Watching the false Baker's body become completely encased in a layer of ghostly blue frost, the "Flitwick" who had long since taken cover finally let out a deep breath of relief. Then his entire body began to melt like a wax figure, slowly stretching taller, and within a few seconds he had taken on another appearance entirely—Avada Kendavia.
[…Mr. Ken, is there something you want to say?]
[Professor, according to what you said, at this stage "you" should be devoting all your strength to breaking the spatial magic and trying to escape the Room of Requirement. And with the magic you arranged, it would be very difficult for us to truly stop you, correct?]
[What I want to say is that since we can't stop him… then let's not stop him. Or rather, let's not be the ones doing the stopping. Let him run straight into a dead end on his own.]
[Aside from "opening different rooms based on the needs of the user," the Room of Requirement has another trait: even after you've already entered a particular room, its contents can change again based on your further needs. It can expand, alter its décor…]
[So, since that's the case, why don't we create a fake "Eighth-Floor Corridor" inside the Room of Requirement?]
[Neither you nor your consciousness fragment will be recognized by the Room and neither of you can alter it. Only Baron and I can. Which means we can build a fake Eighth-Floor Corridor in advance and hide it within the Room. During the battle, when you planned to use spatial magic to conceal the door, Baron—who would already be invisible—could seize that moment to alter the Room of Requirement, using the fake corridor to block the real door.]
[That way, even if the false Baker broke through the spatial magic and located the position of the door, he would only end up opening a fake one and stepping into the fake corridor—while still inside the Room of Requirement…]
[And once he entered that corridor, he would immediately let down his guard, riddled with openings. If I were to drink Polyjuice Potion and turn into Professor Flitwick or another professor and pretend to be coming to help, then even his final trace of caution should disappear. The only problem is that I don't know how to brew Polyjuice Potion… and the timing for drinking it…]
But as Professor Baker explained, Avada realized he had overestimated the complexity of Polyjuice Potion—the brew required no additional magical assistance or advanced technique. One simply had to toss the specific ingredients into a cauldron at specific times, in specific ways, and simmer the mixture for ten days to a fortnight.
In other words, as long as one had the recipe, the materials, patience, and enough care, anyone could make it. The reason it was listed among restricted potions was simply because its effects were too unusual and therefore heavily regulated.
As for the troublesome ingredients—some were collected in the Forbidden Forest, while others Avada bought outright from apothecaries in Diagon Alley using his own money. He had no need to steal from Snape's office.
And obtaining Professor Flitwick's hair was even easier—as an elderly British gentleman, goblin ancestry or not, hair loss was inevitable.
Finally, following Professor Baker's suggestion, Avada and Baron decided to use a "Flash Smoke" spell to obscure the false Baker's vision. They would use that moment for Avada to drink Polyjuice Potion, change clothing, and for Baron to begin preparing the Dark Magic.
Looking at it now, the results were excellent.
From start to finish, every action the false Baker took had been anticipated by the three of them. Every step he made was a step into their trap. He had never once had the chance to turn the tide. The earlier fierce battle had looked dangerous, and Avada and Baron truly were exhausted, but in truth, the situation had been stable all along.
"Whew… it's finally over…"
Having returned to his original appearance, Avada casually threw on a robe, then collapsed flat on the ground without a shred of dignity. After such a battle, coupled with the constant scheming, his energy had been wrung completely dry; at this moment he wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week.
Baron, standing nearby, looked a bit pale as well—the Dark Magic from earlier had strained his mental strength. It wasn't serious, but it would take a few hours to recover.
"Yeah… it's over…"
Baron leaned against the wall and allowed a faint smile to appear on his face.
For months, the two of them had sacrificed nearly all their free time to undergo Professor Baker's teaching and training, working to reach the level necessary to execute the plan as soon as possible. Even though Professor Baker had cleverly arranged their studies so that nothing they practiced exceeded fourth-year difficulty, they were both utterly worn out.
But it also meant that both of their abilities had surged dramatically—Baron already had no idea what his level even was anymore.
"Hey, hey, hey—there's still one last step!"
Suddenly, an exasperated voice cut through their relief—Professor Baker.
"Ahem… sorry, we almost forgot."
Baron gave an awkward cough, while Avada forced himself to push upright from the floor. Together, they used the Levitation Charm to raise Professor Baker's body and carried him to the black crystal orb. Baron then waved his wand, first dispelling the frost that had been continually harming him, and then activating the "Repentance" magic.
As the intricate magical structure turned beneath the perception of their Magical Perception, a golden beam of light shot from the black crystal orb into Professor Baker's brow. His body immediately began to tremble violently, veins bulging along his temples and hands as if he were enduring unbearable pain.
Avada forced his exhausted mind to remain focused, watching closely as the professor's spiritual changes unfolded—under the guidance of Repentance, the professor's true spiritual strength and magic core essence were returning to his body, gradually merging with the remnants of spiritual power still lingering within it. The two magical cores, one large and one small, drifted slowly together, eventually merging completely, no longer separate.
"Ugh!"
Suddenly, Professor Baker jolted upright like a flailing fish, startling both Avada and Baron.
"By Merlin… I'm finally back…"
He took several deep breaths, using his sleeve to wipe the cold sweat from his brow. Turning to Avada and Baron—who had unknowingly stepped several paces back and were watching him warily—he gave a wry smile.
"Well, now we can say the plan has truly succeeded."
"Judging by the looks on your faces… fine, you can hang onto my wand for now. Just return it to me before class."
He chuckled helplessly, stretched his limbs a few times, then slowly got to his feet. One hand held the crystal orb; with the other he transformed the dangling straps back into proper sleeves, making himself look a little less disheveled. Then he opened the real door of the Room of Requirement.
"Don't worry. You two saved my life. Even without a contract, I would never harm you."
"Let's head back. I'll need until tomorrow to prepare your reward… Come by my office tomorrow night. Aside from the promised Galleons and knowledge, I plan to prepare a few extra things. I guarantee you'll feel these months were worth the trouble."
"All right—go on, take a bath, change your clothes, and tell your friends you can finally join them in class and in play again, haha…"
In the end, the two handed back the wands and left the Room of Requirement alongside Professor Baker.
Watching his retreating figure grow more distant, Avada furrowed his brows, confusion flickering across his face.
Within his Magical Perception, the strange discordance in the professor's spiritual power still remained—that meant Professor Baker had only allowed his main soul to return to his body. He had not further merged his true self with the spiritual fragment. His soul was not whole again.
Which also meant that the magic known as "Repentance" was not what he had thought—it did not directly repair the soul.
If that was the case…why had Professor Baker named the spell Repentance?
(End of Chapter)