"Oh, of course. I was just… well, you understand."
Phineas muttered a few words from within his portrait, then turned around and ignored Kizaru completely.
If only these people from another world had shown up while he was still alive— with their help, the Black family surely could have risen to greatness.
"Fascinating… these portraits can move even without magic?"
Kizaru stroked his chin with great interest. That guy Morgans would absolutely love these animated portraits.
Although Kizaru had leverage on that big bird and didn't need to worry about Morgans suddenly refusing their collaboration, it was still important to maintain good relations with allies.
He was counting on Morgans to publish glowing reports about him every few days once he became Fleet Admiral.
After all, no matter how good you are, you still need good PR.
That's something the Navy never understood, which is why they were always under the thumb of the World Government.
As a transmigrator, Kizaru deeply understood the importance of propaganda. Once he took the position of Fleet Admiral, the newspapers would constantly run stories of how poor the Navy was, while pushing the "Pirate Threat Theory."
"The Navy has so few ships—how can we protect our allied nations?"
"The marines eat so poorly—how can they have the strength to even pilot a ship?"
"Our weapons are outdated—how can we fight against pirates like this?"
In the past, the Navy would request funding once a year. But once Kizaru was in charge? It would be once a month… no, once a week!
He was determined to bleed the fat cats of the World Government dry before their regime collapsed.
"Yes," Dumbledore replied casually, still engaged in conversation with Orochimaru. "Once a portrait has had magic cast on it, it can continue to remain animated indefinitely."
Unlike the Philosopher's Stone or Time-Turners—dangerous and secretive as they were—there was no need to keep the enchantment of magical portraits a secret.
Unknowingly, the two sides had already been talking for several hours. But for someone with Dumbledore's vast life experience, and someone like Orochimaru with endless curiosity, this was just the beginning.
Even Kizaru wasn't a greenhorn anymore. With decades of service in the Navy, he was nearly on par with Dumbledore in terms of life experience.
Even Professor McGonagall had started to lower her guard and was occasionally joining in on their conversations.
Grrrrumble…
Just as their discussion was in full swing, a strange and ill-timed sound echoed through the office.
When everyone turned to look, Ron was covering his stomach in embarrassment.
Ever since they were young, Mrs. Weasley had drilled into her children the importance of eating on time.
Now that mealtime had passed, Ron's body had begun to protest out of sheer habit.
Hearing the sound, Harry quickly placed a hand over his own stomach, praying it wouldn't follow suit and start growling like Ron's.
"Ah, it seems it's already dinner time without us realizing. Would I have the honor of inviting you both to dine with us?"
Dumbledore smiled as he spoke.
After the time spent conversing, his impression of Orochimaru had slightly improved.
Compared to his own disastrously awful former student, this dangerous-seeming man—Mr. Orochimaru—still appeared to possess his own, albeit questionable, moral bottom line.
Though Dumbledore still considered that moral threshold rather low, as long as Orochimaru held no malicious intent, he could be reluctantly classified as "not a bad person."
And of course, there was also Kizaru, who seemed to command even Orochimaru's caution.
In contrast to Orochimaru's ominous and unsettling aura, Kizaru gave Dumbledore the impression of a sun radiating warm light.
Even in his actions, Kizaru seemed more willing to consider others' needs. Otherwise, with power that could make even Orochimaru tread carefully, if he truly intended to forcefully take what he wanted, not even the Elder Wand in Dumbledore's hand would give him the confidence to resist.
"Of course, I would be delighted to sample the magical world's cuisine."
Kizaru smiled and accepted the invitation with ease.
He had a pretty good idea what to expect from a country known for its "culinary disasters," but the charm of the magical world outweighed any fear he had of bad food.
Besides, with his current physique, even eating metal wouldn't be a problem—so what's a bit of dark cuisine?
"I still have experiments I need to finish. I'll have to decline the headmaster's kind invitation."
Orochimaru, on the other hand, turned down the offer. Clearly, Dumbledore's repeated rejections earlier hadn't come without consequences.
It was only out of respect—and fear—for Kizaru that Orochimaru hadn't lashed out on the spot.
In a way, it wasn't without reason that Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't want Orochimaru to become the Fourth Hokage.
