Inside Hagrid's hut.
"Phew, the permanent Transfiguration should be complete."
Lucien looked at the metal ring in front of him, which he had Transfigured from a discarded cup.
After studying the papers and books given by Professor McGonagall, he attempted his first semi-permanent Transfiguration, and to his surprise, the process went exceptionally smoothly.
Indeed, top-tier Transfiguration talent is truly extraordinary.
With the research of predecessors to reference, his learning speed could be this fast.
Since the permanent Transfiguration was complete, he could now attempt the refining and assembly of mechanical animal forms.
He still needed adhesive; he would borrow some blood from Cerberus tomorrow night.
He wondered if Harry still remembered the room where Cerberus was located; well, he could also ask Hermione, that little girl has a good memory and was more reliable than Harry and Ron in the early days.
He glanced at the metal ring; it was his first permanent Transfiguration, and he hadn't infused too much magic, so it should revert to its original item after about ten minutes.
He would test it again to see if there were any flaws.
"Hagrid, can you help me with something?"
Hagrid put Fang down from his arms.
"Of course, no problem."
Lucien handed the metal ring to Hagrid.
"Can you inject some magic into it? No need to cast a spell, just purely inject magic."
Hagrid nodded, pulled out a small pink umbrella from his arms, and pointed it at the metal ring.
Lucien's mouth twitched; it seemed Hagrid's wand was hidden inside the umbrella, what a unique disguise.
A three to four-meter-tall half-Giant holding a small pink umbrella shorter than his forearm, the scene was quite amusing.
Picking up the metal ring Hagrid handed back, Lucien carefully inspected it.
No issues, it was still very stable.
"By the way, Hagrid, can I borrow Fang for a bit? I want to take him for a walk in the Forbidden Forest."
"Oh, you can, but don't go too deep; it's very dangerous in there, and Fang is also timid and prone to running off."
Lucien nodded, lightly waved his wand, and the metal ring floated towards Fang's head, expanding itself as it did so, then shrinking appropriately after settling around his neck.
Casting Transfiguration again, a ring of spikes appeared on the outer side of the metal ring, and a thin chain grew out, extending into Lucien's hand.
"That's beautiful magic! A collar like that really suits Fang, my little darling."
Hagrid was very pleased, feeling that his dog had gotten a new accessory.
Lucien glanced at the sturdy, black Fang, paired with a spiked collar, he looked exactly like a vicious dog.
His original intention was just to use the spiked collar to protect Fang's neck from being bitten by other beasts; if Hagrid thought it was cute, then so be it.
In the eyes of a half-Giant, all animals are cute, whether it's Fang, Cerberus, or even the Acromantula deep in the Forbidden Forest.
Perfect, he would look for Acromantula when he went to the Forbidden Forest.
Not only could he collect venom to make the "Delayed Truth" potion, but it was also a magical creature that could be recorded.
Bidding farewell to Hagrid, Lucien led Fang into the Forbidden Forest.
As they walked to a slightly deeper part of the forest, Fang began to look around.
If Lucien hadn't seen his tucked tail and slightly trembling hind legs, he probably would have thought Fang was dutifully observing his surroundings.
"Luke."
As soon as Lucien called, Lumina's figure appeared before him.
"Woof! Woo—"
Facing the suddenly appearing Unicorn, Fang instinctively barked once, but then whimpered and hid behind Lucien.
Lucien looked back at the trembling Fang; in reality, he couldn't even cover its stout body.
He rubbed the dog's head, smiling helplessly.
He hadn't expected it to be so timid; even a Unicorn, which makes animals instinctively friendly, scared it?
After a good deal of comforting, Fang finally stopped constantly hiding behind Lucien.
Just as he was about to guide Fang and Luke to interact, Lucien suddenly caught sight of a white figure rushing towards them like lightning.
It wasn't until the white figure stopped twenty to thirty meters away that Lucien clearly saw its form.
A pure white steed, its body covered in intricate silver patterns, with a spiraled horn growing from its forehead.
A Unicorn!
This was rare; it ran extremely fast, and its horn, hair, and blood all possessed powerful magic properties.
