Capítulo 44: 44 Summer End
Over the rest of the summer Lucas kept at it. Each day, as the sun cast its golden glow upon the world, he dedicated himself to honing his skills through rigorous training and disciplined practice. He had to catch up on what he had missed during the school year, as well as the new spaces he had created in his mind, at least he thought he needed to, even though he was miles ahead of his classmates.
The room made out of marble was filled with a gigantic spiderweb made out of a rainbow of glowing strings. In the places where they originated symbols could be seen. All of them represented a different subject and the strings connecting them were all the instances where they overlapped. Sometime three or more combined. For example, a gorgeous lush tree represented botany and from it leaf green strings connected to a myriad of other fields. It was a way for Lucas to categorise all the academic knowledge he had accumulated. It allowed him to access his knowledge far more efficiently than he had been.
The next one wasn't as clustered as this one, it was mostly empty except for the planets, moons, asteroids and the Sun floating in it. It was a replica of the solar system. Well, the only real planet in there was Earth, the others were for aesthetic purposes. After all he had not met someone, who was to any of them or knew how they looked like, yet. Anyway, Earth was not the blue planet it was known for, because most of its surface was greyed out. Only the places he had visited or any of his previous statues had been to were colourful, but that is not all. If you were to inspect it closely you would be able to make out names and a summary of each place.
The wooden room was filled with full filing cabinets, which he rarely visited if ever.
The last one was rather small, with only a few books. All were dictionaries about each language he knew. Currently there were eleven: English, Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Irish Gaelic, Italian, Greek, Hindi, Elder Futhark, Nordic Runes, Egyptian Hieroglyphs, Gobbledegook .
Simultaneously to all that, Lucas's enchantment shop flourished. Word of his magical enhancements spread. At first only the friends of Adrian Burke turned up, but now whenever his shop appeared in Diagon or Knochturn Alley, it didn't take long for a request to come in.
He also tried a few more rituals, but any that required chants, which were all of the more complicated ones, didn't work. So he was left with the ones that worked purely off of the ingredients properties, which unfortunately weren't many. The only reason the ritual he had done was possible without any incantations, was that it was so old and widely used that it was refined to perfection. Others like the Starlight Convergence, which strengthens your overall magic by harnessing the energy of celestial bodies during a specific alignment were out of the picture for Lucas.
Another one he had looked forward to was the Ritual of Elemental Attunement, which grants enhanced control over the chosen element.
He could try to make them work without the incantations, but he simply lacked the knowledge and especially the time to do so.
As the summer days drew to a close and September loomed on the horizon, Lucas prepared to return to Hogwarts for another year of study, the last one there.
----
On the morning of his departure, he stood in front of the mirror, adjusting his robes and running a hand through his hair. Lucas couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation as he thought about the year ahead.
With a determined smile, Lucas gathered his belongings and made his way to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. The familiar sights and sounds of the bustling railway station filled him with a sense of nostalgia as he navigated the building, his trunk rolling behind him. Effectively, it had been more than a year since he was last here. The second year didn't really count.
As he approached the barrier between platforms nine and ten with his Mum, Lucas felt a familiar thrill race through him. With a confident stride, he grabbed Sophia's hand, pushed his trolley forward and disappeared into the magical world beyond.
They were greeted by the familiar sights and sounds of the bustling platform. Students shouted their goodbyes, concerned parents gave one last speech and friends excitedly meeting again were just a few conversations Lucas picked up from his surroundings. He had muffled his Legilimency, otherwise he would have been bombarded by all kinds of irritating emotions.
Surrounded by the throng of students and families, Lucas and Sophia navigated the platform together, while the people automatically made way for them.
As they reached the train, he turned to Sophia and squeezed her hand gently, "Don't worry I will keep out of trouble."
Sophia smiled warmly at Lucas, her eyes reflecting a mixture of pride and affection. "I know you will, my dear," she replied, her voice tinged with a threat. "But if I feel that anything is wrong, I will get you out of there."
"I promise, Mum," he said as he boarded the train.
"And don't forget to take care of yourself." she yelled as he vanished inside the train.
Lucas settled into an empty compartment, where he couldn't help but ponder on the things he had to do. Especially his apology to Hermione.
As Lucas sat lost in thought, the compartment door suddenly slid open, breaking his reverie. Standing in the doorway was a familiar face, one he hadn't expected to see.
"Lucas," Ron exclaimed, surprised by his presence. "What are you doing here?"
Lucas smiled warmly at Ron. "Just getting ready for another year," he replied casually.
Ron frowned slightly, eyeing Lucas with suspicion. "Yeah, well, I hope you're not planning on using that Legilimency stuff on us again," he grumbled, his tone accusing.
Lucas's smile didn't faltered, but he asked, "It was Harry, wasn't it?"
Ron's eyes widened in surprise at Lucas's question. "What? How did you...?" he began, caught off guard.
Lucas chuckled softly. "Come on, Ron. I may not be using Legilimency right now, but you are just as easy to read," he explained, a playful twinkle in his eye. "Who else knows?"
"..."
"I see, you just couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you?"
Ron's expression tightened, his suspicions deepening as Lucas's words sank in. "What do you mean, 'keep my mouth shut'?" he demanded, his tone growing defensive.
Lucas leaned back against the compartment seat, his gaze steady as he regarded Ron. "I mean, you couldn't resist blabbing to the others about me being a Legilimens," he replied calmly, though there was a hint of disappointment in his voice.
Ron's jaw clenched as he processed Lucas's accusation. "Get out of my head right now!" he screamed, his voice tight with frustration.
"I'm not in your head." Lucas said calmly with the same smile he had greeted him, which irritated Ron even more.
