"Lucien, can I learn from you how to make those mechanical animals?"
Lucien turned around and looked at the red-haired boy.
"Ron, are you very interested in Alchemy?"
Ron scratched his hair and said with some uncertainty, "Alchemy, maybe. I've seen Fred and George use Alchemy to make some gadgets."
"Oh, Fred and George are my older brothers, two years above us."
Lucien nodded. The Weasley twins, they brought mischief and joy to Hogwarts.
They were indeed very good at refining magical items, so it seemed they must have a talent for Alchemy.
"Ron, do you want to learn Alchemy, or do you simply want to learn about mechanical creations?"
If Ron said he wanted to learn Alchemy, Lucien would refuse him, for the same reason he gently refused Hermione.
But if it was purely about mechanical creations, it was more an application of Transfiguration—dead matter changing into dead matter, and semi-permanent solidified Transfiguration.
If he only wanted to learn how to create mechanical objects for his own use, he could even skip learning solidified Transfiguration for now.
As for the Potions needed, Ron couldn't learn to make them, but he could just ask his good friend Harry for help.
Lucien didn't mind teaching Ron how to make those alchemical machines; he could, like Harry, borrow family magic books as payment anyway.
No matter how strapped for cash the Weasley family was, it was still one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pureblood families, with a long and ancient history, so they must have magic knowledge passed down through generations.
Hmm, he wasn't sure if Ron's parents would agree to lend them, so he should let Ron ask first.
Once there were books to read, he would teach him.
"Uh, I'm actually just interested in those mechanical creations."
Lucien nodded. "That's fine."
"You should know that Alchemy still requires a certain foundation in Transfiguration and Potion."
Hearing this, Ron's expression became a bit awkward, his ears gradually turning as red as his hair.
"I, I know my talent is very ordinary, and I learn magic very slowly, but, but I…"
Ron's behavior made Lucien shake his head. Ron's talent was indeed not outstanding, especially compared to his older brothers.
Among his brothers were a Gringotts Curse-Breaker, a Dragon researcher, a Gryffindor Prefect…
Moreover, Ron's personality was more laid-back; except for moments when he displayed courage, he usually just drifted along.
Lucien guessed that besides his natural disposition, the comparison with his older brothers made Ron even more insecure, leading him down the path of slacking off.
"Forget it."
Lucien's brief words made Ron's muttering stop, his ears turning the same color as his hair.
Ron was about to make a joke to cover his embarrassment when he saw Lucien pull out a handful of small stones, then draw his Wand and tap them.
The stones each transformed into different parts, then began to fly and quickly assemble in an orderly fashion.
Lucien tossed a cross-lock-like object to Ron.
"Try to unlock it, then put it back together."
This was a magic version of a Luban lock that Lucien made on a whim, mainly to see if Ron had any mechanical talent and enough patience.
If Ron's request to learn mechanical creations was just a passing fancy, and he had no patience for this lock, then there was no need to waste both their time; he could just find a reason to refuse.
Lucien watched as Ron first carefully observed the cross-lock, and only after a minute or two did he begin to try to unlock it.
Ron's movements were very light and slow, and when he found unlocking hopeless, he merely retraced his steps, trying other methods.
Isn't he quite patient? Why didn't I see you being so meticulous in Herbology and Potion classes before?
Is it only when he encounters something he's interested in that he acts this way?
Hmm, this kid seems to be quite good at Wizard chess.
Someone who plays chess should, in theory, not lack patience.
Ron finally disassembled the cross-lock. Before he could cheer, he remembered he still had to put it back together.
But this time, his speed was noticeably faster, which made Lucien raise an eyebrow.
Perhaps this child, Ron, really does have some talent for mechanics.
When Ron held up a complete cross-lock, Lucien nodded.
"Very good."
Lucien's approval made Ron a little embarrassed; it was rare for someone to praise him for doing something well.
"Oh, by the way, Lucien, about the Potion, do I have to brew it myself? Can I ask Harry for help? He seems to be making rapid progress in Potion recently!"
Ron's words made Lucien chuckle.
He's not slow to catch on, is he? Sure enough, he's only willing to use his brain for things he's interested in; his mind becomes sharp then, doesn't it?
Hmm, hearing someone praise a student he taught for learning well feels even better than being praised for his own profound knowledge.
So, being a teacher has this kind of satisfaction.
"No problem, but you still need to learn Transfiguration yourself."
If it was teaching Transfiguration, Lucien was confident there would be no problem.
The most basic dead matter changing into dead matter, even if it involved slightly more advanced mechanical Transfiguration, Lucien believed he could teach it.
If he couldn't teach it, then it meant his explanation wasn't thorough enough, and his grasp of the knowledge wasn't deep enough!
Then he should push himself to improve his knowledge and teaching abilities!
Ron nodded vigorously. If it was for those interesting alchemical machines, he would be willing to work hard to learn Transfiguration.
"Ron, I can teach you how to make those machines, but I won't do it for free."
"If you have something you can exchange, a long-standing family heirloom…"
Before Lucien could finish, Ron quickly understood.
He pulled out an old Wand from his pocket, with Unicorn hair showing at the end.
Ron said with a pained expression, "This is my family's heirloom Wand, but can you wait until I save up enough money to buy a new Wand? This one first…"
"Stop. What would I do with your Wand?"
Lucien looked at Ron with exasperation; this red-haired kid had a strange sense of humor.
What would he do with an extra Wand? Use it as a poking stick for the fire?
"Oh, I understand, Lucien, you don't have a pet yet, do you? Then this one of mine…"
Ron put the Wand back and pulled out a shedding, listless rat from his pocket.
"Scabbers, he likes to eat pumpkin pie, and he likes red wine, but you can't let him drink too much…"
Lucien quickly raised a hand to stop Ron's rambling.
"I don't want your Wand, and I don't want your Scabbers. I want to borrow your family's magic books, borrow, magic books!"
Ron said, "Oh."
"Is that so? I heard you say family heirlooms. The Wand was passed down by my second brother, Charlie, and Scabbers was passed down by my third brother, Percy."
"As for magic books, I'll have to write to Mum and ask; I'm not sure if we have any."
Lucien was speechless. Harry, after all, hadn't been exposed to magic before, so he didn't know about his family's heritage.
But wasn't Ron raised immersed in magic from a young age? How could he not even know this? Pureblood families would start teaching magic early, before school, wouldn't they?
It seemed this kid hadn't learned anything at all.
It looked like the subsequent teaching wouldn't be easy.
Lucien looked up at the moon.
Hopefully, the magic knowledge passed down by the Weasley family would be powerful enough…
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