Threat

The Sorting Hat behind him was bickering with Black, while the other Headmasters added fuel to the fire.

Dumbledore looked at the portrait of Niove and deeply understood that this guardian had not lied to him, nor did she have any reason to. The Oath of Secrecy concerning Ancient Magic had expired, and Niove was now loyal only to him.

Furthermore, if Cyberlina had indeed been influenced by those dark substances, Niove, bound by the oath at the time, would not have remained inactive.

"So, before Cyberlina resigned, you spoke with her about this matter?"

As Dumbledore's question left his lips, the bickering stopped.

"Not entirely," Niove said with a wry smile. "It was my own incompetence, really. I never knew she hadn't destroyed those dark substances back then. I only discovered what she had stored away when she was packing up before her resignation. So, I spoke with her then, and she claimed she was merely researching them and proved to me that she hadn't been corrupted like Isidora."

"But you still harbored doubts," Dumbledore said, sitting down on the sofa. "That's why you've been frequently visiting your secret base all these years to confirm—Wait, you've been hiding a dangerous energy source at Hogwarts for centuries?!"

Niove was silent for a few seconds, then nodded. The Headmasters in the portraits immediately started arguing again.

"So you finally confirmed—" Dumbledore leaned back against the sofa, his hands tucked into his sleeves and resting on his abdomen, looking up at Niove in the portrait. "Cyberlina did absorb those dark substances, didn't she?"

"But she still maintained her sanity."

"I believe it. I believe it..." Dumbledore murmured.

He knew Cyberlina.

While she was fond of embarking on adventures, she never undertook them without a plan. She wouldn't do anything she wasn't sure of. Therefore, her research into those substances and her subsequent use of them must have begun long before the morning of her resignation, perhaps even... as soon as she obtained them.

And the times she appeared less than lucid were many years after her resignation, so she truly hadn't been affected by those substances then.

—But only then.

Dumbledore lowered his gaze slightly, looking at his sleeves.

He had once believed that Cyberlina only began researching souls after Ominis had fallen into a long slumber. Then, Ominis's death caused her to lose her mind and throw herself into all sorts of forbidden experiments, attempting to revive him, and ultimately—she fell into irredeemable darkness through untouchable taboos.

But now, it seemed, all of that was almost overturned.

The only thing certain was that her experiments were indeed for Ominis.

Dumbledore was confident that the manuals and records he had destroyed were failures. So, would Cyberlina, finding herself with no other path, carve out a new one with that powerful and mysterious force, just like Isidora?

"Because that substance is related to human emotions, perhaps Cyberlina truly has an unusual sensitivity to emotions, is that right?" Dumbledore asked, pulling his thoughts back.

"Yes, that's what I initially wanted to say," Niove nodded, then hesitated. "As for the disappearance of the oath... I believe it's Cyberlina's doing.

When she became the heir, she voluntarily became a member of the guardians, so she also took an oath—to continue protecting Ancient Magic and to pass on the inheritable wand to the next heir. And she added a trial of her own.

That wand, however, disappeared after her death, and we portraits have little ability to search for it.

But... a few months ago, when I sensed something was wrong with the oath, I went to the Chamber of Secrets and found that the ground concealing the entrance to the vault had changed—there was a map on the ground—the light spots of Cyberlina's arranged trial were lit up.

This indicates that someone has begun the trial—but this is almost impossible. Yet, a few days later, I heard that Cyberlina was about to return to Hogwarts."

"So, that person is Cyberlina," Dumbledore mused, his eyes lowered. "You suspect she exploited loopholes in the oath and the guardians' trials to do something."

"And she succeeded," Niove's eyes finally showed worry. "On the night of the school year's opening, she came to us with that wand, opened the ground that only guardians could open, and went to the vault. But we don't know what she did in there."

"Then why didn't you say something sooner!" Black exclaimed, his mustache bristling.

