"You may study Soul Studies, Will, but you must never conduct experiments recklessly."
Dumbledore's tone was grave. Behind his half-moon spectacles, his bright blue eyes seemed to see straight through Will.
Will nodded calmly, agreeing to Dumbledore's demand without feeling much of a stir.
That Dumbledore had reacted this way was, if anything, a slightly better outcome than Will had expected.
Will would have liked Dumbledore to leave him alone and let him do as he pleased, but that was like a young wizard imagining himself crashing his Broomstick into a Muggle airplane: a harmless fantasy.
"Let me read the material Tom gave you for a couple of days," Dumbledore said. "I'll remove anything unsuitable. Don't worry, though. I have some private works on the study of souls, and quite a few would be well suited to your research."
"All right, Professor. I'll bring it over." Will nodded. Just then, the fire in the hearth rustled.
Fawkes emerged from the flames, as though he had just taken a nap in them.
He shook out his red-and-gold feathers, tossed his head, then fluttered over to Will's arm and rubbed against him affectionately.
"One more thing, Will." Dumbledore ate a large handful of Fizzing Whizbees. "Now that Lupin's condition has stabilized, you should close your laboratory. Keeping a place like that isn't good for you."
The demand caught Will off guard. He had intended to house Bellatrix in the laboratory, and many experiments still required test subjects. He couldn't shut it down now.
Will picked up a Sherbet Lemon and held it near Fawkes's beak to tease him. A look of surprise and reluctance appeared on his face at just the right moment.
"Professor... I still need it for a while. I can't close the laboratory yet."
Dumbledore frowned, his expression stern.