Edward suddenly remembered as well. "I recall now—you said back then that when Wormtail was burned to death by Fiendfyre, Voldemort also seemed to experience intense pain before vanishing with him. If the diary was in Wormtail's hands at the time, then everything makes perfect sense."
"The Fiendfyre didn't just burn Wormtail—it destroyed Voldemort's Horcrux as well!"
Snape interjected quietly, "So Wormtail's attitude toward…him, was because he was only a mere projection?"
"Not just that," Dumbledore sighed. "I suspect the entire event was orchestrated by the real Voldemort. He used Wormtail and the diary to stir up chaos with the Chamber of Secrets—not only to divert our attention and cause me trouble, but also to give himself a perfect cover to go into hiding."
Edward was stunned by this. Was the noseless bastard from the books…really that cunning?
"Then what exactly was his goal in doing all this, Professor?" Audrey asked.
"I'm not entirely sure, Audrey. But since Wormtail went after the locket, it must've been under Voldemort's orders…Perhaps he already knew about the locket's existence?"
Snape pointed at Malfoy. "And what about him? He talked about stabbing the basilisk's eyes, killing people, even being called 'Master' by others."
"Hah." Dumbledore chuckled. "That was likely just a smokescreen released on purpose by Voldemort. Even if he did control Malfoy, where would he have killed anyone? And where could Death Eaters have called him 'Master'? He hasn't left Hogwarts at all since term began."
"As for stabbing out the basilisk's eyes—whether it was him or not is irrelevant now. Voldemort probably threw that in just to mislead us, send us chasing shadows, and ultimately waste our time and energy."
Then he quickly added, "But if we completely ignore it, Voldemort would likely use Malfoy to do something else. So, Severus, I'm leaving Malfoy in your care. If—and I do mean if—Voldemort ever contacts you, you know what to do."
"..."
Snape gave a cold snort. "Alright, time for you all to leave."
Dumbledore could only spread his hands helplessly at Edward and Audrey, and the three of them left together.
Snape sat silently at his desk for a while, then took out a vial of potion and waved it under Malfoy's nose. The boy woke with a jolt from his dream.
"What happened?"
Snape huffed. "I asked you to help sort some herbs, and you had the nerve to fall asleep on the job!"
"???"
Malfoy looked completely lost. How come I don't remember any of that?
"Well? What are you standing there for? If you're sleepy, go back to your dorm and sleep!"
"Oh."
He took two steps, then turned back. "Or maybe I should finish sorting them first before I go?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm going! I'm going now!"
Malfoy quickly bolted for the door, carefully closing it behind him.
Strange…why did I suddenly fall asleep? Huh, this time…I don't think I had that dream again!
———
Back in the headmaster's office, Edward asked, "Professor, with everything Voldemort's done…what do you think his true objective is?"
"Heh."
Dumbledore chuckled softly. "Everything Voldemort has done over the years boils down to two things: power and immortality."
Edward and Audrey both froze. Their minds went straight to the secret of the Slytherin locket: Gods are real. As long as you find the entrance to their dwelling place, anyone can become a god.
If Wormtail had truly gone after the locket under the instructions of the older Voldemort, then…could that mean he had already learned something through some unknown method?
Does Voldemort…want to become a god?
Without much hesitation, the two finally shared with Dumbledore the secret about the locket they had previously kept hidden.
Dumbledore was stunned into silence. After a long pause, he murmured, "This…really does explain everything."
Crack!
Suddenly, a burst of flame flashed in the air. Fawkes appeared on the desk, letting out a piercing cry the moment it landed. It first squawked furiously at Dumbledore, then turned toward Edward, shrieking and scolding non-stop.
Though they couldn't understand Phoenix-speak, its tone and body language left no doubt: Fawkes was furious—and probably swearing like a sailor.
Edward was baffled. "What's gotten into him?"
Dumbledore sighed, rubbing his temples.
"Fawkes just told me…your cat and your dog snuck in earlier and tried to pluck out all his feathers. He barely managed to apparate away, but still lost a small handful of tail feathers."
Edward & Audrey: "???"
——
Meanwhile, Lilith and Susie were sitting side by side, gazing down at a single phoenix feather.
Susie hesitated. "Are we sure this is edible? Will it really help us grow bigger if we eat it?"
Lilith nodded seriously. "That bird said it! It said it became huge after eating feathers. It used to be the size of a palm, and now it's almost your size!"
She pushed half the feather toward Susie. "Let's eat it together."
"O-okay…"
One cat and one dog each grabbed a feather in their mouths, chewed hastily, and swallowed it down.
Moments later—
"Ptui! Bleh! That's disgusting! Urgh, I want to throw up!"
"Uuu…we have to grow up…we have to get stronger…!"
——
Ten minutes later, Edward and Audrey found Lilith and Susie in the Room of Requirement, both wearing expressions of utter despair. After questioning them, they finally learned the truth—those two had actually eaten the phoenix feathers they had stolen from Fawkes!
Audrey was thoroughly baffled. She could understand Lilith doing it—after all, she was just a child—but Susie? Susie was supposed to be the more 'mature' one of the two.
Susie stayed silent for a long time before sighing, "I…I got dragged into it by Miss Lilith. The mood just got to me. And she said so confidently that eating it would help us assist you better…I didn't even have time to think it through."
Edward scooped Lilith into his arms. "How do you feel now?"
