The sky was just beginning to lighten.
Next to a clearing in the Forbidden Forest.
Lucien let out a long yawn and stretched.
He pulled out a notebook filled with many pages and looked through the results of last night's work.
The Mooncalf's physical characteristics, habits, and so on were all recorded.
Lucien submitted it to the system, finally completing the record of one magical creature.
He only needed to record information on four more magical creatures to repay the pet growth loan.
Hmm, he had also harvested a bag of Mooncalf dung; he would try using it as fertilizer for his Chomping Cabbages when he got back.
"Lumen?"
At Lucien's call, a light golden figure descended from the clouds and landed beside him.
"Finished foraging?"
Lucien rubbed Lumen's forehead and asked casually.
"Yes, Master, I found a lot of vegetables at the edge of the forest!"
"There were yellow, red, and green ones, and their herbal scents tasted different too—some sweet, some sour…"
Lumen's voice continuously echoed in Lucien's mind, and he merely nodded.
The Forbidden Forest truly had abundant resources; there were so many plants that Little Qilin liked.
It seemed there would be no problem letting Lumen forage in the Forbidden Forest by himself in the future.
"Oh, right, Master, I also encountered one there, um, a dark, dark one, I think that creature is called a 'dog'?"
"When it first noticed me, it wanted to bark loudly, but after I looked at it, it started trembling. It seemed very timid."
Dark, a dog, timid?
Lumen's words sobered Lucien considerably.
The edge of the Forbidden Forest, a place with many vegetables, and a timid black dog there?
That wouldn't be Hagrid's vegetable garden, would it!
Had Lumen stolen Hagrid's vegetables?
Oh goodness, if that was true, he would have to apologize to Hagrid.
Wait!
Oh no, what about his own cabbages!
"Lumen, when you were absorbing herbal energy, did you affect any tender sprouts, the kind with small, mouth-like openings at the top?!"
Sensing his Master's urgency, Lumen quickly replied:
"No, those seedlings were too small, and their herbal energy content was very low, so I didn't bother with them."
Lucien's heart had just settled, but then he gave a wry smile.
Well, since Lumen had seen his Chomping Cabbage seedlings, the Little Qilin must have gone to Hagrid's vegetable garden for a buffet!
"Master, did I do something bad?"
Lumen noticed his Master's change in mood and looked at Lucien cautiously.
Lucien waved his hand and said helplessly: "It was my oversight; I forgot to tell you... Never mind, 'if the child is not taught, the father is to blame.' I'll handle this."
"Master, what does 'if the child is not taught, the father is to blame' mean?"
Looking at the Little Qilin, untouched by knowledge, Lucien's resolve was strengthened once more.
Yes, children's education was a pressing matter.
For now, he should hurry to Hagrid's. This place was a bit far from the edge of the Forbidden Forest, and it would take half an hour to get there. It was best to be quick…
Lucien's gaze suddenly shifted to the Qilin, whose body was slightly smaller than a steed.
A few seconds later—
"Hooo-Weeeeeee!!!!!!"
A golden streak shot up from the ground!
Lumen, carrying Lucien on its back, soared straight into the sky.
Lucien's dark golden hair was whipped about by the strong wind, but he felt utterly exhilarated.
Wasn't this better than riding a broken broom?
What were Nimbus 2000s and Nimbus 3000s? They could eat his auspicious clouds.
The sun rose for the first time.
Lucien bathed in the golden light, standing above the clouds.
Riding a Qilin, treading on clouds and roaming the sky.
"Hahahahahahaha…"
In this vast sky, Lucien rarely laughed so unrestrainedly.
Last night's fatigue was completely dispelled in that moment.
Lucien inexplicably thought of a line of poetry.
Accompanied by the distant and ethereal Qilin's cry, a clear and high-pitched voice spread through the clouds:
"The great wind rises—"
…
Headmaster's Office.
Dumbledore and Snape sat at the table, facing a pale, middle-aged man with long, light golden hair.
His gray eyes were filled with suppressed anger and dissatisfaction.
"Dumbledore, Snape, I think I need an explanation."
"Why was my son, Draco, injured during Flying Class, suffering multiple bone fractures all over his body?"
"And the culprit responsible for all of this, Harry Potter, was only classified as having accidentally injured someone?"
Dumbledore adjusted his glasses and said unhurriedly:
"Lucius, I understand your concern for your son and your dissatisfaction with the school. This is indeed a dereliction of duty on our teachers' part."
"Draco received timely treatment, and Harry also received his due punishment…"
However, Lucius directly interrupted Dumbledore, "Due punishment? Doing a week of volunteer work and copying the school rules ten times—that's considered punishment?"
"Someone who dares to abuse Potions and harm classmates from a young age should be directly expelled from Hogwarts!"
Snape frowned imperceptibly.
"Harry Potter's behavior is certainly despicable, and those punishments were proposed by me, but…"
"…"
The three continued to argue—Lucius insisting on strictly punishing Harry, while Dumbledore and Snape tried to smooth things over.
Suddenly, an extremely distant sound drifted into the Headmaster's Office.
It was so faint and far away that none of them could clearly hear the cry, yet all three, by coincidence, felt its extraordinary and remarkable nature.
They fell silent at once.
After a while, Lucius spoke again.
"If there's a next time, I will definitely make Harry Potter leave Hogwarts!"
With that, Lucius stood up and left.
He had long realized that not only Dumbledore but even Snape, the Head of Slytherin, was protecting that boy!
Still, Lucius had argued at length to make his stance clear and to emphasize that the House of Malfoy was not to be trifled with.
Dumbledore glanced at Snape, signaling him to go and reassure this board member once more.
When Snape walked out of the Headmaster's Office, he saw Lucius already standing there waiting, as if he had anticipated his arrival.
"Lucius, this matter—"
Before Snape could finish, Lucius raised his hand to stop him and pulled a small crystal vial from his cloak.
Inside was a translucent, slightly viscous liquid that emitted a faint glow.
"Severus, take a look at this first."
Snape took the vial, uncorked it, and gently sniffed.
"Is this Qilin saliva?"
His tone held a trace of surprise; he clearly hadn't expected Lucius to produce such a thing.
This small bottle of Qilin saliva was likely worth more than 500 Galleons—priceless, in fact, and only obtainable through very special channels.
"Yes, from that pure magical creature they use to elect the next Supreme Mugwump. Its saliva has powerful healing properties, and it works even better when brewed into a Potion."
"But only true Potion Masters can handle this material, correct, Severus?"
Snape nodded, already grasping Lucius's intent.
"I can help you brew the Potion, but Draco's injuries are already mostly healed. You should know the medical capabilities of the Hogwarts infirmary."
However, Lucius shook his head.
"Qilin saliva can heal internal injuries and ensure no after-effects remain. This kind of Potion is fitting for a scion of the Malfoy family."
Lucius did not explicitly say that the remaining Qilin saliva was payment for Snape's help.
He believed that clever men like Snape would understand, and he also believed that a true Potion Master would never refuse such a rare ingredient.
Seeing Lucius's arrogant demeanor, Snape was already accustomed to the ways of these pure-bloods.
Wealth, honor, and power—everything was just to bolster their sense of superiority.
…
After dealing with this matter, Dumbledore rubbed his forehead.
He pulled a letter from a drawer—a reply from Newt Scamander.
Thinking about its contents, Dumbledore looked at the Phoenix preening its feathers on the shelf.
"Fawkes, can you help me find a child?"
"His name is Lucien Grafton."