"Lynn, I have something I want to talk to you about."
Just as they were preparing to head back to sleep, Harley spoke up.
"Alright."
Lynn stopped in his tracks. Neville continued walking alone toward the entrance of the Gryffindor common room, while Cho opened a door opposite the Room of Requirement leading to Ravenclaw Tower.
"See you tomorrow."
Cho waved goodbye. After the door clicked shut, a new wooden door materialized on the wall.
The Room of Requirement was technically the most secure place in Hogwarts, immune to prying eyes, but Harley still insisted Lynn take out his magically expanded tent. The two of them crawled inside.
"Why are you being so cautious today? Honestly, none of that matters anymore. Voldemort personally confirmed that he was tricked by your mother and fell into a trap."
"That effectively patches up any inconsistencies we couldn't explain before," Lynn said, sitting down. "Even Professor Dumbledore won't be able to refute such a definitive conclusion. He'll likely believe it too."
"Just because of a few words from Voldemort?" Harley looked at Lynn skeptically.
"Voldemort might be a villain, rotten to the core, and a complete raving lunatic, but there's no denying he has talent. When it comes to the Dark Arts, his aptitude is unrivaled."
Lynn continued, "To be honest, back when Voldemort was at the height of his power, if it came down to raw power, Dumbledore was actually more likely to lose."
"But everyone says Voldemort was afraid of Dumbledore," Harley said, cupping her chin in her hands and looking at Lynn, waiting for an explanation.
"If Dumbledore was truly that much stronger—someone Voldemort couldn't beat at all—then the curse Voldemort left on the Defense Against the Dark Arts position wouldn't still be active today."
"Defense Against the Dark Arts is a cursed class. Back then, Voldemort wanted to return to Hogwarts to teach it, but Dumbledore rejected him and saw through his disguise."
"Besides, it's perfectly normal for a student to fear their teacher, especially the one who introduced them to the magical world in the first place."
"Dumbledore knows the past Voldemort wants to keep hidden the most. And if you're going to ask me how I know that... well, that's a secret. I can't say."
"Hmph."
Harley raised a small fist and lightly tapped Lynn, feigning anger. "I didn't even want to ask. I'm not curious at all."
Her expression softened. "But if that's the case... did I put Neville in danger?"
After a moment of silence, Harley voiced the question that had been weighing on her the most.
"I was originally a boy, so the prophecy wasn't actually wrong. I was the true target Voldemort was looking for. But now, Voldemort thinks the person in the prophecy is Neville..."
"Mom used her life to protect me. Professor Dumbledore told my aunt that I have a protective charm left by my mother in my blood. It prevents Voldemort from harming me. Even the powerful Killing Curse couldn't hurt me; instead, it rebounded and destroyed his body."
"There is no counter-curse for Avada Kedavra. Before that night, it was believed that no magic could block it."
"Compared to Neville, I definitely have more of a safety net when facing Voldemort, right?"
"Don't underestimate Neville," Lynn replied. "He has great perseverance and hidden talent. Prophecies aren't a one-way street; they are a converging fate. Even if Neville can't take your place as the Child of Prophecy, I'm still here, aren't I? I'll help mold Neville into someone reliable."
Since Lynn had tampered with the so-called prophecy and fate, he felt a sense of responsibility to handle the fallout. Voldemort was strong, but not invincible.
Hearing Lynn say this lifted a heavy weight from Harley's heart, but a larger worry still nagged at her.
"There's one more thing... before, when my head felt like it was going to split open..." Harley curled up uneasily, hugging her knees and burying her face so only her emerald eyes were visible.
"I think I felt his emotions in that moment. It was a strange sensation, as if... the person screaming and raging in front of us wasn't Voldemort..."
"I almost had a delusion. It felt like the person saying those things, the person drowning in that hysteria... was me..."
Harley touched the lightning bolt scar on her forehead. "This scar seems to have established some kind of connection between me and Voldemort."
"I'm a little scared, Lynn. I'm scared that I'll be influenced by him, that my personality will twist, and I'll become a monster just like him."
Harley was more sensitive than Lynn had expected. Perhaps this was one of the differences now? She had developed a sharp intuition for these subtle details.
