Chapter 565 "Dumbledore's Retirement"

"I accidentally acquired this from a few black market merchants during my vacation, and I thought you might like it." Jerry floated three fire dragon eggs in front of Hagrid with a thought.

This was a way to compensate for taking one of Hagrid's fire dragon eggs before.

Hagrid, overwhelmed with gratitude, held the three fire dragon eggs carefully as if they were the most precious treasures.

His voice was shaky due to excitement. "I adore this gift, Jerry. Thank you, thank you!"

Jerry was quick to emphasize, "No need to thank me, but please remember to keep them in the Forbidden Forest. Be cautious not to let them wander off, or the Ministry of Magic may take them away."

Afraid that Hagrid might become too emotional and hug him, Jerry swiftly made his exit.

Despite Hagrid's imposing stature and strength, he had a gentle nature and could be easily moved to tears.

That evening, after dinner in the Great Hall, Jerry was about to join Hermione for a walk when Snape halted him. "Jerry, come with me."

"Professor, are we going to see Headmaster Dumbledore?" Jerry asked.

Snape, directing him upstairs instead of to Dean Slytherin's office in the basement, looked at Jerry with a mixture of emotions.

He just can't accept the fact Jerry is actually the Mysterious Wizard "J"...

Each second passing with him around Jerry only resulted in more questions popping up inside his head.

He eventually explained in an unusually gentle manner, "Yes, the Headmaster wishes to speak with you. Just answer his questions honestly."

The eighth-floor entrance still featured the runny-nosed stone beast.

Snape issued the command "Strawberry Popping Candy," prompting the beast to reveal a concealed, slowly ascending spiral staircase.

Jerry nodded and headed down the stairs.

"Good evening, Headmaster Dumbledore," Jerry greeted Dumbledore gracefully upon entering the office and seeing him in a sweater.

Dumbledore set aside the sweater and kindly replied, "Good evening, Mr. Carmen."

Jerry, taking a sip of the drink offered by the House-elf, asked, "I wonder if there's a specific reason the Headmaster is seeking me so late?"

"Do you have any idea, or perhaps do you know of a wizard called 'J'?" Dumbledore asked while looking at Jerry to observe his reaction when he greeted him with such lines.

Hearing Dumbledore say it, Jerry chuckled a bit before finally leaning in and deciding to play along with his act.

"Oh, you mean me? Please Professor, you have known it since long ago, right?" Jerry asked nonchalantly.

Seeing this, Snape once again had his usual poised look gone as his eyes widened in surprise.

He can't control his emotions at this point after hearing Jerry's revelation.

After some pleasantries, Jerry realized that Dumbledore was inquiring about the identity of the wizard J.

He decided to stop concealing his true identity.

He used the body transformation magic to assume the appearance of the prophet wizard J when he went to visit Sirius.

Dumbledore, with a surprised expression, observed the dramatic transformation of Jerry's appearance.

Before he finally laughed.

His laughter echoed inside the Dean's room clearly. No one ever heard him to laugh this much.

"I didn't expect someone to possess both natural disguise magic and the ability to entirely alter their body. It appears you've created a lot of new magic." Dumbledore commented after he saw Jerry's Transfiguration.

Dumbledore was mostly surprised by the magic Jerry was using, not by the revelation of Jerry being the wizard J.

He had already been nearly certain of this.

What astounded him was the magic that Jerry was currently employing, which could completely reshape his physical appearance.

In the wizarding world, there was currently only one Metamorphmagus capable of freely changing their appearance.

There was no known magic that could achieve the same effect.

The magic Jerry used was likely his own creation.

"Headmaster, I believe this is what truly piques your interest," Jerry said.

He changed back to his original appearance after the revelation and then presented the Russian nesting doll that contained Voldemort.

He knew that the real purpose of Dumbledore's discussion lay in these matters.

Dumbledore's expression turned serious as he beheld the Russian nesting doll that imprisoned all of Voldemort's souls.

He carefully picked it up, observed it for a while, and eventually sighed deeply. "I never anticipated that Tom would be sealed by you in the end. I doubt even he foresaw the emergence of a wizard more talented than himself in this world."

Jerry suggested, "Headmaster if you're concerned, you can keep it here. I first learned about him from Professor Quirrell when I was in my first year and subsequently followed the clues to understand his background. I found those Horcruxes and sealed them."

With a smile, Jerry placed the Russian nesting doll back on the table.

He pushed it toward Dumbledore, indicating that Voldemort's soul was of little use to him, and it was up to Dumbledore whether he wanted to take possession of it.

Dumbledore blinked and gently pushed it back. "That's why Professor Quirrell never reappeared later. However, I think it's best to leave it with you. I'll retire in a month. You can't expect an old man about to retire to be burdened with these matters."

Jerry appeared surprised, a rare expression on his usually composed face.

Retirement was something he hadn't considered.

He had always assumed that Dumbledore would be the Headmaster of Hogwarts until the end.

Dumbledore explained, "Yes, Voldemort's issue is resolved. I'm in my 110s, and it's time for me to enjoy my retirement. When the other two schools visit in October, I'll make the announcement. Your Dean will take over as the new Headmaster."

Dumbledore was content and relaxed, having finally put down the burdens of his responsibilities after confirming that Voldemort's soul had been entirely sealed by Jerry.

Now, he looked forward to completing one last task before retiring and finding old friends to live out the retirement he had long desired.

With the days creeping on him, soon, the long broken relationship between two brothers who were bonded by something stronger than blood will be mended once again.

Will the two's relationship restored back to their glory?

One could never answer that question knowing full well what they had to endure on each side of their story...

While one is fighting for freedom, the other holds it back for the sake of peace.

Hopefully, they could see eye to eye once again and had everything sorted out for him to enjoy his old days together, reminiscing or maybe even writing new chapters in their life moving forward.