Hogwarts: Lacus doesn't want to be a witch who destroys nations.

During final exam week at Hogwarts, even Peeves toned down his pranks, only letting out suppressed laughter from behind his armor, because the students during final exam week were truly terrifying.

The library was filled with the scent of parchment, ink, and the anxiety unique to students staying up late. In front of the fireplace in the common room, you could often see students sleeping with their books in their arms, their faces bearing the marks of potion formulas.

Lux's life is like being wound up.

During the day, she shuttles between classrooms of various subjects, and at night she plunges into the Cuckoo Spell Club, where, with the help of teaching assistant Felius Flitwick, she practices Occlumency and silent spellcasting. Her wand draws a smooth arc in the silence, the tip of the wand flashing with light, and the concentration of her mind almost makes her forehead bead with sweat.

"Very good, Lux!" Assistant Instructor Flitwick stood on a raised chair, his voice full of power. "The key to silent spells lies in a high degree of concentration, imagining the spell flowing naturally like breathing, rather than deliberately 'commanding' it. You've already reached the threshold!"

Lux took a breath, wiped away her sweat, and looked at the faint light still lingering on the tip of her staff. She muttered to herself, "I've reached the threshold, but it's a bit too high. Climbing it will be incredibly tiring."

She glanced at Miranda beside her, who was meditating with her eyes closed, her wand motionless yet making a crystal ball levitate and spin, and felt an immense pressure.

The final exams have finally begun.

In the History of Magic exam room, Professor Greta Cathcart read the exam question in her monotone voice, as if turning the pages of an ancient scroll: "...Discuss the fundamental reasons for the breakdown of negotiations between the goblin leader Ulgerhard Braxton and the Ministry of Magic during the Goblin Rebellion (1612-1614)."

Lux stared at the parchment, her mind filled with thoughts like, "Why are all these essay questions... The fairy negotiations broke down? That's the original question, so it must be because the Ministry of Magic didn't give enough gold! Or it was an unfair distribution of the spoils? No, wait, it seems like it's because the fairies demanded the right to use wands..."

She struggled to recall the dry, sparse terms from the textbook, her pen crawling laboriously across the paper. When she finally handed in her paper, looking at her barely-enough-to-reach, illogical answers, Lux had a bad feeling.

In the divination exam room, the strange scent of burning sage filled the air. Pointing to the chaotic mist within Lux's crystal ball, she spoke in an ethereal voice, as if from the distant stars: "Mist... the trajectories of the stars are obscured... this foreshadows... a choice full of forks... the clarity of the outcome... like the phases of the moon shrouded in mist..."

Lux stared at the smudge in her crystal ball that looked like it hadn't been wiped clean, her lips twitching. "Professor, is it possible... that it's some dust that drifted in when I lit the sage?"

The result was naturally a review stating that "perceptual abilities need further development" and a low score.

However, Lux excels in other subjects.

In the Potions exam hall, Professor Slughorn, with his round belly, announced with a beaming smile: "Exam content: We will concoct a potion of forgetfulness. Materials are self-provided. Requirements: clear color, fresh mistletoe berry aroma, effect... to make someone forget at least half an hour's worth of memories."

A chorus of groans erupted in the exam room as people expressed their dismay, wondering if the instructions were beyond the syllabus. The forgetfulness potion had a complicated process, requiring precise control of heat and stirring timing; a slight mishap could turn it into a pot of thick soup emitting green smoke.

The worst-case scenario is accidentally smelling the gas from the evaporation of the forgetfulness potion.

Hey, what did I just smell? Oh no, it's forgetfulness potion!

Hey, what did I just smell? Oh no, it's forgetfulness potion!

Lux remained calm and composed. She skillfully placed two drops of the River of Oblivion into the cauldron, heated it, and then added two portions of valerian. Her movements were fluid and graceful, and the liquid in the cauldron was guided by her precise magic.

When she poured the finished product into a crystal bottle and handed it to Slughorn, the old professor glanced at it and a smile immediately spread across his plump face. "Miss Lux, you are truly the Morning Star of Potions. What a beautiful product!"

The Charms exam featured a task involving "Levitation Charm and Obstacle Charm," requiring candidates to levitate an armored suit of armor and guide it through three constantly moving, magically powered wooden obstacles without touching them.

Most students either couldn't get the statue to fly or crashed into it with a loud thud; the weight of the armor was something most of the young wizards had never experienced before.

When it was Lux's turn, she tapped her wand lightly, and the armored statue silently floated up, as if supported by an invisible hand. It nimbly glided among the spinning, intersecting, and downward-splitting wooden sticks, even gracefully turning in the air before finally landing steadily at the finish line.

The whole process flowed as smoothly as a dance. Flitwick, the teaching assistant, jumped down from his raised chair: "Miss Lux, with your precise control, you'll get a good score in this subject."

Rubyform, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbalism... Lux achieved excellent results in every area without exception.

At night, after Principal Armando Dippert announced the start of the end-of-term banquet, the auditorium was decorated into a sea of ​​gold and red, and the cheers from the long tables of each college almost lifted the ceiling.

"...Ladies and gentlemen," Headmaster Depp said in a loud voice, a smile of satisfaction on his face, as he stood before the main audience, "after a year of hard work, the scores for each house are as follows: Hufflepuff, 352 points; Ravenclaw, 387 points; Slytherin, 421 points..."

A restrained round of applause erupted from the Slytherin table, and Tom Riddle wore a faint smile.

"And Gryffindor—" Headmaster Dippet deliberately drew out his words, his gaze sweeping over the sea of ​​gold and red students holding their breath, "won the House Cup this year with an astonishing 468 points!"