Hmm, also Lord Voldemort's favorite blood bag.
Just as Lucien was observing the Unicorn, considering whether to record it.
The Unicorn had already stepped forward, its posture elegant, its steps rhythmic.
It walked up to Luke, and after a few seconds of eye contact, lowered its head.
Seeing this scene, Lucien communicated with Lumina telepathically.
"Luke, what's going on?"
"Master, this horned horse says it sensed me nearby and thinks I am very powerful, sacred, peaceful, beautiful, kind…"
"Stop. That's a Unicorn, and don't misuse those adjectives I taught you a few days ago."
"Oh, but it really described me that way."
Lucien was speechless; it seemed Unicorns had very special senses, actually detecting Lumina's presence and specifically running over.
Raising his hand, Lucien naturally wanted to stroke the Unicorn.
But the Unicorn immediately turned its head, dodging Lucien's hand.
However, after glancing at Luke, it turned its head back.
As Lucien's hand was about to touch it, the Unicorn moved its head away again.
Watching the Unicorn's repetitive, strange actions, Lucien's hand paused in mid-air.
Uh, no, is this Unicorn sick?
"Master, it says it only likes Witches."
Luke's voice echoed in his mind, and Lucien's mouth instantly twitched.
Well, the books were right; Unicorns only like to be petted by Witches.
Hey, if a Wizard used Polyjuice Potion to turn into a Witch, could he fool a Unicorn?
If discovered, would he be instantly gored to death by an enraged Unicorn?
Since it wouldn't let him touch it, Lucien didn't record the Unicorn's data, and there was only one here; he needed at least one male and one female's data for it to be complete.
After signaling Luke to tell the Unicorn to leave.
"Luke, based on the points I gave you, have you found the Acromantula's habitat?"
Receiving an affirmative answer, Lucien held down Fang's head, and Luke used Apparition to take them nearby.
…
Beside a large rock covered in white spiderwebs.
Lucien, as usual, used the combination of the Disillusionment Charm and cloak oil, recording the Acromantula active in the hollow.
Luke and Fang were not here; because Fang was too timid, Lucien had Lumina help him walk the dog nearby first.
There were many spiders here, from juvenile, sub-adult to adult.
Hagrid had released only one Aragog back then, and found it a mate; they had actually reproduced so much.
They were truly prolific.
Lucien was still observing these spiders when an old, hoarse voice suddenly rang out:
"Ah, it's been a long time since I've seen such a young Wizard."
Lucien turned his head in the direction of the voice, and a huge Acromantula emerged from the dark cave.
Unlike the other spiders, this one was enormous, like an elephant, and entirely grayish-white.
Its eight eyes were not black like the other spiders, but also grayish-white.
Aragog, he could actually detect my presence.
Hmm, having lost his sight, his other senses became even more acute?
Subtle hearing, smell, or touch? Or some other way of sensing?
The Disillusionment Charm and cloak oil still had limitations, it seemed; perhaps he could try developing other magic…
Lucien removed his disguise.
The spiders, large and small, immediately noticed Lucien, but they didn't attack at first, seemingly feeling a kinship with him and unwilling to harm him.
However, after Aragog rubbed his mandibles and made a sound, these spiders slowly surrounded Lucien.
"There's something unique about you; it makes me inexplicably not want to harm you."
The old voice rang out again.
Lucien glanced at the surrounding spiders, then calmly looked at Aragog, his tone indifferent:
"Hello, Aragog."
"Heh heh, you know my name, so you must be Hagrid's friend."
Aragog paused, then continued:
"Hmm, friends, cannot harm friends."
"But Hagrid's friends don't seem to be my friends."
Despite having lost his sight, Aragog still stared at Lucien with his grayish-white eyes, as if looking at a delicious, tender piece of flesh.
Watching the slowly approaching spider swarm, Lucien suddenly smiled, his smile very relaxed.
The tip of Lucien's wand began to emit faint electrical arcs, crackling in the surrounding air.
In an instant, Luke's figure flashed to Lucien's side, and crimson-gold flames rose, scattering scorching heat everywhere.
"Thank you, hearing you say that, I feel relieved."
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