"How does it look?"
"Uh, they're getting smaller and whiter... wait, no, they're shrinking so much they're almost gone!"
Harry's panicked cry rang out in the Room of Requirement.
Watching the teeth in Ron's mouth rapidly shrink, Harry scratched his head in panic and even pulled out his wand, preparing to cast Magic on Ron.
But this was just Harry's Gryffindor nature showing. In truth, he did not know any spells to restore teeth, and pulling out his wand was merely a frantic gesture.
Ron, on the other hand, was much calmer. He waved a hand and said,
"Don't worry. Worst case, I'll just take another trip to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey and I are already quite familiar with each other!"
Ron's voice gradually began to sound like that of an old man who had lost all his teeth, and even his expression seemed a little more benevolent.
Because he helped the twins test their new prank items, whenever a symptom would not disappear on its own, the twins would take Ron to visit Madam Pomfrey. He was already a regular at the Hospital Wing.
Although Madam Pomfrey scolded them every time, the three Weasleys never tired of it.
Despite how calm Ron seemed now, his reckless lion nature had already shown itself earlier. While Harry was still hesitating, Ron had downed the Potion in one gulp. His unspoken reasoning was that it smelled sweet and did not seem poisonous, and besides, Madam Pomfrey was there to fix things.
It was not so much physical drug resistance as psychological resistance.
Harry couldn't help smacking his forehead. He waved his wand to pack the Potion tools into a shrunken suitcase and prepared to take Ron to the Hospital Wing.
He felt that the Potion improvement was always just one step short, but he did not know how to make the breakthrough.
He couldn't exactly go and ask Snape...
Harry found the mere thought of that scene bizarre.
"Are you all here?"
Harry's train of thought was interrupted by the sudden voice, and at the same time, he felt a palm rest on his shoulder. He instinctively turned his head.
Ron turned his head as well.
"Lucien?!"
Seeing Lucien's familiar face, both Harry and Ron were stunned, thinking they were hallucinating.
Hadn't he gone abroad to Beauxbatons for the exchange competition?
Why had he suddenly returned?
Ron couldn't help frowning. He looked at Lucien suspiciously and asked,
"George? Fred? Did you come up with a new prank invention?"
It was not surprising that Ron reacted this way. The twins had recently been tinkering with all sorts of bizarre magical items, including things that could change a person's appearance...
Lucien looked between Harry and Ron, paying particular attention to the latter's toothless, whistling speech, then raised his wand and tapped it lightly.
The uneven teeth in Ron's mouth were instantly restored, becoming even straighter and whiter than before.
Seeing this, the corner of Harry's mouth twitched.
He thought that perhaps he really should ask Snape. Otherwise, who knew when the Potion would be finished? At worst, he would just have to drink a few more bottles of Bright-Eyes Potion to get rid of his glasses...
After his teeth were restored, Ron bit down gently a few times. He felt that they were firmer than before, and even a cavity that had recently developed seemed to be gone.
Ron was also certain that the person before him was definitely not Fred or George in disguise.
If the twins had seen his pathetic state just now, they would have laughed at him first, then paraded him around the castle for a few laps before taking him to the Hospital Wing, rather than curing him so casually with Magic.
"Lucien, why are you back? Isn't the exchange competition still several days away?"
"Yes, I snuck back," Lucien said, placing his right index finger over his lips. "I have some things to handle. Could you two do me a favour?"
Although they were curious about how Lucien had snuck back and what he had experienced at Beauxbatons, Harry and Ron agreed to his request first.
Lucien then handed the two of them several thick stacks of questionnaires and explained the details.
"Help me distribute these to the other students. Don't worry about collecting them. Once they're filled out, they'll automatically return here..."
As he spoke, Lucien pulled out a pink mailbox and handed it to Harry, just about to explain how to use this Alchemical mailbox.
"Gaga, gaga!"
Even Lucien was startled by the sudden strange cry.
He turned to see a metallic creation on the ground that looked somewhat like an owl, waddling along while shaking its rear end.
In fact, aside from its appearance, neither its cry nor its movements resembled an owl.
Ron lunged forward with an embarrassed expression and put the owl away.
Thinking that he still needed to find other familiar classmates for help, Lucien gave a brief goodbye and hurried out of the Room of Requirement.
Only then did Harry and Ron look closely at the thick stacks of paper.
Seeing a bunch of questions about Valentine's Day, they looked up at each other, both seeing the confusion in the other's eyes.
Was Lucien very interested in Valentine's Day?
...
An Alchemy room at Beauxbatons.
"Merlin's boots! So fast?! That's god-like speed!"
Riemann had been repeatedly fine-tuning a half-finished Alchemical array at his workbench, rehearsing for the final free-refinement stage. Lucien knocked and entered, handing him a leather suitcase that looked quite heavy.
Opening it, Riemann saw that it was neatly filled with the rare materials he had urgently written home for.
He had originally prepared himself mentally. Sending a letter internationally by owl, even with the postal transfers between the two Ministries of Magic, would take at least three or four days for a round trip.
Riemann had estimated that he probably would not receive these materials until the eve of the competition, leaving him only enough time for a few hurried attempts.
But Lucien...
It hadn't even been half a day, had it?
He had made a round trip from Beauxbatons to Hogwarts just like that?
Riemann looked at the materials in the case, their sealing Magic still perfectly intact, and his eyes widened in shock.
Although he did not know exactly what method Lucien had used, this efficiency was truly astonishing.
"Thank you so much, Lucien!" Riemann closed the case and thanked him sincerely.
With the materials arriving early, it meant he had ample time for testing and adjustments, and his confidence in the competition had indeed increased significantly.
"You're welcome. It was no trouble."
Lucien's reply was simple.
His temporary return to Hogwarts had mainly been to handle his own affairs. Bringing materials back for his senior was indeed just a small favour, something he had done along the way.
Riemann was tactful enough not to press Lucien on how exactly he had accomplished it.
________
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