A few minutes later.
Sean carefully took out the Resurrection Stone. He could see Headmaster Dumbledore staring straight at it, so Sean warily set the stone down at his side.
"Old folks always get pushed aside by the young?"
Dumbledore blinked.
Sean met Dumbledore's eyes for a few seconds. Finally Dumbledore looked away with a helpless smile.
"Mr. Fawkes, could you help me out?"
Sean spoke past Dumbledore, addressing the phoenix.
Fawkes nestled warmly on Sean's lap.
It nodded in a very human way, then plucked the ring right up in its beak.
In an instant, flames engulfed its whole body. It dropped to the floor, shrank into a wrinkled little ball, and stopped moving altogether.
The noon sun had fully risen. Sunlight flooded the Headmaster's office.
The glass case holding Godric Gryffindor's sword glowed with a milky white light. Silver instruments sparkled like raindrops.
Behind the silver pieces, the newborn Fawkes lay in a nest of ashes, letting out weak little chirps.
It squawked twice. Sean didn't hesitate—he fed the phoenix some herbs.
He frowned slightly. Dumbledore knew he felt a pang of sympathy.
"You've been fattening him up too much."
Dumbledore said with a helpless chuckle.
"You knew..."
Sean tucked the Resurrection Stone that Fawkes had spat out back into the Book of Wizards.
"Oh, there are very few things in this castle I don't know..."
Dumbledore smiled warmly.
"Why not take it out and have a look?"
Dumbledore asked.
Sean didn't answer. He simply gazed silently at Dumbledore, and Dumbledore understood exactly what that look meant.
How interesting—this boy's eyes were like those Muggle kids staring at an elder who craves candy but has a condition that forbids it.
"Mr. Fawkes will be all right, won't he?"
Sean asked.
"Of course. Ready to head out already?"
Dumbledore said with a smile.
"If you'll allow it, Headmaster Dumbledore."
Sean replied.
"Remember the tale of the three brothers?"
Dumbledore lifted his steaming cup of tea.
"Three powerful wizards who forged three powerful magical objects."
Sean said.
"I'm glad you didn't call them the Deathly Hallows."
Dumbledore spoke slowly.
"No one escapes death."
Sean thought of the Resurrection Stone inside the Book of Wizards.
It could only summon emotionless wizard souls.
"Such a simple truth, yet so few ever grasp it.
There's a rumor that if someone legitimately possesses all three, he becomes the 'Master of Death.' People usually take that to mean he's unbeatable, even immortal.
What do you think?"
Dumbledore fixed his gaze on Sean.
"I think the story's moral is crystal clear: Death eventually claims us all."
Sean said calmly.
"Remarkable. You're not afraid of death.
But if you ever change your mind, my dear Green, I hope you'll recall the news every wizard knows—yes, the Elder Wand is in my hand.
Yet I also hope you never have to remember it. People change, after all. The future is never certain."
Dumbledore sighed.
"Maybe one in a million can truly own all three Hallows. I'm only suited for the least impressive, the most ordinary of them.
I'm suited for the Elder Wand, and I must never boast of it or use it to kill. I can master it, wield it, because I took it not to gain power, but to save others.
That's my final thought. If you can recall these words in some crucial moment of choice, I'll be more than content."
With Dumbledore's last words, the door to the Headmaster's office swung open.
...
Hope Cottage.
Sean retrieved the Resurrection Stone from the Book of Wizards.
Dumbledore's words echoed in his mind. The Deathly Hallows—they were tempting, no question, but...
Sean opened his status panel:
[Wizard Sean, Potions Talent: Blue]
[Wizard Sean, Herbology Talent: Blue]
[Wizard Sean, Magical Creatures Talent: Light Purple]
[Wizard Sean, Charms Talent: Light Purple]
[Wizard Sean, Transfiguration Talent: Purple]
[Wizard Sean, Dark Arts Talent: Gold]
[Wizard Sean, Alchemy Talent: Gold]
The panel hadn't seen any major shifts in a while, but by the end of his second year, Sean would at least complete two advancements:
[Obstructing Jinx: Master Level (1700/?)
Petrification Curse: Master Level (1100/?)]
[Severing Charm: Master Level (2300/?)
Shattering Curse: Master Level (100/?)
Exploding Curse: Master Level (100/?)
Repelling Charm: Master Level (500/?)
...]
[Advancement: Seven Master-Level Dark Arts spells unlock the Master of Dark Arts title (6/7)]
One more Master-Level Dark Arts spell and Sean would earn the Master of Dark Arts title.
He didn't yet know what changes that would bring, but the Master of Transfiguration title had already sharpened his Transfiguration perception across the board.
Which meant:
[Master of Transfiguration: Dramatically enhances unique perception in all Transfiguration fields]
That boost had indirectly helped him create his own Transfiguration magic system—the Fire Dragon Wingbeat and the Vine Stone Guardian.
On top of that, Alchemy had reached its final stretch:
[Advanced · Magic Hand Mirror: Skilled Level (700/900)]
[Advanced · Book of Wizards: Expert Level (7000/9000)]
[Advanced · Fairy Tale Cookies: Master Level (700/?) (Collapsed)]
[Advancement: Three types of Master-Level advanced alchemical creations unlock the Master of Alchemy title (1/3)]
That's right—the Magic Hand Mirror counted as an advanced alchemical creation.
Right now, learning one final Dark Arts spell and finishing the last parts of the Magic Hand Mirror and the Book of Wizards had become Sean's last tasks for second year.
After reviewing his plan once more, Sean cautiously took out the Resurrection Stone.
It was a black stone covered in intricate, deep patterns.
Even though Sean couldn't break the curse on it, his Dark Arts talent told him the Resurrection Stone no longer carried any Dark Magic aura.
So Sean stared long and hard at the stone, wondering if he could bring it into the Borderland.
If he could, he'd fulfill both Newt's and Dumbledore's requests in one go.
The mild May evening rarely brought cold winds. The stars above Ravenclaw Tower shone especially bright tonight.
Thin wisps of fog rose now and then, the kind of atmosphere that easily called to mind ancient wizarding fables:
Like, "Curses come at dusk, but they break at midnight."
Or those far-off, endlessly fascinating things—the Deathstick, the Wand of Destiny, the Cloak of Invisibility, the Resurrection Stone.
Tonight, inside Ravenclaw Tower, Sean clutched the Resurrection Stone, wore the Empty Symbol, and fell into a deep sleep.
But his soul slipped once more into the hazy, dreamlike realm.