"Lucien, the way you made that mechanical dog—was that alchemy?"
Hagrid and the four young wizards were gathered around the dinner table, enjoying a hearty meal.
Hermione suddenly turned to Lucien, who swallowed a bite of beef brisket before answering, "It involved some alchemical techniques."
Hermione nodded, but her brow furrowed in confusion. "But I thought you could only take Alchemy as an elective in sixth year."
"I've only found a few books on alchemy in the library, and they're mostly just introductory stuff. Lucien, your family wouldn't have magical books on this, would they?"
Hermione, of course, remembered that Lucien, like her, came from a Muggle family. So her curiosity wasn't just about the fact that Lucien knew alchemy—it was where he'd learned it.
Lucien found Hermione's reaction and curiosity perfectly understandable. This girl, nicknamed "Know-It-All," was a total bookworm and a knowledge-hungry overachiever. Her fascination with learning was no surprise.
His own alchemy knowledge came mainly from the Restricted Section of the library, the Potter family's magical books, and his analysis of a transfigured pocket watch. But none of those sources were exactly shareable with Hermione.
The pocket watch involved a system he couldn't discuss, the Potter family books were Harry's, obtained through a tutoring trade, and definitely not for sharing. As for the Restricted Section, those books were approved for him by Dumbledore himself.
Hermione was a keen learner, but she was only a first-year. Diving into alchemy now might be a bit premature—building a solid foundation was more important at this stage.
"Professor Dumbledore recommended a few books to me, and some of them covered alchemy," Lucien explained.
Hermione caught his meaning immediately. Those books were likely approved by the headmaster for Lucien's use only, not to be lent out casually. Otherwise, Lucien would've offered to let her borrow them.
The young witch sighed in disappointment, spearing a piece of potato and beef brisket with her fork. "Lucien, you're really something. Not long after starting at Hogwarts, you've already got the headmaster lending you books."
"Whether it's Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, or even Herbology, you're brilliant at everything. Even your cooking is amazing!"
Lucien set down his chopsticks—he preferred them for eating Chinese-style dishes over a knife and fork—and wiped his mouth. "Cooking's just another kind of knowledge, isn't it?"
"Exactly! Lucien, your food is so good!" Ron chimed in, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster's. He gave Lucien a thumbs-up with one hand while frantically shoveling food into his mouth with the other—a piece of beef brisket, some stir-fried chicken, a bit of steamed fish…
Hermione shot Ron a slightly exasperated look at his exaggerated gobbling, though she had to admit his enthusiasm wasn't entirely misplaced.
She speared another piece of potato, realizing she'd better hurry before Ron and Harry polished off the dish. The potatoes in the beef brisket stew were almost more flavorful than the meat itself.
Hagrid was mostly focused on his own cooking, occasionally sampling Lucien's dishes. Though his own food didn't seem as popular, he was just happy to see the young wizards enjoying themselves.
"Lucien, your cooking style—it's not from around here, is it?" Hagrid asked.
"Nope, it's all Eastern recipes. Seems like the flavors are a hit, though," Lucien replied.
Watching the trio devour the food like a whirlwind, Lucien thought Eastern cuisine might just have a fanbase at Hogwarts. Maybe he could chat with the house-elves about adding some of these dishes to the Great Hall's menu. It'd be nice to have a taste of home whenever he wanted.
After dinner, Lucien moved over to the mechanical dog, tweaking some of its mechanisms. He'd noticed a few minor flaws earlier.
He dismantled and reassembled parts, using his wand to fine-tune their shapes, testing and adjusting repeatedly.
At first, Hagrid and the others crowded around, curious about what he was doing. But the complex mechanical structures quickly lost their novelty.
Hagrid went to clear the dishes, Harry started memorizing Potions facts, and Hermione settled into a corner with a book. Only Ron stayed, squatting beside Lucien, watching him tinker with the mechanical dog. His eyes sparkled as he stared at the gears and bearings.
Lucien didn't think much of it, assuming Ron was just intrigued by the mechanical puzzle.
As he worked on the dog, Lucien's mind wandered to his future plans. The Chimera Transformation Manual had enough Transfiguration knowledge to keep him busy for a while—at least until he reached live-to-live transfiguration. After that, the ultimate goal was Animagus transformation.
He'd definitely need Professor McGonagall's guidance for that, maybe even her supervision during his attempts. She'd probably agree, especially if he showed more proficiency in Transfiguration.
He also needed to make another trip to the Forbidden Forest to finish documenting the last magical creature. That would settle his pet growth loan.
Finding a unicorn would be ideal—even partial information could add weight to the letter he'd send to Newt Scamander.
Then there was crafting an Undetectable Extension Charm container capable of holding living creatures. Newt's last letter had filled in the final gaps, so he was ready to start experimenting.
Lucien snapped the mechanical dog's casing back into place, finishing his adjustments.
He remembered he could meet with Quirrell this week for his first tutoring session. He'd already read half of Identifying Dark Magic and planned to finish it before the session, focusing on sections about mind-control spells and poisonous curses.
After the tutoring, he'd grab afternoon tea with Dumbledore. It'd be a good chance to have the headmaster check him for any lingering Dark Magic effects.
Lucien refocused, restarting the mechanical dog and letting it scamper off to play with Fang.
Stepping outside Hagrid's hut, he fertilized the Biting Cabbages and cleared out some pests like Fwoopers. Glancing at his nearly empty sack of Mooncalf dung, he made a mental note to collect more during his next Forbidden Forest trip.
Once he perfected the Undetectable Extension container for living creatures, he could start raising Mooncalves. That would ensure a steady supply of fertilizer without constant foraging.
He'd mention it in his next letter to Newt, along with questions about caring for magical creatures. Maybe he could even set up fields inside the container, though he'd need to figure out how to replicate sunlight with magic.
As Lucien prepared to head to the Forbidden Forest, a voice called out behind him: "Lucien, can I learn from you—how to make those mechanical animals?"