Phineas's sharp little "reminder" snapped the last trace of haze and memory from Dumbledore's eyes.
He set the teacup aside and waved away the lingering steam.
Those bright blue eyes now met Lucien's dark-green ones with perfect clarity.
Dumbledore waited in silence for the boy's answer.
You want to learn Dark Magic… to save people?
Lucien held that gaze, voice steady and honest.
"To heal a curse, you first have to understand exactly what it is and how it works. There's no way around that."
Dumbledore didn't comment on the perfectly reasonable answer. Instead he asked gently, "Do you truly believe Dark Magic can be used to save someone?"
Lucien didn't hesitate. "I think I can try. And the only way to know is to try, right?"
Dumbledore was quiet for a long moment. He folded his hands slowly in front of him, studying Lucien's face as if weighing something far heavier than the words just spoken.
Dark Magic could torment, control, and kill.
But save?
Seeing the headmaster's silence, Lucien scratched his cheek with one finger. He could guess what Dumbledore was worried about, but he saw no point in dancing around it now.
"Actually…" he said, pausing briefly, "besides wanting to learn Dark Magic to cure curses, I also genuinely want to study it for its own sake."
Dumbledore's eyes lifted.
Lucien continued, "Dark Magic is an enormous field of knowledge. I find it almost impossible to ignore its existence."
And it really was enormous—unlike Transfiguration, Potions, or Alchemy, which had relatively clear definitions and boundaries.
Dark Magic was different.
Anything considered "against the natural order" got tossed into the same bucket: soul manipulation, body alteration, bloody slaughter, corrosive curses… The list went on forever.
Calling it a vast ocean wasn't exaggeration.
Dumbledore listened, then automatically raised a finger to push up the bridge of his nose—only to touch bare skin.
He'd forgotten he wasn't wearing his half-moon spectacles tonight.
Instead he pressed his brow, Lucien's words once again pulling his thoughts toward Grindelwald.
Yet the more he thought about it, the more he realized how different Lucien and Grindelwald truly were.
Grindelwald had used magic and knowledge to serve an ideal.
Lucien was drawn to knowledge itself—purely, relentlessly driven by the desire to explore the unknown.
And strangely, that very honesty made Dumbledore trust the boy even more.
Without another word, Dumbledore raised his hand and gave a small wave.
Several books floated down from the shelves as if pulled by invisible strings and settled neatly on the table in front of Lucien.
"Start with these," Dumbledore said. "Later you can borrow more from the library."
"You may study the theoretical side of curses first, but do not attempt any practical casting. Come to my office during our usual afternoon tea time each week—I'll guide you personally."
After a moment's thought he pulled out a sheet of parchment, picked up his quill, and wrote a few quick lines.
It was a list of curse-related titles, each followed by his magical seal and signature.
Lucien had already received special permission slips for the Restricted Section before, but books that touched directly on Dark Magic needed this new note as Madam Pince's official "passport."
Lucien accepted the books and the parchment with both hands, tucking them away carefully. Then he stood and gave a small, respectful bow.
"Thank you, Headmaster."
Dumbledore nodded and took a sip of tea that had gone lukewarm.
He saw the quiet spark of joy in the boy's eyes and felt another thought flicker through his mind.
Years ago, he and Newt had searched desperately for a way to lift Nagini's curse before she disappeared.
They had failed. The blood malediction ran too deep, too vicious. Every avenue they tried had led nowhere.
Now this boy said he wanted to try.
Dumbledore had no idea whether Lucien could succeed. He knew exactly how difficult the road was—they had walked it.
But at the same time, a different curiosity stirred in the old wizard's chest.
He genuinely wanted to see just how brilliant Lucien's talent for Dark Magic truly was.
And what the wizarding world would look like once this boy finally stepped into that vast, dangerous ocean.