Containing Magical Creatures? Two Old Men Settle Accounts

By the desk in Professor Flitwick's office.

The hot aroma of black tea and the sweet scent of pastries filled the air.

Seeing Lucien complete the additional Undetectable Extension Charm on his own, Professor Flitwick nodded in satisfaction.

"Very good, Lucien."

Lucien drew his gaze back from the tea and said sincerely, "Professor, thank you for your patient guidance."

Flitwick chuckled and pointed at the pastry stand.

"Have something to eat first. Take a break."

Lucien picked up a small pink cake and ate it in polite little bites.

"Lucien, regarding an object enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm being used to hold living creatures, what conditions do you think would need to be met?"

Hearing the professor's question, Lucien had just swallowed the last bite of cake. He thought for a few seconds before saying, "First, the living environment would definitely have to be ensured—the climate, food, water..."

"Second, the space has to be stable. There can't be any sudden spatial contraction or collapse..."

"But beyond that, I can't think of much for the moment."

Professor Flitwick nodded at Lucien's answer.

"You've already considered it quite comprehensively. In fact, there's another problem if it's meant to contain different species."

"And if their environmental requirements differ greatly, then different spaces must be set up. That involves a deeper level of spatial folding."

After Professor Flitwick's guidance, Lucien fell into thought.

Indeed, compared to adding charms to items with Undetectable Extension, creating an item capable of housing living creatures caused the difficulty to shoot straight up.

The amount of knowledge and magical technique required were both beyond him for now.

Professor Flitwick added helplessly, "I'm sorry, but when it comes to Undetectable Extension for housing living creatures, I can't help you."

"That kind of technique is closer to a complex Magic Matrix."

"In that field, only the Scamander Family has studied it in great depth."

The family name Flitwick mentioned immediately made Lucien raise his head.

"Scamander? You mean the family of Newt Scamander, the author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them?"

"Yes, the author of that worldwide bestselling book."

Lucien instantly recalled the films he had seen in his previous life. Newt's suitcase opened into layer upon layer of little worlds, containing several entirely different environments and housing a large number of fantastic beasts.

That was basically a miniature grotto-heaven!

"It's a pity. If it had been a few years earlier, we might have been able to try contacting Mr. Scamander, but he has already retired into seclusion. Very few people know where he lives or how to reach him."

Flitwick spread his hands helplessly, indicating his regret.

"By the way, Lucien, how did you come up with the idea of trying to use the Undetectable Extension Charm to hold living creatures?"

Faced with Professor Flitwick's curiosity, Lucien scratched his head.

"Uh, actually, I just thought the bed I sleep in at the dormitory was a little small, so I wanted to make it bigger."

Hearing that Lucien merely wanted to expand his own bed, Flitwick froze for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, you truly are an interesting young wizard—and one with plenty of initiative."

Of course, Lucien had an additional thought he could not confess to the professor.

That was to house some fantastic beasts, making it easier for him to observe them and prepare for future research into Magical Creature Transfiguration.

Hmm. If I could have a suitcase like Newt's, I could cut down how often I go to the Forbidden Forest. It would be much more convenient.

Lucien chatted with Professor Flitwick a while longer about variant applications and advanced techniques for commonly used charms.

Mixed in among them, he also asked about spells such as the Disillusionment Charm and Tracking Charm, magic he might need later when searching for fantastic beasts in the Forbidden Forest.

As they talked, Lucien noticed the time and realized it was already nearly noon.

So he got up and took his leave.

"Professor, I won't disturb you any longer. Thank you for clearing up my doubts."

Flitwick waved his hand, looking extremely pleased.

"No need to be so polite. I'm always happy to see students who love learning."

Flitwick suddenly thought of his conversation with McGonagall during the opening ceremony.

Mm. Ravenclaw really has gained a good student!

"Oh, right, Lucien. Wait a moment."

Professor Flitwick beckoned, and paper and a quill floated over from the desk.

The quill scratched out several lines of words, then signed Flitwick's name at the bottom.

Flitwick handed the paper to Lucien, who accepted it with both hands.

"Those are several advanced books on Charms. If you're interested in them, you can go to the school library and give this to Madam Pince. She'll help you find them."

Obvious joy appeared on Lucien's face.

"Thank you, Professor."

He had already planned to go to the library to borrow books tonight, and Professor Flitwick's recommended reading list had come at just the right time.