"I said she 'opened the ground that only guardians could open and went to the vault'," Niove looked at Black's portrait, frowning sternly, and said word by word, "Do you know what that means? It means she is now both a guardian and an heir, an unrestricted wielder of Ancient Magic, and the only one."

"So what? Your oath is gone anyway, aren't you only belonging to Hogwarts now?" Black retorted aggressively. He was truly displeased with Niove for placing the trial site in the Headmaster's office. If not for that, would Sekerei have thought of experimenting in the Headmaster's office?!

"She's threatening them, Phineas," Dumbledore sighed deeply. "We all know she's not exactly benevolent."

"But she's not evil either," Armando said. "Albus, perhaps you could talk to her. I think she'll tell you."

Dumbledore lowered his eyes, falling into deep thought before slowly asking, "Niove, since the purpose of the oath was to prevent Ancient Magic from falling into the wrong hands, if someone who wasn't a wielder of Ancient Magic at the time knew what Isidora was doing, would they also need to take an oath?"

"Yes," Niove understood Dumbledore's implication and was somewhat surprised by the question. "When the trials were being conducted, Cyberlina and Fig did tell others about these matters, so they all took oaths."

"Who were they?"

"Matilda Weasley, Sebastian Sallow, Anne Sallow, and—" Niove paused.

"And Ominis Gaunt."

—It was obvious.

Dumbledore closed his eyes.

The portraits also fell silent.

Clearly, they all realized what Cyberlina intended to do with the oath and Ancient Magic. Although they didn't know her process, the result was clear—she had failed.

Dumbledore sank into the sofa and waved his hand wearily. "Disperse, that's all for tonight. It's getting late."

The portraits looked at each other, then either fell asleep on the spot or left the Headmaster's office.

Fawkes sensed Albus's emotional turmoil and flew down from his usual perch on the desk, landing on the back of the sofa behind Dumbledore. He nudged his head against Dumbledore's cheek.

"I'm alright, Fawkes," Dumbledore opened his eyes, smiling as he stroked Fawkes's head. "Just thinking."

Dumbledore was thinking about how many places Cyberlina had run to for the critically ill Ominis after her resignation, and how many methods she had tried to revive him after his death.

She loved so deeply, she was so persistent, she was so consumed.

Dumbledore firmly believed that his outwardly amiable professor would do anything for Mr. Ominis.

Therefore, after Mr. Ominis's death, he had constantly monitored Cyberlina's movements. That was why he discovered Cyberlina in Europe, harvesting souls behind the Wiccan Party; why he had stormed her laboratory when she was conducting research; why, after Cyberlina disappeared, he had immediately gone to her Muggle laboratory to destroy those things; why he was the first to confirm her death... and many other things.

Why, then, is Mr. Ominis's current state so peaceful, even more vibrant than in his youth, giving off an incongruous sense of positivity?

Dumbledore felt that Cyberlina's current state was less about letting go and more about... anticipation.

--First, I need to figure out what those substances actually are--or at least, what they are in Cyberlina's perception.

Dumbledore thought, stood up, placed Fawkes on the sofa, took out the Pensieve, and drew out a wisp of memory, guiding it in.

The moment his head plunged into the basin, black mist enveloped his vision, followed by the sound of violent rain pounding in his ears.

The sound of the downpour woke the sleeping red-haired boy. He rubbed his eyes and got up, glancing with a sigh at the storm outside. Then, he picked up his wand, intending to cast a spell on the entire room, but he worried he might oversleep if it were too quiet in the morning. After a few seconds of hesitation, he irritably put down his wand, got out of bed, and prepared to fetch a thick blanket from the wardrobe to cover himself.

Dumbledore stood at the doorway, watching his sixteen-year-old self suddenly stop as he passed the entrance, then cautiously crouch down, pressing his ear to the door.

It was the summer after he'd taken his O.W.Ls. He'd only stayed home for a few days before coming to Cyberlina's house. He was to study there for two weeks, then accompany Cyberlina to France to find Nicolas Flamel—they were attending several academic conferences together.

