Dumbledore sighed, the honeyed water in his cup long since cold.
"How about this, Lucien, would you be willing to have afternoon tea with me once a week?"
"Just to chat with a lonely old man?"
As he spoke, Dumbledore even winked at Lucien, as if the previous silence had never existed.
Lucien didn't hesitate and immediately agreed.
"It would be my honor."
"How about I visit you every time after my tutoring with Professor Quirrell?"
Hearing Lucien's words, Dumbledore nodded with a chuckle.
"That would be even better; we can discuss our insights on Defense Against the Dark Arts."
Ah, this was the right reaction.
Dumbledore's suggestion put Lucien at ease.
Having afternoon tea and chatting were secondary; the main purpose was to check if Quirrell had influenced him with Dark Arts.
If Lord Voldemort, in his current weakened state, could still pull off tricks right under Dumbledore's nose...
Then why would he have been afraid of old Dumbledore back then? He would have just challenged him to a duel and settled it at the peak of Hogwarts.
"Oh, by the way, Newt also mentioned that you can write to him directly to ask questions about the Undetectable Extension Charm."
"Of course, please don't tell anyone else his contact information, otherwise my old friend will have to move again. Hmm, he prefers quiet, less crowded places."
Lucien promised he wouldn't reveal it.
Uncle Newt was an extreme introvert; he probably spoke more to his magical beasts than to people.
Besides asking about the Undetectable Extension Charm, he could also ask Newt about magical beasts.
When it came to understanding these magical creatures, no one could surpass him.
If he wanted to pioneer the Transfiguration of magical creatures, he would definitely need to study magical creatures themselves first, and Newt was an expert and a living encyclopedia in this field. Who else would he consult?
"Phew, Lucien, do you have any other questions?"
Lucien said without hesitation:
"Alchemy, I have some interest in Alchemy, but Alchemy courses are only offered in higher grades."
"And the books on this subject in the library only offer popular science introductions, with no practical theory or guidance."
"I heard Madam Pince say that in the Restricted Section..."
However, Lucien's words were cut short by a sharp voice:
"Ha, this boy actually wants to go to the Restricted Section! A first-year student wanting to access such dangerous knowledge, truly inherently evil..."
"Phineas, can you please shut up! Think with your Troll-like brain, wasn't it your Slytherin that contributed the most fresh blood to Dark Wizards?"
Lucien looked at the source of the voice, a wall adorned with dozens of portraits.
He quickly recalled the Hogwarts history books he had read, matching the names to the two talking Principal portraits.
Phineas Black, the most unpopular Principal in Hogwarts history, bar none.
Morgan Wiggins, a Gryffindor alumna, author of "Dueling is an Art."
Each former Principal of Hogwarts leaves behind a portrait that can be spoken to and interacted with.
Phineas being unpopular certainly made sense; he hadn't even said he wanted to go to the Restricted Section, and he immediately stood up to deny and object.
It's easy to imagine how miserable the students were during his tenure; they probably couldn't do this, couldn't do that.
A Principal like that wouldn't care what you learned at school or how you were doing, only whether you would cause trouble.
"Heh, those who fell to become Dark Wizards were merely not firm enough in their resolve. What does that have to do with Slytherin?"
"Albus, as Principal, you must strictly control the students..."
Lucien watched the garrulous, goateed old man, his peripheral vision catching a fleeting glimpse of a figure in the portrait in the upper left corner.
Bang!
The annoying Phineas fell, disappearing into the frame.
In his place was a beautiful woman wearing silver-rimmed glasses.
If Lucien ignored the thick book she held in her hand, and ignored that she had just used that book to knock out Phineas, he would definitely think she was an elegant and refined lady.
"I am very pleased that Ravenclaw has such a young Wizard as you."
Lucien stood up and greeted her,
"Good morning, Ms. Wendyrian, I am also very glad to be in Ravenclaw."
Sharon Wendyrian, a Ravenclaw graduate, author of "Curses and Counter-Curses."
Sharon was very satisfied with Lucien, her tone elegant and gentle:
"Ravenclaw's young eagles should pursue wisdom and master knowledge. You are doing very well."
"You were right just now; in the magic world, knowledge and power can be equated."
"So it's normal to encounter danger and the unknown when learning knowledge. Don't be afraid, don't always try to solve things alone, don't be stingy about asking the Hogwarts teachers for help..."
Facing Principal Sharon's earnest teachings, Lucien sincerely said:
"Thank you for your guidance. May your wisdom continue to guide Ravenclaw."
Dumbledore, watching this scene, felt greatly relieved. He could see Lucien's sincerity, his respect for teachers, and his pure thirst for knowledge.
Dumbledore summoned a piece of paper, and lines of book titles automatically appeared on it, with his signature.
"Take this, Lucien, it has what you're looking for."
Lucien took the booklist and found that there were many titles on it.
The fields covered were diverse: Charms, Alchemy, Herbology, Transfiguration...
And among these book titles, there was one that made Lucien raise an eyebrow:
"The Identification of Dark Arts"
Why did old Dumbledore approve this book? Is it to make me wary, to prevent Quirrell from playing tricks?
Sure enough, the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts library does have good things.
That is Hogwarts' greatest treasure!
"Principal, this book, 'The Identification of Dark Arts'?"
"Heh heh, don't worry, this book teaches how to identify Dark Arts; it doesn't contain specific Dark Arts spells."
"Simply understanding Dark Arts, or even mastering Dark Arts spells, will not affect one's mind."
"Only long-term, frequent use and study of Dark Arts will cause irreversible distortion."
Lucien nodded and put away the booklist.
"It was a pleasure talking with you, and I gained a lot."
...
After Lucien left the Headmasters Office.
He walked down the stairs, preparing to go to the library first to borrow books.
Other things could wait; he'd borrow the Alchemy books first.
Hmm, after borrowing the books, he'd go to Hagrid's hut to begin analyzing the Transfiguration pocket watch and attempt to solidify Transfiguration.
Passing a corner of a large hall.
Lucien saw Malfoy, whose hand was still bandaged, and beside him stood a middle-aged man with light blonde hair who resembled him greatly.
Oh, young Malfoy and big Malfoy.
Lucius looked at his son with slight confusion,
"Draco, why are you still bandaged? Is the infirmary's standard so poor?"
"Uh, Father, my arm still hurts a bit, it probably hasn't healed completely."
What Malfoy didn't say was that as long as he was still bandaged, he could bring up how Harry had taken care of him in the infirmary and apologized to him whenever he chatted with someone.
Lucius was about to say something when he suddenly saw a passing student glance at him.
Those dark green eyes inexplicably made Lucius's heart skip a beat.
Although he couldn't understand the origin of this feeling, the Malfoy family's unique "art of judging people" still piqued his interest.
"Draco, I've prepared a precious healing potion for you; it won't leave any hidden injuries or problems."
Malfoy was very happy and was about to thank his father when he heard his father say:
"That student who just passed by, do you know him? Tell me about him."
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