The Dungeon Illusion (3)

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Half an hour later, in the Hogwarts headmaster's office, Dumbledore sat in his chair. Three cups of tea sat on the desk before him. One was for Su Yu's mother, one for Su Yu's father, and the last was his own—he needed that cup of tea. He really needed it.

Professor McGonagall stood by the window, her expression carrying the serene resignation of someone who had given up on understanding the world. Snape stood beside the fireplace, his black eyes glinting in the firelight with a subtle look, as though he were watching an excellent play.

Su Yu was not in the office.

He stood outside the headmaster's office, leaning against a portrait and chatting with a group of ghosts.

"Really," Su Yu told Nearly Headless Nick, "once I learn Impure World Reincarnation someday, I'll definitely be able to bring all of you back to life!"

Nearly Headless Nick floated beside him, his face wearing a subtle expression that was both hopeful and doubtful.

"Impure World Reincarnation?" he repeated awkwardly. "What is that?"

"A forbidden technique," Su Yu said, his hands tucked into his pockets as he leaned against the wall. "It can summon the dead back from the Pure Land and resurrect them in the form they had while alive. Of course, I'm not sure whether it'll work on ghosts yet—you're in a rather special state—but theoretically, it makes sense."

"Oh?" Bloody Baron's voice drifted over from the other side, low and hoarse. "Then when will you learn it?"

"Hard to say." Su Yu shrugged. "The requirements for practicing this forbidden technique are harsh. I don't know how long it'll take."

Several ghosts let out soft laughter. It drifted through the corridor, carrying the weight of centuries and an odd warmth.

Su Yu chatted with the ghosts like they were old pals—about how Nearly Headless Nick had died, why Grey Lady always sat silently in that corner, and whether the bloodstains on Bloody Baron's body were real. His casual attitude, as though he were talking to old friends, gave these ghosts—who had spent centuries being regarded by students with awe or fear—an unusual sense of comfort.

The office door opened.

Su Yu's parents walked out. His mother led the way, her face calm with the satisfaction of someone whose business had been settled. His father followed behind, wearing the smug expression of someone who had said a great many things inside but had actually been useless.

"Come in," Su Yu's mother said softly. "Say goodbye to the professors."

Su Yu pushed himself away from the wall and walked into the office.

Dumbledore sat in his chair, his silver beard faintly gleaming in the fireplace's light. Professor McGonagall stood by the window and nodded at Su Yu. Snape stood beside the fireplace, and his black eyes flickered in the firelight.

"It's all settled," Su Yu's mother said, her tone carrying the calm message of don't ask too many questions. "Go back to the Slytherin common room. Attend class on time tomorrow morning."

She reached out and straightened the collar of Su Yu's robe, which had been tugged crooked.

Su Yu looked at her.

"What? That's it? What about my compensation? I just got bullied for nothing??"

His father stepped forward and flicked him on the forehead again.

"What compensation do you want, brat? You don't need to worry about that. The main thing is, you're still too young to use it. We'll talk when you're grown up!"

Su Yu covered his forehead, his expression turning suspicious, as though asking, Do I look that easy to fool?

Su Yu's mother looked at him. Her face plainly said, Yes, you are that easy to fool.

They stared at each other for about two seconds. Then Su Yu's mother released his hand, turned around, and gave Dumbledore and the professors a slight bow.

"We won't disturb you any longer," she said, returning to her gentle, polite tone. "Please take good care of this child in the future."

Su Yu's father also nodded to the professors. Then he walked to the office window and pushed it open. The night wind swept in, carrying the damp scent of the Forbidden Forest and the faint salty tang of the distant lake.

He removed the sword from his waist and tossed it into the air. It spun several times beneath the moonlight, then—it grew larger. From a three-foot sword, it became a flying vessel the size of a small boat, radiating a faint silver glow. Su Yu's father leaped onto it, turned around, and reached out to pull Su Yu's mother aboard as well.

Su Yu's mother stood behind him, wrapping both arms around his waist. She pressed her face against his back, her long hair fluttering in the night wind as moonlight coated her strands in silver.

Neither of them looked back. Neither said goodbye. Neither even looked at Su Yu again.

The flying sword shot out of the Hogwarts window like a streak of silver lightning, cut across the night sky, and vanished beyond the stars.

"Are they always like this?" Snape's low, hoarse voice came from beside the fireplace, carrying the weariness of someone who had seen enough family drama.

"Always. Probably because I was a free gift when they deposited money at Gringotts," Su Yu said.

Dumbledore rose from his chair. His movements were somewhat slow—not the deliberate kind of slow, but the kind that said he had experienced too much today and needed a moment to recover.

