Many times, striking first was the best defence.
Lucas understood very clearly that killing the werewolf wizards themselves wasn't the real issue here. From any reasonable perspective, his actions counted as self-defence.
The real problem was the fact he had used Avada Kedavra repeatedly.
And not just once.
He had used it with terrifying proficiency.
At this point in history, Dumbledore's nerves regarding dark magic were exceptionally sensitive. Voldemort had only fallen a decade earlier, and no one truly believed the threat of the Dark Lord was completely gone.
There was no way Dumbledore would calmly tolerate the appearance of another child capable of casually casting Killing Curses.
Especially an eleven-year-old.
Naturally, Lucas knew exactly who Dumbledore would be reminded of.
Tom Riddle.
Which meant Lucas's survival strategy was simple.
Make Dumbledore focus less on the Unforgivable Curses…
And more on why a child had learned them in the first place.
That was why the very first thing Lucas did after turning around was ask:
"Are you here to kill me too?"
As expected, Dumbledore's expression immediately changed.
"Kill you?" the old wizard repeated gently. "No, my boy. Of course I'm not here to kill you. Why would you think that?"
Then he slowly reached into his robes and withdrew an envelope.
"In fact, I came to Albania to deliver this letter."
Lucas's eyes moved toward the parchment automatically.
A Hogwarts acceptance letter.
"We originally intended to send it by owl two days ago," Dumbledore continued calmly. "Unfortunately, the owls were unable to locate you. So I used a few additional methods to discover your whereabouts."
Before he could finish speaking, Lucas interrupted him suddenly.
"So… you didn't come to save me?"
That was step two of his strategy.
Act pitiful.
Continue redirecting Dumbledore's attention toward the suffering he experienced instead of the curses he used.
Lucas understood perfectly well that Dumbledore wasn't omniscient. It wasn't strange that he hadn't known a random orphan had been kidnapped by werewolves.
As for why Dumbledore personally came to Albania—
Lucas suspected the Headmaster was probably already travelling for some unrelated matter and simply decided to deliver the Hogwarts letter himself along the way.
Normally, Hogwarts only sent ordinary professors to guide Muggle-born students.
Dumbledore hadn't handled that task personally in years.
Still, none of that mattered.
As long as Lucas could steer the conversation correctly, he still had a chance.
"Save you?" Dumbledore frowned slightly now. "My child… could you tell me what happened here?"
Lucas lowered his head slightly.
"So you really didn't come to save me…"
Then, after a pause, he looked up again.
"But if you brought me the letter, then you must know my real name, right?"
His voice carried a trace of excitement now.
"Sir… do you know what my name used to be?"
Lucas hesitated briefly before continuing softly.
"For some reason… I can't remember much about my previous life anymore."
As he spoke, Lucas looked directly into Dumbledore's eyes.
At the same time, his max-level Occlumency activated perfectly.
When he mentioned "some reason," fragmented memories flashed deliberately through his surface thoughts.
A dark cave.
Chains.
A filthy cage.
Rex repeatedly torturing him with Crucio.
Screaming pain.
Hopelessness.
All of it was real.
They were genuine memories left behind by the original owner of this body, slowly resurfacing as his soul fused more completely.
And Lucas intentionally allowed Dumbledore to glimpse them.
Because he knew perfectly well that Dumbledore would absolutely attempt Legilimency quietly.
Sure enough, the old wizard's expression changed immediately.
He saw the memories.
And Dumbledore understood better than almost anyone what prolonged exposure to the Cruciatus Curse could do to a person.
Neville Longbottom's parents had suffered irreversible mental destruction because of it.
Under such circumstances, memory damage wasn't difficult to believe at all.
As a result, Dumbledore instantly became far less suspicious.
Slowly, the old wizard stepped forward and handed the letter over personally.
"Your name," Dumbledore said gently, "is Lucas Summers."
For the first time since meeting him, Lucas nearly lost control of his expression.
The original owner's name had actually been Lucas Summers too?
That couldn't possibly be coincidence… could it?
Internally, his thoughts turned chaotic for a brief moment.
Externally, however, his expression remained perfectly calm.
Lucas lowered his eyes toward the envelope thoughtfully.
"It seems I must've liked this name very much," he murmured softly. "Even after losing my memories, I still chose the same name again."
Dumbledore's expression softened noticeably.
"People often retain what matters most to them," he said quietly. "The things we treasure deeply tend to leave marks upon our instincts."
Then the old wizard smiled slightly while glancing toward the restored tent nearby.
"Would you mind inviting an old man inside that surprisingly beautiful tent?"
He adjusted his robes lightly.
"I've travelled quite far tonight, and a warm place to sit would be appreciated."
Then his bright blue eyes returned to Lucas once more.
"And… I would very much like to hear your story, Lucas."
Lucas finally relaxed internally.
As long as Dumbledore was willing to sit down and listen calmly, the situation was already halfway solved.
After all, the system mission only required Dumbledore's understanding.
Not his trust.
And considering the mission reward was literally the Philosopher's Stone, Lucas absolutely intended to succeed.
....
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