The gray-haired old man had disappeared behind the bar.
The elderly man with silver hair walked into the room familiarly, and the door closed automatically.
He passed through another door behind the bar and counter, climbed a rickety wooden staircase, and arrived at a living room.
The living room's decor was old-fashioned yet cozy.
Above the small fireplace hung a large oil painting depicting a blonde girl gazing blankly and tenderly into the room.
"What's wrong? My elite brother?"
"Are you tired of being the Archmage and want to condescend to return to your humble family?"
"I can't believe it," the gray-haired old man said sarcastically. He had his back to the entrance, staring at his bony, veiny hands, without turning his head.
He seemed to want to say something more sarcastic and biting. But under the gaze of the girl in the painting, he kept his mouth shut.
This is illogical.
This painting is an incomplete, Enchanted Painting.
Enchanted Painting are usually hung in magical buildings and on the walls. The people in them are all dead, and they can move freely within their portraits, talking noisily, and sometimes even being drunk. They can freely enter and exit their own portraits and visit each other's.
However, they are not real living beings. The reason they can do all of the above is because the painter or wizard himself has infused traces into the Enchanted Painting.
Therefore, without visiting each other's portraits—where traces of portraits collide and derive from each other—most portraits can only utter a few words that resemble catchphrases.
The portrait in the Enchanted Painting before us, however, was created without any trace of being inscribed upon it.
She shouldn't be able to speak, like the character on the Chocolate Frog Card, only able to blink, and should be shyly hiding away.
But now, the girl's portrait seems to reflect the gray-haired old man's rudeness and respond accordingly.
It was as if it had developed self-awareness.
Now, her gaze shifted to another person in the room, her eyes filled with joy.
The silver-haired old man, Albus Dumbledore, offered no explanation.
He did not defend himself by saying that he had never been free, or that he would rather be Ariana's brother than the greatest White Wizard.
He silently endured his brother's sarcasm, as if that made him feel better.
The gaze in the oil painting felt like a sharp sword to him, and he began to lower his head and unconsciously avoid it.
Just as silence seemed to freeze the sweltering summer air inside the cabin, Fawkes appeared amidst a flash of fire, his feathers bristling in a rather unrefined manner.
It chirped and squawked, seemingly forgetting that it was a phoenix.
"Get out of my room with your bird!" Aberforth said rudely.
"Fawkes?" Albus was also quite surprised by its current state. It was like seeing Snape and Sirius shake hands and make peace.
Fawkes had never been so out of control since he first encountered it as a child.
Even as it nears its twilight years, a time of Rebirth from Fire, its feathers remain perfectly neat despite its advanced age.
Moreover, the phoenix's beautiful singing voice can also chirp and twitter?
Meanwhile, Fawkes was frantic and at a loss. It wanted Albus to summon its Patronus to become one with it.
That way he will understand everything.
Until it saw that oil painting.
"Gah gah! "Fawkes grabbed Albus's sleeve, making his hand point towards the painting.
Aberforth, who had been watching the show with amusement, couldn't sit still any longer.
"Is this related to Ariana?"
Fawkes nodded.
Aberforth stood up abruptly.
Albus's expression changed from surprise to solemnity.
They immediately thought of Godric's Hollow, and their mother's and Ariana's graves.
But first, they need to go to the Headmaster's Office and read the letter.
Fawkes knows Ariana.
In the Wizarding World, letters store information not only in words, but some also in sounds and images, so it's perfectly normal that Fawkes, who is illiterate, can understand them.
And this could also be a message—transmitted through a portrait in Enchanted Painting.
Aberforth, suppressing his disgust, placed his hand on Albus's shoulder.
Albus said to Fawkes, "Let's go."
A flash of fire.
The two disappeared from the spot, and the warm phoenix magic swept over their bodies.
In a daze, they had already reached their destination.
In the Headmaster's Office, all the portraits came to life.
But they all held their breath and didn't say a word.
The two people who came to the office did the same.
The sleeping girl on the luxurious bed that suddenly appeared took everything from them.
They've forgotten reason, breathing, even their heartbeats.
Two vast, abyss-like Magic Field surged forth.
With an overwhelming will, she controlled them with effortless ease, transforming them into a gentle spring breeze that brushed against the wisps of hair on the girl's forehead.
