Two days later, Harry left the hospital wing in perfect health.
After being discharged, he immediately went to find Lupin, wanting to learn how to fight against Dementors.
Harry walked toward the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, preparing to visit the professor's office. He pushed open the door and froze.
"Oh, hiss, Aiden be gentle..."
Harry saw Aiden suspending his beloved Professor Lupin in mid-air, the tip of his wand emitting an unknown, pulsing glow.
"Aiden, what are you doing? Let go of Professor Lupin!" Harry lunged forward, preparing to rescue his teacher.
He found himself clinging to Aiden's arm like a desperate sloth. A Dreamwalker's physical capabilities were far beyond what a young wizard could challenge.
Looking down at the boy hanging from his arm, Aiden spoke with mild exasperation, "Don't worry, we're not going to hurt your Professor Lupin. We're conducting some medical examinations."
Aiden gestured with his right hand, and Lupin was gently lowered to the ground.
"Examinations?" Harry asked, still confused.
"Yes, regarding my condition," Lupin said quickly, eager to change the subject. "Harry, did you come to see me about something?"
"Professor, I have some questions I'd like to ask you," Harry said urgently.
"Alright, let's sit down and talk properly." Professor Lupin waved his wand, and several chairs floated over to them.
"Do you need me here too?" Aiden asked, pointing to himself.
"Of course. Perhaps we can provide Harry with some assistance," Professor Lupin said, looking at Aiden meaningfully.
Aiden raised his hand, and several butterflies danced between his fingers, occasionally sprinkling silver light like tiny stars.
"Professor, why didn't you let me face the Boggart directly?" Harry asked.
"Because I thought your Boggart might turn into Voldemort." Lupin's gaze was firm, as if resisting some invisible force.
Harry was stunned. This was the first time he'd heard a wizard of this generation speak You-Know-Who's name directly.
"But I initially thought it would be Voldemort too, except it turned out to be a Dementor. And this is the second time I've been affected by them," Harry said, his tone low and dejected by his Quidditch failure.
"That's actually very good. It shows you fear fear itself—a wise choice," Lupin encouraged.
Then Lupin turned his gaze to Aiden. "Seeing you two today, I feel like I'm looking at your parents."
"My parents?" Harry asked, confused.
"Harry, your eyes are just like your mother's, and Aiden's face is as beautiful as his mother's." Professor Lupin smiled, seeing the past through the two young men before him. "But you're boys after all, so personality-wise you're more like your fathers. James loved causing trouble, and Gideon was brilliant at fighting."
He pointed at each of them with his index finger.
This was the first time Harry had heard someone speak personally about his parents, while Aiden remained largely unmoved by the revelation.
"Let's focus on Harry, Professor. He probably wants you to teach him a method to fight Dementors," Aiden said meaningfully.
"Yes, Professor, why do Dementors affect me so strongly?" Harry pressed.
"Dementors are among the most evil creatures in existence. They feed on all positive emotions and memories. You have such a strong reaction probably because you've experienced more trauma than most," Lupin explained gently.
"Professor, can you teach me how to fight them?" Harry's eyes filled with hope.
"Since Dementors seem particularly interested in you, I'll teach you. But it will have to wait until after winter break. I need to rest and recover recently," Lupin said.
Knock, knock. Just as Lupin finished speaking, someone rapped on the door.
Professor Snape kicked the door open and strode in, carrying a cup of steaming, strange-looking liquid.
"Hmph. Are Ravenclaw's studies so easy that they allow you to socialize everywhere, Mr. Prewett?" Snape saw Aiden in Lupin's office. He wanted to warn the boy to stay away from Lupin, but unfortunately his words of concern immediately soured when spoken aloud.
As an extraordinary being specializing in the mind, Aiden naturally understood what Snape really meant.
"Yes, Professor. I'll immediately return and devote all my energy to studying," Aiden replied diplomatically.
