Dusk, heavy with winter's damp chill, seeped into Hogwarts Castle. The Quidditch match was over. Despite the unexpected turn of events, it couldn't dampen the lively atmosphere. The echo of excited chatter filled the corridors. As Dylan stepped inside the castle, he spotted Cedric, leaning alone against a stone pillar.
Cedric, the Hufflepuff Seeker, had shed his silver and yellow robes, and a loosely draped, dark green scarf hung around his neck.
"That final dive was brilliant, truly," Dylan's voice reached Cedric before he even drew close. "That last arc, dodging the Dementor and snatching the Snitch – a very cool win."
Cedric paused, surprised. "Thank you—" He looked up, realizing it was Dylan, a Gryffindor student no less. For a moment, his expression shifted, his ear tips turning faintly red. It softened his handsome features, making him less sharply defined. He felt a bit awkward, as if his victory hadn't been entirely fair, even though he got along well with many Gryffindors. Being praised for such a win to his face made him feel quite shy.
"About the match today..." Cedric began, but Dylan offered a soft smile and slowly shook his head.
"Your team endured the pressure from the Dementors and ultimately won the championship. That's perfectly reasonable, and perfectly fair."
Cedric blinked. "You think so?"
Dylan nodded matter-of-factly. "Even with the heavy rain, I could see clearly that your speed and reactions were far superior to Harry's. That last move, even if Harry hadn't been under the Dementors' influence, you definitely would have snatched the Golden Snitch before him."
Cedric pursed his lips. Was that true? He couldn't shake the feeling that the Snitch had actually been trying to go towards Harry.
"Don't look so disbelieving. As an observer, I saw it plainly," Dylan shrugged. "Otherwise, why do you think Wood refused your suggestion of a rematch? Was it just out of loyalty?"
"Though he can be impulsive, this clearly wasn't one of those times. Wood accepted Hufflepuff's victory simply because of his deep love for Quidditch. You won fair and square. If he had agreed to your proposal, it would have been like him going against his conscience, blaming Gryffindor's loss entirely on the Dementors."
Dylan looked Cedric directly in the eye. "I imagine you and Wood are old acquaintances; you must know his character – he wouldn't agree to that."
Cedric sighed. "It's precisely because I know how much he loves Quidditch..."
Dylan cut him off before he could finish. "Don't forget, you love Quidditch just as much – though I don't care much for it myself."
Cedric paused, then let out a heavy sigh, a relieved smile spreading across his face. "I suppose that's true."
Dylan nodded. "There you go! Congratulations on winning a victory for Hufflepuff, though as a Gryffindor myself, I won't specifically celebrate with you – your teammates will do that."
Cedric chuckled. "Then when Gryffindor wins a match, I'll go celebrate with Wood."
Dylan smirked. "That's your business."
Cedric noticed that Dylan didn't seem particularly invested in Quidditch, nor did the outcome of matches hold much interest for him. After a moment's thought, Cedric couldn't help but wink at Dylan. "So, as Gryffindor, the losing side, would you like me to use one of Hufflepuff's food charms to make you some pumpkin pasties?"
Dylan raised an eyebrow. "No need, a Ravenclaw student will bring me some."
Cedric's lips curved into a smile. "You mean Luna?"
"I've noticed that girl; she's very pretty. Though I've heard many say she's a bit mad, I thought since you two are good friends, perhaps that rumour was false..."
"No, rumours usually have some basis, however outlandish," Dylan shook his head. "Luna is very clever, but her logic and way of thinking are quite different from normal people, which is why everyone thinks she's a bit mad."
Cedric nodded slightly. "Luna is only a second-year, though, and not in my House, so I haven't had much interaction with her. But according to the Ravenclaws I know, she gets along quite well with her classmates now."
"More importantly, her food charms are excellent, and a few of them were even taught to her specifically by some of our House members. I imagine she can make all sorts of delicacies now."
Dylan nodded in agreement. "I know. Ever since we discovered that secret oven in the Hufflepuff kitchens last time, Luna has been communicating more and more with your House."
Among the Ravenclaw students, many initially found Luna difficult to approach. Luna, on the other hand, had often visited the Hufflepuff kitchens and got along well with the Hufflepuffs. Lately, Dylan had occasionally joined Luna in the Hufflepuff kitchens to make food. After cooking, Luna would specifically share the food with the Hufflepuffs. As a result, it was only natural that Luna became increasingly familiar with the Hufflepuff students. Dylan had even learned a few food charms from Luna.
Speaking of food charms, they were quite different from the full-level cooking spells Dylan had mastered earlier. Dylan's cooking spells focused on the process – chopping, frying, baking, roasting. This meant he could use them on any dish. True food charms, however, the Hufflepuff kind, meant each spell corresponded to a specific dish. Before meeting Luna, Dylan had learned a few, but his command and study of food charms only truly expanded after he started cooking with Luna occasionally.
"The secret oven, you say." Cedric raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
"You know about that oven?" Dylan's eyebrows shot up.
"Of course, I saw that oven back in my second year," Cedric confirmed.
Dylan's curiosity was piqued. "So what exactly is that oven? Was it really left by Helga Hufflepuff herself?"
