gave the password, the stone gargoyle jumped aside and revealed the moving staircase behind it. Lucien rode it upward until he reached the circular office at the top.
Dumbledore was reclining comfortably in a rocking chair with a thick book resting in his hands. Warm firelight flickered across the room, making the atmosphere feel surprisingly relaxed.
The moment Lucien entered, Dumbledore closed the book and set it aside.
"Lucien," he said kindly, "may I call you that?"
"Of course, Headmaster."
"Excellent. Please, sit down."
Dumbledore waved his wand casually toward the chair opposite him.
"What would you like to eat?"
Lucien glanced toward the clock on the wall, then toward the empty table nearby before replying seriously, "If you don't mind, Headmaster, I'd quite like to have dinner here."
His meaning was obvious.
Old man, if you called me here this late, at least feed me first.
A trace of amusement flickered through Dumbledore's eyes.
"Lucien," Dumbledore said slowly, "do you remember the agreement between us?"
Lucien blinked briefly before suddenly realizing something awkward.
"I remember…"
Only now did he notice that during the past two months, he had barely interacted with Harry at all.
Between the two sides of their agreement, only Dumbledore had actually fulfilled his promise.
Lucien coughed lightly in embarrassment.
"It's not that I deliberately avoided him," he explained. "I've simply been rather busy recently."
Dumbledore looked at him with an expression that clearly said he didn't believe a single word.
Still, he chose not to argue.
"You should know how Harry has been spending his time lately," Dumbledore said instead.
Lucien thought about it seriously.
Without Hermione constantly supervising him, and without discovering the secret of the forbidden corridor on the third floor like in the original story, Harry's current life at Hogwarts could practically be described as carefree paradise.
During class, he played games with Ron whenever professors weren't paying attention. Sometimes he even napped openly.
After class, the two of them either played Wizard's Chess or wandered down to Hagrid's hut for snacks and stories.
Aside from his fame as the Boy Who Lived, Harry was basically no different from an ordinary first-year student.
"You've noticed it too," Dumbledore sighed softly. "Harry's life has become too comfortable."
"If this continues, it will gradually dull his spirit."
Lucien frowned slightly.
"You want me to tutor him?" he asked. "That's impossible. With Harry's personality, he'd never survive sitting quietly in the library for long."
Dumbledore chuckled lightly.
"His studies are not your concern. The professors can handle that."
"What I want you to cultivate," Dumbledore continued, "is Harry's sense of adventure."
"Adventure?"
Lucien raised an eyebrow.
"Outside the Forbidden Forest, what adventures exactly exist inside Hogwarts?"
The moment those words left his mouth, he noticed Dumbledore watching him with a faint smile.
Lucien paused.
Then realization hit him instantly.
"You want Harry to investigate the third floor?"
Only then did Lucien fully understand Dumbledore's concern.
If things continued at their current pace, Harry might never discover the secret of the forbidden corridor during his entire first year. Without that discovery, there would be no confrontation with Voldemort hidden behind Quirrell.
No wonder Dumbledore's getting anxious.
"So," Lucien said slowly, "the savior of the magical world needs some practical experience?"
Dumbledore smiled warmly before popping a lemon drop into his mouth.
"Precisely."
Lucien immediately grinned.
"This actually won't be difficult."
And the timing couldn't have been more perfect.
He had been desperately trying to figure out how to protect Hermione and the others during Halloween night while simultaneously distancing himself from Voldemort's plans.
Now Dumbledore had practically handed him the perfect solution.
Using Harry and Ron as an excuse would make everything much easier.
It could even help rebuild his relationship with Harry naturally.
At that moment, the office door suddenly opened again as several house-elves appeared carrying dinner trays.
The instant one of them noticed Lucien sitting there, she panicked and hurriedly tried to pull the dishes back.
"Mr. Grindelwald!"
The tiny house-elf looked horrified.
"Lydia didn't know this dinner was for you!"
