Chapter 459: Phoenix Rebirth

On the third day of the Easter holiday, everyone was cheerfully discussing their gains from Hogsmeade.

“Hey, did you get into that shop? There were so many people I nearly couldn’t squeeze in.”

“Of course I did—if only I had that many Jin Jin Jialong, it’d be perfect. Thirty-seven Jin Jin Jialong—I swear by Merlin, I didn’t even think it was expensive!”

“I’ve already written to my family; I expect to receive that magical object soon…”

Three senior wizards passed by Wizard Sean’s side, their voices loud enough for everyone nearby to hear clearly.

But no one paid them any attention, as nearly everyone was talking about the same thing.

At the Gryffindor table, those who once loved collecting Chocolate Frog cards no longer discussed today’s finds;

At the Ravenclaw table, wizards who enjoyed sitting in Greengrass Bookshop now found themselves thinking of those magical mirrors;

At the Hufflepuff table, the little badgers suddenly found Honeydukes’ candies less sweet.

If someone offered them a magic mirror, they’d trade it for a roasted chicken they’d stolen during a midnight hunger strike.

Only at the Slytherin table did a small group gather, occasional shouts of excitement rising from within.

“Young Master Malfoy, these are…”

A short Slytherin asked curiously.

Among the crowd, Malfoy’s head was held high.

“Not bad, is it?”

Malfoy said pleasantly,

“Though perhaps certain people could also get their hands on some gold to buy a magic hand mirror.

Like the Weasleys—they could sell off those broken mirrors; I’m sure a museum would pay for them.”

A group of Slytherins burst into loud laughter.

“Hey!”

Ron, mocked, immediately stood up.

Harry sat to his left, and suddenly some text from a book flashed in his mind.

The Auror Handbook Wizard Sean had given him stated: Aurors on duty are always in emergency conditions; any unprovoked taunt or obstruction may be dealt with immediately.

Strange…

Harry thought, but he liked this feeling.

No one had ever told him what was right or wrong before—he’d always had to figure it out himself.

Now, he could hold himself to the standard of an Auror.

If possible, he would become an Auror.

Thinking of this, Harry’s breath quickened.

“Harry…”

Ron shook his arm, his eyes glancing repeatedly at the books on Harry’s table.

Since the Quidditch match, Harry had inexplicably taken to reading—strange indeed.

And the mockery at the Slytherin table continued:

“I say, the Weasleys ought to be…”

Malfoy had been speaking loudly when he suddenly fell silent.

A black-haired wizard carrying a book was passing by.

Wizard Sean glanced at the Slytherin table, then fixed his gaze on the stained-glass window—it was just beginning to lighten outside.

He paid no mind to the suddenly quiet Slytherins and walked toward the spiral staircase.

“Young Master Malfoy…”

A faint voice spoke.

Malfoy glared fiercely at the speaker, and only after the black-haired boy had passed did he resume his earlier topic.

But Ron clearly had no intention of letting him continue—he marched straight over.

Harry followed behind him, and behind Harry, the Weasley twins appeared out of nowhere.

“Hold onto this—”

Fred yelled, pulling a mirror-like object from his bag—it had a soft corner and was entirely snow-white.

“Dear little Ronny.”

George followed by squeezing Ron’s head with his fist.

Ron was still dazed when he saw Fred and George place a mirror in his hand.

“The museum paid us well.”

Fred winked at the Slytherins, especially at the Quidditch team captain, Ma Ma Kusi.

“A very generous payment… Anyway, we still need to deliver one to Ginny—seven mirrors total—

Oh, Harry, here’s yours. Don’t forget to give the other one to the great Mr. Green.”

George shoved two more mirrors into Harry’s hand, then the twins vanished like a gust of wind.

“It’s the Unicorn version!”

Ron cried out.

“Hey! That’s beautiful!”

Parvati Patil from Gryffindor objected.

“I know… but but… this isn’t for boys!”

Ron’s face turned as red as a Fire-Snake.

“This is the Golden Snitch version,” Harry said, “as featured in Wizard Weekly.”

Harry held the magic hand mirror aloft, intrigued—it trembled with two transparent wings that fluttered behind him.

“That’s unfair—”

Ron immediately protested.

He no longer cared to observe Malfoy’s face, which flushed red then turned pale.

Meanwhile, Wizard Sean’s hand mirror rippled once again.

Over the past two days, young wizards’ enthusiasm for using the magic hand mirrors had grown daily; many mirrors remained active, and Wizard Sean had grown accustomed to it.

He used to enjoy listening—but now…

“Knock knock knock.”

The door to the Headmaster’s office was knocked on.

“An unusual guest—but I always welcome them.”

Dumbledore’s voice remained as wise and kind as ever.

“Headmaster Dumbledore.”

As Wizard Sean entered, he saw Dumbledore signing a pile of documents with a quill.

Dumbledore’s phoenix, Fuxi, perched on a golden branch beside the door, its size equal to a swan, its crimson and golden feathers dazzling.

It flicked its long tail feathers and blinked at Wizard Sean.

“Sit down,”

Dumbledore set down his quill with a sigh of relief and smiled warmly at Wizard Sean,

“My ears tell me they’ve been eager to hear the fresh ideas of young minds…

What thoughts have you had about that stone—or our future? Any thoughts at all?”

“The Resurrection Stone has been cursed by Voldemort,” Wizard Sean said. “It must be worn by a magical creature for the curse to activate; otherwise, the stone cannot be used.”

“Oh, I suspected as much.”

Dumbledore kept his eyes half-closed.

“I think…”

Wizard Sean glanced subtly at Fuxi—the phoenix unceremoniously stepped its claw onto his shoulder.

“Of course it’s possible—and I’m glad,”

Dumbledore smiled warmly,

“I’m glad you didn’t think of any other solution…

The Day of Nirvana is near; dear Mr. Fuxi will be happy to lend us a hand.

Dumbledore stroked the phoenix’s head, and Fuxi affectionately pecked his wrist.

Wizard Sean felt a quiet certainty settle within him.

He knew Fuxi could swallow the Killing Curse—and the Killing Curse was one of the most powerful curses.

So he had long suspected Fuxi might also swallow this one.

Now it seemed his guess was correct.

There’s an update tonight.