Empty Office

At 6:55 PM, Jon Hart arrived at the door of Professor Dumbledore's office once again.

This was already the third Sunday after Halloween, and it marked his third "confinement" in the headmaster's office.

The familiar grotesque stone creature still lay by the office door, fast asleep.

"Hello...milk toffee!" Jon called out.

"The password has been changed, it's now 'lemon lollipop'!" the stone creature yawned, responding.

"Oh, okay... lemon lollipop..." Jon nodded.

The stone creature stepped aside, allowing Jon to pass, and then promptly fell back asleep.

As Jon climbed the spiral staircase, he pondered over the purpose of this particular confinement.

During his first confinement, Dumbledore took Jon on a journey through his memories, recounting the story of the first time he encountered Nick LeMay and followed him to discover the lair of a Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon. The second confinement, which took place on the following Sunday, involved Dumbledore sharing a memory of his old friend Newt Scamander in 1927, when Mr. Scamander embarked on a mission in Paris and encountered a mysterious circus called The Coffee Museum...

But what awaited him this time?

Curiosity piqued, Jon pushed open the door to the Oval Office.

...

The room was filled with noise, reminiscent of a bustling marketplace.

The cacophony emanated from the portraits adorning the walls—the portraits of former headmasters and headmistresses.

At the topmost portrait, two headmasters engaged in a wand duel, their movements fierce and intense. In another portrait on the far right, a bald male headmaster was singing with abandon, his voice hauntingly deep. In a portrait on a lower level, four headmasters gathered around a table, engaged in lively conversation and a game of bridge.

For a moment, Jon wondered if he had taken the wrong turn.

"Oh, ha ha ha! Our great Hogwarts champion has arrived!" a voice filled with sharp irony resounded from Jon's left and right.

Jon turned his head, scanning the room, and spotted Headmaster Phineas Black, grinning mischievously.

"Hello, Headmaster Black!" Jon greeted him, offering a slight bow.

"Next Tuesday will mark the first task. May Merlin bless you, young brat, so that you won't be too badly beaten by that massive creature!" Phineas Black sneered.

"May I ask where Professor Dumbledore is?" Jon inquired softly.

"Albus went to Kampala!" a silver-haired witch interjected, swiftly kicking Phineas Black aside. "He's attending an important meeting of the International Confederation of Wizards. He won't be back until tonight."

"Hello, Headmistress Derwent!" Jon also greeted her with a bow.

Silver-haired witch Daris Devonte responded by waving her magic wand gracefully towards the sky.

"In that case, should I come back another day?" Jon tentatively suggested.

"Of course, you may leave if you wish... Don't let us keep you," Phineas Black interjected, appearing busy.

"Shut up!" Headmistress Derwent shot him a cold glare before turning back to Jon, her demeanor pleasant. "You can choose to leave, but you can also stay and have some fun. It's rare to have Albus absent from the office. We have the time to celebrate!"

"A celebration..." Jon glanced at the portraits of the headmasters dueling, bickering, and playing bridge, curling his lips. "Just as I suspected!"

He took a few steps forward, noticing the bright red phoenix perched nearby.

"Hello, Fawkes," Jon greeted the phoenix softly.

Fawkes raised its head slightly, nodding at Jon, and then cast a disgusted glance at the portraits on the wall.

Jon continued to explore Dumbledore's office, observing the silverware and various magical items on display. However, he refrained from touching anything too intriguing.

When he approached the Pensieve, Phineas Black's familiar voice resonated from one side.

"The headmaster's books are hidden in the bookcase beneath that foolish bird!" Phineas Black proudly proclaimed. "Feel free to take a look whenever you have the chance!"

"Are you suggesting that I casually browse through them?" Jon asked, surprised.

"Albus isn't the stingy type!" Phineas Black retorted, giving Jon a quizzical look. "Besides, he's not the only one who hides books in there!"

"Thank you!" Jon expressed his gratitude promptly.

...

Jon slowly approached the bookcase beneath Fawkes.

As he approached, the phoenix let out an unpleasant screech, giving Jon a piercing look, before flying to another perch to continue its rest, eyes closed.

Jon breathed a sigh of relief and gently opened the bookcase.

The space inside was much larger than he had anticipated. There were at least a few hundred books, organized on different shelves according to various categories.

Jon randomly selected the most conspicuous book. Its title caught his attention: "Traps and Locks: A Guide to Unlocking Techniques." Jon was taken aback. Could it be that the headmaster had been a thief in his previous life?

Setting aside that book, Jon picked up another one titled "Annotations on Ancient Rune Phonetic Symbols" and casually flipped through a couple of pages. To his confusion, as a beginner in learning runes, he couldn't comprehend the in-depth research discussed in the book.

He picked up a third book, its leather surface brown and black, emitting an odd aura...

Upon reading the title, Jon was stunned—"The Secrets of Advanced Dark Magic."

"This can't be right..." Jon thought to himself.

Simultaneously, he surreptitiously glanced around. The headmasters were still playing bridge, engaged in duels, or immersed in conversations. The soulful singer seemed to have grown tired of singing or was silenced by others, no longer able to produce any sound.

No one seemed to pay attention to him.

Jon decided it would be best to exercise caution.

Without opening "The Secrets of Advanced Dark Magic," he took the book to Headmistress Derwent.

"Headmistress Derwent," Jon said, feigning panic, "there's a book here about dark magic!"

"What's wrong with dark magic?" Dalys Derwent glanced at him lazily. "If you wish to combat dark magic, you must first understand it. Otherwise, what will you use to confront it?"

"Yes!" Phineas Black chimed in. "The strength of power doesn't solely depend on its nature, but rather its wielder!"

"For instance, there are witches who never practice dark magic, yet they are more fearsome than the most wicked dark wizard..." he added, unable to resist the temptation.

"I know what you're implying, Black," Dalys Derwent turned her head sharply.

"I didn't say anything, Dalys..." Phineas Black hastily scurried to another portrait.

"You stop right there!"

The two headmasters chased each other, disappearing from Jon's line of sight.

Jon gazed at them dumbfoundedly, then turned his attention to the brown-black book in his hand.

"Since it has come to this..."

He gently opened "The Secrets of Advanced Dark Magic."

Indeed, it contained cutting-edge dark magic. Jon turned the pages, and his eyes fell upon nine methods of creating a corpse, instructions on using the torture spell to maximize an opponent's pain, and several techniques to evade attacks when handling a Basilisk...

Jon dared not delve any deeper but skimmed through, turning to the next page.

However, as he did, a frown creased his forehead.

"The eleventh chapter: Crafting and Utilizing Horcruxes."