"I think it's already very late today. You should go back and rest," 'Dumbledore' said, dismissing Harry.
Harry was still staring blankly at the Pensieve when the sudden voice startled him back to awareness.
"Oh, of course. Good night, Professor," Harry said, walking out with his head full of thoughts.
After Harry left, Dumbledore's face twisted. His white beard completely disappeared. Dragon horns grew from his head.
A beautiful youth in ill-fitting clothes appeared in the chair.
"Phew, is being headmaster this painful?"
Aiden tapped the silver instruments on the desk. Images of the entire school appeared before him.
"Now you know how difficult it is for us. Day after day, all you do is curse the headmaster," Phineas said, crossing his arms.
"I think only a certain someone was called the most unpopular headmaster during his tenure," Headmistress Dilys Derwent said, giving him no mercy at all.
"You..." Phineas thought of something, then shut up.
"All right, headmasters. I'm not a headmaster yet. These matters shouldn't be my concern in the first place," Aiden said, stopping their chatter in time.
"What if? Perhaps in a few years this office will belong to you," Armando Dippet joked.
"I would respectfully decline," Aiden said. He waved his hand and left the office.
The next day in Potions class, while students made potions, Horace directly informed Harry and Hermione of the party time and location.
Then, because he called Ron by the wrong name again, Ron became angry.
The angry Ron used too much force when juicing pods. With a whoosh, one flew toward Aiden.
Just as the pod was about to enter the cauldron, a pale hand reached out and caught it.
Seeing this, Harry ran toward Aiden, preparing to help Ron retrieve the pod.
Behind him, Ron and Hermione had a small quarrel.
"Horace should make you and McLaggen the Slug King and Queen," Ron said, his tone sour.
"Hey, I was planning to invite you to come with me," Hermione said, thinking Ron was being unreasonable.
"You decided to invite me!" Ron asked, but his voice completely changed.
"Yes," Hermione said huffily. "If you'd rather I be friends with McLaggen..."
Both fell silent at the same time, each looking frantically elsewhere.
"No, I wouldn't..." Ron said in a very soft voice.
Aiden took this scene in, handing the pod to Harry.
"Look, three really is a crowd," Aiden said, teasing Harry.
Harry fell into silence. He was completely certain his two friends' relationship seemed to be rapidly souring.
After Harry left, Ethan and Edmund came over.
"Ha, three really is a crowd?" Ethan said, raising his eyebrows at Aiden.
"What, you want to get together with Edmund to make us crowded?" Aiden said. He was merciless.
He snapped his fingers, making Ethan feel Edmund was extremely charming. Before hearts appeared in his eyes, Aiden reversed the spell.
"Damn it, what spell did you use on me!"
Ethan stepped back several steps. Thinking of the strange thoughts in his mind, goosebumps rose all over his body.
"What's wrong with him?" Edmund asked. He noticed Ethan's momentary wrongness and cast a puzzled look at Aiden.
"I just made him try loving you. Want to try too?" Magic sparkled on Aiden's fingers.
Edmund swallowed. "I'll pass on that."
Potions class ended. Aiden decided to follow Ron to watch their training.
Over the years since Aiden enrolled, Gryffindor's team had maintained no fewer than two Weasley family members in it.
If you counted Aunt Molly's favorite youngest son, there should be three.
"By the way, aren't you worried I'll leak intelligence by inviting me to watch the practice match? Like your tactics and personnel arrangements?"
Following behind the two wearing protective gear and holding brooms, Aiden scratched his head.
"Leak to whom? Ravenclaw?" Ron said, showing an amused expression.
"Ah..." Aiden felt his house had been insulted, but there seemed to be no way to refute it.
After all, getting a group of individualists to coordinate was really too difficult.
Moreover, Ethan had even managed to become Quidditch team captain.
Passing through the corridor, the three saw Dean kissing Ginny again.
Seeing this scene, Harry didn't know why sadness and irritation arose in his heart.
Ron erupted in fury. "Ginny, how can you kiss in public? Do you know how much shame such behavior brings to the family? This is..."
Seeing Ron's anger, Dean awkwardly left.
Ginny was embarrassed by her brother's inexplicable fit.
"My business is none of your concern. And please manage yourself first. You've never been kissed by anyone in your whole life!" Ginny let out a sharp laugh.
"You..." Ron's face turned completely red. Harry held Ginny while Aiden grabbed Ron.
"Have you been kissing Pigwidgeon all along, or hiding a photo of Great-Auntie Muriel under your pillow!" Ginny said, pulling at Harry's shoulder.
Then a yellow spell extended from Ron's finger. Aiden pressed him against the wall while a silver tail extended from beneath his robes, crushing the spell in midair.
"Don't do anything foolish, Ron!" Aiden's heterochromatic pupils stared, releasing a calming effect on him.
"Harry and Cho Chang have been intimate!" Ginny was still shouting. "Hermione's been intimate with Krum, too. As for Aiden, plenty of people want to be intimate with him. Only you, Ron, see it as something disgusting. That's because you have the experience of a twelve-year-old child!"
"Ginny," Aiden said, his voice carrying a trace of dragon majesty. "Enough."
Ginny froze at Aiden's tone. With a defiant toss of her head, she stormed off down the corridor.
"Teenage rebellion at its finest," Aiden muttered, releasing his grip on Ron.
"She went too far!" Ron slumped against the wall and slid to the ground, looking utterly defeated.
Harry stood nearby, unable to shake the image of Ginny from his mind. The more he replayed the scene, the more confused he felt. When had things changed? When had he started seeing her differently—not as Ron's little sister, but as someone fierce and brilliant who understood him better than anyone?
Ron leaned his head back against the stone wall, Hermione's face flashing through his mind—laughing with Krum at the Yule Ball, holding his arm. Ginny's words echoed: "Hermione's been intimate with Krum too."
Aiden glanced between the two lovesick idiots. So much for watching Quidditch practice.
"Forget it. You two head to training. I'm going back."
He left them there and made his way through the castle corridors toward the headmaster's office. When he reached the gargoyle guardian, it stepped aside without requiring a password—a small perk of his unique position at Hogwarts.
Inside, the circular office was quiet. An expected visitor sat in one of the chairs, teacup in hand, having clearly been waiting some time.