In the final days of the holiday, the Ministry of Magic sent Lucas a letter inquiring about wizarding estate inheritance.

The news hadn't come from the Headmaster or the former Auror. For families with an established name, the moment an heir appeared, certain registries at the Ministry lit up accordingly.

Bloodline could not be concealed.

And the parasites followed close behind.

Snape frowned when he heard the contents of the letter and read through it. The conclusion he and the Headmaster reached was to go through official channels — and the process for handling a large estate always took a very long time.

These people hadn't found a way into the estate yet, but they had almost certainly begun plotting in the shadows, hunting for whatever pretext might let them carve it up.

Slytherin types handled these matters better, and Dumbledore's suggestion was to consult Lucius Malfoy.

But Lucius Malfoy had no desire to get involved.

Lucius Malfoy was simply watching to see how large a piece he could bite off from this commission.

Their original plan had been to discuss the matter with Lucas's magical guardian, that is, Snape. Their invitation made that clear. The letter was addressed to Snape, and no separate letter had been sent to Lucas.

The exact wording was: If Lucas is available, please feel free to join as well.

If Snape had any intention of embezzling the estate, he could have gone to the appointment alone, and Lucas would have had nothing to do with the whole affair.

But Snape brought Lucas along to the dinner.

This left the Malfoy family uncertain about how to categorize Lucas. They still wanted something out of it, but they needed to recalibrate their approach.

Proxy and representation was a drawn-out wrangling process, and Lucius Malfoy was also waiting to see what stance Snape would take. If Snape got pushed hard enough by the Ministry and came knocking again on his own initiative, the upper hand would be handed right over. Lucius Malfoy might offer a friends-and-family rate, or use the opportunity to bind Snape more deeply to him.

What a pleasant little fantasy.

Lucas, without a care in the world, dropped his ingredients into the crucible.

The Ministry letter got tossed into the fireplace. The neat handwriting curled in the flames and crumbled to ash and smoke.

After burning a few of those letters, the new term arrived.

This year, both Alice and Catherine were waiting for Lucas in the forest.

Lucas's roommates shot an envious glance at him, completely oblivious to how lucky he was. They hadn't thought much of it before, but now, with both witches gathered in one place, it was hard to miss. Lucas seemed to be the type girls naturally gravitated toward, and every one of them who spent time with him was beautiful.

Why did beautiful girls all like spending time with Lucas?

Marcus muttered and grumbled about wanting to squeeze into their carriage, but Catherine had also brought along a Ravenclaw boyfriend, who used his height to look down at second-year Marcus from above.

Marcus cursed under his breath and retreated.

The Ravenclaw senior glanced at Lucas, thought about his girlfriend's admiration for the boy, and let it go. Just a little second-year, after all.

The Thestrals carried this oddly assembled carriage flying toward the school.

The moment Alice got in, she couldn't help telling Lucas about her research into Moaning Myrtle over the holiday.

According to her investigation, Moaning Myrtle had been found dead in the girls' bathroom in 1943. After dying, Moaning Myrtle had wanted to chase down the classmate who had bullied Moaning Myrtle and demand an explanation. That young witch got chased to the point of seeking help from the Ministry, and the Ministry eventually stepped in.

The Ravenclaw senior was actually quite curious about what Catherine talked about when around younger students. Hearing them discuss a ghost from his own house, he listened with interest.

"Was it that student who killed Moaning Myrtle?"

Alice shook her head. "No. The Ministry launched an investigation into the suspect, Oliver Hornby, at the time, but Oliver had a solid alibi. Apparently Moaning Myrtle was killed by a dangerous magical creature."

The Ravenclaw senior drew a sharp breath. "Did they specify what kind of creature killed Moaning Myrtle?"

Lucas steered the conversation back at the right moment, cutting in: "What this tells us is that Moaning Myrtle was originally free to wander anywhere in the castle."

Alice nodded vigorously, that was exactly the point Alice had been building toward. "At the time, Ministry officials intervened and used some kind of spell to stop Moaning Myrtle from constantly harassing other students. That's why Moaning Myrtle had no choice but to return to the bathroom."

Catherine spoke up at a well-timed moment: "These days Moaning Myrtle generally doesn't leave the bathroom either. Could it be that the Ministry people never removed the spell?"

