"You'll have plenty of time to chat later. Come on, Slughorn will nag for ages if we're late."
As he spoke, Little Barty grabbed Lucretia's wrist and turned to leave.
Regulus spread his hands at the three girls with a helpless smile, his expression clearly saying, That's just how he is. Don't mind him.
As they passed through the Great Hall, Little Barty kept several steps ahead, glancing back from time to time to make sure she was following.
Yawning as he walked, Regulus asked, "Little sister, are Ravenclaw's beds soft? Should we have the house-elves add a few more Cushioning Charms later? I heard your Common Room has the most beautiful astronomical ceiling, but when it comes to comfort, Hufflepuff is still the best."
Lucretia nodded. "Mm, the star chart on the ceiling is beautiful too. You can see the stars at night, just like a real night sky."
They turned into the corridor leading to the dungeons and ran into several Slytherin students.
Miss Rosier was at the front, along with her two followers.
They froze when they saw them, slowing their steps.
Miss Rosier was about to say something, but when her gaze fell on Lucretia, a trace of disdain appeared on her face.
Little Barty's expression darkened when he saw that look.
He wrapped an arm around Lucretia's shoulders and drew her against him, the gesture natural yet firm, as though staking a claim.
Regulus pretended not to notice anything and kept his elegant smile. "Good afternoon, Miss Rosier. I hear you'll be very busy for the next few weeks?"
Seeing Little Barty's gloomy expression, the girls hurriedly nodded and quickly walked past them, leaving behind only a few hushed whispers.
Little Barty kept his hand on Lucretia's shoulder until the girls had gone far away.
Regulus then asked, "Little sister, I knew your Levitation Charm would be excellent. How was Transfiguration Class?"
Lucretia glanced at Little Barty and said softly, "A little... special."
Little Barty immediately lowered his head to look at her. "What does that mean? Did something happen?"
She thought about how to phrase it. "It wasn't anything serious. It's just... Professor McGonagall said my method of transfiguration was a little different, and she wants to give me extra guidance on Wednesday afternoon."
Little Barty frowned. "Why do you need extra guidance?"
Regulus cut in, "Her Natural Magic might conflict with the principles of Transfiguration, right?"
Lucretia looked at him in surprise. "How did you know?"
Regulus smiled and shrugged. "A guess. Transfiguration requires forcibly changing an object's nature. Little sister might not be used to that."
Little Barty's tone softened, but he still stared at Lucretia. "Right on the mark, Regulus. What exactly happened?"
Only in the dim dungeon corridor did Lucretia reveal the truth. "I tried hard to turn a matchstick into a needle, but it... it wouldn't listen to me. It sprouted leaves and turned into a little sapling."
Rather than looking disappointed, Little Barty smiled. "That's pretty impressive. Professor McGonagall's expression must have been wonderful."
Regulus laughed as well. "Let me guess. First she frowned, then pushed up her glasses, and finally got that look like she'd discovered something strange and fascinating? The last time we were learning animal transfiguration, a boy from another House turned the required rat into a glass bottle with a pig's tail. Professor McGonagall had exactly that expression."
Lucretia looked at them in disbelief. "Aren't you worried at all? I thought Transfiguration grades were important..."
Little Barty's voice was unusually gentle. "No one can excel at everything. Besides, making a matchstick sprout is much harder than turning it into a needle. I don't care about your Transfiguration grades, but Professor McGonagall's guidance might help you control your magic."
Regulus nodded in agreement. "Exactly. And don't worry, Potions will definitely suit you better. People with a talent for plants can always sense the properties of ingredients. I bet you'll keep earning points for our House in class, little sister."
They arrived at the entrance to the Potions Classroom, where several Ravenclaw and Slytherin first-years were already waiting.
Professor Slughorn stood at the door, enthusiastically greeting the students.
When he saw them, his eyes lit up. Then his gaze fell on Lucretia. "Ah! Mr. Little Barty and Mr. Regulus! This must be Miss Crouch! I've heard quite a lot about you, my dear child. Come over here!"
Little Barty's expression twitched slightly. He merely nodded, and when he turned to Lucretia, his tone returned to its usual brevity.
"Be careful in Potions class. Don't touch any ingredients you don't recognize. Remember to Scourgify your uniform after class."
Lucretia nodded. "I will."
Regulus patted her shoulder. "Then we'll head to class too. Little sister, take good care of yourself. We'll come pick you up after class."
Slughorn eagerly stepped forward and practically snatched her hand, casting another glance at Little Barty and Regulus as they left.
"Ah! Miss Crouch! Your brother and Mr. Regulus are both outstanding members of my club, and now we finally have another Crouch!"
He warmly placed a hand on Lucretia's shoulder and led her into the classroom, lowering his voice.
"I heard about that little incident in the Great Hall this morning. Truly unfortunate. But don't worry, I've already spoken with Miss Rosier. She'll be in detention for two weeks, working under Mr. Filch."
Slughorn blinked, waiting for her thanks.
Before Lucretia could respond, he looked around the room and guided her toward a seat in the front row, continuing loudly.
"As I understand it, your mother had an extraordinary talent for Potions when she was a student! I dare say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. If you've inherited the Crouch family's talent, perhaps we'll soon see you at one of my little gatherings!"
Slughorn attentively chose a seat right in the middle for her.
As she sat down, the cauldron and various tools she had left in the dormitory floated over from the corner of the classroom.
Seeing her surprised expression, Slughorn blinked. "Oh, Miss Crouch, don't worry. This is part of Hogwarts's magic. After all, we can't have you carrying such heavy cauldrons every time you come here, can we?"
Lucretia smiled a little embarrassedly and nodded.
She had just opened her Potions textbook when the Ravenclaw and Slytherin first-years began filing into the Underground classroom.
The moment Helena saw her, she immediately headed toward the front row.
Emma followed behind with the expression of someone facing a great enemy. "Oh no, why is it the first row... I don't know anything about Potions. I'm definitely going to mess this up. What if the cauldron explodes?"
Helena, on the other hand, looked excited and rolled her shoulders. "Great! From this angle, we'll be able to see every word on the blackboard clearly!"
She set down her heavy bag, which clearly held more than one Potions textbook.
Sophia was the last to enter.
She quietly walked toward a seat by the window, deliberately avoiding the places where people had gathered.
She set down her bag by herself and calmly arranged her cauldron and tools, every movement carrying the ease of someone accustomed to being alone.
Lucretia noticed that Sophia's sketchbook was also resting at the edge of the desk, one corner slightly exposed.
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