Chapter 780: Rumors (Edited)

It wasn't going to be a peaceful summer in the magical world.

Just after imprisoning the former Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, news spread that Hogwarts' headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, was dying.

At first, everyone thought it was nonsense. After all, Dumbledore had recently attended the International Confederation of Wizards to receive an award and seemed fine.

But as the days went by and Dumbledore was not seen by anyone for a long time, not even the students, this "rumor" gradually seemed to become reality.

Some even recalled the ominous blackness of Dumbledore's right index finger at the beginning of the term.

Suddenly, panic engulfed everyone at Hogwarts.

"Harry, is it true that Dumbledore is going to die?" Ron asked, pulling Harry aside in silence and voicing his concern.

It occurred to him that Harry had become more mature and studious after he and Dumbledore went to search for the Horcrux, and that Dumbledore had become more withdrawn since then.

Harry's face became slightly complicated at his friend's question.

He didn't want to lie to Ron, but Dumbledore had told him to keep it a secret...

However, as Harry hesitated, the expression on his face gave Ron the wrong idea.

"I'm not surprised..."

Dumbledore had been injured while searching for the Horcruxes, and that wound had not been healed by Fish, so it made sense.

After combining the two wounds, Dumbledore knew he was dying, so he gave some sort of explanation to Fish and Harry, and that's why Harry had changed so much...

Ron connected the dots between the previous and subsequent events, immediately reaching that conclusion.

When Harry returned to the Gryffindor common room with a bewildered Ron, he immediately noticed that the atmosphere was off, and everyone had a sad and incredulous expression on their faces.

As Ron approached Harry to ask about Dumbledore, the others encountered the ever-informed Fish, who, before being surrounded by the crowd, blurted out, "Fish doesn't know anything," and ran off with Hermione.

Fish's behavior also led to a misunderstanding within the group, who, upon seeing Harry's strange expression and Ron's dazed look, immediately thought of Harry's changes over the years.

"Harry... is it true?" Ginny asked, her voice trembling.

The others also looked in their direction.

Under their gaze, Harry's expression tore apart once again, and in the end, he simply said nothing, lowered his head, and ran back to the dormitory.

Now the Gryffindors believed the news even more, and they were all plunged into grief.

Meanwhile, other professors at Hogwarts had approached Professor McGonagall.

"Minerva, is that true? Is Dumbledore dying?" Hagrid asked, rushing from outside the castle, his voice filled with panic.

Like the other professors, Hagrid had initially headed to the headmaster's office, only to find that he could no longer enter with the previous password, and then he hurried to Professor McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall lowered her head and answered gruffly, "It's best if Severus tells you about this..."

She, like Harry, really didn't want to lie to her colleagues and had to pass the task to Snape.

The others immediately turned their attention to Snape, who had stepped aside.

"Yes, Dumbledore has less than a month left," Snape replied expressionlessly. "He had some hope of healing his previous wounds, thanks to my potions and Fish's spells, but since then, he has worsened his own injuries to fight against the Dark Lord, and neither Fish nor I can do anything about it."

"But, but... Wasn't Albus fine not long ago?" stammered Professor Flitwick in reply.

"That was to confuse the Dark Lord," Snape's icy words shattered the crowd's hopes. "Umbridge's previous attacks and the werewolves were, in fact, to confirm Dumbledore's condition, which obviously can no longer be concealed."

"Take me to Albus," Professor Slughorn said, stepping forward, "Maybe I can help."

"Yes, I can also attend to Albus," Madam Pomfrey echoed.

In reality, when they found out that not even Fish had any idea what to do, they didn't have much hope, and they would only try it as a last chance.

Snape's gaze swept across their faces and continued expressionlessly, "Yes, but only you two, too many people will disturb him."

The others, though worried about Dumbledore's condition, obediently followed Snape's instruction.

"I'll wait here!" Hagrid said with a discordant voice, pleadingly looking at Professor Slughorn and Madam Pomfrey. "You can bring good news, right?"

The two smiled bitterly, not answering Hagrid's question, and followed Snape out of Professor McGonagall's office.

The others stayed behind, eager to be the first to know how Dumbledore was doing.

Professor Trelawney, after toying with the cards in her hand, said with conviction, "I just read Dumbledore's fortune, and the prophecy says he will recover!"

But her words went unheard, or rather... upon hearing Professor Trelawney's divination, the hearts of everyone grew cold.

Professor McGonagall, on her part, looked at her in surprise, a bit confused as to whether she was trying to reassure the others or if a blind cat had bumped into a dead mouse.

It had never occurred to Professor McGonagall that Professor Trelawney had guessed the truth.

"Would you like something to drink, black tea?"

Professor McGonagall shook her head, set the matter aside, and brought out a teapot and cups, placing them in front of the depressed professors.

...

In the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore and Fish sat facing each other, sharing a box of crawling cockroaches on the table, while Hermione nibbled on a chocolate frog and cast disgusted glances at both of them.

"Hmm."

Dumbledore took a handful of cockroaches into his mouth, crunching them as he looked towards the door.

"Someone is coming."

He quickly stood up, pushed the pile of cockroaches aside on the table, then took a vial of dark red liquid from the drawer and poured it into his nose.

As Dumbledore drank the potion, his skin quickly turned yellow, his lips lost color, and he looked sickly.

Then, with a strength that didn't match his appearance, he climbed into his bed, tucked himself under the sheets, and began playing dead.

And Fish followed him to the bed, hanging his head and lowering his ears with a sad and lost look.

(. _.)

Hermione, a terrible actress, turned inward, also lowering her head and using Fish's body and fur to shield her face.

When the trio had assumed their pretentious poses, Snape entered with Professor Slughorn and Madam Pomfrey.

"Albus!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed immediately upon seeing the scene in the dormitory.

She covered her mouth, staggering back in disbelief and almost falling, thanks to the assistance of Professor Slughorn, who was there to support her and keep her from falling.

Professor Slughorn, after gently calming Madam Pomfrey, approached Dumbledore with a sad expression, urgently examining his condition.

As Professor Slughorn continued with the examination, his expression became strange...

"It seems I can't hide my potion from Professor Slughorn..." Snape clicked his lips with regret and then told Dumbledore in bed, "Stop acting, you've been discovered."

Madam Pomfrey, still wiping tears from her eyes, asked, "Huh?"

Dumbledore opened his eyes and, to the astonishment of Professor Slughorn and Madam Pomfrey, smiled and sat up in bed.

And Fish's ears perked up instantly, pulling out a handful of cockroach piles from his pocket and handing them to Professor Slughorn and Madam Pomfrey.

(??ΦωΦ??)つ

"Horace, Poppy, come have something to eat, don't be upset, nya." Fish distributed the food and said decisively, "Fish didn't want to deceive you; it was Albus's idea."