Hogwarts: Lacus doesn't want to be a witch who destroys nations.

Hogwarts mornings are always filled with a unique tranquility. The morning light shines through the stained glass windows of Gryffindor Tower, casting beautiful dappled patterns on the thick red carpet. Of course, this tranquility usually doesn't last until seven o'clock, when a battle to get up begins.

In the dormitory, Anna Weasley had already neatly combed her signature red hair, Phoebe Longbottom was meticulously organizing her textbooks, and Mia Brown was looking in the mirror, trying to use magic to smooth down a strand of unruly curly hair.

Everything seemed so orderly, except for the four-poster bed shrouded in heavy curtains and exuding a terrifying aura.

"Lux! Wake up! If you don't get up, we'll be left licking the plates!" Anna used all her strength to shake the creature wrapped up in a ball on the bed, with only a head of brilliant golden hair showing, like shaking a bag of indomitable mandrake.

A muffled murmur came from under the covers: "Five minutes... just five more minutes..."

Phoebe sighed, drew her wand, and carefully cast a levitation spell on the blanket.

However, the blanket had barely moved half a foot off the bed when Lux, like a sloth, clung to it tightly with all four limbs, muttering, "I don't want to go to 8 am..."

"Merlin's beard, what was she researching all night again?" Mia gave up her struggle with her hair, walked over helplessly, cleared her throat, and whispered in Lak's ear:

"Lux, I heard that Tom Riddle announced publicly in the Great Hall this morning that he will lead Slytherin to victory in the House Cup."

The wriggling inside the blanket stopped instantly, and a few seconds later, a hand suddenly emerged from under the blanket.

Immediately afterward, Lux sat up, her messy, lion-mane-like blonde hair blazing with fighting spirit in her blue eyes: "Does that Tom kid even deserve to win? Lumi! Where the hell is my Italian cannon?!"

"Pfft." The three roommates finally couldn't help but laugh out loud. They had already discovered that Lux was a House Cup point slave, even more so than those upperclassmen Gryffindors.

Just then, an even louder commotion came from the wicker basket at the foot of Lux's bed. Lumi's rough voice, thick with a Freljord accent, exploded in Lux's mind like a thunderclap: "Oh dear! I'm hungry!"

Lux rubbed her sleepy eyes. Ever since she had basically resolved Vera's matter, Dumbledore's House Cup had become an issue that Lux couldn't get rid of. In addition, there was that mysterious rune system and the sudden appearance of LeBlanc's clone. Her mental pressure was heavier than a troll's club.

When Lux, with her barely combed blonde hair, rushed into the Great Hall just as breakfast was ending, the place was still bustling with noise. She expertly grabbed two slices of toast covered in butter and piled on top fried eggs, smoked meat, and roasted mushrooms, her movements fluid and graceful, as if she were building a miniature edible castle.

Lumi squatted down beside the plate in front of her, her big blue eyes fixed on the steaming fried egg, making expectant "gurgling" sounds in her throat.

"Here, this is for you." Lux skillfully cut off a small piece of fried egg and placed it on the small plate in front of Lumi Noodles. The little guy immediately buried his head in his work, his round body jiggling with each chew.

"You can eat so much? Aren't you afraid of gaining weight?" Mia scratched her head helplessly.

"It didn't say it was zero calories, and the calorie count isn't listed on it, so eat as much as you want!"

"Eat slowly, Lux," Anna couldn't help but remind her, watching her devour the food, "be careful not to choke."

"It's alright, I have a big stomach, no need to say more," Lux replied indistinctly, her mouth bulging.

"Lux, over here!" A clear and melodious voice rang out. Lux looked in the direction of the voice and saw Miranda Goshak smiling and waving at her from beside the Ravenclaw table.

Lux's eyes lit up, and she immediately took the plate and went over.

"Good morning, Miranda!"

"Good morning, flying kick witch." Miranda winked teasingly, causing Lux to cough.

"Never mind, I have something important to discuss with you, about that topic our club discussed last time." She unfolded a piece of parchment, on which was drawn a complex diagram of a spell structure.

"Look, regarding the magical structure of 'Armor Protection,' Elena proposed a theory that the instantaneity of the spell can be increased by compressing the casting animation, but this would shorten the shield's duration. What are your thoughts?"

Lux leaned over for a look, her mind racing, and then explained in a tone that Miranda was already used to: "Oh, I get it! It's just a parry, using a shorter invincibility frame to dodge critical damage. But if you're facing a continuous spell, like a raging fire, you definitely have to choose channeling, otherwise you'll be dead after the parry ends."

"Parry? Invincibility frames?" Miranda chewed on these novel terms, seemingly understanding but not quite, but Lux's point of view made her grasp the core instantly. She nodded thoughtfully: "Avoiding the greatest damage with the least cost, that makes sense. It also allows for a faster transition to the next spell. Your thinking is always so unique."

