After looking at the report card, Dumbledore found himself unable to get a single word of explanation out.
He'd been so focused on Leonard's overall ranking that he hadn't even noticed the Potions practical score. And now that he had, it was already too late.
The awkwardness sat heavy on him. After a moment, he decided to steer the conversation elsewhere.
"Mr. William," Dumbledore said solemnly, "first, congratulations on placing first in your year. And second, I need to remind you of something. Someone has noticed your talent for ancient magic."
Leonard, who had been about to demand to know what was going to be done about that grade, froze.
Someone knew about his ancient magic?
The only ones who knew were Midgard, Professor Flitwick, and Dumbledore. None of them were the type to flap their mouths. They weren't Hagrid.
So that left one question: who found out, and how?
In an instant, Leonard ran through everyone he'd met—people he'd interacted with, people he'd only seen once—but no matter how he sorted through them, he couldn't figure out who could have exposed him.
"Don't overthink it. No one leaked anything," Dumbledore said.
Which… didn't explain anything at all. If no one leaked it, then how did these people know?
"I'm only telling you so you're prepared," Dumbledore continued. "So you won't react too strongly if you run into them. They may approach you. If they do, be careful."
The more Dumbledore spoke, the more Leonard felt lost. It sounded like Dumbledore knew exactly who "they" were, yet he also sounded like he couldn't say it.
And what really threw Leonard was Dumbledore's conflicting attitude. He seemed to think they weren't necessarily bad people… and yet he was still warning Leonard to watch himself.
Was Dumbledore… going senile?
Leonard stared, bewildered. Seeing that expression, Dumbledore realized the only thing he was doing was unsettling him.
But what else could he do? Based on what that man had said, something had gone wrong inside that ancient organization. Who knew what they might do next, or what sort of attitude they'd bring when they finally met Leonard?
"Never mind," Dumbledore sighed, as if worn down by the times. "Telling you all this doesn't seem to help much anyway. Go back, pack your things. After tomorrow's House Cup ceremony, it'll be time for you to head home."
Leonard had come in smiling and left utterly confused. Even as someone who knew the entire plot, he couldn't make sense of what Dumbledore was doing.
By all rights, since arriving here, he hadn't done much to derail anything. Aside from sending Fenrir and Quirrell to an early grave, he hadn't caused any major upheaval. So why had something he didn't understand suddenly appeared?
It all seemed to be another ripple caused by ancient magic.
But ancient magic was supposed to be lost. Who was still coveting it?
Leonard had a head full of questions, but Dumbledore's face clearly said, Even if you ask, I won't tell you.
So Leonard didn't bother.
Even if he hadn't gotten any real answers, he at least understood one thing: someone who knew about ancient magic was going to come looking for him.
It had to be an organization, otherwise Dumbledore wouldn't have referred to them as "they."
The problem was, who were "they"? And how strong were they?
Leonard didn't know. He didn't even know their name.
In the Harry Potter world, were there really organizations besides dark wizards? Ones Dumbledore actually paid special attention to?
After all, even Voldemort's Death Eaters had never made Dumbledore's expression shift. Yet this group had Dumbledore speaking in circles like he was losing his mind.
Leonard decided he had to take them seriously. The question was how.
Go it alone?
No chance. There were limits to what one person could do. Leonard didn't believe he was powerful enough to fight a secret organization single-handedly, even with a whole army of plants.
Who knew what terrifying hidden strength a group like that might have—one that even made Dumbledore cautious?
And the worst part was that they were searching for the power of ancient magic, and they were doing it from the shadows…
Leonard needed an organization of his own, something that could back him up and keep him safe. And luckily, he did have the beginnings of one already.
The werewolf wizards.
"But the werewolf wizards are still too weak…" Leonard muttered as he walked slowly down the stairs, watching students pass by laughing and carefree.
It was ridiculous. Everyone else got to live light, happy school lives, while he had to worry about this kind of nonsense.
The more he thought about it, the more it felt like it was… someone's fault.
Leonard lifted his head gloomily, then realized he didn't even have anyone he could conveniently blame. That only made it worse.
"Then I'll use Symbiotic Plants," Leonard said, his eyes hardening. "If my magic isn't enough, I'll make up for it with outside force. I refuse to believe my plants paired with a werewolf's fighting ability can't create a real qualitative leap."
When the time came, it wouldn't matter what kind of organization they were. He'd knock them all flat.
Dumbledore had no idea. What he'd intended as a simple reminder—meant only to keep Leonard from overreacting—had landed in Leonard's ears as a warning.
It couldn't really be helped. Leonard was a transmigrator. He'd spent this whole time thinking everything was under control, that victory was assured. Now he'd learned there was something outside his grasp, and it naturally set him on edge.
And Dumbledore's careful, secretive manner didn't help. Trying to conceal the organization's existence had made him speak in half-sentences, disjointed and evasive, like a man suffering from senility.
Of course Leonard would be misled.
If an organization could make Dumbledore sound like that, then how terrifying must it be?
That was how misunderstandings were born.
Though calling it a misunderstanding wasn't entirely fair. Dumbledore's uncertainty and his roundabout phrasing were rooted in one real issue: he didn't know what stance the Raven would take.
And his warning to Leonard really was meant to guard against the more radical people inside the Raven influencing him.
Leonard simply didn't know any of that. He was paying the price for being in the dark.
He might know the Harry Potter plot by heart, but a world didn't revolve around a single story's protagonist.
Beyond the main narrative was a wider, deeper world, waiting for Leonard to recognize it—and explore it.