"All right," his voice returned to its gentle, unhurried rhythm. "Mr. Fuli, you should head back as well. Your classmates are probably waiting for you."

Su Yu turned around and nodded to the professors.

"Farewell."

But something suddenly felt off. Wait, where was my Su? Why was there only Fuli left? Whatever, it wasn't important. Maybe the old man had dementia...

He left the office and descended the spiral staircase. It creaked beneath his feet, and the portraits of former headmasters along the walls all shut their mouths as he passed—not one of them dared make a sarcastic remark at a time like this.

The Slytherin common room.

When Su Yu pushed open the door, no one was asleep.

They sat in the common room's main hall—seventh-years, sixth-years, fifth-years, fourth-years, third-years, second-years, first-years—everyone. Some sat, some stood, some leaned against the walls, but the moment the door opened, every gaze turned toward Su Yu in unison.

It was a strange look, one difficult to describe with words. There was fear, awe, curiosity, unease, and something that had been completely shattered but had not yet been pieced back together.

When Su Yu walked in, several people instinctively took a step back. As he passed, their feet shifted aside, opening a path for him toward the corridor.

Crabbe and Goyle sat in a corner. Both were still pale—better than they had been in the hall earlier, but only improved from the color of paper to the color of milk. Su Yu noticed that both had changed into new robes. They had moved quickly—probably practiced.

Malfoy stood at the back of the crowd.

Su Yu did not look at them.

He walked to the entrance of the corridor and stopped.

"Go to sleep already," he said lazily, as if he were discussing something utterly ordinary. "Nothing's wrong anymore."

He paused.

"Get me a private room. We'll talk about everything else tomorrow."

The corridor fell silent for a second. Then Cedrian—the seventh-year prefect who had stood at the front earlier and declared in the loudest voice that "the pride of pure-bloods shall never bow"—stepped out from the crowd. He moved quickly, nearly at a jog. When he reached Su Yu, he lowered his head.

"This way, please," he said so quietly that he was nearly inaudible. "I'll take you there."

He turned around and led Su Yu to the other end of the corridor, where he pushed open another door. It was three times larger than the previous one.

"This is a private room with its own bathroom," Cedrian said, still so softly that it seemed as though he were afraid of disturbing something. "The sheets were changed today. I had someone add firewood to the fireplace. If you need anything else—"

"No need." Su Yu pushed the door open and walked inside.

Cedrian stood outside the room and hesitated.

"Good night," he said, his tone carrying the cautious wariness of someone walking a tightrope. "Master Su-Fuli."

Su Yu did not turn around. He merely raised a hand and waved casually.

Cedrian gently closed the door.

He stood outside and let out a long breath. His back was already soaked in cold sweat. Today's experience had given him a feeling he had never known in his life—the feeling of surviving a catastrophe.

He lowered his head and looked at his perfectly intact right arm. His fingers trembled, but his arm was still there. His arm was still there.

He turned around and returned to the main hall. Everyone was watching him, waiting for him to speak.

Cedrian stood in the center of the hall and took a deep breath.

"Go back to sleep," he said, his voice much lower than usual. "What happened tonight—no one mentions it. No one says anything about it outside."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over every face.

"No one."

No one spoke. No one objected. No one even dared meet his eyes.

They turned around and quietly returned to their own rooms.

The corridor fell silent.

Su Yu stood by the private room's window, watching the waters of the Black Lake slowly ripple across the glass outside. The water was dark green, and from time to time, a fish swam past, casting a blurred, fleeting shadow on the window.

He took a shower. Hot water sprayed from the showerhead and struck his shoulders. Kurama lay down in the soul space, curling her nine tails into a soft cushion and burying her face in them. Her breathing was steady and quiet, as though she had already fallen asleep.

Su Yu turned off the water, dried himself, and changed into clean pajamas. He fell onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Kurama turned over in the soul space.

"Today," she said softly, almost like she was talking in her sleep, "didn't you go a little too far?"

"No," Su Yu said.

"You scared so many of them into wetting themselves."

"They were just cowards. They have to bear the consequences of what they do. Bullying isn't a good habit."

Su Yu closed his eyes.

Outside, the lake water gently lapped against the castle cliffs. A bird in the Forbidden Forest cried out once, then fell silent. The fire in the fireplace flickered atop its final log, then it too fell silent.

Su Yu fell into a deep sleep in his private Slytherin room.

Kurama opened her eyes in the soul space. She looked at Su Yu, then suddenly appeared beside him and found a comfortable spot in his arms to lie down.

She huffed and shifted her nine tails toward him, draping them over his body.

Then she closed her eyes as well.