The night was a canvas, and the flames were paint, spreading freely across that boundless expanse.
Fire burned through the night sky, shifting into various shapes. A giant heart slowly rotated in the air, followed by a lifelike image of two arrows piercing a heart, and then a line of flowing words stretching across the darkness:
"Love Conquers All
May all lovers find happiness."
The flaming words lingered in the night sky for a long time, a blessing written in magic and branded across the skies above Hogwarts.
On the lawn, the young boys and girls who had previously kept a little distance from each other somehow found their fingers intertwined.
No one shouted. No one cheered.
Beneath the brilliant night sky, they simply tightened their grip on each other's hands, ever so gently.
Even more eyes were drawn to the magical creatures emerging from the flames.
A dragon lay in a nearby clearing, its tail swishing from time to time, its black-and-gold scales reflecting the surrounding light.
A Thunderbird occasionally preened its stiff feathers, with small arcs of electricity leaping between them.
Unicorns stood in small groups at the edge of the lawn, their bodies pure white and the single horns on their foreheads gleaming in the darkness.
Abraxans strolled across the grass, trailing fireworks behind them...
After the Cupids explained the arrangement, the young witches and wizards learned that they could take photographs with these magical creatures.
At first, no one dared to move.
After all, these were magical creatures that most of them had only ever seen in books, and their natural habitats were completely different.
It was hard to imagine them all gathered together in one place.
Finally, several Gryffindor boys could no longer resist the temptation. Summoning their courage, they cautiously approached the dragon.
The enormous dragon suddenly leaned its head toward them, looking either curious or excited.
Seeing the young wizards startled by the movement, the dragon snorted and puffed out a small burst of sparks. Then it shifted into a more upright posture, as though deliberately posing for the photograph.
"It didn't eat us!"
"Quick, take the picture!"
The Cupids immediately flew over with their cameras and began snapping away.
Once someone had taken the first step, the others quickly followed. Under the Cupids' direction, the crowd began lining up in an orderly fashion.
The Unicorns were, without question, the most popular among the girls.
Their image of purity and beauty perfectly appealed to them.
Moreover, in some ancient legends, Unicorns were associated with blessings and love.
On Valentine's Day, who wouldn't want to borrow a little of that good fortune?
Before long, a long queue had formed around the Unicorns.
The boys, on the other hand, were more drawn to the dragon and the Thunderbird.
After all, who wouldn't want a majestic photograph with a powerful creature at the top of the food chain?
Such an opportunity was simply too rare. Dragons and Thunderbirds were hardly known for their gentle temperaments.
Under normal circumstances, getting even slightly too close could earn someone a blast of dragon fire or a bolt of lightning.
But the ones before them were exceptionally "friendly."
As long as no one reached out to touch them, they didn't seem to care.
They would even raise their heads and spread their wings in cooperation, striking poses that practically screamed, I am very fierce, which drew enthusiastic cheers from the surrounding boys.
"Quick, take it! It's looking at the camera!"
"Merlin, I'm hanging this photo in my living room at home!"
There was one thing, however, that made the boys rather envious of the girls.
Even though the dragon and Thunderbird cooperated for photographs, they absolutely refused to let anyone touch them.
One particularly bold boy tried to reach out and stroke the Thunderbird's feathers, only to be blown nearly three metres away by the gale created by a single flap of its wings. Fortunately, two little Cupids hurriedly caught him before he crashed into the grass.
Meanwhile, over by the Unicorns, a very small number of girls were granted the privilege of "close contact."
A Hufflepuff girl cautiously reached out her hand, and the youngest Unicorn actually leaned forward on its own and gently nuzzled her palm.
The girl was so excited that she nearly jumped for joy, while envious murmurs rippled through the surrounding crowd.
As for the boys...
One boy merely tried to move a little closer to a Unicorn, without even intending to touch it, when a cold silver light suddenly appeared on the male Unicorn's horn, clearly a warning that it was about to charge.
The boy immediately raised both hands and backed away.
"Just passing by, just passing by!"
Good-natured laughter broke out across the lawn.
...
The Headmaster's Office.
Dumbledore stood by the window, looking through the glass at the lively celebration on the lawn below.
The glow of the flames reflected across his face, making his blue eyes seem exceptionally deep.
Fawkes stood on his shoulder and let out a clear cry.
Dumbledore, who understood the language of phoenixes, knew what Fawkes was saying.
Fawkes: "See? I told you that boy has an unusual affinity for the fire element. Albus, your lessons weren't wasted. He probably uses it better than you did when you were young."
Dumbledore smiled but said nothing.
He simply watched the young man slowly descending through the night sky, watched those flames turn into blessings in Lucien's hands.
Dumbledore felt deeply gratified.
This was how magic ought to be used at its best.
Not for conquest.
Not for slaughter.
But to bring people joy and happiness.
"Fawkes," Dumbledore asked softly, "aren't you going down to join them? It's rare to see so many unusual magical creatures gathered together."
Fawkes turned its head and let out a trill. "They're all children. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to go."
Dumbledore lowered his gaze toward Fawkes, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.
"But in your current form, no one would notice if you blended in."
Fawkes froze.
It looked down at its wings, which had not yet completely lost their fledgling appearance. Although the feathers were beginning to take on a reddish-gold sheen, they still retained some of the soft down of a chick.
Then it looked outside at the magical creatures, each one looking majestic and imposing...
Fawkes let out a very human-like sigh.
Normally, when a phoenix died naturally of old age and was reborn, it would grow quickly from a chick back into adulthood.
But...
Hadn't it been startled by two thick-headed young wizards right before its rebirth?
That sort of fright had been quite a shock for Fawkes, who had already been an elderly bird at the time.
That little accident had slowed its growth after rebirth somewhat.
Fawkes couldn't help sighing again before pecking Dumbledore's shoulder in dissatisfaction.
After a brief silence, Fawkes suddenly let out another low cry.
"Albus, didn't you say you were going to visit that old friend of yours again? Aren't you going today?"
"Or is this particular day not quite suitable for you humans?"
Dumbledore was slightly taken aback.
He looked out at the night sky, illuminated by flames and filled with laughter.
He did not answer Fawkes's question.
Instead, he gently stroked the phoenix's feathers, his gaze drifting toward the deeper darkness in the distance.
________
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