In the wizarding world, an eleven-year-old girl mimicking the Bloody Baron wasn't exactly earth-shattering.
But it did prove one thing: Agnes wasn't just a sweet little angel. If she were, she wouldn't have been sorted into Ravenclaw, the house of eccentric intellectuals.
Rey laid out his theory. He didn't jump to conclusions, but the facts were enough to grab Agnes's attention.
The key was that Professor Dorry had appeared behind every single student in the class and touched the back of their neck with his wand.
Without Rey pointing it out, Agnes might have just written it off as Dorry having an unconventional teaching style. It was like a thin sheet of paper blocking the view—until someone poked a hole in it, you wouldn't see what was on the other side.
Accepting Rey's suspicions, Agnes asked, "So, what do we do now?"
"We don't have enough evidence. The main problem is we don't know Dorry's motive. If you could check the library and see what kind of experiments or potions require a small amount of blood from multiple people, that would be perfect."
Rey picked up the fallen wastebasket and started gathering the trash, explaining his plan as he worked.
At the same time, he pulled out his wand, pointed it at the ink-stained floor, and cast Scourgify. The ink vanished without a trace.
"Alright. I can subtly ask Penelope to help me look. What about you? What are you going to do?"
"Me? I'm going back to the dorm to sleep. After that run-in with Peeves, I feel exhausted."
Rey yawned, looking dead on his feet.
"Go rest then. I swear, I don't know what you boys do at night to be this tired."
Agnes pursed her lips slightly. Clearly, the world of boys was a mystery to her.
---
After seeing Agnes off, Rey yawned his way back to Ravenclaw Tower and knocked on the common room door.
The eagle-shaped bronze knocker let out a cry and posed its question: "Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?"
"The phoenix, obviously."
Rey, mentally drained, blurted out the first answer that came to mind. He was too sleepy to think it through.
"NO. Incorrect."
The knocker showed no mercy.
"Then the flame came first." Rey really wasn't in the mood for riddles. He abandoned his principles and just flipped his answer.
"NO. Incorrect again."
Damn it, Rey swore internally. The frustration jolted his brain awake just a little.
"I said, it is absolutely the phoenix."
"A circle has no beginning. But for a phoenix to be reborn from the flame, the phoenix must exist first to die and create the fire of its rebirth. Therefore, the phoenix precedes its own flame. Now open up!"
Summoning the logic of a thirty-year-old soul who had spent too much time on the internet in his past life, Rey spun a semi-philosophical argument. Twisting circular logic into a straight answer wasn't that hard if you were stubborn enough.
After his retort, silence fell. The eagle knocker seemed to be pondering. Two or three seconds later, it let out a cheerful cry and the door swung open.
Stumbling into the common room, Rey shook his groggy head. His eyelids felt heavy as lead, dragging down uncontrollably.
He was sleepy. So incredibly sleepy. He just wanted to collapse on the floor. He didn't know what was wrong with him; the fatigue had hit him like a truck.
At this hour, the studious Ravenclaws were all either outside enjoying the scenery or in the library, so the common room was empty.
Rey staggered through the room. He saw the white marble bust of Rowena Ravenclaw as soon as he entered.
The statue looked... vivid.
It seemed different than usual. Through his narrowed, sleepy eyes, the blurry statue almost looked like it was alive, watching him.
Rey shook his head violently, trying to chase away the sleep demons, but it was useless.
He was exhausted, as if he hadn't slept in days. His thoughts ground to a halt. All he wanted was a soft bed.
He struggled forward, passed the statue, stumbled into a dormitory, and collapsed onto the first soft bed he found.
It was the most comfortable bed he had ever felt. A faint, sweet scent filled the air, smelling like sunshine and flowers. It was so cozy that Rey closed his eyes instantly.
He didn't even hesitate. The moment he hit the mattress, he was out cold.
---
Morning light streamed through the window. Rey slowly opened his eyes, waking up from a deep, dreamless slumber.
