More than half an hour later, everyone finally emerged from the depths of the Forbidden Forest.
"Thank goodness you're all safe!" Hagrid had been pacing anxiously outside the forest perimeter, and seeing Dudley and the others emerge unharmed brought visible tears to his eyes. He couldn't help wiping them away with his massive hands.
"We're perfectly fine, Hagrid," Harry said, trying to sound reassuring despite his own exhaustion.
"I've already dispatched an owl to Professor Dumbledore explaining what transpired in the forest. He should be returning shortly," Hagrid rambled nervously, his words tumbling over each other. "Honestly, of all times for Professor Dumbledore to be absent! How could such terrible events unfold otherwise?"
"Perhaps his absence was intentional?" Dudley suggested with casual indifference.
"What do you mean by that?" Hagrid's beetle-black eyes widened with confusion.
"Nothing important," Dudley replied dismissively, clearly uninterested in elaborating further.
The assembled professors exchanged meaningful glances at Dudley's comment but chose to remain silent for the moment.
"We should proceed to Dumbledore's office and await his return there," Professor McGonagall announced, carefully cradling the newly reborn Fawkes against her emerald robes.
Nobody raised objections, and the entire group moved as one toward the castle. Despite the ferocity of the recent magical combat, fortunately none of them had sustained anything worse than minor scrapes and bruises.
Once they'd settled into Dumbledore's circular office, an uncomfortable silence descended over everyone present. The magical instruments hummed and whirred softly in the background, but no one seemed inclined toward conversation.
Fortunately, Dumbledore didn't leave them waiting in awkward quiet for long. After perhaps fifteen minutes, the office door opened and he strode inside with his usual measured pace.
"Professor Dumbledore!" "Headmaster!" "Professor!" Multiple voices erupted simultaneously as everyone turned toward the elderly wizard.
"I'm fully aware of what transpired today. This entire situation represents my failure, and I offer my sincere apologies to all of you," Dumbledore said immediately, accepting complete responsibility without hesitation. "However, please allow me to hear the details. One person at a time, if you would. There's no need to rush."
His calm authority brought immediate quiet to the crowded office. Dumbledore settled behind his ornate desk, his sharp blue eyes surveying each person present before finally coming to rest on Dudley.
"Dudley, perhaps you'd begin by sharing your account?" Dumbledore requested.
This opening surprised everyone in the room, as they'd all anticipated he would start with the professors, particularly McGonagall or Snape, who had witnessed more of the overall situation.
"I have absolutely nothing to contribute," Dudley stated coldly, deliberately avoiding even looking in Dumbledore's direction.
His hostile response sent ripples of shock through the assembled group. Nobody had expected such open defiance toward the headmaster.
"Dursley!" Professor McGonagall's voice cracked like a whip as she glared at him disapprovingly. She had originally planned to speak favorably about his heroic actions, but his antagonistic attitude made such support nearly impossible.
"How refreshingly arrogant," Snape observed with obvious satisfaction, clearly relishing this opportunity to criticize Dudley publicly.
"It appears our young Interrogator harbors some misconceptions about my methods. That's perfectly understandable, and we'll address those concerns privately later," Dumbledore replied with remarkable composure, showing neither surprise nor anger at the rebuke. He simply redirected his attention to the others present.
"In that case, Harry, would you be willing to describe what occurred?" Dumbledore asked gently.
"Well... I..." Harry stammered uncertainly, his gaze instinctively seeking Dudley's reaction. Since Dudley possessed the most complete understanding of events, and several crucial details directly involved him including Norbert's role, it would be extremely difficult to provide an accurate account without his cooperation.
"Perhaps that's not the best approach. Professor McGonagall, would you mind sharing what you witnessed?" Dumbledore suggested after noticing Harry's obvious discomfort.
"Certainly, though I must admit my knowledge of the specifics remains quite limited. Earlier this afternoon, young Malfoy came rushing into my office in a state of considerable distress..." Professor McGonagall began recounting the day's events as she understood them.
Her account was indeed sparse on details. Without Malfoy's urgent warning, she would likely have remained oblivious to any problem until the spectacular aerial battle erupted above the Forbidden Forest, just like her fellow professors.
"Given the considerable distance involved, I attempted several offensive spells but was unable to strike the dark wizard effectively. Eventually he descended to ground level for reasons I cannot explain. When I finally reached the scene, Harry informed me that the attacker had been Professor Quirrell, who was apparently possessed by You-Know-Who... by Voldemort... and that he had been completely destroyed, though Voldemort's soul fragment seemed to have escaped during the confrontation."