Cedric thought for a moment, then nodded and shook his head. "According to our House's guesses, it might have been left by Headmistress Hufflepuff, but there's no evidence to support that, so we can't be sure."
Cedric continued, "But one thing I can confirm is that the oven is definitely imbued with many food charms, and a lot of them are ones that haven't been passed down in our House."
Dylan clicked his tongue, the thought of borrowing that oven crossing his mind again. If he could get his hands on that oven and thoroughly analyze it, he might learn many new spells, especially valuable food charms that required constant research to develop.
Cedric looked out the window. The rain continued to pour. The chilling presence left by the Dementors seemed to linger in the air, refusing to disperse. He fell into a thoughtful silence.
Dylan looked at his expression, tilting his head. "What are you thinking about now?"
"The Dementors," Cedric sighed. "I don't know why they suddenly burst into Hogwarts territory. Did they lose control? Or perhaps, the Ministry of Magic..." Cedric's voice trailed off.
The corridor was empty. Their spot was a secluded corner of the entrance hall. Most students had already passed by, leaving it remarkably quiet. Outside, however, the storm raged, and even in the quiet corridor, the sound of pouring rain was inescapable. So Cedric's voice was barely audible, only reaching Dylan, who stood beside him.
"Don't worry, it probably has nothing to do with the Ministry of Magic." Even if it did, it had nothing to do with Cedric.
"Really?"
Dylan nodded. "Yes, Dementors love to gather in happy places; it fills them up. Quidditch in a downpour certainly stirs emotions – I imagine the Headmaster has probably gone to have a word with Fudge by now." From where he stood, Dylan could only see the torrential rain outside the window, not the Headmaster's office. But Dylan could easily imagine what old Dumbledore was doing right about now.
"I suppose so." After a moment of silence, Cedric nodded slightly. "I've been at Hogwarts for so many years, and every time I've seen the Headmaster, he's always been kind. Even when students made mistakes, he wouldn't be overly harsh."
Cedric's eyes shifted. "But... he seemed truly angry this time. It's the first time I've seen that expression on him."
Dylan chuckled. "Indeed, even last year, he would only look worried or serious."
Suddenly, Dylan changed the subject. "Instead of worrying about Dementors losing control under the Ministry's watch, why don't you consider if anyone else could influence Dementors?"
"Anyone else?" Cedric was puzzled again. Then something occurred to him, and his expression suddenly changed. "Are you talking about... You-Know-Who?"
You-Know-Who? Dylan raised an eyebrow, realizing who Cedric meant. He let out a soft laugh.
"Yes, but don't worry this time; it truly was just an accident. And if it truly were the Dark Lord's doing, the Headmaster wouldn't have been able to get rid of those Dementors so easily." If old Dumbledore hadn't acted so quickly this time, Dylan could have secretly snatched a few Dementors using his Patronus! Thinking about it, Dylan felt a bit annoyed. Why was old Dumbledore so quick? And more importantly, his magic was too vast. Dylan couldn't be sure if old Dumbledore would sense it if he truly took one or two Dementors. This meant he didn't manage to get a single Dementor. What a shame!
"It's not him then? That's good." Cedric nodded slightly. Dylan had vaguely told him before that his transformation into a tree-person might have been You-Know-Who's doing. This made him feel a growing unease whenever he thought about the events at Hogwarts in recent years. He couldn't be sure that Dylan's divination would necessarily come true, nor was he certain if Dylan's divination might change. The seemingly known future was constantly affecting his state of mind.
"No need to be so tense. Didn't I tell you last time? The future can change, provided you're prepared."
"I try to be prepared at all times."
"...Well, not that constantly."
"My apologies. I will try my best to discard these chaotic thoughts and not let them bother me." Cedric sighed softly, rubbed his temples, and then leaned against the wall. A wave of cold instantly seeped through his robes.
Dylan felt Cedric's somewhat numbed emotions and pursed his lips, starting to think about something. Just then, Cedric spoke again.
"Dylan, will I truly not die at You-Know-Who's hands? You told me last time that everything that's happened at Hogwarts these past two years is connected to him." He didn't know why he would be targeted by You-Know-Who, or even die at his hands. This made him feel a sense of panic, even though he knew there was no news of You-Know-Who at the moment.
"It seems you absolutely must learn a certain spell that can calm your mind," Dylan mused, stroking his chin. He had originally planned to wait a bit longer, but it seemed now that if Cedric didn't quickly seal off his thoughts, Voldemort might notice his speed even faster than the day he truly killed him. Dylan couldn't be certain when Voldemort would sneak in. He wasn't some gatekeeper who constantly watched Voldemort's every move. He had a lot of his own things to do. Sometimes, even Dumbledore couldn't be omniscient enough to notice everything happening in the castle, let alone him.
"I'm not some kind of Clow Reed, after all." Right now, he was just a wizard with a few small abilities, a bit of cleverness, a small cheat, and a great love for learning. Perhaps in his mastery of magic, he already far surpassed his peers, and even some adult wizards couldn't match him. But when it came to true magical accomplishment, despite Dylan's deep understanding of the full-level spells he'd mastered, his experience couldn't be directly improved by mastering spells.
"A spell? What spell?" Cedric looked blankly at Dylan.
"This." Dylan flipped his hand, and a booklet appeared in his palm. It was one the professors had given him.