That was a good sleep. Sweet and restful. Half-awake, he shifted position, snuggling into the blankets for a few more seconds of warmth.
"Madam Pomfrey, he's awake."
"Oh, is he? Go and inform Headmaster Dumbledore."
A brief conversation between two female voices, one young, one older.
Female voices in the boys' dormitory? The sound jolted Rey's brain, clearing the fog instantly.
He pushed himself up and immediately realized something was wrong.
He should be in his bed in the Ravenclaw dorm. But... where was this?
White sheets, white duvet, the faint smell of antiseptic in the air... and Madam Pomfrey standing in front of him in her nurse's uniform. Rey realized instantly where he was.
The Hospital Wing. He never expected to wake up here.
"Why am I here?"
Rey asked, confused. He recognized Madam Pomfrey from the start-of-term feast.
He went to sleep in his dorm and woke up in the hospital. That was one hell of a nap.
"That is a question for you, child," Madam Pomfrey retorted, though her tone was concerned as she checked his vitals.
As she worked, Albus Dumbledore, with his long white beard, swept up to Rey's bedside. Madam Pomfrey nodded to the Headmaster and stepped away.
Rey was bewildered. He had zero memory of how he got here.
He only remembered entering the common room, feeling dead tired, and falling onto a bed.
Aside from being starving, he didn't feel any pain or illness.
Dumbledore saw Rey's confusion. He began peeling an apple with his wand and handed a slice to the boy. "Mr. Faest, can you tell me why you were found fast asleep in a bed in the girls' dormitory?"
"What!?"
"I was sleeping in the girls' dormitory?"
Rey had just taken a bite of the apple and nearly choked.
That was a lot of information to process. He had slept in the girls' dorm.
That was... shocking. It felt like a bolt of lightning out of a clear blue sky, striking him dead center.
He was fried to a crisp. Though, thinking back, that would explain the faint, sweet scent he smelled right before he passed out.
"Professor, can you tell me what happened?" Rey finally managed to ask after swallowing the apple.
"Of course. But you must be hungry. Finish the apple first."
Dumbledore smiled kindly. He hadn't expected Rey to be so genuinely shocked. He assumed the boy would know something—at least what happened before he passed out.
But seeing Rey's expression, it was clear the boy had no clue. He probably thought he was in his own bed the whole time.
After Rey quickly finished the apple, Dumbledore explained the situation.
---
After Dumbledore's explanation, Rey was stunned. First, the duration of his sleep: he had been out for two full days.
He had gone to the dorm on Monday evening after class. In his dazed state, he had walked into the wrong room and collapsed onto Penelope Clearwater's bed.
When the girls returned after dinner, naturally, there was a lot of screaming.
No matter how much they shook him or used spells to wake him, Rey slept like the dead.
Eventually, the panicked girls hauled him to the Hospital Wing.
Two days. Today was Thursday. It felt unreal to Rey.
But the gnawing hunger in his stomach confirmed Dumbledore's story.
"I heard from your classmate, Miss Agnes Greengrass, that you were investigating Professor Dorry's teaching methods?"
"No, Professor. We didn't mean anything by it. We were just... curious about his unique style," Rey explained hurriedly. Two students suspecting a teacher wasn't exactly a good look.
"No, no, my boy. I am not scaring you. If you have doubts, you can tell me directly. I will look into everything."
Dumbledore nodded, his demeanor warm and grandfatherly. His power wasn't just in his magic, but in his charisma.
Even with a mature soul, Rey quickly felt that Dumbledore was someone he could trust.
Faced with such a figure, Rey finally voiced his suspicions tactfully. Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to reveal everything he knew or suspected about his own nature.
Dumbledore pondered for a moment. "Professor Dorry is a very experienced teacher. We should trust him. However, I will look into your curiosity."
"Oh. Okay, Professor," Rey replied, feigning innocence, though he didn't fully understand Dumbledore's intent.
"Good. Rest well, child."
After their talk, Dumbledore started peeling another apple for Rey. He could tell one or two slices wouldn't be enough to fill the boy up.
---