Everything Harley said was true, of course. After discovering an extra fragment of a soul inside her, Harley had naturally tried to find out what was going on.
But that soul fragment had already been filled with a will that was out of control and utterly mad, so Harley could only make out a noseless face and one phrase: Avada Kedavra.
Since Dumbledore was so interested in what was missing from her soul, she might as well tell him.
But Harley needed to add a little more to conceal the information about the Demoness Pathway.
"At the same time, I feel like I gained some new memories this morning. They seem to be memories of me living as a boy.
"I also gained some strange abilities." As she spoke, Harley raised a finger, and black flames sprang from its tip.
"Look, Headmaster Dumbledore." Harley's voice was filled with undisguised delight. "As soon as I woke up, I realized I could conjure and control this black fire out of thin air."
After hearing Harley's words, the smile vanished from Dumbledore's face, leaving him looking grave.
Harley's few short sentences had given him more than ten possible theories, some of which even concerned the secret behind Voldemort's immortality.
Yes, when Harley mentioned that distinctive noseless face, Dumbledore had all but confirmed whom she was talking about.
And when Harley released black flames imbued with magic, Dumbledore had nearly drawn his wand.
After all, as far as Dumbledore knew, Fiendfyre seemed to be the only black magical fire in the entire Wizarding World!
But Dumbledore quickly regained his composure and recognized that this was merely a special kind of magical fire. It lacked the unique, evil aura of Fiendfyre.
Of course, this fire seemed rather sinister too. It fell within the realm of Dark Magic, and it was more powerful than ordinary flames.
"Most interesting." Dumbledore nodded. He decided to finish tending to young Harley first and investigate these matters after he got back.
"As for your dream, I can't say what it means just yet. When I get back, I'll find a dream interpreter to analyze it from a magical perspective.
"As for the black fire you can suddenly conjure, I can only say that it's extremely unusual. Truly, extremely unusual.
"However, some wizards are exceptionally gifted and can use certain kinds of magic from birth. So your situation is rare, but not unheard of."
As he spoke, Dumbledore stood up and glanced at the clock on the wall. "Ah, it's getting late!
"Let me take you to buy your school supplies now, Harley, and show you around the Wizarding World while we're at it."
"But Headmaster Dumbledore, I don't have any money," Harley said softly, her fair cheeks turning slightly pink.
"You know, my parents died tragically, and they didn't leave me anything. I doubt my aunt and uncle would be willing to pay for my magical education..."
"I wouldn't pay a single penny to hire a bunch of tricksters to teach a monster! Not a penny!"
Although Aunt Petunia had stopped Uncle Vernon and he had stayed hunched in the dining room, secretly listening, he couldn't hold back when he heard that they might have to spend money.
But his voice was immediately cut off when his wife covered his mouth. She was afraid her hotheaded husband would provoke the Demoness and the old wizard outside, and that the old wizard might turn him into a toad from a fairy tale.
Headmaster Dumbledore wasn't angry, though. He merely raised his voice a little. "Harley, your parents did leave you some inheritance.
"However, it can only be used in the Wizarding World, and it's being kept somewhere in the magical community.
"I'll explain everything in detail on the way."
As he spoke, Dumbledore held out his hand to Harley. "Miss Potter, may I have the honor of showing you around the Wizarding World?"
Harley smiled with her lips pressed together, drew her right foot half a step back, and then stood up steadily.
Then she extended her hand, clad in a white silk glove, and took Dumbledore's. "Of course, Mr. Dumbledore."
"Then be sure to hold on tight, because I'm about to use magic to take us to our destination," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Our magical journey is about to begin."
With that, Dumbledore took Harley's hand and spun around on the spot. A moment later, the two of them vanished from the living room with a loud pop.
It took quite a while for the shaken Dursleys to be sure that Harley and Dumbledore had left.
Then Uncle Vernon looked at the door to Dudley's room, and his temper flared up again.
Aunt Petunia was the more levelheaded one, though. She soothed her husband while telling Dudley to sit in the living room and watch television.
At the same time, Aunt Petunia planned to tidy up the spare room for Harley to use. They still needed to buy all the things Harley would need, too.
Harley felt everything around her turn pitch-black. She was squeezed hard from every direction, unable to draw a breath.
It felt as though an iron band had cinched tightly around the girl's chest. Her eyeballs seemed to be forced back into her skull, and her eardrums felt as though they were being pushed deep inside her head.
Then, all at once, the sensation vanished. Harley gasped for breath and opened her eyes.
The Dursleys' living room was gone. In its place was a spacious room, with a sign on one of the walls that read, "Apparition Only."
The area outside was incredibly noisy. From the sounds, Harley could just make out that they were probably in a pub.
Dumbledore had released Harley's hand and was watching her with concern. "How are you feeling? Are you all right?"
Harley shook her head. "I felt a little uncomfortable for a moment, but otherwise I'm fine. Is this how wizards travel?"
Dumbledore nodded. "It is one way to travel in the Wizarding World. It's called Apparition.
"But only people who have obtained a special license are allowed to use it.
"If someone uses this magic without passing the proper exam, the Ministry of Magic—the official governing body of the magical community—will punish them."
Harley nodded, making a mental note of what Dumbledore had said about the Ministry of Magic and the long-distance travel spell.
It was a clever spell, very much like an ability from the Apprentice Pathway. Harley decided she had to learn it.
After all, back when she had been a Sequence 3, the Demoness of Unaging, it had taken a great deal of effort and several Sealed Artifacts to kill a Sequence 4 Secrets Sorcerer.
That showed just how troublesome the Apprentice Pathway was, and how good it was at keeping its practitioners alive. Harley absolutely had to learn this ability.
"Oh, right." Dumbledore gently tapped his forehead, as if he had just remembered something.
Then he drew his wand and gave it a slight wave. A wizard's hat with a veil appeared in his hand.
"Harley, for certain special reasons, I'm afraid you'll need to conceal your beautiful face for now."
Dumbledore spoke gently.
"Of course, if you don't want to cover it, that's fine too. The choice is entirely yours."
Harley didn't hesitate. She took the wizard's hat and put it on.
Before putting it on, she made sure to discreetly check that it wasn't cursed.
"I'd be happy to, and I've already shown that through my actions." Wearing the wizard's hat, Harley looked up at Dumbledore.
"I trust that a wise wizard like you has a particular reason for doing this."
Dumbledore chuckled, left the room, and strode toward the pub's main hall. Harley followed close behind.
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