After an entire day of ceremonies and socialising, Lucien finally returned to Hogwarts through the same secret route he had used to leave.
The instant he stepped back onto school grounds—
A familiar system notification echoed inside his mind.
[Congratulations, Host, for establishing a commercial empire in Diagon Alley and obtaining the achievement: The Beginning of a Business Tycoon]
[Achievement Points Reward: 100]
"The beginning?"
Lucien chuckled quietly to himself.
"What I'm building is far more than a beginning."
By the time the thought finished crossing his mind, he had already returned to the Slytherin common room.
"Lucien!"
Draco immediately rushed over the moment he entered.
"Where did you go yesterday?!"
"I looked for you all day and couldn't find you anywhere!"
Lucien was genuinely exhausted after spending the entire day maintaining appearances among politicians, businessmen, professors, and pure-blood families.
Compared to those people—
Even Voldemort felt less mentally exhausting.
So he merely replied vaguely before heading straight back to his dormitory and collapsing into bed.
The next morning was Monday.
After a relaxing weekend, most students still looked half-asleep.
The Great Hall buzzed noisily with conversation.
Then suddenly—
Dozens of owls swooped down through the enchanted ceiling carrying stacks of newspapers.
"Merlin's beard!"
One student suddenly shouted loudly.
"The Daily Prophet cover—"
"Isn't that Lucien?!"
The entire hall exploded instantly.
"What?!"
"Let me see!"
"Move over!"
For first-year students, seeing one of their classmates featured on the front page of Britain's biggest magical newspaper was almost unbelievable.
"Oh my god…"
"He's standing beside Minister Fudge!"
"And behind him is Amelia Bones!"
"There are loads of Ministry officials!"
"The paper says he opened dozens of shops in Diagon Alley yesterday!"
The Daily Prophet clearly spared no effort praising him.
Brilliant.
Elegant.
Gifted.
A young genius leading the future of Britain's magical economy.
They practically exhausted every flattering adjective available.
"Dozens of shops…"
"How many Galleons does that earn every day?"
"Forget profits—even owning that many shops is terrifying!"
"Not even most Sacred Twenty-Eight families could manage that!"
"A monster…"
"One of our classmates is actually a monster…"
The surrounding exclamations continued nonstop.
Meanwhile, Lucien himself remained perfectly calm while eating breakfast elegantly, showing absolutely no intention of showing off.
At the Gryffindor table, however—
Ron Weasley's face had almost twisted with jealousy.
The people standing beside Lucien in those photographs—
Minister Fudge.
Department directors.
Influential figures.
Even Arthur Weasley would struggle to speak with them normally.
And yet the person standing among them confidently…
Was the person Ron hated most.
How could he possibly accept that?
Harry noticed Ron's expression looked increasingly awful.
Then he looked toward Lucien.
Then back toward Ron.
Unfortunately, his underdeveloped emotional intelligence provided no useful solution whatsoever.
In the end, he simply lowered his head and pretended not to notice anything.
Draco, meanwhile, cared about something entirely different.
He looked deeply dissatisfied.
"So that's where you went yesterday!"
"You sneaked out without telling me!"
"No wonder I couldn't find you all day!"
"You were off having fun!"
Lucien cut another piece of steak calmly.
"I wasn't having fun."
"I nearly died from exhaustion."
Just then—
A dark shadow silently loomed behind him.
"Mr Grindelwald."
Snape's cold, sarcastic voice suddenly echoed beside his ear.
"I believe you owe your Head of House a reasonable explanation."
Lucien nearly choked on his steak.
Oh no.
He finally realised what he had forgotten.
Snape.
"Professor—"
Lucien immediately attempted rescue.
"Headmaster Dumbledore knew I left the school grounds."
Snape's eyes became colder instantly.
"And what exactly does that have to do with me?"
"Or perhaps you believe your Head of House lacks the intelligence required to determine whether his own student may leave school?"
Lucien wisely shut his mouth immediately.
Arguing further with Snape never ended well.
Snape stared at him for several seconds before speaking coldly.
"It appears Mr Grindelwald possesses far too much free time recently."
"In that case…"
"Starting today, you will report to my office after classes every afternoon."
"You'll assist me with potion preparation for one hour."
His expression became increasingly dangerous.
"And we shall begin today."
Then he turned and swept away dramatically.
The surrounding area became utterly silent.
Several older Slytherins nearby looked at Lucien with genuine pity.
Eventually—
Fred and George Weasley casually dropped onto the bench beside him.
"So…"
Fred grinned mischievously.
"How useful was our little gift?"
George immediately continued.
"You received it and went sneaking out the very next day."
"Honestly, we're impressed."
"We spent ages figuring out how to use it ourselves!"
"I think we only started sneaking around properly in second year."
Lucien genuinely enjoyed talking with the twins.
They were clever, funny, and refreshingly uncomplicated.
"The Map was extremely useful," he admitted honestly.
Then his expression softened slightly.
"How are your products progressing?"
"My shops are already open."
"They can begin selling anytime."
Fred immediately slapped his chest proudly.
"With our sugar daddy funding us?"
"Fast enough to make history!"
George nodded enthusiastically.
"And now we're working at Hogwarts instead of the Burrow."
"Mum can't confiscate our treasures anymore."
Lucien considered things briefly before speaking calmly.
"You should still talk with Mrs Weasley properly."
Both twins froze slightly.
"She opposes your inventions because she worries about your futures."
"Not because she dislikes what you love."
"With my stores backing you, your inventions can absolutely support you after graduation."
"You may not become rich overnight…"
"But you'll never need to worry about survival."
The twins slowly became quiet.
For once, neither interrupted.
Eventually Fred spoke softly.
"Thanks."
"We'll think about it."
Lucien smiled lightly.
"Don't look so serious."
"It's only a suggestion."
"Mrs Weasley is a good mother."
"If you communicate properly, she'll understand eventually."
Then Lucien suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right."
"I finished Percy's notes already."
"I'll return them later."
Fred and George immediately raised their hands in surrender.
"No!"
"Absolutely not!"
"If we deliver them, Percy will lecture us for an hour minimum!"
"He likes you far more than he likes us anyway!"
Lucien laughed helplessly.
"Fine."
Then he suddenly remembered something else.
"By the way…"
"Why does everyone react like they're marching to execution whenever Snape asks them to help with potions?"
"Is processing potion ingredients really that terrifying?"
Fred and George exchanged meaningful looks instantly.
"Oh…"
Fred spoke slowly.
"It's not merely difficult."
George nodded solemnly.
"Many of Snape's ingredients are disgusting beyond imagination."
"And while you're processing them…"
"He'll insult you continuously."
Fred continued immediately.
"I remember a Ravenclaw girl crying halfway through last year."
"But you're a Slytherin."
George patted Lucien's shoulder comfortingly.
"He probably won't be too vicious."
Lucien somehow felt even less reassured after hearing that.
Eventually, classes ended.
And precisely as instructed—
Lucien arrived outside Snape's office.
Knock knock.
"Enter."
Snape's cold voice echoed from within.
....
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