Lucien followed the directions Dumbledore had given and arrived at the empty classroom right on time.
The moment he stepped inside, he spotted a familiar black-robed figure waving a wand.
Spells flew from the wand tip, striking the doorframe, windows, walls, and floor—every surface covered with pinpoint accuracy.
The moment each spell hit, it sank in and vanished, leaving only a faint flicker of light in the air.
Lucien watched for a second. Looked like Snape was setting up a magical ward.
Probably to keep his Patronus mist from leaking out again.
So the "tutoring teacher" Dumbledore mentioned was Snape.
Lucien's first guess had been Lupin—the guy was practically synonymous with the Patronus Charm in his mind.
But Snape made sense too. He really was skilled with the spell.
The Patronus represented light, justice, and belief. Normally, no Death Eater could summon one. Trying usually backfired hard.
Snape was the only Death Eater who had ever produced a Patronus.
Noticing Lucien's arrival, Snape didn't even glance back. He finished casting the last few spells, sealing the final corner of the room.
Only then did he turn around, give Lucien a quick look, and launch straight into the lesson without any greeting.
"The Patronus Charm is one of the oldest and most powerful defensive spells. It can protect against…" Snape's voice stayed flat. "To cast it, you must focus your mind completely and recall your happiest memory…"
He gave a short overview, then switched gears. "Tell me exactly how you cast it last night. In detail."
After listening to Lucien's full account, Snape fell silent, deep in thought.
Normally a spell's power came down to magical strength, concentration, belief, and similar factors.
The Patronus added one extra variable: the intensity of the happy memory and how clearly it was recalled—the deeper and more vivid, the better.
But having your magic "dragged along" like that…
Snape suddenly gave Lucien a strange look.
The kid always seemed so calm and collected on the outside. Was his inner emotional life actually this rich?
"So… exactly how happy was the memory you used?"
Snape asked bluntly, not bothering with privacy concerns.
Lucien thought for a second. "I remembered the first time I ever picked up a wand and cast a spell. Just a simple Summoning Charm."
Snape was speechless. A basic little spell made him that happy?
Lucien added, "I'm Muggle-born, so the first real taste of magic was genuinely exciting."
It wasn't just that. After years living in a purely scientific world in his previous life, actually performing real magic had brought pure joy straight from the heart.
It was also the moment he realized that in this world, knowledge truly equaled power.
No extra steps or mediums needed. The knowledge and skills you learned could equal supernatural power directly.
Lucien's short but sincere answer left Snape quiet. He could understand it to some degree.
Snape knew exactly what it felt like when magic responded to you—when life was full of garbage but magic still chose you.
As the years passed and he'd seen more, Snape had simply forgotten that pure joy of releasing magic.
Looking at Lucien now, Snape felt a quiet sigh. Sometimes the boy really was still just a kid.
"The special thing about the Patronus Charm," Snape continued, pulling his thoughts back, "is that it draws on sincere, deep 'happiness' to move your magic. The emotion matters even more than technique…"
He paused, then gave an extreme counter-example.
"A similar but opposite case is the Killing Curse—Avada Kedavra. It requires pure, intense murderous intent to work properly. A beginner or a weak witch or wizard can only make someone's nose bleed at best."
"So your problem is…" Snape tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, then rested his forehead on his hand, unable to come up with an answer right away.
He rubbed his brow, a headache starting to form.
It couldn't really be that the kid's emotions were just too rich… could it?