Suitcase World.
Inside a sealed, spacious room, the lighting was soft and deliberately subdued.
The large green snake lay curled in a corner, its vertical pupils staring warily ahead.
Lucien stood opposite it, separated from the snake by a row of pale blue beams of light.
It was a magical barrier, strong enough to defend against any sudden violent attack from Nagini while still allowing Lucien to observe her condition clearly.
He had just finished another examination of Nagini's magical circuits.
The good news was that the Magic Weaving Technique could affect Nagini's circuits to a certain extent.
Perhaps because her current serpentine body was closer to that of a magical creature than an ordinary snake, while also being stronger than the body of an ordinary wizard, the Magic Weaving Technique was compatible with it.
At the very least, his magic could interfere with and reshape the twisted circuits rather than being completely rejected.
The bad news was that the curse within the physical body could not be treated for the time being.
The snake body had to be maintained.
Only in this form could Lucien ensure that, while the Pure Fire burned away the curse, the Magic Weaving Technique could first be used to reconstruct the damaged circuits.
This step would be extremely difficult.
Strictly speaking, Lucien had never truly unleashed the full potential of the Magic Weaving Technique.
The first time, when treating Aurora, he had only repaired a small portion of her damaged circuits.
The goal had been to mend them rather than alter them.
The second time had been when optimising Norbert the dragon's circuits.
Even then, he had only made minor adjustments to strengthen Norbert's physique and magical abilities.
According to the system's loan requirements at the time, Norbert still had to remain within the category of a Norwegian Ridgeback.
In other words, Lucien had always been working within certain boundaries.
He had repaired what was broken or adjusted what already existed.
This time was different.
According to the description of the Magic Weaving Technique, the greater the degree of alteration to the circuits, the more significant the changes reflected in the physical body.
Changes in size were merely the most basic result.
The form of scales, feathers, or fur, unique limbs and organs, even the overall shape of the body could potentially be affected.
Lucien didn't know whether creatures whose circuits had been completely altered using the Magic Weaving Technique would still be capable of reproducing.
If they could, it would be little different from creating an entirely new species.
Even if they couldn't, simply being able to completely transform the creature itself was already bizarre enough.
Treating Nagini's circuits this time was completely different from the previous two cases.
Nagini's circuits had been thoroughly twisted.
Dispelling the curse within them would also mean completely reshaping the circuits from beginning to end.
This wasn't mending or optimisation.
It was rebuilding them from the ground up.
Like tearing down a crooked, collapsing house piece by piece while constructing a new one at the same time.
If the dismantling was too fast, the entire structure could collapse.
If the rebuilding was too slow, Nagini might not survive long enough for him to finish.
Now that he had found a possible direction for treating the curse, Lucien still intended to continue studying curses.
The more he understood them, the better he could prevent accidents during treatment.
A bloodline curse like this would not simply submit when faced with expulsion.
Especially when it was close to being completely destroyed, there was still the possibility of a frenzied counterattack, like a cornered beast using the last of its strength to lash out with one final bite.
Lucien could not afford to underestimate it.
Moreover, all of this only addressed the curse affecting the physical body and magical circuits.
As for the soul, Salazar had merely offered a suggestion rather than a complete solution.
Helping Nagini recover the memories and emotions connected to her humanity might give her soul an anchor, but that did not mean the curse itself would simply disappear.
Lucien still needed to proceed cautiously and build a more comprehensive understanding of curses first.
He put away his wand and glanced at the large snake behind the barrier.
"Get some proper rest for now. The treatment that follows will probably be very difficult to endure."
Faced with Lucien's soft words, the giant snake showed no sign of appreciation.
It merely stared coldly at his retreating back.
...
Magic Practice Room.
This was where Lucien usually spent most of his time practising magic and experimenting with new ideas.
It was an independent space within the Suitcase World, separated from the outside by several layers of suitcase space.
No matter how much noise was made inside, none of it would leak out.
At least, that was how it normally worked.
Lucien stood in the centre of the room, wand in hand.
Silently, he recalled the key points of the Patronus Charm.
To summon a Patronus, one had to focus on a happy memory, or on something filled with love and hope.
It was a positive force, representing hope, happiness, and the will to live.
Simply recalling something pleasant wasn't enough.
It required the kind of genuine happiness that could stir the very depths of the soul and give the magic something strong enough to respond to.
Lucien closed his eyes.
For a moment, the practice room became completely silent.
A memory surfaced in his mind.
He grasped it carefully, allowing the emotions tied to it to rise with it.
Then he raised his wand, his lips parting slightly.
"Expecto Patronum."
...
Outside the suitcase, in the dormitory.
Lucien's roommate Terry had just returned from washing up, humming a badly out-of-tune tune.
He pushed open the door, walked into the dormitory, and casually draped his towel over the back of a chair.
Out of the corner of his eye, Terry suddenly noticed something.
Beside Lucien's desk, the seemingly ordinary suitcase was trembling slightly.
It was a rhythmic vibration coming from within.
Not especially violent, but steady enough to make the brass fittings on the suitcase faintly rattle.
As though something were struggling inside.
Or perhaps something was about to burst out.
Terry stopped humming.
He remembered Lucien's instructions.
If he ever saw the suitcase moving on its own, it was best to keep his distance.
Lucien had said it casually enough, but Terry had always considered that one of those warnings worth taking seriously.
Just as he lifted one foot to step back, wisps of silver-white mist began seeping through the gaps in the suitcase.
The mist was very faint.
It looked like vapour drifting across a lake in the early morning, or threads condensed from moonlight.
It slowly leaked from the edges of the lid and silently spread through the air.
Terry blinked a few times.
For some reason, merely looking at the mist gave him a strange sense of peace and tranquillity.
There was no obvious danger.
No heat, no cold, and no pressure. Which could make anyone curious.
And that only strengthened his determination to stay away.
Sometimes, excessive curiosity could kill a wizard.
Especially when that curiosity involved another wizard's belongings.
And especially when that wizard happened to be Lucien.
Terry took another step back.
But just as his foot was still in mid-air...
The silver-white mist suddenly erupted.
Like a tide that had been suppressed for too long, or a bird that had been imprisoned for too long, the mist burst from every gap in the suitcase and instantly filled the entire dormitory.
Terry's eyes widened.
And it didn't stop there.
It poured out of the suitcase.
It surged out of the dormitory.
It swept out of the Ravenclaw common room...
________
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