"My stomach…feels kind of itchy."
Her eyes sparkled with hopeful anticipation. "Does that mean I'm growing up?"
Edward couldn't bring himself to crush her hopes. Fortunately, Audrey stepped in just in time to play the role of the stern mother figure.
"Lilith, Edward's messenger only grew bigger after eating phoenix feathers because it might have had phoenix blood in its veins—enough to absorb the feather's energy. You don't have any of that bloodline, so eating phoenix feathers is useless for you!"
Lilith froze, nudging Edward anxiously with her little foot as if seeking confirmation. When she saw him nod solemnly, the light in her eyes dimmed instantly.
Audrey went on, "Besides, what you two did today was wrong! Think about it—how would you feel if someone tried to pluck all your fur off? Wouldn't you be angry? Wouldn't you feel violated?"
Although Audrey had directed her lecture at Lilith, Susie's head kept drooping lower and lower in guilt.
"Alright, alright," Edward quickly tried to ease the tension. "The little ones have been scolded enough."
"You keep that up and you'll end up spoiling her rotten."
"Uh…not really. Didn't I scold Lilith last time on the boat?"
"And then you apologised to her immediately afterwards!"
"…"
Edward had no comeback for that.
Lilith blinked up at them and murmured, "I'm sorry, Audrey, Edward. I won't do it again."
Edward gently pinched her cheek. "You should apologise to Fawkes."
"Okay!"
She hopped off his lap with a kick and called out, "Come on, Susie, let's go apologise."
"Alright~"
The two little troublemakers scampered off. Once they had put some distance between themselves and Professor McGonagall's office, Lilith turned to Susie and asked:
"Susie, Susie, did you learn a lesson from what happened today?"
Susie pondered a moment. "We should always think about how others feel and not act selfishly?"
"Nope!"
Lilith shook her head. "The real lesson is: next time we do something like this, we mustn't leave behind any evidence! If no one finds out, then it's like it never happened!"
"Huh? But…isn't that what bad guys do?"
Lilith looked solemn. "Someone once told me: bad people have lower moral standards than good people, which is why they always beat the good guys. Edward and Audrey are good people—so we need to be the bad ones for them!"
Susie came to a full stop and stared at Lilith in awe. "You…you can say such intellectual things!"
"I didn't come up with it. Someone taught it to me."
"Who?"
"You don't know them."
"Oh." Susie wagged her tail. "Is it one of Miss Lilith's other friends?"
Lilith thought about it for a moment. "Yes."
"Can you introduce them to me sometime?"
"Sure!"
"Yay~"
The cat and dog trotted back up to the eighth floor and made their way into the Headmaster's office using the guardian gargoyle's password.
Fawkes, who had been napping on a perch, suddenly flared up, spreading his wings with an agitated screech.
Dumbledore quickly tried to soothe him. "What's the matter, Fawkes?"
He soon saw the two little creatures rush in and shout together, "We came to apologise! We're sorry, Fawkes!"
Fawkes: "….."
Dumbledore blinked, then murmured to himself, "I knew they could talk…but watching a cat and a dog seriously apologise to a bird is still…quite a sight."
———
In the wizarding world, the two most common modes of transportation were the Floo Network—which only worked if your destination's fireplace was registered with the network—and the Knight Bus.
The latter could be summoned by simply raising your wand, and would appear out of nowhere to carry you to practically any location on land.
Edward and Audrey stood at the outskirts of Hogsmeade Village, waiting to catch the Knight Bus to Godric's Hollow. The location held far too much personal significance for Dumbledore, so this time he didn't ask Fawkes to assist them.
Lilith and Susie followed closely on either side—yes, they'd been brought along deliberately this time, just to prevent the duo from causing another incident.
Not long after Edward raised his wand, a triple-decker bus painted a bright, violent shade of purple roared into existence as if it had driven straight out of the air. Golden letters on the windshield spelled out: Knight Bus.
With a loud bang, the bus came to a stop in front of them. A conductor in a purple uniform opened the door and exclaimed:
"Welcome to the Knight Bus—oh, Merlin's beard! I swear, you are the most beautiful young lady I've ever seen!"
Audrey smiled politely. "Thank you."
"Good evening, miss. I'm Stan Shunpike, your conductor tonight. Where are you headed?"
"Godric's Hollow, thank you."
"That'll be eleven silver Sickles," Stan said with practiced ease. "Or if you pay fourteen, you get a chocolate bar. Fifteen gets you a hot water bottle and a toothbrush—colour of your choice."
"No, thank you."
"Suit yourself! Hop on in."
The group—two humans, one cat, and one dog—climbed aboard the Knight Bus and were immediately enveloped in a wave of cosy warmth. There were no seats inside. Instead, six beds with brass railings were set up behind windows curtained shut from the outside.
Audrey couldn't help but exclaim, "We're supposed to sleep during the ride?"
Stan chuckled. "Of course! Most folks who ride the Knight Bus are headed far off. Why not take a nap? Wake up and you're there—can't beat that."
"How long will it take to reach Godric's Hollow?"
"Oi! Ern, give our lovely passengers the update!"
The driver turned around and grinned. "About three to four hours. Just enough time for a nice little snooze."
Edward was about to respond when Audrey spoke up quietly, her voice soft and reserved:
"…Should we…sleep in the same bed?"
———
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