The passage of time had transformed the vibrant autumn colors of the Hogwarts grounds into a vast, silent blanket of white snow with the arrival of winter.
Aurelian Gaunt walked slowly through the corridors, feeling the icy air seeping into the castle. Three turbulent months had already passed since the disastrous incident with the Obscurial. Now, the castle was immersed in the frenetic yet beautiful energy that preceded the holidays; it was only a few days until Christmas, and the vast majority of students would board the Hogwarts Express to return home for the end-of-year break.
For Aurelian, the festive decorations and atmosphere brought with them bittersweet news.
It meant that time was slipping through his fingers like sand, and he was getting closer and closer to finishing his seventh and final year at school.
Honestly, Aurelian wanted to stay at Hogwarts for this Christmas. Since it would be the last time he could enjoy the holiday at the castle, he longed for the cold, peaceful solitude those days offered—to simply walk through the deserted hallways, lose himself in the library without any interruptions, and just breathe. However, his father had other plans. Lord Voldemort had sent him a letter, explicitly asking him—which, in the Dark Lord's vocabulary, amounted to an order he could not question—to return home for the holidays to discuss some family and political matters of the utmost urgency. Yeah… something really boring.
Over the course of those last three months of tense calm, several notable events had taken place at the school. For one thing, following the revelation that the previous janitor was a monster in human form, the position had been left vacant. To avoid the risk of hiring a new janitor who might turn out to be another infiltrated assassin, the school board and the teachers decided that the castle's house elves would take on that task in plain sight, at least until the school year ended and they could choose someone more carefully. If Aurelian was honest, the little ones were doing a really good job; the hallways shone like never before, and the armor didn't even creak; even the ghosts were happy with this change.
But without a doubt, the best part—and what he liked most about those months—was that the infamous training club had finally come to an end.
He, Hestia, and Flora rejoiced from the bottom of their hearts at the end of the sessions (which were almost daily). Aurelian couldn't help but let out a little laugh as he recalled the club's last day. When he announced the end of their classes, dozens of students from the four houses approached to thank them for helping them improve their magic and for teaching them how to survive.
The beautiful Carrow sisters didn't know how to react to the avalanche of gratitude and admiration from so many students. Aurelian had never seen his lethal and proud fiancées behave so tenderly in public. They had turned as red as tomatoes, stammering half-hearted insults and averting their gazes to the floor, completely flustered. Though, of course, their moment of weakness didn't last long. In the end, overcome with embarrassment, they reverted to being the sadistic witches they always were, casting curses into the air and yelling at everyone to get out of the room before they skinned them alive.
The echo of his own footsteps brought Aurelian back to the present. Today was an important day for the castle, an event that would mark the beginning of the end of the year.
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore would finally reappear in public. After three months of intensive care at St. Mungo's Hospital following his exposure to the lethal blast from the abomination Grindelwald had sent their way, the Archmage had fully recovered and would preside over tonight's banquet.
Aurelian was heading toward the Great Hall for dinner. Hestia and Flora, eager to secure their usual seats at the Slytherin table, had left the dungeons first after giving him a quick goodbye kiss.
Instead of hurrying to get there, Aurelian stopped in front of one of the large windows in the first-floor hallway. He rested a hand on the frame and looked out.
The full moon hung high in the night sky, reflecting like a mirror on the frozen surface of the Black Lake. The view was simply beautiful, a reminder of the history that castle held and that, in the grand scheme of things, they were all merely a speck of dust in the history of the universe.
Aurelian smiled; it was a gentle smile. He sighed, letting his breath fog the glass slightly. When he walked through those doors for the last time in June and embarked on his new, colossal ambition to conquer the stars, the world would change forever.
But no matter how vast his empire grew or how far he went in his space career, Aurelian knew deep down in his heart that he would miss walking through the halls of Hogwarts.
After all, who wouldn't want to learn magic and walk through this beautiful castle… that had always been his dream.
The bustle in the Great Hall was unusually warm. Aurelian walked over to the Slytherin table and took his usual seat between Hestia and Flora, who greeted him with small smiles and subtle touches beneath the table.
As he surveyed his surroundings, Aurelian noticed that the atmosphere was extraordinarily calm and pleasant. The rigid, age-old segregation by house seemed to have vanished. There were Gryffindors sitting among the Slytherins, sharing stories; Hufflepuffs laughing heartily at the Ravenclaw table; and so on throughout the hall. The barriers had fallen.
