Distance

Outside the Ravenclaw Common Room.

Before Lucien could answer, Luna turned to the Bronze Door Knocker and gave the answer to the riddle.

"Ignorance."

As soon as he finished speaking, the bronze eagle's eyes lit up.

"Correct." The door knocker's voice was ethereal and calm. "Welcome back."

The door opened automatically, and the little witch skipped and hopped inside. Her long, dark golden-brown hair bounced behind her, as if she had something happy to share.

Lucien opened his mouth, watching the little witch's hair bounce.

No, you know the answer, don't you?

He's still standing at the door... I don't understand.

He shook his head and stepped into the lounge.

The Ravenclaw Common Room remains unchanged, with blue velvet tapestries hanging on the arched walls and silver stars twinkling in the dome.

The Little Eagle sat in twos and threes on the sofa; some were reading, some were playing chess, and others were entertaining themselves in a corner.

However, Lucien noticed that as soon as he entered, most of their eyes were focused on him.

That gaze wasn't as casual as usual; it carried a kind of... how to put it, like looking at some rare, protected animal.

Hey, Lucien!

Terry jumped up from the sofa and rushed over. He rubbed his hands together, a look on his face that Lucien had never seen before—an expression that usually appeared when Ron was faced with a large plate of chicken legs.

"Lucien, could you help me get an autograph?" Terry's tone carried a hint of cautious expectation.

"Sign?"

Terry pulled out the book he had been carrying under his arm and opened it. The green cover and the image of a Hippogriff —it was * Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them *.

He opened the title page and pointed to the text in the preface, where Lucien's name was clearly written.

"Newt Scamander's signature," Terry's eyes sparkled, "Could you get me one?"

Lucien looked at the words in the book, he suddenly understood why Terry had suddenly asked that question and why the Little Eagle had those kinds of looks.

So that's how Luna found out—she knew about his relationship with Newt.

Hmm, that little girl clearly knew the answer to the door knocker riddle, so why did she seem to be waiting for me outside on purpose...?

Before Lucien could think any further, more Little Eagle swarmed around him.

"Lucien, I want one too!"

"Get me one!"

"Me too!"

"Could Mr. Scamander write 'To his most loyal reader'?"

"Your is too long, just write your name!"

A cacophony of voices surged in from all directions, like a swarm of bees buzzing in your ear.

Lucien was surrounded, his hands already stuffed with several books, and he was caught off guard.

Two or three books are fine, but with so many people...

"Alright, alright." Qiu stepped out from the crowd with a gentle smile. She winked at Lucien, then turned to the others and said, "With you all surrounding him like this, he can't even breathe."

People stepped back slightly, but their gazes remained intense.

Qiu looked at Lucien, her tone slightly teasing. "We should get Lucien's autograph, he's a big star after all."

That was a clever remark, effectively getting Lucien out of a difficult situation.

Several Little Eagle laughed, and the atmosphere lightened considerably.

But the way they looked at Lucien was still complex and subtle.

In fact, Lucien was already a "celebrity" after receiving the Order of Merlin, First Class.

But after all, they were classmates who spent every day together, attending classes together, eating together, and walking back and forth in the corridors together. No matter how famous he became, he was still that Little Eagle sitting quietly at the table reading.

The young wizards didn't really feel Lucien's fame enough.

But this time is different.

Newt Scamander —that's a name I've heard since I was a child; he's a legendary figure in the wizarding world.

And Lucien was actually written into the book by this legend.

This cannot be explained by "good grades" or "powerful magic".

It truly means "standing shoulder to shoulder with legends".

So in those eyes, there was envy, there was admiration, and there was also a hint of inexplicable distance.

It's as if Lucien has gone from being a "classmate" to "someone from another world."