Several owls of different colors battled through the frozen skies, toiling above snow-covered mountains and the Black Lake…
At last, they reached the highest point of Hogwarts Castle and dropped the letters they carried through a small window.
"Jon, more letters!" A wizard in one of the nearby portraits yawned, yet still remembered to call out loudly.
Jon Hart quickly walked over to the window, flicked his wand, and retrieved the envelopes.
Ordinarily, if the Order of the Phoenix or the Ministry of Magic needed to contact Albus Dumbledore about something important, the letters would be enchanted with various protective spells.
And if Hogwarts students or staff needed the Headmaster, they would usually go straight to the Headmaster's Office or leave a message with the stone statue at the entrance.
But these letters were clearly not of that sort—there were no secrecy charms on them at all.
"Fawkes," Jon called softly.
The phoenix perched on the shelf lazily spread its wings and flew over. It sniffed the letters carefully, then lifted its head and shook it at Jon, signaling that there was nothing wrong with them.
Only after confirming they were safe did Jon open them one by one.
…
As expected, they were all trivial matters.
One was from some obscure "third-rate" international wizarding organization, inviting the great Albus Dumbledore to attend a conference.
Jon dismissed it at once—he wrote a brief, politely worded refusal and had Fawkes stamp it with a footprint.
Another was a report from the Ministry of Magic. Stan Shunpike, the Knight Bus conductor, had been detained on suspicion of involvement in a Death Eater terrorist attack.
From Jon's perspective, Stan Shunpike was certainly not a Death Eater. He had merely been placed under the Imperius Curse—and he did have a habit of bragging.
Still, the Ministry's actions were understandable.
They needed to show the public that they were actively fighting the Death Eaters—especially now, when the Death Eaters were running rampant and the Ministry seemed helpless to stop them.
Jon simply shook his head and set the letter aside.
The final letter was from Azkaban.
He opened the parchment and read its contents carefully.
"All settled?" Headmistress Dilys Derwent asked from the portrait wall, her tone carrying a hint of concern.
"Yes," Jon nodded. "Azkaban has agreed."
"Then are you ready to face that woman named Greengrass?" Dilys Derwent asked with a faint smile.
Jon paused, then smiled back.
"Let's talk about it after we meet her."
As he spoke, he stood up and poured himself a cup of Polyjuice Potion.
After transforming into the appearance of Albus Dumbledore, he stepped out of the Headmaster's Office.
…
With the Christmas holidays already underway, the corridors were noticeably quieter.
"Good afternoon, Headmaster Dumbledore!" A well-mannered third-year Gryffindor girl stopped and greeted him respectfully.
"Good afternoon, Miss Pavlova," Albus Dumbledore replied with a smile. "Not going home for the holidays?"
"Yes—my parents went back to Moscow," the girl answered quickly. "I'm heading to the Great Hall for dinner now."
"Very well. I'm on my way to the Hospital Wing."
After bidding her farewell, Jon headed straight for the Hospital Wing.
He knocked lightly on the ward door.
"Come in," Astoria's voice called from inside.
Dumbledore stepped in and found Astoria alone in the room; Daphne Greengrass was nowhere to be seen.
"My sister went back," Astoria said without lifting her head.
"Oh… I see… very well," Albus Dumbledore nodded quickly. "Then I'll excuse myself for a moment."
With that, he left the room.
…
A few minutes later, Jon returned at an easy pace.
"Hmph," Astoria snorted softly. She stepped up to Jon and straightened his collar.
After giving his pale purple suit a once-over, she frowned slightly. "You really look awful in that."
"Exactly," Jon nodded emphatically. "I think so too. The owner of this outfit has terrible taste."
"…" After a brief pause and some thought, Astoria suddenly asked, "Jon… what's really going on with Professor Dumbledore? Why does he want you to impersonate him? Could it be that…"
Her voice trailed off, hesitant.
Jon fell silent as well.
Clearly, he didn't want Astoria to know that just over a month ago, it had been her own hand that had "killed" Albus Dumbledore—while also allowing the real Dumbledore to finally be free.
"Alright…" Astoria didn't know what Jon was hiding, but seeing his silence, she shook her head. "If you have your reasons… then don't tell me."
"It's fine," Jon replied with a smile. "Professor Dumbledore is actually doing very well. Right now, he's probably on his honeymoon."
"Honeymoon?"
Astoria laughed.
"You're joking, Jon… right?"
…
"So," Astoria asked lightly, "what brings you here today, Headmaster?"
"Didn't you always want to see your mother… Mrs. Greengrass?" Jon said seriously.
"Mother…" Astoria murmured. After a moment's hesitation, she nodded. "Are we going now?"
"Yes," Jon replied.
"Then how do we get there…" Astoria glanced around, as if thinking aloud. "I've heard Apparition is forbidden around Azkaban… and there's no direct Floo connection either…"
"That won't be a problem," Jon said calmly, snapping his fingers.
At that moment, a large red bird appeared out of thin air, clearly reluctant.
"Wait… I've seen her before," Astoria whispered. "She's that phoenix…"
"Take my hand," Jon said with a smile.
"Alright," Astoria said, quickly gripping his left hand.
"Fawkes, let's go," Jon said, patting the phoenix on the head.
Only then did the phoenix slowly begin to beat its wings.
Jon grasped her tail feathers with his left hand, and the two humans and the bird vanished from the hospital room.