"Newt Scamander, the most famous expert on magical creatures in the world, author of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'."
"Professor Flitwick mentioned to me that the Scamander family is very skilled in the application of the Undetectable Extension Charm."
Dumbledore stroked his beard with a chuckle,
"Yes, that Newt. I thought you'd be surprised to hear that name."
A hint of a smile appeared in Lucien's calm eyes,
"The greatest Wizard of our time, I wouldn't find it strange no matter who he knows or corresponds with."
This made Dumbledore laugh heartily, and he handed the letter to Lucien.
Lucien opened the letter and began to read. The beginning was blank, presumably old friends' greetings hidden by Dumbledore, so he looked directly at the main text:
"Using Undetectable Extension to contain living creatures is not just a simple magic spell, it also involves Transfiguration and even Alchemy…"
"If that junior also has an interest in Transfiguration and Alchemy, he can read the following basic magic books, which will give him some inspiration…"
Sure enough, creations using the Undetectable Extension Charm to contain living creatures were extremely complex.
He should have no problem with Transfiguration. As for Alchemy, analyzing that transforming pocket watch would allow him to grasp some Alchemy knowledge, but it might not be specialized enough. He still needed to go to the library to find some Alchemy books.
Well, Newt only mentioned how to create a single space in the letter. Constructing multiple diverse environments simultaneously should belong to the Scamander family's secret heritage.
Is old Dumbledore really that enthusiastic? He wrote to an old friend to inquire about a new student's problem.
Tsk tsk tsk, he truly deserves to be called the greatest Principal of Hogwarts.
"Thank you, Principal, for going to such trouble to help me inquire about this."
Dumbledore waved his hand, his bright blue eyes narrowing with a smile,
"Don't mention it. It's also a teacher's duty to help students pursue knowledge."
"Are you getting used to Hogwarts?"
Lucien nodded, indicating that he was getting along very well with his classmates, and the Professors had helped him a lot.
"Oh, I've also arranged with Professor Quirrell to have a weekly tutoring session with him to learn practical Defense Against the Dark Arts skills."
Hearing this, Dumbledore put down the honey water in his hand, a glint flashing in his eyes, but he said without much hesitation:
"Hmm, he also graduated from Ravenclaw, he's your senior."
"Quirrell's theories are very solid, he just might not be very good at communicating with students, but that doesn't affect his teaching."
"Tutoring is certainly not a problem."
Upon receiving Dumbledore's reply, a relaxed smile appeared on Lucien's face, but his heart skipped a beat.
Wait, this reaction isn't quite right.
Did Dumbledore not notice the problem with Quirrell, trusting him so easily, or rather, trusting Tom's character?
He brought this up proactively for safety reasons, but why was old Dumbledore's attitude so calm?
"Lucien, I remember you came from a Muggle family. You must be full of curiosity about the magic world, right?"
"Yes, that's why I bought many magic books at Flourish and Blotts before, and borrowed some from the library…"
The two chatted casually, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
"Lucien, have you read about a certain type of magic in books?"
"What magic?"
"Dark Arts."
As he spoke, Dumbledore picked up a lemon drop and popped it into his mouth, as if he had just said the most common word.
Lucien's thoughts, however, began to race.
Dark Arts?
Old Dumbledore must have misspoken.
Would the dignified Principal of Hogwarts ask a new student if he had heard of Dark Arts?
He wasn't some pure-blood descendant, so how would he have been exposed to Dark Arts beforehand?
No way, Dumbledore couldn't possibly think that what he was going to learn from Quirrell wasn't Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Dark Arts, could he?
No, from an outsider's perspective, even if they knew Quirrell had issues, it's normal for a student to seek tutoring from a Professor. It couldn't possibly be linked to Dark Arts.
And why was Dumbledore asking so directly? Shouldn't he observe him secretly first?
What exactly went wrong…
Lucien quickly reviewed his conversation with Dumbledore, even the details of entering the Headmasters Office resurfaced one by one.
Phoenix, Sorting Hat…
Sorting Hat!
A sentence suddenly flashed in Lucien's mind:
"…He truly is the most talented young Wizard I've seen in all these years."
Talent? Can the Sorting Hat detect a Wizard's talent?
His strongest talent was Transfiguration, even reaching an extraordinary level.
If Dumbledore learned this from the Sorting Hat, then some things would make sense.
For example, writing to an old friend to consult about a new student's problem.
A new student who simply performed well probably wouldn't warrant such an effort, but what if it was a young Wizard whom the Sorting Hat also acknowledged as "the most talented I've seen"?
If this hypothesis holds, and the Sorting Hat could detect his Transfiguration talent, what about other talents?
What was his talent second only to Transfiguration?
Dark Arts!
Lucien had certainly never displayed his Dark Arts talent in front of the Hogwarts faculty and students; in fact, he had never learned a single Dark Arts spell.
But what if Dumbledore already knew about his alarmingly high Dark Arts talent from the Sorting Hat?
That's why Dumbledore was so calm after he suggested tutoring with Quirrell, and why he seemingly inexplicably brought up the topic of Dark Arts.
Lucien glanced at Dumbledore, finding him leisurely sipping his honey water.
Heh, so he was waiting for him here.
Newt's letter was just a pretext, wasn't it? What Dumbledore truly wanted to understand was his attitude towards Dark Arts.
Was he worried? Worried about another Lord Voldemort emerging in the world, or even another Grindelwald?
The reason for asking so directly was because he thought he was still a child, and it would be easy to tell if he was lying.
Alright, it's about his attitude towards Dark Arts. What he was about to say was all true.
Lucien quickly settled on his wording.
This thought process was very brief, just long enough for Dumbledore to blow on the hot steam in his cup a few times.
"I've seen some scattered mentions of Dark Arts in books, basically describing them as terrifying, powerful, evil, and so on."
Dumbledore nodded, saying noncommittally:
"Hmm, what are your thoughts on Dark Arts?"
Lucien's tone was calm as he uttered a single word:
"Control."
This answer surprised Dumbledore. He put down his cup and looked at Lucien with interest,
"Control? How to control?"
Lucien looked directly into Dumbledore's eyes, without the slightest evasion,
"As you know, I come from a Muggle background. In the Muggle world, people master knowledge and use knowledge."
"But when I came into contact with the magic world, I felt that those rules might not apply. In the magic world, knowledge can be equivalent to power, real, tangible power!"
"Dark Arts are powerful, but they are also easy to lose control of. More importantly, Dark Arts can also affect a person's character."
"So, is it people controlling Dark Arts, or Dark Arts controlling people?"
Pausing, Lucien's gaze towards Dumbledore deepened even further,
"Headmaster Dumbledore, as the greatest Wizard of our time, if you were to use Dark Arts, could you control it one hundred percent?"
After Lucien asked this question, the Headmasters Office fell into a long silence.
The old man, Dumbledore, lowered his head, looking at the ripples in his cup.
Yes, control, can it truly be controlled…
How many years ago was it, in Godric's Hollow.
Three angry youths argued, and finally drew their wands to duel.
In the chaos, a curse killed Dumbledore's sister, Ariana Dumbledore.
No one present knew who cast that Dark Arts spell.
Were the three youths back then, was Dumbledore back then, controlling Dark Arts…
The pain of long ago now could only turn into silence.
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