Phoenix Tail Feathers

The next morning, the sky outside the window was clear and bright; Hogwarts hadn't had such good weather in months.

Belvina woke up early and tiptoed out of bed without waking the sleepy and tired Bassheda again.

She stood at her dressing table, tilting her head, carefully tending to her dry, straw-like hair. Her face was still pale, but her eyes had regained their liveliness.

As Belvina mechanically combed her hair, she carefully recalled the scenes from her dream last night.

Those were fragments of memories she had never had before, as if they had been forgotten or stolen away, until they resurfaced after her close encounter with Voldemort.

It is obvious that the scene in the dream is number twelve Grimmauld Place, the family tree is the Black family tapestry, and the teenage girl is herself, the former Belvina Black.

The two young men who were spewing profanities were Sirius and Regulus, figments of imagination, or rather, illusions.

Sirius hates everything about his family, including his little sister who always imitates his mother, but given his personality, he would never hurt his sister in that way.

Regulus was the same. He might not be brave enough, but he was gentle, kind, humble and polite. He could even treat the little elf Kreacher from his hometown with calmness and composure. How could he say such things to his own sister?

As for Mrs. Black's attitude towards Belvina, that's hard to say.

In 1979, Mrs. Black suffered two major blows, which made her already paranoid personality even more extreme. She locked herself in her room all day, and no one knew what she was doing inside.

Belvina tried to comfort her, but was met with cold indifference and harsh words from Mrs. Black, who remained as indifferent as ever. Mrs. Black seemed to be cold-hearted and incapable of understanding love.

From that year onward, it seemed as if Mrs. Black's world consisted only of herself, with no place for her daughter.

From then on, the mother and daughter, who shared the same room, became like strangers, showing no concern for or interference in each other's lives. This terrible relationship continued until 1985.

Belvina, who had usurped the throne, sighed deeply. If the scene in her dream had actually happened, all she needed to do was find those scarlet snake eyes, and all her problems would be solved.

It seems that Belvina needs to return to Plaça Grimaud and should leave as soon as possible.

Suddenly, Belvina sensed the presence of a third person. She first grabbed her wand defensively, then put it down—it was Albus Dumbledore outside the door.

Belvina got up, picked up her off-white morning robe and put it on, then shuffled out of the lounge in her slippers.

Pushing open the door, Belvina, standing on the spiral staircase, immediately saw Dumbledore in the middle of the classroom. He stood with his hands behind his back, his posture upright, like a towering tree unafraid of wind and rain.

"Good morning, Professor," Belvina said, closing the door to the lounge behind her. Her voice sounded dry, unlike her usual gentle tone.

"Good morning. It's so good to see you've picked yourself up again," Dumbledore said in a singing voice. "Being defeated is not terrible. What is terrible is not having the courage to face it again."

This was Dumbledore's first public appearance since that night, and Basilda had complained about it quite a bit. Belvina, on the other hand, didn't seem to care much, and wasn't really in the mood to think about such things.

The two professors sat facing each other in the empty classroom. Belvina did not invite the principal into the lounge, and Bassheda was still asleep.

Dumbledore didn't mention it either, seemingly thinking the classroom was fine.

"I've come here today for two things," Dumbledore said. "The first is to give a gift, as a belated Christmas present, or an early birthday present."

As he spoke, Dumbledore pulled a golden tail feather from his pocket.

"Phoenix tail feathers, Fawkes?" Belvina asked. Phoenix tail feathers are excellent materials for making wands, and Dumbledore just plucked them off like that, what a waste.

"I got pecked quite a few times," Dumbledore said. "Legend has it that whenever a Dumbledore needs help, a phoenix appears. But I say, at Hogwarts, those who need help always get help."

Dumbledore spoke with great seriousness, as if he were waiting for Belvina to express her troubles.

Belvina politely accepted the tail feather with both hands and softly recited: "When the magical bird, the chaste phoenix, died, her ashes gave birth to a new offspring, just as admirable as she was."

"The phoenix rises from the ashes, reborn from the flames; it must be incredibly beautiful," Belvina murmured.

"Not pretty at all, all wrinkled and crumpled, looks like a little chick," Dumbledore bluntly interrupted. "Who said that just now?"

"Shakespeare, an English Muggle who died many years ago."

Dumbledore then said, almost as if singing, "Muggles may not be able to use magic, but the words they write are always full of magic. Words, like music, have the power to inspire."

"Yes, words, music, language—they can all kill," Belvina said abruptly, "sharper than swords."

As she spoke, Belvina drifted off into thought. Wasn't the scene that had unfolded in Grimmauld Place a perfect example of seductive language and tormenting tactics?

"Oh, and the second thing, Quirinus Quirrell is missing," Dumbledore said. "If I'm not mistaken, he's probably wandering the Forbidden Forest, looking for his next unicorn."

Dumbledore continued, "Hagrid found the unicorn's carcass in the Forbidden Forest. Innocent lives are always the first to be harmed; it's always like that."

"Professor, may I ask you a question?" Belvina continued, seemingly to herself, "Can a body house two souls at the same time?"

"Perhaps, but what the price would be is unknown." Dumbledore gave an ambiguous answer. "The soul is the most mysterious thing, more mysterious than magic."

Belvina suddenly clenched her fist and said, "Professor, that night I saw the Dark Lord—that night I saw Voldemort, he was hiding inside Quirrell's body, sharing a body with Quirrell. I think Quirrell needing unicorn blood might be the price he paid."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised that Voldemort had possessed Quirrell, yet also delighted that Belvina called Voldemort by his name.

"Professor, ever since my first encounter with Quirrell, I've found myself becoming unlike myself." Belvina irritably ran her fingers through her hair. "My composure, my rationality, my self-control—everything I was once so proud of seems to have vanished."

Belvina continued in a low voice, "I couldn't wait to get close to Quirrell—no—to be precise, to get close to Voldemort. He seemed to have a fatal attraction for me, making me want to get closer at all costs, as if our souls were drawn together."

Upon hearing this, Dumbledore looked at Belvina with a deep gaze that seemed to penetrate her soul.

"I don't know much about the soul, so I can only offer some advice for your reference," Dumbledore said. "When you first met Quirrell, did he use any magic, whether it's spells, words, or texts?"

Belvina shook her head. Quirrell was busy giving a speech when they first met, and Belvina didn't sense Voldemort's presence that time either.

"You've come into contact with Quirrell again, but this time you've met Voldemort, and you've become very weak," Dumbledore said. "Could I interpret this as Voldemort's appearance acting like a switch for Muggles, unintentionally triggering something?"

Belvina nodded. Dumbledore's analysis was very close to her own—Voldemort's appearance had activated a deep-seated tremor in her soul, making her extremely vulnerable.

"You suddenly became unlike yourself, perhaps due to this 'switch,' and Voldemort's attraction to you is probably also due to this 'switch.'"

If Belvina had previously only doubted, believing that returning to Grimmauld Place would provide the answers, she is now increasingly convinced of this belief.

Once we figure out what happened in 1979, everything will fall into place.

"Professor, I think I have to extend my sick leave," Belvina said. "Only by finding the root cause can we cure the disease."

"Remember to take that tail feather with you. In Hogwarts, those who need help can always get help," Dumbledore said. "It will find me."

As he spoke, Dumbledore suddenly glanced at the top of the spiral staircase, then left without looking back, moving as if he were wearing a stamina tube.

As soon as Dumbledore stepped out, the door to the common room creaked open.

"Who was there just now?"

"Professor Dumbledore probably ran away because he was afraid of being scolded by you."