Rey was fast asleep in the Headmaster's office.
After drinking the potion, he found himself back in his shattered mental world.
The landscape hadn't changed much.
The wind whispered, the dark fog of clouds drifted, and rare beams of sunlight pierced through, illuminating the chaotic, overgrown weeds.
Collapsed skyscrapers and exposed, twisted rebar... the whole world still looked like the silent aftermath of a massive earthquake.
Entering this place for the second time, Rey found he was still just a spectator in the audience, unable to interfere with anything.
Having learned from his first visit, Rey sensibly decided to do the most important thing: sleep.
Aside from the past Headmasters of Hogwarts, Rey was probably the first person to take a nap right in the Headmaster's office.
If he were truly a child at heart, this would be something worth bragging about.
---
In a secluded spot on the outskirts of Hogwarts.
Cabor Doric had brought his two colleagues to this desolate area to show them the results of his "discovery."
Looking at his two fellow Aurors, Doric offered a reminder. "Watch closely. This is the power I've discovered."
As soon as the words left his mouth, catching their attention, Doric swayed, and his figure vanished from their sight.
"Apparition!?"
Dorsey was amazed, while Turner looked shocked.
"I'm over here."
The vanished Doric suddenly spoke from behind them. The abrupt voice startled both of them.
"Senior Doric, when did you master Apparition to such an effortless degree?"
Dorsey's question made Turner frown. He had caught a glimpse of Doric's afterimage. They were standing close to each other, and the field of view wasn't wide, but judging by the sound of the wind and the blur of movement, Doric had simply moved—it wasn't Apparition.
"Cabor, that wasn't Apparition. That movement style looked a lot like..."
Turner's face was filled with confusion. Simultaneously, he drew his wand, adopting a defensive stance.
"Expelliarmus!"
Doric and Turner were old war buddies with comparable skills. But since Turner was only passively defending and had no intent to attack, he was caught completely off guard by Doric's strike.
The sudden disarming spell shifted the vibe instantly, leaving Dorsey stunned. He hadn't expected his two seniors, who were chatting amicably a second ago, to suddenly trade blows.
"Turner, you're right. That wasn't Apparition. It was pure physical movement. And yes, the method of movement is identical to that of a vampire."
Cabor Doric explained as he walked past them, his back turned, and casually picked up Turner's wand without a hint of defensiveness.
Watching Doric retrieve his wand, Turner's confusion deepened.
If Doric could use magic, he was still a wizard. But that vampire-like speed... it didn't make sense. A normal wizard simply didn't possess that kind of physical velocity.
Returning the wand to Turner, Doric rolled up his sleeve. Right in front of Turner and Dorsey, he used his wand to slice his own wrist.
A cut immediately appeared.
The flesh parted, revealing white tissue for a split second before bright red blood welled up and flowed out.
As the blood ran, Doric spoke firmly, "I am not a vampire."
"Vampires fear sunlight; I don't. Vampires have no flowing blood; I do. And vampires certainly can't learn magic, yet here I am, a wizard who can cast spells."
"In that last battle, when the vampires ambushed us, I was bitten. But after coming to Hogwarts, an accident allowed me to suppress the vampire venom, granting me the strength of a vampire while retaining the body of a wizard."
Doric explained to the two men. Of course, his primary target for this explanation was Turner. As for Dorsey, the young man would only worship him more.
---
Possessing the speed and strength of a vampire while retaining the ability to use wizard magic.
A wizard like that would see their combat effectiveness multiply several times over.
"How did you achieve this...?"
Turner was interested. If there was a way to gain such power, he wouldn't turn it down. No one joined the Aurors without a few tragic stories; most were wizards who absolutely loathed dark creatures.
With this kind of power, dealing with vampires in the future would be much easier.
"A child's blood. As long as you can get his blood, you can obtain this power."
Seeing the timing was right, Cabor Doric revealed the "truth," beginning his gradual seduction.
"Rey MacFusty? The kid who went missing and just came back?" Turner asked suspiciously. Based on Doric's behavior recently, he figured it had to be the boy.
"Yes. That's him."
"You plan to kill a student?"
Turner gripped his wand tightly, staring at his old friend. If the price for power was killing an innocent young wizard, he couldn't do it.
"No, don't get the wrong idea, Turner. I just want to take some of his blood to send to Neo for research."
"A person's blood is limited, but if we just take a small amount for study... I think he'd agree to that." Turner didn't object. If they could really use the boy's blood to achieve a breakthrough, it would be for the best.
Doric nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking. But first, we have to catch the vampire that actually attacked him."
Deceiving people—especially friends who trust you—doesn't require complex schemes. You just need a plausible reason.
Catch the "real" vampire attacking Rey, then get a small blood sample from Rey for Neo to research. That didn't sound difficult at all.
On paper, it was simple. But in reality, Doric knew the truth: he had already become a vampire. Rey's blood was merely keeping him temporarily "alive."
His soul had already been exchanged for the price of undeath. A being whose soul had dissipated could hardly be called human anymore.
Research would be futile. Only by obtaining a massive amount of blood at once could he hope to change his current half-dead state—perhaps even evolving into a new life form to continue his existence.
---
Hogwarts was the most significant weather vane in the British wizarding world.
It was arguably the most heavily guarded place in the magical community, bar none, because it was the cradle of learning for countless young wizards.
When it came to the place where their children studied, neither the Ministry of Magic nor the various wizarding families would accept anything less than perfection.
Therefore, the most eye-catching news in the wizarding world usually came from Hogwarts.
Like the Triwizard Tournament a few years later, or the current news of a student disappearing for no reason and suddenly returning four months later.
Ryan Evers, the director of an orphanage, sat at his desk with two copies of the Daily Prophet in front of him.
One was the report from when Rey went missing; the other was the news of Rey's sudden return a few days ago.
In the first report, there was a statement from the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Cabor Doric.
Looking at the two papers, a smile appeared on Ryan Evers' face.
His plan was finally showing results. Although Rey's disappearance had worried him for a long time, it seemed the danger had passed without disaster.
Cabor Doric, the professor who had been at Hogwarts for less than a year... the vampire ambush he suffered before taking the job was entirely orchestrated by Ryan Evers.
As a pure vampire, Ryan couldn't enter Hogwarts himself. So, he had to send in a wizard who had been bitten.
A perfectly timed ambush, intentionally allowing Cabor Doric to escape with an injury. It was a brilliant setup.
Once Cabor Doric turned into a vampire, finding Rey's blood would be the trap that snapped shut on him.
To obtain more blood, this newly turned vampire would inevitably try everything to capture Rey alive and flee Hogwarts.
Because the blood only worked if it came from a living body. If draining Rey dry wasn't enough to turn Doric into a living vampire permanently, he would need a constant supply.
To collect enough blood, there was only one way: capture Rey alive and turn him into an unconscious, living blood bag.