The weather that morning was bright and clear, with not a single cloud drifting across the sky.
At first glance, everything at Hogwarts seemed perfectly normal.
But there was one noticeable difference.
Usually, Lucien only answered questions in class when professors specifically called on him. If not chosen, he would simply sit quietly and listen while reading ahead.
Today, however, he was absurdly proactive.
It was almost as though Hermione Granger herself had possessed him.
The moment a professor asked a question, Lucien's hand shot into the air without hesitation.
And thanks to his extensive theoretical knowledge combined with months of practical experience under Snape and Voldemort, his answers were often even more complete than the textbook standards.
Professor McGonagall nodded repeatedly in approval during Transfiguration class, her eyes filled with admiration.
Around the room, countless young witches and wizards stared at Lucien with obvious respect.
Well.
Almost everyone.
Ron Weasley looked like he was about to explode.
The jealousy in his eyes was practically overflowing onto the floor. Even Harry, sitting beside him, could clearly see the twisted expression on Ron's face.
Ever since arriving at Hogwarts, Ron had viewed Lucien as his personal lifelong rival.
How could he possibly tolerate seeing the other boy admired by everyone like this?
What infuriated Ron even more was how unbelievably well his own family treated Lucien.
At this point, Molly Weasley practically liked Lucien more than she liked some of her own children.
Just a few days ago, she had even knitted Lucien a custom sweater.
Ron himself had never received one that nice.
"That evil Slytherin definitely used Dark Magic to brainwash everyone," Ron muttered furiously under his breath. "I've read stories about Dark Wizards doing things like that all the time."
"Lucien isn't like that…" Harry replied weakly.
"Of course he is!" Ron hissed louder. "You see him sneaking around every day. He's definitely plotting something evil!"
Unfortunately for Ron, his voice kept rising higher and higher until the entire classroom could hear him clearly.
Professor McGonagall turned slowly toward him with a terrifying expression.
"Mr. Weasley," she said sharply, "if you insist on disrupting my class, I will gladly escort you out myself."
The entire classroom burst into laughter.
Ron's ears instantly turned scarlet, matching his bright red hair perfectly.
"I—I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall!"
By the end of class, Ron had somehow managed to turn himself into the joke of the entire year once again.
Meanwhile, Lucien merely smiled faintly from his seat, dark amusement flickering in his eyes.
Honestly, dealing with someone like Ron barely required effort.
There was no need for elaborate schemes or manipulation.
A little temptation and public comparison were enough to hook him completely.
The moment class ended, Ron dragged Harry out of the room under countless mocking stares.
Meanwhile, Lucien was immediately surrounded by several admiring girls who happily chatted with him while leaving the classroom.
As he walked past Harry and Ron, he even gave them a casual glance filled with faint amusement.
That single look nearly made Ron explode.
"That damned Dark Wizard!" Ron growled furiously. "Just wait until I catch him doing something suspicious. Then I'll expose him in front of everyone!"
Harry looked exhausted already.
"Ron, Lucien didn't actually do anything wrong," he said helplessly. "He just answered a few questions. You could answer them too if you wanted."
Unlike Ron, Harry wasn't stupid.
He understood that Lucien simply came from a completely different world than they did. The boy was intelligent, wealthy, talented, and unbelievably hardworking.
There was absolutely no reason for Lucien to target them specifically.
Everything Ron imagined was just jealousy.
Unfortunately, Harry's words directly struck Ron's sore spot.
If Ron actually had Lucien's abilities, he would've been bragging nonstop months ago.
The fact that he couldn't compare was exactly why the jealousy kept growing.
"Are you even my friend anymore?!" Ron snapped angrily. "Why do you keep defending that evil Slytherin?"
"Of course I'm your friend, but Lucien is just…"
"Just what?! He's a Slytherin! That makes him Gryffindor's enemy!"
Ron practically shouted the words.
Hidden beneath his anger was a fear he didn't even realize existed himself.
Since arriving at Hogwarts, Harry's friendship had become Ron's greatest source of confidence. If even Harry stopped supporting him, his already miserable school life would become even worse.
"I know he's hiding something," Ron insisted stubbornly. "And I'm going to expose him."
Then he suddenly grabbed Harry's arm.
"You'll help me, right?"
Harry clearly wanted to refuse.
Unfortunately, after staring at Ron's hopeful face for nearly half a minute, he finally sighed in defeat.
"…Fine."
"But how exactly are we supposed to investigate him?"
