"Susie, we're home!"
Lilith leapt out of the sling bag and said proudly to Susie, who was climbing up beside her, "This is Miss Lilith's home—Hogwarts!"
Susie looked around curiously. "Aren't we still in Loen? Is this Feysac? Or the Southern Continent?"
"Neither!"
Lilith flicked her tail smugly. "This is Britain!"
"Never heard of it."
"Heehee, of course you haven't! This is a hidden country! No one knows about it except us."
This explanation was the agreed-upon story they'd all decided to tell Susie. As one of the participants, Lilith was extremely pleased with herself—when Susie eventually realised she was actually in a completely different world, she'd be absolutely stunned!
"Oh."
In her spectator mode, Susie immediately saw through Lilith's lie.
But who cares? I'm just a dog anyway.
At that moment, Edward informed Audrey about the new time limit. The two of them discussed it in detail, but came up with nothing.
"Whatever," Audrey said. "If it's twenty-eight days, then it's twenty-eight days. Let's go out and see what's happened in the past month."
Although they had thwarted Voldemort's plot involving the Chamber of Secrets last time, eliminated Wormtail, and even used Voldemort's name to frighten the corrupt Ministry of Magic a bit, Voldemort himself was still alive. As for Fudge and the Toad, it wasn't likely they'd be scared into behaving permanently after just one incident.
Sigh...let's hope Old Dumbles is up to the task.
On the 8th floor of Hogwarts Castle, a door suddenly appeared in the wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching the trolls ballet. Edward, carrying Lilith, stepped out, accompanied by Audrey, with Susie curiously following behind.
They had just rounded a corner when several people appeared ahead, chatting and handing out leaflets. One of them spotted Edward and hurried over, handing him a flyer.
"Hey, interested in the Minister for Magic election? Get your family and every wizard you know to support the cause!"
He handed Audrey one as well.
"Minister for Magic election?" Edward blinked. Since when did Hogwarts get involved with the Ministry?
He looked down at the flyer. The first thing he saw was Dumbledore's long white beard. He wore his signature half-moon spectacles and a gentle smile while raising a fist in the air, shouting, "Vote for me!"—although the voice somehow sounded a bit like the Weasley twins.
Next to the image was a bold headline:
"A Political Upheaval in the British Ministry of Magic?!"
Following Minister Cornelius Fudge's three-week medical leave, the Ministry has announced an early election for the new Minister for Magic. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore has once again been invited to run, and this time—he hasn't declined!
Students, friends, gentlemen, and ladies—this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Let's vote together to make the great Professor Dumbledore our next Minister for Magic!
Hogwarts Forever!!
Dumbledore...is running for Minister for Magic?
Edward and Audrey looked at each other in shock.
It was common knowledge that Dumbledore had been invited multiple times in the past to become Minister, but he had always refused. According to him, it wasn't that he was some ascetic monk with no desire for power or authority—far from it.
A man who once joined forces with Gellert Grindelwald to pursue a vision of "the greater good," and who had once tried to reshape the world...how could he possibly have no ambition?
Precisely because he understood himself so well—because he feared that too much power might bring out the darkness in his heart and endanger the magical world—he had always chosen to stay away from political power.
But after all that had happened recently, he seemed to realise that constantly retreating and letting mediocre fools take over might lead to even worse outcomes. He had said as much last time they returned.
What Edward hadn't expected was that once Old Dumbles made up his mind, he'd move so decisively. If this early election was really happening, there was a good chance Dumbledore had pulled strings behind the scenes to set it in motion.
Audrey smiled. "Seems like Headmaster Dumbledore really took your advice to heart?"
"I think it's more than that."
In the original storyline, the crises Hogwarts faced were far more severe—Voldemort wreaking havoc with his Death Eaters, the Ministry practically issuing a warrant for Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix, and even Grindelwald's death.
None of that ever made Dumbledore change his stance. He ultimately chose to sacrifice himself and pass the future to Snape and Harry. That just shows how deeply he could endure.
But this? This was more like it!
This was the Great White Lord we all wanted to see!
Soon, they arrived at the hideous giant gargoyle guarding the entrance to the headmaster's office. The stone beast had already moved aside, revealing the spiralling staircase beyond.
Someone must have gone up just moments ago.
Sure enough, as they reached the carved wooden door, they heard voices from inside.
"You've really decided, Albus?"
"Decided what?"
"To run for Minister for Magic."
"Actually, I'm still considering it. What's your opinion, Severus?"
Snape's voice was cold. "I think it's a good idea. At the very least, if you win, you can immediately get rid of those damned Dementors from the school."
"Oh, I was thinking the same."
There was a short pause, then Dumbledore asked in a light tone, "Have you found out what the Dementors are really after?"