"She thought—she thought Headmaster Dumbledore wanted it!"
"Please wait just a moment! Lydia will prepare a fresh dinner immediately!"
Lucien froze briefly before realizing what had happened.
Apparently, the Hogwarts house-elves had developed the habit of secretly preparing higher-quality meals whenever food was meant for him.
Beside him, Dumbledore's expression became rather strange.
Lucien, meanwhile, was already starving after spending the entire afternoon in Snape's office. Without hesitation, he grabbed the nearest plate and began eating immediately.
"There's no need to remake it, Lydia," he said between bites. "Your cooking is excellent. Everything you make tastes delicious."
The little house-elf instantly trembled with excitement.
"Mr. Grindelwald remembered Lydia's name!"
"He praised Lydia's cooking!"
"Lydia is the greatest house-elf ever!"
She bounced around the office excitedly, completely forgetting that she was currently standing inside the Headmaster's office.
Dumbledore stared blankly at the scene before him.
Even after serving as Headmaster of Hogwarts for decades, he had never seen the castle's house-elves display this level of affection toward anyone.
Especially not toward him.
The more Dumbledore thought about the situation, the stranger it felt.
What exactly did Lydia mean by assuming the dinner belonged to the Headmaster?
Was he only worthy of eating leftovers now?
And he had managed Hogwarts for so many years!
So this is what heartbreak feels like…
Lucien quickly finished the entire meal before letting out a deeply satisfied sigh.
Handing the empty plate back to Lydia, he smiled warmly.
"Thank you, Lydia."
"It is Lydia's greatest honour to serve Mr. Grindelwald!"
With another excited squeal, the house-elf snapped her fingers and vanished instantly.
Lucien rose from his seat afterward.
"Headmaster, curfew will begin soon. If there's nothing else, I should return to my dormitory."
He gave a polite bow and turned toward the door.
Behind him, Dumbledore suddenly spoke again, unable to hide the curiosity in his voice.
"Why do they treat you that way?"
Lucien paused slightly but didn't turn around.
"Because here," he replied calmly, "they finally received the respect they always dreamed of."
Then he walked out of the office directly, leaving Dumbledore sitting silently in the firelight.
"Respect…" Dumbledore murmured quietly.
After a long moment, he sighed softly toward the empty room.
"Gellert… I truly cannot see through that child."
"Do you think he's sincere?"
…
After leaving the Headmaster's office, Lucien returned to his dormitory.
Lying in bed, he quietly reviewed every conversation and action from the day.
This had become one of his habits.
Every night before sleeping, he carefully reflected on his own behaviour while analysing every hidden meaning within other people's words. Even the smallest overlooked detail could become fatal later.
Although neither he nor Dumbledore had directly mentioned Voldemort during tonight's conversation, both sides clearly understood the other's intentions.
That only further confirmed Lucien's suspicion.
The final confrontation between Harry and Voldemort during first year had likely been orchestrated by Dumbledore from the very beginning.
"Voldemort's Horcruxes should probably be added to the collection plan as well…"
Lucien stared quietly at the dark ceiling above him.
"A dog wearing a collar is always easier to control."
Voldemort's threat earlier today had reminded him of something important.
Voldemort's full resurrection wouldn't happen until the events of the Triwizard Tournament in 1995.
There was still time.
Lucien mentally reviewed all seven Horcruxes and quickly realized that only two were realistically obtainable for him right now: Lucius Malfoy's diary and Ravenclaw's lost diadem hidden inside the Room of Requirement.
"As for the founder relics…"
Lucien narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"Those can eventually be handed over to Dumbledore in exchange for benefits."
"I only need to keep the diary as insurance."
Of course, now wasn't the right time.
Before he could maximize the value of those Horcruxes, the wizarding world first needed to fully understand how terrifying Voldemort truly was.
Only then could Lucien harvest the greatest possible rewards.
A faint smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Teacher," he murmured softly into the darkness, "please don't blame me…"
....
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