As Dumbledore and the other professors entered, a great number of ghosts drifted through the walls and into the Great Hall.
The Headless Hunt launched a fierce and dramatic charge, drawing bursts of startled cries from the students. Soon after, their singing began, leaving the young wizards utterly tormented, while the ghosts themselves listened in complete enchantment.
Nearly Headless Nick, Gryffindor's resident ghost, gazed at the Headless Hunt with open envy. He had once applied to join them, but was rejected simply because his head had not been completely severed.
Tom, too, stared curiously at the singing Headless Hunt. He was trying to figure out how they could possibly sing without heads. After watching for a long while and failing to understand anything, he gave up and began scanning the hall instead, searching for Ravenclaw's ghost, the Grey Lady, Helena Ravenclaw.
Unfortunately, even on a night of ghostly revelry, she was nowhere to be seen.
...
At the High Table, Albus Dumbledore watched the lively chaos before him with a gentle smile.
Recently, he had every reason to feel pleased. Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction. Wilkinson had resigned, Lupin was performing well, and although the Dementors surrounded the castle, they had not crossed the line even once. Sooner or later, the two escaped criminals would be caught.
This had been the calmest term he had experienced in years.
And yet, perhaps because everything was too normal, it left Dumbledore feeling faintly unsettled.
But wasn't this the life he had always hoped for?
Watching generation after generation of young wizards grow steadily... that was the greatest joy of all.
A sharp, clear phoenix cry suddenly cut through his drifting thoughts.
Fawkes appeared amidst the singing, his presence radiant. Even the dreadful noise produced by the Headless Hunt could not suppress the beauty of his song. Instantly, everyone's attention was drawn to the burst of flames.
Clutched in Fawkes's talons was a WhatsApp notebook.
Ignoring the stares of everyone present, the phoenix dropped the notebook in front of Dumbledore. It landed on the table and began trembling violently, the rapid vibrations making it seem as though the entire table was shaking along with it.
Someone was sending him messages. Constantly.
Dumbledore's brows furrowed deeply as a powerful sense of foreboding rose within him. He opened the notebook, and in that instant, his bright blue eyes widened. Shock surged through him so intensely that he abruptly stood up.
"What's happened, Albus?"
Professor Minerva McGonagall had not seen Dumbledore lose composure like this in years. Her heart tightened immediately. The other professors reacted the same way.
In their memories, Dumbledore had always remained calm and unshaken, no matter the situation.
"It's nothing. Just… a personal matter."
"Minerva, have the students return to their dormitories early after the feast. I'm sorry, but I must leave."
Fawkes flew to Dumbledore's side. Flames enveloped both wizard and phoenix, and with only that brief explanation left behind, they vanished from the Great Hall.
...
After a brief, deathly silence, the hall erupted into chaos.
"Wait, I thought you couldn't Apparate inside Hogwarts?"
"Well, the Headmaster is special, right?"
"You idiots, that was clearly a phoenix! Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them says phoenixes can appear anywhere they wish!"
"What could possibly make Dumbledore so nervous?"
"No idea, but it must be serious."
The students burst into discussion, their attention shifting completely away from the feast and onto Dumbledore. Even the ghosts began whispering among themselves.
Daphne took a bite of her cake, curiosity written all over her face.
"Tom… do you think they've found Lestrange and Lockhart? Maybe Dumbledore rushed off to capture them?"
"That's possible," Tom replied, glancing at her in mild surprise. For once, the girl had actually come up with a coherent line of reasoning.
Though her guess was wildly off the truth, it sounded convincing enough.
Soon, Daphne's theory gained widespread approval among the Slytherins and quickly spread to the other houses. Before long, most students accepted it as fact, and the discussions gradually quieted down.
Professor McGonagall overheard the speculation, but she didn't believe a word of it.
If it were truly something that simple, Dumbledore would not have left in such haste. Nor would he have been so shocked that he stood up in the middle of the feast over two escaped criminals.
A heavy weight settled in her chest. She was desperate to know the truth, yet Dumbledore had entrusted her with the students.
Honestly…
...
Inside the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore's WhatsApp notebook continued to vibrate frantically.
There wasn't just one sender. Messages were pouring in from countless people, so many that he couldn't even tell how many there were.
But every single message carried the same news.
Nurmengard's tower had collapsed.
Gellert Grindelwald had escaped.
Dumbledore slowly closed his eyes. After a moment, he opened them again, and within them flickered flames born of anger.
Gellert Grindelwald… had broken his promise.
They had agreed that Grindelwald would remain in the tower, reflecting on his past deeds for the rest of his life, never taking another step beyond it.
And yet now, he had been the first to shatter that agreement.
But after the surge of anger, Dumbledore quickly forced himself to calm down.
Emotions would not help him now. They would only cloud his judgment.
What mattered was understanding the consequences of Grindelwald's escape… the impact it would have… and most importantly, why he had escaped.
Had someone helped him from the shadows?
What was their goal?
"What is it that you're trying to do…"
Fragments of the past flashed through Dumbledore's mind as he murmured softly. It was unclear whether he was questioning Grindelwald… or himself.
Even after decades of imprisonment, even if his condition had greatly declined, in Dumbledore's eyes, Grindelwald remained a threat no less dangerous than Lord Voldemort, who had created multiple Horcruxes.
Perhaps even… far more dangerous.
Because Grindelwald's true terror had never come from his dark magic alone.