Hogwarts: Voldemort, don't stop me from studying

Chapter 1017 Labyrinth and Projection

The principal's office fell silent again, with only the regular "ding-ding" sound of the rotating planetarium, like wind chimes playing music.

The slight smile on Dumbledore's face faded. He let out a soft breath, pinched the bridge of his nose, and looked up to ask:
“Wade, I suspect that the prophecy Mr. Weasley just recited might differ somewhat from the actual content?”

"Yes, Professor."

Wade met Dumbledore's gaze and said, "What Professor Trelawney was saying earlier was actually—two shadows vying for the extinguishing sun. One shadow crawls out of the grave, weaving the web of time..."

The boy repeated the strange prophecy in a clear and calm voice, word for word.

Those obscure symbols and malicious metaphors, delivered in his flat, even somewhat indifferent tone, did not diminish the eerie feeling; on the contrary, they exuded an even more chilling power.

It was as if... what he said was not a vague prophecy, but a statement of the trajectory of future destiny.

As the last word fell, Dumbledore's expression became extremely solemn.

He stood up, his face no longer showing any sign of relief. He quickly walked to a complex silver instrument and gently tapped it with his wand.

"Ding, ding ding ding... ding dong ding dong..."

Accompanied by a crisp clinking sound from inside the silverware, wisps of smoke billowed out from the silver tube at the top, instantly spreading into a large area.

They converge, tumble, twist, and transform in the air, sometimes stretching out into opposing human silhouettes, sometimes spreading into magnificent buildings, and sometimes coalescing into a giant pupil...

Wade watched, holding his breath.

Even though he was skilled in divination, familiar with countless ancient magical scripts, and had mastered a large number of spells, at this moment, he still couldn't understand what those ever-changing wisps of smoke were trying to convey.

He could only turn his gaze to Dumbledore's profile, observing his expression and trying to guess what he was thinking.

After a long while, the silvery smoke gradually dissipated, and the clinking silverware on the table slowly returned to calm, only occasionally emitting a faint, lingering sound.

Seeing that Dumbledore had finally stopped moving, Wade asked softly, "Professor, what was the result?"

Dumbledore slowly raised his head, his face bearing an extremely complex expression—surprise, worry, heaviness, hope…

Before Wade could figure it out, he saw that Wade had already hidden all his emotions beneath a calm exterior.

Dumbledore turned and walked to the window, his back to Wade, and silently gazed out the window.

The courtyard of Hogwarts was covered with a thick layer of snow, and some students were walking in the snow, having a snowball fight, and leaving crooked footprints, their laughter spreading like silver bells.

Hagrid planted a huge fir tree in the courtyard, and several students waved their wands, wrapping shimmering ribbons around the tree.

It felt like an eternity before Dumbledore finally spoke:
“I… need to look at it some more, Vader… I need to check some… some ancient records, and think about the multiple interpretations of these images…”

Wade's brow furrowed suddenly as he realized something unpleasant—

At this moment, Dumbledore seemed to be giving him the same perfunctory treatment he had given Ron and Harry earlier.

This thought made his heart sink slightly, and the corners of his mouth also turned down.

Just then, the old man's voice drifted over, almost as if he were talking to himself:
“I hope… I sincerely hope that this isn’t the worst-case scenario I’m worried about…”

Wade stared at his retreating figure and guessed, "You mean... the complex imagery revealed in the prophecy might represent an extremely terrible future?"

“…Complex imagery?” Dumbledore sighed softly. “Wade, what I fear is…this prophecy, it may be more straightforward than you and I suspect…”

……

Wade walked alone down the empty corridor, Dumbledore's last words echoing repeatedly in his mind—

"What I fear is... this prophecy, it might be more explicit than you and I suspect..."

Straightforward.

Wade chewed on the word in his mind, repeating each word of the prophecy over and over again in his mind.

"Oh, look who this is!"

A high-pitched and familiar voice suddenly came from diagonally in front of me.

Wade looked up and saw Professor Flitwick standing on the steps, his white beard as fluffy as cotton.

He had been busy waving his wand, hanging crystalline icicles from the armrests on either side. When their eyes met, the short professor put his hands on his hips, feigning displeasure:

"My best student, after finally stepping into the classroom, is going to a potions and divination class instead of coming to see his poor, long-missed old professor? How heartbreaking!"

