Lucien put away Professor McGonagall's letter.
He now had a preliminary glimpse of the possibility of pioneering new directions in Transfiguration, and a clearer idea of how to repay his loan.
He turned his head and saw that the owl was still there, preening its feathers.
Sitting down at his desk, Lucien began to write his reply to Professor McGonagall:
"Professor, thank you for your guidance. I will keep your warning in mind and will not attempt..."
Since Professor McGonagall had solemnly explained the dangers of transfiguring magical creatures, Lucien naturally wouldn't be stubborn and insist on trying it immediately.
You eat your meal one bite at a time, and you walk your path one step at a time.
Lucien knew very well that he should first master the basic knowledge, and with enough foundation, then try truly high-end and innovative Transfiguration.
As long as he could develop stable Transfiguration of magical creatures within a year, he would complete his loan mission.
The pen tip scratched on the paper.
Having quickly finished his reply, Lucien put it into an envelope, just about to hand it to the owl perched by the window.
Suddenly, a pale golden figure flew in through the window, heading straight for the plump, snow-white bird.
"Hoo! Hoo—"
The owl was instantly startled and hooted incessantly, flapping its wings and darting around the room.
Lucien merely waved his hand helplessly at the sight.
"Liuguang, don't scare it anymore."
The golden figure stopped, its large, golden-red eyes blinking as it looked at Lucien.
Lucien also looked at Little Qilin, a smile on his lips.
Liuguang was the name he gave Little Qilin.
It meant 'golden light,' which was quite fitting for its pale golden scales.
With a cloud coiling around its feet, Liuguang stepped through the air to Lucien's side, rubbing its forehead, which had not yet grown short horns, against Lucien's cheek, very affectionately.
"Go soothe that owl; I still need its help to deliver a letter."
Understanding its master's meaning, Liuguang turned its head towards the owl flying wildly around the room.
Without Little Qilin seeming to do anything, the startled owl slowed its flight and finally stopped on the window again.
"Hoo."
The owl tilted its head.
Liuguang tilted its head back at Lucien, seemingly waiting for praise.
This was the Unicorn's psychic communication; it could directly convey meaning to other creatures mentally. Liuguang conveyed goodwill and comfort to the owl.
Coupled with the fact that Unicorn are auspicious symbols and are inherently friendly to other creatures, the owl quickly calmed down.
Gently rubbing Liuguang's small head, Lucien smiled:
"Well done."
He handed the envelope to the owl at the window.
The owl, having received the letter, flapped its wings and flew away directly.
...
10:00 AM, September 1st
Lucien arrived at King's Cross Station.
This was a transportation hub in London, with an extremely high flow of passengers.
Lucien walked through the crowd and arrived at the famous Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.
He slowed his steps, waiting until he saw a person walk straight into the third pillar.
Lucien followed that person, naturally walking into the dividing wall.
He passed directly through it, arriving in a new world.
The Hogwarts Express, an old steam train.
It hadn't blown its whistle yet, sitting quietly there; it wasn't time for departure yet.
Lucien was not in a hurry to board, walking a distance along the platform, examining the magical train.
With a red engine and black carriages, it looked not much different from a Muggle steam train.
However, Lucien knew very well that this was a genuine alchemical creation; the Hogwarts Express was likely created by Wizards and was the magical product that interacted most with the Muggle world.
He scanned the platform, which was full of young Wizards saying goodbye to their parents.
The older young Wizards were fine, as they had been to Hogwarts several times already.
But those newly admitted, first-year young Wizards, were mostly frowning, or even teary-eyed.
There was no helping it; these new students were only 11 years old, many of them separating from their parents for the first time, entering an unfamiliar school, and meeting new classmates and teachers.
Stepping onto the train, Lucien's lips curled into a smile.
Hogwarts, here I come.
He walked through the train, found an empty compartment at random, and went inside to put away his luggage.
In fact, his luggage consisted of only one suitcase.
This was no ordinary suitcase; it was a suitcase Lucien had bought on another trip to Diagon Alley, charmed with an Undetectable Extension Charm.
