The Headmaster's Office.
A ball of crimson flame suddenly ignited in the centre of the room, tongues of fire surging upward and briefly illuminating the surrounding shelves and portraits.
A moment later, the flames parted to either side, and a tall figure with silver hair and a silver beard stepped out from within them.
It was Dumbledore.
The travelling cloak around him still carried the chill of the outdoors, but his blue eyes remained bright in the firelight.
Fawkes rested listlessly against his shoulder, head drooping as it stretched its neck toward the nest.
Its meaning couldn't have been clearer.
I want to go back and rest.
Dumbledore understood his old friend's meaning immediately.
He gently lifted Fawkes from his shoulder, placed it beside the nest, and handed it some herbs from nearby.
This was food for phoenixes.
They ate nothing else.
"You've worked hard lately," Dumbledore said softly, gently stroking Fawkes's feathers.
Ever since obtaining Tom Riddle's diary and confirming the existence of Horcruxes, Dumbledore had been pursuing other clues.
He believed that, given Voldemort's nature, he would certainly have created more than one Horcrux.
After all, what mad deed wouldn't that Dark Lord commit, when he had even dared to mutilate his own soul in pursuit of immortality?
One Horcrux was already horrifying enough.
But for someone like Voldemort, stopping at one would almost have seemed restrained.
And those Horcruxes would undoubtedly be hidden in all manner of secret and unimaginable places.
Whenever he had spare time recently, Dumbledore had been travelling from place to place, investigating Voldemort's origins from the very beginning and tracing his movements after leaving Hogwarts.
He had revisited old locations, questioned people connected to Tom Riddle's past, and searched through information that most would have considered too insignificant to matter.
He hoped to uncover the locations of the Horcruxes from even the smallest clues.
For travel between those places, he had relied on Fawkes.
Dumbledore was naturally capable of Apparition, and exceptionally skilled at it as well.
But it was still not as convenient or unrestricted as a phoenix's innate ability to teleport.
Fawkes could cross distances in ways ordinary magical travel simply could not match.
That convenience, however, clearly had a price.
After swallowing the herbs and drinking a generous mouthful of dew, Fawkes regained some of its energy.
It raised its head and let out a grumpy cry.
Dumbledore understood perfectly.
Fawkes was complaining.
"For places you've already visited, use Apparition yourself next time. Don't tell me you've forgotten the coordinates... I'm still growing. I can't be overworked."
Dumbledore shook his head helplessly.
He had long since grown used to his old companion acting young when it suited him and old when it suited him.
Sometimes Fawkes behaved like an ancient creature that had witnessed more than most wizards could imagine.
At other times, it acted as though it had only just been reborn and deserved to be pampered accordingly.
Who could blame Fawkes?
Phoenixes could undergo rebirth, so age was something they could practically define for themselves.
Just as Dumbledore was about to comfort Fawkes and coax him into continuing the investigation, he suddenly sensed something and turned toward the window.
Under the moonlight, a wisp of silvery-white mist silently drifted onto the edge of the window.
It was so faint that it almost blended into the moonlight, making it difficult to notice unless one happened to be looking directly at it.
The mist swayed gently before the glass.
For an instant, it seemed almost alive.
Then it suddenly contracted and vanished.
As though it had merely come to say hello.
The scene was fleeting enough to seem like an illusion, but Dumbledore's brows furrowed slightly.
He had no doubt about what he had sensed.
"The Patronus Charm?"
His gaze remained fixed on the window.
"That felt a little..."
There was something unusual about it.
The magic was unmistakably that of a Patronus, yet the way it had appeared felt different from the ordinary manifestations he was familiar with.
Rumble.
Before Dumbledore could think further, a low sound came from outside.
It was the gargoyle guarding the entrance to the Headmaster's Office moving aside.
Immediately afterward, hurried footsteps echoed from the spiral staircase.
Thud, thud, thud.
Fast and heavy.
Whoever it was had clearly run all the way up.
Dumbledore turned toward the staircase.
The footsteps grew louder with every second before a dark figure appeared at the entrance.
Snape practically charged into the office.
His already greasy black hair was damp with sweat and clinging together against his forehead.
The hem of his black robes was stained with dust from somewhere, and his breathing was slightly ragged.
It was rare to see Severus Snape looking this disordered.
Dumbledore's expression immediately became more serious.
Whatever had happened was clearly important enough for Snape to abandon his usual composure.
After steadying himself, Snape fixed his gaze directly on Dumbledore.
There was none of his usual sarcasm in his expression.
Only sharp vigilance.
"Dumbledore, did you come into contact with that Patronus Charm just now?"
"Don't rush. Have some water and calm down, Severus."
After the two sat down at the table, Dumbledore waved his hand, and a large pitcher of bubbling lemonade appeared before them.
He poured Snape a full glass and pushed it toward him, his tone carrying a hint of apology.
"Sorry. I've only just returned myself, so I haven't prepared any hot tea."
Snape looked down at the glass of lemonade.
He had never liked Dumbledore's drinks.
They were far too sweet.
At most, he would occasionally accept some tea.
But right now, he didn't care.
He picked up the glass and drained it in one go.
The cool liquid passed over his dry lips and throat, finally easing the thirst caused by running all the way from the dungeons to the Headmaster's Office.
Dumbledore said nothing.
He simply sat opposite him, his blue eyes behind the half-moon spectacles quietly observing Snape.
He noticed that something about the man's expression seemed unusual.
The corners of his eyes were slightly red.
After finishing the lemonade, Snape set down the glass and went straight to the point.
"I was originally in my office in the dungeons, and then..."
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