"I already thought of that!"
Ron immediately dragged Harry into a nearby corner and lowered his voice dramatically like some secret agent carrying out a classified mission.
"We'll track him every day after class," Ron whispered excitedly. "If he's secretly performing evil rituals or Dark Magic, he'll definitely choose hidden places."
"If we catch him in the act, we can expose his conspiracy to everyone!"
Harry stared at him silently.
That's your brilliant master plan?
Stalking?
Everyone in Hogwarts already knew Lucien lived an incredibly repetitive daily routine. What exactly did Ron expect to discover?
Unfortunately, Ron was far too excited by his own genius plan to notice Harry's expression.
"Then we'll—"
"We'll start today!" Ron declared confidently. "There's no way he can keep pretending forever!"
…
That evening, Lucien finished handling potion ingredients inside Snape's office as usual.
The moment he stepped into the corridor afterward, he immediately spotted Ron pretending to wander casually around a nearby corner while Harry stood awkwardly beside him looking deeply uncomfortable.
Lucien nearly laughed out loud.
With skills like this, you two actually think you can track someone?
At least use your brains a little.
Normally, Harry and Ron were more terrified of Snape than almost anyone else in Hogwarts. Yet now they just happened to be lingering outside the Potions classroom after dark?
Even a troll could see something suspicious was happening.
Still, Lucien pretended not to notice.
After eating dinner in the Great Hall, he returned to the Slytherin common room alongside Draco, Daphne, Pansy, and the others.
To his surprise, the common room was unusually lively tonight.
Halloween was only a few days away, and although most Slytherins came from old pure-blood families, many students were visibly excited about the holiday.
Several older students had even started decorating the common room themselves.
The normally gloomy green chamber looked far warmer than usual beneath floating candles and enchanted autumn decorations.
Groups of students excitedly discussed sweets, costumes, and Halloween plans while laughing together.
Lucien's eyes immediately lit up.
Perfect.
This was exactly the opportunity he needed.
Without hesitation, he raised his wand and casually joined the decorations, causing several nearby girls to stare at him in shock.
Draco looked even more surprised than they did.
"This is rare," Draco said suspiciously. "You usually run straight back to your dormitory to study."
Lucien rolled his eyes.
"I'm not some pathetic bookworm who only knows how to bury himself in books all day."
He casually adjusted one of the floating decorations overhead.
"Besides, Halloween's almost here. Someone has to prepare candy and costumes."
"That's true," Draco admitted immediately without suspicion.
In wizarding Britain, Halloween was considered one of the most important holidays of the year.
Unlike memorial festivals focused on mourning the dead, Halloween carried a completely different atmosphere. It celebrated autumn while warding off evil spirits and dark creatures.
Pansy suddenly leaned closer with obvious curiosity.
"So what are you dressing up as for Halloween?"
Lucien smiled mysteriously.
"If I told you now, it would ruin the surprise."
Then, seemingly by accident, he casually added, "Although Professor Snape's office seems rather lonely this time of year."
He sighed dramatically.
"I suppose he'll spend Halloween alone again."
Several older Slytherin girls immediately looked thoughtful.
"That's probably true," one seventh-year girl agreed. "Every year after dinner, the professors disappear immediately."
"I visit Professor Snape's office pretty often," Lucien continued casually while adjusting decorations. "He's always alone there. Honestly, it feels a little depressing."
Then he stopped speaking entirely, offering no further suggestions whatsoever.
But when Lucien noticed several upper-year students exchanging thoughtful looks, satisfaction quietly flashed through his eyes.
Back in his previous life, he had encountered students exactly like this countless times.
Every class always had a few enthusiastic teacher's pets who loved visiting professors during breaks, bringing gifts, or organizing holiday events.
And once those students took the initiative, everyone else would eventually follow along to avoid seeming heartless.
Soon enough, Draco and the others would inevitably accompany the upper-years to visit Snape during Halloween evening.
And once students from other houses discovered Slytherin was doing something special for their Head of House, the other houses would absolutely organize their own gatherings out of pride.
By then, students from every house would gather together naturally.
Exactly as Lucien wanted.
With several professors occupied entertaining large groups of students, nobody would question why Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, or the others happened to remain nearby during the chaos.
Even Voldemort himself wouldn't be able to blame Lucien for anything.
After all, Lucien hadn't suggested the idea.
He hadn't even participated in organizing it.
So why should any of this have anything to do with him?
....
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