When Jane Yu arrived at the Headmaster's office with her intelligence, she found Harry already there, talking with Dumbledore.
—To be precise, they were discussing a peculiar dream.
Two pale green wisps in the shape of serpents were slowly emerging from a silver device, twisting gently in the air.
"I dreamed that my belly was pressed tightly against the ground, and I was slithering... Everything around me looked different from usual..."
Harry clutched his head tightly in his hands. The serpentine wisps coiled around him as cold sweat beaded on his face. It was evident that recalling the dream caused him great distress.
"I was discovered. My teeth itched terribly, and I had this overwhelming urge to attack someone... I bit Mr. Weasley hard... He was bleeding..."
He shuddered violently and quickly stammered an apology.
"I'm sorry! I kept yelling 'No, I don't want to,' but I couldn't control myself!"
The two serpentine wisps gradually faded in the air, turning into white mist and dissipating in the Headmaster's office.
Dumbledore placed the silver device back on another table, sat down in his chair, and turned his gaze to Jane Yu. His tone was gentle and soothing.
"It seems your Occlumency did not function properly during your sleep. Perhaps you failed to clear your mind before bed... This dream indicates that your mind is vulnerable when you're most relaxed."
Harry nodded absentmindedly.
"You weren't at school, so I used the two-way mirror to tell Sirius... He said he'd handle it... Then..."
"You did well, Harry," Dumbledore said, his tone still calm and full of praise. "Your timely warning saved Arthur. You should know that your actions were noble, preventing the loss of a good and righteous man."
But Harry still seemed deeply troubled. His green eyes were filled with confusion and guilt.
Jane noticed that, apart from the brief glance he gave her when she first entered the office, Harry hadn't dared to look at her again.
"That was the first dream," he said after a brief pause. "During the holidays, I had a second dream..."
"I felt an intense hatred and resentment. I wanted to kill someone—I'm sorry! But... but..."
Dumbledore leaned forward, avoiding Harry's gaze as he fixed his eyes on Jane, perhaps deliberately.
"Who did you want to kill?"
But Harry's eyes were even more unfocused. His gaze fell on the Pensieve in the corner, and his voice trembled.
"You... and Yu... I don't understand why... It's like I'm not myself anymore... Could Voldemort be controlling my thoughts...?"
At last, Jane understood why he hadn't dared to look at her. The sensitive savior was deeply ashamed of such thoughts.
But Dumbledore suddenly spoke, his tone soothing.
"That wasn't you, Harry. You were merely experiencing someone else's emotions. You don't need to feel guilty about thoughts that aren't your own."
"You are too empathetic, Harry. This empathy leads to inner turmoil, making it difficult for you to control your mind. You didn't have such frequent dreams before, did you?"
Harry seemed to calm down gradually. He nodded, his eyes becoming vacant. Practicing Occlumency seemed to bring him some peace.
Dumbledore walked over to the Pensieve in the corner and gestured to Harry.
"Just in case, Harry, if you have such dreams again, come to the Headmaster's office and place your memories in the Pensieve."
"This will help you organize the chaotic emotions in your mind and allow you to get a good night's sleep."
His blue eyes finally shifted from Jane to Harry.
"You must promise me that you'll do this every time, alright?"
Receiving Harry's affirmative response, Dumbledore looked very pleased.
After Harry left, he finally had time to talk with Jane.
"Yes... There is indeed something in the Department of Mysteries that Voldemort wants, and even the place where Arthur was injured is there," Dumbledore mused for a few seconds. "This confirms my suspicions, but don't worry too much; I'll make arrangements."
He stood up, paced back and forth twice, and then switched to another topic.
"By the way, Yu... Prepare well for your exams. Of course, I'm not saying you must get twelve 'Outstandings,' but I think you should do your best..."
"And Slughorn's career guidance—perhaps you should give some serious thought to your future path... Of course, I'm not saying you must follow the same route as me, but I think you're an ambitious and promising young person..."
Jane forced a smile, turned briskly, and fled in haste.
Dumbledore's relentless enthusiasm for academic excellence was truly like wildfire—unceasing and ever-growing!
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📚 BOOK COMPLETED ON PATREON!📚
This story has reached its conclusion on my Patreon!
🔥 Full story available now
💎 Exclusive bonus content & early access to new books
👉 Join my Patreon community today!
[✨patreon.com/DarkGolds]
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━