Lucas Summers and the Weasley twins huddled together, whispering in conspiratorial tones while the noise of the Great Hall swirled around them. A few seconds later, Fred and George stared at him with identical looks of utter shock.
Then the pair burst into wicked grins.
"That is absolutely brilliant!" Fred gasped.
"No, better than brilliant," George corrected immediately. "That's genius."
Lucas leaned back smugly while the twins looked at him as if they'd just discovered a long-lost brother. The more he described his ideas, the brighter their eyes became.
"Daydream Potions that actually work during lessons," Lucas said casually. "Instant truancy sweets. Self-writing biting quills. Maybe prank parchment that screams secrets aloud…"
"You haven't made these yet?" Fred asked in disbelief.
"Not yet," Lucas admitted.
George slapped the table dramatically. "And you're only eleven?"
The twins exchanged another look, and Lucas could practically see the friendship forming in real time. To them, he clearly wasn't just another first-year anymore. He was a fellow visionary.
A prank visionary.
"Gryffindor first-years, over here!"
Percy Weasley stood up stiffly, trying his best to sound authoritative. His prefect badge gleamed proudly on his chest as he waved everyone over.
"I'm Prefect Percy Weasley, and I'll be leading you to Gryffindor Tower."
The welcoming feast had officially ended. Around the hall, prefects from each house were gathering their new students and leading them away from the tables.
Fred pointed dramatically at Lucas as he walked backwards toward the exit. "Tomorrow night. Eleven o'clock. Common room."
George grinned. "We're making Lee Jordan test your Swelling Toffee."
"And we cannot wait to watch him float into the ceiling."
Lucas observed three full seconds of silence for Lee Jordan's future suffering before calmly following the first-year line out of the Great Hall.
Beside him, Kassandra tugged lightly on his robe sleeve. "What exactly were you discussing with the twins?"
"Fun things," Lucas replied innocently.
Kassandra narrowed her emerald-green eyes at him in silence.
Lucas coughed awkwardly. "Alright, fine. They're talented. Smart too. And they're good at inventing things…"
Realisation immediately dawned on her face. "You want them to join you."
"Maybe."
Kassandra was quiet for a moment before a faint smile appeared on her lips. "Fine. But if you're planning anything dangerous…"
Lucas braced himself for a warning.
Instead, she leaned closer and whispered, "You're bringing me with you."
He blinked in surprise.
If this had happened before, Kassandra would definitely have threatened him into staying out of trouble. But now she was volunteering to join him instead.
At this point, Mr. Worley would probably collapse from heartbreak if he knew how thoroughly his daughter had changed.
That very night, the house-elf Kafi returned from Hogwarts to Worley Manor after gathering information. The elf nervously informed the family that Kassandra had officially been sorted into Gryffindor.
Mr. Worley immediately drank two bottles of expensive wine in despair.
Mrs. Worley, however, appeared delighted by the news. She believed her daughter had the right to make her own choices, and besides, Lucas Summers truly was an excellent boy in her eyes.
She was extremely satisfied.
Meanwhile, the Gryffindor common room was receiving enthusiastic approval from the new students. The circular room felt warm and welcoming, with squashy armchairs, crooked tables, and roaring fireplaces that made the tower feel more like a home than a school dormitory.
Most of the first-years instantly fell in love with it.
Lucas said goodnight to Kassandra and Hermione before the girls headed upstairs toward their dormitory. He then followed Harry and Ron toward the boys' staircase.
After locating his room, however, Lucas suddenly discovered something strange.
He had a dormitory entirely to himself.
Harry, Ron, Neville, Dean, and Seamus were all sharing one room together, but Lucas had somehow been assigned a private room.
Ron scratched his head in confusion. "Why do you get your own dormitory?"
Harry looked equally puzzled. "Did you request it or something?"
Lucas honestly had no idea. Maybe Gryffindor simply had one extra student this year, leaving him stuck in a spare room.
Still… he wasn't exactly upset about it.
His eyes drifted briefly toward the rat in Ron's pocket.
Scabbers.
Or more accurately—
Peter Pettigrew.
Living in the same room as a disguised Death Eater was not an appealing thought. Lucas had no intention of exposing Pettigrew yet, though. Keeping the rat alive would be useful later.
After washing up quickly, Lucas collapsed onto his bed.
The moment he closed his eyes, a familiar mechanical voice rang inside his mind.
"Ding! Detected that the host has successfully entered Hogwarts. New mission released."
Lucas immediately frowned. "Please don't tell me you expect me to start sneaking around tonight. I don't even know the castle layout yet."
"Ding! Hogwarts Library contains the richest magical collection in Europe and holds countless magical secrets. Host is requested to infiltrate the Restricted Section and read one hundred Dark Arts books within this semester."
"Mission reward: five skill points and Combined Magic Talent."
"No penalty for failure."
Lucas stared blankly at the ceiling.
"One hundred Dark Arts books?" he said slowly. "In one semester?"
The system remained silent.
Lucas sat upright in disbelief. "Do you want me to spend every single night inside the library? When exactly am I supposed to sleep?"
"Ding! Host may choose not to accept."
Lucas nearly exploded.
"You stupid dog system," he snapped internally. "Do you think Dark Lords don't need sleep? That's completely insane."
"Ding! Does host refuse mission?"
Lucas took a deep breath.
"I accept," he muttered through gritted teeth. "But not tonight. Tonight, even Merlin himself couldn't drag me out of bed."
The system finally fell silent.
Just as Lucas was preparing to sleep, however, the D.A. ring on his finger suddenly grew warm. A glowing name slowly appeared across its surface.
Kassandra.
Lucas stared at the ceiling in despair.
Apparently, sleep was not destined for him tonight after all.
The next morning, Lucas entered the Great Hall with heavy dark circles under his eyes.
He and Kassandra had ended up talking through the rings for far too long the previous night, and by the time he finally fell asleep, it had practically been morning already.
Yawning tiredly, Lucas sat down at the Gryffindor table and glanced at the empty tabletop in front of him.
Tentatively, he said, "A loaf of bread and a glass of milk, please."
The instant the words fell, a silver plate appeared before him carrying fresh bread and milk.
Lucas sighed emotionally while tearing off a piece of bread.
House-elves truly made life convenient.
Suddenly, someone slapped him hard across the shoulder.
"That Swelling Toffee was incredible!"
Fred and George dropped onto the benches beside him with expressions of extreme excitement.
"Lee Jordan floated all the way up to the ceiling!" George announced proudly.
"He couldn't get down," Fred added. "He ended up sleeping up there the entire night!"
Lucas forced a weak smile. "Wonderful."
Fred squinted at him suspiciously. "You look terrible."
"Didn't sleep?"
George leaned closer dramatically. "Or did you already sneak out for a midnight adventure?"
Naturally, Lucas had no intention of explaining the truth. Instead, he casually reached into his ring and pulled out two biscuits.
"I made these last night," he said. "Breakfast?"
Fred and George each took one curiously.
"What do they do?" Fred asked.
Lucas smiled mysteriously. "Try them."
The twins exchanged a glance before simultaneously stuffing the biscuits into their mouths.
The effect was immediate.
White beards suddenly exploded from their faces like waterfalls of wool, growing wildly down their chests in seconds.
The surrounding Gryffindors gasped.
Fred stared at George.
George stared at Fred.
Then both twins burst into hysterical laughter.
"I have to admit," Fred wheezed, stroking his beard seriously, "yours is magnificent."
"And yours," George declared proudly, "makes you look like an ancient wizard who lives inside a tree."
....
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