"Don't worry, that won't happen. Your scar has created a deep connection, yes, but he fears it more than you do. The magic your mother left on you is something he doesn't understand at all. And now, he's convinced your mother set a deliberate trap for him. The man is paranoid by nature."
"Just relax. I'm here." Lynn rubbed Harley's head, feeling her tense shoulders drop.
"Lynn... you actually know a lot more, don't you?" Harley leaned over, resting her head on Lynn's shoulder. "I always feel like you're so calm when we run into these things, almost as if you've seen it all before."
"Voldemort believes in prophecies, which means there must be people in the world who can make them. Maybe you're one of them?"
"But since you don't want to say, I won't ask. You'll tell me when you want to."
"I trust you, Lynn."
A Seer? Lynn mused. That was actually a convenient excuse. Famous Seers popped up every now and then—Grindelwald had been one, after all. "Let's just go with that for now. But I'm not omniscient; there are plenty of things I don't know."
As long as he didn't explicitly confirm it, it would serve as a handy alibi later.
"Then there is one thing you have to tell me now."
Harley suddenly sat up straight, staring intensely at Lynn.
"When you came to find me at the swings back then, was that intentional?"
"Yeah, it was." Lynn nodded, admitting to it.
"Aha! So you making me eat that cookie was on purpose too!"
"Because it was interesting. But come on, the change isn't bad, is it?"
"Even if that's true..." Harley pursed her lips slightly, "Do you have any idea how terrified I was when I saw myself in the bathroom mirror?!"
"Hey! We were having a nice conversation, why are you getting physical? Don't come over here! I'm warning you, I'll put you in a headlock!"
---
Harley's worries were resolved. In the end, she was just concerned about Neville and her connection to the Dark Lord.
She wasn't someone who shirked responsibility; on the contrary, Harley had a bit of a "saving people thing."
The next morning, the Great Hall was particularly lively. It was the last day of exam week. Aside from the seventh years who still had to deal with their N.E.W.T.s, everyone else was free.
The foresightful students had finished their holiday homework during the term, ready to play for two straight months. However, such students were rare. Most chose the path of "one quill, one lamp, and a miracle" the night before school resumed.
After breakfast, the four of them tacitly gathered and headed toward the Headmaster's office on the eighth floor.
"Cockroach Clusters."
Upon hearing the password, the stone gargoyle leaped aside, revealing the spiral staircase.
When they knocked and entered, Dumbledore paused in playing with Fawkes.
"Please, have a seat."
He set down a jar containing a magical flame—Gubraithian Fire. The everlasting magical fire paired well with the reborn phoenix.
"It seems a night's rest has restored your spirits. I sincerely hope the events of yesterday didn't give you nightmares."
"Professor Dumbledore," Cho was the first to speak. "I want to know, when Voldemort 'died' back then, was only his body destroyed? He looks less than a ghost now. Was his soul damaged as well? Aside from the Killing Curse, is there magic that can touch the soul?"
Cho had thought about this for a long time last night. The world said Voldemort died ten years ago, but seeing his soul manifest as black mist and witnessing that shadowy figure attacking the unicorn in the Forbidden Forest made her uneasy.
Whether it was Neville or Harley, Cho didn't want to see them get hurt. Since Voldemort had threatened to return for revenge, being prepared was necessary.
Dumbledore looked at Cho Chang with a hint of surprise in his eyes. He hadn't expected her to ask such detailed questions—she was practically asking, "How do we kill Voldemort?" Were the Ravenclaws this fierce nowadays?
"Voldemort's body was indeed destroyed. When he used the Killing Curse on Harley, her mother's magic protected her, rebounding the curse. It destroyed his body and damaged his soul, leaving him to linger in this world as a mere shadow."
"As for magic that harms the soul," Dumbledore paused. "It certainly exists, but those methods fall almost entirely into the category of the Dark Arts. I do not wish for you to encounter them—at least not now, before you truly understand what good and evil are."
"Good and evil are not as simple as doing good deeds or bad deeds." Dumbledore pointed to his heart, then tapped his temple. "It hides in our hearts, but the understanding lies here."
"Dabbling in the Dark Arts too early makes it easy to lose oneself. Not every piece of Dark Magic is as purely evil as we imagine, but undoubtedly, magic classified as 'Dark' affects our minds. They require intense emotions to unleash their full power, which can lead one down a radical path."
