Harry's trio exchanged glances. Although they didn't know where Dudley's confidence came from, since Dudley said so, they could only believe him.
Soon, they returned to the position where they'd descended from the girls' bathroom.
"Do we need to fly up?" Ron asked.
"With Fawkes, we don't need to. Phoenixes can carry very heavy things while flying. You just need to hold onto its feet. Right, Fawkes?" Dudley said while gently stroking Fawkes' feathers.
Fawkes cooperatively nodded and cried out, flying up from Dudley's shoulder and indicating for Harry and the others to grab one of its feet.
Harry quickly reached out and firmly grabbed Fawkes's foot. Ron and Hermione hugged Harry's leg and the other arm.
Borgin and Cole exchanged glances and grabbed Fawkes's other foot.
"Let's go up," Dudley said.
Fawkes cried out softly and carried everyone upward. Dudley cast a spell on himself and slowly flew upward.
Before long, Dudley finally flew out from the girls' bathroom. The surroundings were quiet. Harry and the others stood to one side without speaking.
"Our Judge has returned." A familiar voice came. Dudley looked over.
Professor Dumbledore was somehow standing in the bathroom, smiling as he surveyed them.
"Good evening, Professor Dumbledore." Dudley also smiled and greeted Dumbledore.
Both had much to say at the moment, but in front of so many people, they didn't speak immediately.
"Professor Dumbledore, I..." Borgin hunched over, his expression strained as he spoke.
"Thank you for your contribution to Hogwarts, Mr. Borgin." Dumbledore glanced at Borgin and nodded slightly to express gratitude.
Hearing this, Borgin's anxious heart finally relaxed.
"Professor Dumbledore, your hand..." At this moment, Dudley frowned and looked at Dumbledore's hand.
His left arm looked as if it had been burned, completely blackened. It was evident that Professor Dumbledore looked extremely haggard. Although maintaining a smile, he was obviously much older than last year.
At this time, Dudley had activated spirit vision. He could clearly see that Dumbledore's condition wasn't very good, especially his left arm, which seemed to have suffered very serious injuries.
Not only that, the color representing health on his body was much dimmer than before, as if it could be extinguished at any moment. Clearly, during Dumbledore's absence, he'd suffered very serious injuries.
"Got a little injured. Not serious." Dumbledore raised his arm. "Let's talk in my office."
Dumbledore turned, about to leave.
"Ah, right, I almost forgot something." Dumbledore looked toward the bathroom stall. "Dudley, shouldn't you release Myrtle first? I just looked, and I don't seem able to release her."
Dumbledore said with a light laugh.
Hearing this, Borgin and Cole's expressions tensed. The ability Dudley displayed couldn't even be broken by a great wizard like Dumbledore. What level of magic was that?
"All right." Dudley nodded and raised his hand to open the stall door.
Inside, Myrtle was looking outside with a terrified expression. She was as if frozen in transparent amber. Her eyes could move, but almost nothing else could.
"Release!" Dudley waved his hand and recited in Hermes in his mind.
The invisible amber instantly disappeared. Myrtle let out a cry and dove headfirst into the toilet, splashing large amounts of water.
"Very impressive imprisonment magic. If there's a chance, you could teach me." Dumbledore looked at Dudley and said with a light laugh.
Then Dumbledore led the way out of the bathroom toward his office. Dudley and the others followed behind him.
Passing a broom closet, Harry's group's expressions were obviously uncomfortable, their faces somewhat pale. Professors Snape and Lockhart should still be lying unconscious.
Poor Snape. Hit simultaneously by four Stunning Spells, he wouldn't wake up anytime soon.
Fortunately, Dumbledore didn't seem to notice the two sleeping in the broom closet and led them upstairs.
"I..." Borgin wanted to leave at this point.
He wasn't from Hogwarts after all and didn't need to report to Dumbledore or anything. He just wanted to leave here quickly now.
Cole also looked at Dudley. After all, he was a wanted criminal. Although Dumbledore hadn't said anything from beginning to end, being watched by such a powerful wizard made Cole's heart uneasy.
"If you want to leave, you can go now," Dumbledore said, noticing their discomfort.
"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore. Good night." Borgin said while bowing.
"Good night, Professor Dumbledore," Cole said to Professor Dumbledore with a complex expression.
He was also a Hogwarts graduate, but now he was just a wanted criminal.
"Not a word about what happened at Hogwarts can be spoken outside, understand?" Professor Dumbledore said to the two departing men.
"Yes." Borgin and Cole quickly said.
The two rapidly left the castle and headed toward the Forbidden Forest's edge.
Dudley's group followed Dumbledore up to the eighth floor, arriving at that familiar office door.
Entering the office, Dumbledore sat somewhat wearily behind his desk. Fawkes had already flown to the second-floor railing, looking down at everything below.
"So many things have happened this term," Dumbledore said somewhat emotionally.
"There have been many, but you missed them all," Dudley said.
"Yes, this term I haven't fulfilled a headmaster's responsibilities." Dumbledore nodded. "But I'm also proud of the decision I made before leaving. Dudley, thank you for your contributions to the school."
Dudley looked at Dumbledore without comment.
"Fawkes has already told me that you entered the Chamber and killed that basilisk. Truly impressive. The Chamber I couldn't find was found by you youngsters," Professor Dumbledore said with a smile.
"So, where did Professor Dumbledore go this term? I'm very curious," Dudley didn't continue discussing the Chamber but turned to Dumbledore himself.
A headmaster missing for most of the term, who returned seemingly seriously injured. Was this still the great wizard he knew?
"As you can see, I was injured." Dumbledore raised his left hand. "As for the reason, it's because a dark wizard escaped. His name is Gellert Grindelwald."