Without Vivi making any visible move, the stone guard on the left shattered; Vivi waved her magic wand like a conductor leading an orchestra, and a violet flame suddenly ignited, like a fiery whip, slashing towards Dumbledore.
Dumbledore disappeared once again, and Vivi took the opportunity to smash the other stone guard. Dumbledore reappeared in one of her blind spots, and a red spell shot towards her.
"Expelliarmus!"
The two spells clashed in mid-air, with sparks crackling at the tip of the wands, as if the two spells were connected like lightning, crackling violently.
The surroundings suddenly seemed to change into another environment, like an ancient magical chamber, shrouded in a silent blackness, with walls appearing to flow downwards with black liquid.
Suddenly, from some unknown place, a clear spring surged out, and within seconds, it transformed into a massive tidal wave, barreling towards Vivi.
Vivi remained unflustered; with a point of her wand forward, the waves parted down the middle, like Moses dividing the sea.
Soon after, violet flames rose around her body, and in no time, part of the fire transformed into phoenixes, swooping toward Dumbledore.
Dumbledore flicked his magic wand, flicking away an oncoming phoenix, and then vanished from the spot.
When he reappeared, he was already behind Vivi.
"Stupefy!"
A spell hit Vivi, standing in place.
However, there was no reaction; Dumbledore instantly sensed something was amiss and immediately cast a disarming spell behind him.
"I must say, you're indeed one of the most outstanding wizards I've ever seen. No wonder Gael likes you so much."
Vivi kept one arm tightly around Harry, as if afraid he would slip from her control.
Harry, concerned that leaving Vivi's arms might cause her magic power to overstrain, held her slender waist tightly.
"I also admit, Senior Grindelwald, if you weren't burdened, I might actually not be your match," Dumbledore said, shaking his head.
"Harry is not a burden to me, Professor Dumbledore," Vivi said softly. "Besides, just because things are balanced now doesn't mean you've won—"
With those words, the space, like an ancient magical boundary, crumbled sharply, and the three of them were back in Gael's room.
"Didn't anyone teach you not to wear someone else's clothes carelessly?" Vivi chuckled gently.
With those words, Gael immediately understood what his sister meant.
Dumbledore and Harry didn't understand what Vivi was talking about.
No time for further thought, Dumbledore's magic wand slipped from his hand, spinning into Vivi's grasp.
Immediately, he felt a binding force from his robe, realizing he seemed to have lost his sense of magic power.
In a blur before Gael's eyes, Dumbledore was suddenly suspended beside him.
"Oh, Al," Gael whistled, "it's been a long time since we've been this close."
"It seems so," Dumbledore sighed leisurely.
"Gael, did you actually give away our sister's belongings?" Vivi's angry voice came from below, "Did no one teach you not to touch others' things without permission?"
"I know now, sister," Gael responded in a drawn-out tone.
"What is going on?" Dumbledore asked, "It seems my robe has become the culprit of my restraint?"
"You see, you both have burdens," Gael said cheerfully. "My sister's burden is magic power, while yours is the robe I once gave you—though I never thought you'd still be wearing it after all these years. Do you still cherish our bond, or did you wear it specifically to see me, hoping to play on nostalgia?"
"You misunderstood, Gael," Harry said, his head resting against Vivi's chest. "Professor Dumbledore often wears this in school. If you don't believe me, you can ask the other students."
"Oh~" Gael smiled meaningfully, a cheeky grin on his face.
For the first time, Harry didn't find him annoying.
"Go have a look," Harry said to Vivi, "I personally still believe in Professor Dumbledore."
With that, he beckoned her over.
Vivi obediently leaned her head over, and Harry whispered in her ear, "Though he can be quite eccentric at times."
"Yes," Vivi nodded, releasing Harry. She handed the Elder Wand back to him and went over to the meditation basin, leaning down to dip her head in.
Half an hour later, she raised her head with a complicated expression.
What should she say—the unfolding of events was not exactly as she imagined; at least, it was vastly different.
She initially thought her brother was the deceived one in this relationship, but unexpectedly, it was Dumbledore.
This Dumbledore from the memory... must have been the Dumbledore of that year, with a very gentle demeanor, appearing quite mild.
If roles were reversed, he would be like a kind elder sister, which explains why Gael would... ahem.
How does the saying go? "A jailed father, a deceased mother, a sickly sister and a broken him."