Time to Find the Old Man

The office fell silent, and the fire in the fireplace crackled once.

Regulus looked at McGonagall.

"Professor, will Professor Dumbledore be returning to the university soon?" he asked directly, his tone casual. "I have some questions I'd like to ask."

There's nothing to hide; McGonagall knows about the unspoken understanding between him and Dumbledore.

Dumbledore left a message for him, wanting to know what to do; this message was relayed by McGonagall herself.

He just needs to do it.

McGonagall didn't show any surprise, nor did she ask him what he wanted to ask.

Albus knew how much Albus valued this child.

They had a conversation about the nature of Magic, which she heard Albus afterward.

He said the child has light in his heart, a light bright enough, and his will to Protection has already manifested, so he will not be easily influenced by external forces.

At the edge of the Forbidden Forest, under curfew, she stood personally beneath the old oak tree watching him test the Spatial Channel.

Go back and write to Albus. Mr. Black was up late at night practicing Space Magic near the Forbidden Forest. Albus simply said to let him try.

For every question the child asked her, she would tell Albus, either in person or in a letter.

In every letter Albus, he would ask, "How is Mr. Black doing lately?"

Even when he wasn't at school, the attention he received never stopped.

So when Regulus asked about Dumbledore's whereabouts today, she wasn't surprised at all. This day was bound to come sooner or later, just sooner than she expected.

McGonagall shook her head, her tone brief. "I won't be back anytime soon."

She looked at Regulus and added, "But the headmaster said that if you come to ask, you can go, don't worry about it."

Regulus nodded, agreeing with him.

I hadn't planned to wait for him in the Castle; Dumbledore wasn't at the school, so if I wanted to see him, I'd have to go out.

I came here to ask to confirm one thing: whether it's convenient for me to go.

He has the Phoenix Feather and direct access to recognition. If he wants to find Dumbledore, he just needs to grasp the tail feathers and think of Fawkes. Physical distance doesn't exist in front of the Phoenix.

But it's not appropriate to just walk through.

If Dumbledore is pursuing a crucial clue, or if the Phoenix Flame were to suddenly erupt without warning in a situation where he cannot be interrupted, it would be impolite and could potentially cause further trouble.

So I'm asking first to make sure the old man isn't having any problems.

Now that it's confirmed that Dumbledore left a message, there's nothing to hesitate about.

In life, politeness and caution are never superfluous. The little wizard, with his bright heart, is always thoughtful in his actions.

"Understood, thank you, Professor."

McGonagall waved her hand; she was just relaying a message.

Regulus didn't inquire Dumbledore was busy with; McGonagall wouldn't tell him, and he didn't need to ask.

But there is still a practical problem.

Dumbledore confirmed it; the old man knew exactly how it came to be—it was from the Phoenix Feather.

The Phoenix moves by burning space; the distance between the starting point and the End is wiped clean the moment the flames explode, allowing a person to pass from one end to the other.

Dumbledore left no further instructions, which essentially meant he tacitly agreed that the Phoenix could go straight through, do whatever it wanted, and he could handle it.

There's no problem with the old man's side, but it's a different story at Hogwarts.

The explosion of the Phoenix Flame was no small event; golden flames burst from the air, burning a spatial rift. Even if it lasted only a very short time, the visual effect and Magic Fluctuation were enough to attract attention.

The Slytherin Dormitory are no good; there are eyes everywhere down the Corridor, and people are always in the Common Room. Some of the upperclassmen have already been marked with the Dark Mark.

He summoned Fawkes in his Dormitory, which was like setting off fireworks in front of everyone.

One moment they've created the Phoenix Flame, the next Slytherin knows, and a little while later the news will be in Voldemort's hands.

The Room of Requirement is also unsuitable; although the room is secluded, the nature of the space itself is too unique.

It's part of Hogwarts, yet it's also partially detached from the main space. Who knows what the Phoenix Flame would burn up in that kind of place?

I'd give it a try if I had the chance, but not when I'm doing serious work.

The Forbidden Forest may be sparsely populated, but it's never short of onlookers. If he were to pull off something like this in the Forbidden Forest Forbidden Forest, it would alert half of all the creatures there.

The Astronomy Tower is too vast, Quidditch Pitch is even more out of the question. If any student in the Castle stayed up late to look at the stars, they would see a golden flame explode in the night sky.

Actually, finding a place where no one can see you is easy. Once you leave Hogwarts, just find any open space, or even go straight back to Grimmauld Place.

But he had an idea.

The space at Hogwarts has its own will, and the Phoenix flames can burn away that space; the moment they burn, that space ceases to exist.

His Guardian Will could not penetrate; it was impossible to enter anywhere. The Castle was the Castle, and no matter how bright, warm, and kind-hearted he was, the Castle simply ignored him.

But what if the Phoenix's flames burned away space itself?

Since the space no longer exists, the will within the space, and the will of the Castle, naturally also cease to exist at that point.

Once the flames die down and the space closes again, it will take time for the old will to regain control of this space.

In that gap, in that blank area, could he fill it with his own Guardian Will?

If one can Mental Anchor within the window, and then wait for the space to close and rebuild, will the Castle squeeze out their will, or enclose it?

If you get squeezed out, consider it a try; there's no real loss.

