Chapter 42: Let Dumbledore Decide
Chapter 42: Let Dumbledore Decide
The Weasley siblings turned to look at Wade expectantly.
Wade hesitated for a moment, choosing not to mention his knowledge of the original storyline. Instead, he meticulously recounted the conversation he had overheard that day, his memory serving him well despite the month that had passed since the incident.
An eerie chill seemed to creep up from the floor of the umbrella shop, and a heavy silence fell upon the group. It was Fred who eventually broke the quiet. "I have to say, that joke isn't very funny. Did you get it, George?"
George nodded silently, his face unusually pale.
"So," began Ryan, struggling to understand, "Professor Quirrell isn't really Professor Quirrell? Or rather, a Dark Wizard has possessed him? He wants to kill Harry Potter? Our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is a Death Eater?"
He looked around at the group, as if expecting someone to jump in and shout, "Gotcha!"
But no one spoke.
Ryan sat down, leaning on the table for support. After a long pause, he said hopefully, "Shouldn't we—go find Professor Dumbledore? All the Death Eaters are afraid of him. If Professor Dumbledore takes action, he'll definitely be able to—"
Hermione shook her head gently. "No, Ryan, you don't understand. 'He trampled over my corpse and became a celebrity'—think about that phrase, Ryan. Who else would say something like that?"
The blood drained from Ryan's face as he clenched his fists, his body trembling slightly. "But—it's impossible—that man is dead, isn't he? Everyone knows he died—by Harry Potter..."
He seemed to bite his tongue, his voice trailing off abruptly.
Hermione looked at him with compassion. She could tell that he believed it, but he was afraid to admit it.
As if by not acknowledging it, that person wouldn't come back to life.
There was nothing to mock here; she, too, felt a shiver run down her spine.
Hermione, born into the Muggle world, should have been indifferent to Voldemort. However, even before entering the wizarding world, she had devoured numerous books on the subject, so she was even more aware than most students from wizarding families of the countless shocking atrocities committed by "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
Before that man's disappearance, his power had reached its peak, casting a terrifying shadow over the entirety of the British Isles. Even Dumbledore, whom people claimed was the one person Voldemort feared, could not prevent the relentless tide of death, though the flames of war never reached Hogwarts.
This had subtly instilled a deep fear of that man in Hermione, but when she tried to say his name, she found she couldn't bring herself to do it directly.
As if saying it would awaken some horrible monster.
"Volde... I mean, the mysterious man," Hermione said, looking at the group. "If he's really possessing Professor Quirrell, I think we should tell Dumbledore! Wade, why didn't you go to Professor Dumbledore right away when you heard this?"
Wade considered this. "Perhaps... I found it hard to believe that Dumbledore knew nothing about it?"
Fred nodded. "Dumbledore must have noticed something odd about Quirrell, but for some reason, he hasn't taken any action yet."
George spoke solemnly. "He knows everything."
"But what if..." Hermione countered. "What if Dumbledore is only suspicious and still gathering evidence? Maybe he thinks Professor Quirrell has merely fallen to the dark side and doesn't know that the mysterious man is possessing him! We should find Dumbledore and tell him the truth, and then let him decide what to do!"
"Of course, Hermione, you're right.
Ryan nodded. "Of course we should."
"Then why don't we act now?" Fred stood up decisively. "I saw Dumbledore in the Great Hall during dinner! He must be in the school now."
Hermione, however, hesitated, an unusual display of uncertainty. "Should we call Harry? I mean... the one Vol—the mysterious man wants to kill is Harry. He should know where the danger is coming from..."
Wade considered this for a moment. "As you said, Hermione, let's leave it to Dumbledore to decide."
Hermione, remembering the 'test' he had mentioned, nodded silently, her eyes filled with worry. It was as if she feared that Harry might fall victim to Voldemort on their way to find Dumbledore.
Standing in the corridor, Wade took out a shiny silver whistle and blew into it.
The sharp, piercing sound of the whistle cut through the air. Soon, an owl with a cat-like face came flying from the west tower, gracefully gliding through the window and landing on Wade's outstretched arm.
"Cool!" Fred whistled in appreciation.
The owl, Eva, cocked her head and hooted softly, "Ku-ku."
Wade rolled up the note he had prepared and placed it gently in Eva's beak. "Take this to Professor Dumbledore, and bring his reply back to me."
Eva nodded and took flight once more. The group watched as she soared into the sky and disappeared into a small spire window.
Hermione, biting her finger anxiously, voiced her concern. "I hope Professor Dumbledore takes our letter seriously. Maybe I should have written more details in the letter so he knows we're not joking around..."
Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long—perhaps only a minute or two—before Eva reappeared from the same window.
The owl delivered the reply to Wade. On the parchment, written in long, looping script, were the words:
"You are welcome to my office. The password is 'Rainbow Bomb Shell.'"
"Rainbow Bomb Shell?" George muttered. "I don't think I've seen that dessert in the Great Hall."
"It was there during the end-of-term feast last year. What were you doing then? Oh right, you sneaked a bottle of cockroaches into Montague's robes—"
"So he'd think he accidentally bought a Cockroach Cluster—" George recalled the prank fondly. "He hasn't touched Cockroach Clusters since! Wait—you ate my sundae then?"
"How could you say I stole it?" Fred argued. "I took it right in front of you; you just didn't see it—"
As the two bickered playfully, the group made their way to the entrance of the Headmaster's office, coincidentally running into Michael, who was returning from the Quidditch pitch. He greeted them casually and seamlessly joined their company, his presence raising no suspicion.
Perched at the entrance was an extraordinarily ugly gargoyle. Fred dodged another playful punch from George and stepped forward. "Rainbow Bomb Shell!"
The gargoyle leaped aside, and the wall behind it split open to reveal a slowly ascending spiral staircase. One by one, they stepped inside, and with a loud bang, the wall closed behind them.
The staircase carried them higher and higher, and Wade marveled inwardly—while elevators were common in the Muggle world, this was his first encounter with such a mechanism in the wizarding world.
Why mimic Muggles in this aspect? Elevators were always installed wherever the Headmaster needed them.
As the group began to feel slightly dizzy from the revolving stairs, they finally reached a shiny oak door with a brass knocker in the shape of a griffin.
This was Dumbledore's office.
(End of Chapter)
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