"It's her." The greatest White Wizard choked up, tears Winky on his curved nose. "She's healthy."
While Albus had let go of everything in his heart and was envisioning his future with Ariana, it was still just an idea.
Aberforth has already begun its operation.
The owner of the Hog's Head Inn waved his wand, his shoulder-length gray hair shortened; his beard was swept away, revealing a clean chin; his clothes became neat and tidy; his dirty glasses gleamed, reflecting the deep blue eyes hidden behind them.
Albus turned to look at his younger brother. Apart from the wrinkles on his face, he looked exactly the same as before.
He looked at his silver-white hair and the gaudy robe embroidered with blue forget-me-nots, and gave a wry smile.
But then, after a burst of Spark and lightning, his hair turned reddish-brown, his beard fell off and turned into air, and his robe became plain.
"This is..." Aberforth, who had unknowingly sat down at the head of the bed, picked up the parchment from beside his pillow.
Albus also appeared beside him, reading aloud the contents of the parchment:
To Albus Dumbledore
Thank you for your Philosopher's Stone. In gratitude, I offer you a special gift. I hope you are satisfied.
—The Fairy Tale Mage gained immortality
Neither of them tacitly agreed to investigate how Ariana was resurrected.
Instead, they focused their attention on the letter itself, as if trying to find something interesting out of it.
"A fairy tale, this really is a perfect fairy tale." Aberforth murmured dreamily as he tidied the girl's hair. "I still remember that her biggest dream was to go to Hogwarts."
"Albus wiped away his tears.
"No, I am the headmaster. However, I also agree to Ariana's admission." On the four-poster bed, Basil watched all this, smiled, and drifted off to sleep.
Under the moonlight, Fanta disappeared into the air with a soft gurgle, leaving only Dodge, echoing sound of water falling into the water.
——
Ariana felt as if everything was a dream.
As her older brother had told her, she had a good night's sleep.
When she woke up, she did see Albus and Aberforth.
But it's really strange.
They've all gotten so much older.
Albus even became the headmaster of Hogwarts.
Aberforth said he became a hotel owner.
But how could that be? That's Hogwarts, Albus excellent grades, but that's too far-fetched.
The owner of Hog's Head Inn sounds like he's just made up a name. Aberforth also hates pigs; if he really opened a bar, he should call it Sheep's Head Bar.
And the pub was right next to Hogwarts, yet he absolutely refused to let her go. He was obviously just bragging.
Do they all think she's an idiot? Humph!
Fortunately, the scoundrel who used to stare at Albus with strange looks all the time is gone.
He must have been driven away by Albus and Aberforth together!
Ariana's disbelief was immediately apparent to the two of them.
Therefore, Aberforth hurriedly ran back to the Hog's Head Inn.
And so, the wooden signboard was transformed, and the centuries-old grime on the stone floor vanished. The almost impermeable glass windows became sparkling clean. The pungent smell of mutton in the air was replaced by a delicate fragrance of tulips.
Albus, had it much simpler. He glanced triumphantly at Aberforth as he hurried away, then puffed out his chest and led his sister around the entire castle.
He also visited almost all the professors.
It seems that all the faculty and staff at Hogwarts are cursed with being single.
They are all either single or their partners have passed away. So they are still spending their time at school instead of going home.
Professor McGonagall, wearing a hairnet and dressing gown; Professor Snape, getting his hair styled; Professor Flitwick, secretly playing with his Confringo cards under his desk; Professor Sprout, kneading dragon dung balls to fertilize the Snargaluff.
They were all taken aback when Dumbledore suddenly burst in, dressed in a different outfit.
To their even greater surprise, Dumbledore asked them to prove his identity as the Hogwarts Headmaster in front of an unknown girl.
A day has passed.
At 8:30 p. m., in the club space, Ariana finally exclaimed, with a hint of pride, "My brother is the headmaster of Hogwarts! He didn't lie to me! But it's a pity I didn't get to see Basil."
"It's summer vacation now, and the students have all gone home."
"Albus said I could start school in September. He told me to go straight to fifth grade."
Madison asked enviously, "And then?"
Ariana: "Then I said I wanted to go to the second year. That way I would be in the same year as Basil."
Basil coughed. "Actually, I'm at school."
"Then?" Ariana's pretty face loomed close to Basil's, her chin resting on his shoulder, and she pouted, "Ah, you're avoiding me?"
