Morris felt it was better for him to leave.
Dumbledore showed no sign of leaving and seemed to intend to while away the time there.
Continuing to wait is pointless and may even increase unnecessary risks.
Moreover, he had been lying in the shadows for too long, and his body was beginning to feel unwell.
At that moment, a large bird appeared out of thin air, trailing a long tail feather. It circled around twice before landing in front of Dumbledore.
Morris recognized it by its silhouette; it was Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix.
Dumbledore moved his lips toward the phoenix and said something.
Unfortunately, Morris was in the shadows and could barely hear anything from the outside world.
Just seconds later, Dumbledore and the phoenix vanished from the spot.
They're finally gone.
Morris breathed a sigh of relief, stepped out of the shadows, and stood in front of the mirror.
The scene reflected in the mirror was still the same one he had seen before.
His judgment was correct; it was indeed the Mirror of Erised.
But... what about the Philosopher's Stone?
Morris carefully examined the room several times, but found neither the Philosopher's Stone nor any mechanisms.
Only the bag of candy left by Dumbledore lay on the ground, seemingly still Honeydukes's Sherbet Lemon Candy.
Sherbet Lemon, the taste is quite good.
Morris himself liked this candy.
Just then, the air in front of him rippled without warning, a flash of golden-red fire appeared, and Fawkes and Dumbledore reappeared in the leaping flames.
Morris reacted swiftly, using his Shadow Concealment once more to disappear into the shadows.
Dumbledore, completely oblivious, picked up the bag of sugar from the ground—he had probably forgotten to take it with him.
However, Fawkes did not land immediately, but hovered in mid-air, scanning its surroundings.
A strange sense of danger suddenly rose in Morris's heart.
He quietly moved back in the shadows, preparing to temporarily retreat.
Fawkes immediately turned his head toward him.
"Um?"
Morris stopped abruptly, holding his breath.
Fawkes tilted his head, his gaze slowly shifting elsewhere.
Morris tried to move again.
In an instant, Fawkes turned his head back, his gaze returning to the shadows where he stood.
Two in a row—this can't be a coincidence.
This bird... discovered itself?
Is the phoenix's perception so acute?
Morris was somewhat unsure.
He dared not move a muscle, and even his breathing was extremely shallow.
Fawkes's unusual behavior quickly caught Dumbledore's attention.
He walked slowly to the shadows where Morris was hiding, looked around, and finally shook his head slightly in the direction of the phoenix.
Morris's anxiety finally subsided.
It seems the other party hasn't noticed him.
Even Dumbledore couldn't see through this Shadow Concealment.
Who would have thought someone was lurking in the shadows?
Suddenly, something unexpected happened!
Fawkes suddenly flapped its wings, and a layer of golden-red flames rose around its body.
The flames spread, illuminating every corner of the room, penetrating every nook and cranny.
Morris tried to escape, but the light was too fast. In just a breath, he was forced out of the shadows and fell from mid-air.
Fortunately, he was agile and performed a clean and neat somersault, landing steadily on the ground.
Dumbledore was clearly not expecting anyone to appear; a hint of surprise flashed across his face, but he smiled and clapped.
"Very impressive skills, Morris. If ten is a perfect score, I'd give you nine."
Morris straightened up and gave Dumbledore a perfect bow. "Thank you for your compliment, Headmaster."
very good.
Perhaps he can now consider where to go after being fired...
He was truly taken aback to have been defeated by a bird.
"Then," Dumbledore began gently, "Why are you here? Ah, it's best not to lie; that's not a good habit."
Without hesitation, Morris replied, "To see the Philosopher's Stone."
Such a direct answer made Dumbledore pause for a moment.
He laughed. "I'm glad my student is so honest. I guess you heard it from Harry... Did you find the Philosopher's Stone?"
Morris shook his head.
"Come here." Dumbledore beckoned to him and walked to the Mirror of Erised first.
Morris did as he was told and stood next to Dumbledore.
"Only someone who truly desires the Philosopher's Stone, but does not intend to use it, can retrieve Philosopher's Stone from the mirror," Dumbledore explained.
Morris touched the mirror and said with a hint of regret, "It seems I won't be able to get it."
He clearly doesn't fit the condition of truly wanting something but not intending to use it.
Only then did he notice the strange magical fluctuations emanating from the mirror, likely magic left behind by Dumbledore.
"What a pity," Dumbledore continued, "If you had the Philosopher's Stone, what would you have done with it? I think you know its purpose."
Morris, clearly not yet at an age to worry about his lifespan, replied, "Of course, it's about producing as much gold as possible."
Dumbledore, not surprised by the answer.
He spoke again, "Conjuring gold isn't that simple. Even if you get the Philosopher's Stone, you probably can't do it immediately. You'll need a very high level of alchemy."
Morris shrugged. "It's okay, the result doesn't matter to me."
"The result doesn't matter?" Dumbledore retorted.
"Yes," Morris's voice became clearer, "If I may, I'd rather understand what gives this stone such magical power. The Philosopher's Stone itself interests me more than what it can do."
Dumbledore gazed at Morris for a moment, then remarked, "You are a true Ravenclaw, Mr. Morris."
"Thank you." Morris smiled slightly. "So, esteemed Headmaster, could you please pretend I wasn't here tonight?"
"Oh, that won't do," Dumbledore said casually, as if he were only refusing a trivial matter.
Morris felt somewhat helpless at that moment.
Judging from Dumbledore's expression, it's unlikely he'll be expelled.
It'll probably just mean a deduction of points and a period of confinement.
"So what punishment will I receive?" he asked.
"Don't rush, we'll discuss this later," Dumbledore waved his hand. "Right now, I'm more interested in how you got here. If I'm not mistaken, none of the outer levels were triggered."
"You... seemed to have hidden yourself in the shadows just now?"
Dumbledore's tone was purely curious, not at all like he was interrogating a student who had broken the rules.
Morris hesitated.
How should he answer?