Shafiq: I Don't Know
"Professor Shafiq, if I may be so bold, does your school now tailor completely different teaching programs based on each student's individual characteristics and pace?"
Sitting next to Laurent Rosier, Professor Shafiq, who usually keeps his black curly hair tightly tied up in public, was taken aback by his France colleague's sudden question and didn't quite react.
But seeing Laurent scrutinizing Lucien with great interest, Shafiq immediately understood the other's confusion, a barely perceptible hint of embarrassment flashing in his pale gray eyes:
"That Lucien didn't learn Alchemy from me."
Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Professor Laurent's eyes.
"Does Hogwarts have other professors of alchemy?"
The question had barely left his mouth when Laurent's face showed a look of sudden realization.
"Oh, I see. Could it be that your Headmaster Dumbledore has recognized this child's talent and is personally tutoring him? If so, then it's not surprising..."
He felt he had found a reasonable explanation.
On the one hand, through the first two written tests and the alchemical techniques before him, Laurent was convinced that Lucien possessed extraordinary talent in Alchemy;
On the other hand, everyone knows that Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts and the greatest wizard of the century, was also a master of Alchemy, having collaborated with the legendary Alchemy Nicolas Flamel on many groundbreaking studies.
Combining these two factors, it seems reasonable that they could produce a student like Lucien.
Indeed, Dumbledore himself is Hogwarts' greatest asset and its most iconic symbol.
Laurent sighed inwardly, realizing that with such a figure in charge, Hogwarts did indeed surpass other magic schools in some aspects.
Of course, wizards from different countries wouldn't say such things aloud; they'd still be quick to praise their own schools— the France wizards would certainly say Beauxbatons is the best in the world, America wizard would definitely Ilvermorny the best globally...
Seeing the "I understand" look on Professor Laurent's face, Professor Shafiq opened his mouth, unsure of how to respond.
She realized that the other person seemed to have misunderstood something, but the key point was... she didn't know who Lucien had learned Alchemy from.
Shafiq was used to slacking off, or rather, in her own words, "Knowing how to allocate her energy."
Although he was amazed by Lucien's alchemical skills at such a young age, he didn't bother to ask. After all, it's the magical world; nothing too strange is worth being surprised about.
Anyway, Lucien won't be able to enroll in her alchemy program for several more years, so we'll see when that happens.
Right now, the real priority is for Lucien to win the Triwizard Tournament, bring the championship back to Hogwarts, and Dumbledore for a few more days of vacation.
A sudden thought inexplicably popped into Shafiq's mind: Wait a minute, she led the team out to compete, so who's teaching those alchemy students at Hogwarts now?
At that time, Dumbledore simply smiled and instructed her to lead the group well, regarding the substitute teacher matter...
It seems it wasn't mentioned?
Professor Shafiq blinked, then, too lazy to think about it anymore, quietly shifted his body to lean back more comfortably in his chair, adjusting to a posture that was both dignified and as relaxed as possible, before turning his gaze back to the competition.
His pale gray eyes swept over the contestants, some tense and some composed, before finally settling on the area in front of Lucien.
In Shafiq's perception, the flow of magic and the balance of various elements there were orderly and stable, unlike what one would expect from a teenager in a competition.
Wow, this kid's still so fast!