"There was once a wizard who was very helpful and praised by everyone. One day, he met a Muggle child who was being beaten by their parents. The dying child cried out to him for help."
"The result was a scene that shocked everyone. He killed the child's parents in an almost torturous manner, and the child went insane from witnessing it."
"Yet, he firmly believed his actions were correct. He thought of himself as the embodiment of 'Justice.' His radical sense of justice pushed both him and that family into the abyss."
"Because the balance of good and evil in his heart was lost. The magic he used pushed him into an extreme, narrow-minded version of justice, blinding him."
"Magic is a double-edged sword. That is why I hope you will be cautious. What you need to do now is study hard, gain more knowledge, and solidify your foundation. I want you to experience the world, broaden your horizons, and witness both the good and the bad with your own eyes."
"Only when you have defined your own sense of good and evil through experience can I feel at ease letting you explore the ocean of magic freely."
"Voldemort's current state is very, very poor. At least for the next few years while you are accumulating knowledge, he won't have the strength to emerge. So, you can rest easy for now. Inside Hogwarts, you are safe."
Dumbledore was being a bit long-winded because he didn't want these clever children to go down a dark path out of curiosity. The smarter the child, the easier it is for them to make mistakes because of their intelligence; following the rules isn't usually the way of the wise, as wisdom drives them to explore the unknown.
But chatting with smart people had a benefit: when you pointed out the consequences, they understood the risks and knew how to handle them carefully.
If he were dealing with someone who had "empty vessels make the most noise" syndrome—little cleverness but no wisdom—Dumbledore probably would have just used Obliviate. Those are the ones who cause the most trouble.
"I understand." Cho nodded. She grasped Dumbledore's point. "Curiosity killed the cat." There were things they shouldn't touch yet.
"What about the prophecy Voldemort mentioned?" Neville raised his hand next.
"Ah, yes. I can tell you about that." Dumbledore nodded. Once Voldemort mentioned the prophecy, he knew he'd have to explain it eventually. Besides, last night they had proven they had the courage to face Voldemort and the will to defeat him.
(Original prophecy text omitted per source)
"Is it possible—I mean, could it be both of us?" Harley asked Dumbledore nervously. "Neville and I both fit. Voldemort once chose me, and now he has chosen Neville. And the prophecy didn't specify only one person, right?"
"That is indeed a possibility. Prophecies are often a two-way choice. A friend of mine was once an excellent Seer." Dumbledore's eyes dimmed slightly at the memory.
"Voldemort chose you back then, Harley, making you the one the prophecy pointed to. Now that Voldemort has chosen Neville, Neville has also become the one the prophecy points to. You both are."
"So now—" Dumbledore nodded gently at Harley and Neville, "We have double the strength to oppose him."
"You both possess a power that Voldemort does not understand."
Dumbledore didn't tell them what that power was, but neither Harley nor Neville asked. They wanted to discover this power that could defeat Voldemort on their own.
After asking their questions, the three thanked Dumbledore. Many of their doubts had been answered, and they needed time to digest what they had heard.
But Lynn stayed behind, remaining at Dumbledore's signal.
"Professor Dumbledore, is there something else you needed?"
Lynn was actually quite curious about what Dumbledore wanted to ask.
"Yes, I have a question."
Dumbledore looked at Lynn with inquisitive eyes.
"You are a very unique child, but there is one thing that concerns me."
"I want to know... what exactly did you see in the Mirror of Erised?"
"Why do you ask?" Lynn was thrown off. Even if Dumbledore had asked, "Did you have anything to do with Harley becoming a girl?" it would have been more expected than this.
"Call it intuition." Dumbledore took a sip of his overly sweet drink. "My intuition tells me that what you saw was dangerous."
He waved his hand over the desk, and the engraved revolver Lynn had once shown Ollivander appeared.
"It makes me uneasy, so I want to ask you, what did you see?"
"If that's the case..." Lynn thought for a moment. "I saw war."
"And this—" he gestured to the revolver, "is the tool I chose back then to protect myself and others."
"The wizarding world is rotten, isn't it? At least in England. Wizards are still living in the shadow of the Middle Ages and refuse to step out. If war comes, they will die miserably."
"To forget war is to court danger, Professor Dumbledore."
"My wand... or rather, my weapon, is their lifeline."