Wade couldn't help but laugh, then stopped and gave a perfunctory apologetic look.

"Professor, it is precisely because I value your class so much that I need to go to Potions class to refresh myself and then go to Divination class to see when it would be appropriate to visit your office. Only after I have made all the preparations will it be time for me to see you."

“Oh…” Professor Flitwick raised his chin: “It seems my sudden appearance has disrupted your plans?”

“There’s no need to feel guilty about it,” Wade reassured him. “Isn’t meeting up ahead of time a pleasant surprise?”

The two looked at each other and laughed at the same time.

Professor Flitwick chuckled and shook his head, pointing at Wade and saying, "How did you turn from an eagle into a fox after just one trip out?"

Widger recalled several times when Lyra had turned the tide of battle, and sighed, "What kind of fox am I? I just borrowed a little bit of fur from a real fox."

"It seems you've been through a lot this time; this journey must have been very meaningful."

Professor Flitwick clapped his hands, came down the stairs, and said cheerfully, "But for now, let's put all those worries aside! I need a clever and capable helper... Come on, child, this is much more interesting!"

Without a word, Professor Flitwick waved his wand, and a whole bunch of glittering ornaments flew down the stairs, almost drowning Vader.

Wade gave a wry smile, "forced" to join the work of decorating the corridor. After turning the corner, he ran into Michael, Anthony, and others who were busy at work.

"Ha! Even you've been dragged into this to do the work!"

Michael, who had just told him to stay away from Anthony, now let out a gloating laugh.

Vader rolled his eyes at him, waved his wand lightly, and used the levitation spell to suspend the holly wreath, turning the ribbons into a colorful source of light pollution, while also preventing the fairy light strings from getting tangled together.

Professor Flitwick, standing on the ladder, busily directed the operation:

"A little higher on the left, child, the wreath you've made looks like a monstrous creature with uneven shoulders!"

"Oh, this color is too vibrant, it's a bit too bright for the eyes... add some silver-white!"

"Bells! Don't let the bells ring now, Professor Snape can hear them from the cellars..."

Several younger students passed by, watching them with curiosity and excitement, vying to help pass things. Whoever managed to get a small task could be happy for most of the day.

Gradually, Wade's tense nerves relaxed, and he easily directed a golden star to land steadily on the tip of a fir tree, which then began to slowly rotate, casting soft light dust.

The tangible results and the clear completion of each stage of the work can indeed bring a sense of satisfaction and joy.

At this moment, many heavy and cold things seemed to be temporarily isolated from this warm, busy, and cheerful corridor.

"Excellent, very good!" Professor Flitwick jumped down from the ladder, clapped his hands, and said, "This corridor is now complete. That's all for today. Go have dinner, children... We'll continue tomorrow!"

Various voices suddenly rang out from the crowd. Although the students complained, almost all of them left with smiles on their faces.

Professor Flitwick walked over to Wade, who was gazing at the golden stars, and whispered:
“Wade, I know that you probably have more and more complicated thoughts in your head than many adult wizards do in their entire lives, so you have more worries than anyone else.”

Wade lowered his gaze, looking at the professor who was only about half his height.

Professor Flitwick said with a smile, "My dear child, sometimes when we are in a complex and vast maze and cannot find the way out, it may be because we are looking too closely and too focused, and thus get trapped by the details."

"At this point, don't forget to take a step back and look at the overall layout—"

"A small cloud in the sky can cast a huge shadow on the ground. And the problem that is bothering you may just be the shadow of a simple object magnified in your field of vision."

Professor Flitwick looked at Wade with warm and trusting eyes.

“You’re a smart kid, Wade, smarter than Albus and I were at our age. But smart people are sometimes more likely to get themselves into dead ends…”

"Remember, even the most complex spells are made up of basic syllables. The answer you seek may lie hidden in what you already know."

He paused, then added, "And don't forget—magic originates from life, and life needs rhythmic breathing. A string stretched too tight will easily snap..."

"Let's go eat, and then enjoy the Christmas holidays. The walls of Hogwarts are thick enough to keep out the wind and snow for now."

(End of this chapter)