Lucien stepped into the gourd space.
Norbert, who'd been trailing Luster like a little shadow, immediately scampered toward him. Halfway there, it spread its wings, flapping a few times before taking flight.
"Mama!"
The baby dragon chirped excitedly, diving straight into Lucien's arms.
"Let's go with 'Papa' instead," Lucien said, catching Norbert like he was hugging a big dog, his tone tinged with resignation.
You had to hand it to dragons—they grew fast.
In just a few days, Norbert had doubled in size.
"Okay, Mama," Norbert squeaked, clearly not breaking the habit.
Lucien sighed. Maybe it was because Norbert was so young, and dragon instincts were still in charge.
Fine, let it call him whatever for now.
No one else could understand it anyway.
Holding Norbert, Lucien checked it over, making sure its growth was on track.
Unlike the wrinkled wings it had at birth, they were now broader and sturdier.
Its scales gleamed nicely, full and intact, with golden streaks more pronounced than before.
Lucien softly called Luster over. A fist-sized ball of purifying fire floated to Norbert, who gobbled it down in a few bites.
"Main course is done—time for the supplement," Lucien said with a grin, watching Luster play with Norbert as he mixed brandy and chicken blood.
He'd only recently noticed during a check-up that Norbert was a female Norwegian Ridgeback.
Female dragons were typically larger and more aggressive than males, which was perfect.
Lucien had plans to raise Norbert to be the dragon king—or queen—of the Norwegian Ridgeback clan.
Their numbers were scarce, so conquering the group shouldn't be too complicated or take too long.
As Malfoy had once explained, Norwegian Ridgebacks were fiercely combative, especially with their own kind.
It was almost like how Thestrals blew up their mates during breeding—pure strength turned them into a rare species.
Once the chicken blood and brandy mix was ready, Norbert scarfed it down, letting out a satisfied burp followed by a tiny puff of dragon fire.
Among dragons, Norwegian Ridgebacks developed their fire-breathing early.
Lucien glanced around the gourd space. It was vast and open.
Besides Norbert, no other magical creatures lived here.
No choice—dragons were fiercely territorial.
Housing Norbert with other creatures would be like setting up a buffet for the little dragon.
Despite being newly hatched, Norbert's robust build and developing fire breath could already threaten milder, weaker creatures. It needed its own space.
Wand in hand, Lucien walked along the edge of the space, following Newt's earlier instructions to expand it further, making Norbert's home more comfortable.
Before leaving, he conjured some new toys for Norbert to play with when bored.
The old ones had already been "played" to pieces.
Leaving the dragon's gourd, Lucien entered another space.
This one was livelier, filled with harmless, friendly creatures like Puffskeins and Nifflers.
He approached an unremarkable tree, where a small hollow sat at about chest height.
Bending slightly, Lucien peered inside.
If the tree's exterior was plain, the hollow was anything but.
Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts lined the space, with gold Galleons dominating, making the hollow gleam brilliantly.
A platinum-colored Niffler, Goldie, lay sprawled in a corner, clutching a coin in each tiny paw, its belly rising and falling as it snoozed.
Goldie's adorable pose made Lucien chuckle. He pulled a few more coins from his pocket and gently placed them in the hollow.
He tickled Goldie's belly, but it only hugged its coins tighter, still fast asleep.
"In a few days, I'll get you some new shiny stuff," Lucien said softly.
He'd already written to Aunt Penelope to send some jewelry and trinkets to the school. They should arrive soon.
Nifflers loved shiny, precious things, and variety was best.
According to Newt, it was good for their mental health.
Heh, raising a Niffler sure isn't cheap, Lucien thought. Good thing I've got some family money to spare.
Whinny~
A soft, colt-like sound came from nearby, and Lucien felt something nudge his pant leg.
Looking down, he saw Aurora.
He patted the golden foal's forehead and led the young unicorn to an open patch of ground.
Pulling out some lake-washed berries and moonlit grass, he fed them to Aurora, preparing to use his Seer's Sight to check her magical circuit.
Suddenly, he noticed something new: a wing-like pattern on the fur near Aurora's shoulder blades, almost cloud-shaped.
Checking the other side, he saw an identical mark.
It wasn't there yesterday.
Neither Asterion nor Selenia had similar patterns.
A mutation?
Black swirls appeared in Lucien's eyes.
With Seer's Sight, he examined Aurora's magical circuit.
A normal unicorn's circuit formed a closed loop. Aurora's, post-repair, had been the same.
Now, though, her circuit had slight ripples, like waves on a calm lake—subtle, but present.
Recalling the principles of magical weaving, Lucien quickly identified this as a benign circuit mutation.
When altering a creature's circuit, some variation was expected, for better or worse.
Since Aurora's had only been repaired, not fully reshaped, the mutation was mild.
Thankfully, it was a positive change, putting Lucien at ease.
By summer, her circuit should be fully stable, he thought.
Then he'd see exactly what benefits this mutation might bring.
Magical weaving worked best during a creature's growth phase, when their body was stronger and their circuit more malleable.
While young creatures had highly flexible circuits, their fragility made the process riskier.
Using the spells from the magical weaving technique, Lucien cast a dozen varied charms on Aurora's circuit.
He then pulled out two potions: one to rub on her fur, especially around her lower back, and one to feed her.
"Come on, it's okay. Drink this, and you'll heal even faster," he said gently.
"But… it's really bitter…" Aurora whimpered softly, her meaning clear to Lucien.
"How about a Lemon Sherbet Drop afterward?"
With a flick of his hand, Lucien produced a yellow hard candy wrapped in clear paper, dusted with snowy powder.
Aurora eyed the candy, then timidly whinnied, "Can I have another one of those brown frogs, too?"
Lucien caught on instantly—she meant a Chocolate Frog.
He pulled out a box, keeping it closed to prevent the frog from hopping away.
Aurora's eyes lit up. She obediently drank the potion.
Lucien fed her the Lemon Sherbet Drop and then the Chocolate Frog.
Who knew unicorns had such a sweet tooth? he thought. Maybe Aurora and Dumbledore would get along.