"Hey, Lucien, is that a letter from your family?"
It was Harry who asked, looking up at Lucien with curiosity.
Most of the other students had received letters from home, but Harry hadn't received a single one.
The only letters he ever got were from Hagrid, inviting him to his hut.
Lucien shook his head.
"No, it's from Newt Scamander."
Silence—
The area around Lucien instantly fell quiet.
Only the faint sound of bats flapping their wings and candles flickering could be heard.
"Uh, Lucien, you're joking, right?"
Ron was the first to break the silence. He set down his little Alchemical frog and chuckled.
"Newt Scamander—as in the world-famous magizoologist? You must mean someone with the same name, right, Lucien?"
Hermione instinctively began to explain:
"Oh, oh, I know. Newt Scamander, author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, recipient of the Order of Merlin, Second Class, in 1979…"
Ron couldn't help curling his lip. He still couldn't stand Hermione's "know-it-all" attitude.
In truth, even if Hermione hadn't said anything, everyone already knew who Newt Scamander was.
His Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was an introductory book for countless young wizards, teaching them about all sorts of magical creatures.
It was practically the wizarding world's version of Animal Planet.
Newt had many fans and was especially popular among young witches and wizards.
Lucien didn't mind their laughter.
Sometimes, you tell the truth plainly—but people just don't believe you.
Not wanting to listen to Hermione's lecturing, Ron chuckled.
"Lucien, if you can really write to Newt, could you get me an autographed copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? Hmm… if I get a ninety on my next monthly exam—aww!"
Before he could finish, Harry nudged him with his elbow.
Their tutoring sessions weren't exactly public knowledge yet.
For instance, Hermione still didn't know about them.
As they chatted, Malfoy walked past with his two cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, close behind.
When Malfoy saw Harry, he only let out a cold snort.
But when his gaze fell on Lucien's back, his eyes turned icy.
Ever since Lucien had rejected his attempt at friendship, Malfoy had grown more and more irritated. The more he thought about it, the more that suppressed anger built inside him.
A boy from a filthy Mudblood family—how dare he reject him!
What made Malfoy even angrier was that he hadn't yet found a good opportunity to retaliate. Otherwise, he would have already made Lucien pay for it.
Malfoy stormed off toward the nearby long table.
Noticing him passing by, Harry frowned and muttered under his breath,
"Tch, what was that look for? So annoying."
"Malfoy's even worse than Dudley!"
Hearing Harry's comment, Ron looked puzzled.
"Malfoy looking down on everyone is definitely annoying, but who's Dudley? Is he in our year?"
Harry shook his head.
"No, Dudley's my aunt's son. He's a bully—and his conscience is even smaller than his pea-sized brain. Well, I guess his stomach is big enough to compensate—"
Before Harry could finish, he noticed two nearly identical boys sneaking up behind Ron.
"Ickle Ronniekins, our dearest, what are you playing with?"
"Yeah. Why are you playing with a little toad? Planning to replace your poor, poor Scabbers with it?"
Startled by the sudden "affectionate" greeting, Ron choked on his soup, his face flushing bright red.
Once he finally managed to catch his breath, he turned to glare at the two "uninvited guests."
"Fred! George! Don't call me that!"
Then he quickly glanced at Lucien and the others.
Harry already had his head buried in his arms, and Hermione had turned her face away.
Even though he couldn't see their expressions, Ron could tell from their trembling shoulders—
They were shaking with laughter!
As for Lucien, his expression remained composed, but the corners of his mouth were clearly threatening to twitch.
Ickle Ronniekins, our dearest. Tsk tsk… the Weasley twins were truly fond of their youngest brother.
His friends' reactions only deepened Ron's embarrassment, his face growing even redder.
He looked back at his twin brothers, his eyes full of grief and indignation.
"What exactly are you two doing here?"
The Weasley twins exchanged a glance, then said in perfect unison,
"Percy sent us to check on your studies."
"After all, he's a studious, self-important prick—I mean, he is usually so busy~"
One of them—Fred or George, it was hard to tell—picked up the little Alchemical frog from the table and grinned.
"Not bad. It actually looks like something. The little frog's quite cute."
The other twin turned to Lucien, blinking mischievously.
"Lucien, did Ron really make this little ugly toad? How did you teach that kid? Mind teaching me, too?"
At that, Hermione couldn't help but glance at Lucien.
So… Lucien taught him?
Did that mean Ron's ability to make this frog—this thing—was all thanks to Lucien?
Then… was Ron's improvement in Transfiguration also because of him?
Hermione's eyes shifted to Harry. She suddenly realized that Harry was always with Ron—and often appeared right behind Lucien.
Could it be that Harry's improvement in Potions was also because of him…?
Lucien was still thinking about how to respond—well, technically, it started with learning mechanical theory, then engineering drawings, homework, exams, and then Transfiguration…
But before he could speak, Ron had already snatched the little Alchemical frog back from his brother's hand, muttering,
"It's not an ugly toad, it's a frog!"
Saying that, Ron seemed eager to prove himself. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at the small frog.
"Watch carefully!"
A few seconds passed. The frog didn't move.
Ron's face reddened in embarrassment, and he glanced at Lucien for help.
Lucien didn't hesitate and said casually,
"Just pat it."
Hearing that, Ron slapped his palm lightly on the frog's back.
"Croak!"
The Alchemical mechanical frog suddenly let out a croak, startling even the Weasley twins.
They had only come over to watch the fun after hearing Percy mention it in passing, but who would've thought Ron had actually made a functioning Alchemical mechanical creature?
Although it had only managed a simple croak, the Weasley twins stared at Ron in astonishment. They had never expected that their usually unremarkable little brother had actually learned Alchemical Mechanics.
Then, in perfect sync, they turned their gazes toward Lucien, suddenly developing a keen interest in him. This younger student was far more intriguing than they'd thought—he had actually managed to teach Ron something.
"Croak~"
Another croak echoed, but this time it was softer.
It wasn't actually quieter—the frog had simply hopped away, and the sound was fading with distance.
Lucien turned toward the source of the noise. The Alchemical mechanical frog had already leapt onto the next long table.
Plop—
With a splash, the golden little frog landed squarely in a bowl of cream of mushroom soup.
"Croak."
The frog gave another energetic jump, landing neatly on a perfectly combed, light-blond pompadour—and squatted there.
Mushroom and cream soup dripped down its body, running into that luxurious hair.
Ron immediately stood up and hurried over to the boy's side.
He was clearly holding back laughter as he spoke with a hint of apology,
"Ha—uh, no, I'm sorry, Malfoy."
As he spoke, Ron reached out, trying to take the Alchemical mechanical frog off.
But Malfoy had already snapped out of his shock. He shot to his feet, yanking the thing from his head.
"Weasley!"
__________
11 Advance Chaps- P@treon/DarkDevil1