"Heh, either it's evidence that you're harbouring criminals, or proof that you've violated the laws of the wizarding world. Cornelius Fudge really only knows how to play these kinds of tricks."
Knock, knock, knock.
There was a knock at the door.
Dumbledore put on his half-moon spectacles and said warmly, "Come in."
Edward and Audrey entered the office with a dog and a cat in tow. A smile immediately bloomed across Dumbledore's face.
"Oh, I was just counting the days. You were due back around now. Welcome, welcome!"
"Good afternoon, Professor Dumbledore. Good afternoon, Professor Snape."
The moment they stepped into the office, Lilith's eyes locked onto the phoenix Fawkes, who was perched on a shelf grooming his feathers. A cunning glint flickered in her eyes, thoughtful and deliberate. In stark contrast, Fawkes suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, shrinking back his head with a visible shiver.
Snape gave a brief nod and turned his gaze to Audrey. "Miss Hall, I trust this excursion didn't interfere too much with your studies."
"Please rest assured, Professor."
"Hmm, good."
Just as he said this, Snape suddenly felt a gaze fixed on him—it was from the golden retriever.
His brow furrowed instantly, a strange sense of discomfort crawling over him. It didn't feel like he was being stared at by a dog—it felt like a person was boring into him with an unblinking gaze.
"Is this dog your pet?"
Audrey nodded. "Yes, her name is Susie. She's not only my pet, but also my partner. Susie, say hello to Professor Snape."
"..."
Unfortunately, Susie didn't understand English. She just tilted her head in confusion.
Snape's mood suddenly soured. He was reminded of a certain someone he loathed—a man whose Animagus form also happened to be a dog. This golden retriever…could it also be an Animagus?
He quickly shook his head, brushing away the absurd idea.
Edward asked, "Professor Snape, I overheard you just now—did you say there are Dementors at school?"
"What, you didn't run into them on your way back?"
"Uh…no."
Snape sneered. "They were sent here last week, right after Cornelius Fudge heard that Albus was running for Minister. Officially, it's to protect the students. In reality, he just wants to dig up dirt that might hurt Albus's campaign."
Dumbledore chuckled. "Then I'm afraid he'll be disappointed."
"How many Dementors are there in total?"
"Maybe a dozen? It's not that he doesn't want more—it's just that he was scared witless last time by Voldemort. These days, he won't go anywhere without a full escort of Aurors and Dementors."
"What about Azkaban?"
"What?"
Edward scratched his head, looking genuinely puzzled. "I mean, if he's pulling that many Dementors out all at once, are there still enough left guarding the Dark wizards locked up in Azkaban?"
"Hmph. Do you really think Cornelius Fudge has time to care about something like that right now?"
"Fair enough."
Audrey facepalmed at the side. So much for the psychological counselling from a few days ago—clearly, Edward still hadn't given up on the idea of going to Azkaban to "bring warmth" to those Dark wizards.
"I'll be going then," Snape said. "Can't have those Dementors getting too out of hand."
Dumbledore reminded him kindly, "Be careful, Severus. Better let Minerva or Filius handle the Dementors. You're still not quite ready."
"..."
Snape's steps paused. "Understood."
Edward could hear the subtext in their exchange.
The best spell against Dementors was the Patronus Charm. But Dark wizards—especially Death Eaters—could almost never cast it. Snape, however, was a rare exception.
With a wave of his wand, Dumbledore conjured two chairs and pushed aside the stack of thick letters on his desk. "Please, have a seat. Oh, all of these are complaint letters from the Ministry and the pure-blood families—dozens, even hundreds, every day. Absolutely dreadful. So, how was your journey? Any new discoveries?"
Edward thought for a moment, then replied half-jokingly, half-seriously:
"I suppose the biggest gain would be in strength. If Voldemort were to appear in front of me now, I think I'd have the confidence to defeat him."
"Oh? Now that is good news!"
Dumbledore laughed. "In fact, after taking the potion, I too discovered that this power from another world is even more wondrous than I imagined."
"You've advanced to Mystery Pryer?"
"That's right."
Dumbledore nodded with a smile. "The Mystery Pryer potion didn't grant me overwhelming power, but it has given me a deeper insight into the essence of magic. It's even helped me make some progress in my long-stalled research into ancient spells."
Hearing this, Edward pulled out a piece of parchment and two pouches of ingredients from his pouch and placed them on the desk. "This is the formula and materials for Sequence 8: Melee Scholar, and Sequence 7: Warlock. Once you finish digesting the Mystery Pryer potion, you can use them for advancement."
These were purchased from Bernadette before departure—though this time she charged money, since she also had to buy the lower-tier materials from her crew.
Edward then hesitated for a moment before asking:
"Professor, if I want to pass this power of potion-based advancement on to more people, who do you think would be suitable candidates?"
———
[Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.