In the Headmaster's office.
Lucien and the two old guys were kicking back with some tea, just shooting the breeze.
Truth be told, Lucien figured there was no point hiding Luster anymore—not like back at the start of term.
No need to broadcast it, sure, but he wasn't sweating if word got out.
The little Qilin was a beast at Apparition—speed and range like nothing else, and zero issues with wards or restrictions.
On the flip side, from what Luster had shared, she'd unlocked this space-freezing trick mid-fight with that hooded creep.
She could lock down a chunk of space around her, straight-up blocking anyone from Apparating in, out, or away.
So yeah—Luster could bolt, but enemies? Stuck. No chase, no escape.
Lucien knew her survival game had just leveled up big time.
And she was smack in the middle of a growth spurt—size and power shooting up so fast, she was a whole new beast every month.
Take her real form: Started out about pony-sized, now she was pushing camel territory.
Her scales were tougher, magic resistance cranked way up, and the max temp on her purifying fire? Climbing higher by the day.
That scrap with "Quirrell" had pushed her flames to a breakthrough, too.
By Lucien's rough math, if she went all-out now, taking down an elite Auror would be a cakewalk. The only question was how many she could juggle at once.
And Aurors? They were the cream of the wizard crop.
Everyone knew dragons were treasure troves from nose to tail—how many wizards had the guts to go dragon-hunting?
Plus, dragons didn't pop in and out of thin air to bail, or crash your door at midnight to torch the place.
"Lucien, that technique you used on the little unicorn—Aurora? Pure genius."
"Repairing magic circuits? Never even heard of such a thing."
Newt let out a wry chuckle, eyeing the kid's sharp but still baby-faced features. He sighed softly.
"And your age? That's what's really blowing my mind."
"A first-year..."
Finding out Lucien was just a half-year-in newbie—even Muggle-born, per Dumbledore, with zero magic exposure before Hogwarts—hit Newt like a Bludger.
Dumbledore clapped him on the back with some reassurance.
"The wizarding world's full of wild cards. Each generation outshining the last? That's just how it goes."
But Dumbledore kept a few cards close: Like how this pint-sized wizard was already an Animagus. Transfiguration talent off the charts—unbelievable.
And on the circuit repair? Dumbledore saw layers Newt hadn't.
Lucien had leaned hard into Transfiguration for the clutch steps.
But that? Straight-up mind-bending. A wizard's magic meshing with a magical creature's circuits?
Most creatures shrugged off wizard spells—and you couldn't Transfigure one—because of how their circuits clashed and repelled.
Last night, though, Lucien had cracked that code, at least a little.
Dumbledore chalked it up to magic's quirks... and the kid's raw gift.
Unlike Muggle tech, wizarding study wasn't all rigid formulas. Stack enough knowledge, fuel it with passion and will, and boom—new spells just happened.
As for the nitty-gritty on how Lucien pulled off the unicorn fix? Dumbledore and Newt both steered clear, unspoken agreement.
No way they'd pry into a kid's secrets.
They wrapped up the chat after a bit, and Lucien and Newt said their goodbyes.
...
Stepping out of the office, Newt turned to Lucien.
"Mind lending a hand? Have Luster zap us to the Forest—I wanna check things out there."
"Yeah, we could hoof it from the castle, but with all the students and profs milling around... if someone spots you..."
Newt trailed off, tilting his head. Small talk with strangers? Still not his jam.
Lucien got it—total introvert vibes.
Newt was retired and reclusive these days, hadn't shown his face much. Not a surefire ID situation.
But hey, what if? Die-hard fans spotting their hero at Hogwarts? One excited yell, and boom—half the school swarms him.
The old man's popularity with kids was off the charts.
Lucien still remembered dangling Newt's autograph as a study prize—Ron's and Malfoy's motivation had skyrocketed.
Pure-blood kids especially? They knew Newt's street cred inside out.
"No sweat—easy favor."
Lucien summoned her with a thought, and the second Luster popped in, they vanished from the corridor.
Next blink, they were deep in the Forbidden Forest.
"Lightning-fast. And zero queasiness on the ride."
Newt marveled at her Apparition—last night had been too frantic to savor it.
"Oh, and Lucien—that magical creature auto-feeder you sent for Christmas? Clever and handy as hell. Thanks."
"Glad you dig it. Just a little gadget I whipped up—makes my routine a breeze."
Newt nodded, a quiet smile tugging at his lips.
"Yeah, some days it piles up."
"Speaking of—mind if I peek at that Undetectable Extension Charm setup you built? You mentioned in your letter you're keeping some creatures?"
Lucien was game. He pulled out a white gourd, posted Luster as lookout, and led Newt inside.
After poking around, Newt tossed out a few tweaks—polish ideas for the Extension work.
Once he confirmed Lucien's puffapods, mooncalves, and the rest were thriving, Newt's relief was palpable.
The kid had the unicorn's blessing—magical critters would warm to him easy from here.
And after watching Lucien save little Aurora up close? Newt felt the guy's heart: pure fire and kindness.
He was a natural for creature protection gigs.
Maybe a suitcase setup would suit him...
As they geared up to bail from the gourd space, Newt tossed out a casual line:
"Oh, right—real reason I hit the Forest? Wanted to scope out the Acromantula colony. Word is there's a decent-sized bunch here?"