Some of the awakened headmaster portraits turned their gazes toward Lucien and Dumbledore. Their painted eyes held concern, scrutiny, and curiosity—but every single one carried that subtle "this kid has some nerve" undertone.
Daring to ask Albus Dumbledore—the Headmaster of Hogwarts and the greatest wizard of the century—to teach him Dark Magic and curses?
Dumbledore didn't answer right away.
He lifted his teacup, noticed it was empty, and calmly poured himself another.
Steam rose in gentle curls, softly blurring those bright blue eyes.
The quiet sound of tea filling the cup felt unusually clear in the silent headmaster's office.
"Curses…" Dumbledore repeated the word slowly, his tone giving nothing away. "That's a very deep subject, Lucien. May I ask what sparked this sudden interest?"
Through the drifting steam, Dumbledore's eyes met Lucien's directly.
The gaze was gentle, yet it didn't hide its probing nature—as if it could see through any mask and straight into the heart.
Lucien met that look without flinching or showing any nervousness.
He had known this question was coming and had his answer prepared.
The two of them had already had deep conversations about Dark Magic before.
Lucien had clearly stated his view back then: magic was ultimately a tool used by wizards, not something that should control them.
If an ordinary young wizard had said something like that, Dumbledore would have seen it as youthful recklessness and tried to gently guide him.
But Lucien's talent for Dark Magic was exceptionally high—so high that the Sorting Hat had judged him to have even greater potential in the field than Dumbledore himself.
That meant the backlash and corruption from studying Dark Magic would affect Lucien far less than most people.
As long as he didn't obsess over it or lose himself completely, he was unlikely to walk the same path as Tom Riddle.
What's more, Dumbledore already had a living example in mind—Gellert Grindelwald, a true master of the Dark Arts.
Dumbledore knew his old acquaintance well: beneath that cheerful, flamboyant exterior lay a cold ruthlessness. Highly self-centered yet capable of restraint. Brilliant, immensely talented, but with ideals that were far too radical…
The man was full of contradictions.
Dumbledore also understood that those contradictions came not only from Grindelwald's innate personality, but also from how he wielded and was influenced by Dark Magic.
Grindelwald treated Dark Magic purely as a tool. He still studied other spells, researched Transfiguration, cultivated herbs…
Every form of power was simply a means to achieve his vision of the "Greater Good."
Because of that mindset, combined with his extraordinary talent, Dark Magic had never fully twisted his mind.
By comparison, Voldemort had embraced Dark Magic with his entire being. In pursuit of immortality and the overwhelming power needed to protect that immortality, he didn't care about the physical or mental distortion—as long as he could live, and live forever.
Thinking about it now, Dumbledore suddenly realized that in certain ways, Lucien and Grindelwald actually shared some similarities.
Both their exceptional talent in Dark Magic and their pragmatic attitude toward it.
For a moment, a flicker of realization and old memories passed through Dumbledore's eyes, still hazy behind the rising steam.
The portraits of the former headmasters watched the scene in silence. None of them spoke.
Facing Dumbledore's question, Lucien sat up straighter, his voice calm and sincere:
"Recently, Mr. Newt mentioned that he has a friend who is a Maledictus—someone cursed to eventually transform into a beast. I want to try and see if I can cure that kind of blood malediction."
Dumbledore's hand tightened slightly around his teacup.
He knew exactly who Lucien was talking about.
Nagini.
She had once been a comrade and friend to both him and Newt.
The woman who had struggled with her blood curse and eventually left without a word—all those shared battles from years ago came flooding back in an instant.
Dumbledore's blue eyes remained slightly unfocused behind the steam. Almost unconsciously, he murmured:
"You want to learn Dark Magic… so you can save someone?"