No one had ever seen Moaning Myrtle wandering the castle. Most of the time, Moaning Myrtle could be found crying on the toilet, and sometimes traveling up and down a few floors through the pipes.

The wizards in the carriage fell silent.

Catherine's boyfriend very much wanted to say: was letting Moaning Myrtle wander everywhere actually a good thing?

Looking at Lucas, the boyfriend felt a vague suspicion that Lucas was exploiting the girls' sympathy to get along with them.

"Still, it's probably best not to interfere with ghost matters," the Ravenclaw senior said, trying to be objective. "They're already dead."

The two girls looked at him. They quickly changed the subject to the latest lipstick shades.

And the maddening thing was that Lucas, sitting right in the middle of them, fit in perfectly, occasionally even offering an opinion while leafing through the little shade catalogue.

What a thoroughly insufferable little menace.

The Ravenclaw senior got off the carriage and was called away by a roommate. Lucas and the two girls watched the young wizard run off.

Alice let out a heavy sigh.

Catherine was entirely composed. Watching the boyfriend's retreating figure, Catherine suddenly said: "I plan to break up with him after graduation."

Alice looked over in surprise.

"What's so surprising? Couples from school don't necessarily make it to the end." Catherine said, then remembered that Alice was only a second-year.

"I want to pursue my career in Germany — there's a research institute there that wants me, but he wants to stay in England."

Lucas made no comment on other people's choices.

Most of the time, Lucas was not one for sweet words. The secret to getting along with witches was being a good listener. As long as you didn't try to tell them what to do, you'd already beaten eighty or ninety percent of male wizards.

Lucas asked about the name of Catherine's research institute.

"This year I still need to make the most of asking the Professor some questions. That research institute requires an O in Potions. I'm not very confident."

Lucas had figured Catherine would have something to say once the personal details started coming out.

"You can save up your questions," Lucas replied, somewhat reluctantly. "I'll find a time when the Professor is free and ask them all at once for you."

Catherine let out a small breath of relief and smiled. "That's truly so kind of you. That way I'll have more time to bother Professor Sprout — my Herbology marks need to be an O as well. I'm actually a little afraid of Professor Snape..."

That was not entirely the truth.

What Catherine was a little afraid of was Lucas. Back when Lucas had been trailing around after Snape's robes, Catherine had already noticed that Lucas didn't like other people clustering around Snape.

That alone wouldn't have stopped Catherine from asking the Professor questions. Catherine and Lucas were only acquaintances from summer camp, and nothing was going to stand between Catherine and a good grade and a smooth graduation.

But then came the Slytherin dormitory fire, and what Lucas had revealed on that occasion was genuinely memorable.

The feelings of a capable wizard were worth keeping in mind.

Since Lucas had agreed to consolidate the questions, Catherine didn't necessarily have to go to Professor Snape directly.

Had Lucas truly never noticed how much attention Lucas paid to Snape?

➤ Next: An Explosion of Gold Coins

Chapter 243 - An Explosion of Gold Coins

Lucas had no idea what the female students thought of him.

Nor did he particularly care.

-----------

The Slytherin students were pleased to discover that the dormitory had been fully repaired.

Every trace of the fire had been erased. The sculpture that had been wrapped in jujube tree roots and stripped of its serpent fangs now had its teeth restored.

Marcus threw himself onto a single bed, rolled around contentedly, and sighed. "Habit really is a terrifying thing. I almost ran up to the eighth floor again just now."

Many of the Slytherin students felt the same way.

More students began lingering in the common room as a result, gathering in twos and threes to discuss how the dormitory had changed.

A week later, they were surprised to find that one or two Merpeople were now drifting past the common room windows every so often — windows the Merpeople had rarely approached before.

A student reported the matter to the Head of House. Slytherin absolutely could not afford to lose their dormitory and common room again.

At that moment, Snape was buried in the incomprehensible student essays collected after the holidays. No matter how many times he said it, someone was always eating while doing their homework.

The Potions professor had no desire to see anything else go wrong with his house's quarters.

Dumbledore was the only wizard in the entire school fluent in the language of Merpeople.

Lucas was in Snape's office cutting ingredients when he watched Snape stick his head into the fireplace and argue with the headmaster for a stretch.

