Dawn had to admit that Dumbledore was unbelievably strong.
Many things that should have been impossible by any reasonable standard, the old headmaster somehow always had a way to deal with.
He never expected that even after gambling everything on an immature magical creature transformation, he would still be completely suppressed by Dumbledore.
But even so…
He had no intention of giving up.
During a brief moment between Apparitions, Dawn inhaled the cool air to clear his head, forcing himself to think.
Apparate into a crowded place, force Dumbledore to hesitate, use Muggle lives to stop him from pursuing?
No. Impossible.
It sounded like a good idea on the surface.
But after Amir and William, Dawn understood all too well—if the old headmaster truly meant to act, Dawn would not last even an instant.
Such a threat was meaningless.
Then…
What should he do?
A stabbing headache tore at his thoughts. Perhaps from Apparating too many times, his heartbeat was speeding up unnaturally.
In the icy scenery of the Georgian glacier city, from the corner of his eye he saw Dumbledore appear nearby once more.
Without hesitation, Dawn vanished with another sharp crack.
But this time—
A sudden thought flashed across his mind, sharp as lightning. Dawn narrowed his eyes, faintly sensing a possible path.
While a chase spanning the world played out in flickering moments—
Hogwarts Castle.
In the cold, dungeon-like basement classroom…
Harry was in a very foul mood.
He felt that his expression must look as awful as the swirling purple-green potion simmering in the cauldron before him.
"Potter, answer me. Why are you whispering? Can you not even complete such a simple potion on your own?"
Professor Snape loomed beside him, face dark, cutting off Harry's attempt to ask Hermione about the next step.
"Gryffindor loses ten points for your lack of attention and your disruption of my class."
Harry pressed his lips together, swallowing his anger. He did not want to give Snape another reason to deduct points.
But—
Snape scoffed. "Insubordination. Another ten points from Gryffindor."
Harry's eyes widened. He opened his mouth, unable to hold back any longer.
But Snape only left him with the swish of dark robes as he walked away.
Harry panted heavily, feeling as if he were about to explode.
"Oh dear. Mr. Longbottom."
Snape arrived at the next group without slowing down. His peculiar tone made the trembling boy stiffen in fear.
Yet Snape showed no mercy.
"Look at your masterpiece, Mr. Longbottom.
You have somehow managed to create something resembling doxy droppings in a potion made of moonstone powder and sneezewort solution."
"If you receive a T on your final exam, trust me, it is not because you have achieved troll-level intellect. It is only because I cannot assign a grade lower than that."
"Perhaps I should suggest to the headmaster that we add a new grade—Longbottom level."
Neville's chubby face went pale. Tears welled up, but under Snape's towering presence he dared not wipe them away. He could only let out a small, pitiful sob.
Behind them, Malfoy snorted loudly, followed by several Slytherins who burst into laughter.
Hermione frowned sharply.
She could not believe a professor would say such things.
"Professor—"
"Silence, Miss Granger."
Snape spun around, cutting her off. "This is my classroom. No one speaks without my permission. If you refuse to follow my rules, then get out."
Hermione was furious. "But Malfoy just—"
"Twenty points from Gryffindor." Snape interrupted again, his tone making his bias crystal clear.
Hermione bit back her words.
Ron tugged at her sleeve, urging her to stop.
Snape gave a cold snort, sweeping his robe as he turned away to inspect the next group—
Then—
Crash.
A loud noise erupted behind him, like something toppling over.
Snape turned around on instinct.
A person had appeared out of thin air above the classroom and crashed directly onto Neville.
"Ugh!"
Neville shrieked as the two of them rolled across the floor.
Their fall knocked over the cauldron above the fire, and the strange-colored potion arced through the air before splashing all over Snape.
Ssss—
A thin stream of smoke rose from where the potion hit him. Snape felt a searing burn on his lower leg and grunted involuntarily.
Damn it. Wasn't today's lesson the Blood-Replenishing Potion? Why did it feel corrosive?!
The thought flashed through his mind instinctively.
But when he saw who had fallen from the ceiling, every other thought vanished.
"Dawn Richter?"
Snape's pupils contracted as he stared, stunned.
In the middle of class, a student who had left Hogwarts, was wanted by the Ministry, and should have been halfway across the world—fell out of the sky and destroyed a cauldron?!
It was absurd.
Snape even wondered for a moment whether some idiot's potion had produced hallucinogenic fumes.
"Ah. My apologies, Professor Snape. It seems I've interrupted your lesson."
Sitting on the ground, Dawn shook his head to settle the dizziness from Apparition. Once he could see clearly again, he spoke without a shred of sincerity.
"Of course, if you're terribly upset, you can dock Ravenclaw a hundred points or assign several dozen inches of homework. I fully deserve it. No complaints."
He grinned and tried to stand. He put a hand down to push off the floor—
And touched something soft.
"Hm?"
Looking down, he saw a pudgy boy staring up at him in shock. Dawn's hand was pressing directly onto Neville's round belly.
"Long time no see, Neville."
Dawn smiled and shifted his weight to stand properly.
"D… Dawn?"
Neville squeaked, still dazed from the impact.
The classroom fell silent.
Until—
"AAAAH!!!"
Malfoy's hysterical scream broke the stillness.
In an instant, chaos erupted.
Students shrieked, scrambling away from Dawn and clinging to one another as they stared at the wanted criminal who had just injured their professor and flattened a classmate.
___________
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