"I'm so sorry, Miss Hamilton." Back in the safety of their private parlor at the Leaky Cauldron, Mr. Lupin looked deeply embarrassed. His tired face was lined with genuine apology. "If I had just held onto you tighter during that stampede..."
"This... this isn't your fault... Mr. Lupin," Lyla said softly, pursing her lips.
He was her first real friend. How could she possibly blame her friend? Moreover, if she hadn't been separated from Mr. Lupin, Miss Lovegood would have been in terrible danger in Knockturn Alley.
Therefore, Lyla—who was naturally prone to catastrophic self-blame—whispered, "It was my own fault for wandering off and getting lost in Knockturn Alley."
Indeed, Knockturn Alley... It was hard to imagine such a place existing. An entire street dedicated to Dark Wizards and illicit, dangerous dealings, located right next door to Diagon Alley, the bustling heart of the British Wizarding World.
The busybodies at the Ministry of Magic had apparently never done anything about it. What a strange bunch, Lyla thought.
And Dumbledore? He loved to preach about justice and play the hero against Lord Grindelwald, yet he couldn't even clean up Knockturn Alley right in his own backyard?
Is this guy truly past his prime? Thinking this, Lyla peeked over at Dumbledore, who had been sitting silently in the corner this entire time.
He was smiling gently at the two of them, but even so, Lyla's sharp instincts sensed he remained vigilant. His arms were crossed, and one hand was resting gently near the pocket holding his wand.
She absolutely shouldn't underestimate Albus Dumbledore.
Hmm? What is he smiling about?
Lyla thought for a moment, half-opening her mouth to demand Dumbledore tell her what was so funny, but she instinctively snapped it shut, a little afraid of his sharp gaze.
Dumbledore saw her reaction clearly.
"Miss Hamilton, is there something you would like to say?"
"Ah... um..." Lyla's body trembled as Dumbledore suddenly addressed her. Her pointed ears instinctively twitched, pushing against her hood.
"No... nothing." She couldn't very well tell the Headmaster of Hogwarts that she thought he was an old, useless hypocrite, could she?
Poking her index fingers together nervously, she stammered, "I was just... just thinking about what to do next..."
Finding a casual excuse to brush him off was definitely the smartest move.
"What to do next?" Mr. Lupin was taken aback, and even Dumbledore looked surprised.
Why... why are you both staring at me like that?
Being fixed with two intense, questioning gazes, Lyla panicked. She stammered, "Next... I... I have to find... find something to do, right? It's still... two months until... the school term starts, isn't it?"
Mr. Lupin raised an eyebrow, instinctively wanting to tell Lyla that she could simply relax. She had, after all, only just woken up from a fifty-year magical coma.
But Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, and he spoke first. "As a matter of fact, Miss Hamilton, I happen to have a task I would like to ask of you."
"Ah?!" Lyla's blue eyes widened. There... there really is something?!
I was just making an excuse, Dumbledore! Don't take it seriously!
"I just..." Lyla quickly tried to backtrack and refuse, but facing Dumbledore's heavy, gentle gaze, her words caught in her throat. She couldn't bring herself to speak.
"It is quite simple," Dumbledore chuckled lightly, shifting in his armchair. "It concerns the Ministry of Magic."
"The Min-Min-Min-Ministry of Magic?!" Lyla shrank back against the wall, her pale face draining of what little color it had left.
Lyla, who was already agonizingly shy, didn't want to deal with strangers—let alone the infuriating Ministry of Magic. Government Aurors had not only hunted and imprisoned her once before, but they had also repeatedly disrupted Lord Grindelwald's great plans...
"Do not worry," Dumbledore said gently, sensing her terror but completely misunderstanding the source. "Grindelwald's era has long passed. The British Ministry of Magic operates very differently from the Ministries in mainland Europe."
What do you mean, Grindelwald's era has passed?! Lyla pursed her lips, wanting to argue furiously, but she didn't dare.
Regardless of how the Ministry had changed, she desperately shook her head, wanting to refuse any involvement with them.
"Recently, the Ministry has decided to conduct a widespread search for Dark artifacts," Dumbledore continued casually, completely ignoring Lyla's frantic head-shaking. "They requested that Hogwarts send a professor to act as a consultant during the raids."
"I believe you, Miss Hamilton, are an absolutely stellar candidate for the job."
"I... I can't do it..." Lyla squeaked softly.
Mr. Lupin nodded slightly in agreement. It was clear that he, too, felt the traumatized, highly anxious girl was an incredibly poor choice for Ministry raids.
"You are being far too modest, Miss Hamilton." Dumbledore laughed. "If my intelligence is correct... you possess a profound understanding of Magic Array Studies, do you not?"
"Magic Array Studies?" Hearing the unfamiliar term, Mr. Lupin was stunned. He looked at Dumbledore curiously. Does Hogwarts even offer this course?
