Fawkes had two tail feathers, one held by Jon and the other by Dumbledore.
A flash of golden light burst forth, and they vanished from The Hog's Head, reappearing inside the castle.
"Shouldn't you say goodbye to Mr. Aberforth Dumbledore?" Jon asked softly once they steadied themselves.
"Aberforth never likes seeing me too often. He just can't stop imagining how satisfying it would be to break the other half of my nose," Dumbledore said, half-joking and half-serious. "Ariana will say goodbye to him for us."
"Alright..." Jon couldn't help but purse his lips.
"But he admires you, Aberforth. That's rare," Dumbledore added. "And if it weren't for you, I might not have seen Ariana today at all..."
"Well, I'm honored!" Jon replied casually.
Fawkes' tail feathers slipped free from their hands, shooting ahead toward the Headmaster's Office.
Meanwhile, the ugly stone creature lay on the floor fawning as it grinned foolishly at Dumbledore.
"Long time no see!" Dumbledore said, gently patting its head. The creature nearly leapt with joy, completely ignoring Jon.
"I didn't expect you to be this kind of statue..." Jon muttered as he followed Dumbledore into the Headmaster's Office.
...
They stepped onto the stone spiral staircase, which rose on its own like an elevator. Dumbledore pushed open the door at the top.
Suddenly, a deafening roar erupted... a wave of cheers! Every former Headmaster and Headmistress of Hogwarts stood up within their portraits, applauding excitedly. They swung their hats—some even waved their wigs. They stepped out of their frames to shake hands, dancing around the painted chairs...
"Welcome back!" they shouted together.
"Thank you... thank you all..." Dumbledore said with a smile. "Thank you, Phineas... there's really no need to be that enthusiastic..."
Headmaster Phineas Black had just blown Dumbledore a kiss.
"But before we catch up, there's something very important I need to address," Dumbledore continued.
The headmasters' and headmistresses' expressions immediately turned serious again...
Clearly, they already knew what Dumbledore was about to say.
"Come with me, Jon." Dumbledore nodded to him.
He didn't go far—just slid the chair beside his desk aside, revealing the wall behind it.
Jon instinctively backed up a few steps as Dumbledore raised his wand, pointing it at the wall carved with ancient patterns.
What he spoke was not a spell, but a password:
"Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus!"
The patterned wall cracked open from the center, revealing a hidden door.
Dumbledore strode inside.
...
Within lay a strange space, pitch-black all around, yet a starry sky stretched clearly overhead...
And it wasn't even late at night.
They seemed to be standing at the very top of Hogwarts Castle, but in front of them stood only two stone monuments—one tall, one small.
"Perhaps I should start with a story," Dumbledore said gently. "It's said that over a thousand years ago, Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Salazar Slytherin, and Rowena Ravenclaw—the four founders of Hogwarts—set out to create a school..."
"...In her dream, Madam Ravenclaw saw a warthog that led her to a cliff by a lake. The next day, she brought her three companions here by boat, following the path she had seen... and discovered this place was actually a dragon's lair."
"...Inside lived an ancient Primordial Dragon, so old it could barely move. The four wizards were stunned—Primordial Dragons were believed to have gone extinct centuries earlier."
"Gryffindor wanted to kill it and mount the head of the last Primordial Dragon above the school's entrance. But Hufflepuff stopped him, suggesting they try convincing the dragon, exhausted as it clearly was. Slytherin, using his clumsy dragon tongue, managed to communicate with it as an interpreter."
"The four wizards succeeded in persuading the Primordial Dragon to remain here in another form... Together, they performed an extraordinarily powerful Transfiguration: the dragon's lair became the grounds of Hogwarts, its treasure hoard became the dense Forbidden Forest, and its body transformed into the great castle itself—Hogwarts Castle."
"I've heard this story. It's about the origin of Hogwarts' motto, right?" Jon nodded. "But Professor Bins told us the story is most likely false. He first heard it in the 14th century, long after the founders were already gone."
"Oh? Is that so..." Dumbledore turned slightly, looking a bit embarrassed.
He cleared his throat lightly and continued, "But the core of the story is true... because Hogwarts Castle itself is a powerful magical construct. It has its own consciousness!"
"A castle with its own consciousness?" Jon murmured.
