An hour before Kai stepped into the Vault of Fear, an unimaginable event happened, turning the fate of the Wizarding Community all over the world.
Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (Order of Merlin (First Class), Grand Sorcerer, Doctor of Wizardry, Extraordinary Judge (Sorcery), Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, and Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry) stepped into the Wizengamot—the High Court of the British Ministry of Magic.
The wizards and witches seated on the Wizengamot's raised platforms, though, weren't only council members, but representatives from all over the globe.
The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, was still presiding from his formal chair.
The Heads of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Durmstrang Institute, Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Castelobruxo, Mahoutokoro School of Magic, Uagadou School of Magic, and almost all the Magical Institutes that provided education to the children of the wizarding community were seated together.
Not only them, but the Heads and Representatives of all Ministries and Councils that were still functional in the world were also there.
Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, Mr. Weasley, and co. had a bench to themselves. They were invited to the meeting at the behest of Madam Villanelle, who was seated with them, her eyes closed, knowing what was about to happen.
Sure enough, the moment steps rang out in the small, encircled space, gasps—the likes of which one had never heard before—echoed along with them.
The man who had entered looked nothing like the wise, old, white-haired Dumbledore they had known all their lives.
This man… possessed a blackness about him.
A long black beard, sharp black eyes, and a headful of mixed black-gray hair.
Even his robes looked as if he had torn apart from the new moon's night and draped it over himself.
Lord Black Phoenix looked at all of them, his head raised a little, shuffling his feet. He let them see it… the price that he had paid…
"… Who… are you?" Cornelius Fudge stood up, pointing at the man, his finger shaking. "… Cast… Cast him out… Guards!"
Many wizards and witches shuffled in their seats with uneasiness as well.
The same was true for Minerva, Snape, and Mr. Weasley, who were seeing him for the first time.
Yet, other than the Minister of Magic, none dared to utter a single word. Not even a whisper.
Because even though this man looked decades younger than Professor Dumbledore's image in their minds, the resemblance between the two of them… was uncannily nerve-racking.
When no one entered the Wizengamot, despite Fudge's repeated calls, he sat back in his chair with a thud, as if he had suddenly become older than the original Dumbledore.
At that moment, even without saying a single word, it became clear who held the true authority in the Ministry of Magic.
"… Lord Voldemort," Dumbledore said his first words, making everyone flinch, "… has been cast out of the Dark Alliance."
Faces paled.
Only yesterday, they had learned that Dumbledore had convinced the Dark Alliance to a ceasefire.
That's why half of them had rushed to attend this meeting, hoping to hear more good news.
But Voldemort's fallout with the Dark Alliance meant that the Ceasefire deal wouldn't be binding on the Dark Lord anymore.
Dumbledore didn't blame the people here for falling into despair.
Even before making the Unbreakable Vow with Lord Yellow Warlock, he had expected something like this to happen. If he had included more conditions in the Vow, then the enemy would have found even more loopholes in it.
Keeping it simple, Dumbledore had limited those loopholes to known ones, at least.
Not only that, but he also… preferred it.
"Voldemort is weak and desperate," Dumbledore told them. "You can expect him to take drastic measures, attacking various establishments to gain power. That's good for us."
"How…" the Vice-President of the International Confederation of Wizards asked. "How is that good news?!"
Others nodded with him, their mouths going dry.
Half of them already wanted to return to their communities with this terrifying piece of news.
Professor Dumbledore repeated, emphasizing the word. "You can expect him, prepare for him, and foil his plans. I will accept that against Lord Yellow Warlock's unimaginable, sporadic actions any day."
A murmur passed among the people, begrudgingly agreeing with the statement.
"And now I will tell you about myself," Dumbledore said, reining in the despair in his surroundings. "I am Albus Dumbledore or, as you might have heard, Lord Black Phoenix."
A silence fell upon everyone.
Dumbledore sighed within, knowing he had stepped beyond the point of no return.
He had never imagined that things would come to this, forcing him to let the world see what he had become. But that was when he thought the Order of Immortal Lotus would act for the benefit of mankind.
However, learning of the matter of Herpo the Foul, his Horcruxes, and the overarching, hidden schemes that the Six Seats still refused to share with him, made Dumbledore realize the bitterest truth… A truth that he had been willingly ignoring ever since the Phoenix had contacted him through Fawkes.
Dumbledore had concluded that the Greater Good the Order of Immortal Lotus boasted of standing for wasn't nearly the same Greater Good he had been thinking of.
Dumbledore wanted to save his friends, his students… his people.
The Order of Immortal Lotus, though, cared for timelines. It didn't matter to them if Harry from one timeline died, as long as millions of others survived.
For Dumbledore, only one Harry mattered.
For Dumbledore, only this world mattered.
Lord Black Phoenix took a deep breath, steeling his resolve.
"The time has come to cast aside our differences!" he declared, staring them in the eyes. "The time has come to come together, under one banner, and stand against the evil! To make sure that our children, grandchildren, and their children… never get to experience this darkness…"
Dumbledore took out his wand, black fire flaming at its tip.
"Today, I lay down the foundation of the Order of Black Phoenix," he said, his voice booming. "To stand against the Dark Alliance and eliminate the evil… once and for all! Now, you must choose. Who would be standing in this endeavor next to me… shoulder to shoulder…"
Lord Black Phoenix had indeed given them a choice, but the wand in his hand, hissing out black flames, suggested otherwise.
One way or another, today, Lord Black Phoenix was determined to resolve differences… his way!
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