Hogwarts.
With its majestic exterior, intricate interior, and the magic that seemed to permeate every corner, the castle was the dream school of countless witches and wizards.
Its outer walls were built from enormous gray stones. They had withstood wind, rain, and snow, yet remained sturdy, as though every stone had witnessed the rise and growth of countless witches and wizards.
The spacious halls, winding corridors, richly stocked library... and the unique Headmaster's Office were all parts of childhood that many wizards would never forget, even after a lifetime.
Every year, when term began.
People gathered here.
"Fawkes, you've been going out a lot these past few days. Is there something new out there that's caught your interest?" Dumbledore asked with some curiosity, watching the fiery red shape fly in through the window.
With term not yet started.
The castle felt a little quiet.
All the students were on holiday, and even the professors had homes of their own... perhaps only people like Snape and Dumbledore still remained at the school.
It wasn't that they had nowhere to go.
They simply... could no longer feel that they had a home.
"Caw-caw~"
The phoenix's high, clear call showed that he was in good spirits.
"Term is about to start. You can't go flying around the school, or you'll frighten the little witches and wizards." Dumbledore began smoothing his phoenix's slightly ruffled feathers.
It was one of his few pastimes.
For Snape,
staying at school was no different from staying in what was supposedly his home.
As for Dumbledore,
he didn't have the courage to face Godric's Hollow again.
Yes.
Courage.
Many people saw only Albus Dumbledore's glory and power. Few could understand just how lonely the Hogwarts headmaster was behind all those dazzling accolades.
When a Gryffindor lost his courage,
it was proof enough that he had fallen into the abyss and lost his way completely.
"If you really want something to do, perhaps you could help me look for the Chamber of Secrets again." Dumbledore didn't actually understand phoenixes' language.
But.
That didn't mean phoenixes couldn't understand human speech.
"Caw! Caw! Caw-caw!"
The phoenix agreed.
Dumbledore could sense it through their bond.
"Sorry for the trouble."
He took out a small treat.
However,
the fiery red phoenix perched on Dumbledore's arm and turned up his beak at the treat Dumbledore offered. Instead, he gave a clear cry toward the grounds beyond the school.
"Severus."
Dumbledore looked up.
He saw Snape entering the school, his face weighed down with worry. Judging by the direction he had come from, Dumbledore could more or less guess where Snape had been.
"So you finally went to visit that poor child?"
Dumbledore vanished from the office window. The next moment, he appeared in the castle passageway where Snape had just entered—an Apparition made possible by Fawkes.
The rules of Hogwarts Castle might not be enough to restrict a wizard like Dumbledore, but he rarely broke the traditions the school had upheld for a thousand years.
"That damned brat isn't pitiful at all."
Snape seemed startled by Dumbledore, but at his words, his face still twitched as he recalled the horrifying sight he had just witnessed.
The brat was already dabbling in Dark Magic.
How could anyone call him pitiful?
"Don't always keep your feelings bottled up. That child needs your care."
Dumbledore's voice seemed to possess a soothing magic of its own.
He patiently tried to persuade Snape.
Many people had thought that Dumbledore was merely using Snape, or perhaps felt sorry for him... but the truth was that Dumbledore saw his own past in Snape.
Perhaps the events had been different.
But Dumbledore was likely the person best able to understand Snape.
They had both once pursued their goals with single-minded fervor.
And both had come to their senses after sudden, life-changing upheavals.
But.
Unlike Dumbledore,
Snape still had a chance at redemption.
"I admit I was too harsh before. He has only you as family. If even you want to reject him, he'll have no one left to rely on in this world."
Dumbledore truly hoped to see in Snape something he himself could no longer hope for.
"..."
Snape's eyes flickered slightly.
For once, he didn't argue.
"Ian is a loving child. Don't let him lose that love, all right?" Compared to before, Dumbledore had clearly taken a different approach, urging Snape not to close off his heart.
Of course,
he was also thinking of Ian, an orphan. Having a wizard like Snape to rely on would make the road ahead much easier for any young wizard.
"He's doing fine in Hogsmeade Village. He seems to have adapted... to life in the wizarding world." Snape's expression grew a little unnatural as he spoke.
Dumbledore didn't seem to notice.
"He can take good care of a group of children, so he surely knows how to look after himself." Dumbledore had personally investigated Ian's background, after all.
He knew a great deal about Ian's circumstances.
"Hmph! That reckless brat! He's taking far too good care of himself!" Snape gritted his teeth. Just thinking of what he had seen was enough to make his blood pressure rise.
"Isn't that a good thing?"
Dumbledore chuckled softly.
He clearly didn't know the whole story.
"..."
Snape gave Dumbledore a strange look but said nothing more. He simply shook his head, walked around him, and started back toward his office.
He still had a cauldron of Potions brewing.
"You might want to bring him to the castle to live with you."
Dumbledore called after Snape.
"I'd rather not be driven to my grave."
Snape's voice was cold.
He continued down the corridor, his robes dragging behind him like a rag.
Suddenly,
as if remembering something,
he stopped.
Then he turned back.
Dumbledore was still standing where he had been, holding the phoenix.
"Albus."
Snape hesitated before speaking.
"What year did you learn composite magic, and how long did it take you?" The Potions Class professor stared straight at his headmaster.
Dumbledore looked a little puzzled.
"People have greatly exaggerated my magical talent, but in truth, I was only a little more gifted than most." Dumbledore first downplayed his own abilities before answering.
"If my old brain hasn't failed me, it was one afternoon in my second year. It wasn't magic I should have been studying at the time, and it took me a whole afternoon."
For most wizards,
that would absolutely count as one of Dumbledore's humblebrags.
However,
"Damn it. Your reputation must be a little undeserved..." Snape wasn't mocking him; he was sighing. As he turned to leave, his expression grew even more troubled.
"????"
Dumbledore stood there, stunned for a long while.
Then,
he seemed to realize something.
Behind his glasses, his eyes flashed with... horror.