Deep in the Forbidden Forest.
Moonlight from a full moon bathed the ground in a silvery glow.
Lucien and Luster had only just apparated when a sudden intuition nudged Lucien to glance in a specific direction.
Activating his Eye of Insight, dark vortexes swirled in his pupils.
He could just barely make out the form of a unicorn.
Their speed was still too fast, though. Even with the Eye of Insight boosting his dynamic vision, all he could catch were fleeting afterimages of the unicorns' movements.
Still, it was better than before, when their comings and goings were like the wind, completely invisible to him.
When the unicorn couple, Asterion and Seleneia, finally stood still before him, Lucien gave a gentle nod. He pulled a small crystal vial from his pocket, uncorked it, and used his wand to guide a single drop of qilin saliva into Seleneia's mouth.
As he did, Lucien's thoughts drifted to another matter.
Intuition.
The book Inspiration and Divination, provided by Malfoy, centered on a meditation technique.
First, you'd cast a spell to create a distraction-free environment, then take a specific potion. Maintain a calm, focused state for over an hour. According to the book, this method could heighten intuition, granting wizards a special kind of insight.
Like just now—his intuition had told him exactly where Seleneia and Asterion would appear.
And sure enough, the two unicorns had stopped right there.
Lucien hadn't been practicing the technique for long, so the effects were subtle but noticeable.
This intuition—or inspiration—could be applied to divination, too.
It also seemed useful for studying and research.
It didn't change magical talent, but it helped maintain a sharper mental state. When tackling a problem or practicing spells, good ideas came more easily, and better approaches revealed themselves.
"Whinny—"
Seleneia let out a soft call, drawing Lucien's attention.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Master, Seleneia says she feels the baby will come in about forty to sixty moon cycles," Luster translated.
Lucien nodded, understanding. That meant roughly a month and a half to two months. Not bad.
But that timing… it lined up with when Tom would need his "blood supply."
Better warn the unicorns.
"Luster, tell them to stay deep in the Forbidden Forest before the birth," Lucien instructed. "And if labor starts, come find me. I'll move them somewhere safe."
Lucien was being cautious. Voldemort would soon drive Quirrell to hunt unicorns, using their blood to sustain his life.
He'd considered bringing Seleneia and Asterion into his gourd space until the danger passed, but unicorns, by nature, resisted confinement. They loved their freedom to roam. Since even Luster's persuasion didn't work, Lucien hadn't forced them.
Using the Eye of Insight, Lucien studied the unicorns' magical pathways.
Magical creatures' mana circuits were strikingly different from wizards'. If a wizard's mana circuit was like a sprawling tree, a unicorn's was a closed, circular loop.
Their magic flowed constantly, never pausing, while a wizard's mana only stirred when casting spells. The two systems were worlds apart.
Lucien also noticed, in Seleneia's abdomen, a smaller loop pulsing faintly.
That must be the unicorn foal, growing inside her.
Were magical creatures born with these mana circuits?
Did human wizards have them too, or did they only form after a magical awakening, like a surge of power?
Lucien thought back to his observations of his own creatures—the Acromantula and Mooncalf. Their mana circuits were just as varied and strange.
No wonder some wizard spells were less effective on magical creatures, and Transfiguration on them was nearly impossible.
The differences in mana circuits were too vast.
To develop a Transfiguration spell for magical creatures, you'd need to address the mana circuit problem—construct a truly functional one…
Suddenly, Lucien snapped out of his thoughts as a horn waved in front of his face.
"Master, Asterion says it has something for you," Luster's voice echoed in his mind. "It wants us to follow."
Riding on Luster's back, Lucien trailed the two unicorns.
They led him to a cave-like structure made of interwoven trees, draped with vines. This must be their nest, Lucien figured.
Asterion and Seleneia stepped inside and soon emerged, each carrying something in their mouths.
Asterion held a strand of hair; Seleneia, a spiraled horn.
"Master, these are their gifts to you," Luster said.
Lucien immediately recognized them: unicorn tail hair and a unicorn horn.
"Master, they say it's to thank you for the, uh, treasure you gave them," Luster continued, sounding a bit awkward.
The "treasure" Asterion and Seleneia referred to was Luster's own saliva.
But Luster dutifully translated, "They say it's helping their foal grow stronger, destined to be a healthy, beautiful unicorn."
Lucien nodded, unsurprised. Unicorns were highly intelligent; if not for the language barrier, they could easily converse with humans.
He reached out, accepting the tail hair and horn. Both shimmered with star-like specks of light.
These were valuable treasures.
They were prized in potion-making and alchemy, incredibly rare and precious.
Unicorn tail hair was also one of the most common wand cores, a testament to its reliability and power.
Lucien tucked them into his pocket.
Whether he kept them for himself or traded them, they were fantastic assets.
"Oh, Master, Asterion specifically said these came from its own body," Luster added. "It didn't want to give away its mate's."
Lucien's lips twitched in amusement.
This unicorn was something else.
Watching Asterion nuzzle Seleneia's cheek for the umpteenth time that night, Lucien shook his head. Quite the devoted partner.
Bidding farewell to the unicorns, Lucien and Luster apparated away.
They arrived at a clearing where a group of Mooncalves was basking in the moonlight, performing their strange, enchanting dance.
Lucien chuckled and pulled out a white gourd. Several Mooncalves hopped out of its opening.
The original group of Mooncalves curiously eyed their new kin. Within seconds, both groups were dancing together under the moon.
That was the Mooncalf way—dance first, socialize later!
Looking up at the full moon, Lucien took a single Mandrake leaf and placed it in his mouth.
"Here we go," he said. "The first step to becoming an Animagus."