Professor McGonagall visibly struggled to overcome her deeply ingrained fear of speaking the Dark Lord's name aloud, but she managed to complete her testimony with admirable determination.
Dumbledore absorbed this information in thoughtful silence before turning his attention toward Snape. Reading the unspoken cue perfectly, Snape proceeded to describe his own experiences from the afternoon, culminating with his discovery that Voldemort had potentially succeeded in claiming the Philosopher's Stone from their carefully constructed defenses.
"That particular concern is entirely unnecessary. I relocated the genuine Philosopher's Stone weeks ago as a precautionary measure. Voldemort obtained nothing more than an elaborate decoy," Dumbledore announced with perfect tranquility.
"Thank Merlin!" The collective sigh of relief was almost audible as everyone present visibly relaxed.
They all understood that Voldemort desperately sought the Stone to restore his physical form and return to full power. Had he actually succeeded in that goal, the entire wizarding world would have been plunged back into the darkest chapter of its history. Learning that Professor Dumbledore had anticipated this possibility and taken appropriate countermeasures earned their renewed admiration while simultaneously alleviating their worst fears.
"Regarding the broader situation, I believe these particular Gryffindor students need to provide explanations for their unauthorized presence in the Forbidden Forest, the mysterious appearance of a fire dragon in that location, and..." Snape's dark gaze fixed meaningfully on Dudley as he allowed his implications to hang in the air.
"This entire operation was specifically assigned to Mr. Dursley under my direct authority. His performance throughout has been nothing short of exemplary. He completed every aspect of the mission I entrusted to him with remarkable skill and dedication!" Dumbledore declared without the slightest change in his serene expression.
"What!" The explosion of shocked voices filled the office as everyone stared in complete disbelief. Not a single person had anticipated that all of these extraordinary events had been orchestrated by Dumbledore himself.
Dudley felt the corner of his mouth twitch involuntarily. These elaborate fabrications flowed from Dumbledore's lips with such smooth confidence, delivered without even the faintest hint of hesitation or uncertainty. If Dudley didn't possess complete knowledge of what had actually transpired, he might very well have accepted these explanations as gospel truth.
"Professor Dumbledore, are you suggesting that..." Snape's voice carried obvious skepticism as he struggled to reconcile this revelation with his own observations.
"The Norwegian Ridgeback was deliberately raised within the Forbidden Forest through the combined efforts of Hagrid and Dudley, acting under my specific instructions, as preparation for exactly this type of emergency situation. Based on today's events, I'd say it fulfilled its intended purpose quite admirably during the battle," Dumbledore elaborated with the same unshakeable calm.
"Of course! That explains everything perfectly. Otherwise, how could young Dudley have possibly maintained such an extended defense against such overwhelming odds?" Professor Flitwick immediately chimed in with enthusiastic approval.
"I must confess I was thoroughly puzzled by the entire sequence of events, but now everything falls into perfect logical order," another professor added with vigorous nodding.
Dumbledore's carefully constructed explanation seemed both eminently reasonable and entirely convincing to his faculty. Even Professor McGonagall's expression brightened with pleasant surprise and renewed respect.
Indeed, Hogwarts simply could not function properly without Headmaster Dumbledore's guiding wisdom. Even during his physical absence from the school grounds, apparently nothing that occurred within its boundaries escaped his foresight and preparation. His planning seemed almost prophetic in its precision.
Dudley decided that further commentary would serve no useful purpose. This crafty old wizard certainly possessed an impressive talent for enhancing his own reputation through selective storytelling. However, since these particular fabrications actually helped resolve several of Dudley's more pressing concerns, and since the arrangement benefited both parties involved, he saw no compelling reason to expose the deception publicly.
These pronouncements left Harry, Ron, and Hermione in a state of complete bewilderment, as if they suddenly existed in an entirely different reality from everyone else in the room.
"I suspect Harry and his friends must be absolutely exhausted after their ordeal and are desperately in need of proper rest and recovery. Professor McGonagall, would you be so kind as to escort them safely back to Gryffindor Tower?" Dumbledore suggested with grandfatherly concern.
"Certainly, Headmaster," Professor McGonagall agreed readily.
"However, Dudley will remain here with me," Dumbledore added smoothly as he noticed Dudley rising to depart with the other students.