The moving staircases of Hogwarts Castle twisted and shifted endlessly through the towering halls, and the new Slytherin students walked through them with obvious excitement. Their good mood wasn't only because of the house points Lucien had earned earlier. More importantly, Gryffindor students had actually approached a Slytherin for help during class.
And not just one of them.
For the proud young snakes, that alone felt like a major victory.
The group walked ahead of the Gryffindors with their heads held high, talking loudly as though they had just conquered a battlefield.
"Alright, enough already," Lucien finally said helplessly. "We're classmates, and one day we'll probably be partners in plenty of things. It was only a single lesson. Do we really need to keep talking about it?"
This was already the third time Draco had enthusiastically described the awkward expressions on the Gryffindors' faces. Lucien had heard the story so many times he could practically recite it himself.
"Lucien, you didn't see it properly!" Draco insisted excitedly. "Those little lions clearly wanted to thank us, but they were too embarrassed to admit it. It was hilarious!"
Just as Draco prepared to launch into the story for a fourth time, something suddenly dropped down from above.
"Hehehehe! Look what we've got here! Gryffindors and Slytherins walking together! What a miracle!"
A strange transparent figure emerged halfway through the wall overhead. He wore brightly coloured clothes and an old hat that looked centuries out of fashion. His slippers were torn nearly beyond recognition, exposing several grimy blackened toes.
Peeves the Poltergeist.
The ghost cackled madly while shaking several water balloons in his hands.
Before anyone could react, he hurled them downward.
"Protego!"
Lucien moved instantly, flicking his wand upward. A transparent barrier spread over the Slytherin students just as the balloons burst apart. Water splashed harmlessly across the magical shield before dripping onto the stone floor.
The Gryffindors behind them were far less fortunate.
Seeing that his attack on Slytherin had failed, Peeves immediately switched targets. He shrieked with laughter as he began throwing balloons directly at the Gryffindor students instead.
"Bloody menace!"
"Get away from us!"
"I'm telling Professor McGonagall!"
The corridor immediately descended into chaos.
Lucien frowned slightly. Peeves was infamous even in Hogwarts: A History. Decades earlier, Hogwarts caretakers had attempted to expel him using every spell and weapon imaginable, only for the poltergeist to escape effortlessly. At one point, he had even stolen a pistol and a miniature cannon and fired them around the castle until the Headmaster was forced to negotiate with him directly.
Lucien had absolutely no interest in provoking something that troublesome.
"Keep moving," he instructed calmly. "Don't stop here. Once we reach the dungeons, Peeves won't dare cause trouble near Professor Snape."
At the same time, he expanded the protective barrier above them as far as possible, shielding more students from the falling balloons.
Then a sudden scream echoed through the stairwell.
"Ahhh!"
Everyone instinctively turned.
Near the back of the Gryffindor line, one of the girls had been so focused on dodging the water balloons that she completely failed to notice the moving staircase beneath her feet. The staircase rotated sharply with a heavy rumble.
By the time she realised what had happened, she had already slipped off the edge.
"Help!"
Another girl desperately grabbed her arm, but she clearly lacked the strength to hold her for long. Within seconds, both girls were swaying dangerously near the edge.
Several nearby students rushed over in panic, but they were too far away.
The girl lost her grip.
Her body dropped straight downward.
At that exact moment, a calm male voice rang through the corridor.
"Wingardium Leviosa!"
The falling girl abruptly stopped in midair. An invisible force caught her body before she could crash into the staircase below.
Lucien moved quickly down several steps, guiding her floating body safely upward with controlled wand movements. The instant the spell weakened, he reached forward and caught her securely.
"You alright?" he asked.
The girl slowly opened her eyes. She had clearly been waiting for the impact of death, and hearing Lucien's voice instead left her completely stunned. Her eyes turned red almost instantly, and her legs gave out beneath her as she collapsed onto the floor.
"Parvati!"
The girl who had grabbed her earlier rushed over with tears streaming down her cheeks and threw her arms around her tightly.
Only then did Lucien properly notice how identical the two girls looked.
Parvati and Padma Patil.
A small flicker of recognition crossed Lucien's eyes.
In the original timeline, Parvati had eventually become Harry Potter's dance partner during the Triwizard Tournament Ball. But after today's events… whether history would still unfold the same way was another matter entirely.
"Padma, I'm alright," Parvati whispered shakily.
Then she looked up at Lucien with lingering fear still visible in her expression.
"Thank you, Mr. Grindelwald."
She struggled to her feet and gave him a deep bow of gratitude. Padma quickly realised what had happened as well and impulsively wrapped Lucien in a tight hug.
"If my sister had died…" she choked out emotionally, "I don't think I could've lived with it."
"Mr. Grindelwald, I'll never forget what you did for us."
"It was nothing serious," Lucien replied gently as he patted her shoulder in reassurance. "I simply couldn't stand by and watch a beautiful young witch fall to her death."
Around them, whispers and exclamations rapidly spread through the corridor.
"Did you see how fast Lucien reacted?"
"I barely even saw him cast the spell!"
"If he hadn't been there, Parvati definitely would've fallen!"
"From that height she could've died!"
Even the Gryffindor students who normally disliked Slytherin couldn't suppress their admiration anymore. Earlier, Lucien had ignored the rivalry between houses and helped them during Transfiguration class. Now he had saved one of their classmates without hesitation.
No matter how stubborn the young lions were, it was impossible not to develop some genuine respect for him.
"Oh dear Merlin… what has that poltergeist done now?!"
Professor McGonagall stormed into the corridor at last, looking every bit like an enraged lioness. The instant she spotted Peeves hovering overhead, she pointed her wand directly at him.
Realising he had nearly caused a catastrophic accident, Peeves shrieked nervously before diving straight through the nearest wall and vanishing.
Professor McGonagall immediately hurried over to Parvati. The sight of the trembling girl made her expression darken considerably.
"Miss Patil, are you injured?" she asked sharply. "I'm taking you to Madam Pomfrey immediately."
Her lips tightened furiously.
"Peeves has gone too far this time. I'll be speaking with Professor Dumbledore personally."
"I'm alright, Professor," Parvati said quickly. "Mr. Grindelwald saved me."
She briefly explained what had happened.
As Professor McGonagall listened, the admiration in her eyes toward Lucien grew even stronger.
"Mr. Grindelwald," she said formally, "on behalf of Gryffindor House, I would like to sincerely thank you for your quick actions."
She paused before making her announcement.
"For your bravery and excellent judgement, Slytherin will receive twenty points."
A wave of shocked gasps spread through the students.
Twenty points.
Even winning a Quidditch match only earned one hundred and fifty, and that required an entire team fighting for months throughout the school year. Lucien had personally earned twenty-five points for Slytherin in less than a single afternoon.
Yet strangely, not a single student felt the reward was excessive.
Everyone knew he had earned it.
"Alright, little wizards," Professor McGonagall said after glancing at the time, "you'll all be late for your next lesson if you continue standing here."
A faint look of sympathy appeared on several students' faces.
"If you don't want Professor Snape furious on your very first day, I suggest you hurry."
She then turned back toward Parvati. Although the girl insisted she was fine, Professor McGonagall clearly intended to bring her to the Hospital Wing anyway for safety.
Parvati, meanwhile, glanced repeatedly toward Lucien through the crowd. Under the teasing laughter and playful whistles from both houses, she could only watch helplessly as Lucien and the others disappeared down the staircase toward the dungeons.
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