The headmaster's reply was something along the lines of: Merpeople are intelligent beings, and they may simply have swum nearby.

Snape's brow furrowed.

Lucas translated: "Is it that the house was just renovated, and those Merpeople swam over to see what all the fuss was about?"

Snape paused slightly at that. Yes — that was indeed what the headmaster had meant.

Those Merpeople really had far too little to do.

Lucas, ever perceptive, added, "Some students have mentioned that having Merpeople drifting back and forth makes them feel unsafe. The common room never needed curtains before, and there's no reason to change that habit just for the Merpeople."

So then?

Snape pinched his quill and waited for Lucas to stop going in circles.

The young wizard offered a composed smile. "If you need it handled, I can take care of it."

Lucas left Snape's office with yet another signed authorisation slip.

The Slytherin common room quickly grew lively.

Marcus examined the slip from the Head of House over and over with an expression of pure amazement. It read: I, Severus Snape, Head of Slytherin House, hereby grant Lucas special authorisation to address the matter of Merpeople peering into the house common room.

Lucas really could get a signed slip for absolutely anything.

Marcus even held the slip up to the light to inspect it.

Lucas promptly took it back, and Marcus asked: "So what are we going to do?"

Even as they spoke, a few Merpeople were drifting past just outside the common room windows.

In the past, when they swam by without any particular intention it had been bearable enough. But lately the Merpeople's curiosity had been growing by the day.

Marcus lowered his voice. "Don't tell the Head of House this part — the reason students bothered him about it in the first place is that someone spotted a Merperson pressed flat against the glass during a late-night wander."

Those Merpeople weren't exactly pleasant to look at. Running into one in the middle of the night was nearly enough to frighten someone to death.

Lucas nodded.

The reason Lucas was dealing with the Merpeople was that he had spotted them during one of his own late-night wanders.

Lucas had raised a small fund within Slytherin. The amount this time was far greater than what had been collected for Quidditch support, and after barely a year, Lucas's standing in the house had risen considerably.

"Seven hundred Galleons — does it really cost that much?" Marcus stared as Lucas tallied everything together.

Lucas didn't answer immediately.

An owl flew into the common room at that exact moment.

It was the smallest of the three owls Lucas had rented.

Having worked for Lucas for some time now, it looked even smaller than before — yet when it landed on the shelf, it produced a heavy thud that rang through the room.

THUD!

Proof enough that beneath all those feathers lay nothing but solid muscle.

The owl fixed Lucas with a thoroughly world-weary look and raised one foot.

A small coin pouch was tied to its leg. From inside came the jingle and clatter of coins knocking together.

Lucas removed the pouch and fed the owl some dried meat.

The owl didn't fly off immediately. It rested on the shelf, though in truth, like Marcus, it was simply being nosy, waiting to see Lucas open the pouch.

Lucas had no intention of keeping it a secret.

He opened the pouch right there in the common room and drew out several Galleons.

The pouch was packed solid with them. Even after Lucas removed a few, it showed no sign of going flat.

"Good lord, how much is in there?" Marcus drew a sharp breath.

His own pocket money would accumulate over time, sure, but pocket money was the sort of thing that never stayed put. And this was only a fundraiser for the house's privacy. Classmates who donated gave no more than three to five Galleons apiece.

Three hundred Galleons was frankly staggering.

"With thanks for Lucius Malfoy's generous contribution." Lucas counted the coins.

Including this, his total collected funds now stood at one thousand Galleons.

Marcus was stunned into silence by the Malfoy name.

After a long moment: "Why would Lucius Malfoy donate?"

"To do his part for Slytherin's privacy." Lucas said it without the slightest awkwardness.

In truth, the donation had been Lucius Malfoy's own initiative.

Clearly, Lucius Malfoy had been keeping a close eye on developments at the school. Upon learning that Lucas was raising funds, Lucius had generously offered a contribution.

This kind of donation was never about what the money would be used for. It was about who was doing the fundraising.

School had been in session for two weeks, and Lucas had been steadily burning every letter sent by various parties from the Ministry of Magic.

As long as Lucas didn't voluntarily open the half-sealed manor, those wizards of insufficient ability would find no way in.

Lucas and those who coveted his estate were like two children on opposite ends of a seesaw: the one who held steady left the other dangling with feet off the ground.

