Inside the Headmaster's office, Sean remained silent, but Lucius knew exactly who Dumbledore was talking about.
He was certain this wasn't Dumbledore's doing. He had dealt with Dumbledore for too many years; the old wizard had no interest in playing these kinds of political games with them.
Thoughts raced through Lucius's mind.
A wizard even more outstanding than Dumbledore. The greatest wizard of the future.
He had heard too many rumors. The wizarding world was full of them—look at Lockhart recently; who could have imagined he'd been faking it for decades?
But also in the wizarding world, some news couldn't be dismissed as mere rumors.
For instance, the young wizard standing beside Dumbledore. He watched the scene quietly, a thin veil of indifference in his eyes.
They should be on the same side.
Lucius forced himself to think this way.
The boy was an absolute pure-blood aristocrat, a descendant of a wizarding line so powerful even the Ministry had to keep it secret.
Which family could he be from?
Lucius had his secret guesses.
As for why there were always rumors at Hogwarts about him opposing Voldemort...
That was easily explained. Just as they once thought Harry Potter was a powerful Dark Wizard and that Voldemort attacked him to eliminate a threat to his own status, this boy was naturally clearing out Voldemort's forces. How else could he unify the entire wizarding world?
If not to wipe out Voldemort's power and seize control of the wizarding world, why would he bother fighting the Dark Lord?
It was a clash between two generations of wizards, and right now, it seemed the one in front of him had the upper hand.
And it was foreseeable that the ultimate victor would likely be him.
He was too young, with too much potential—he had already surpassed Voldemort in that regard.
Even more terrifying was that he seemed to understand disguise better than the Voldemort of old.
Dumbledore, whom Voldemort had never fooled, had been deceived by him.
Or perhaps... he was Dumbledore's...
Lucius had heard that the Dumbledore family seemed to have a girl once.
Lucius's pale hands clenched into fists, then relaxed.
"Do you have evidence?"
He asked, his voice raspy.
"Oh, no one can provide evidence anymore," Dumbledore said, smiling at Sean. "Riddle has disappeared from the book now.
"Furthermore, Lucius, I must give you a piece of advice: stop distributing old items from Voldemort's student days. If any more of these things fall into innocent hands, Arthur Weasley, for one, will definitely be able to trace them back to you..."
Lucius Malfoy stood frozen for a moment. Sean clearly saw his right hand twitch, as if he wanted to reach for his wand.
However, he restrained himself. He turned his gaze toward Sean.
It was a strange look—part plea for help, part inquiry.
Unfortunately, Sean didn't understand it.
"However, I heard the Ministry discovered something else recently, Lucius. It had better not be related to you, or the other eleven governors..."
As Dumbledore spoke, an owl flew in. It was a letter for Sean.
> Your will has been done.
> —Your most loyal and ever-admiring, Rita Skeeter
Following this letter, more owl messengers flew into the Headmaster's office. Both Dumbledore and Lucius received letters.
"It seems my advice came too late. You've been dismissed, Lucius, and there's also a three-month investigation period you'll need to deal with."
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes.
Lucius's body trembled. He naturally saw the bolded words "Dismissed" and "Investigation" on the parchment.
He couldn't accept it for a moment—had Draco failed to convey his meaning accurately? Did he not express their intent to submit?
Or did the boy no longer see any value in them?
No, no, no... The Malfoy family still has much value that he doesn't know about.
He finally controlled himself, turned, and said to his house-elf:
"We're going, Dobby!"
He wrenched the door open. The house-elf scurried over, and Mr. Malfoy kicked him out the door.
They could hear Dobby's squeals of pain echoing down the corridor.
"I noticed you don't have any friends in Slytherin."
After they left, Dumbledore asked Sean casually.
Sean looked at Dumbledore with a lack of understanding, seemingly unable to adapt to the topic changing so quickly.
"That's correct, Headmaster Dumbledore."
After answering, Sean looked toward Harry, who had been eavesdropping at the door for who knows how long.
He put the diary away and bid farewell to Dumbledore, whose eyes were full of mischievous twinkle.
"Harry?"
Sean walked to the door and called out softly to a corner.
"Ah, Sean, oh, Sean, here, this... statue, it's very..."
Harry stepped out of the shadows, stammering.
Sean watched him quietly until his face turned red.
"You... you... you knew all along, didn't you, Sean? You got Lucius Malfoy fired! Heavens, I can't imagine we could actually pull something like that off!"
Harry started out stuttering but eventually spoke more fluently.
"Yeah."
Sean replied.
"I..."
Harry wanted to say something more but was momentarily tongue-tied.
Sean could make Lucius Malfoy face the punishment he deserved, while Harry could only "elbow" Draco on the Quidditch pitch.
He knew, of course, that this was Sean, but for a moment, he felt a twinge of unwillingness.
He thought about how he had missed training at the Hope Hut for so long. The excitement he used to feel whenever Quidditch was mentioned vanished.
It felt like everything had suddenly lost its meaning.
"Harry, do you want to become an Auror?"
Sean asked suddenly.
"An Auror?"
Harry repeated.
"A group of elite, highly trained wizards who specialize in investigating crimes related to the Dark Arts, and are responsible for apprehending and detaining Dark Wizards."
Sean explained patiently.
"Can I become an Auror?"
Harry's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
"Why not? However, an Auror's mission is to hunt down and capture criminal Dark Wizards, so their work is very dangerous, and the entry requirements are high. You need at least five N.E.W.T. certificates, and no grade can be lower than 'Exceeds Expectations'. Plus, you have to pass a series of strict character and aptitude tests at the Auror Office. If you're willing, I can help."
Sean spoke slowly.
Harry was in a daze for a moment.
Before leaving, Sean gave Harry a book introducing the deeds of Aurors, and he also handed over Tom Riddle's destroyed diary to Harry.
"It will be useful."
Sean said.
Harry jerked his head up to look at Lucius and Dobby in the distance. He had just had some thoughts about rescuing Dobby.
He momentarily suspected Sean had read his mind again.
It was the last day before Easter.
Harry had suddenly found what he wanted to do. He hadn't realized the sunset could be this beautifully red.
Suddenly, he didn't care about the mud, the wind and snow, or the weather that made playing Quidditch annoying.
His heart was filled to the brim, capable of withstanding all the unpredictable changes in the world.
"Sean—"
He suddenly called out softly.
The young wizard holding the book turned around.
Harry lost his voice.
Outside the window was a twilight that looked like it would never turn into night.
In this intoxicating dusk, Harry saw Sean's silhouette outlined in gold.