In Hagrid's garden, Lucien flicked his wand lightly.
"Geminio Terram," he muttered.
A small pit opened in the earth. Lucien buried a sealed box containing a potion vial, then waved his wand again to smooth the soil back into place.
Next, he summoned a few stones, arranging them in an irregular pattern over the spot. With another flick of his wand, he set up a series of complex magical traps.
Lucien carefully transplanted a few Biting Cabbages from their gourd containers around the area.
"Hagrid, could you keep an eye on this spot for me?" he asked.
Standing nearby, the half-giant thumped his chest, his voice booming. "You bet, Lucien! I won't let anyone mess with it!"
Lucien gave Hagrid a serious nod. "Thanks."
The potion mixture needed to sit in a dark, quiet place until a stormy night with thunder and lightning arrived. Until then, the crystal vial couldn't be disturbed or exposed to sunlight. Sunlight would cause the worst kind of contamination and mutation.
Lucien glanced at the buried spot. It was a shame it had to be buried in the earth—it was a key part of interacting with nature. The ingredients in the potion needed to slowly meld and transform, like a seed waiting to sprout. That's why he couldn't just store it in an Undetectable Extension Charm container; that would've been far safer and more convenient.
He'd briefly considered burying it deep in the Forbidden Forest. To keep beasts or magical creatures from digging it up, he could've asked his little unicorn, Shimmer, to guard it. After all, few creatures in the forest could take on a young unicorn.
But then he remembered something: Quirrell—or rather, the Voldemort possessing him. He was probably already hunting for unicorns. If Lucien got really unlucky and ran into Voldemort, that'd be a serious problem.
After some thought, Hagrid's place seemed like the best option. Hardly anyone came out here except Lucien, Harry, and a few others. With the holidays approaching, there'd be even fewer people around. Plus, Lucien didn't plan to leave it buried for long—just ten days or so. Hagrid was reliable, too. Dumbledore trusted him with his life. Sure, Hagrid wasn't great at keeping secrets, but he was solid when it came to getting things done.
"Lucien, I just thought of somethin'," Hagrid said suddenly.
"Yeah?"
Hagrid glanced up at the night sky, his voice rumbling. "It's the weekend, sure, but young wizards ain't supposed to be wanderin' around at night, are they? Especially outside the castle."
"Lucien, it's a bit late to head back now. Why don't you crash here for the night?"
Nighttime strolls through the Forbidden Forest were practically second nature to Lucien by now. Heading back wouldn't be a problem—Shimmer could Apparate him in a flash. But staying over at a friend's place every now and then? That sounded nice.
"Uh, if it's not too much trouble?" Lucien replied.
"No trouble at all!" Hagrid said cheerfully, heading into his hut to tidy up. He seemed thrilled to have a friend stay over.
Once Hagrid was inside, Lucien summoned Shimmer. Looking at the now-smaller unicorn, he rubbed its forehead gently. "While I'm not around, keep an eye on this spot for me, okay?"
"Sure thing, Master!" Shimmer replied.
"And don't eat Hagrid's vegetables. I'll bring you some treats."
"Fine, Master," Shimmer said, a little reluctantly.
Lucien's eyes swirled with tiny spirals as he looked at the unicorn nuzzling his hand. No magical circuits here…
Inside the hut, Hagrid called out, "Lucien, you want a bedtime story?"
He was about to douse the lights when he asked, catching Lucien off guard. A bedtime story? From Hagrid? The half-giant's gentle side was showing, and it was oddly touching.
Not wanting to brush off the kindness, Lucien smiled. "Sure, why not?"
Hagrid pulled out a small booklet—well, a book, but it looked tiny in his massive hands. "Once upon a time, in the wizarding world, there was a family…"
But within minutes, Hagrid's storytelling voice faded, replaced by loud snores.
Lucien chuckled, shaking his head. He pointed his wand at himself, casting a Silencing Charm to block out the noise, then extinguished the lights.
---
At dawn, as the sun began to rise, Lucien was already up.
Facing the morning light, he pointed his wand at his heart and recited, "Amato Animo Animato Animagus."
This was the third step of the Animagus process. During the wait for the stormy night, he had to point his wand at his heart and recite the incantation at every sunrise and sunset without fail.
"Mornin', Lucien!" Hagrid called out.
"Morning, Hagrid."
Hagrid was dressed in his moleskin coat, beaver-skin boots, and rabbit-fur gloves, dragging a fir tree he'd cut from the Forbidden Forest for Christmas decorations.
Lucien flicked his wand, levitating the tree off the ground.
"Oh, thanks, Lucien!" Hagrid said.
"No problem."
Together, they walked to Hogwarts Castle. As they entered the Great Hall, Harry and Ron, who were eating breakfast, waved at him.
"Lucien, morning!" they called.
"Lucien, you staying at school for the holidays?" Harry asked.
Christmas was a time for family, and most students went home. But Lucien had plans, especially with his Animagus process. Still, Shimmer's Apparition could take him far if he needed to pop back home to surprise Aunt Penelope.
"Not going back just yet," Lucien said.
"Oh, right—Ron, here's Scabbers." Lucien pulled a scruffy, balding rat from his pocket.
The moment Scabbers hit the table, he bolted into Ron's arms, diving into a pocket to hide. That rat never wanted to see that human-disguised demon again.