"It's only been a couple of days and the fountain's already packed!"
Harry stopped halfway down the corridor, staring out one of the tall stone windows at the gentle slope leading to the Quidditch pitch.
Groups of students were either heading toward the Fountain of Beauty or walking back with bottles and jars full of glowing water. Even more kids were already clustered around the basin itself.
Lucien smiled beside him.
He hadn't bothered advertising the fountain at all. Hogwarts kids got bored fast—anything new spread like Fiendfyre through the common rooms. And a magical fountain that actually made you prettier? Game over.
Girls were especially ruthless about beauty news. One dorm heard about it, the whole year knew by breakfast. One house knew, the entire school knew by dinner the next day.
Exactly as expected.
The fountain had only been up for two days and already every morning and evening there were lines of girls marching down the path. Nobody minded waiting; the queue had basically turned into prime gossip central.
Lucien was quietly proud he'd built the thing big. The main basin plus the four smaller connected ones around it could handle dozens of people at once. Otherwise this wave would've been a nightmare.
"Even the boys are showing up," Harry said, pointing. "Look over there."
Lucien followed his finger.
Sure enough, a handful of guys were scattered around the fountain.
Some were clearly waiting for their girlfriends, trying to look casual. Others wandered by in groups of three or four, pretending they were "just passing through" while their eyes kept drifting back to the water. A couple had straight-up brought bottles and were filling them, ignoring their mates' teasing.
Whether they wanted to boost their own looks or just wanted to watch the girls… well, probably both.
Lucien's sharp eyesight picked up even more detail. Two or three boys were literally being dragged toward the fountain by their girlfriends—half protesting, half letting it happen.
Oh?
Getting forcibly upgraded by the girlfriend?
Curious, Lucien quietly activated a tiny flicker of Arcane Sight. The faint black swirl appeared in his eyes for half a second.
Now he could read their faces clearly.
Pure reluctance—furrowed brows, twisted mouths, the whole "I'm too cool for this" vibe.
But their bodies? Feet shuffling forward anyway. Arms not actually pulling away.
Tsk tsk.
Faces saying no, bodies saying yes.
Lucien's smile widened. Maybe the guys actually wanted to use the fountain but were too embarrassed to admit it, so they let their girlfriends "force" them. Win-win: dignity saved and better skin achieved.
Harry noticed Lucien's amused grin and seized the moment.
"Uh, Lucien," he said, tapping his own teeth. "Can you fix dental stuff with the fountain water? Like… just washing your face, or do you actually have to rinse and brush with it?"
Lucien turned, surprised.
Where had this sudden tooth obsession come from?
He gave a quick explanation of how the magic worked. "Rinsing or brushing with the water can gradually straighten mildly crooked teeth—nothing dramatic. But if we're talking cavities or major shape issues, the fountain won't do much. You'd need proper potions or healing charms for that."
He glanced at Harry's mouth. The kid's teeth looked fine—straight enough, healthy.
Why's he asking about this all of a sudden?