Originally, Neville and Seamus were supposed to work together while Harry partnered with Ron. But after seeing how aggressively Professor Snape targeted Harry throughout class, Ron had immediately abandoned that arrangement out of pure self-preservation and dragged Seamus into becoming his partner instead.
Harry ended up paired with another Gryffindor dormmate.
Unfortunately, Seamus Finnigan's legendary talent for accidental destruction lived up to every expectation.
Neither he nor Ron had properly read the Potions textbook beforehand. The two of them simply guessed their way through the brewing process with complete confidence and catastrophic results.
Their cauldron exploded directly in their faces.
Green potion splattered across the table and floor, instantly covering both boys in painful boils and scabby burns. Their screams echoed through the dungeon while the explosion also caught several nearby students in the blast.
Even Snape himself became collateral damage.
Beneath the collar of his black robes, angry red burns spread across his neck where the potion had splashed him.
"Mr. Weasley and Mr. Finnigan," Snape hissed furiously, "for your outstanding display of idiocy, Gryffindor loses ten points."
His voice sounded colder than ice.
"Now get these two incompetent fools to the Hospital Wing immediately!"
Then his gaze shifted toward Harry, who had been sitting nearest to the disaster.
"Mr. Potter," Snape said silkily, "you were standing beside them. Why did you not stop this stupidity?"
Harry stared at him in complete disbelief.
What does this have to do with me?!
"What?" Harry blurted out.
Snape's expression grew even more unpleasant.
"Do you imagine your classmates' foolishness somehow makes you appear more impressive by comparison?" he asked coldly. "Because of your failure to intervene, Gryffindor loses another five points."
Harry was utterly dumbfounded.
He wanted to argue immediately, but Ron and Seamus were still groaning painfully beside him. In the end, he could only grit his teeth and help escort the two disaster magnets toward the Hospital Wing.
Thus, Gryffindor's very first Potions lesson ended in complete catastrophe.
Thanks to Ron and Seamus, the house lost a shocking number of points on the first day alone.
Watching Harry's defeated expression as he left the dungeon, Lucien silently sighed in sympathy.
You can blame your father for that one.
If Harry had been born a girl instead, Snape probably would've hunted Voldemort down personally before the school year even ended.
Lucien could practically picture the scene in his head.
"Miss Potter," Snape would say softly, "what would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?"
"I don't know, Professor."
"Excellent honesty. Five points to Gryffindor."
The image nearly made Lucien laugh out loud.
By the time they finally reached the Great Hall for lunch, the chaos of Potions class had already spread through the castle. Hogwarts operated similarly to a university in many ways, with lessons often lasting close to two hours at a time. Since Potions was held deep in the dungeons beneath the castle, they arrived considerably later than most other students.
The four long house tables were already crowded.
The moment Hermione spotted Lucien entering the hall, she waved enthusiastically.
"Lucien!"
"Miss Granger," Lucien greeted with a smile as he approached the Ravenclaw table, "I heard from a few students that you earned quite a lot of points for Ravenclaw during Charms this morning."
Since the results of the duel with Alexia had already spread throughout Hogwarts, Lucien no longer needed to sit constantly at the centre of Slytherin attention to maintain his reputation. He casually sat beside Hermione without hesitation.
The moment he did, several Ravenclaw girls nearby subtly adjusted their robes and posture before inching slightly closer toward him.
Hermione noticed immediately.
A smug little smile appeared on her face at first before she suddenly remembered something unpleasant. Her expression instantly soured.
"But Professor Snape didn't give me any points during Potions," she complained bitterly. "He actually criticised me."
Lucien already knew exactly what had happened.
"Oh?" he asked innocently. "What did he say?"
Hermione puffed her cheeks in annoyance.
"He said…" She hesitated awkwardly before muttering, "He said I was trying to show off."
Lucien immediately straightened his posture and imitated Snape's cold drawl almost perfectly.
"Miss Granger, do you believe yourself significantly more intelligent than the rest of the class? Is your raised hand intended to demonstrate your superiority?"
