In the Headmaster's Office.
Lucien chatted with the two old men over tea.
In truth, Lucien felt that Lumen's existence no longer needed to be hidden as carefully as it had been at the beginning of the school year.
Without deliberately exposing it, he was at least no longer overly worried about others finding out.
Originally, Lumen's speed and range when using Apparition were already astonishing, and it was unaffected by any restrictions.
On the contrary, according to Lumen itself, during the battle with the hooded man, he had awakened an ability to solidify space at a critical moment.
He could lock down a surrounding area of space, preventing others from using spatial movement methods such as Apparition.
This meant that from now on, Lumen could escape freely, while enemies would be unable to pursue—or even flee.
Lucien clearly understood that Lumen's survivability had increased dramatically.
Moreover, Lumen, who was still in a growth phase, was increasing in size and strength at an astonishing rate, almost changing month by month.
For example, its true size had initially been comparable to that of a warhorse, but now it was no smaller than a camel.
The hardness of his scales and its resistance to magic were also steadily improving, and the upper temperature limit of its Pure Flame continued to rise.
That clash with "Quirrell" had even allowed Lumen's Pure Flame to achieve a breakthrough.
By Lucien's estimation, if Lumen were allowed to fight freely now, dealing with elite Aurors would pose no real problem. The only question would be how many Aurors it could face at the same time.
After all, Aurors were already the finest among Wizards.
Everyone knew that Dragons were immensely valuable—but how many Wizards actually dared to hunt one?
Moreover, Dragons wouldn't suddenly Apparate away, nor would they block an enemy's door in the middle of the night and set it ablaze when the situation demanded.
"Lucien, your method of treating that little unicorn, Aurora, was also remarkably ingenious," Newt said.
"Repairing a magical circuit… that's something I've never even heard of before."
He gave a wry smile, looking at Lucien's handsome yet still slightly boyish face, and let out a quiet sigh.
"And your age is what truly astonishes me. A first-year young wizard…"
After learning that Lucien was only a first-year student who had been at school for just half a year—and even hearing Dumbledore explain that he came from a Muggle family, having never encountered magic before and only formally begun learning after arriving at Hogwarts...
The shock was simply too much for Newt to take in all at once.
It was Dumbledore who offered him comfort.
"There is nothing strange in the world of magic. It is only natural for each generation to surpass the last."
But Dumbledore did not share everything with Newt—such as the fact that this young wizard had already become an Animagus, or that his talent in Transfiguration had reached an almost unbelievable level.
As for the repair of the magical circuit, Dumbledore saw far more deeply into it than Newt.
During the most critical stages of the repair, Lucien had clearly employed Transfiguration techniques.
What was truly astonishing was that a wizard had used his own magic to influence the magic circuit of a magical beast.
After all, one of the reasons many magical creatures were resistant to wizard magic—and why Transfiguration could not create magical beasts—was precisely because of the fundamental differences and mutual rejection between their magic circuits.
Yet what Lucien had done the previous night had, to some extent, broken that rule.
Dumbledore could only attribute it to the unique nature of magic itself and the child's extraordinary talent.
Unlike Muggle technology, in the study and research of magic, so-called methods and principles were not absolute.
Sometimes, as long as there was sufficient accumulation, and a wizard's emotions and will were strong enough, new magic could emerge naturally.
As for the exact way Lucien had repaired the unicorn's magic circuit, both Dumbledore and Newt tacitly chose not to ask.
Neither of them would covet a child's secret.
The three chatted for a while longer before Lucien and Newt said their goodbyes and left.
As they walked out of the Headmaster's Office, Newt spoke to Lucien.
"Could you do me a favor? Have Lumen take us to the Forbidden Forest. I'd like to go and take another look. Of course, we could walk from the castle, but there are students and professors along the way. If they recognize me…"
Newt trailed off and tilted his head. When it came down to it, he was still not very good at dealing with people.
Lucien understood this perfectly.
He had once been socially awkward himself.
Although Newt had retired and lived in seclusion for years, rarely appearing in public, there was still a chance he might be recognized.
And if an overenthusiastic fan spotted him at Hogwarts and shouted his name, half the school would probably come running.
This old man's popularity among children was astonishingly high.
Lucien still remembered how Ron and Malfoy's motivation to study had skyrocketed after he offered one of Newt's signed books as an exam reward.
The more a child came from a wizarding family, the more they understood Newt's significance.
"Of course. It's no trouble at all."
At Lucien's call, Lumen appeared—and the moment he did, he carried the two of them away, vanishing from the corridor.
When they reappeared, they were already deep within the Forbidden Forest.
"So fast—and there was no discomfort during the teleportation either."
Newt couldn't help marveling at Lumen's Apparition. The night before, he had been in far too much of a hurry to notice or feel anything as he was rushed from home.
"Lucien, the Magical Beast Automatic Feeder you gave me for Christmas is very interesting and practical. Thank you."
"I'm glad you like it. It's just a small tool I made myself. I find it quite convenient in daily use."
Newt nodded and chuckled softly.
"Yes, sometimes things really do get overwhelming. Oh, by the way, would you mind if I take a look at the Spatium Extendere container you made? You mentioned in your letter that you keep some magical beasts inside."
Lucien had no objections. He took out a white gourd, had Lumen stand guard outside, and led Newt inside.
After observing for a while, Newt offered Lucien a few small suggestions on how to further improve the Spatium Extendere container.
Once he confirmed that the magical beasts Lucien kept—such as Puffskeins and Mooncalves—were all in excellent health, Newt finally felt reassured.
This child had received the Unicorn's Blessing, and it would be much easier for him to get along with magical beasts in the future.
More importantly, Newt had personally witnessed Lucien rescuing the baby unicorn and could truly sense his sincerity and kindness.
He genuinely felt that Lucien was exceptionally well suited to the work of protecting magical beasts.
Perhaps a box would be more convenient…
As they were about to leave the gourd space, Newt suddenly added,
"Oh, right. When I came to the Forbidden Forest, I also wanted to take a look at the Acromantula gathering area. I heard there's quite a large colony here?"
________
(^///^) Please support this fic and also read 12 chapters ahead at Patreon.com/DrakDevil1