And the Malfoy family?

They called for a different metaphor altogether. They were like the fox dividing the meat, positioning themselves as the middleman carving up the share between the Ministry of Magic and Lucas. When one side got too much, they skimmed the excess for themselves, leaving that side short. Then they went to the other side and made a cut there too.

Meat on both sides of the table.

But why would Lucas entrust something so important to the Malfoy family? Lucas was studying at Slytherin, couldn't Lucas simply commission fellow students instead?

That was precisely why Lucius Malfoy needed to establish contact and build some sense of trust with Lucas.

A reliable adult was one who extended a helping hand exactly when Lucas needed funds.

With thanks for Lucius Malfoy's generous contribution.

Lucas produced a thank-you letter written in advance. The pre-drafted text contained one blank, with the original line reading: Thank you for your donation of XXX Galleons.

Lucas filled in "three hundred," tied the letter to the owl's leg, and gave the owl another piece of dried meat.

The owl was deeply displeased.

It had seen the gleaming Galleons too.

Lucas gave it two more pieces of dried meat. Once the feeding was done, Lucas turned attention elsewhere.

The sulking owl waited and waited, then finally took off with an air of profound grievance.

All that was left behind was Marcus, still not quite himself, marveling that Lucius Malfoy was truly far too generous.

There was actually something Lucas should have done before ever starting at the school. It had just never gotten done.

After Felix Felicis cleared a particularly difficult stage of the brewing process, Lucas made the way back from Snape's office smelling thoroughly of refined citrus.

Lucas switched on the desk lamp and sat at the table to compose a letter.

Dear Monsieur Nicolas Flamel,

Several years ago I came across a puzzle you left on a Muggle television programme. That episode was most engaging. At the time I did not have enough postage to write to the address given, but I still remember the question: "What is the one thing that only ever rises and never falls?"

The answer is age.

Two years have passed, and I have finally saved enough for the postage. I have developed a deep interest in Alchemy, and the further I pursued this subject, the more hesitant I felt about sending this letter.

Since enrolling I have made some attempts in Alchemy, and I enclose a protective amulet of my own making. I am well aware it falls far short of any true mastery; yet through the school's coursework and the library's books, I have been fortunate enough to glimpse the brilliance of this discipline.

This term I encountered a particularly interesting problem, and it was that which finally gave me the courage to send this letter.

The subject I am studying is: Hogwarts.

This castle has stood for over a thousand years. It is legendary, and every generation of students has found endless delight within its walls.

As a second-year Slytherin student, I can tell you that our dormitory underwent a renovation this year. Since the renovation was completed, Merpeople have taken to peering in through the common room windows at the students' activities.

My classmates and I find this rather difficult to adapt to. Although our dormitory lies underwater, for many years we and the Merpeople have maintained a mutually undisturbing distance.

With the support of professors and fellow students, I have raised some funds to research methods of preventing underwater creatures from peering in.

The simplest solution would naturally be to install curtains.

But I have taken the liberty of entertaining some more ambitious ideas, and I have enclosed several sketches. I hope you might find a moment to offer some guidance.

If my name seems at all familiar, it is most likely because last summer, while you were in Albania, you received a distress message from my mentor, Mister Snape. You provided a locating instrument on that occasion, and it proved enormously useful. I take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude.

With apologies for the presumption,

Lucas Graham.

Lucas attached the draft sketches to the letter.

The drawings were highly precise. Lucas had referenced the many gargoyles carved into the castle's stone walls and made quick sketches of numerous serpent motifs from the decorations.

The final draft depicted two enormous serpent sculptures baring their fangs. Lucas had also included a rendering showing the sculptures fixed outside the common room, embedded deep in the lakebed.

Lucas placed the rendering where it would be the first thing seen upon opening the letter, with the plans for the alchemical construction of the sculptures following behind.

Lucas was quite proud of the core concept, but had deliberately weakened the execution, leaving certain gaps in place, waiting for the master to find the errors intolerable and fill them in of their own accord.

Lucas sealed the letter and waited for the pre-arranged owl to come and collect it.

This time, in a rare departure from habit, Lucas gave the messenger owl a silver Sickle.

"This letter is very important. It must be delivered directly to the recipient." Lucas gave careful instructions.

