Lucas gently patted Hermione's back.
"It's alright, Hermione," he said softly. "That's all in the past now."
Ironically, despite being the victim himself, he ended up comforting her instead.
Hermione clung to him tightly for several more seconds before finally calming down slightly. Her eyes remained red from crying.
Meanwhile, Harry stood there awkwardly with guilt written all over his face.
"I'm sorry, Lucas," Harry said quietly. "Because of me… you had to remember all that again."
Lucas shook his head calmly.
"The moment I decided to show you those memories, it meant I'd already moved beyond them."
Then he looked directly at Harry.
"Tell me honestly. If you were in my position… what would you have done?"
Harry froze.
"If it were me…"
He lowered his head slightly while thinking seriously.
"I think I would've endured it too. Just like you did."
Then Harry suddenly looked up.
"And eventually Professor Dumbledore must've rescued you, right?"
Lucas stared at him silently for a moment.
Then he asked quietly:
"You think Professor Dumbledore saved me?"
Harry blinked awkwardly.
"Well… I just assumed someone rescued you eventually."
Lucas shook his head slowly.
"No one came."
The room suddenly became quiet again.
"I remained trapped inside that cave for half a year."
Harry and Hermione both stiffened.
"Every single day," Lucas continued softly, "I was tortured."
His voice remained strangely calm.
"No one searched for me. No one rescued me."
Hermione unconsciously covered her mouth again.
Harry felt a painful heaviness spread through his chest.
"Then…" Harry swallowed hard. "How did you escape?"
Lucas looked towards him quietly.
"Do you remember the Obscurus?"
Harry nodded immediately.
So Lucas calmly retold the same story he previously shared with Dumbledore.
The awakening of the Obscurus.
The destruction of the cave.
The slaughter that followed.
When he finally finished, Lucas looked directly at Harry again.
"After escaping," he said quietly, "I killed the wizard who tortured me."
His eyes remained perfectly calm.
"Do you think I was cruel?"
"No!"
Harry answered instantly without hesitation.
"If you didn't kill him, he would've kept hurting you!"
Then anger appeared on Harry's face again.
"And he would've kidnapped other children too!"
Beside him, Hermione nodded firmly despite her tears.
"You didn't want to kill anyone," she said softly. "But if somebody keeps torturing you… and killing them is the only way to survive…"
Her hands clenched tightly.
"Then fighting back is justified."
Lucas smiled faintly.
"Thank you."
Then he slowly leaned back against the wall.
"Now do you understand why I became strong?"
Harry and Hermione listened carefully.
"When I escaped," Lucas said quietly, "I realised something."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"It's useless to depend entirely on others."
The room fell silent.
"Only strength truly belongs to you."
Lucas's voice remained calm and steady.
"If you possess enough power, you can protect yourself. Protect the people around you. Prevent tragedy before it happens."
Then he looked down briefly at his own hands.
"I knew those wizards still had accomplices everywhere. I didn't want to become prey ever again."
A faint coldness entered his tone.
"So I trained constantly."
"The hatred inside me pushed me forwards."
"I kept digging deeper and deeper into my own potential."
Harry listened without blinking.
Meanwhile, Hermione unconsciously tightened her grip around her sleeves.
Lucas continued speaking quietly.
"At first, I used the spells those wizards taught me against them instead."
His expression remained calm.
"Then I hunted down more of their group."
"My magic grew stronger during every battle."
"Eventually… I met Professor Dumbledore."
For the first time since the conversation started, a warmer expression appeared on Lucas's face.
"After learning what happened to me, Professor Dumbledore gathered elite Aurors from several countries."
"And together, we destroyed the organisation completely."
Lucas deliberately skipped most details.
He didn't pull Harry and Hermione back into the Pensieve again either.
The first memory already achieved enough emotional impact.
Harry remained silent for several seconds afterwards.
Then suddenly—
A powerful determination appeared inside his eyes.
"Lucas."
His voice became unusually firm.
"I want to become stronger too."
Hermione looked towards him immediately.
Harry clenched his fists tightly.
"I don't want to keep relying on other people to protect me anymore."
Then anger slowly surfaced across his face.
"And I hate Voldemort."
Harry's breathing quickened.
"He murdered my parents."
"If he really comes back someday…"
Harry looked directly at Lucas.
"I need enough strength to stop him myself."
Then he spoke seriously.
"So please teach me."
Hermione hesitated briefly.
Then she took a deep breath as well.
"I want to learn too."
Lucas glanced towards her.
"My parents are Muggles," Hermione said quietly. "You already told us what Voldemort believes about Muggle-borns."
Fear briefly flickered through her eyes.
"If he returns someday… I don't want to stand there helplessly while my family gets hurt."
Silence filled the bedroom once more.
And internally—
Lucas smiled.
Everything had gone exactly as planned.
The reason he revealed those memories today wasn't merely emotional honesty.
It was guidance.
Careful emotional guidance.
First came sympathy.
Then anger.
Then fear.
Finally—
The desire for strength.
By showing the torture memories first, Lucas created emotional resonance between himself, Harry, and Hermione.
Once they emotionally connected to his suffering, their hatred towards the dark wizard naturally intensified.
Then Lucas introduced another critical idea:
When someone persecutes you mercilessly, fighting back becomes justified.
Even killing your enemy becomes understandable if survival demands it.
That single idea planted an extremely important seed deep inside their minds.
The seed that ruthlessness towards enemies could sometimes be necessary.
Especially for Harry.
Because Harry already possessed genuine hatred towards Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
After that came the second stage.
Lucas explained that strength came from pushing oneself forward through hatred and desperation.
Not naturally.
Not magically.
But through relentless determination.
By this point, both Harry and Hermione had unconsciously accepted the logic already.
Strength meant survival.
Strength meant protection.
Strength meant revenge.
And now—
Both of them desperately wanted it.
Of course, today only planted the seeds.
Actually shaping them into decisive, powerful wizards would require far more work in the future.
Lucas slowly looked between the two of them.
"Are you absolutely certain?" he asked quietly.
"My training methods are extremely harsh."
Harry answered instantly.
"I can handle it."
Hermione nodded just as firmly.
"So can I."
Lucas stared into their determined eyes silently.
Then deep inside his chest—
Something stirred eagerly.
....
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