Thanks to their joint effort and the sweat poured out in the training club, the four houses got along better than ever. Watching the scene, Aurelian thought that if this dynamic continued to grow, in a few years the toxic historical rivalry between the houses would simply cease to exist.
Although, if he was being pragmatic, Aurelian had serious doubts about that. He knew full well the prejudices and things parents instilled in their children behind closed doors before sending them to Hogwarts. Changing a generation was easy; changing family traditions was a completely different story.
Aurelian took a chocolate chip cookie from a tray on the table and popped it into his mouth. As he chewed, an amused smile crossed his face at the thought that, no matter what happened to future generations of Hogwarts, that would no longer be his problem.
Suddenly, the doors to the anteroom swung open, and Headmaster Albus Dumbledore appeared to take his place at the head of the teachers' table.
Noticing the headmaster's presence after months of absence, the students, who had been mingling, began to stand up hurriedly and gather their things, intending to return quickly to their respective desks out of respect for the rules.
But Dumbledore raised both hands, asking for silence.
"Please, don't move," Albus stopped them with a dazzling smile. "Stay exactly where you are. I assure you that nothing in this world makes me as immensely happy as seeing this beautiful and sincere unity among my students. I wouldn't trade it for anything."
The students sat down slowly, exchanging confused glances. Dumbledore's smile faded little by little, giving way to an expression of gravity and regret.
"I'd like to take this moment, while we're all gathered here, to tell you something extremely important…" Dumbledore began, his voice echoing in every corner of the Great Hall. "I want to ask for your forgiveness. I deeply apologize to each and every one of you."
Confusion and murmurs rippled through the four tables.
"It was my fault," the headmaster continued, lowering his gaze slightly. "It was my fault that something so unstable and dangerous managed to enter our school, walk through our halls, and put you all in terrible, mortal danger. Hogwarts must always be, above all else, a place where children can feel completely safe. And in that, I have failed you."
The silence that followed his confession was heavy, but it was short-lived.
From the Slytherin table, where a small first-year girl wearing a yellow Hufflepuff tie was sitting, she stood up abruptly.
"It's not your fault, Headmaster!" the girl shouted bravely, her little voice echoing through the hall.
Immediately, a second-year Ravenclaw boy stood up at the other end of the Great Hall.
"It's true! No one could have known that janitor was a monster!" the young Ravenclaw agreed.
As if a dam had burst, more and more students began speaking up, raising their voices to comfort their headmaster. They said wonderful things about him. That he was always kind and understanding to everyone, that he helped them with their schoolwork whenever he could, and that he always gave them a smile as he passed by.
"Plus, he always gives us tons of lemon drops when we run into him in the hallways!" shouted a Gryffindor boy from the back.
That last remark completely broke the tension. Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, and even Professor McGonagall let out little giggles from the head table.
Albus Dumbledore blinked rapidly. He felt a lump in his throat and the unmistakable pressure of tears threatening to spill from his eyes. The affection of these children was a balm for his soul, torn apart by years of loss after loss.
Aurelian, sensing the moment and wanting to do something for the headmaster, stood up and raised his glass high, drawing the attention of the Great Hall.
"I propose a toast!" announced Aurelian, his voice filling the entire hall. "To the return of our beloved Headmaster Albus Dumbledore to the school!"
"To Headmaster Dumbledore!" the Weasley twins replied in unison, raising their glasses as well.
Within seconds, the entire Great Hall was on its feet. Hundreds of glasses were raised in the air amid laughter, applause, and cheers directed at a single person.
Albus looked out at the sea of students, and a single tear escaped him, sliding down his cheek.
As he listened to the applause and watched Aurelian toast him alongside the entire school, Albus Dumbledore felt something stir within him. A fierce determination, far stronger than anything he had ever felt before in his already long life.
"Hogwarts is my family," Albus thought, clenching his fists on the table. "And I protect my family."
Second chances were over. His remorse had been completely consumed. This time, no matter what it cost him, no matter what parts of his own soul he had to give up, this time he would wipe Gellert off the map. He would destroy any threat that dared set foot in his castle.
He would protect the future of every one of these children; he would give them a world where they could continue to smile without a care in the world. He would never fail his family again.
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