Silas did not take the usual route through the castle. Instead, he donned the Levitating Cloak and flew straight through the open window of the Headmaster's Office, landing lightly on the soft carpet. Fawkes lifted his head from his perch and gave him a curious look.
Dumbledore sat behind his desk with a letter in hand, apparently reading it. He showed no surprise at Silas's sudden intrusion. He merely lowered the letter slowly, raised his head, and looked at him calmly through his half-moon spectacles with blue eyes.
"Good evening, Silas." Dumbledore's voice was as gentle as ever. "I presume the commotion in the Forbidden Forest had something to do with you?"
Silas walked up to the desk, braced both hands against its surface, and leaned forward slightly. His tone carried a hint of questioning confusion:
"Professor Dumbledore, I don't believe you could have failed to sense the explosions in the forest, the Fiendfyre, and the green flashes from those Avada Kedavra curses! You must know Voldemort has returned, and that he's in the Forbidden Forest!"
Dumbledore nodded gently, a trace of understanding and approval appearing on his face. "Yes, I sensed it. And I surmise that you faced Voldemort successfully once again, and drove him back with your strength and wisdom."
Silas frowned. "Then why didn't you come help? If you'd intervened, perhaps we could have kept him there for good!"
Dumbledore shook his head slightly, an inscrutable smile at the corner of his mouth. "Silas, from the moment you engaged Voldemort until he finally escaped using some... spatial means, the entire process lasted approximately ten seconds, according to my senses."
He held up one finger. "Ten seconds. By the time I noticed something was wrong, picked up my wand, and prepared to leave, the battle was already over. Your efficiency... is exceptionally high."
Silas: "..."
He opened his mouth, but for a moment, he had nothing to say. Thinking back carefully, it seemed... that was indeed the case? His clash with Voldemort had been incredibly dangerous, but the shifts between attack and defense had been so fast that the entire battle truly had been very brief. Even if Dumbledore had wanted to help, he probably would not have reached the scene in time.
Seeing Silas at a loss for words, a flicker of amusement passed through Dumbledore's eyes. He cleared his throat and spoke in a formal tone:
"In any case, you have once again protected the school's safety, thwarted Voldemort's scheme, and displayed extraordinary courage and strength. For this, Ravenclaw receives 200 points."
Silas was momentarily stunned at the mention of points, then scratched his head. "Oh... thanks."
He had been holding in a whole host of questions, such as who Voldemort's new host was, how the Suspended Ring had gotten out, and what they should do next... But after Dumbledore's interruption and the "reward" of 200 points, he suddenly felt a little tired. Those questions no longer seemed so urgent.
"Well... if there's nothing else, I'm going back to sleep." Silas yawned, turned, and headed for the window, intending to return the way he had come.
Dumbledore watched his back and said gently, "Good night, Silas. Rest well."
Silas waved without looking back, jumped out the window, and vanished into the night as the Levitating Cloak billowed around him.
Dumbledore looked at the empty window. The smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a grave expression. He murmured to himself, "Ten seconds... spatial teleportation... Voldemort's power is recovering faster than I imagined. And this child, Silas... his rate of growth has exceeded everyone's expectations. There are more and more uncertainties in the future."
Though tonight's brief confrontation had ended in Silas's victory, it sounded an even more urgent alarm in Dumbledore's heart.
Silas flew back from Dumbledore's office to Ravenclaw Tower. The moment he silently slipped into his dormitory through the window, he saw Eddie Camilleche waiting anxiously by his bed, tightly clutching the silk handkerchief wrapped around the Unicorn Mane.
The instant Eddie saw Silas enter through the window, he sprang to his feet. His face was full of lingering fright and fear, but even more than that, helpless uncertainty. He held the silk bundle out, his voice stammering:
"S-Silas! Are you all right? That was terrifying! That dark wizard... and those awful spells..." Still shaken, he patted his chest, then looked at the bundle in his hand and said hesitantly, "This... this Unicorn Mane... you were the one who brought me to find it, and you saved me too... I... I can't take all of it. It should belong to you."
Silas found Eddie's mixture of fear and loyalty slightly amusing. He waved a hand, his face tired but his tone casual.
"Enough, stop pushing it back and forth. I said I'd help you make money, so I'm helping you make money. These materials, along with the ones we collected earlier, are all yours. Deal with them however you want. Sell them or keep them, it's up to you."
As he spoke, he took off the Levitating Cloak and casually tossed it over the back of a chair. Then he let out a huge yawn that squeezed tears from the corners of his eyes.
"I'm exhausted. I used too much magic, and all I want right now is sleep. Don't wake me unless it's important."
With that, without waiting for Eddie to say anything more, he flung himself straight into the soft four-poster bed, pulled the covers over his head, and almost instantly began breathing evenly—out cold in seconds.
Eddie stood there, looking at the valuable bundle of Unicorn Mane in his hands, then at Silas, already sleeping like the dead in bed. He opened his mouth, but ultimately swallowed his words. His heart was filled with gratitude and an indescribably complicated emotion. He carefully put away the silk bundle, tiptoed out of Silas's dormitory, and shut the door for him.
Tonight's experience had been far too thrilling and shocking for Eddie, but it had also given him a deeper understanding of—and... reverence for—Silas. He decided that he would definitely give Silas more than half the money from selling the Unicorn Mane, though he knew Silas probably did not care about such a small sum at all.
As for Silas, he began restoring his greatly depleted magic in deep sleep, gathering strength for the even more complex situation that might unfold next.
Before you continue