If he is enclosed within it, his will remains inside, even if it's just a small part of it. That would mean that for the first time, he has a foothold in the space of Hogwarts.

On the Castle's network of wills, a new node belonging to him has been added.

In any case, it's worth a try.

The Phoenix Flame burned away the space, and he took advantage of the situation to launch a sneak attack, which makes logical sense.

It's uncertain whether it will work out, but the opportunity is right in front of us, and it would be a shame to miss it.

Since the meeting is to take place in the Castle, there's no better place than McGonagall's office.

Professor Flitwick and Professor Sprout wouldn't tell anyone, and Professor Slughorn probably wouldn't either, but only McGonagall is a member of the Order of the Phoenix.

She was a witch who had been with Dumbledore since Grindelwald's time, through thick and thin for decades, unwavering and steadfast. She was the only person Dumbledore completely trusted throughout Hogwarts.

Moreover, since she could control the Phoenix Flame when it exploded in this office, it makes perfect sense for her to unleash it here.

Regulus snapped out of his thoughts, looked at McGonagall, and said respectfully, "Professor, I'd like to use your office this weekend."

McGonagall raised an eyebrow slightly.

She knew what he was going to do: use the Phoenix Feather to travel to Dumbledore's side.

"Okay," she nodded, without asking further questions, "When?"

"Saturday morning."

"Good."

Regulus thanked her again, McGonagall simply responded.

Regulus cleared his throat. "Professor, I might need to take some time off."

Leaving school over the weekend, and not sure how long I'll stay, requires following the proper procedures. I need to let McGonagall know first, and then there's Slughorn's side too, but I'll need to use a different story.

McGonagall nodded, then her expression turned stern, and her eyes behind her square-framed glasses became very intimidating. "Mr. Black."

Regulus straightened his posture.

"Your Transfiguration paper is on my desk by Friday."

"There's still next week's assignment; taking leave is not a reason not to hand in your homework."

Regulus's lips twitched.

We were just discussing Dumbledore's whereabouts, analyzing the theoretical window created by the Phoenix Flame burning through space, and figuring out how to insert Mental Anchor into the gaps in the Castle's will.

This was a topic that was considered cutting-edge in the entire Wizarding World, but in the blink of an eye, it all came back to homework.

I wonder if Dumbledore's written instructions are effective.

The principal has granted me special permission to skip homework. Will Professor McGonagall accept this?

They probably don't recognize it.

"Professor, rest assured," Regulus's expression returned to respectfulness, his tone sincere, "I will finish writing it before Professor Dumbledore."

McGonagall's lips twitched slightly, quickly and easily, before disappearing from her lips in the next instant.

Her tone was less stern. "Go."

Regulus stood up and bowed slightly. "Thank you, Professor."

McGonagall nodded, picked up the quill pen on the table, and lowered her head to continue correcting what she had just written.

Regulus walked towards the door, his steps unhurried.

He actually wanted to talk to Voldemort and understand power from the shadows.

The coexistence of light and darkness, the boundary between the soul and Dark Arts, and the essential level touched upon by the Severing Charm.

Given these things, Voldemort, with his profound understanding, would undoubtedly provide a response more valuable than anyone else's.

The person on Earth who has gone the furthest in the realm of Dark Arts has expanded the boundaries of Magic to heights that others dare not even imagine.

Even after the soul shatters, the Magic Power system does not collapse; the sense of control and presence operate simultaneously in different dimensions; and the precision of the Legilimency technique has been modified to bypass consciousness and act directly on the will.

You can't learn these things from Dumbledore.

The old man wouldn't teach him how to channel fear into power, how to crush another person's will with his own, or how to deconstruct a living being on an existential level.

These problems can only be addressed by extreme samples from the dark side.

But Voldemort wouldn't discuss it with him.

For Voldemort, knowledge was a reward for loyalty; he would only give it to those who were loyal and did what he asked.

Regulus has no loyalty to be found, and therefore no knowledge to acquire.

Moreover, revealing one's need for Voldemort is inherently dangerous.

He knows what you want and what you lack, and he can use that to control you.

Demand is weakness, and weakness is something that can be exploited.

The more fundamental problem is that he sees himself as an equal.

I have a question I'd like to discuss with you; this sentence structure doesn't apply to Voldemort.

Voldemort only accepts those who kneel or those who stand and wait to die.

Going to Voldemort now is pointless; he lacks both the status and the ability, falling short in every way.

But that day will come someday.

When he has progressed far enough in Magic, when he has gained enough skill and power, he will sit across from Voldemort, say, "I want to talk to you," and Voldemort will have no choice but to listen attentively.

Before that, find the old man.

The old man is nice; the old man is happy to chat with him.

Dumbledore welcomes discussion, and even enjoys it.

The first formal conversation beneath the Astronomy Tower, the in-depth dialogue about the path of Magic in the Headmaster's Office, the daydreams about Transfiguration and flight during the trip to France, about Werewolf, about death and experiences.

Every time, Dumbledore sat opposite him, never standing above him.

After all, he has light in his heart.

The principal personally verified it, and the Patronus bears witness: Starry Sky Kite, it's the real deal.

He pushed open the office door and walked into the Corridor.

At the corner, Sirius was leaning against the wall, waiting.

Regulus looked up, and gray eyes met gray eyes.