The night had deepened.
There were clearly no windows nearby, yet a faint chill drifted through the corridor.
Wade Reynolds and Tom Riddle pulled their robes tighter around themselves as they followed Albus Percival Wulfric bla bla bla Dumbledore toward the Headmaster's office.
"Did he believe it?" Tom suddenly asked.
"Most likely not, Tom," Dumbledore replied from ahead.
Tom's attitude toward Grindelwald earlier had pleased Dumbledore very much.
It was obvious the boy was dissatisfied with that old man, which meant the chances of him being swayed by him were significantly lower.
Besides, he had already checked with Legilimency; Tom hadn't lied. He truly disliked Grindelwald.
What delighted Dumbledore the most was Tom's current resistance to Dark Magic and his newfound understanding of the magic of love.
He had actually chosen to hand over Slytherin's legacy to the school instead of studying it himself.
This child… he really could be saved. And all of this was thanks to the one he trusted most, Wade Reynolds.
…
"So what should we do?" Tom muttered anxiously, unaware of Dumbledore's thoughts.
Slytherin's legacy was something Grindelwald would no doubt be very interested in.
And for Tom, even if he currently felt some resistance toward that legacy, he still didn't want Grindelwald finding a way to take it.
In Tom's mind, his ancient ancestor Salazar Slytherin was far less disturbing than Grindelwald.
After all, his ancestor had never pressed a wand against his neck.
"Don't worry, Tom. As long as he's still playing this 'follow the rules' game with us, he won't be able to take anything from you," Dumbledore said calmly.
"My… things?" Tom repeated, turning the words over, as if beginning to understand.
"As long as those things don't belong to the school, then he has no grounds to touch what's yours."
While Tom was having this realization, Wade took out his wand and conjured a small ball of bright red flame. The cold corridor instantly grew warm.
Dumbledore turned back, eyelid twitching sharply. With a casual wave, the flame in Wade's hand went out.
Wade looked up at him with wide, pleading eyes. "I can control it."
"I know… but don't use that in the school. I'll teach you my Gubraithian Fire later; that's enough for practical use," Dumbledore said helplessly.
Tom stared at the two of them in shock and confusion. "Wade, that fire you used just now… why did it look so much like Fiendfyre?"
"You saw wrong, Tom. I'm a well-behaved, rule-abiding student. How could I possibly use something as evil as that?" Wade denied.
"You think I'm an idiot!" Tom jumped up.
A wave of bitterness hit him. Every time he had used Dark Magic before, he'd been terrified of being discovered.
Yet this guy had practically used Fiendfyre as a hand-warmer in front of Dumbledore, and Dumbledore barely reacted.
He even offered to teach him the Dumbledore family's ancient Gubraithian Fire in exchange for not using it at school.
This was not magical fairness at all.
"You really did see wrong, Tom," Dumbledore said.
Tom nodded while clapping his hands in frustration. "Fine, fine… whatever, it's not like I care…"
"Tom, don't be mad. When we get back, can't I teach you too?"
"Really?"
"Of course. You're the hero of Hogwarts tonight. How could a professor possibly shortchange you?" Wade said cheerfully.
"…Fine. You could have just said 'Teach us together', and I would have done just that. But can you both promise me not to cause any more trouble?" Dumbledore felt utterly exhausted.
It was the first time he had ever doubted the judgment of that old Sorting Hat.
…
"Come in."
The Headmaster's old voice drifted out from inside.
Headmaster Dippet had not gone to sleep.
When Dumbledore pushed open the door and stepped in, Headmaster Dippet was fully dressed and writing busily at his desk.
Dumbledore looked at him in surprise. "Merlin's beard.. Armando, this is the first time I've ever seen you working seriously."
When Dippet saw them enter, he quietly swept the papers on his desk aside.
"Ah, look at that, your hair hasn't even turned white, and yet your memory is failing you, Albus. Before you took the title of the Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts, I always handled school affairs myself. So… have these two youngsters caused trouble?" Dippet looked toward Wade and Tom.
"You two can explain to the Headmaster," Dumbledore said as he walked over to a cabinet, opened it with practiced ease, and took out sweets and drinks.
"When did you start hiding things in my office… never mind. You two," Dippet said, staring at the two second-year students before him. "What exactly happened?"
"We accomplished something huge for Hogwarts tonight!" Wade declared immediately.
"That's right, something incredibly huge!" Tom added.
"Oh?" Headmaster Dippet's interest was immediately piqued.
Normally, Dumbledore would handle things himself and wouldn't come to him.
But now he had personally brought these two children here, which meant the matter was definitely not simple.
"Well then, hurry up and tell me. I'd like to see what kind of great contribution could make Albus bring you here himself."
"Then… if we tell you, you can't deduct our points," Tom said cautiously.
"Ha! You two really are amusing. Go on, I won't deduct any points. And if it truly is an impressive contribution, what's the harm in giving you a few points instead?"
At that moment, the soft chorus of snores from the portraits of past Headmasters on the wall suddenly ceased.
The portraits were all pretending to sleep while quietly listening in.
So the two boys recounted everything that had happened tonight, one detail after another.
Of course, their original intention of sneaking into the Restricted Section was revised into simply wanting to get some fresh air.
It wasn't very convincing, but that no longer mattered.
Slytherin's trial and Slytherin's study were more than enough to pull Headmaster Dippet's attention completely away from everything else.
Especially when Wade finally took out Slytherin's manuscript and told him that a mysterious creature was sleeping somewhere within Hogwarts, waiting for the day it could purge the school.
"How could he do such a thing!" Headmaster Dippet exclaimed.
He simply couldn't believe it. One of the four founders, Salazar Slytherin, had actually left a mysterious creature in the school with the intention of harming the castle's students.
But there were quite a few of Slytherin's manuscripts in the Restricted Section, so Dippet recognized the handwriting easily. It was indeed Slytherin's.
While Dippet was still stunned, the portraits of past Headmasters on the walls stopped pretending to sleep and burst into chattering discussion.
"I've said it all along! Muggle-born students should never have been admitted! It ruins Hogwarts' reputation! I wholeheartedly support Lord Salazar Slytherin! Only pure-bloods—"
"Silence, Phineas!"
"What? Want to fight, Dexter?"
"Fight, then!"
A Headmaster from a neighboring frame promptly leapt into Phineas's portrait, and the two began wrestling on the spot…
"Enough! Stop this noise!" a stern witch commanded sharply.
The two troublemakers were quickly dragged apart by several other Headmasters.
"Thank you, Dilys. And everyone, please remain quiet," Headmaster Dippet said to the portraits.
Aside from Phineas still grumbling under his breath, the other Headmasters said nothing more.
Dippet looked toward Dumbledore. "Albus, what do you think?"
Dumbledore set down the cup in his hand. "First, we can't let Grindelwald find out. Second, we should go examine that place thoroughly and determine where the creature is located. And finally, we need to figure out a way to eliminate the threat. We cannot allow a danger to remain inside the school."
"Mm… then we'll proceed that way." Headmaster Dippet smiled at Wade and Tom.
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