Their conversation was observed by Tom at the Slytherin table not far away. He was elegantly cutting the fried eggs on his plate with a silver knife, coldly watching Lux chatting and laughing with Miranda, feeling an indescribable irritation and a trace of jealousy that he himself was unwilling to admit.

Lux and Horace have been getting too close lately, and I heard they're going to co-author a paper, which Tom finds utterly absurd.

Why would Horace take a first-year wizard who can't even recognize all the ingredients for potions to publish a paper? Could it be that he's really after Lux's reputation at Christmas?

Tom couldn't understand, and just silently ate his breakfast.

In the afternoon potions class, the underground classroom was as cold and damp as ever, filled with a strange smell of various herbs and chemical reagents.

"Anti-swelling potion, the best way to deal with swelling. If you don't want to become a big-headed wizard, then it's essential to master this potion." Professor Slughorn waved his chubby hand.

Tom Riddle, as always, was the first to perfectly brew a potion, and Horace was generous with his praise and bonuses.

"Brilliant! Mr. Riddle, as perfect as ever, Slytherin, ten out!" Tom bowed slightly, a perfectly humble smile on his face, but his eyes couldn't help but glance in Lux's direction, with a hint of barely perceptible provocation.

However, the scenario he envisioned—Lux panicking or blowing up the crucible—did not occur.

Lux hummed an off-key song as she stirred the crucible with a stirring stick, tossing ingredients into it according to the recipe with apparent ease.

After spending some time with Horace, Lux's potion-making skills improved dramatically. If she had failed before, she could now earn a good rating.

After Lux finished brewing her potion, Horace nodded in praise, his tone full of indulgence: "Miss Lux, your potion-brewing skills are getting better and better. Five points for Gryffindor."

Tom was puzzled. Lux had simply brewed a potion normally. There was nothing commendable about that potion, so why did Horace give her extra points?

Furthermore, Horace is the head of Slytherin, so isn't it a bit odd to give Gryffindor extra points like this?

Even his own dean favored Lux ​​so much, Tom felt his mentality starting to twist, even though he was the one who arrived first.

After Potions class, Lux cleverly avoided the crowds and wandered alone to a secluded corridor on the fourth floor of the castle.

Several tapestries depicting ancient wizard duels hung in the room, creating a quiet and solemn atmosphere. She found a stone bench by the window and sat down, finally having time to deal with her unresolved "main quest": finding the rune that LeBlanc had mentioned was hidden in Hogwarts.

"System, get to work!" Lux called out in her mind. "Give me a hint, where is that thing?" The system panel unfolded in front of her, and a small map of Hogwarts appeared. The entire map was filled with fog of war, and there was no useful information on it at all.

"..." Lux felt her blood pressure rising. "What's the difference between this and not saying anything at all?"

[When the runes are inactive, and are also shielded by the castle's powerful magical aura, precise location becomes difficult.]

"Nonsense!" Lux rolled her eyes, pinning her hopes on her only living detector.

She placed the wicker basket on her lap, took out a poro biscuit, and waved it in front of Lumi: "Lumi, do me a favor. Use your Freljord pureblood poro senses to see where in this castle there's any unusual energy fluctuation?"

Lumi's little nose twitched a few times, and her big blue eyes instantly lit up.

It suddenly jumped out of the basket and barked "boo boo" in one direction, signaling Lux to follow.

Lux was overjoyed. Could it really be true?

She followed Lumi through several corridors and down two staircases until Lumi finally stopped in front of a huge oak door that smelled of food—the entrance to Hogwarts' kitchen.

Lumi peeked through the crack in the door, then turned back and excitedly shouted to Lux, "Sis! This is it! I can smell it! Tonight there's a powerful energy surge of roasted chicken legs and gravy pie! It's incredibly strong!"

Lux's face instantly fell. She grabbed Lumi, shoved her back into the basket, and shoved another cookie into her mouth: "Eat yours!"

It seems we can't rely on this foodie for the time being.

As night fell, the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room crackled and roared, bathing the entire room in a warm red glow.

Lux slumped in the armchair closest to the fireplace, enjoying the most relaxing moment of the day. Her roommates sat around on the rug next to her, worrying about their transfiguration assignment.

"Lux, please help us figure out why my mouse is always missing a tail when I use this 'turn matchbox back into a mouse' spell?" Mia asked with a pained expression.

"Mine was even worse, it turned into a fluffy teacup!" Phoebe complained.

Lux lazily raised her eyelids, yawned, and casually waved her wand. The teacup in front of her instantly liquefied, like a pool of flowing silver metal, rapidly stretching and reshaping in the air, finally turning into a lifelike little mouse with trembling whiskers with a "squeak" at them with a "pop".

"Wow!" the three roommates exclaimed in surprise.

"The key is imagination," Lux said, putting away her wand and teaching in a wise and authoritative tone. "You need to imagine what a mouse looks like in your mind, instead of just thinking about the words 'turn into a mouse'."

Lux spent a peaceful day at Hogwarts.