"That's not necessary. Have you learned how to brew this potion?" Snape inquired, gesturing to the cup.
Aiden didn't answer verbally, just nodded.
"Good. Then the task of brewing medicine for this... individual is also handed over to you." Professor Snape crossed his arms with satisfaction.
"My pleasure," Aiden said, bowing slightly.
Harry, watching the potion Snape had placed on the desk, was convinced it was poisoned and desperately wanted to knock it over. Unfortunately, his rebellious thought was immediately suppressed by Aiden's stern glare.
"Hmph." The tsundere bat turned and swept from the room.
"Aiden, I'll be troubling you for the next period," Professor Lupin said with some apology.
"It's nothing," Aiden replied, waving his hand as he dispersed into butterflies throughout the office.
On the other side of the wizarding world, for reasons unknown, the suddenly wealthy Department of Mysteries was living quite comfortably despite the Ministry of Magic cutting off their funding.
In contrast, Fudge was deeply mired in the Dementor scandal, which had kept him unusually quiet for weeks.
Meanwhile, Filch had completed all the tasks Aiden had assigned him, successfully gathering a substantial group of Squibs who yearned for magical ability.
To provide these people with a proper activity space, Aiden had purchased property in expensive Hogsmeade. Fortunately, after the Department of Mysteries moved into Prewett's shops, the profits had normalized, making this expense merely a drop in the bucket.
On Friday evening, Aiden passed through a secret passage and arrived at the Hogsmeade base.
Inside, a group of people who had been shut out of the magical world for their entire lives waited eagerly.
Aiden pushed open the door and walked in, his heterochromatic pupils and dragon horns making him particularly striking among the assembled crowd.
"Mr. Prewett, these are the Squibs you asked me to gather," Filch said, bowing respectfully.
"Sir." "Greetings to you." "Thank you very much." A chorus of grateful voices rose from the crowd, their excitement palpable.
"Have they all sworn the oath?" Aiden asked.
"All of them," Filch confirmed.
A spatial flicker occurred, and a man in platinum robes materialized in the room.
"Hey, Dragon, long time no see," the Director greeted Aiden with his characteristic lack of seriousness.
"Where are the materials?" Aiden glanced at him and cut straight to the point, hoping to prevent any theatrical nonsense.
The Director said nothing and stepped aside. Oliver entered, carrying a container sealed with multiple layers of protective spells.
"These are the 'threads' the Department of Mysteries has collected during this time," Oliver said, tossing the container to Aiden.
Aiden caught it and began setting up the ritual site with practiced efficiency.
After completing the complex preparations, Aiden looked up. Within his line of sight, the two officials standing around watching the proceedings showed no intention of leaving.
"Why haven't you two left yet?" Aiden asked, confused.
"Wah, is this how you treat people? When you need us, you call us Director, and when you don't, you call us slackers," the Director complained dramatically, even pulling out a pink handkerchief to dab at nonexistent tears.
Small crosses began appearing on Aiden's forehead as his patience wore thin.
"Please stop fooling around," Oliver said, blocking the troublemaking Director and turning to Aiden. "The Department of Mysteries needs to confirm the safety of this ritual. You should understand the significance behind this."
Aiden nodded and didn't drive away the two observers.
He activated the alchemical matrix, having the Squibs approach one by one to connect to Avalon's psychic network.
Soon, a large batch of fresh 'wizards' had been created, and Aiden felt his acting progress rapidly improving with each successful transformation.
The Director explained basic wizard rules to the newly empowered individuals while leaving a silver-white bracelet on each person's wrist.
"Is that really necessary?" Aiden raised an eyebrow.
"Regulations," the Director replied dismissively.
"I'm clearly the first person in thousands of years to successfully create artificial wizards, so tell me where these regulations come from?" Aiden pressed, genuinely confused.
"Made them up on the spot," the Director called back cheerfully.
He had already departed with Oliver, leaving only his voice echoing in the transformed space.