The actual space inside was large enough to hold all of Lucien's daily necessities and books.
Of course, it couldn't compare to Newt Scamander's suitcase in Fantastic Beasts.
His suitcase was like a small world, containing who knows how many fantastic beasts.
Later, I can study the Undetectable Extension Charm and see if I can modify and expand my suitcase. If I could be like Newt, throwing out a large group of fantastic beasts in battle, it would probably give my opponent a little shock.
Thinking this, Lucien opened his suitcase and took out a few books.
Since there was still plenty of time on the journey, Lucien leaned against the window and leisurely read his book.
...
"Platform Nine and Three-Quarters actually requires you to walk into a pillar?"
Hermione dragged a pile of luggage, panting as she walked through the carriage.
She had arrived at King's Cross Station early, but ended up spending quite a while searching for the platform.
If she hadn't glimpsed a family walking into a pillar between Platform Nine and Platform Ten, and then magically disappearing, Hermione probably would have wandered around for even longer.
Because she was in a hurry, Hermione's nose was dotted with beads of sweat, and her already bushy brown hair was even more dishevelled.
Walking past the compartments that were already full, Hermione arrived in front of a closed door. She first calmed her slightly hurried breathing, then raised her hand and gently knocked on the door.
"Hello, are there any empty seats inside?"
"Yes, please come in."
The voice sounded a little familiar, but Hermione didn't think much of it. She just wanted to put away her luggage and sit down to rest!
Pulling open the door with a whoosh, Hermione looked inside.
A young man was leaning by the window, holding a book.
Sunlight streamed through the train window, falling on the young man's dark golden hair, reflecting a faint golden glow.
Hearing the sound of the door opening, those dark green eyes left the book and turned to Hermione.
"Oh, Miss Granger, what a coincidence."
Looking at that handsome face, with a faint smile in his eyes.
Hermione actually forgot to reply for a moment.
The compartment was silent for almost a full minute.
"Ah, yes, Lucien, what a coincidence, what a coincidence."
Hermione's face flushed a little, but luckily she was already red from exhaustion, so it wasn't very noticeable.
She turned her head slightly and whispered:
"Can I sit inside?"
Lucien raised his hand.
"Feel free."
Clearing her throat, Hermione was about to turn to move her luggage.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
Hearing the spell, Hermione saw her pile of luggage float up, orderly drifting towards the luggage rack above.
"You also learned spells in advance?!"
The young Witch looked at the wand Lucien was holding with surprise.
Embodying her academic prowess, Hermione had read many basic magic books during the summer and tried to learn some very simple spells.
But this did not include the Levitation Charm Lucien had just used; Hermione estimated that this spell would only be taught by teachers at Hogwarts.
She hadn't expected Lucien to have already mastered this spell, and judging by the smooth flight of the luggage, his proficiency in the Levitation Charm must be quite high, right?
Could he be a so-called pure-blood Wizard, whose family elders had taught him magic in advance?
Looking at Lucien's demeanor, he seemed like nobility. Was he from one of those pure-blood families mentioned in books? But it didn't seem to include Grafton...
"Oh, thank you for helping me with my luggage."
Hermione belatedly thanked Lucien.
"Just taking the opportunity to practice a spell, no need to be polite."
Lucien smiled politely, then put away his wand and continued to read the book in his hand.
Seeing Lucien resume reading, Hermione quietly sat down opposite him, not venturing to speak.
But only a few minutes passed before she couldn't bear it anymore.
Hermione also wanted to follow Lucien's example and take out a book to read, but that would require taking down her suitcase, which would definitely make noise and disturb Lucien. She also didn't want to trouble Lucien to use the Levitation Charm to help her again.
"You can take any of the books on the table if you want to read them."
Lucien didn't even lift his head, continuing to flip through the book in his hand.
Hermione was still a child after all, and Lucien found her shy demeanor quite amusing, so he simply reminded her to take a book to read herself.
Hearing Lucien's permission, Hermione softly said thank you.
She reached out and took the first book from the pile of books.
It happened to be:
"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them"