Ron's frustration seemed to boil over, his face turning red with anger. "Stop lying! I know what you can do!" he snapped, his voice trembling with emotion.
Lucas sighed, realizing that Ron wasn't going to listen to reason in his current state. "Ron, just go." he was done talking to him. Before Ron could open his mouth again, he was pushed out of the doorway and the door shut closed in front of his nose.
As Ron stumbled back from the force, he blinked in surprise, momentarily stunned by the sudden turn of events. He glanced around, half-expecting someone to have seen their exchange. However, the corridor remained quiet, save for the muffled sounds of chatter and laughter from nearby compartments.
Feeling a mix of embarrassment and indignation, Ron straightened himself up, shooting a glare at the closed compartment door. His mind raced with a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, his frustration boiling beneath the surface, so much that he hadn't even apprehended that Lucas had used wandless and chantless magic.
"I'll show him," Ron muttered under his breath, his jaw set with determination. "I'll prove he's up to something."
Back inside the compartment Lucas watched Ron stomp away, 'It probably won't be a quiet year.'
Eventually the train began to move, and someone else paid him a visit. The compartment door slid open once again, revealing a figure standing in the doorway. It was Hermione Granger, her expression an ashen grey as she looked at Lucas.
Lucas felt nothing as he met Hermione's gaze, but he could see the hurt and disappointment etched into her features. He had his answer even before she opened her mouth, she had made her decision. He wasn't sure what had happened over the school year or in the following summer, but he wouldn't force her to change.
"Hermione," he said softly, his voice laced with regret. "I'm sorry."
Hermione remained silent for a moment, her eyes searching his face for any sign of sincerity. Finally, still unsure, she spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "I thought... I thought you were different, Lucas. I trusted you."
He knew he had let her down, but he wasn't the same person anymore, he had changed so much over the last quarter of the year internally that it would feel strange to say he was the same person as back then. "I am different, Hermione," he insisted earnestly. "I never meant to betray your trust. But I can understand if you want to distance yourself from me. I just hope you are doing fine."
Hermione's expression softened slightly at Lucas's words, but the hurt still lingered in her eyes. She nodded slowly, her demeanor guarded yet composed. "I appreciate your apology, Lucas," she said softly, her voice tinged with sadness. "But things have changed between us. It's going to take time for me to trust you again, if ever."
"I understand, Hermione," he replied quietly, his tone tinged with remorse. "I'll respect your decision."
With a heavy heart, Hermione turned to leave the compartment, her steps hesitant as she walked away. Lucas watched her go, the sense of regret he expected never came. 'How strange. Maybe there were some side effects. But not with Mum.'
*click*
The door to the compartment locked.
----
Lost in his book, Lucas barely noticed as the train rumbled onward, the rhythmic sound of the wheels on the tracks calming him. But as the train rushed through the storm, the atmosphere shifted, the air growing colder and heavier with each passing moment.
Lucas's instinctively felt a blanket of dread and misery slowly encasing the train. Some unwelcome guests were approaching. He glanced up from his book, his senses on high alert as he watched his breath turned into mist.
Unleashing his full domain, he could feel the mood shift in a few compartments to both sides, as well as beings purely made out of an oppressive weight of despair hanging heavy in the air. They were like magnets, sucking any positive emotions towards them.
The once cheerful conversations died down one after the other as the Dementors came closer.
As the glass window frosted over, Lucas's heart slowed its pace, and a cold and indifferent expression flashed on his face. He wasn't sure how they found their victims or if this even helped, but to mask his emotions in a sea of students had to have an effect.
Their dark and twisted forms lurked just beyond the confines of the train, however, a few dared come closer, even board the train.
Lucas remained seated, his posture relaxed but his mind sharp and focused. He knew this was serious and that he had to be careful, for the Dementors were not to be trifled with. He observed a Dementor enter the train through another student's eyes until all those present in that compartment collapsed just from the Dementor gliding by.
'Interesting.' Lucas had taken the opportunity and had invaded all four persons minds before the creature had entered. Thus he was fully aware how it affected the students and he might be able to reproduce the effect, maybe even implement something similar into his domain.
Lucas's mind raced with possibilities as he observed the devastating effects of the Dementor's presence on the students in the compartment. He had anticipated the impact, but witnessing it firsthand only fueled his determination to get stronger as well as leave Britain after this year.
Unfortunately the Dementor didn't actually feed on any person, it definetly would have been fascinating if it had, but Lucas wasn't so cruel as to force it to do so, if he even could. 'It can't be that hard. It should only take a few amplified happy memories for the Dementor to get interested.'
That's when an idea formed in his mind, 'Maybe I can.'
Thanks to a well placed professor, he could try it in a controlled environment. The Dementor moved from the initial compartment towards the front of the train. It opened every compartment, but only briefly looked inside. Strangely it didn't even open Lucas' one, which he promptly noted.
It didn't take long for it to reach that one compartment and Lucas was ready. Its glistening, greyish, slimy-looking hand slowly pushed open the door and peered its head inside. The two boys were horrified, yet the sleeping professor didn't move.
Ron with tears in his eyes hid behind his trembling second hand wand, not even aiming at the creature at this point. Harry on the other hand was patiently following the Dementor's every move with his wand, ready to use force at any moment.
Luckily for them it only looked them over, before turning away, but just as it was about to leave them alone, it quickly turned around and intently stared at Ron, like he was the most delicious feast it had ever seen. Disregarding anything the ministry had done to control it, the Dementor got dangeriously close to the redhead. For Ron the world seemed to loose its luster and his strength left his body as the creature started to feed on him.
Harry in the meantime bombarded the Dementor with a barrage of spells, which ultimately were useless.
Before anything truly damaging could happen, professor Lupin jumped into action and cast the Patronus Charm, expelling the creature out of the train.
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