Phoenix Dances, Dragon Soars

The morning after the Azkaban Breakout was reported in the newspapers, a new notice was posted on the college's bulletin board:

Hogwarts High Inquisitor Order

Teachers are prohibited from providing students with any information unrelated to the subject they teach.

The above regulations are in accordance with Educational Decree No. 26.

--Hogwarts High Inquisitor: Dolores Jane Umbridge

Umbridge's aim was to prevent teachers and students from discussing the matter, hoping it would fade away over time. However, this proved ineffective.

News of the Death Eaters' escape slowly attracted more and more attention at Hogwarts. Rumors circulated that some of the escapees had been recognized in Hogsmeade, and that they were hiding in the Shrieking Shack and might break into Hogwarts like Sirius Black.

Children from magical families have heard of the Death Eaters since childhood; their names are almost as terrifying as Voldemort's, and the crimes they committed under Voldemort's reign of terror are well-known. Among the students of Hogwarts are relatives of victims, such as Susan Bones, whose uncle, aunt, and cousins all died at the Death Eaters, making her an unwelcome focus of attention in the corridors.

In the Prefect council meeting room, she complained to Skylar in a low voice. Of course, she only complained verbally. After all, in the past year, she had made great progress in both her mind and strength. Compared with the little badgers in her year, she was no longer on the same level.

On the other side, Harry once again became the subject of whispers and pointing in the corridor, but he noticed a slight change in the tone of those whispering.

Curiosity had replaced hostility, and on one or two occasions he seemed to hear people expressing dissatisfaction with the Daily Prophet's account of how the Death Eaters escaped Azkaban. In confusion and fear, these skeptics seemed to turn to the only remaining explanation: that what Harry and Dumbledore had been saying since last year was true— Voldemort had indeed been resurrected.

The camera then shifts to Skylar.

On the evening of the day after the Death Eaters' escape, after class, Skylar received a message from a Gryffindor student— Dumbledore invited him to a gathering in the Headmaster's Office.

"They've finally arrived," Skylar's lips curled into a wicked smile, his eyes showing not a trace of worry, but rather a surge of eager anticipation. "It seems even the headmaster, who always prefers to sit comfortably on his high throne, is starting to get restless."

On the Seventh Floor of Hogwarts Castle, in the Headmaster's Office, warm yellow candlelight cast flickering shadows between the bookshelves. Skylar stepped into the room, met Dumbledore's deep gaze, and closed the door.

"Please have a seat, Skylar," Dumbledore a smile. "First of all, I want to congratulate you on your outstanding performance in the Potions Championship, which brought great honor to Hogwarts."

Skylar sat down in the chair, nodded slightly, and said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Thank you for the compliment, Headmaster Dumbledore. I was merely fulfilling my duty."

"You've done far more than just 'dutiful'," Dumbledore sighed, then changed the subject, "However, I invited you here today not just for congratulations. I want to talk to you about the 'Sleeping Dragon Society'."

Skylar's expression remained unchanged, a faint smile even appearing at the corner of his mouth, "Oh? It seems the principal has been paying attention to us for some time now."

Skylar wasn't surprised that Dumbledore discovered the existence of the Sleeping Dragon Society. Although the Sleeping Dragon Society had been extremely cautious in its development, it was only a matter of time before they were discovered as their size grew. Moreover, the Sleeping Dragon Society now had more than 80 members, spread across Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. Not to mention Dumbledore, some observant students might have already noticed.

And that is indeed the case. For example, Hufflepuff Prefect Rolf Scamander, mentioned earlier, is one of them. Although Skylar didn't know about Rolf Scamander, even if he did, he wouldn't care at all. With his current strength, he wasn't even afraid of Dumbledore, let alone those students who were still studying.

"Indeed." Dumbledore nodded, his blue eyes silently observing him through his Half-moon Spectacles. "A secret student society involved in the study of magic, politics, and even a degree of self-defense training... it's quite a large organization."

"The number exceeds eighty, spread across three colleges." Skylar's lips curled slightly as he added without any attempt to hide it, "Since the principal already knows, then I won't hide it from him either."

