Almost at the exact moment Dumbledore reappeared in the Headmaster's office in a burst of flames, a knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
He straightened his robes and called toward the entrance. The door opened, and Professor McGonagall stepped in, her expression filled with concern.
"You've already sent them there, Albus?"
She paused briefly when she saw the now-empty office, quickly realizing what had happened.
"Of course."
Dumbledore nodded casually.
"But…"
McGonagall hesitated for a moment before frowning slightly.
"Aren't you worried they might do something dangerous? Don't forget—the stone wall can only be opened by a wizard harming themselves. And the lake beyond it is filled with Inferi."
"That's why I specifically required them to open the door permanently without harming themselves."
Dumbledore chuckled.
"Don't worry. Right now they probably regard this so-called 'test' as the most important task of their lives. They won't overlook or violate a single instruction. That's precisely why I asked them to handle that magic—this kind of situation will stimulate their potential, make them think more creatively, and help them better absorb the materials I left for them. Don't you think?"
"You really are going to extraordinary lengths just for teaching."
McGonagall shook her head helplessly.
"It is my profession."
"As for the Inferi, there's no need to worry either. According to my estimate, they'll need about a week to completely dismantle that magic. We only need to check their progress periodically and remind them at the right moment when they're about to succeed."
"A week?!"
McGonagall looked stunned.
"That fast? Those students? I wouldn't even dare promise I could do it that quickly!"
"Magic of that level shouldn't be something students can handle. Even if you left them knowledge and instruments in the tents, wouldn't it still take them time to learn how to use them?"
"You must learn to trust the potential of students, Minerva."
Dumbledore smiled slyly, then smoothly changed the subject.
"Oh, by the way, speaking of students—recently both Sirius and Peter have each sent back a rather interesting piece of news…"
…
Inside the seaside cave.
Seven students looked at each other in silence. No one quite knew how to begin speaking first, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
None of them had fully processed what had just happened.
"Ahem, everyone,"
Percy spoke up first. As the Head Boy and the one with the most leadership experience, he cleared his throat and swept his usual serious gaze across the group.
"Our time is extremely valuable right now. Every minute we push our research forward improves the first impression those academic giants will have of us. This is no longer merely a matter of personal or house honor—it directly affects our future achievements."
"So I'll keep this brief."
"We must begin working immediately instead of standing here doing nothing. Professor Dumbledore has already ensured our safety and living conditions. All we need to do is cooperate fully and break that magic as quickly and efficiently as possible."
"Before that, nothing should distract us."
"So I suggest everyone return to your tents first and see what 'helpful items' Professor Dumbledore left for us. After that, we'll regroup and continue discussing our approach."
"Does anyone have anything to add?"
"No problem."
"Sounds good."
"I'll check my tent first."
Everyone present was among the brightest students at Hogwarts, so none of them wasted time on trivial matters. Agreeing with Percy's reasoning, they quickly split into small groups and entered their tents.
Even the two Slytherin students present didn't object to following a Gryffindor's lead.
First, Percy's reasoning was sound and his abilities widely respected.
Second, ever since the Basilisk incident, relations between Gryffindor and Slytherin had eased—at least slightly.
Only slightly.
So slight that among students who already disliked each other, nothing had really changed, and first-years still inherited the traditional rivalry between houses.
But for the moment, it was enough for them to cooperate without hesitation.
"See you in a bit, Ken."
"Yeah. See you later, Rolf."
Standing beside Avada, Rolf Scamander quickly set up his tent, greeted him, and slipped inside.
After some effort, Avada finally finished assembling his own tent as well and lifted the flap to enter.
"Oh. Not bad."
The moment he stepped inside, he was surprised by the interior.
It looked almost like a spacious hotel room. The air was warm and dry, completely unaffected by the damp sea wind outside.
There was a bed, a desk, chairs, a fireplace, and even a bathroom where one could take a proper bath.
Besides those furnishings, the most eye-catching items were the tall stack of books neatly arranged on the desk, along with several strange-looking instruments.
These were presumably the "help" Dumbledore had mentioned.
However, Avada didn't immediately examine them.
Instead, he walked around the tent in a circle, waving his wand and inspecting the structure carefully.
"The Undetectable Extension Charm is well executed."
He soon finished his inspection and nodded thoughtfully.
"Though some of the finer details are a bit rough… Definitely not handmade by Dumbledore. Probably a mass-produced product."
"Judging by the decorations, it's still a fairly high-end model though."
"If I remember correctly, one of these tents costs at least a dozen—maybe even several dozen—Galleons."
"Spatial specialists really do make money easily…"
Muttering to himself, he walked to the desk and began flipping through the books.
"Advanced Ritual Theory… Magical Structure Changes in Blood Under Mental Influence… Twenty Common Dark Rituals… Pain Psychology…"
"Just as expected."
"Looks like the magic we're facing is indeed the kind that requires self-harm to activate."
After only a glance at the titles, he confirmed his earlier guess.
Fortunately, the change in the timeline hadn't produced any unexpected complications this time.
"Dumbledore clearly said we must break this magic permanently and without harming ourselves…"
"So we can't solve it using Voldemort's intended method. We need a completely different approach."
"And we have to dismantle it permanently…"
"That's a bit challenging."
"This time there are other people around and there's a time limit. I can't just brute-force dismantle it with mental power again…"
"This might actually be the first time I've tried to break Voldemort's magic using proper magical methods."
He had already removed the curse from the Resurrection Stone—but that hadn't exactly been done through conventional means.
"Ken? Ken?"
Just as he was deep in thought, a knock sounded outside the tent.
"Percy wants everyone to gather in his tent. Hurry up…"
(End of Chapter)