Dumbledore's "Letter"

"Is this normal?"

Hermione wiped the sweat from her forehead, irritation written across her face.

The Scottish Highlands had entered the season of howling cold winds. Even indoors, where torches burned constantly, people had to wear thick clothes.

But in the Room of Requirement, Sean, Hermione, and Daisy had all taken off their coats and sweaters, changing into lighter clothing.

And all because of the enormous crimson feather before them.

Sean wiped his own sweat, exhaustion in his voice. "It definitely isn't normal, but I can't find the problem."

Daisy, wearing nothing but a light camisole with her coat tied around her waist, was half-sprawled across a cushion. She said weakly, "If we still can't find the problem, I'm really going to roast to death. If we were researching this in the Great Hall, Hogwarts Castle would probably turn into summer."

The crimson feather before them was naturally the Phoenix Tail Feather.

This Phoenix Tail Feather had come from Dumbledore. Back when Sean had helped Dumbledore lift Nagini's and Daisy's Blood Curse, Dumbledore had given him this feather as a gift—and with it, a chance to summon a phoenix.

Phoenix

The problem was that Sean had used the Phoenix Tail Feather twice afterward, and neither attempt had successfully summoned anything...

Later, he learned that Fawkes's soul had fused with half of Ariana's soul. Moreover, Fawkes had not appeared for a very long time.

When Dumbledore's soul went to the Realm of Illusion and said he wanted to retrieve the complete Ariana, Sean had known then that Fawkes was likely trapped in the Realm of Illusion.

And now, this sudden abnormality in the Phoenix Tail Feather had to be some sort of signal from Dumbledore, Fawkes, or Ariana.

The problem was that the three of them had spent the entire morning