Dumbledore tapped the table lightly, his tone still gentle. "When a student organization grows to this extent, even the most lenient school rules will find it difficult to ignore."

"Does the principal mean to shut us down?" Skylar looked at him calmly and without any emotion.

"That's not the case." Dumbledore shook his head slightly. "But I need to figure out exactly what you want to do."

Skylar chuckled softly, his gaze meaningful. "Headmaster, don't you really know why the Slytherin students have chosen to unite?"

Dumbledore paused for a moment, then said, "I'd like to hear your thoughts."

Skylar leaned forward slightly, placing his hands clasped on his knees, his tone sharp yet polite. "Hogwarts' fairness and justice only apply to certain people, doesn't it? For example—the position of Head Boy is always in the hands of Gryffindor. And then there's Harry Potter, who repeatedly breaks school rules but has never been truly punished, instead being indulged time and time again."

Dumbledore looked at him gently. "What Harry has experienced is not something an ordinary student should have to endure..."

"So he can do whatever he wants?" Skylar sneered. "Principal, if being 'chosen' means enjoying special privileges, then what fairness is there in this school? You keep emphasizing the need for unity among the colleges, but in reality, isn't it your own bias that truly creates conflict between them?"

Dumbledore, as if he wanted to refute, but Skylar did not give him the chance.

"And do you even care about Potter as a person?" Skylar chuckled, leaning back in his chair, his tone laced with sarcasm. "I'm afraid you've never cared about Potter as a 'person,' but rather your 'Savior' —if you really cared about him, you'd find he's already changed."

Dumbledore looked at him quietly, a hint of inquiry in his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Whatever your reasons for deliberately distancing yourself from Potter, you've overlooked the fact that he wasn't born Savior. He's just a teenage boy with various inner and emotional needs—" Skylar said calmly, yet with unwavering conviction, "You're so engrossed in your own schemes that you haven't even noticed that the 'Savior' you've been trying to protect is already heading towards darkness."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed slightly, his fingers clasped on the table. "What are you saying?"

"My intelligence tells me that Harry Potter has begun secretly studying the Dark Arts," Skylar said calmly. "Do you think his anger, his paranoia, his disregard for the rules will go unpunished? He's starting to dabble in things far more dangerous than he can control, precisely because he's never received proper guidance. It's laughable that so many adult wizards fighting alongside him haven't noticed!"

Dumbledore a moment, then said in a low voice, "Harry has been through a lot, his upbringing—"

"Lack of parental discipline?" Skylar interrupted him with a sneer. "So he can be forgiven? Principal, the world won't be forever forgiving of someone just because of an unhappy childhood. And your so-called 'protection' is simply avoiding the problem."

A thoughtful look flashed across Dumbledore's eyes, while Skylar continued, "You never truly cared about Harry's feelings; you only hoped he would play his part according to your plan. Unfortunately, he didn't."

Dumbledore time, and the entire office fell into a deep silence.

Finally, he sighed softly, as if with a hint of weariness. "What... exactly do you want to do?"

"I have something I must protect—" Skylar said calmly, "But Harry is not my enemy, and as an ordinary classmate, I don't want him to ultimately fall into darkness. Headmaster, it's time for you to intervene."

Dumbledore a moment, then finally nodded slowly. "Thank you for reminding me." He looked at Skylar, his gaze deep. "I will keep an eye on Harry's situation... However, what I'm more interested in now is—" His spectacles reflected a faint light, his gaze suddenly sharpening, "Your views on Voldemort and the Ministry of Magic."

Skylar chuckled softly, then his expression turned serious. "Headmaster, Voldemort is my enemy, you can rest assured of that. We are united in our stance against Voldemort."

"So—" Dumbledore leaned forward slightly, his voice low, "You finally admit that you already knew Harry wasn't lying, that Voldemort really had risen from the dead. And that battle at Little Hangleton Cemetery... was actually your fight with Voldemort?" He paused, his eyes sharp as blades, "Then, were your words to Fudge meant to lull the Ministry of Magic, or—were you plotting against me?"

