"So you hope Beauxbatons can have a 'Dumbledore' of its own?"
After Nicolas said this, Madame Maxime's exceptionally long fingers subconsciously rubbed the rim of her wine glass.
She immediately understood the implication behind his words. In the eyes of this legendary figure who had lived for more than six centuries, Lucien would one day become someone like Dumbledore, standing at the pinnacle of an era and admired throughout the wizarding world.
Madame Maxime understood the weight of such an assessment all too well.
Nicolas Flamel and Albus Dumbledore had known each other since Dumbledore's younger years. Nicolas had personally witnessed Dumbledore's brilliance in his youth and watched him grow step by step into the greatest wizard of the age.
And Lucien was Nicolas's own student. Naturally, Nicolas understood his talent and potential better than almost anyone.
If there was anyone in the world qualified to make such a judgment, it was Nicolas himself.
Madame Maxime nodded gently, her voice carrying a rare sincerity.
"I truly do hope to one day entrust Beauxbatons to a new Headmaster capable of leading it to even greater heights."
Although she had already expected something along these lines, Madame Maxime's heart still trembled slightly when Nicolas personally voiced such an assessment.
It was recognition from one living legend of another legend in the making.
At that moment, Madame Maxime's desire to win Lucien over reached its peak.
Her answer and reaction caused Nicolas to suddenly imagine an amusing possibility.
An outstanding graduate of Hogwarts coming to Beauxbatons as a professor, or even becoming its Headmaster one day...
That did sound rather interesting.
Each lost in their own thoughts, the two of them coincidentally looked towards Lucien on the other side of the hall once again.
The boy was standing beside a decorative magical plant with Fleur. The two were talking about something, smiles on both their faces.
With their striking appearances, they made a pleasing sight simply standing together.
In terms of appearance alone, Fleur was naturally more eye-catching at the moment.
After all, Lucien was only twelve years old. Even though he was somewhat more mature than others his age, his face still retained a trace of boyish innocence, and he was still several years away from fully growing into his appearance.
Fleur, on the other hand, was three or four years older than him, sixteen years old and in the bloom of youth.
Combined with the natural allure of her half-Veela heritage and the halo of silver light around her that she tried to suppress but could never entirely conceal, Fleur appeared even more dazzling and radiant.
Yet when the two stood side by side, no one felt that Lucien was overshadowed by her.
If Fleur was as dazzling as the bright moon, then Lucien was like the sky itself, calmly encompassing everything.
Looking at the two teenagers, who seemed remarkably well matched, Madame Maxime elegantly took a sip of red wine.
Perhaps a school's appeal should not depend entirely on its Headmaster.
Students were also at the heart of a school.
It was perfectly natural for students to become attracted to one another, especially young people in the bloom of youth. So what if they attended different schools?
Besides, hadn't Lucien already invented Instant Speech?
Distance would no longer be much of a problem.
Hehe.
Just as the greatest wizard of this century often said, love was the greatest magic in the world.
Wasn't it?
Nicolas looked at Lucien and Fleur, then glanced at the thoughtful smile on Madame Maxime's face. With his experience, how could he possibly fail to guess what she was thinking?
He chuckled.
"That child is rather simple-minded. Fortunately, she's already been studying and living at Beauxbatons for several years."
The smile on Madame Maxime's face stiffened slightly.
She had suddenly realised the problem as well.
Indeed, Fleur was, in a certain sense, rather "simple."
Her life had gone too smoothly.
Her outstanding appearance, rare heritage, and excellent grades meant that she had always been the one others pursued and surrounded.
As someone who had always been favoured and had never needed to accommodate or please others, how could she have developed the habit of trying to understand what others were thinking?
Lucien, by contrast, was clearly more talented, more accomplished, and two or three years younger, yet he behaved with far greater maturity and tolerance.
Madame Maxime's fingers lightly tapped against her wine glass, producing a faint sound.
If Fleur had not already spent five years at Beauxbatons and developed a strong enough sense of belonging to the school...
Then perhaps, instead of Fleur drawing Lucien to Beauxbatons, Lucien might end up luring Fleur away to Hogwarts.
...
The award ceremony was over, and it was time to say goodbye and return to school.
