After a dull hour, the bell finally rang.
Not only were the young wizards relieved, but Quirrell also let out a long sigh.
He hurriedly packed his things and rushed out of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, not daring to linger for even a mont, as though he had to quickly complete so task for his master.
Watching Quirrell's behavior, Lucien was speechless.
Quirrell was playing the role of a subservient lackey far too convincingly.
Soone who could beco a Hogwarts professor couldn't possibly be completely useless!
Although Lucien could learn so Defense Against the Dark Arts from books, having a teacher's guidance would certainly accelerate his progress.
And who didn't want to improve?
Who would fill the gap for him in this subject, now lacking a proper teacher?
Lucien looked down at the Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook; most of it was theory.
But real combat duels were decided in an instant.
The decisiveness and reaction skills needed in such situations could never be mastered by reading books alone.
Thinking about enduring Quirrell's half-hearted teaching for an entire year, Lucien couldn't help but complain inwardly.
If it weren't for old Dumbledore's suspicion of Quirrell and his need to guard against Lord Voldemort's possible return to Hogwarts...
Given Quirrell's performance, Dumbledore, with his preference for keeping problems close for easier supervision, probably would have fired him long ago.
Uh, wait a second.
Fire a professor?
At that thought, a plan suddenly ford in Lucien's mind.
Since you're my teacher, you should at least teach sothing, right?
Let's see if I can make use of Quirrell.
Hmm, maybe I can even make use of Tom!
…
After saying goodbye to Harry and his friends, Lucien picked up his books and quickly left the classroom.
His classes for the day were over; it was ti to get down to business.
To the library!
As soon as he stepped inside, the atmosphere imdiately grew quiet.
And this wasn't because all the young wizards were naturally so well-behaved or consciously quiet.
Rather, it was because of a thin, elderly woman carrying a feather duster, constantly patrolling the library like a lion surveying its territory.
If any young wizard made a racket or damaged books, she would wave her feather duster and promptly shoo them out.
Lucien scanned the area and quickly spotted her.
"Madam Pince?"
At Lucien's quiet inquiry, the Madam gave a small nod.
Lucien then produced Professor Flitwick's booklist and handed it to her.
After a quick glance at the list, Madam Pince frowned.
She looked Lucien up and down, then suddenly asked:
"What year are you in?"
"First year."
Lucien's answer made her frown deepen.
The main issue was the books on the list: Achievents in Charms, Developnt of Silent Spells, Application of Combined Spells…
These were all books that higher-year students preparing for their N.E.W.T.s might attempt to borrow—and even then, they usually only borrowed one or two at a ti to study.
Looking at the list, which contained no fewer than ten books, Madam Pince strongly suspected that the first-year wizard before her was playing so sort of prank.
However, the list bore Professor Flitwick's personal signature, along with a magical imprint that was nearly impossible to forge.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Madam Pince said flatly:
"Wait a mont."
She then turned and walked toward the shelves without the slightest hesitation, moving between the rows as though she needed no reminder, pinpointing the exact location of each book.
Watching Madam Pince retrieve the books one by one, rather than using a summoning charm like Accio, Lucien realized she must value books deeply, choosing to handle them with care rather than crudely calling them through magic.
As for the idea that Madam Pince might be a Squib unable to use magic—Lucien considered it and dismissed the thought as highly unlikely.
The Restricted Section of the library contained a great number of precious volus. How could soone with no magical ability be entrusted to guard them?
Wouldn't that simply allow students to slip in and use magic to take whatever they wanted?
Madam Pince soon returned, stacking the books neatly and handing them to Lucien.
"You must not damage these books. Violators will be punished!"
"The loan period is one month. If you need to renew them, co back and register with ."
Lucien nodded his thanks.
He then picked out a few more magic books on Transfiguration and Potions. After registering them with Madam Pince, Lucien prepared to leave the library.
Just as he stepped out and turned a corner, his view was blocked by a tall stack of books, and he didn't notice the person coming out.
"Oh dear!"
A startled cry rang out.
At the sa ti, Lucien lost his balance, and his books were about to scatter across the floor.
Lucien reacted quickly, drew his wand, and cast a Hover Charm.
The falling books floated steadily in the air and restacked themselves neatly.
"Sorry, are you alright?"
Lucien reached out, ready to help the other person up.
"You're… Lucien!"
Looking at the light-haired girl sitting on the floor, rubbing her wrist, Lucien realized he didn't know her.
But the girl had already grabbed his hand and stood up with his help.
"I am Daphne Greengrass."
"The eldest daughter of the Greengrass family."
Hearing Daphne's self-introduction, Lucien raised an eyebrow but still responded politely:
"Hello, I am Lucien Grafton."
"Yes, I know your na. You stood out at the Opening Ceremony. Didn't we also have History of Magic together this afternoon?"
He glanced at the crest on Daphne's robe—Slytherin.
Noticing that she was still rubbing her wrist, clearly strained from the fall, Lucien felt partly responsible for the collision and raised his wand.
"Episkey."
A wisp of white light wrapped around Daphne's wrist, instantly easing the pain.
"A Healing Charm? Thank you!"
Daphne expressed her gratitude with elegance.
She felt her judgnt had been right; being able to use magic so effortlessly right after the start of term, Lucien was indeed extraordinary and soone worth befriending.
"You're welco."
Lucien only gave a light hum in reply, then turned to leave. He planned to grab so dinner in the Great Hall and head straight back to his dormitory to start reading.
Finally having access to advanced magical knowledge, no longer limited to the beginner's books available outside, filled Lucien with anticipation and joy.
Silent Spellcasting, experinting with Potion brewing—tonight would be another fulfilling night.
"Um.. Grafton, would you care to join for dinner?"
Seeing that Lucien was about to leave at once, Daphne quickly extended an invitation.
As she spoke, an elegant and proper smile curved her lips, her chin tilted slightly upward, showing the line of her slender, pale neck.
As if receiving her invitation was an honor.
Lucien found the girl's expression and posture oddly familiar.
How did she make going to the school cafeteria sound so refined?
Greengrass—ah, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, a pure-blood family.
That explained it. The noble young ladies he had spoken with at banquets alongside Aunt Penelope had all acted like this.
Uh, pure-blood family's eldest daughter, Slytherin—what a combination of traits.
Lucien suddenly had a hunch this girl would likely be troubleso.
And with so many books to read and so much knowledge waiting for him, he didn't have ti to waste on her.
"Thank you for your kind offer, but I'm sorry, I have sothing to do today."
With that, Lucien stepped past Daphne and walked away.
Her smile froze; she felt as though she hadn't even had ti to react—had she just been rejected?
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