A flash of silver light, and Evans had arrived at the headmaster's office door on the eighth floor. Recalling the password Dumbledore had given him earlier, Evans's expression couldn't help but turn strange as he spoke softly.
"Sherbet Lemon... what kind of bizarre combination is that?"
The gargoyle jumped aside. The spiral staircase appeared before him.
Following the stairs up to the headmaster's office, the nighttime room flickered with warm fireplace glow and oil lamp light. Fawkes was perched on his branch, grooming what little feathers he had left.
Seeing Evans enter, he called out excitedly, then shrank back with obvious embarrassment.
A phoenix in the final stages before rebirth wasn't particularly ugly, but it still couldn't compare to the magnificent bird it once was. For Fawkes, losing most of his feathers felt shameful.
However, Evans didn't care about appearances. He pulled out a seed emitting a faint red glow from his pocket and spread it open in his palm.
"Volcano stone tree seed. Your favourite."
Seeing the seed in Evans's hand, Fawkes's eyes lit up instantly. He abandoned his shame, flew to Evans's shoulder, and with a gentle peck, swallowed the seed whole.
Then, an extremely weak flame ignited on his back, writhing continuously as if digesting that extraordinary seed.
"Volcano stone tree... haven't seen that plant in ages." Closing his fairy tale book, Dumbledore's azure eyes showed curiosity. "Where'd you get it?"
"Stock from Egypt years ago. Been saving it to condition Fawkes' body when he's about to be reborn." Evans examined Fawkes' wings and claws, confirming there weren't any problems before pulling up a nearby chair. He placed Fawkes on the table to carefully observe every part of his body. "Also trying to see if I can lure him away."
Although Fawkes had already experienced many rebirths, physical examinations before rebirth were still necessary. Eliminating hidden dangers in advance could enhance the strength of his next body.
"Lure him away?" Dumbledore's eyes showed interested amusement. "I'm quite looking forward to seeing if you can lure Fawkes away despite our contract."
Hearing this, Evans immediately seized the opportunity, pinching Fawkes' beak. "Did you hear that? He doesn't seem to want you anymore. Want to come with me?"
Giving Dumbledore a reproachful glance, Fawkes turned his head away with an air of cutting all ties.
"Alright, alright, I was wrong. Forgive me, won't you?" Dumbledore laughed, raising his hands in surrender. He looked at Evans, who'd begun examining Fawkes' legs. "About that Chimaera matter, I found you a wizard very knowledgeable about curses. He's quite busy recently, though. Won't be able to come to the school until he finishes his affairs in a few days."
"Speaking of which, he's wanted to meet you for a long time. Just never found the opportunity."
Lifting Fawkes' left wing, Evans didn't look up. "Who is it?"
Showing a mischievous smile, Dumbledore shook his head.
"Let me keep it a mystery. You'll know when the time comes."
"Tch, childish." Rolling his eyes, Evans ignored Dumbledore and focused on conditioning Fawkes' body.
Grooming stray feathers, adjusting posture, and checking flame intensity and this year's hidden injuries. Time slowly passed.
Dumbledore didn't disturb Evans further and reopened his fairy tale book, reading with great interest.
Although Evans had only seen one phoenix in his lifetime—Fawkes—ever since Dumbledore had acknowledged him, he'd been handling Fawkes' pre-rebirth conditioning every year. To ensure Fawkes gained something from each rebirth, he'd read through all the books about phoenixes in the entire Restricted Section.
By now, even Dumbledore didn't understand phoenix creatures as well as he did.
After all, there was specialisation in different fields. Old Dumbledore usually had headmaster duties and magical research. Though he'd known Fawkes for a long time and helped condition him many times, he was ultimately too busy to deeply study this area.
The examination continued until deep into the night. When Evans finally stopped, Fawkes had become a completely bald, large bird.
"In another month, he should be ready for rebirth, right?" Looking at the bald bird, Dumbledore spoke with emotion. "In the blink of an eye, another year's passed."
"Mm, roughly during Christmas. No more than two days' margin of error." Putting the tools from the table back in his pocket, Evans looked at Dumbledore. "There's something I need to discuss with you."
"What is it?" Closing the book in his hands, Dumbledore studied him.
Without speaking directly, Evans pulled out that mist-covered map of the Forbidden Forest from his pocket. He spread it before Dumbledore and began explaining from the Chimaera incident a month ago.
"About a month ago, when Hagrid and I encountered that Chimaera, we heard about a great lake from that little creature..."
After hearing Evans's account, Dumbledore frowned slightly.
"You mean there might be some very ancient magic existing in the Forbidden Forest that's still functioning today?" He paused. "I remember you mentioned that in fourth year, you discovered a seal deep in the forest."
"Yes, but this thing's different from that seal." Evans's tone grew serious. "That seal posed no harm—it should just be a wizard's puzzle or inheritance. But this so-called great lake... the curse that affected the Chimaera is far too dangerous. And that trap capable of teleporting magical creatures from other regions worries me."
"If you've got time, it'd be best if you came with me to take a look."
After pondering for a long time, Dumbledore asked softly, "Can you roughly estimate its specific location? How long would it take us to get there by broomstick or other means?"
The Forbidden Forest's range was simply too vast. Without knowing what the destination looked like, they couldn't Apparate there. They could only rely on basic transportation.
"According to the little Chimaera's description, its mother took a week to return from there. The Demiguise's mother travelled for nearly half a month to reach that wasteland."
"However, they couldn't have been travelling at full speed. Ground movement can't compare to flying broomsticks. Conservatively estimating, we could make a round trip in about three to four days."
"Three to four days..." After pondering, Dumbledore nodded gently. "Christmas then. After Fawkes' rebirth is complete, we'll go take a look together. By then, if the curse specialist I'm looking for hasn't left yet, we can bring him along too."
"No problem."
Nodding, seeing that everything was settled, Evans stood up, preparing to leave.
But just then, a pair of dentures on the bookshelf suddenly opened. Professor McGonagall's voice came from inside.
"Something's happened, Albus. You'd better come take a look in the abandoned corridor on the seventh floor."
After the voice ended, the two men in the headmaster's office looked at each other.
Dumbledore stood up and took his wand.
Evans reached out to place his hand on Dumbledore's shoulder.
Together, they transformed into an arc of light and disappeared.