Chapter 11
That morning, Lucian successively taught classes to third-year and fourth-year students from two houses, assigning a large amount of homework.
The homework included copying the key points of spellcasting under heavy spell obstacles twenty times, previewing the Quick Immobilisation Charm in advance, and copying information on ten common dark creatures—also twenty times each—and memorising them (to be spot-checked in the second week).
Additionally, due to the poor performance of Gryffindor and Slytherin houses, Lucian had to consider delaying the announcement of the monthly exam plan to avoid overwhelming the fragile nerves of these students.
However, unlike the underwhelming lions and snakes, one fourth-year student gave Lucian a great surprise.
Cedric Diggory, from Hufflepuff House.
This young man had handsome features, a sturdy build, and black hair the same color as Lucian's.
In the test Lucian gave, he was the first to guess his intentions and used a freezing charm to subdue all the pixies in the room without causing any disturbance.
Lucian immediately awarded five points to Hufflepuff on the spot, and gave him a monitor type of job, it was one part of Lucian's plan to free himself from tedious tasks.
Grading students' homework offered him no benefit—it was merely monotonous repetitive labor. Even assigning it to his two assistants felt like a waste of time; handing it to class monitor was far more appropriate.
After finishing the morning classes, Lucian returned to his office, preparing to take his two assistants to the Great Hall for lunch. Along the way, running young wizards kept passing by, curiously eyeing Lucian but saying nothing.
"I've already spoken with the librarian, Madam Pince. You can borrow any books from the library collection on the spot. Hogwarts' library is a treasure trove—you can visit often in the future. Take your time with research; there's no rush. From now on, our pace should slow down a bit."
Jeffery nodded, stealing a glance at Camille beside him—her face showed no emotional fluctuation, as if she had no interest in the library at all.
Thinking of this, his originally somewhat expectant mood faded. Camille always prioritised the professor's goals above all else and never considered anything else. In that case, he naturally wouldn't fall behind either.
Snape's expression was dark as he followed Dumbledore into the headmaster's office after confirming the latter had finished his meal "I really don't understand what you're thinking!"
"About what, Severus?" Dumbledore sat in the main seat, calmly looking at him.
Snape had no intention of sitting, standing stiffly near the door with an unpleasant expression. "Why did you reject my application to teach Defence against the dark arts, only to invite a Slytherin to teach at the school instead? Do you even know what kind of person Lucian is? He's fundamentally incapable of doing this job properly!"
"I'm afraid I don't agree, Severus." Dumbledore looked up at Snape.
"I've discussed educational policies with Lucian, and whether it's the theories he proposed or the students he's personally mentored, everything proves he's an outstanding professor."
"Students?" Snape's brows furrowed tightly as he suddenly recalled the two unfamiliar faces following behind Lucian.
"Someone like him actually takes students?"
"I'm afraid the number will exceed your imagination."
"How is that possible? A selfish guy like him would never agree to teach. He wouldn't waste time on useless things. Could that be an imposter?"
"Severus, it sounds like you know him well?" Dumbledore was somewhat surprised by Snape's attitude—these two were both Slytherins, but they should be from entirely different worlds. How did it seem like there was quite a history between them?
"He was once my classmate. No matter how much I dislike him, I do have some understanding of him." Snape's face looked a bit unnatural, but he ultimately admitted it.
"That's wonderful." Dumbledore nodded. "Actually, I'm personally very interested in Professor Lucian, and I do have some reservations about him teaching at Hogwarts—"
"Then why did you still—!"
"—Severus, since we both have doubts, why don't you sit down and let's sort out all the questions clearly?" Snape still didn't sit, as if sitting in front of Dumbledore to seriously discuss Lucian was an extremely difficult thing for him.
His face was even stiffer than his body, his voice squeezed out from his lips.
"I just want to understand one thing: where did you find Lucian, why did you invite him to teach, and why exactly did he agree?"
Dumbledore shook his head and waved his hand casually. Two iced glasses appeared out of thin air.
"How about trying iced lemon black tea? This is what Lucian recommended to me. After trying it once, I found it quite nice—though I'm getting on in years, so drinking iced things too often might not be good for the body." As he spoke, he added five sugar cubes to his own lemon black tea without a care.
Snape quickly walked over and sat down in front of Dumbledore, saying nothing, just staring at him. Dumbledore paid it no mind, slowly stirring his drink with a silver spoon as he spoke gently:
"Let me answer your first question first, but I hope you'll keep today's conversation confidential."
"When I found Lucian, he was leading a group of students in researching and studying black magic, and he had already defeated nine Auror teams sent to capture him."
"..." Snape opened his mouth, a strange gleam of surprise in his eyes, but he desperately swallowed his words back.
"Neither the Ministry of Magic nor I could allow such a master proficient in magic to continue delving deeper down a dangerous path."
"It's just studying black magic—what danger could there be? Could you arrest every wizard who's ever studied black magic? Then the Ministry should start by arresting themselves."
"Now you're speaking up for him again?"
Dumbledore glanced at Snape and was about to continue when the portrait of Headmaster Black on the wall suddenly came to life and spoke in agreement:
"Ah—well said—, just studying black magic. It's a stage every great wizard must go through. Lucian—though I have no impression of this Slytherin— is undoubtedly on the right path."
"Shut up!"
The other portraits, who had been intently gossiping, saw him break the atmosphere and collectively rushed into the frame to pin Black down.
Dumbledore's stirring paused for a moment, and he smoothly stopped.
"In any case, Professor Lucian and I reached an agreement. I believe it's beneficial for both of us."
"Alright, I understand completely now." Snape got the answer he wanted and stood up directly to take his leave.
As he reached the door, he suddenly turned back—Dumbledore was just then lifting his head to drink his tea.
"Lucian is a fool full of womanly compassion, Dumbledore. His research into black magic has absolutely nothing to do with any evil intentions—I can guarantee that."
"As for the rest, I'll keep an eye on him for you!" Dumbledore finished his black tea in one gulp, looking in the direction Snape had left, and murmured:
"I don't think I asked him to do that, did I?"