The Sorting Hat's snoring suddenly started.
On the wall.
The portraits of former headmasters intended to continue their eternal role as silent spectators, but Armando Dippet, the modern Hogwarts headmaster, quietly led them to other frames within the school.
Even Phineas Black, the most unpopular headmaster in Hogwarts history, silently vanished from the Headmaster's Office without uttering a word.
"Ah?"
Penelope, the smart Ravenclaw Prefect, didn't notice this, but she sensed the off-putting atmosphere and couldn't help but look at Fox, who brought her to the Headmaster's Office.
On the high, gilded perch.
The feathers on the phoenix named Fox were shedding, yet despite an unknown reason, it remained magnificently enchanting.
"I've been inquiring about something, has the news reached you so quickly?" Penelope, the helpful senior, just wanted to put her eagerness to assist into action.
She didn't expect a ghost to complain to the headmaster.
"Miss Kilvate, Hogwarts has no secrets," Dumbledore chuckled lightly as he poured himself a cup of tea. The exquisite porcelain cup filled with honeyed black tea was steaming.
"Would you like some?"
It seemed like Ravenclaw's Prefect couldn't coax Dumbledore to offer the snacks hidden in his office, but in reality, Penelope, filled with confusion and slight apprehension, had no appetite for tea.
"No, thank you, Headmaster Dumbledore, I don't think I've broken any school rules, have I?" Penelope was only concerned about whether she would be punished for her peculiar curiosity. How could merely inquiring about seemingly non-existent twins escalate to a solo meeting with the headmaster?
Generally speaking.
The impartial Dumbledore rarely enjoys one-on-one time with the little wizards.
"Indeed."
Dumbledore took a slow sip of the warm tea, "But, Miss Kilvate, have you considered that some people may not want their painful memories casually uncovered?"
His voice remained gentle.
"Is it because of the two brothers I inquired about, who had a sister that passed away?" Penelope frowned. "I've searched through all the Hogwarts records from recent years and found no student named Ariana, nor have I heard anything from the professors about twins who lost a sister."
"Of course, the Weasley Brothers do have a sister, but she's perfectly healthy, Percy even showed me her picture."
The altruistic senior recounted her efforts.
"Failing to find anything among recent entries, I wondered if the person I was looking for belonged to a long-gone era, and so I chose to consult the ghosts."
"I found most ghosts unreceptive, but a few seemed uneasy at my inqu—"
Penelope's words were abruptly cut short.
The loud narrative stopped abruptly.
She noticed Dumbledore's hand trembling as he held the tea, a detail impossibly found in a powerful wizard, especially on Dumbledore.
"Inqu… inqu… inqui…"
The last syllable of the word became impossible to utter, and a flash of realization surged through Penelope's mind at lightning speed, piecing together scattered information.
A minute earlier.
Dumbledore's reminder seemed still fresh beside her ear.
"Because that child never enrolled, Miss Kilvate, naturally, you couldn't find her name," Dumbledore placed down his teacup.
His tone remained calm.
However.
Behind the half-moon glasses.
Those eyes, as deep as the ocean, moved uncontrollably.
Fragments of emotions lay hidden within.
Seeing this, Penelope's pupils constricted violently, her youthful complexion turning deathly pale almost instantly.
Her mind buzzed explosively.
More profoundly than when she saw the dismembered corpse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
"I didn't know! Headmaster!"
The earnest senior was panicky and helpless, finally realizing why she was summoned here; she had probed the taboo of one revered among the wizards.
Dumbledore was actually a twin?
This was beyond Penelope's curiosity to gossip about.
If only she knew Ian's "little troubles" were related to Dumbledore, she certainly would have sat at the most distant spot from Ian in the dining hall!
"This is something Ian asked me to check out, just before the start-of-term Sorting Hat ceremony dinner." Amid terror, Penelope quickly revealed her naive junior.
Hmm.
Looking back now.
Seems not so naive!
At this moment, Penelope was nearly as if seated on pins and needles.
"I'm sorry, Headmaster Dumbledore…" Penelope nervously lowered her head. Across from her, the Hogwarts headmaster simply smiled and lightly shook his head, "Initially, I felt a bit of offense, but soon realized that I should actually be thanking you."
"Miss Kilvate, you have brought me closer to certain truths."
Dumbledore's words left Penelope puzzled, as her thoughts raced, conjectures mounting with no clear understanding of Dumbledore's remarks.
"What?"
Penelope couldn't help but ask.
Dumbledore politely smiled, "Concerning Ariana, it's been quite some time since I last discussed her, and I hope this matter doesn't affect the studies of other little wizards."
A clear hint.
Penelope certainly grasped it.
