Dumbledore's Concern

Hagrid hurried to the entrance of Dumbledore's office.

"Sherbet lemon!"

He spoke the password the moment he reached the gargoyle. The stone gargoyle glanced at him and opened the way.

Dumbledore had not gone to bed. He was seated at his desk with a quill in hand, replying to a letter.

Seeing Hagrid rush in with panic on his face, Dumbledore set down the quill.

"What is it, Hagrid?"

Hagrid quickly explained what had happened in the Forbidden Forest. Dumbledore's expression grew serious.

"Lead the way."

The two of them hurried toward the site of Edmund's battle.

When they arrived, Dumbledore looked at the scorched earth and broken trees, and his brow furrowed.

"This is where Mr. Gaunt fought someone?"

"Yes, Professor."

Dumbledore thought for a moment, then drew a wand that was slightly longer than most and jointed along its length. He aimed it at the damaged clearing.

"Vestigium Revelio."

The scene over the clearing rapidly rewound until Edmund's figure appeared, then slowed.

The image was extremely blurred. Even Edmund himself might not have recognized it at a glance.

This spell was similar to a limited reconstruction of the recent past. It was not true time reversal. It could only restore traces of spells used in the area by reading magical fluctuations.

The fact that Dumbledore could reconstruct even a blurred human figure already exceeded the ordinary range of the spell. That owed more to his own profound magical attainment than to the spell itself.

When the black-robed figure hurled one Killing Curse after another at Edmund, Hagrid's face went white. Even Dumbledore's expression grew graver.

After watching the course of the battle, Dumbledore did not speak immediately. He stood there in silence.

Only after a long while did he say, "I am sorry, Hagrid. I cannot identify this person with certainty. I can only say he is connected to You-Know-Who."

"Go back for now. I have a few things to consider."

At the mention of You-Know-Who, Hagrid trembled. He obeyed Dumbledore's instruction and left quickly.

Dumbledore remained alone in the clearing, quietly thinking about the battle he had just witnessed.

"Tom," he murmured. "I did not expect you to have fallen this far..."

Then his thoughts shifted to Edmund.

He knew Edmund was gifted. But a first-year mastering battle Transfiguration of that level, along with a phoenix Patronus capable of resisting the Killing Curse, was something many wizards could never achieve in a lifetime.

Even Voldemort, in his first year, had been far behind this.

Edmund's usual behavior was far removed from anything resembling a Dark Lord.

Even so, Dumbledore had seen too much history to dismiss the danger of power without vigilance.

The fragile magical world could not endure a third Dark Lord.

With that thought, Dumbledore quietly decided he would pay more attention to Edmund in the future.

He waved his wand. Several trees rose from the earth, and fresh grass spread over the ground.

Very soon, the devastated clearing recovered its vitality. Everything looked as though nothing had happened.

After finishing, Dumbledore turned and returned to the castle.

...

The night passed quietly.

Edmund slept deeply and recovered his energy.

On the way to Transfiguration the next day, Hermione stopped him.

"I heard you tamed a unicorn. Can you take me to see her?"

Edmund was surprised. How had that spread so quickly?

"Harry told me," Hermione said, her face reddening as she immediately sold him out. "He said you formed a contract with a unicorn. Can I see her?"

"All right. This afternoon before dinner."

It was not a serious matter, so Edmund agreed directly.

Then he remembered that he had not had time to tell Cho either. He might as well take both of them.

That afternoon, Edmund, Cho, and Hermione walked side by side toward the entrance of the Forbidden Forest.

None of the three spoke.

A strange atmosphere spread between them.

Edmund wanted to go back to that morning and throttle his past self.

Why had he agreed so casually? Was saving time really worth bringing them together like this?

He was not stupid. Of course he knew Hermione had feelings for him.

He simply had not decided how to deal with them. That was why he had carefully arranged his time to keep Cho and Hermione from meeting too often.

Now, because of one careless decision, they had still ended up together.

This was a collision waiting to happen.

Under that peculiar silence, the three of them reached the entrance to the forest.

Edmund had already told Celestia through the contract that he was coming to see her. The moment they arrived, a white blur rushed toward them and appeared at Edmund's side.

"Mmm."

Celestia's happy cry sounded as she gently nudged Edmund.

Feeling her deep attachment, Edmund smiled and stroked her mane.

Beside him, Cho and Hermione were already staring with longing eyes. Seeing such a pure, beautiful unicorn standing so close made both girls forget their cold war.

At the same time, they asked if they could touch her.

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