On the same tree, some memories hanging are of him babbling as a baby, some are of his school days, and others are of him taking care of various Magical Creatures.
When Steven touched a Crystal Ball, the particular memory vividly resurfaced, and he saw himself doing silly things as a child, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Dumbledore's gaze left a babyhood Crystal Ball, looking at him gently, and after a while said, "Steven, try to have hostility towards me."
"Huh?... Oh!" Steven remembered their purpose of experimenting, stared wide-eyed at Dumbledore, trying hard to imagine him as someone he despised the most.
Suddenly, the wind began to blow in the garden.
The Crystal Balls collided with a jingle, the sound becoming more urgent, Dumbledore surveyed the surroundings, and suddenly staggered!
When he opened his eyes again, he had returned to the previous room, where Scamander hurriedly asked, "How do you feel?"
"I was expelled." Dumbledore closed his eyes for a moment, saying, "But there's no harm."
"Sorry, Professor Dumbledore." Steven also woke up, scratching his head, saying, "I don't know how it happened... Was the experiment successful?"
Dumbledore thought for a moment and felt it couldn't be considered successful.
Steven's Spiritual World was too harmonious; even his hostility seemed mild, this apparent attack was nothing compared to the real Obscurus.
"I think it needs to be verified once more." Dumbledore asked, "Have Remus and Vid returned?"
Just as he spoke, the sound of the door opening came from outside, and Hayley, wrapped in a little Cloak, appeared at the door, her voice slightly trembling as she asked, "Where's Mabel?"
...
The necklace wrapped around Dumbledore and Lupin's wrists again, Lupin unconsciously shifted his body, as if the chair beneath him had suddenly become a prickly object.
"Sorry, Remus." Dumbledore suddenly said before chanting the Spell.
Lupin was stunned, then smiled and said, "It's for Mabel, I'm happy to help."
A moment later, the two fell into slumber simultaneously.
——Is this my Spiritual World?
Lupin looked around, rather astonished.
It was a Maze, paths crisscrossed, and Lupin stood at a crossroads, momentarily unsure which direction to take.
Dumbledore wasn't by his side, probably went to another part of the Maze.
Soon after, Lupin noticed the Maze walls adorned with mirrors of various sizes, he casually approached, and saw different stages of himself in the mirrors.
He walked along the Maze for a while, suddenly paused.
In a mirror adorned with blue-green rusted copper, Lupin saw his younger self lying in bed, his mother leaning over to blow out the candle, and kissed his forehead.
"Goodnight, Remus." she said with a smile.
"Goodnight." the child on the bed said softly.
His mother left the room with a lamp, and a shadow quickly flashed outside the window. Immediately following, a coarse and sinister face pressed against the window, a cruel smile on his lips. He opened his mouth, revealing sharp teeth.
Lupin suddenly understood which memory this was, and involuntarily shouted, "No... No!"
He lunged forward, touching the mirror, and tumbled inside. But the Werewolf broke through the window and effortlessly passed through him, grabbing the terrified screaming boy on the bed, biting towards his neck!
"Die!"
Lupin instinctively cast a Magic Spell, unaware he'd fallen out of the mirror, let alone notice Greyback also appearing in the Maze hallway.
The glow of the Spell shot towards "Greyback", the whole Maze seemed to tremble, a huge oppressive force surged like mountains and seas towards "Greyback", causing his figure to instantly vanish from the spot.
Lupin's limbs trembled, he breathed heavily, unable to react further, as the Maze world shattered before his eyes.
He woke up, his body shaking violently.
"Relax, Remus, relax." Dumbledore held his shoulder, apologetically saying, "Those moments are gone, you're safe now."
Lupin gasped for air, looking up at Dumbledore, his bewildered gaze gradually clearing.
"...Is it you?"
"It's me." Dumbledore nodded, seeing Lupin's impending outburst of Magic Power slowly calm down, only then did he let go, repeating, "I'm sorry."
This time Lupin understood why he apologized beforehand—
It wasn't because he'd see the deep past buried in Lupin's memory, but because before entering, Dumbledore planned to transform into Greyback's appearance, to verify whether the Spiritual World would harm a soul identified as an enemy.
Sitting in the chair, Lupin couldn't calm down, wanting to curse yet unsure what to say.
He touched his neck, his gaze dimmed along with it.