"I promise not to tell, not even to Ian."
Penelope nodded frantically.
"That's not necessary, actually. I'm curious to see the child's reaction myself." Dumbledore spoke with a smile, the emotions in his eyes from before already well hidden.
"Alright, alright."
Penelope nodded again, frantically.
She breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she had survived this terrifying interrogation. However, the next moment, a startling scene was reflected in the pupils of the poor senior sister—Albus Dumbledore, the most powerful wizard of the twentieth century, nemesis of the Black Demon King, the invincible one, took out the wand that had claimed countless lives.
"As the Headmaster of Hogwarts, I believe no one knows the nature of little wizards better than I do." Dumbledore spoke softly, meeting Penelope's anxious gaze.
"Miss Kilvate, would you mind if I personally teach you some content that is usually learned in the sixth year and demonstrate to you an obscure characteristic of Hogwarts?"
It seemed to be a polite inquiry.
Dumbledore's expression was full of warmth.
Yet.
Sitting like a quail on the opposite side, Penelope had the illusion—what if she refused? Would she end up sharing a coffin with Professor Ronnie Ehrlich tonight?
"A Century of Lies: The White King."
A book once recommended by The Quibbler, and for some reason, it now vividly surfaced in Penelope's mind. She didn't dare to utter a single word of refusal.
Dumbledore was still the same Dumbledore, his character unchanged, yet the feeling he gave Penelope now seemed even more... terrifying.
"It's an honor to receive your guidance." Penelope did not dare to think deeply about these unsettling questions. She quickly adopted the most humble attitude of her life.
And it was not an insincere word.
Countless wizards in this world yearn for personal guidance from Dumbledore.
"The Unbreakable Vow is a magical spell used to form a covenant between wizards. If the vow is broken by one party, that person will die."
"It's very practical for keeping secrets, having been used since ancient times and continuing to this day." Dumbledore explained patiently, making the vow with Penelope under the witness of Hogwarts.
"Thank you for your teaching."
Penelope finally could breathe a long sigh of relief in her heart.
She also indeed learned something.
"I also want to thank you for your understanding. As your irresponsible and selfish headmaster, I hope this can be a sort of compensation." Dumbledore took a book from the shelf and handed it to Penelope.
It was his notes from his younger days.
Though Dumbledore had earnestly passed on his knowledge, the Unbreakable Vow was evidently unfair to Penelope, and his face bore genuine remorse.
"!!!!!"
Penelope was absolutely overjoyed, her shadow dissipated instantly. The records of the great one surely belonged to those treasures even pure-blood clans would covet.
"Thank you for your gift..."
This time, the tremor in Penelope's voice was entirely due to excitement.
"Don't miss the afternoon class."
Dumbledore escorted the thrilled Penelope to the door of the Headmaster's Office. When he returned to his hall, the portraits of previous headmasters had reappeared in their frames.
The Sorting Hat continued to pretend to nap.
The Phoenix had lost more feathers.
It seemed to have made a decision.
With a cry, it set itself ablaze.
As the flames subsided, the tea on the desk had grown cold, and Dumbledore sat quietly in his chair, watching the chick emerge from the ashes with its new form.
"Albus, forcing a little wizard to make an Unbreakable Vow with you is an abuse of your position." Armando Dippet's portrait suddenly spoke.
"It was the safest choice."
A flash of shame crossed Dumbledore's eyes.
"Your current mindset is extremely dangerous, it will eventually lead you into an abyss of no return. You're just weaving a dream that is bound to shatter for yourself!"
"Your sister is already dead! There's no turning back on that path!" Armando Dippet's portrait scolded harshly, while other portraits chimed in with their advice.
"Indeed, I imagine a child from the Snape family might have just heard a story about you. After all, someone must know the secrets of your family, right?"
"Hogwarts has no secrets, perhaps some ghost told him, children's curiosity always drives them to get to the bottom of things."
"I see this Gryffindor fool as utterly senile, utterly ridiculous! No one can accomplish such a thing! Not even the great Slytherin!"
...
The portraits likely received their information from Armando Dippet. After all, he witnessed Dumbledore's rise and introspection during his tenure.
"Fellow headmasters, aren't you a bit too noisy?"
Dumbledore's voice, calm to the point of fear.
"Perhaps I really am getting a bit old, but I think I am far from being senile, in fact... over these many years, I've never felt so clear-headed."
He murmured softly.
His gaze fell onto his desk.
Hidden beneath the teacup and teapot was a library borrowing list.
"Hogwarts Historical Records"
"Medieval Wizard History"
"The Legend of the Enchanting Illusion Realm"
"Land of Illusion: Spirit Thin Prison"
...