Feeding the Shapeshifter

"Time is playing tricks on us again. It's time to go back and sleep, children..."

"Good night, Professor."

"Good night."

"..."

Watching the two outstanding students leave, Harry could hear their whispered conversation after they closed the door. Harry was pressing for more information about Horcruxes, while Loren played dumb and cracked jokes to change the subject, making Harry grit his teeth in frustration.

Their laughter and banter drifted in through the Oak Door, slightly distorted.

"What a nostalgic age..."

A pleased curve formed at the corner of Dumbledore's mouth. His gaze happened to fall on the Black Gem on the table, and his smile gradually faded as he fell silent.

The old man, his beard and hair white, sat quietly in his chair. After an unknown amount of time, Dumbledore came back to himself and noticed the stars and moon in the deep blue sky outside the window.

The moonlight was cold, the starlight sparse. Even less light entered through the window, leaving only faint, chilly hues.

Not very bright.

Behind his half-moon spectacles, his narrowed blue eyes drifted for several seconds. His gaze unconsciously returned to the tabletop. The exquisitely crafted silver ornaments had lost their luster, while the cracked Black Gem radiated an unfathomable allure.

After a moment of silence, Dumbledore reached out and touched the black gemstone.

The dim starlight and moonlight separated into scattered flecks that quietly gathered together, forming a transparent, vast figure.

"Ariana..."

A repentant murmur echoed through the room.

October arrived, and the weather turned colder.

The ginger kitten had begun to dislike moving around, curling up on the sofa cushion for long stretches at a time, though it looked rather like a cushion itself.

"Things will get easier once the exams are over"—a lie universally told by teachers around the