Dudley pursed his lips tightly. He had known Dumbledore wouldn't let him escape so easily.
"Very well, you may all return now. Please remember to comfort the students in your respective houses," Dumbledore addressed the remaining professors.
"Professor Dumbledore, how should we explain the dragon situation to the students?" Flitwick inquired nervously.
The appearance of a fire dragon above the Forbidden Forest had been witnessed by countless people and certainly couldn't be concealed. Even more remarkably, legends about a dragon knight were already spreading like wildfire throughout the castle.
The only mystery that remained was the identity of the person riding the dragon's back. Based on what Professor Dumbledore had just revealed, the rider could only be one of two people: Hagrid or Dudley. Given Hagrid's unmistakable massive frame, there was really only one logical answer.
Dumbledore pondered for a long moment, as if weighing some momentous decision, before finally speaking. "Gryffindor first-year student Dudley Dursley rode a fire dragon to prevent a dark wizard from invading Hogwarts, successfully defending our school's safety. Five hundred points to Gryffindor."
As his words settled over the room, complete silence descended. Everyone's gaze shifted between Dumbledore and Dudley, uncertain whether the headmaster had lost his mind or if something even stranger was occurring.
"Professor Dumbledore..." Snape's face contorted with barely contained fury.
This transcended mere favoritism. This was blatantly handing the House Cup directly to Dudley while simultaneously elevating his reputation among the entire student body to legendary status. If word of this spread, he could only imagine the hero's welcome Dudley would receive throughout Hogwarts.
"That will be all. You may depart now," Dumbledore said with a dismissive wave, clearly unwilling to elaborate further.
Professor McGonagall opened her mouth as if to protest but ultimately remained silent. Five hundred points! Gryffindor hadn't claimed the House Cup in years. If Dudley had truly accomplished what Dumbledore described, then awarding these points seemed entirely justified.
The professors from rival houses could only grimace and accept the situation. After all, Dudley wasn't their student to claim credit for.
Once everyone had departed, Dumbledore's office fell into heavy silence. Dumbledore studied Dudley intently while Dudley returned his gaze with equal intensity. Neither spoke.
Attempting to purchase Dudley's cooperation with five hundred points showed how little Dumbledore understood him. Dudley wasn't some easily manipulated child who could be bought with academic rewards.
Regarding Dumbledore's behavior throughout this entire year, Dudley harbored numerous grievances. All of this accumulated disappointment had crystallized into complete disillusionment with the famous headmaster.
Different paths indeed led to different destinations. Emperor Russell's wisdom rang true once again.
Given Dudley's current opinion of Dumbledore, he would never entrust the old wizard with anything important again.
"Professor Dumbledore, since I've completed the assignment you gave me, may I take my leave now?" Dudley stood and spoke with formal politeness.
"Dudley, is there truly nothing you wish to discuss with me?" Dumbledore's piercing blue eyes searched his face intently.
"Nothing whatsoever," Dudley replied without hesitation.
He had abandoned any pretense of respect or deference.
"If there's nothing else requiring my attention, then I'll return to my dormitory," Dudley said with a polite nod before turning toward the door.
Dumbledore watched Dudley's retreating figure with deepening concern. He couldn't explain why, but observing Dudley's departure filled him with an almost mystical sense of foreboding, as if echoes from another lifetime were warning him.
An inner voice insisted that if Dudley left under these circumstances, he would forever forfeit the young man's trust and cooperation.
"Dudley." Just as Dudley reached for the office door handle, Dumbledore called out.
"Yes, Professor Dumbledore?" Dudley paused without turning around, his voice maintaining perfect calm.
"What is your relationship with the Night Emperor?" Dumbledore asked directly.
Dudley's eyes narrowed slightly. He half-turned, regarding Professor Dumbledore with a sideways glance. So, he had been discovered after all.
With Dumbledore's legendary insight, it would have been more surprising if he hadn't deduced the truth. Especially after Dudley had ridden Norbert into battle against Voldemort-possessed Quirrell. How could any ordinary eleven-year-old accomplish such a feat? Most children that age could barely manage basic spells, and under Voldemort's terrifying presence, they would likely be paralyzed with fear rather than capable of combat.
Yet Dudley had not only fought Quirrell to a standstill but had actually forced Voldemort to abandon his host and flee in desperation. Even experienced Aurors would struggle to achieve such results.
Dudley drew a slow, deliberate breath and began silently reciting that sacred honorific in his mind.
"You are the supreme Emperor. The embodiment of order, the manifestation of chaos, the source of all rules. You are order, and you are disorder!"
His astral form rapidly ascended, streaking toward that magnificent celestial hall.
"The Night Emperor represents a truly mysterious and formidable presence," Dumbledore continued thoughtfully. "He materialized at Gringotts to battle Quirrell and Voldemort, effortlessly overwhelming them before vanishing without a trace despite being surrounded by numerous powerful wizards."
"Shortly afterward, he appeared at Hogwarts to warn me about evil infiltrating our school. Then he quietly claimed the Philosopher's Stone from beneath our most sophisticated protections."
"Magic, or whatever force he wields, always leaves traces. At Gringotts, the Night Emperor's manifestation required someone nearby to control it. It wasn't Hagrid, wasn't Harry, and wasn't any other wizard present at that location. Therefore, after eliminating all other possibilities, the remaining answer, however improbable, must be correct."
"Wouldn't you agree, Dudley?"
Dumbledore's hands were steepled beneath his chin, his gaze penetrating through his half-moon spectacles as if he had already unraveled every secret.
"You've discovered my truth, Professor Dumbledore," Dudley acknowledged with a slight smile.
Buzz!
Suddenly, brilliant light descended from above Dudley like a divine spotlight. The very gates of heaven seemed to burst open, and overwhelming supernatural authority flooded down from the celestial realm, saturating every corner of Dumbledore's office with otherworldly power.
"Professor Dumbledore, do you perceive His presence now?" Dudley asked with quiet amusement.
At that moment, Dumbledore's expression transformed into something approaching terror. He felt a crushing, oppressive force radiating from within that luminous column. In the endless heights above, he glimpsed flowing halos and towering stone pillars supporting the heavens themselves, forming an incomparably magnificent hall. Six-winged angels soared through that sacred space, their forms blazing with holy radiance.
A majestic figure sat enthroned above it all, shrouded in impenetrable mist.
Dumbledore managed only the briefest glance, just a single moment of direct observation, before crying out in agony as his spirit suffered devastating damage. He couldn't imagine what would happen if he had truly beheld that figure in its complete glory. Instant death seemed likely.
"Professor Dumbledore, I forgot to offer you fair warning," Dudley said with mock concern.
"One must never gaze directly upon God!"