Skylar's lips curled slightly, a meaningful smile flashing in his eyes. He scoffed and shook his head, saying, "On this point, I did indeed trick you and Harry." He paused slightly, his gaze playful, "But frankly, Headmaster, we are both intelligent people. Didn't you consider the consequences of your decision to defy Fudge and publicly announce Voldemort's resurrection?"

Dumbledore did not respond, but watched him quietly, waiting for his answer.

"The Wizarding World hasn't experienced a true war in far too long," Skylar said calmly. "You think the Ministry of Magic's information blackout is their fault? No, Headmaster, it's the choice of the entire wizarding community."

Dumbledore remained calm, but a hint of wavering appeared deep in his eyes.

"While the Ministry of Magic bears some responsibility, no one can deny that wizarding society fundamentally does not want to accept Voldemort's return," Skylar said calmly. "They fear war, and they prefer the Ministry of Magic's reassurances to your warnings. Even if you step forward and tell the truth, they will only choose to run away."

"So, you're aiding and abetting evil, helping the Ministry of Magic conceal the truth, depriving the public of their right to know, leaving them unprepared for the impending danger, and letting them fall into peril? Skylar— " Dumbledore's voice carried an inexplicable power, a powerful sense of oppression bearing down on Skylar, "Do you know how many deaths you'll cause, how many broken families you'll shatter?"

Skylar's smile faded, but he showed no fear. He calmly said, "Headmaster, I think you've misunderstood something— the Ministry of Magic and I are not on the same side. I do not approve of the Ministry of Magic's practice of concealing the truth; in fact, I think it's quite foolish."

Dumbledore's eyes flickered slightly, and he finally spoke, "Then why are you still..."

"It's just going with the flow," Skylar interrupted him. "My view is that directly stating the truth like you do won't gain the trust of the masses. It won't help the situation at all. On the contrary, you'll only offend the Ministry of Magic, attracting their targeting and suppression. You might even become the target of attacks from the media and the public because your words don't meet the public's expectations and are detrimental to social harmony and stability. And your current predicament proves that my view is correct."

The power within Dumbledore receded like a receding tide; his eyes were no longer sharp, but instead showed a rare self-doubt, as if he had lost all his strength.

"What is your plan?" he asked softly.

"Wait for the right opportunity!" Skylar said decisively. "If Voldemort wants to achieve his ambitions, he can't remain inactive. He will recruit soldiers and accumulate strength, and in the process, he will gradually reveal his existence. For example, now that the Death Eaters have escaped from prison, they will inevitably bring shock and destruction to wizarding society..."

"Pain is the best teacher. Only when people are truly hurt will they learn their lesson and face reality," Skylar said coldly. "Only after that will the masses be willing to accept the fact that Voldemort has been resurrected. I believe this is the best time to stand up and reveal the truth, and also the time for me to truly make my move."

Dumbledore silent.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Dumbledore sighed deeply. "You are intelligent, and you know how to protect yourself and adapt to the situation..." His voice carried a hint of complexity. "I will no longer blame you for this, but Skylar— " His gaze fixed on Skylar, his tone low, "I only hope that you will remember your original intentions and not let down those who believe in you."

Oh dear, are you trying to play the emotional card?

Skylar was particularly bothered by this.

He is not a heartless person.

In fact, his initial pursuit of power and authority was to protect his family and all those he loved. He wanted to defeat the Dark Lord because the Dark Lord threatened everyone's safety, especially Draco's; and he suppressed the Order of the Phoenix because the victorious Harry trio would be manipulated by the Pure-Blood Enlightenment Faction, causing the Pure-blood families to become history.

World domination? Invincible? That was never his goal.

Power and strength, from beginning to end, were merely means to his end.

McGonagall, Flitwick, and Snape all showed him great kindness, giving him wholehearted and unreserved guidance when he was still a fledgling. For this reason alone, Skylar had to think of Hogwarts' well-being and could not disregard the safety of Hogwarts for his own selfish interests.

He paused for a moment, then stood up, his cloak billowing slightly. His gaze was cold, and a meaningful smile played on his lips.

"Don't worry, I know what to do—" He turned around firmly, his cloak billowing sharply, and his cold voice came from behind him, "Now, just watch how I do it!"