Cyberlina and Ominis's small home wasn't large. The first floor had the living and dining rooms, the second floor housed their bedrooms, and the third floor was a study. There was absolutely no spare room for young Albus. So, Cyberlina magically enlarged a windowed storage room on the first floor, furnished it with new furniture, and prepared it for his temporary stay.

Tonight was the Thursday of his first week there. He'd been woken by the rain and was drawn by a strange sound coming from the living room.

Dumbledore watched the young Albus's curious and excited expression, feeling firsthand what it was like to be a Gryffindor—it was exactly the same look the little lions had when they were up to something!

Young Albus looked into the living room through the decorative colored holes in the door, a secret Ominis had told him about, something Cyberlina didn't know.

Old Dumbledore walked directly through the door, gazing at the two people sitting in the living room—Cyberlina, her back to him, and a brown-haired man facing him from the side.

The man was clean, but looked somewhat disheveled, his hair showing signs of having been blown by the wind. Young Albus was certain he'd arrived in the rain, and that the fastidious Cyberlina had first ushered him under the eaves to dry and blow-dry him, then cleaned him up, and finally let him in after he changed his shoes.

He'd been treated the same way. But Ominis had immediately tidied his hair, which was neatly combed, making him look far less disheveled than this man.

"I've told you, I can't extract those things from little Anne anymore," Cyberlina sighed. "Anne knows this too. Did you ask her before coming here?"

"Why can't you?" the man asked, his eyes red as he looked at Cyberlina, agitated. "Haven't we been getting by like this for the past two years? Why can't we continue?"

"Calm down, Sebas."

As soon as Cyberlina spoke his name, young Albus's eyes widened. He knew who this man was—Sebastian Sallow, the one who had killed his uncle, been imprisoned in Azkaban, and then released over two years ago.

Young Albus didn't understand the reasons, but Old Dumbledore did.

The official reason for Sebastian's release was that a retrial had found the possibility of an accident more likely, and he had a seriously ill sister to care for. However, the real reason was that Cyberlina and Mr. Ominis had pressured the Ministry of Magic. Later, Cyberlina had told Dumbledore about it, saying they couldn't bear to let Anne Sallow pass away alone without any family.

The memory he'd shown Snape was from just before Sebastian's release, after they had successfully applied pressure.

"How can you expect me to calm down? Anne is lying there so weak, and I'm powerless. Cyberlina, please help me! It's Anne! I know you have the ability, I—"

Sebastian suddenly stopped. He stared at Cyberlina, who had cast a Silencing Charm upstairs.

"What are you doing?"

"Silencing Charm."

"I know it's a Silencing Charm! Cyberlina!" Sebastian stood up abruptly, frowning angrily at Cyberlina. "Ominis is Anne's friend, and he's my friend too. Why can't he know? Aren't you going a bit too far?"

"Don't get agitated, Sebas," Cyberlina's voice remained calm. "How could I not let him know? He accompanied me when I went to help little Anne before. It's just too late now, and I don't want him woken up."

Sebastian lowered his head, looking at Cyberlina with a somber expression.

"Cyberlina, it was you and I who found that Isidora's manuscript and letters. You promised me you would help Anne."

"I will naturally keep my promise." Cyberlina reached out and tugged at Sebastian's sleeve, trying to get him to sit down, but failed. "I also said that I must ensure the method is viable before helping Anne, but it turns out it isn't. Sebas, our goal is for Anne to recover, not to turn her into a mere puppet who eats and drinks."

"But you've improved it! Anne has been fine for the past two years, hasn't she?" Sebastian grabbed Cyberlina's arm, bending slightly. "Cyberlina, you know I can't lose Anne, I can't..."

"Sebas, listen to me. I told Anne a long time ago that I could take away her pain, but there might be side effects on her soul. So, she refused at the time." Cyberlina tried to get Sebastian to sit down again, and this time she succeeded. "Two years ago, I did improve this magic using Isidora's manuscript. It might not take away her soul, but it will still cause people to gradually lose their emotions. I told Anne this too, but because you had just been released, she wanted to spend more time with you, so she agreed this time."

