"Certainly!"
Naturally, Lucas wasn't going to refuse Hermione's request—he was her friend, after all.
Hermione took the book happily and sat off to the side, diving right in. Every so often, she'd let out a little gasp of excitement.
That's the kind of connection you only see between true nerds.
Harry and Ron, on the other hand, looked totally lost.
"Hey, Lucas, do you know what's hidden in the forbidden area on the third floor?" Ron suddenly leaned over and whispered with a dramatic tone.
Harry, sitting nearby, immediately leaned in too.
"You have no idea what's in there, Lucas!"
Just thinking about that night made Harry shiver.
If it weren't for the books Lucas lent him that taught him how to use Alohomora, he'd probably still be locked in there with that oversized watchdog.
Of course, without using Alohomora, he wouldn't have come face-to-face with that massive, terrifying beast either.
"What exactly did you see?" Lucas asked, a bit confused.
He trusted his memory—and if he remembered correctly, it was a giant three-headed dog.
"There's this huge three-headed dog in there!" Ron blurted, loud enough for Hermione, still reading nearby, to hear.
So Lucas had remembered right.
That dog also had a weakness for music—play a tune and it'd knock right out.
But it seemed these two had no clue about that.
"So yeah, Dumbledore made that place off-limits for a reason. You two definitely broke school rules," Lucas said with a raised brow. He figured that dog wasn't something regular students could take on.
Except for him, of course.
With how much his strength had increased lately, Lucas hadn't even tested his full power yet. But honestly? He was pretty sure he could take on a dog—or even three.
"You're seriously not like those other Slytherin jerks," Ron muttered, stepping back nervously like Lucas might snitch.
The snakes in Slytherin were never this... reasonable.
"Lucas is just kidding, right?" Harry said, eyeing him warily.
He wasn't sure yet what to make of Lucas. And he really hoped Lucas wasn't planning to go rat them out to Dumbledore.
"What joke?" Hermione chimed in, just in time, closing the book and handing it back to Lucas with curiosity in her eyes.
"You two are like a perfect little know-it-all couple," Ron said gloomily.
Their attitudes, their obsession with rules, their annoying smartness—ugh. Too much.
"…?" Hermione blinked. "Is that your idea of a joke?"
"Of course it is," Lucas said with a smirk.
Both Harry and Ron let out a sigh of relief.
Hermione, though, tilted her head and gave Lucas a look. She clearly wasn't sure what to make of this whole exchange.
Lucas, meanwhile, made a mental note. Those two snuck out without Hermione—and he had a feeling that could lead to trouble.
After all, without Hermione's brain, those two were like a headless chicken. If they kept that up, they might just disappear one day.
"Come on, no classes this afternoon. I need to go practice flying."
At those words, all three of them perked up.
"You're joining Quidditch too?" Hermione immediately guessed.
Harry turned sharply to look at Lucas.
If Lucas was joining, they'd be rivals now. Gryffindor vs. Slytherin. Game on.
"Yeah, the team's one player short, so I'm stepping in," Lucas said casually. "I'll probably be the Chaser or something. Malfoy's going to be our Seeker."
He shot a glance at Harry. After all, the two Seekers were always under the spotlight in a match.
"Malfoy?" Harry said through gritted teeth.
Just last night, that smug blond brat had tried to trick him. Nearly got him caught.
And now he was going to be Slytherin's Seeker?
Harry was fired up.
"I need to train too!"
So the four split into pairs—Harry and Ron headed off to the Quidditch pitch to practice, while Lucas and Hermione found another wide space for their own training session.
They both knew they were repping their own houses now.
And as for why Hermione tagged along—Lucas was sure she wouldn't go blabbing.
After a few hours of flying practice, the two of them sat down by the edge of the Black Lake to chill.
"That Half-Blood Prince guy—whoever he is—is seriously amazing. He simplified so many potion methods, and his understanding of the theory is totally unique!"
Hermione was glowing as she explained what she'd discovered from the notes. It was obvious she'd found a ton of inspiration.
"What's even crazier is that he invented a whole new spell! Like, who does that as a student?"
Yeah, that kind of genius getting bullied at school… if Lucas hadn't already known the story, he wouldn't have believed it.
"Lucas, were you even listening to me?"
Hermione frowned and nudged his shoulder when he didn't respond.
Still nothing. And then she heard soft, steady breathing.
"You fell asleep?"
She looked at his face—eyes closed, peaceful—and froze for a second.
Hopefully she hadn't just been caught doing something embarrassing...
When Lucas finally woke up, the sky was already painted red with the sunset, and the surface of the lake shimmered gently in the wind.
He sat up and spotted Hermione beside him, jotting something down in Snape's notebook with a quill. Her handwriting flowed neatly across the fresh parchment.
"You're awake," Hermione said, glancing over. "You've been out for more than two hours. Dinner's already over."
Wait, what?
"Wait, you didn't eat yet?" Lucas asked, raising a brow.
Then, before she could even answer, he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the castle.
"Come on, I know where the house-elf kitchen is—we'll grab something there."
Back when he'd been exploring the castle, Lucas had stumbled across the kitchen right next to Hufflepuff's dorms.
The house-elves at Hogwarts were sweet as could be. The moment they heard the two of them wanted a late-night snack, they whipped up some buttered bread in a flash.
"These house-elves are adorable," Hermione said warmly. "But… how much do they get paid?"
"No, no, Headmaster Dumbledore gave us a place to work—that's more than enough! We wouldn't dare ask for wages!" the elves cried in a panic, before Lucas could even respond.
Lucas just shrugged.