At six o'clock sharp, Douglas received a message delivered by Dumbledore's Patronus.
It was an invitation to dinner in the Headmaster's office at seven, with a special request—tell no one else, and use the password: Dragon Blood Copper Cauldron.
Not wanting to risk another mess left outside his office, Douglas quickly found an excuse to send the four students serving detention to Professor McGonagall's office instead. He had no intention of returning to chaos and flying parchment scraps tonight.
At seven on the dot, he appeared at the entrance to the Headmaster's office, arms full with a box of assorted sweets from the Honeydukes shopkeeper.
"Dragon Blood Copper Cauldron!"
The stone gargoyle at the door glanced around warily before sliding aside, revealing the spiral staircase.
Inside, the office was already set for a feast: the special hotpot table glimmered, covered with all manner of ingredients—including rare magical creature meats you'd never find in any Diagon Alley restaurant.
According to Dumbledore, these were simply surplus "research materials" from various friends.
The custom copper cauldron was set over a base of Gubraithian Fire—that legendary, ever-burning magical flame.
This, truly, was why Douglas loved sharing hotpot with Dumbledore: you could always taste something here no other wizard ever would.
Dumbledore greeted him with a twinkle in his eye.
"Rest easy, Douglas. I set a password at the door—there's no way Severus will ever guess this one."
Douglas let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. It wasn't that he was afraid of Professor Snape… Well, perhaps just a little, at least when it came to this.
He handed over the box of sweets.
Dumbledore beamed.
"Marvelous! And there are a few new flavors, too!"
Before Douglas could reply, Fawkes—looking even older than last time—fluttered onto his shoulder and gave his head a gentle peck.
Douglas shrugged.
"Oh, Fawkes, behave! You know the Headmaster won't let you have any of those."
Dumbledore popped a Pepper Imp into his mouth and, like a mischievous child, let flames shoot from his ears and nostrils.
"Wonderful, isn't it? Perfect for tonight's hotpot theme!"
Douglas grinned, then asked,
"Headmaster, is Fawkes about to be reborn?"
After inviting Fawkes back to his gilded perch and motioning Douglas to sit, Dumbledore answered,
"I suspect so, though it will be a while yet. Lately, I've allowed him to indulge in the extra-spicy blend. One must allow a little whimsy for the elderly, after all."
He winked, a sly spark in his gaze that made Douglas wonder if he meant more than he said—but he had no proof.
Unable to wait any longer, Douglas began dropping ingredients into the cauldron—hotpot at last!—and pulled out the unicorn horn chopsticks Hagrid had given him. The dipping sauces were already prepared to his exact taste.
Dumbledore just watched, smiling serenely.
"Ah, you make me realize how wonderful it is to have a friend for hotpot. You know, it's usually just me."
Douglas eyed the bubbling pot, mentally timing each dish.
"There are so many professors here—none of them want to share a hotpot?"
Dumbledore shook his head with mock regret.
"Minerva thinks I'm too old for such spicy food. The others either dislike it, or are simply too busy…"
Douglas nodded absently, counting down in his head—three, two, one—
Just as he reached for a slice of Romanian Longhorn dragon meat, every piece of meat in the pot levitated and landed neatly in Dumbledore's dipping bowl.
"Ha! You always know just when the ingredients are perfect. I either start too early or leave them stewing too long!"
Ignoring Douglas's murderous glare, Dumbledore tucked in with gusto.
If not for the man's age…
So it went: every time Douglas tried to claim a bite, Dumbledore would deftly Accio it into his own bowl. Only when he was thoroughly satisfied did he finally slow down.
At last, Douglas managed to snag a piece of that coveted dragon meat. Chewing, he grumbled,
"Now I finally understand why no one wants to share hotpot with you!"
Dumbledore sighed contentedly.
"When it comes to food, no one can outdo Hufflepuff…
So, you've been here two weeks now—how are you finding it?
Minerva tells me you're especially dedicated. Your approach may differ from most of ours, but you've certainly brought an unusual spark of energy to Hogwarts!"
The sudden shift in topic nearly gave Douglas whiplash. He realized, at last, that tonight's "hotpot" was not the true purpose of the invitation.
...
While the two wizards enjoyed their secret meal, a furious roar echoed through a girls' bathroom somewhere in Hogwarts.
He had just noticed, beside a copper faucet etched with a small serpent, a line carved into the stone: Welcome home, Mr. Voldemort.
For a moment, terror and shock warred within him.
Seeing that the carving was old, not fresh, he breathed a little easier.
He'd planned to wait until he'd fully recovered before returning here. But lately, through the child he possessed, he'd learned of certain strange happenings at Hogwarts.
It seemed the new professor knew something about the monster lurking in the castle—and was even teaching students how to face it.
He scoffed at such efforts, but the possibility of exposure gnawed at him.
So he had no choice but to act sooner than planned, fully seizing control of the child.
Now, seeing that line of text, he understood: not only had he been discovered, but the other party also knew the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets—and what lay within.
Drawing his wand, he carefully probed the area around the tap. No traps. He muttered under his breath,
"Douglas Holmes!
I wonder who you really are.
Are you another of Slytherin's bloodline, hidden among Muggles?
How else could you know the Chamber's location?
Or are you a Seer…"
...
Meanwhile, in McGonagall's office—
Because their lines had only involved Defence Against the Dark Arts, Harry and Ron were released first from detention.
As they left, Professor McGonagall reviewed their previous written work, her curiosity about this copying method clear as day.
The two boys couldn't help but feel a mix of relief and sympathy for their classmates—after all, their own detentions this term already included Transfiguration.
Strolling down the corridor, the topic quickly turned to Quidditch.
Suddenly, Harry froze, hearing a voice—cold, venomous, and full of murderous intent—echoing in his mind:
"Come… come to me… let me rip you… tear you… kill you…"
He shouted, "What?"
Ron jumped. "I was talking about the Chudley Cannons' Keeper—what's wrong, Harry?"
He noticed Harry's face had gone pale.
Harry glanced around, his voice shaky.
"That—that voice—it said—didn't you hear it?
It wants to kill someone!"
Ron stared at him, alarmed, scanning the empty hall.
In the quiet castle, every sound seemed magnified.
"There's a sort of slithering noise, like it's coming from inside the walls…
Harry, run! Don't look—"
He grabbed Harry's arm and bolted for Gryffindor Tower, not daring to look back.
By the time they reached the fourth floor, Harry was out of breath.
He gasped,
"You heard that voice too?
What was it? A ghost?"
Ron shook his head, confused.
"What voice? I didn't hear anything!
But I did hear a slithering sound…"
Harry Potter bristled, frustrated.
"Bloody hell, Ron, someone was speaking! Tell me the truth—I'm not joking!"
Ron pulled his arm away, frowning.
"It was just a slithering noise, I swear! Nothing else!
Maybe it was just the wind, or… something.
But honestly, I'm starting to think Professor Holmes let that monster from the practical lesson loose in the castle.
It sounded just like that thing.
If it really is that monster and you keep looking for it, we'll both end up under a Body-Bind Curse. By the time the professors find us, we'll have frozen stiff.
And who knows—maybe we'll even lose House points?"
Harry hesitated, suddenly unsure. Had the creature from the practical really spoken?
But after Ron's words, he found himself doubting his own memory—maybe it really had just been a slithering sound.
He muttered,
"But why would the Professor release that monster?"
Ron shrugged.
"Who knows? Maybe he thinks we're not good enough—so he's let the monster loose to keep us on our toes?"
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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