An Obscurial.
And not merely an Obscurial who survived.
Lucas had completely mastered the power of the Obscurus.
Dumbledore had only ever encountered one other person capable of something similar many years ago.
Instantly, countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
Based on what he had just seen through Legilimency, Dumbledore quickly concluded that Lucas's Obscurus must have awakened around the same time his memories became damaged.
Lucas nodded calmly.
Then, to demonstrate further, his body dissolved once more into black mist before circling around the interior of the tent smoothly. A moment later, the black fog condensed back into human form and sat down again casually.
Dumbledore watched the entire process silently.
The level of control was extraordinary.
Beside them, Cassandra finally couldn't hold back her curiosity.
"Professor," she asked anxiously, "do you know what that black mist power actually is?"
Dumbledore nodded slowly.
"That power is called an Obscurus, Miss Vole."
Cassandra froze immediately.
"I've heard of Obscurials before…" Her expression changed drastically. "Aren't they supposed to die before turning eleven?"
Panic instantly filled her eyes again as she looked toward Lucas.
After everything he had survived…
Was he still doomed to die young anyway?
Dumbledore noticed her distress and patiently reassured her.
"Ordinary Obscurials cannot control their Obscurus, which eventually destroys them from within. But Lucas is different."
His gaze returned toward Lucas thoughtfully.
"He has completely mastered the Obscurus already. Therefore, I can say with certainty that he will survive well beyond his eleventh birthday."
Only then did Cassandra finally relax slightly.
After a moment of silence, Dumbledore asked the most important question at last.
"Lucas… could you tell me exactly how you learned the Killing Curse?"
The atmosphere inside the tent immediately became much heavier.
Lucas lowered his eyes slightly before answering quietly.
"When I woke up that day, the man was torturing me with the Cruciatus Curse."
His voice remained calm, but Cassandra still clenched her fists tightly while listening.
"At that time, I didn't understand anything. I didn't know where I was. I didn't even remember who I was."
Dumbledore silently refilled Lucas's pumpkin juice with a flick of his wand.
"Then the Obscurus awakened," Lucas continued. "I escaped from the cage and knocked him down."
Again, Lucas subtly activated Occlumency while speaking.
Edited memories surfaced naturally through his thoughts.
Not completely false.
Just carefully rearranged.
"I took his wand because I realised he was using it to torture me."
Lucas paused briefly before continuing.
"Afterwards, I learned a lot about the wizarding world from him. Then… I pointed the wand at him and copied the spell he used earlier."
"You used the Cruciatus Curse on him," Dumbledore said quietly.
Lucas nodded.
"Yes."
Then his expression darkened slightly.
"After that, he suddenly pulled out another wand hidden in his sleeve."
Cassandra immediately looked alarmed again.
"He cast a completely different spell at me. Green light came out of the wand."
Lucas's voice remained steady.
"I instinctively transformed into black mist and dodged it."
Dumbledore's blue eyes narrowed slightly.
"He attacked you with Avada Kedavra."
Lucas nodded again.
"At the time, I didn't know it was a Killing Curse."
He slowly tightened his fingers around the pumpkin juice glass.
"I hid behind the cage, pointed the wand at him, and repeated the incantation exactly the way he did."
Then he lowered his gaze.
"And the green light hit him instead."
Silence filled the tent briefly.
"Afterwards," Lucas finished softly, "I learned that spell kills people."
Dumbledore sighed quietly.
"My boy," he said gently, "this was not your fault."
His tone carried genuine reassurance now.
"If that man had used a Stunning Spell instead, he would still be alive."
At this point, Dumbledore finally understood the situation completely—at least from his perspective.
Lucas clearly possessed terrifying magical talent due to his Obscurus abilities.
After witnessing a spell once, he instinctively replicated it under life-threatening circumstances.
In other words, Lucas had never deliberately pursued dark magic.
He merely learned what his captors taught him through violence.
And because those werewolves themselves specialised in Unforgivable Curses…
Those became the first spells he mastered.
As for why Lucas could cast Killing Curses successfully despite his age?
That answer was equally obvious.
Months of torture naturally created hatred powerful enough to fuel such magic.
Especially during combat.
Dumbledore's expression became serious again.
"The Unforgivable Curses are called unforgivable because the damage they cause can never truly be undone."
His gaze briefly passed over the scars on Lucas's body.
"The Cruciatus Curse permanently damaged your memories. Dark magic harms both the victim and the caster alike."
Then he spoke more firmly.
"So please, Lucas… try not to rely on those spells in the future. They can corrupt the heart over time."
"I'll try," Lucas answered obediently on the surface.
Internally, however, his thoughts remained practical.
If someone tried murdering him again in the future, he absolutely was not going to respond with Expelliarmus out of moral principle.
Dumbledore finally smiled faintly.
"Why not open your Hogwarts letter now?"
His tone became noticeably lighter.
"I happen to be the Headmaster of Hogwarts."
Then he added warmly:
"At Hogwarts, you'll learn many wonderful forms of magic. And perhaps more importantly… you'll make friends."
Dumbledore's blue eyes softened.
"Always remember this, Lucas."
"You should never stop believing in the power of love."
"Mm." Lucas nodded sincerely.
At that exact moment, he felt the invisible pressure surrounding him disappear completely.
Dumbledore's suspicion had finally eased.
Then the system's voice rang out triumphantly.
"Ding! Congratulations! Host has successfully obtained Dumbledore's understanding!"
"Reward granted: One Philosopher's Stone!"
"Would the host like to claim it immediately?"
"Not now," Lucas answered internally without hesitation.
There was absolutely no way he was summoning a Philosopher's Stone directly in front of Dumbledore.
Still, relief flooded his heart.
Obtaining this reward truly hadn't been easy.
"Professor," Lucas suddenly asked, "may I come with you when you rescue the remaining children?"
His eyes became serious again.
"I'm strong enough to help."
Naturally, Lucas had no intention of missing the chance to watch Dumbledore personally crush dark wizards.
This was basically a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Before Dumbledore could answer, Cassandra abruptly stood up instead.
"You're covered in injuries and still want to fight?!"
Her eyes reddened instantly again.
"Merlin's beard, I've never seen someone with this many wounds before! Why don't you care about your own body at all?!"
Lucas blinked slightly.
Dumbledore smiled helplessly.
"Miss Vole makes an excellent point."
Then he looked toward Lucas firmly.
"I only removed the most obvious curse traces earlier. There may still be lingering damage hidden beneath the surface."
His tone left little room for argument.
"You need proper treatment at St Mungo's."
Then Dumbledore smiled slightly again.
"As for rescuing the children… leave that matter to me."
His blue eyes twinkled faintly behind the half-moon spectacles.
"You should have at least a little faith in your future Headmaster."
....
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