On the open grounds in front of Beauxbatons, the teachers and students from the three schools were gradually bidding farewell to one another.
Under the guidance of their professor, the Durmstrang students headed towards the old-fashioned sailing ship moored by the water.
The ship had sleek lines and towering masts, resembling a magical vessel from the Middle Ages.
Lucien stood not far away, watching as the ship slowly sank beneath the surface and disappeared without a trace, like a submarine.
Perhaps he would visit Durmstrang someday if he had the opportunity.
It was a school that allowed students to study the Dark Arts and did not accept young wizards from purely Muggle families. Many pure-blood parents, such as the Malfoys, had once considered sending their children there.
Moreover, Durmstrang was the school Grindelwald had attended, though unfortunately, such a prestigious connection was not exactly something the school could openly boast about.
Then again, Grindelwald did not seem to have officially graduated either. Who knew what outrageous thing he had done to get himself expelled?
He would find an opportunity to ask old Dumbledore about it.
On the other side, Madame Maxime was embracing Professor Shafiq in farewell.
The two witches spoke quietly, and a relaxed smile was clearly visible on Shafiq's face.
After saying goodbye to Shafiq, Madame Maxime leaned down and gave Lucien a light hug, teasing him in a low voice.
"You shouldn't participate in this kind of competition again. It's far too damaging to the confidence of other young people."
She paused, then added with a smile,
"Of course, you are always welcome to visit Beauxbatons for an exchange or as a guest."
Lucien felt slightly awkward.
Was this an indirect admission that he no longer counted as an ordinary "young person"?
Nevertheless, he quickly replied politely,
"It would be my honour to visit Beauxbatons again."
Then Fleur stepped forward as well.
Following Madame Maxime's example, she gave Lucien a light hug and said in a voice only the two of them could hear,
"When it's finished, send it to me as soon as possible."
Lucien knew she was referring to the improved version of Instant Speech and nodded with a smile.
Standing nearby, Riemann watched the scene and tried hard to keep the corners of his mouth from curling upward.
This junior schoolmate really was something.
How many days had it been?
The most beautiful girl in the school was already willing to hug him goodbye.
Even if it was merely a polite farewell, she had still chosen to do it herself.
No matter how romantic France was supposed to be, surely it could not be this romantic?
Riemann mused that over the past few days, he had seen Beauxbatons girls handing Lucien love letters, yet no one had given him any...
Of course, even if a beautiful girl did hand him one, Riemann would naturally refuse with righteous conviction.
He was a man with a fiancée!
...
Inside the Thestral-drawn carriage, everything was quiet.
Lucien leaned against the window, resting his chin on one hand as he watched the ground rapidly recede below and clouds gradually fill his view.
He began taking stock of everything he had gained from this trip to Beauxbatons.
From a certain perspective, this Triwizard Tournament had also served as a free product launch.
With the Ministries of Magic across Europe, and even beyond, paying attention to the tournament, Instant Speech had entered the public eye in an extremely natural way.
Having Alchemy Masters from several countries endorse it would be a tremendous help, whether in promoting Instant Speech for everyday use or in future cooperation with various Ministries of Magic to establish communication hubs and improve transmission efficiency.
In addition, bringing back the championship gave him a good reason to ask Dumbledore for a few rewards.
One of them would be permission to extract some of the accumulated emotional energy from Hogwarts' magical core to refine a Philosopher's Stone.
Of course, it would not be the complete version capable of turning base metals into gold or producing the Elixir of Life.
Lucien's current knowledge of Alchemy had not yet reached that level.
What he intended to create was the simplified Philosopher's Stone that Nicolas had taught him to make.
The simplified version could already provide a continuous, pure, and efficient supply of magic while accelerating ordinary alchemical processes.
For supporting daily magical experiments and alchemical production, that was more than sufficient.
Moreover, successfully refining a simplified Philosopher's Stone would also serve as a test of Lucien's current level in Alchemy.
Lucien withdrew his gaze and looked out at the drifting white clouds beyond the window.
The carriage travelled smoothly through the clouds as the distant horizon gradually took on the colours of dusk.
Beauxbatons was growing farther and farther behind him.
Ahead, Hogwarts was waiting for his return.
________
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