...
Before he knew it, Jon had followed Dumbledore's steps to the large stone monument...
The monument was entirely black, seemingly carved from obsidian (dragon crystal), densely covered in lines of golden letters.
It was clear these were the names of Hogwarts students, each followed by a date.
Joanna Brewster, September 21, 1994.
Euan Abercrombie, February 14, 1995.
Ross Zeller, June 13, 1995.
"When every young witch or wizard turns eleven—whether Muggle-born or from a wizarding family—their name appears on this stone, along with the date," Dumbledore explained from behind him. "Every year, on July 29th, we send Hogwarts acceptance letters to all whose names have appeared on the stone in the past year."
Jon soon found his own name among the upper lines.
Jon Hart, July 15, 1992.
"So... if I'd been born just over ten days later, I would've had to wait an extra year to come to Hogwarts?" Jon asked curiously.
"I believe so," Dumbledore nodded.
Jon went on scanning the monument.
Astoria Greengrass, December 23, 1991.
Hermione Granger, September 19, 1990.
Daphne Greengrass, August 8, 1990.
Ron Weasley, March 1, 1991.
And—
Harry Potter, July 31, 1991.
Jon blinked, pointing at Mr. Potter's name and muttering, "If I remember correctly, July 31st comes after July 29th..."
Dumbledore froze for a moment, then smiled as he explained, "Quite right. I sent Mr. Potter his acceptance letter a year early, before his name appeared on the stone. As Headmaster, I do have that authority—so long as I can confirm Mr. Potter is truly a wizard."
Jon nodded, secretly grateful his parents had let him be born those ten-odd days earlier. Otherwise, he would have started school nearly at twelve—perhaps even already twelve—like Daphne and Hermione.
...
"Then what about the other stone tablet?" Jon asked curiously, walking over to the second one.
It too was made of obsidian, but much smaller than the first.
Golden letters were also displayed upon it, though the characters were much larger.
The first name was "Salazar Slytherin," followed by the number "993."
Next was "Helga Hufflepuff," followed by "998."
Then came Brian Gagwilde, 1032.
...
Many familiar names appeared—people Jon had chatted and joked with in the Headmaster's Office, including—
Dexter Fortescue, 1642.
Dilys Derwent, 1741.
Phineas Black, 1872.
Armando Dippet, 1926.
Albus Dumbledore, 1943.
...And beneath Dumbledore's name, there was another. Its golden glow was much dimmer than the others, and no year followed it.
That name was "Jon Hart."
"I can't be seeing things..." Jon rubbed his eyes, speaking in disbelief.
"No, you are not seeing things," Dumbledore said, his tone meaningful. "This stone tablet records the names of all Headmasters—past and future..."
"Then it must be wrong!" Jon shook his head, stunned. "I'm just an ordinary Hufflepuff student—or rather, an ordinary Slytherin student. How could I possibly become Headmaster of Hogwarts... Professor Dumbledore, I'm not just being modest—surely you should be looking for someone more qualified..."
"Hogwarts has already decided," Dumbledore said gravely. "It never makes mistakes."
"But... isn't this a bit too ridiculous?" Jon argued.
"Whenever the current Headmaster is about to step down or die, the Hogwarts stone tablet reveals the name of the next Headmaster four years in advance," Dumbledore said, his voice layered with meaning. "The castle chooses the wizard, Jon... It chooses, on its own, the one who can lead Hogwarts to glory."
"So you'll step down or die within four years?" Jon suddenly realized.
"Exactly," Dumbledore nodded. "To be honest, the thought of being freed from it all makes me quite happy."
"When did my name appear?" Jon asked, his expression growing severe.
"Three years ago, right after I learned you were a Predictmagus... your name suddenly appeared on the stone tablet," Dumbledore answered. "That also confirmed my thoughts. Only a wizard with the most exceptional—and most terrifying—talent could meet Hogwarts' conditions and be chosen before the age of twelve... Remember, Hogwarts never makes mistakes."
"Three years ago... four years early..." Jon murmured to himself. He lifted his head to look at Dumbledore.
"Professor, you won't die, and you won't step down. You can stay Headmaster for another ten or twenty years... I can guarantee it... I swear, I will help you stop death!"