"oh--!!!"

The entire Great Hall was instantly engulfed by the Gryffindor frenzy. Hats and scarves were thrown into the air, and Anna, Phoebe, and Mia screamed and hugged Lux, jumping and shoving so hard they almost strangled her.

Even the usually serious Minerva McGonagall couldn't help but smile and clap her hands. In the hourglass, Gryffindor's rubies piled up to an unprecedented height, dazzling and symbolizing Gryffindor's first victory in five years.

Tom's smile froze. He stared at the dazzling ruby ​​peak, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the silver fork until his knuckles turned white. Abraxas Malfoy's face was even more ashen, as if he had swallowed a slug.

The dinner party ended amidst the continuous cheers of Gryffindor and the complex gazes of the other Slytherins.

After the commotion subsided, Lux found Professor Dumbledore admiring the rotating planetarium outside the Gryffindor Headmaster's office.

The office door was open, and inside were piles of books and wondrous magical devices.

"Professor," Lux said bluntly, her blonde hair gleaming under the corridor lamps, "it's time to tell me about the magic."

Dumbledore turned around, his azure eyes gleaming with insight: "Ah, Miss Lux, of course, it is my promise, and I will certainly keep it."

He gestured for Lux to follow him into the office.

Lux didn't see Fox in the office, but above the fireplace hung a moving Gryffindor lion painting, watching them majestically.

Dumbledore waved his wand, and two steaming cups of honey tea appeared on the coffee table.

"That's called ancient magic..." Dumbledore took a sip of tea, his voice filled with distant memories, "a power closer to the origin of the world. It's not a simple spell, but a resonance, an understanding and mastery of the rules. It's powerful, but also extremely dangerous, like taming an ancient dragon."

His gaze deepened: "The wizard who was proficient in ancient magic was named Sinclair Rackham. He was the only master of ancient magic I knew."

"When I was a Hogwarts student, filled with both a thirst for power and a sense of bewilderment, I was fortunate enough to receive his brief guidance." Dumbledore's face showed a hint of nostalgia. "He told me that magic is not a tool, but a companion; it responds to the truth of emotions, not the strength of magic. The first lesson he taught me was not how to unleash destructive power, but how to listen to my own emotions."

"It's a pity," Dumbledore sighed softly, his fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of his teacup. "After graduation, he vanished as if he had disappeared into thin air. Some say he went in search of ancient relics and disappeared into the northern ice fields; others say he became engrossed in the essence of magic and sealed himself in the cracks of time. I tried to find him, but... there was no trace of him."

He looked at Lux, his gaze gentle yet solemn: "These ancient powers, Miss Lux, require a matching mind to wield. Until you truly understand them and are ready, letting them slumber may be the best option."

"You possess the potential for some ancient magic, but you absolutely do not have the ability to master it."

Lux paused for a moment, processing Dumbledore's words, then nodded: "I understand, Professor. I will... first make myself stronger."

Dumbledore smiled approvingly, walked to a bookshelf piled high with books and parchment scrolls, and pulled out a thick, dark blue book. The edges of the pages were badly worn, clearly having been read countless times. He handed the book to Lux.

"This is the 'Advanced Transfiguration' book I used when I was young," Dumbledore said, his fingertips brushing across the cover where there was a faint scratch.

"There are some... well, my personal insights and notes inside. Transfiguration is the crown jewel of magic. It not only cultivates magical power, but also the ultimate fusion of will and imagination. When you can change the form and nature of matter at will, your understanding of magic will enter a whole new realm. Perhaps it can help you prepare better."

Lux took the book; it was heavy.

Turning to the title page, a line of elegant, flowing handwriting comes into view: "Albus Percival Woolflick Bryan Dumbledore." The margins of the pages are densely filled with annotations, arrows, simple diagrams, and some whimsical questions written in blue ink.

"For example, here," Dumbledore pointed to a page with a complex diagram of Animagus transformations, next to which a line of small print read: "The cat ears transformation lasted for three days before fading, and reverse transformation requires more precise control of magic."

Lux couldn't help but chuckle, as if she could see a young Dumbledore with cat ears, doing his research while causing some harmless little mishaps.

"Thank you, Professor." Lux hugged the book tightly to her chest, feeling that it was far more precious than the little bit of information about ancient magic.

As Tom left the Dean's office, the Hogwarts Express whistle could be faintly heard in the distance. He stood in the corridor with a gloomy face, dragging his suitcase.

"You and Dumbledore have a very good relationship," Tom said in a strange tone.

Lak waved his hand dismissively, after all, this kid wasn't doing this for the first time.

"Good students are praised by their own headmaster, of course. Surely Slughorn didn't give you one?"

"No way, no way, no way..." Lux tilted her head, her tone full of sarcasm.

Tom's face darkened further after hearing this. Although Slughorn still highly praised him this semester, he clearly showed a special kind of doting and indulgence towards Lux.

Lux also seems to have joined the student council president's club and is getting close to that short teaching assistant.

He couldn't understand why this rude and eccentric woman was so beloved by these professors.

His diligence and talent only earned him sparse praise.

Only Tom himself can feel the difference.

Lux sighed as she looked at Tom, whose face was growing increasingly gloomy. She took out her wand, bowed slightly, and assumed a dueling stance.

Tom hesitated for a moment, but still took out the wand from his sleeve.

"If you can't figure it out, let's settle it with a fight! Just like before, once our eyes meet, it's time to start the battle!"

Tom's lips curled into a smile: "Just what I wanted."