Dungeon Illusion (3)

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

Professor McGonagall stood by the window, her expression carrying the calm of someone who had given up on comprehending the world at a basic level. Snape stood beside the fireplace, his black eyes gleaming in the firelight with a subtle look, as though he were watching a particularly entertaining play.

Su Yu was not in the office.

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

"Really," Su Yu told Nearly Headless Nick, "when 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, wearing an expression that was both hopeful and doubtful.

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

"A forbidden technique," Su Yu said, hands in his pockets as he leaned against the wall. "It can summon dead people back from the Pure Land and restore them in the form they had when they were alive. Of course, I'm not sure whether it'll work on ghosts yet—your state is rather special—but in principle, 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 cultivation requirements for a forbidden technique like this are harsh. I don't know how long it'll take."

Several ghosts let out quiet laughter. The sound drifted through the corridor, carrying the weight of centuries and a strange warmth.

Su Yu chatted familiarly with the ghosts as though they were old buddies—about how Nearly Headless Nick had died, why Grey Lady always sat silently in that corner, and whether the bloodstains on Bloody Baron were real. His attitude was casual, like he was talking with old friends, and it gave these ghosts—who had spent centuries being viewed by students with awe or fear—a strange sense of comfort.

The office door opened.

Su Yu's parents emerged. His mother came first, wearing the satisfied calm of someone whose business had been settled. His father followed behind, looking smug in the way of someone who had said a great deal inside but had actually been of no use whatsoever.

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

Su Yu pushed himself off the wall and entered 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 to Su Yu. Snape stood beside the fireplace, and his black eyes flickered in the firelight.

"Everything's settled," Su Yu's mother told him in a calm tone that said, Don't ask too much. "Go back to the Slytherin common room. Attend class on time tomorrow morning."

She reached out and straightened the collar of his robe, which had been tugged crooked.

Su Yu looked at her.

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

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

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

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

His mother looked at him. Her face plainly said, Yes, you are that easy to fool.

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

"We won't disturb you any longer," she said, her voice returning to its gentle, courteous tone. "Please take good care of this child from now on."

Su Yu's father nodded to the professors as well. Then he walked to the office window and pushed it open. The night wind blew in, carrying the damp scent of the Forbidden Forest and the faintly salty smell of distant lake water.

He removed the sword from his waist and tossed it into the air. It spun several times beneath the moonlight, then—grew larger. It went from a three-foot sword to a small boat-sized flying vessel that gave off a faint silver glow. Su Yu's father jumped onto it, turned around, and held out a hand to pull Su Yu's mother aboard.

Su Yu's mother stood behind him, wrapping both arms around his waist. She pressed her face to 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. They did not even look at Su Yu again.

The flying sword shot out of the Hogwarts window like a bolt of silver lightning, streaked across the night sky, and vanished at the edge of 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. I was probably a free gift when they deposited money at Gringotts," Su Yu said.

Dumbledore rose from his chair. His movements were a little slow—not deliberately so, but with the slowness of someone who had been through too much today and needed a moment to recover.

"All right," he said, returning to his gentle, unhurried cadence. "Mr. Fuli, you should return as well. Your classmates are probably waiting for you."

Su Yu turned and nodded to the professors.

"Goodbye."

But something suddenly felt off. Wait, where did my Su go? Why am I only Fuli now? Forget it, not important. Maybe the old man has dementia...

He left the office and descended the spiral staircase. The stairs creaked beneath his feet, while the portraits of former headmasters along the walls all fell silent 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 main hall of the common room—seventh-years, sixth-years, fifth-years, fourth-years, third-years, second-years, first-years—everyone. Some sat, some stood, and some leaned against the walls, but the moment the door opened, every gaze turned sharply toward Su Yu.

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

As Su Yu walked in, several people unconsciously took a step back. Their feet shifted aside as he passed, making way for him through the corridor.

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

Malfoy stood at the back of the crowd.

Su Yu did not look at them.

He walked to the corridor entrance and stopped.

"Go to sleep," he said lazily, as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world. "It's over."

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, "The pride of pure-bloods will never bow"—stepped out of the crowd. He moved quickly, almost jogging. He walked up to Su Yu and lowered his head.

"This way, please," he said in a voice so quiet it was nearly inaudible. "I'll take you there."

He turned around and led Su Yu to the other side 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 he feared disturbing something. "The sheets were changed today. I had someone add wood to the fireplace. If you need anything else—"

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

Cedrian stood outside the door and hesitated.

"Good night," he said with the cautious care of someone walking a tightrope. "Young Master Su-Fuli."

Su Yu did not turn back. He merely raised a hand and gave a casual wave.

Cedrian gently closed the door.

He stood outside and let out a long breath. Cold sweat had already soaked his back. Today's experience had given him a feeling he had never known in his life—surviving a disaster.

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

He turned and returned to the common room hall. Everyone was looking at him, waiting for him to speak.

Cedrian stood in the middle 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 a word outside."

He paused, sweeping his gaze across every face.

"No one."

Nobody spoke. Nobody objected. No one even dared meet his eyes.

They turned around and quietly returned to their rooms.

The corridor became silent.

Su Yu stood before the private room's window, watching the waters of the Black Lake slowly drift past the glass outside. The water was dark green, and now and then, a fish swam past, casting a blurry, fleeting shadow across the window.

He took a shower. Hot water sprayed from the showerhead and struck his shoulders. In the soul space, Nine-Tailed Fox lay down, 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 flopped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Nine-Tailed Fox turned over in the soul space.

"Today," she said in a voice so low it was almost a murmur 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 too cowardly. 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 called once, then fell silent. The fire in the fireplace leaped atop the last log, then it too fell silent.

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

Nine-Tailed Fox 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, covering him with them.

Then she closed her eyes as well.