Creating a phoenix was something Professor McGonagall herself could accomplish easily.
In fact, she could probably create one even more vivid and magnificent than Lucas's.
But—
Lucas was only eleven years old.
He had not even officially entered Hogwarts yet.
And after merely half a month of independent study inside the Greengrass family library, his Transfiguration ability had already surpassed what most adult wizards achieved after decades.
It was genuinely shocking.
For one absurd moment, Professor McGonagall even wondered whether Merlin himself had somehow reincarnated.
Meanwhile, Lucas examined the flaming phoenix perched atop the counter and still looked dissatisfied.
"…It's a pity," he said thoughtfully. "I've never seen a real phoenix before."
"I only saw illustrations in the Greengrass family collection."
The phoenix illustrations inside wizarding books looked noticeably different from Fawkes in the films he remembered.
Far more beautiful, in fact.
So Lucas honestly was not entirely certain what a real phoenix from this world actually looked like.
Naturally, he meant the phoenixes of the Harry Potter world.
Not the divine mythological phoenixes from Eastern legends in his previous life.
If he summoned one of those instead, that would honestly be unfair.
Professor McGonagall looked almost excited now.
"Lucas, this is already extraordinary!"
"You've never even seen a real phoenix, yet you created something this lifelike purely from illustrations and imagination."
"Forget children—even among adult wizards, very few possess this level of Transfiguration control."
She stared at the phoenix circling overhead.
"Just look at those eyes. They're practically alive."
Lucas glanced upward.
"Oh, that part was based on my owl Snowball."
"When I first saw Snowball, what attracted me most were its eyes."
"So I used those eyes as a reference while shaping the phoenix."
Professor McGonagall suddenly smiled.
"In that case, you should know Professor Dumbledore owns a phoenix named Fawkes."
"If you want to see a real one someday, I'm sure he won't refuse."
Lucas's eyes immediately brightened.
"Really?"
Then the two immediately resumed discussing advanced Transfiguration theory again as though nothing strange had happened.
Nearby, the Granger family carefully approached the fiery phoenix while staring in amazement.
Hermione felt especially shaken.
Earlier, while listening to Lucas and Professor McGonagall discuss magical theory, she still lacked any intuitive understanding of how incredible his abilities truly were.
Part of her even suspected he merely sounded knowledgeable.
But now—
Lucas had casually transformed an ordinary cardboard box into a vivid living phoenix right in front of her.
The sheer wonder of magic itself combined with Lucas's unbelievable mastery deeply shocked the young girl.
For perhaps the first time in her life—
Hermione Granger genuinely admired someone academically.
A dangerous competitive instinct immediately ignited inside her heart.
Someday…
Would she also reach this level?
Meanwhile, Ollivander smiled pleasantly.
"I've personally seen Fawkes before."
"And honestly…"
He looked at the phoenix above them.
"Yours is prettier."
Then he turned toward Lucas again.
"And clearly this wand suits you far better."
"So in the end, it truly is the wand that chooses the wizard."
Lucas nodded calmly.
Though internally, he knew perfectly well he had only found it through the system interface.
Snap.
The flaming phoenix suddenly twisted back into its original form—
A simple wand box.
Lucas sighed softly.
"The duration is still too short."
"I suppose I truly lack talent in Transfiguration after all."
Professor McGonagall nearly choked from disbelief.
"Lucas Summers…"
"You are eleven years old."
"Your current achievements already surpass most fully trained adult wizards."
"If this counts as lacking talent…"
"Then even Albus Dumbledore would feel ashamed."
…
After leaving Ollivanders, Lucas simply continued shopping together with Professor McGonagall and the Grangers.
With McGonagall guiding them personally, the entire process became dramatically faster.
Because the Grangers had not wasted money exchanging currency through Gringotts, they now possessed far more spending flexibility.
As a result, Hermione also bought herself an owl.
Lucas remembered that in the original timeline Hermione never purchased one.
That tiny little change immediately made him more vigilant internally.
The future could not be trusted completely anymore.
The plot had already begun shifting subtly because of his actions.
At critical moments, relying on foreknowledge alone would become dangerous.
He would need to trust his own prophecy abilities instead.
Still—
Shopping together like this felt unexpectedly enjoyable.
The atmosphere was lively and warm.
Lucas eventually realized something important.
At his core, he was actually someone deeply afraid of loneliness.
By the time they finished purchasing everything on the Hogwarts supply list, evening was already approaching.
Eventually, Lucas finally prepared to part ways with Professor McGonagall and the Grangers.
Before leaving, however, McGonagall looked at him with visible concern.
"Lucas," she asked gently, "now that you've left the Greengrass estate, where exactly will you stay?"
"I'll probably remain at the Leaky Cauldron for a while," Lucas replied casually with a smile.
"There's still more than a month before school starts anyway."
Then he added reassuringly—
"And you already know I'm not lacking money."
Professor McGonagall sighed helplessly.
She knew Lucas was an orphan.
And somehow, the thought of such a talented child living alone in a pub bothered her deeply.
After spending the day together, she genuinely liked him more and more.
He was intelligent.
Polite.
Kind-hearted.
And most importantly—
Exceptionally brave.
Dumbledore had already told her everything about Albania.
After escaping, Lucas had actually stolen a wand and gone back alone to rescue the captured children.
That level of courage practically screamed Gryffindor.
The thought that Gryffindor might soon welcome such an extraordinary student immediately improved McGonagall's mood dramatically.
After saying goodbye to Professor McGonagall, Lucas turned toward the Grangers as well.
After spending the entire day together, their relationship had become significantly closer.
Honestly, almost nobody could resist Lucas's natural charm.
His presence alone tended to raise people's affection toward him rapidly.
"Hermione," Lucas said with a smile, "if you encounter anything you don't understand while studying, you can always ask me through owl post."
If anyone else had said those words, Hermione might have been unconvinced.
But after witnessing Lucas's terrifying magical talent personally—
She obediently nodded immediately.
Meanwhile, she tightly hugged the small suitcase Lucas had secretly expanded using the Undetectable Extension Charm earlier.
Inside her heart, Hermione had already made a solemn decision.
The moment she returned home—
She was going to memorize every single textbook completely.
....
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