"You want to be discharged? That's impossible!"
Madam Pomfrey shrieked, nearly hysterical.
"You're still extremely weak. You need to stay in bed for at least a week."
Jon had already expected this reaction. He'd only brought it up to test the waters.
"Then… Madam Pomfrey, could you keep it confidential—the fact that I'm actually still alive…" Jon asked cautiously.
"Of course," Madam Pomfrey nodded without hesitation. "Professor Dumbledore has already explained everything to me. You're helping him with an extremely important plan, aren't you? I understand. I know what takes priority."
"Thank you, Madam," Jon said, finally relaxing.
"Get some proper rest," Madam Pomfrey said as she tucked the blankets around him, then strode out of the ward.
Before leaving, she locked the door from the outside.
...
It seemed that more and more people now knew about his "feigned death."
Lying on the bed, Jon let out a helpless, bitter smile.
At this point, how many people knew no longer really mattered.
The purpose of faking his death had been to deceive Voldemort and the Death Eaters. But now, Voldemort already knew the truth—he knew Jon Hart was Christopher Patrick.
And as for the informant who had betrayed everything about him to Voldemort…
Jon already knew who it was.
In fact, he'd been almost certain the night before. After today's "adventure" on the West Coast, that suspicion had turned into confirmation.
Still…
He needed to hear it for himself.
After all, it was a truth he refused to accept, no matter what.
So he lay there patiently, conserving his strength and waiting for nightfall.
When the late-night bells struck eleven, and Madam Pomfrey had long since fallen asleep—
Jon climbed out of bed, braced himself against the wall, and slowly made his way to the door. He raised his wand and aimed it at the lock.
"Alohomora," he murmured softly.
The Hospital Wing door swung open.
...
Under the Disillusionment Charm, Jon struggled his way up to the eighth floor of the castle. Passing through the fourth-floor corridor, he nearly ran into Mrs Norris and was only just able to avoid being discovered.
When he reached the stone statue guarding the Headmaster's Office, he lifted the Disillusionment Charm.
"Yow!" The ugly stone creature let out a startled cry and immediately curled up into a trembling ball.
Jon glanced at it, puzzled.
"I… I… I heard…" the stone creature stammered. "This morning, Headmistress Burke and Headmistress Mole were saying… they said you were dead, and they were even picking out a good spot for you…"
"That's outdated information," Jon said flatly, glaring at the statue as though it had seen a ghost. "The updated version is—I'm alive and well, and I've got a long life ahead of me."
The stone creature hurriedly wagged its tail with an awkward grin, but Jon ignored it.
"Honestly… with courage like that, and you're supposed to guard the door?" Jon shook his head and walked past it.
The Headmaster's Office looked much the same as ever—except that on the wall filled with portraits of former headmasters and headmistresses, a massive wreath now stretched across several frames. A few of the surrounding portraits were trying to remove it.
Albus Dumbledore sat calmly behind his desk.
"Jon," he said softly, without much surprise in his voice. "You came rather early. I was just wondering whether I should take advantage of the night and go check on you myself."
...
"About the Giants," Jon said after sitting down across from Dumbledore, his expression serious. "I suspect You-Know-Who may have stationed them on the Isle of Man."
"Oh?" Dumbledore looked at him with interest.
"On the beaches along the West Coast, there were massive footprints leading straight into the sea," Jon explained. "Whether they were left intentionally or not, they at least prove that You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters brought the Giants in from the ocean."
"Mm." Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully.
"Given their size, even with magic, I don't believe You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters could have transported Giants across the entire Irish Sea," Jon continued.
"But if they were moved to the Isle of Man, between Ireland and Great Britain, everything makes sense. And that island doesn't fall under the jurisdiction of the British Ministry of Magic. If the Giants are hiding there, they'd be much harder for the Aurors to detect."
"A very sound hypothesis," Dumbledore said approvingly. "Once your injuries have recovered, if you wish to go to the Isle of Man and search for traces of the Giants, I'll be happy to provide whatever assistance I can."
"Thank you, Professor," Jon said. After hesitating briefly, he continued, "There's also the message I had Headmaster Black deliver to you the other night…"
Dumbledore didn't answer the question directly.
"Jon, as someone a bit older, perhaps I can share a piece of life experience with you," he said with a quiet sigh.
"Betrayal is, in truth, something quite common. When faced with the threat of death, very few people—aside from those who truly possess courage—can keep the secrets in their hearts. And many threats and temptations are far more frightening than death itself."
"I understand, Professor," Jon said softly, listening intently. A faint, indescribable bitterness curved his lips. "So… my guess was correct?"
"Rufus Scrimgeour, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Dumbledore said, giving a slight nod. "This afternoon, he led more than a dozen Aurors to the Greengrass estate. Diana was taken to Azkaban and placed under detention."
"His actions were carried out with the authorization of Amelia—the Minister of Magic—and myself," Dumbledore added.
...
Though Jon had long prepared himself for this, though he had already suspected it—
Hearing it confirmed still filled his chest with a tangled surge of disappointment and anger.
He closed his eyes, and Dumbledore's voice sounded once more.
"Diana asked me to pass along a message to you as well," Dumbledore said. "She said… she doesn't ask for your forgiveness, but she begs you not to direct your anger toward her daughters. They are innocent."
Jon nodded silently.
His teeth had already left deep marks in his lip.