---
A biting sea breeze swept over the area outside the cave, and the dark, subtle sense of dread finally lifted. Adam stood beside Shirley, gazing up at the brilliant star-filled sky. It wasn't until the wind made him rub his hands together and breathe a puff of white mist that the little witch turned and silently adjusted his blue-and-white scarf for him.
Tina beckoned to them, and Dumbledore stood at the entrance, raising his wand to cast a Confundus Charm on the cave door. He wouldn't have normally done this, but he saw that the black knights weren't leaving directly. Instead, they had picked up their pickaxes from the passageway and were busily chipping away at the lakeshore, after which they buried dozens of alchemical bombs...
Fawkes, the phoenix, glided over to Adam on golden-red wings, holding a feather in his beak. It drifted gently down into Adam's palm. Adam instinctively clutched his small pouch and whispered, "I don't have any more herbs to feed you..." Fawkes let out a soft trill and gently tidied his hair, which had been ruffled by the sea breeze.
"That's a gift from Fawkes," Dumbledore explained for the phoenix. "He greatly approves of your generous help to your friends. This phoenix tail feather is his Christmas present to you."
"But I must remind you, this is a feather from Fawkes just before his rebirth. It contains a remarkable amount of magical power and can protect you from flame damage a few times. So, it's best not to summon him by burning a tail feather next time. It's a bit too extravagant."
"So I still have to give a gift in return, right?"
Adam sighed with a pout on his face, painfully pulling out the last small packet of herbs from his pouch and hanging it on Fawkes' neck. He whispered, "Even though it's not Christmas for another two days, and I think it's a bit strange for an owl post to deliver a present to a phoenix, but Merry Christmas anyway. And I hope your rebirth goes smoothly."
---
Dumbledore looked on at Fawkes with a hint of envy. Before he could react, a beautifully wrapped gift was handed to him.
"Oh... thank you, Adam. I'm sorry I haven't had time to get you a—" Dumbledore took the heavy gift, a smile appearing on his face, and said with a touch of emotion.
"That's for Nicolas Flamel," Adam said with a straight face, pausing a moment before adding, "Because I don't know where he lives, I was hoping you could deliver it for me."
The smile on Dumbledore's face froze instantly. He looked down at the small Christmas card on the gift, which was addressed in vibrant green ink: "To Nicolas Flamel."
Tina couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle at the scene. The heavy feeling she'd had in her chest after witnessing a "hero's curtain call" had dissipated. She suddenly wondered if this was all a rehearsed act between the two of them. But she looked up and saw the undisguised look of gloom on Dumbledore's face, and she quietly dismissed the idea.
Adam directed the black knights to return to their chests, then casually threw a few pieces of boiled Tebo meat to Fluffy and told the three-headed dog it was a Christmas present. While Fluffy didn't understand what Christmas was, its three large heads excitedly nuzzled Adam, and its tails wagged furiously.
Just as Adam was petting Fluffy's heads, he suddenly glanced toward the dark cave and asked out of the blue, "But how are we going to clear Mr. Regulus's name?"
Dumbledore was silent for a moment, then turned to look out at the undulating sea. He said in a low voice, "It will be a long process. After all, Fudge is... a rather stubborn man, and he himself won't be willing to believe that Voldemort created something like a Horcrux."
Adam mimicked the voice of the Minister of Magic during an interview in the Daily Prophet. "Because it would cause unnecessary panic among others. To maintain the hard-won stability of the wizarding world, we must regretfully state..."
Dumbledore nodded helplessly and said again, "So we must first be prepared and try to get others to accept this truth. Most people believe Voldemort is already dead. If we were to announce this news, it could very well backfire. It would not only put Voldemort on alert but also give him a stronger chance to make a comeback."
He pulled out a brightly colored magazine with a strange-looking animal on the cover and suggested, "So we could start by hinting at it through public opinion. I think the Quibbler would be perfect. Mr. Lovegood is a good man, and he's always had excellent judgment, even if his writing style is a bit... flamboyant."
Adam's mouth twitched. He felt this suggestion was about as reliable as getting a Niffler to guard a Gringotts vault. It was hard to imagine what the readers, who were used to the magazine's flights of fancy, would think when they suddenly read a tragic heroic tale.
"What about the pure-blood families?" Adam asked again.
This question was a bit confusing for the others, but Dumbledore quickly guessed what he was thinking and followed his train of thought. "Using them would also be a good option. After all, to escape punishment back then, they sent a huge amount of Galleons to every department in the Ministry."
"Seeing such a good opportunity, those people would definitely go all out to clear Regulus's name and, at the same time, improve their own legitimacy. But it would be best not to do that."
Adam frowned and looked at Dumbledore, while also cuddling Fawkes to keep warm.
"Because we don't have enough time," Dumbledore said gravely. "I don't know when Tom will choose to reveal himself, but he clearly can't hold back any longer. All sorts of strange things have been happening in the forest."
"And there's the problem we discussed last time, about the other person's travel path."
The two of them looked at the cave, understanding without needing to speak. The identity of "Hogge" was still shrouded in mist, like a small, unremarkable mountain floating in the Arctic Ocean. You never know how much of the iceberg is hidden below the surface. Hogge had even appeared in Regulus's diary. All the signs pointed to him also possessing a divine artifact.
He had been willing to expose this secret to collaborate with Regulus, but after they found that mysterious realm, he chose to leave directly. This meant he was pursuing something even more important. Could this crucial matter be related to Mrs. Anne's death? After all, he had promised to cover up Anne and Shirley's whereabouts, but the final outcome was quite telling. He had hidden his identity for many years, undetected. If not for Corinna's actions at the orphanage, perhaps even Dumbledore wouldn't have known such a person existed in the wizarding world. He had used an artifact as important as the ring yet, in a short amount of time, had exposed Mrs. Anne, forcing her to send Shirley to the orphanage.
"There shouldn't be any danger, right?" Adam looked up at Dumbledore and asked with a puzzled expression.
"No," Dumbledore's gaze darkened. He said solemnly, "He is an extremely cautious person. He will not take any unnecessary action before achieving his goal."
Tina listened to their cryptic conversation, feeling like she was watching a lesson being given to a little fox by an old fox. "What are you two talking about?" she asked, confused.
Adam suddenly pretended to be very interested in Fawkes' feather, holding the phoenix and examining it. Dumbledore raised his wand and pretended to cast a spell on the cave. Tina's face darkened slightly. She took Shirley's hand, pinched Adam's cheek with her other hand, and Apparated away.
Just as Dumbledore was about to leave, he discovered that Fawkes was still holding an exquisite gift box. He opened it to find a large bag of Lemon Sherbets, some balls of yarn, and a set of knitting needles with instructions.
"That Adam..." Dumbledore said, a bit flummoxed, but judging by his lighter movements, he was in a very good mood.
But as he put the gift box away, he saw that the small card was written in red ink: "To Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald."
The corner of Dumbledore's eye, beneath his half-moon spectacles, twitched slightly. He carefully placed the gift box on the ground and meticulously checked whether any of the candies had been mixed with alchemical bombs.
read lots story at patreon
always update and finish
ilham20 only for 3$