"You're finally awake, my boy. You nearly scared me to death," Dumbledore said with a warm, twinkling smile.
"Edward, you're up!" another voice exclaimed from nearby.
Edward turned his head to see, on the bed next to his, a mountain of sweets piled on the table, and behind it lay another student.
Harry Potter.
He immediately tried to roll out of bed to check on Edward, but Dumbledore quickly stopped him.
"No, no, no, Harry. Even with your glasses, you can see well enough from there. You mustn't get out of bed," Dumbledore said lightly. "Otherwise, Madam Pomfrey will have my head."
"Alright, fine," Harry said, sitting up and leaning as far toward Edward as he could. "How are you, Edward? Feeling okay?"
"Professor Dumbledore's filled me in on almost everything," Harry added.
Harry had woken up a bit earlier and had learned from Dumbledore about Voldemort, his parents James and Lily, and even some of Snape's past.
"Thanks for saving my life—again! If it weren't for you, I'd be done for, and so would the Philosopher's Stone," Harry said, his cheeks flushing slightly. "It's my fault. I was so reckless. How could I think I could take on Voldemort alone?"
He looked utterly dejected.
"Oh, no, no, my dear boy," Dumbledore said, shaking his head. "If anyone's to blame here, it's me."
"I didn't anticipate that Quirrell would have some extra power up his sleeve. By the time I realized it on my way to London, I was beside myself with guilt. My oversight could've cost you both your lives, Harry and Edward."
"I'm partly to blame too," Edward said, lowering his head. "I should've realized Quirrell might've gotten something special from the Black Knights. It's a pity that armor went down with him into the Realm of Mist."
"Armor? The one Quirrell was wearing?" Harry asked, curious. "What's so special about it? And what's this about Black Knights?"
Feeling a bit lost in the conversation, Edward briefly explained the Black Knights, a shadowy group, and how they'd attacked him during the Christmas holidays.
"Unfortunately, I still have no idea what they're really after," Edward said, frustrated, wrapping up his explanation.
If only they could've captured Quirrell alive. He was sure Snape would've had some extra Veritaserum ready for him.
"Now, now, my dear boys, nothing is more precious than your lives," Dumbledore said, his kind smile returning. "Since it's all behind us, let's not dwell on regrets."
"Professor, I have a question," Edward piped up suddenly. "How did you get me out of the mirror?"
Dumbledore gave a sly wink.
"A Summoning Charm."
"A Summoning Charm?" Edward blinked, thinking he'd misheard.
That's it? That simple?
"Of course, it wasn't quite that simple," Dumbledore said with a chuckle. "But while we're on the subject, I must thank you, Edward. You may have discovered a stable path to the Realm of Mist—a groundbreaking feat. Perhaps worthy of a Merlin Medal."
"The Mirror of Erised, created by Merlin himself, might've been used by the first wizard to travel between our world and the Realm of Mist," Dumbledore explained. "After you came out of the mirror the first time, I spent ages studying it. I managed to stabilize the path to some extent and even hid the Philosopher's Stone inside."
He winked again.
"When I heard you'd gone through with Quirrell, I opened the path and, on a whim, tried a Summoning Charm. Lucky timing, wouldn't you say? Those Wild Hunt creatures are quite terrifying, aren't they?"
As Edward and Harry opened their mouths to ask more, Dumbledore quickly waved a hand to calm them.
"Oh, I knew you young folks would have endless questions. We can talk more later. For now, you should enjoy a big mug of hot chocolate and dig into those sweets," he said, picking up a pack of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.
"You know, when I was young, I was unlucky enough to get a particularly foul-tasting bean. Haven't touched them much since. I prefer sweeter things, but surely a toffee-flavored one is safe, right?"
Dumbledore plucked a golden-brown bean from the pack.
"Professor, if I were you, I wouldn't pick that one," Edward warned quickly.
He could already tell that bean was bad news.
But it was too late. Dumbledore popped it into his mouth.
"Don't worry, my boy, I've got a knack for picking the good ones—cough, cough, cough!" His smile vanished. "Ugh! Earwax!"
Edward and Harry exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.
Their headmaster was always a bit eccentric, like a big kid at heart.
After Dumbledore left, Edward and Harry lay in their beds, munching on the assortment of sweets sent by their admirers, almost forgetting about Voldemort entirely.
Edward felt a twinge of regret that they couldn't figure out where Quirrell got that Black Knight armor or what his connection to them was. The armor, too, was lost in the Realm of Mist.
But in the end, everything worked out. No one was hurt—except for Quirrell, whose soul was taken, and Voldemort, who vanished. But those two hardly counted as people anymore.
It was the best outcome they could've hoped for.
Edward also noticed that his Courageous Blessing had leveled up to 2, expanding its range and boosting its effect on allies within about 30 meters.
"Edward, I'm kind of jealous," Harry said, unwrapping a licorice wand. "We're the same age, but you learn so much faster than everyone else. You know spells we haven't even heard of. If only I could be like you, strong enough to take on Quirrell and Voldemort."
"I felt so weak facing him. I couldn't even think of a single spell," Harry said, his voice heavy with frustration. "I was wondering—never mind, forget it."
"Are you thinking you'd like me to teach you some spells, but you're worried Daphne and Draco might not be okay with it, or that it'd be awkward with your Gryffindor friends?" Edward asked with a playful smirk.
Harry shot up in bed, looking both thrilled and conflicted.
"How'd you know what I was thinking? Can I—er, I mean, could I join you guys?" he asked, his tone a bit shy. "I'd love to, but the others' opinions matter too. Why don't you ask them?"
"Oh, come on, Harry, don't give up so fast. You haven't even asked," Edward said gently. "Think about it. If Draco disliked you that much, why did he try to befriend you at the start of term? And why did he come with me to save you?"
Harry's eyes lit up.
"You're right. I'll talk to Daphne and Draco! Honestly, he was kind of a prat at first, but after learning from you, I think he's picked up more than just magic."
"Oi, I heard my name, Potter," a lazy voice called from the doorway.
Edward and Harry turned to see Daphne, Draco, Hermione, and Ron peeking into the hospital wing.
Hermione and Ron were all smiles.
Daphne wore her usual cool, aloof expression, though a faint smile tugged at her lips.
Draco tried to look superior, but his grin was barely contained.
The four rushed to their bedsides the moment they saw Madam Pomfrey wasn't around.
"We heard you were awake and came right over. Ran into Granger and Weasley on the way," Daphne explained.
"Tell us everything! The school's buzzing with rumors. Some even say Edward took down Quirrell with a dragon and a unicorn!" Ron said excitedly, grabbing a Chocolate Frog.
"I asked all the way here, but Greengrass and Malfoy wouldn't spill a word until we saw you," Ron added.
Edward shook his head with a wry smile. A dragon and a unicorn? Really? "You saw me go down there, Ron. Besides Daphne and Draco, there was nothing else—unless you're calling Daphne a unicorn and Draco a dragon, which, I suppose, isn't entirely wrong."
"Ahem, anyway, I'll tell you what happened, but first, I've got something else to say," Harry said, clearing his throat and glancing at Edward.
Edward gave him an encouraging nod.
"A lot happened last night, but right now, there's only one thing I want to do," Harry said, a bit sheepishly. He got out of bed and walked over to Daphne and Draco.
They looked puzzled, unsure what he was up to.
"Thanks for saving me, Daphne, Draco," Harry said, his face breaking into a shy smile as he extended his hand to Draco Malfoy in a gesture of friendship.
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