Chapter 180: Lupin: Obliviate
The distinctive wail of a fire truck siren pierced through the forest, coming from a distance.
"Time to go," Lupin said.
"Just a moment."
Wade whispered to Mihail, "Please."
Mihail spread its wings and landed on the ruins, golden flames unfurling to cover the entire area.
A moment later, the flames receded, and the golden bird picked up a sooty, black ring from the ashes.
Some sticky, black residue still clung to it, but after being scorched by Mihail's flames for a bit, it turned to ash and fell away.
The gold on the ring was completely melted, congealing into a strange lump. Mihail pecked at it twice with its beak to remove the gold, holding only the black gem, and returned to Wade.
It gently placed the black gem into Wade's hand.
Lupin watched curiously. It looked more like a black stone with a design of triangles and circles, and several cracks in the middle.
Any curses or magic attached to it had been burned away by Fiendfyre. Wade picked up the gem with a handkerchief and held it up to the light.
The light seemed to be swallowed by the gem.
He knew this was one of the sacred artifacts given by Death to the Peverell Brothers in legend, known as the Resurrection Stone, possessing the ability to bring the dead back to life.
By holding the Resurrection Stone and turning it three times, one could bring the deceased back to the living world.
However, the dead were not truly resurrected, and only the user of the Resurrection Stone could see them. Therefore, even if they remained in the living world, they would only feel endless loneliness and pain.
This was something that appeared to be a divine artifact but was in reality no different from a curse, its utility far inferior to the Elder Wand and the Invisibility Cloak, which were also called Deathly Hallows.
In the story, Dumbledore, longing to see his deceased parents and sister, carelessly put on this ring, thus falling victim to Voldemort's curse. Even with Snape's Potions, his life was only extended by one year.
Of course, Dumbledore was Dumbledore after all.
In his final year, he set up an elaborate plan, and even after his death, he still arranged for Harry to defeat Voldemort.
But the year without Dumbledore was also the darkest and most dangerous year for the entire Wizarding World and Hogwarts.
The trio, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, had to leave school and go on the run. Many Muggles and Wizards were killed, the Ministry of Magic became Voldemort's accomplice, and Hogwarts students, except for those in Slytherin, were tormented.
If not for the massive boost from the Protagonist's Halo for Harry and Neville, who found and destroyed all the Horcruxes at the last moment, and if Harry hadn't used the Elder Wand's allegiance to make the Killing Curse rebound, thus defeating Voldemort, then darkness would have continuously enveloped the British Isles, and Voldemort's reign of terror would have spread worldwide.
Everything began when Dumbledore acquired the Resurrection Stone.
If not for the curse on this stone, a powerful Wizard like Dumbledore should have lived for a very long time.
Not to mention Nicolas Flamel, who consumed the Elixir of Life, the witch on the Hogwarts Express had been doing that job since 1830. Some students thought many people had held that position, but it was actually always the same person.
There was also Armando Dippet, the former Headmaster of Hogwarts, who lived for over three hundred years and only recently passed away.
However, Armando Dippet had lived in seclusion for many years, and the Wizarding World had almost forgotten him. News of his death only occupied a small section in the Daily Prophet.
Excluding the original founders, Dumbledore's magical power was the greatest among all headmasters. So, even though he was now white-haired, he should have lived for a very, very long time before facing his ultimate demise.
—If he had died a natural death.
...
Wade also placed the Resurrection Stone into a magic-shielding box, then transformed his suitcase into a wardrobe. He pulled open the door and asked the firebird:
"Mihail, can you stay in here? Be careful not to burn anything."
Mihail nodded, flew inside, circled once, found a dry spot to settle, and then chirped twice.
So Wade gathered some rocks and dead branches from the mountain to build a nest for it. Mihail breathed fire into it, igniting the branches, and then comfortably lay down in the flames.
Wade put away his pencil case and quickly left the woods with Lupin. As they returned to Little Hangleton, they saw a fire truck driving through the village.
The shrill siren woke the sleeping residents. They groggily sat up, staring blankly at the distant smoke.
"Fire!"
Panicked shouts finally erupted from all directions. No one thought anything of having just been asleep, nor did they notice the two people hurrying along the path.
At the pub, several people stood outside the door, gazing towards the distant forest. Lupin and Wade passed through the crowd and returned to their reserved room.
A black Vanishing Cabinet stood in the center of the room.
Lupin pulled open the cabinet door and told Wade, "You go back to school first. I'll take the Vanishing Cabinet back to Hogsmeade Village."
Wade nodded, said nothing more, and stepped into the Vanishing Cabinet. In the blink of an eye, he was back at Hogwarts.
Zoe was standing outside the cabinet, smiling and waiting for him.
...
Lupin closed the cabinet door, tidied up the traces of the few people who had been there, opened his suitcase, moved the Vanishing Cabinet inside, picked up the case, put on his gray bowler hat, pulled the brim low, and left the room.
The pub's bartender was discussing the cause of the sudden forest fire with a customer, speculating that someone on a picnic had irresponsibly lit a bonfire and failed to extinguish it properly.
"Or maybe the wind carried a cigarette butt in," Mac said gravely. "Most fires start that way."
"Why don't you talk about those two customers from before?" said Pete, the bearded patron. "I still can't believe an adult man could suddenly turn into a child."
"It's true," the bartender, Mac, said earnestly. "Could I be mistaken? Both had black hair, gray eyes—it definitely was the same person..."
Pete grumbled, "Instead of someone getting younger, isn't it more likely to be a father and son?"
"But I didn't see anyone else go in..." Mac argued.
"You must have missed it!" Pete said.
Behind them, Lupin silently apologized, then raised his Wand—
"*Obliviate!*"
Light flashed, and the two by the door blinked, their expressions a little blank.
After a moment, Mac said, "It could also be the wind blowing a cigarette butt inside; most fires start that way."
"No... I saw the fire deep in the woods. An unextinguished campfire is still more likely."
"...Anyway, some people just don't have fire safety awareness in the forest. It's always us who live nearby who suffer."
As Mac finished speaking, he suddenly felt as if the door behind him had moved.
He glanced back but saw nothing, then casually turned his gaze away.
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