"Oreo!"
Standing in the third-floor corridor, William spoke a password that reflected Annie's fondness for snacks.
The hideous stone gargoyle at the entrance seemed to come to life, hopping aside as the wall behind it split into two.
William stepped onto the spiral staircase, which led him to a gleaming oak door.
He knocked. A voice from inside called out, "Come in."
William reached for the door, but it was suddenly yanked open from the inside.
Professor Snape stood there, breathing heavily.
His usually pale face had a flush of red.
A string of question marks flashed through William's mind: Was Snape just running laps in his office?
"Ah-ha! Stark is here too," Snape sneered as he stepped aside to let William in. He then glared at Dumbledore, mockingly continuing,
"Would you like your favorite student to describe what happened tonight in the Great Hall?"
William quickly realized that he had arrived at an awkward moment. The two of them had clearly been in the middle of a heated verbal exchange, it had even left both of them flushed.
Snape, agitated, looked to William as though seeking an ally, and raised his voice,
"Weasley almost used Dark Magic to kill Malfoy! If we don't expel him, who knows, next time, your little girlfriend or your sister might be the one attacked."
William wiped the spit off his face, Snape's yellow teeth had nearly brushed his mouth.
Last time, I was considering sending him some "Six-Flavored Rejuvenation Pills."
Now? A tube of extra-strength whitening toothpaste for Christmas sounds much better.
Also... girlfriend?
Who's that supposed to be?
William was certain there was no such person!
He was still a proud single man, thank you very much!
Always accusing innocent people!
"As for how Mr. Weasley will be disciplined, I will discuss it with Professor McGonagall. It's getting late, Severus. You may leave now," Dumbledore said calmly.
Hearing the dismissal, Snape stared at Dumbledore with the wounded expression of someone who had been wronged.
"You're dismissing me just like that?!"
"Would you prefer I leave, and you come back later?" William weakly suggested.
Snape shot him a venomous glare, spun around, and stormed off. He grabbed the wooden door and slammed it hard, venting his frustration.
"Aaaaargh!"
A shriek echoed from the hallway. Snape had slammed his own hand in the door.
This was followed by a string of curses and loud kicks against the door.
"Please close the door properly and have a seat, William," Dumbledore said, his voice tinged with weariness.
William nodded, doing his best to suppress a grin of schadenfreude.
"William, is there something you wanted to speak to me about?" Dumbledore asked gently.
"I need to report something… regarding Ron."
"Are you also here to ask me to expel Mr. Weasley?"
"No, sir. That's between you and the other professors. However, I do need to inform you about the source of the Dark Magic he used."
"Of course," Dumbledore nodded. "But before that, take a look at this."
Dumbledore fished out a letter from a stack of documents and handed it to William.
"What is this, Professor?"
"Do you remember that Mrs. Weasley once purchased the 'Family Edition' of your Hogwarts Map?"
William nodded slightly.
That had happened back in his second year.
After creating the Hogwarts Map, he had gone on to sell several versions, the Deluxe Edition, the Family Edition, the Couple's Edition, and the Best-Friend Edition...
Given the cultural quirks, the last version was practically just another Couple's Edition.
The Family Edition allowed parents to see the exact location of students and check whether they were attending classes properly.
Mrs. Weasley had purchased one to track Ron and the twins, and she'd even sent him a Howler for it!
In the end, William had added a "backdoor" for the twins so that the map sent home showed the location of their roommates instead.
However, Ron's map had remained entirely accurate.
"After the attack incident, Molly has been habitually staring at the map whenever she has free time.
"She discovered that Ron left the school alone twice and went into the Forbidden Forest. That's why Arthur wrote to me," Dumbledore explained.
"Alone?"
"Yes."
William unfolded the letter and quickly skimmed through it. It turned out that Dumbledore was already aware of Ron's unusual behaviour.
"Alright, now tell me what you've found."
Dumbledore folded his hands, looking ready to listen to a story.
"Professor Snape has probably already told you what happened tonight, hasn't he?"
"Indeed. Ron unexpectedly used a Dark Magic spell."
"Ron confessed that he learned it from a diary. Whatever he writes in it, the diary writes back," William said.
Dumbledore's expression remained unchanged.
"A sentient magical item is not unheard of. The Sorting Hat can do that, and most portraits as well.
"I happen to be... reconditioning my own portrait," Dumbledore added casually.
The portraits lining the walls of the office all nodded proudly.
"But this diary," William continued quietly, "was made by a student from fifty years ago, one who deliberately lured Ron into learning Dark Magic."
The implication in his tone was clear: the series of attacks could all be linked to the diary.
"Who created that diary?" Dumbledore asked.
"Tom Riddle. Do you remember that student?"
William was certain he saw Dumbledore's pupils contract sharply at the mention of Tom Riddle.
"Who is Tom Riddle, Professor?"
Dumbledore's gaze drifted into the distance as he was lost in thought for a moment. Then, he explained:
"Very few people know that Voldemort's original name was Tom Riddle. Fifty years ago, he was a student at Hogwarts, I taught him personally.
"After he left the school, he disappeared... traveling the world, delving deeper into the mire of Dark Magic. He associated with the darkest witches and wizards and underwent many dangerous magical transformations. By the time he reappeared as Voldemort, few could recognize the handsome, brilliant Head Boy he had once been.
"Hardly anyone connected the feared Dark Lord with the clever, charming boy who had once studied here."
"So... this is Voldemort's diary?" William frowned.
He hadn't expected it to be something that belonged to Voldemort!
The Dark Lord kept a diary when he was young?
Figures...
He was never a normal person to begin with!
The signs were there all along.
"Has Voldemort returned?" William asked.
Last year, he had returned briefly by possessing Quirrell. Could he have done something similar this year, using his old diary as a vessel?
"No." Dumbledore shook his head, "I don't believe he has returned. He was severely injured last year and is still recovering in the forests of Albania. He won't be active again anytime soon."
William narrowed his eyes, puzzled. "Then this is strange. If it's a fifty-year-old diary and it's just trying to manipulate Ron into attacks, that's one thing... but how did it also manage to control multiple people and point fingers at Harry?"
Dumbledore sighed softly.
"I have a theory about that," he said as he walked around his desk.
William turned in his chair, watching Dumbledore crouch in front of a cabinet near the door.
When Dumbledore straightened, he was holding a shallow stone basin, the rim engraved with ancient runic symbols.
Dumbledore placed the Pensieve on the desk in front of William.
"Where are we going, Professor?" William asked.
"To an attack... that happened over a decade ago."
William clicked his tongue in amazement. Dumbledore always managed to unearth these old memories.
It was finally time for another beloved "short film" segment!
His absolute favorite!