Basil shook his head. "In fact, according to the original plan, I was supposed to attend the private lesson that Dumbledore had prepared today. That's also why I stayed at school."
"But clearly, Dumbledore forgotten. All he can think about right now is you."
Ariana grabbed Basil's arm. "Dumbledore! You mean Albus? How could he do this!"
"What you promise, you must keep. This is the Dumbledore motto that my father taught us."
"Albus said he'll be teaching me this summer too, and then we'll be together," her eyes seemed to sparkle, "How wonderful that would be!"
"I don't think there's any hope left," Basil shrugged.
No brother would want a man as charming as him to be in his sister's life.
Dumbledore had vowed to become Merlin just a few days ago, has suddenly gone back on his word.
He was very certain of that.
Because, at that moment, Dumbledore was writing a letter in his office.
The letter informed Harry that the private lessons were canceled. However, it did contact the Weasley family Harry, who would be happy to take him to their home for the summer holidays.
"I'm going to find him!" Ariana jumped to her feet. She then prepared to log off.
Then, Zoe, who was holding the book and had placed her feet on Basil's stomach, suddenly pulled her back.
Zoe put down her book and said, "This is a good thing for Basil. Have you forgotten? You're a member of the community, so you can contact Basil anytime and meet him online."
"Oh right." Ariana sat back down on the sofa.
Zoe added, "You should now have a basic understanding of what kind of organization it is."
"Sophie gave you a special introduction in the group today."
Ariana nodded. "Basil inherited a powerful magical artifact that allows him to travel between worlds. But it is damaged."
"He needs to go to another world from time to time to find the lost parts."
"The Witch Club was lost and then retrieved by Basil after he traveled the world."
"It's a platform that spans the world, allowing us to connect and meet. We can also participate in activities and exchange for magic."
"I see!"
"Zoe, you mean Basil is very busy, right? As the president, he has to handle the club's affairs and also go to other worlds to search for lost parts."
Sophie really wanted to say that as the vice president, she would help start group activities and handle club affairs.
But then I thought about her reputation in the group.
In addition, Basil was actually busiest after club activities, and it was obviously inconvenient to mention the 18+ content to Ariana, so she didn't say anything.
Bellatrix nodded in agreement. "Zoe will be a full member tomorrow. Basil will be coming to my world to help deal with the vampires."
"In a while, three non-vegetarian vampires will break into Fawkes. Lauren, Victoria, James."
Madison objected, "You're not like me or Zoe. You could be targeted by Supreme Witch at any time, or even Witch Hunter. Oh, and there's the Voodoo Queen's lived for hundreds of years! She's a threat too."
"And you, you're just a vampire. Once you exchange for magic in a few days, I can take care of you directly."
"Moreover, based on the timeline of the novel, there are still several months, or even a year, to go."
"Back then, vampires were just harmless little bats to you."
"And your family has a good relationship with Werewolf."
"You can--"
"Wait a minute," Madison narrowed his eyes, "You wouldn't be thinking of taking advantage of this to steal Basil's purity, would you?"
The quiet, gentle Zoe looked at Bellatrix with hostility. "It's quite possible. Her mind is always a bit muddled, leading her to do many foolish things. This attempt to win is just another foolish idea."
Beatrix, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up, "This has nothing to do with her. We all know whose fault it is. Sophie, a hopeless one."
"She set a bad precedent. She set a bad example."
Sophie was speechless. "."
Why are we bringing her up again?
"Alright." Basil clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention. "It's almost 9 o'clock."
"Club activities are about to begin."
Beatrix raised her hand. "Can we try the herbs? Sophie keeps saying they're scary, and I've never seen them before!"
Bellatrix, with her adventurous spirit, nodded in agreement. She also wanted to see dragons and other Magical Creature with her own eyes, without any real danger to her life.
Madison hesitated for a moment, then chose the truth over attacking Sophie. "The herbs are indeed dangerous. When we quit after reaching the later levels, we could almost feel the whole world collapsing."
"The feeling is indescribable. I suggest you don't try it."
She glanced at Ariana as she said this.
She would never have said that if Ariana weren't there.
It would be so much fun to let others suffer the same way she did. Having already been soaked in the rain, she was even more eager to tear up other people's umbrellas.