Chapter 27 – Dumbledore's Office
The moment Leo heard the voices, he already knew who was coming before he even turned around.
There was only one pair of people at Hogwarts capable of speaking such perfectly synchronized nonsense.
Two identical red-haired Gryffindors stepped into view, each covered in freckles and wearing matching mischievous grins.
"So," one of the twins declared dramatically while pointing at Leo, "the terrifying nemesis of Peeves is—"
"Ron's tiny little friend!" the other finished immediately.
Leo looked at the Weasley twins quietly.
Even after only briefly meeting them aboard the Hogwarts Express, their personalities had been impossible to forget.
The twins exchanged a glance after noticing Leo simply studying them in silence.
Clearly, they assumed he couldn't tell them apart.
Naturally, that meant trouble.
"I believe your name is Leo Nicholas, right?" one twin asked cheerfully.
"I'm Fred," he said confidently. "Ron's older brother. Pleasure to meet you."
The second twin immediately stepped forward and bowed dramatically.
"And I'm George," he said in a gentler tone. "Surely you remember us from the train?"
Leo smiled faintly.
"Yes," he said calmly while pointing at the twin claiming to be Fred. "You're George."
Then he pointed at the other.
"And you're Fred."
The twins froze.
"Oh?" fake Fred said innocently. "I'm quite certain I introduced myself properly."
"Yes," fake George agreed solemnly. "Perhaps you misheard us."
Leo simply pointed toward Peeves lying helplessly on the floor.
"The talisman is almost finished burning," he said pleasantly. "Would either of you like to try it?"
The twins immediately looked down.
Only then did they notice that the yellow talisman attached to Peeves had nearly burned itself away from bottom to top.
"You horrible little Slytherin!" Peeves suddenly screeched from the floor.
In reality, the poltergeist had already regained partial movement and had been preparing to escape the moment the talisman finished burning.
Unfortunately for him, Leo had noticed.
"Oh no," George said hurriedly while digging through his pockets.
"Quickly, Fred," his brother agreed.
Both twins pulled out suspiciously round objects resembling muddy grass balls.
"Nope," Leo said immediately while backing away. "Absolutely not. I'm leaving now. I have an appointment with the Headmaster."
He turned and jogged away before either twin could throw whatever horrifying invention they were holding.
As he rounded a dimly lit corner, another figure immediately caught his attention.
A thin Maine Coon cat sat quietly in the middle of the corridor.
Its fur looked dull and rough, lacking the healthy shine a cat should possess. Yet despite its somewhat pitiful appearance, its eyes were striking—bright amber and extraordinarily alert.
The cat stared at Leo with cautious seriousness, like a tiny guardian protecting its territory.
"Hello, Mrs. Norris," Leo said softly.
He recognized Filch's cat immediately.
Reaching into his enchanted pocket, Leo carefully pulled out a packet of dried meat treats originally intended for Radish.
"My owl really likes these," Leo explained quietly as he crouched down. "Maybe you'll like them too."
He slowly placed a strip of jerky onto the floor before stepping back respectfully.
"Go ahead. It's alright."
Mrs. Norris watched him suspiciously.
Then she looked at the jerky.
Then back at Leo.
The internal struggle between caution and hunger was almost visible on her face.
Hunger won.
"Meow."
The sound almost resembled gratitude.
Mrs. Norris lowered her head and immediately began devouring the dried meat.
Watching her eat so enthusiastically filled Leo with an odd sense of satisfaction.
He placed several more pieces nearby.
"There's more if you want it," he said gently. "I have to go now. Goodbye, Mrs. Norris."
Then he continued down the corridor.
As he walked away, Leo couldn't help feeling proud of Radish.
Clearly, his owl possessed the admirable virtue of sharing.
A few minutes later—
A furious scream echoed behind him.
"Who fed this to Mrs. Norris?!"
"Who gave her this nonsense?!"
"No, Mrs. Norris! Don't ignore me!"
Leo immediately recognized Filch's voice and silently rolled his eyes.
Honestly, if any Muggle animal welfare organization ever investigated Hogwarts, Filch would probably end up arrested.
Wait.
Didn't the Ministry have a Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures?
Lost in thought, Leo eventually climbed a long spiral staircase leading toward the upper levels of Hogwarts.
Without the portraits hanging along the walls giving him directions, he was fairly certain he would have become hopelessly lost already.
At the top of the staircase stretched a quiet corridor lined with narrow ancient windows.
Torchlight flickered softly against the stone walls.
At the very end stood a stone gargoyle.
Or rather, an extremely ugly stone creature built into the wall.
The thing appeared almost alive.
It snored quietly while a bubble inflated and deflated from its nose.
Pop.
The bubble burst as Leo approached.
"Mm..." the gargoyle muttered sleepily before opening its eyes. "Who are you? State the password for the Headmaster's office."
Leo stared at it thoughtfully.
For a moment, he wondered whether the correct answer involved some bizarre magical dessert.
Instead, he simply said, "Headmaster Dumbledore asked to see me. I'm Leo Nicholas."
The gargoyle's eyes rolled dramatically.
"Oh. You're Leo Nicholas."
Immediately, it hopped aside.
The wall behind it opened, revealing another spiral staircase.
Leo stepped forward.
At the top awaited a bright circular office unlike anything he had ever seen.
Portraits covered the walls. Elderly witches and wizards in ancient robes slept, chatted quietly, or pretended not to watch him.
Tables and cabinets overflowed with strange magical instruments that clicked, hissed, spun, and emitted occasional puffs of smoke.
Leo immediately recognized two objects.
One was the battered Sorting Hat resting atop a cabinet.
The other was a phoenix perched nearby.
Fawkes rested elegantly within a nest of branches beside a burning fireplace. His crimson feathers glowed softly in the firelight.
Above the lower section of the office sat another elevated platform containing a massive desk surrounded by towering bookshelves.
Behind that desk sat Albus Dumbledore.
The Headmaster wore flowing white robes while calmly writing with a quill.
"Mr. Nicholas," Dumbledore said warmly after glancing up over his half-moon spectacles. "Please wait just a moment. Being Headmaster unfortunately involves rather terrifying amounts of paperwork."
Leo looked at the mountain of parchment covering the desk.
Honestly, the old man truly did seem exhausted.
"It's alright, Headmaster Dumbledore," Leo replied politely.
"Oh, thank you for understanding the suffering of an elderly wizard," Dumbledore said cheerfully.
Without even looking away from the parchment, he casually waved his wand.
A chair grew smoothly from the floor like a living sapling, twisting upward into polished wood.
"Please, sit."
An old portrait nearby suddenly spoke.
"To think Slytherin would produce such a charming child," the elderly wizard muttered in surprise.
Leo barely heard him.
His attention remained entirely fixed on Dumbledore's spellcasting.
Silent casting.
Wordless Transfiguration.
And not even simple Transfiguration.
Dumbledore had effortlessly transformed part of the floor itself into a fully formed chair without speaking a single incantation.
Leo stared openly.
"Beautiful," he muttered unconsciously. "Perfect silent Transfiguration..."
Although Leo himself could perform a few simple spells silently, they were merely ordinary utility charms.
Dumbledore, meanwhile, had casually used one of the most advanced branches of magic as naturally as breathing.
No wonder the wizarding world called him the greatest wizard alive.
Dumbledore chuckled softly.
"Thank you for the compliment, my boy," he said kindly. "When one lives long enough, one tends to learn a few difficult tricks."
....
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