"What's going on?" Jon frowned, a faint sense of unease creeping over him.
Something about the atmosphere felt wrong—almost as if it had turned cold.
Behind him, a few droplets from the fountain pouring out of the tall stone reindeer statue splashed onto his clothes. In the chill of late autumn, the cold seeped straight through him.
At the same time, footsteps sounded from within the bushes, drawing closer—
Fawkes ignored her still-wet wings and spread them, taking flight. Her gaze was sharp and alert as she stared toward the bushes.
Jon frowned, pulling his wand from his waist as he asked cautiously,
"Astoria? Is that you, Astoria?"
There was no response.
"What exactly is going on?" Jon grew even more confused. On such a lively Halloween Eve, who would suddenly appear in a place this secluded?
To be safe, it looked like he might have to use the Memory Charm again.
Just then, a figure pushed out from the bushes—
It was a girl of sixteen or seventeen, with thick, lustrous brown hair. Her bright brown eyes swept over Jon from head to toe. Her face was filled with confidence and excitement, even a hint of exhilaration, as she declared triumphantly,
"Ha!"
"He… Hermione…" Jon froze, murmuring under his breath.
"I knew it…" Hermione Granger lowered her voice and shot a provocative glance over her shoulder.
There was someone else in the bushes—
Astoria emerged slowly, both hands gripping her cane as she struggled her way out.
She stood there blankly, her face unreadable.
…
"Wh–what's going on?" Jon asked, stammering.
Why did the air feel so wrong? Awkward, tense, cold… And why was Astoria here? And why had Hermione Granger appeared as well?
His mind was flooded with questions.
"I knew it!" Hermione spoke up first. "Jon, I guessed you were at the school!"
"How did you know?" Jon blurted out.
""I told you already—I had a hunch," Hermione said with a smile, counting on her fingers as she spoke.
"First, Harry. Harry told me he saw you outside the Gryffindor common room, and then his Invisibility Cloak went missing. He thought he'd just had a nightmare, because in his memory, you died right in front of him. But I'm different—I know very well that you're still alive."
Jon forcibly tore his gaze away from Astoria, putting on a confused expression as he looked at Hermione.
"I don't quite understand, Miss Granger. Why would I steal Mr. Potter's Invisibility Cloak? I can cast the Disillusionment Charm myself."
"How would I know?" Hermione replied lightly. "But Harry's cloak is far more powerful than anything I've read about in books. Maybe you borrowed it for some special purpose?"
She blinked, then continued,
"Then Headmaster Albus Dumbledore specifically summoned me to his office just to hand over Harry's Invisibility Cloak. That's extremely unusual. Before that, I'd never even been in the Headmaster's Office, and I wasn't close to Professor Dumbledore at all. Harry, on the other hand, has always had a very good relationship with him. Unless…"
"Oh no," Jon muttered, his expression tightening.
It was clear Hermione had dug far deeper into him than he'd anticipated.
He couldn't let her say everything in front of Astoria. So… so…
Jon tightened his grip on his wand—
"Don't even think about using the Memory Charm on me again, Jon!"
Hermione Granger said fearlessly, as if she had seen straight through him.
"Don't try the same trick on me twice. Thanks to you, I've developed a very good habit over the past six months—keeping a diary."
…
"How could that be…" Jon forced a stiff smile, lowering his right hand slightly.
"Headmaster Albus Dumbledore—that was you in disguise, wasn't it?"Hermione spoke rapidly, her words tumbling out in a relentless stream. "You had me retrieve the Invisibility Cloak instead of Harry because Harry knows Professor Dumbledore too well. You were afraid he'd recognize you."
"…And half a month ago in Hogsmeade, Tonks told me that Professor Dumbledore seemed to trust you immensely."
"…And ever since Harry lost the Invisibility Cloak, Professor Dumbledore has hardly appeared at the staff table. In the past, no matter how busy he was, he'd still dine with the students once or twice a week. You were worried that, with so many people in the Great Hall, someone might recognize you, weren't you?"
"…And there's more. Professor Dumbledore promised Harry extra lessons, but after the cloak was lost, the tutor became Professor Snape instead. If it were really Dumbledore, given how much he values Harry, he would never be so perfunctory."
"What nonsense are you talking about, Hermione?"
Jon interrupted sternly.
"How could Professor Dumbledore leave the school for so long? And how could someone as young as me possibly shoulder the responsibility of being Headmaster of Hogwarts? I thought you were quite clever—how did you suddenly become so confused?"
Hermione froze, her mouth opening slightly, but no words came out.
"I don't know what's going on with Professor Dumbledore. Perhaps he has his own reasons," Jon said calmly. "I admit that I… borrowed Harry's Invisibility Cloak. Later, I asked Professor Dumbledore to return it to him, but I haven't seen him since. I came back to the school this time only to visit Astoria."
Hermione seemed to be swayed by his explanation, hesitation flickering across her face.
Just as Jon was about to let out a sigh of relief—
"Your wand," Hermione suddenly said in a low voice. "Professor Dumbledore's wand. That's what you're holding, isn't it?"
Jon suddenly realized the wand in his hand was Albus Dumbledore's Elder Wand.
"Ha!" Hermione laughed triumphantly again. "Professor Dumbledore's wand is so distinctive—I'd never forget it. And Jon, if I remember correctly, your wand is green, isn't it?"
"I…"
"And Christopher Patrick's wand isn't like that either. His wand is black, right?"
Jon had no idea how to explain himself anymore.
"If Professor Dumbledore hadn't asked you to impersonate him, how could he possibly have entrusted you with his wand?" Hermione Granger said proudly. "Oh, and that bird behind you—Crookshanks has one-quarter Kneazle blood, yet he was scared stiff by it. That must be Professor Dumbledore's phoenix, right? Harry told me Professor Dumbledore has a phoenix named Fawkes."
"You stupid bird, couldn't you have hidden for a moment?" Jon cursed inwardly.
But there was nothing he could do but feel frustrated.
Just as he was about to surrender completely, Astoria's voice suddenly came from the other side.
"Yes. So what?"
…
She spoke coldly, shooting Jon a glare.
Jon hurried over, awkwardly moving to support her.
"That's right—you guessed correctly, Miss Granger," Astoria said, tossing her cane aside and letting Jon hold her up. "You're very clever, Miss Granger. Now that you know everything, is that enough?"
As she spoke, she leaned into Jon's arms.
"I…" Hermione's breathing quickened slightly as she stared at the pair before her, at a loss for words.
"Hold me," Jon heard Astoria whisper fiercely into his ear.
He could only obey stiffly.
"Now I want to rest," Astoria continued in her strange tone. "Could you leave for a bit, Miss Granger? Since you already know everything… but please don't go telling everyone."
"Jon, could you carry me to the bed? I feel so weak all over," she said softly, ignoring Hermione entirely as she spoke to him.
…
Hermione left, looking rather flustered.
Jon carried Astoria back into the ward in a daze.
"You're impressive too," the girl on the bed said bluntly the moment she lay down. "My dear Headmaster."