Chapter 155: Hogwarts Control Center
After a sigh, Phineas said calmly,
"It's still about Professor Richie. But this time, I've figured out what's wrong with him."
Hearing that, Dumbledore stopped joking and looked at Phineas solemnly.
"What did you discover?"
Phineas explained,
"Since Professor Richie returned after Christmas, he's been calling different students to his office every week—from all years. Each time, they stay in his office for several hours, sometimes even overnight."
"I've spoken with a few of the students who were called in. They all say it was just for extra lessons, but when I asked what they learned specifically, none of them could remember."
Dumbledore frowned, his gaze steady on the boy sitting before him. He understood immediately—this was serious.
A professor summoning students for extra lessons wasn't strange. But doing it once a week with different students each time? That was suspicious.
Especially when this behavior only began after the Christmas holidays. Before then, when Dumbledore had been keeping a closer eye on Richie, there had been nothing unusual.
Was it simply that Richie had waited until the scrutiny passed before beginning whatever he was really here to do?
Suddenly, a new concern struck Dumbledore, and he asked,
"When exactly did you become aware of this pattern?"
Phineas replied,
"Just now. I came straight here when I realized it."
"So Richie just called another student away?"
Phineas nodded.
"Yes. It was Nott—the boy from the Nott family. I wouldn't have noticed the pattern if he hadn't been the one summoned this time."
Dumbledore's expression changed immediately.
"You mean Mr. Nott is still in Richie's office right now? And he could be in danger?"
The weight of the situation hit Phineas too, and he nodded again.
"That's what it looks like."
Dumbledore turned toward the staircase behind his desk and began climbing.
Phineas followed and quickly realized that Dumbledore's private quarters were not at all what he had imagined.
Yes, there was a lounge, but above that was a hidden space—an entirely separate level.
And it was there that Dumbledore led him.
Inside was a wide, empty room. At its center stood a table bearing a scale model of Hogwarts Castle.
It didn't just show the castle itself, but the Black Lake, the Forbidden Forest, the Quidditch pitch—every part of Hogwarts' grounds, including some not even represented on the Marauder's Map.
Floating above the model was a crystal orb filled with thick, swirling white mist.
This, Phineas realized, had to be the "Hogwarts Control Center" he had once speculated about.
Dumbledore's next movements confirmed it.
He tapped the model castle with his wand, and it opened like a mechanical sculpture, revealing the interiors of classrooms, staircases, and corridors—all shifting, just like in the real castle.
Then Dumbledore pointed his wand at the crystal orb. A pulse of white light surged out, bathing the model.
As the light passed over the miniature Hogwarts, ghostly figures began to appear—tiny illusions of real people. Looking closely, Phineas recognized students and professors moving throughout the building in real-time.
Phineas narrowed his eyes. It was extraordinary, yes—but also deeply invasive.
He looked at Dumbledore, the question obvious in his expression.
Dumbledore, either through intuition or Legilimency, replied,
"I don't spy on students, Phineas. This tool requires a tremendous amount of magical energy to activate. I only use it when necessary."
Phineas raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. Dumbledore seemed to realize it and said no more.
He shifted the perspective of the model toward the Defense Against the Dark Arts office.
It was empty.
Neither Richie nor Nott was inside.
Both Dumbledore and Phineas frowned.
If Richie had summoned Nott there—and now neither was present—it meant something was happening, and not something good.
To Dumbledore, it meant Nott might be in immediate danger.
To Phineas, it meant Richie's true objective had already begun.
Without wasting another second, Dumbledore turned and left, presumably heading straight to Richie's office.
Phineas didn't follow.
He wasn't worried about Nott. He was more interested in what could be learned from this mysterious room.
Now that Dumbledore had gone, Richie's plans—whatever they were—would be exposed.
Phineas turned his gaze back to the castle model and the crystal orb.
This was the place where the Marauders must have created the Marauder's Map.
But that raised another question—how had they done it under Dumbledore's very nose?
After all, he had been the Headmaster during their time at Hogwarts. This room was directly above his bedroom. Creating the map here without his knowledge would have been nearly impossible.
And yet they had.
Phineas felt like he was missing something important, but he put the thought aside for now.
What mattered was that Dumbledore had left in a hurry—and had forgotten to close the castle model.