Hermione immediately smacked his shoulder repeatedly while trying not to laugh.
"You're horrible!"
The two chatted casually while eating lunch.
Then suddenly—
A loud chorus of owl cries echoed overhead.
Dozens of owls swooped down from the enchanted ceiling carrying newspapers, letters, and packages from every corner of magical Britain. Two rolled-up newspapers dropped neatly in front of Lucien.
Hermione blinked in surprise.
"You actually read newspapers?" she asked. "I thought you spent all your free time memorising textbooks."
Lucien nearly laughed at her expression.
"You make me sound like some sort of studying machine."
Hermione's cheeks turned faintly red.
Ever since discovering that Lucien had already memorised much of the third-year curriculum, she had developed an overwhelming sense of academic pressure. Outside of classes and meals, she practically spent every spare moment reading.
As Lucien unfolded the newspaper and finished the last bite of his lunch, one headline instantly caught his attention.
GRINGOTTS VAULT ATTACKED — DARK WIZARD SUSPECTED
Beneath the headline, the article claimed that Gringotts officials repeatedly insisted nothing had been stolen during the break-in attempt.
Lucien's eyes narrowed slightly.
Voldemort had finally begun moving.
He had waited a very long time for this moment.
Unlike Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic, who desperately feared the Dark Lord's return, Lucien wanted Voldemort resurrected as quickly as possible. A living Voldemort would attract the attention of every major wizarding force in Britain and beyond.
Compared to the terror of the Dark Lord, a talented but underage student like Lucien Grindelwald would appear insignificant.
Only once Voldemort returned would Dumbledore and the Ministries stop watching him so closely.
Still, Lucien had no intention of allowing everything to unfold exactly like the original timeline.
Voldemort could return.
But the resurrection needed to remain under his control.
More importantly, Gringotts itself played a critical role in Lucien's future plans.
One of Voldemort's Horcruxes—the cup of Helga Hufflepuff—was hidden inside Bellatrix Lestrange's vault. Neither Voldemort nor Dumbledore would ever willingly abandon such an important object.
The moment either side moved against Gringotts again, things would become interesting.
One successful attack might not shake public trust in the goblin bank. But a second attack? A third? A fourth?
If dark wizards repeatedly broke into Gringotts while the goblins failed to stop them every time, how many wizards would continue trusting them with their fortunes?
Even if Gringotts endlessly claimed that nothing had been stolen, who would truly believe it?
Lucien had been eyeing the goblins' enormous wealth for years.
And now, the perfect opportunity was finally approaching.
Of course, he had considered stealing Hufflepuff's cup personally. Unfortunately, Gringotts had stood unchallenged in the wizarding world for centuries. Breaking into the Lestrange vault was far more difficult than most people imagined, especially with the powerful enchantments protecting it.
Even if he managed to enter, finding a single cup buried beneath mountains of cursed treasure would still require either Harry Potter or Voldemort himself, both of whom shared a connection to the Horcruxes.
Compared to wasting enormous effort chasing one hidden artifact, Lucien preferred focusing on more efficient opportunities.
At the Gryffindor table nearby, Harry had also noticed the article in Ron's newspaper.
Unfortunately, without Hermione acting as their strategist, Harry and Ron were basically two headless chickens attempting to solve a mystery far beyond them. The pair whispered theories back and forth while completely missing the truth.
Before long, the afternoon classes approached.
Draco practically exploded from his seat with excitement.
Without even waiting for Lucien, he rushed out of the Great Hall alongside Crabbe and Goyle like an overexcited hunting dog finally freed from its leash.
Lucien stared after him blankly.
"Did he drink something strange?"
Pansy sighed helplessly beside him.
"The first class this afternoon is Flying," she explained. "Draco's been waiting for it all week."
Unlike most wizarding children, neither Pansy nor Lucien had much interest in Quidditch. Without the obsession for flying, broom lessons naturally felt far less exciting.
"That explains it."
Lucien shook his head with amusement before rising from the table.
Then he calmly followed the Slytherin students outside toward the flying lesson grounds.
....
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