After a boring hour.
The bell finally rang.
Not only were the young Wizards listening to the class relieved, but Quirrell also let out a long sigh.
Packing his things, Quirrell hurried out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
He didn't dare to stay for a moment, leaving in a rush, as if he was going to complete some task for his master.
Observing Quirrell's behavior, Lucien was speechless.
Quirrell was playing the part of a subservient lackey a bit too much.
Someone who could become a Hogwarts Professor couldn't possibly be a good-for-nothing!
Although I can learn some Defense Against the Dark Arts by reading books, with a teacher's guidance, I can certainly improve faster.
Who doesn't want to improve?
Who will fill the gap for me in this area of lacking teachers?
Lucien looked down at the Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook; it mostly contained theories.
Real combat duels are decided in an instant.
The decisiveness and response techniques required in such situations cannot be fully grasped by merely studying books.
Thinking about Quirrell's perfunctory teaching methods for an entire year, Lucien couldn't help but inwardly complain.
If it weren't for old Dumbledore suspecting Quirrell and guarding against Lord Voldemort's potential return to Hogwarts.
Old Dumbledore's personality was more inclined to keep problems in sight for easier supervision; he probably would have fired Quirrell, given his performance, long ago.
Uh, wait a minute.
Fire a Professor?
At this thought, a plan suddenly formed in Lucien's mind.
Since you're my teacher, you should at least teach me something, right?
Let's see if I can exploit Quirrell.
Hmm, maybe I can even exploit Tom!
...
Bidding farewell to Harry and his friends, Lucien picked up his books and quickly left the classroom.
His classes for the day were over; it was time to get down to business.
To the library!
As soon as he entered the library, the entire atmosphere quieted down.
This wasn't because all the young Wizards were so well-behaved and consciously quiet.
Rather, it was due to a thin, elderly woman, carrying a feather duster, constantly patrolling the library, like a lion surveying its territory.
If any young Wizard made a racket or damaged books, she would wave her feather duster and shoo them out.
Lucien scanned the area and quickly found her.
"Madam Pince?"
Facing Lucien's soft inquiry, the Madam nodded.
Lucien then took out Professor Flitwick's booklist and handed it to Pince.
After a quick glance at the contents of the booklist, Madam Pince frowned.
She then looked Lucien up and down, and suddenly asked:
"What year are you in?"
"First year."
Lucien's answer made Madam Pince's frown deepen.
The main reason was the books listed on the list: "Achievements in Charms," "Development of Silent Spells," "Application of Combined Spells"...
These were all books that high-year students preparing for N.E.W.Ts would attempt to borrow, and they would only borrow one or two at a time to study.
Looking at the list, which contained no fewer than ten books, Madam Pince highly doubted whether the first-year young Wizard in front of her was playing some prank.
However, it also had Professor Flitwick's personal signature, accompanied by a magical imprint that was difficult to fake.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Madam Pince said blandly:
"Wait a moment."
The lady then turned and walked towards the bookshelves without any hesitation; she moved between rows of shelves, seemingly without needing to recall, directly pinpointing the exact location of each book.
Observing Madam Pince searching for books one by one, instead of using magic like Accio, Lucien felt that she must cherish books greatly, choosing to handle them personally rather than crudely summoning them.
As for Madam Pince being a Squib who couldn't use magic, Lucien thought about it and found it highly unlikely.
The Restricted Section of the library contained a large number of precious books; how could someone who didn't understand magic be assigned to guard them? Wouldn't that just let students freely use magic to sneak in and help themselves?
Madam Pince quickly gathered the books and handed them to Lucien:
"You must not damage the books; violators will be punished!"
"The loan period is one month; if you need to renew, come back and register with me."
Lucien nodded his thanks.
He then additionally found a few more magic books in the fields of Transfiguration and Potions, and after registering them with Madam Pince, Lucien prepared to leave the library.
Just as he left the library and rounded a corner.
Lucien's view was blocked by a tall stack of books, and he didn't notice the person walking out.
"Oh dear!"
A gasp sounded.
At the same time, Lucien was knocked off balance, and his books were about to scatter across the floor.
"Wingardium Leviosa."
Lucien reacted faster, drew his wand, and directly cast a Hover Charm.
The scattered books floated steadily in the air, restacking themselves.
"Sorry, are you alright?"
Lucien was about to reach out to help the other person up.
"You're, Lucien!"
Looking at the light-haired girl sitting on the ground, rubbing her wrist, Lucien confirmed he didn't know her.
However, the other person had already grasped his hand and stood up with his help.
"I am Daphne Greengrass."
"The eldest daughter of the Greengrass family."
Hearing Daphne's self-introduction, Lucien raised an eyebrow, but still responded politely:
"Hello, I am Lucien Grafton."
"Yes, I know your name. You stood out at the Opening Ceremony."
"Didn't we also have History of Magic Class together this afternoon?"
He glanced at the house crest on Daphne's robe: Slytherin.
Noticing that she was still rubbing her wrist, apparently having strained it when she fell.
Lucien felt that he was also partly to blame for the collision, so he raised his wand.
"Episkey."
A wisp of white light wrapped around Daphne's wrist, instantly making the pain disappear.
"Healing Charm? Thank you!"
Daphne elegantly expressed her gratitude.
She felt her judgment was correct; being able to use magic so easily right after the start of term, Lucien was indeed an extraordinary person and someone worth befriending.
"You're welcome."
Lucien merely hummed lightly, then lifted his leg to leave. He planned to get some dinner from the Great Hall and then head straight back to his dormitory to start reading.
Finally being able to access advanced magic knowledge, no longer limited to the magic books readily available outside, filled Lucien with anticipation and joy.
Learning Silent Spells, attempting Potion brewing—tonight would be another fulfilling night!
"Lucien, would you care to join me for dinner?"
Seeing that Lucien was actually about to leave directly, Daphne quickly extended an invitation.
As she spoke, an elegant and proper smile played on her lips, and her chin was slightly raised, revealing her slender, fair neck.
As if receiving her invitation was an honor.
Lucien found the girl's expression and posture vaguely familiar.
How did she make going to the school cafeteria sound so refined?
Greengrass, oh, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, a pure-blood family.
I knew why she seemed familiar; the noble young ladies I chatted with at banquets with Aunt Penelope all acted like that.
Uh, pure-blood family eldest daughter, Slytherin, what a combination of buffs.
Lucien suddenly had a hunch that this girl was probably quite troublesome.
And he had so many books to read, so much knowledge waiting for him; he didn't have time to waste with her.
"Thank you for your kind offer, but I'm sorry, I have something to do today."
With that, Lucien lifted his foot and walked away, directly bypassing Daphne.
The latter's smile froze; she felt like she hadn't even reacted yet, had she just been rejected?