Lucas ended up being dragged back into the medical tent and firmly suppressed by Madam Pomfrey for the entire night.
No matter how much he protested, the matron refused to let him leave.
It was not until early the next morning, when Dumbledore personally arrived, that Madam Pomfrey finally allowed Lucas to step outside again.
At this point, all traces of the lingering curses inside his body had already been removed. The only thing left was recovery and proper rest.
The experiences of the past six months had pushed Lucas's body to its absolute limit. If the system had not strengthened his physique several times already, he probably would have collapsed long ago.
Dumbledore looked down at him seriously.
"As for your prophetic talent, it would be best if too many people did not learn about it," he said quietly. "There are many individuals who covet abilities like yours. If word spreads too widely, your safety could become a concern."
Lucas nodded obediently.
That had been his intention from the beginning anyway.
He only wanted Dumbledore to know.
"That aside," Dumbledore continued with a faint smile, "your friend Miss Greengrass has sent me quite a number of owls already."
Lucas blinked.
"She wishes to invite you to stay at her family estate while you recover."
"Ah…" Lucas hesitated immediately.
Honestly, he had originally planned to decline.
There were still many things he wanted to do first.
For example, using the Philosopher's Stone to create some gold before exchanging it at Gringotts.
Or purchasing a wand that truly belonged to him.
More importantly, staying at a girl's house always gave him an inexplicable sense of embarrassment, almost like he was freeloading.
Dumbledore, however, immediately saw through his hesitation.
"I would advise accepting the invitation," the old wizard said calmly. "The Greengrass family possesses a very long history. I've heard that the estate Miss Greengrass selected for you contains an exceptionally large private library."
Lucas's eyes lit up instantly.
A library?
Now that completely changed things.
At present, Lucas's raw strength was already frighteningly high.
But his methods remained too limited.
Against ordinary wizards, overwhelming power worked perfectly fine. However, if he encountered someone on Dumbledore or Voldemort's level, his lack of versatility would become an enormous weakness.
The system's rewards were powerful, but they were also highly random.
A proper magical library, however…
That was entirely different.
With his absurd learning ability, Lucas could improve himself rapidly through study alone.
Besides, if he rejected the invitation, Cassandra would probably be genuinely upset.
After seeing Lucas agree, Dumbledore smiled with satisfaction before pulling a worn-out old boot from inside his robes.
Then he checked the time using a pocket watch.
"Perfect timing," he said. "Lucas, place your hand on the boot."
Lucas immediately recognized it as a Portkey.
Still, he deliberately pretended to look confused before grabbing the side of the old boot.
After all, the current version of Lucas supposedly should not know what a Portkey was.
Whoosh!
The moment his hand touched the boot, Lucas felt a violent pulling sensation around his navel, as though an invisible hook had latched onto him and was dragging him forward at terrifying speed.
It was deeply unpleasant.
Fortunately, the experience did not last long.
Thud!
Lucas landed awkwardly on the ground the instant they arrived.
Dumbledore calmly helped him back to his feet before casually casting a Cleaning Charm to remove the dirt from his robes.
"We had to travel this way because I've never personally visited the Greengrass family's holiday estate before," Dumbledore explained mildly. "Otherwise, we could simply have Apparated."
Lucas rubbed his aching backside before finally looking up properly.
Then he froze.
The estate before him was enormous.
"This… is just Cassandra's holiday manor?"
"Oh, originally I heard they intended to bring you back to the main family residence," Dumbledore said with amusement. "However, Miss Greengrass insisted on sending you to their finest estate for recovery."
Seeing Lucas's slightly awkward expression, Dumbledore chuckled softly.
"There's no need to feel embarrassed, my boy. Go on. Cassandra is already waiting for you."
Lucas hesitated briefly.
"Professor… what about you?"
"Oh, I still have several matters to deal with, so I'll be leaving now." Dumbledore smiled knowingly. "Rest properly while you recover. And while you're here…"
His eyes twinkled mischievously.
"…you should spend some time reading."
Then—
Crack!
Dumbledore disappeared instantly.
Lucas understood the implication immediately.
The old man was reminding him again about the library.
As Lucas approached the massive estate, his initial shock gradually faded.
After all, now that he possessed the Philosopher's Stone, wealth itself had practically become meaningless to him. If he truly wanted a place like this in the future, obtaining one would not be difficult.
Crack!
A small figure suddenly appeared in front of him with a sharp popping sound.
Lucas looked down.
It was a house-elf.
Unlike many mistreated house-elves he remembered from canon, this one looked surprisingly clean and well cared for.
The elf bowed politely.
"My name is Kafi, sir. I serve the Greengrass family. May I ask if you are the honorable Mr. Lucas Summers?"
"That's me," Lucas replied.
The house-elf's eyes immediately brightened.
"Oh! Mr. Summers, please come this way! My young lady has been waiting for you for a very long time!"
As Kafi led him forward, the elf continued chattering nonstop.
"Kafi is so grateful to Mr. Summers for saving Miss Cassandra! Kafi heard everything! Oh heavens, that horrible Marcus actually used the Killing Curse on the young lady!"
The elf's eyes immediately filled with tears.
"If Mr. Summers hadn't protected Miss Cassandra with his own body…"
Kafi looked genuinely emotional.
"Oh, Mr. Summers is truly wonderful!"
Lucas suddenly felt awkward.
Honestly, he never really knew how to handle house-elves properly.
A few moments later, Kafi stopped near a beautifully decorated garden pavilion.
"There, sir. Miss Cassandra is waiting for you ahead."
Lucas looked forward.
Sure enough, he immediately spotted a familiar emerald-green figure seated quietly inside the pavilion.
"Thank you," he said politely.
The moment those words left his mouth, Kafi froze completely.
Then the elf burst into tears on the spot.
"Oh! The honorable and noble Mr. Summers actually thanked Kafi personally!"
The elf looked so moved that it almost seemed ready to faint.
"Mr. Summers is far too kind!"
Lucas instantly developed a headache.
Yes.
He truly was terrible at communicating with house-elves.
....
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