"Anne..." Sebastian's eyes welled up.

"Anne and I discussed it. I only extract a very small amount of pain each time to make her feel a little better, which causes less damage to her emotions. But, when the damage accumulates to the point where she starts to lose her emotions, I will stop. This is something Anne and I agreed on a long time ago, and we told you last year too, didn't we?" Cyberlina said softly, patting Sebastian's arm reassuringly.

Sebastian looked at Cyberlina with red eyes, his sadness slowly fading, his gaze becoming deeper, then he suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"Cyberlina, you're always like this." He flung Cyberlina's hand away, speaking sternly and with disappointment. "You always coax me like this, promise me things, but end up doing nothing!"

"Sebas..."

"Don't try to quibble! Back then, I begged you to persuade Ominis to drop the report against me. You promised so readily, but what was the result?"

"I did persuade him."

"No, you didn't. He was already hesitant. If you had told him to drop it, he definitely wouldn't have reported it."

"How can you be so sure?"

"You should ask yourself that." Sebastian's eyes darkened. "Do you really think I don't know? You say one thing in front of me, and another in front of Ominis. You fool us both so well, Ominis almost hangs on your every word!"

"You are the least qualified to say that to me, Sebastian." Cyberlina's voice still held a smile, but her tone had become forceful. "If we're talking about fooling Ominis, you're number one. You always use that pitiful expression to gain sympathy, and then he provides you with all sorts of opportunities to study dark magic! He detests dark magic so much... do you know how much pain he's in?"

"So, you took this opportunity to sow discord, didn't you?" Sebastian sneered and stood up. "I'll go tell him right now what you did back then—not just your ambiguous conversations between us. Let's see how he reacts."

Saying that, Sebastian was about to draw his wand to cancel the Silencing Charm, but Cyberlina was one step ahead of him. Without moving her body, she swiftly swung her arm, knocking Sebastian's yet-to-be-steady wand to the ground. With a light flick of her wrist, her wand pointed at Sebastian's throat.

Cyberlina looked up at him, smiling. "Sebas, a few years in prison and two years of comfort have made your skills decline quite a bit. If we were on the dueling platform, could we still fight side-by-side?"

Sebastian narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression dangerous, but without the previous gloom.

"You and I both know very well that we are the same kind of people, Sebas. We are terrifyingly alike." Cyberlina stood up, holding her wand, and forced Sebastian back step by step. "When you constantly say you're doing it for Anne, but your feet are walking step by step towards dark magic, do you know how much I want to laugh? You say you're doing it for Anne, but you used your token of affection to trick a gravely ill her into coming out, and ultimately let her watch her own brother kill the uncle who had always taken care of her. I must say, you are the main culprit for her deteriorating condition, Sebas."

"Cyberlina!" Sebastian gritted out in a low voice.

"Now, Sebastian, you come again with your usual pitiful act, mentioning Anne at every turn, but what's it really about? Is it for your comfortable life now, or have you been researching something incredible somewhere?" Cyberlina's tone was full of playful sarcasm.

"To help Anne, otherwise I'll really tell Omi everything you did to trick him into your grasp." Sebastian said with a straight face.

"Don't threaten me!" Cyberlina's wand pressed against Sebastian's chin. "It's useless."

The two stared at each other, locked in a stalemate for a long moment. Finally, Cyberlina was the first to lower her wand. "I'll talk to Anne again. The final choice of whether to continue is still in her hands."

The moment Sebastian bent down to pick up his wand, Cyberlina grabbed him by the back of his collar and dragged him outside.

"Wait--Cyber, what are you doing--"

"Bang!"

"Snap."

"Thump."

After Sebastian was thrown out the door, the faint sounds were drowned out by Cyberlina locking the door--she didn't hear them.

Little Albus, who was peeking, heard them but didn't pay attention.

But the old Dumbledore, who heard and noticed, suddenly looked up towards the second floor.