It wasn't hard to imagine that if Kizaru hadn't been there, Orochimaru and Dumbledore might already be locked in battle by now.
"I'll have the potion ingredients, related materials, and textbooks prepared as soon as possible and have Hermione deliver them to you."
Dumbledore had sensed Orochimaru's displeasure, but at this point, all the elderly wizard could do was try to make amends.
Even so, if given the chance to go back and choose again, Dumbledore would still reject the same offers—without hesitation.
"Heh, I'll be looking forward to it."
With those words, Orochimaru vanished in a flash of white light.
Only then did Dumbledore let out a faint sigh of relief, mentally noting to remind Hermione not to so casually allow Orochimaru to visit Hogwarts again.
"Minerva, please inform the kitchen to prepare a feast to welcome our guests."
Dumbledore gestured to Professor McGonagall to escort the trio out.
There were still a few topics left to discuss—ones that were not meant for young ears.
Professor McGonagall cooperatively led the Gryffindor Trio out of the office and also took the opportunity to remind them that what happened today needed to be kept secret.
She wasn't too worried about Hermione or Harry.
But Ron Weasley… unless she spelled it out clearly, the entire Hogwarts would likely know about the otherworlders by morning.
How long such a warning could hold, even McGonagall wasn't confident.
Especially now that Dumbledore had decided to work with these people from another world—keeping it all hidden was going to be far more difficult.
"Professor… did I mess things up?"
Unlike the two boys who instantly perked up the moment they left the headmaster's office and began exchanging excited glances, Hermione—with a maturity far beyond her age—could see through what had just transpired.
She could even vaguely guess the reasons behind Dumbledore's decisions. Had she known beforehand that the existence of the chat group would place even Dumbledore in a difficult position, she absolutely would have chosen to keep it hidden at all costs.
"There's nothing to worry about, Miss Granger. It's a good thing you chose to trust us. Dumbledore will handle all of this properly. Don't worry."
Professor McGonagall, ever perceptive, could see the unease in Hermione's heart. Normally stern and strict, she spoke now with a rare, gentle tone meant to comfort.
"I really want to travel to another world someday… too bad Mum would never agree. We were supposed to visit Egypt years ago, and even that never happened…"
Ron wore a wistful expression, then added a little gloomily.
Because the Weasley family had too many children, their finances were always in the red, with every knut needing to be carefully spent. A "big event" like traveling abroad would often be planned for years, only to be canceled over a small mishap.
"I must remind you all—those are unknown worlds. If anything were to happen to you in another world, we might not be able to help you, Weasley."
McGonagall stopped walking and frowned as she addressed Ron seriously.
Given the notoriously reckless nature of Gryffindors, she felt a preemptive warning was very much necessary.
"I'll keep an eye on them. I promise."
Hermione completely understood McGonagall's concerns and responded firmly with a guarantee.
Only then did McGonagall breathe a sigh of relief. She gave them a few more things to be mindful of—especially stressing the importance of keeping today's events confidential—before finally allowing them to head to the dining hall.
"That was terrifying… I never knew Professor McGonagall could out-nag even my mum…"
Once McGonagall's figure disappeared, Ron exhaled deeply, patting his chest in exaggerated relief.
He was used to seeing her strict side, but this was the first time he'd heard her repeat herself so many times.
"Hermione… do you think what that Mr. Orochimaru said was true?"
Harry, after a brief pause, couldn't help but ask Hermione.
Unlike Ron, Harry wasn't particularly excited about other worlds—or perhaps, for him, the magical world was already strange and new enough. At least until he became as familiar with it as Ron was.
But Orochimaru's mention of a power that could bring the dead back to life had deeply unsettled him.
Everyone around Harry had parents—even poor Neville, whose parents were at least still alive. Every time Ron complained about how overbearing and biased his mother could be, Harry couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.
He'd wanted to tell Ron more than once, At least they're still alive.
Now, the chance to see his parents again had appeared—dangling right in front of him. And the one making the promise wasn't just anyone, but an otherworldly being even Dumbledore had to treat with caution.
Of course Harry was tempted.
This wasn't something a mere glance from Dumbledore could dispel. If he were the one joining the chat group instead of Hermione, Harry would've been willing to give up everything to bring his parents back.
°°°
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