The owl gripped the letter in its beak and tilted its head, its small mind apparently astonished that this young wizard who only ever offered dried meat had actually produced a silver coin.

But with a silver coin in hand, everything was manageable. The owl pulled itself together, passed through the passage, and left the common room.

Marcus was already fast asleep, turning over in dreams.

Lucas blew out the dormitory light and settled in to sleep.

The home of an alchemical master was no easy place to find. This owl might be roughing it outdoors for quite some time.

Lucas always paid for the labour of others. The owl was no different.

The letter sent tonight was a considerable gamble. Since inheriting the manor, Lucas had already come to stand in the headmaster's watchful gaze, drawing a little extra attention from an alchemical master wasn't likely to give anyone real cause for complaint.

Lucas needed to demonstrate more value, and quickly. And there was another elegant advantage to this plan. Lucas smiled, closed both eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

-------

Just as Lucas had anticipated, a long stretch of time passed after the letter was sent with no sign of the owl returning.

The other two owls seemed to have heard about their companion's ordeal. Every time Lucas produced dried meat, they became extremely wary, as though terrified a silver coin might follow.

This young wizard was not worth working for.

Lucas pretended not to notice their resistance. The mail-order catalogue that had arrived was opened, and Lucas began selecting suitable stone materials.

If the letter went unanswered, the carving and installation of the sculptures would still need to be completed before the term was out.

At the staff table in the Great Hall, Dumbledore, wearing a velvet cap, was cutting a slice of bread drenched in maple syrup.

"Severus, Easter is coming up. Will you be going to the manor during the holiday?"

Snape took a sip of coffee and didn't reply immediately, waiting for Dumbledore to say what was actually meant.

"Lucas's new project may require some materials from outside the school. If Lucas raises the idea of opening the manor, I can recommend a few Secrecy charms for you."

Dumbledore swallowed a piece of bread with great satisfaction.

Snape's brow knitted together. The message was clear enough. The only project Lucas was working on in Snape's office this term was Felix Felicis.

What else was the boy getting up to now? Hadn't that jujube tree been enough to set him back on course? Even Pomona Sprout had temporarily set aside botanical research, what could Lucas possibly be so busy with that it had reached the headmaster's ears?

Dumbledore observed Snape's expression carefully. Snape's face appeared stern, but in truth was entirely at sea. The headmaster offered a prompt: "You asked me about the Merpeople business."

Ah — that matter.

Snape had written the authorisation slip two weeks ago. With Easter nearly upon them, Lucas still hadn't reported back.

What was Lucas's plan for handling it? At the time, Snape had thought the matter too trivial to pay much attention to.

Snape turned a slow gaze toward Dumbledore.

Dumbledore set down knife and fork. "I am not here to report anyone. It is simply that an old friend of mine wrote to me and praised Lucas's talent in Alchemy."

Nicolas Flamel. Lucas intended to drive away the Merpeople using Alchemy.

Snape immediately pieced together the sequence of events. Expression shifting through several changes, Snape kept the coffee cup in hand, second sip untaken, but did not set it down.

A moment later, Snape's expression settled back to its usual state.

"And what does your 'old friend' make of Lucas's plan?" The tone gave nothing away.

Dumbledore hadn't brought this up to get anyone in trouble.

"Nicolas thinks the idea is excellent. Some modifications were made to Lucas's sketches — but since Nicolas is currently on an expedition in the Antarctic, if Lucas runs into any problems with the construction, the matter can be brought directly to me."

Dumbledore's purpose had been simple: to come and say something good about Lucas.

The last time Dumbledore had spotted Lucas in the corridor, Lucas had been walking with a light step and called out a greeting when their eyes met. When asked, it turned out Lucas had just overcome a minor difficulty in the Felix Felicis brewing.

Setting a second-year to brew Felix Felicis was truly forcing growth before its time.

Dumbledore felt for the boy. But there was no way to interfere with Snape's teaching pace.

All Dumbledore could do was offer congratulations to Lucas for getting through this particular hurdle.

"Understood." Snape set down the cup.

"Do you need me to pass this news along to Lucas?" Snape asked, and from Dumbledore, took on that owl's errand personally.

➤ Next: Saying One Thing, Meaning Another