Lucien left the office with the book list.

A few minutes later, Flitwick examined the Undetectably Extended teacup again. In his view, there was still room for improvement, but for it to be the work of a new student was already incredible enough.

Suddenly, a strong, resonant voice carried into Flitwick's office.

"Filius, are you there? There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Flitwick looked up and saw the tall Dumbledore sit down directly across from him.

"Oh, did you just happen to brew black tea? It's still hot."

"Your treasured black tea, Filius, is the best in the whole school."

Seeing the black tea on the table, Dumbledore took a cup.

He opened the sugar jar, picked up several sugar cubes, and dropped them into the teacup.

Flitwick's eyelid twitched at the sight.

Dumbledore lifted the cup and took a sip, only to feel it was not sweet enough.

That amount of sugar had clearly been about right before.

With a quick look, Dumbledore discovered the clue.

"Heh, Filius, what made you think of casting an Undetectable Extension Charm on a teacup, and adding so many little household spells to it?"

"But the effect is rather interesting."

Dumbledore could tell as well that the combination of spells was not yet perfectly refined, but he only took it as a little toy Flitwick had made on a whim.

"Filius, I came to talk to you about that child, Lucien Grafton. I'm not sure if he has already attended your class?"

Flitwick nodded, his expression somewhat odd.

"Then that makes this easier. What do you think of Lucien's talent?"

"I mean purely in Charms."

At Dumbledore's question, Flitwick's expression grew even stranger.

If not for Dumbledore's serious expression, he would have suspected this old friend was joking again, and had in fact been eavesdropping outside the door for quite a while.

Pointing at the teacup in Dumbledore's hand, Flitwick worked hard to keep his tone calm.

"Er, Lucien's talent for Charms."

"That cup in your hand—the spells on it were all cast by him."

"Mm. Mm?"

Seeing the obvious surprise on Dumbledore's face, Flitwick confirmed that he had not been eavesdropping outside earlier.

From Lucien beginning to ask questions to the completion of the added spells, Flitwick recounted the entire exchange between himself and Lucien to Dumbledore.

As Flitwick spoke, Dumbledore became increasingly convinced of the accuracy of the Sorting Hat's evaluation of Lucien.

A talent seen once in a thousand years.

"A pity. That child originally wanted to try using the Undetectable Extension Charm to contain living creatures, but I told him as well that Newt Scamander, who mastered that technique, has already retired into seclusion."

Newt?

Suddenly hearing that name, Dumbledore wanted to say he knew him well!

An old friend!

Come to think of it, it had been a long time since they had been in contact. He could write a letter and send his regards.

Mm, and while he was at it, he could help Lucien ask about this matter too.

"Ahem, Filius, thank you for sharing."

"This is exactly what I wanted to speak with you about. Lucien's talent is truly outstanding."

"But after all, he comes from a Muggle family, and his understanding of magic is still insufficient. He may accidentally attempt some dangerous magic."

"A genius like this needs proper guidance all the more. You are the Head of Ravenclaw, so I hope you'll pay a little more attention to Lucien in your day-to-day dealings..."

Flitwick nodded repeatedly as he listened. He agreed strongly with Dumbledore's view.

The more gifted a student was, and the faster they advanced, the more a teacher ought to give them correct guidance, to keep them from going astray.

But Flitwick quickly caught one word.

"Wait, Albus, are you saying Lucien was born into a Muggle family, with no wizarding elders at home?"

"That's right."

"Then where did he learn the magic he's already mastered?"

The two old men suddenly looked at each other, and both saw the same bewilderment in the other's eyes.

How had they found such a huge problem the moment they compared notes?

At the same time, Lucien was preparing to go to the dining hall for lunch.

He happened to pass by the Potions classroom.

The crisp bell rang for the end of class.

Bang!

The classroom door flew open with a crash, and a gloomy Old Bat walked out.

"Professor Snape, hello."

Faced with the student's polite greeting, Snape merely grunted and strode past Lucien.

Whoa, who had made him angry this time?

Oh no, Snape seemed to be this angry all the time.

Noticing the sullen face beneath Snape's greasy black hair, Lucien suddenly had a guess.

He turned his head to look at the open classroom door.

Sure enough, among the young wizards filing out one after another...

He saw Harry's dejected, resentful face.