"Ah... Remus," Dumbledore turned to Lupin, explaining patiently. "Magic Array Studies is a relatively obscure and profound discipline, but a highly specialized one with widespread applications."
"It involves the complex enchanting of objects using ancient runes and layered spellwork. For example, the Sorting Hat, the Pensieve in my office, and even the Hogwarts House point hourglasses—all of these artifacts have an inseparable connection to Magic Array Studies."
"But as to the precise mechanics of a Magic Array..." Dumbledore turned his twinkling eyes back to Lyla. "Miss Hamilton surely knows far more than I do."
Mr. Lupin looked at Lyla. To his utter surprise, the timid, trembling young woman suddenly looked incredibly excited.
"Dumbledore, you actually know about Magic Array Studies?!" Lyla's head snapped up. Her blue eyes were shining with the pure joy of finding a kindred spirit, and she didn't stutter a single word.
"Then, Miss Hamilton..." Mr. Lupin pursed his lips, watching her sudden transformation. "What exactly is a Magic Array?"
"In short, Magic Array Studies is the highly advanced study of engraving complex, self-sustaining magic onto physical objects using runic matrices and layered spells! These objects, once engraved with a functional array, become practical, permanent magical artifacts!"
Before Mr. Lupin had even finished his question, Lyla excitedly launched into her lecture. Her tone was unprecedentedly steady, confident, and completely devoid of pauses.
"Ah... I see..." Mr. Lupin smiled politely, looking as though he didn't quite grasp the concept.
But Lyla had no intention of slowing down to explain the basics. She continued volubly, "For example, the Sorting Hat at Hogwarts, which is capable of Legilimency to judge a person's inner thoughts and character, is a prime example of a sentient array product!"
"Furthermore, although there are countless artifacts powered by Magic Arrays in the world today, very few wizards actually understand the underlying discipline! Most people simply use the artifacts without ever paying attention to the intricate runic principles that allow them to function..."
"Please, wait just a moment, Miss Hamilton," Mr. Lupin finally had to interrupt, his head spinning slightly. He had the distinct feeling that if he didn't stop her, she would lecture on runic matrices for the next three hours.
"Ah... ah, sorry..." Lyla snapped out of her trance and quickly clamped her hands over her mouth.
She had started rambling about her "boring" obsession again. Most wizards had absolutely zero interest in the grueling mathematics of Magic Array Studies. Lyla was a massive exception.
She had possessed a burning passion for the subject since childhood. In fact, her obsession with arrays was exactly how she had accidentally blown up a building and ended up in a wizarding prison as a teenager!
Despite her past trauma, Lyla still held boundless enthusiasm for the subject and constantly hoped to meet others who understood its beauty.
Unfortunately, besides her late father... Dumbledore was the very first person she had met who even mentioned the discipline.
Why did it have to be Dumbledore? Lyla didn't want to consider her master's greatest enemy a kindred spirit!
But... Magic Array Studies...
Unable to help herself, she asked eagerly, "Dum... D-D-Dumbledore... your knowledge of Magic Array Studies...?"
"I apologize, Miss Hamilton, but my understanding of the subject is merely superficial," Dumbledore admitted with a helpless sigh. "The only reason I know of it at all is because, during the war with Grindelwald, we encountered dozens of lethal Magic Array traps defending his fortress at Nurmengard."
"My forces suffered quite terribly trying to dismantle them."
"Ah... I see..." Lyla ducked her head, suddenly feeling incredibly awkward.
She absolutely did not want Dumbledore to know that she was the one who had designed and engraved all of those lethal traps at Nurmengard!
Changing the subject quickly, she asked softly, "Then... what does Magic Array Studies have to do with... the Ministry of Magic?"
"The Ministry's current operation is to raid the homes of suspected Dark Wizards to recover and destroy illegal Dark artifacts," Dumbledore explained, lowering his voice slightly. "The targets are almost exclusively wealthy, pure-blood families."
"Their ancestral manors have been inherited for centuries, and many contain highly obscure, ancient Magic Array mechanisms."
"To prevent these families from utilizing hidden arrays to conceal their Dark artifacts from the Aurors, I believe you are the most qualified consultant in Britain."
Dumbledore leaned forward, peering over his half-moon spectacles at the hesitant Lyla. "It is said that many of the runic mechanisms hidden in these ancient manors have long been lost to history... Some are even entirely unique, the only ones of their kind left in the world."
"Un... unique... l-l-long lost?!" Lyla's eyes widened to the size of saucers. Her face flushed with uncontrollable academic excitement.
Finally, she took a deep breath. Gathering every ounce of her courage, she declared, "I... I'm willing to go!"
"That is wonderful news," Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling brightly.
Watching this exchange from the sidelines, Mr. Lupin pursed his lips. He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but Headmaster Dumbledore's persuasion tactics seemed incredibly manipulative.
Honestly, Headmaster, Lupin thought, why do you look exactly like a wizard offering candy to lure away a gullible child?
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