Cabor Doric was an outstanding wizard, a highly decorated Auror, and a friend of Dumbledore.
A voice heavy with age and deep disappointment spoke out. Not far from Rey, the light shifted, and Albus Dumbledore's figure materialized.
"Dumbledore!"
Gasps of surprise echoed through the classroom. Whether it was Doric, who was slumped against the wall, Rey and Agnes, or the other students, no one had expected Dumbledore to appear here in person.
"This is my final choice?"
"Is it?"
"Is it not?" "Heh..."
Doric muttered to himself as he slowly picked himself up. He was laughing, but the sound was desolate, filled with deep helplessness. His self-questioning carried a hint of madness.
This version of Doric was confusing to behold.
"Dumbledore, was it wrong for me to become an Auror? Is it wrong to want to live? Do you think I like looking like this half-human, half-ghost monstrosity?
"Being bitten by a vampire made turning into one inevitable. I just wanted to live so I could kill more dark creatures. I only wanted his blood, not his life. What is wrong with that?
"Why won't any of you understand me? You all use your so-called morals to stop me. Then tell me, the great Dumbledore, what choice should I have made?
"Just watch indifferently as I become a vampire? Or end my life with suicide?"
Doric's voice grew louder and louder as he questioned. It wasn't clear who he was questioning—Dumbledore? Himself? Or perhaps the God who arranged all of this?
His questions left everyone momentarily speechless.
He wasn't wrong, or perhaps no one was wrong. It was just a matter of perspective; standing in different places meant seeing different things.
---
The students at the classroom door didn't dare run out because Dorsey was blocking the exit.
Dorsey worshipped Doric. He worshipped him because he had experienced a tragedy very similar to Doric's. His entire family had been killed by dark creatures, so he wanted power to kill more of those damned monsters. Doric was his role model.
That was the biggest reason he wanted to obtain that power after Doric demonstrated it.
Dumbledore ignored Dorsey at the door. Looking at Doric, who had stood up, he sighed slightly. "Old friend, I don't know what choice you should have made. But I know that from the moment you were bitten, you chose wrong.
"You should have told me, your friend, and we could have tried to solve your problem together. You shouldn't have hidden it, and you shouldn't have drunk blood. Drinking any blood only accelerates your transformation into a vampire.
"I know about Rey's blood; Madam Pomfrey analyzed it. His blood only gives you the illusion of coming back to life. If you stop drinking it, you will only fall into deeper darkness."
Dumbledore patiently explained to Doric. As he spoke, he walked in front of Rey and Agnes. In the process, he nodded to them, as if to say, I'm here now.
"Expelliarmus!"
A stern, soft shout suddenly rang out from the classroom door.
Unknown to everyone, Professor McGonagall had arrived outside. With a wave of her wand, Dorsey, who couldn't react in time, was disarmed.
A wand is a wizard's weapon. Locked down by McGonagall, Dorsey didn't dare make a move.
"Students, you may leave now."
McGonagall directed the frightened students out of the classroom. There were too many students here. Even with her and Dumbledore present, unexpected accidents could happen, so evacuating them was the best option.
The chaos in the castle had stopped at some point unknown to them.
From start to finish, the disturbance hadn't lasted ten minutes. It was somewhat surprising—or perhaps it should be said that all of Doric's actions were already within Dumbledore's expectations.
"When did you start suspecting me?"
With the situation settled and his emotions calming down, Doric asked the question burning in his mind. His voice was filled with the loss of not being trusted by a friend.
"Old friend, I never suspected you. Or rather, it was just a hypothesis without evidence," Dumbledore said.
"Heh, things have come to this point. For the great Dumbledore to say that seems a bit fake, doesn't it? I don't believe my current half-dead state has nothing to do with you."
Doric sneered, full of the desolation of a loser. He absolutely didn't believe Dumbledore's answer.
"I speak the truth, old friend. A vampire has been hiding in Hogwarts, so on the day Fudge visited, I asked Hagrid to collect a lot of vervain to add to the food, solely to force the vampire out," Dumbledore said slowly.
It was exactly as Dumbledore said. Before Rey confided in him, Dumbledore had asked Hagrid to help purchase a batch of ingredients for the kitchen. Unexpectedly, that ingredient was vervain, which causes allergic reactions in vampires.
At that time, he hadn't yet received confirmation from Rey, so it was indeed just a hypothesis without evidence. He assumed the vampire was hiding as an ordinary person in Hogwarts, so the move wasn't targeted solely at Doric.
Mixing vervain into the food explained why Cedric had mentioned a faint grassy taste in the meals two days ago. And that grassy taste was something everyone who ate at Hogwarts had likely tasted.
---
Rey was the vampire's primary target. Knowing this, Dumbledore could hide in the classroom and wait for the rabbit to come to the tree stump.
He hadn't wanted the person coming for Rey to be anyone from Hogwarts. But facts are facts, and sometimes they are incredibly disappointing.
"Professor, the Ministry people are here."
Snape, dressed in black, led several unfamiliar Aurors to the classroom door. Presumably, they had been notified after the chaos was quelled.
"Aren't you going to kill me, this dark creature?"
Seeing the Ministry Aurors at the door ready to take him and Dorsey into custody, Doric didn't resist. Instead, he roared at Dumbledore. Without magic, he had zero chance of winning against Dumbledore.
However, as a former Auror, being arrested felt more like an insult. He wanted Dumbledore to act and end him quickly.
"Like you killed Turner? Old friend. That was the one thing you should never have done." Dumbledore countered Doric's roar with a simple question.
That simple rhetorical question froze the roaring Doric in his tracks.
Turner was his comrade-in-arms, a brother he could trust with his back, yet he had betrayed him. Dumbledore's words struck Doric like lightning. Perhaps he was now recalling his actions and wondering why he felt like a stranger to himself.
Doing such things... was this still him? Betraying a comrade, drinking blood—it was truly the behavior of a monster.
Whether he realized his terrible transformation or felt that struggling was futile, Doric looked at Dumbledore expressionlessly and finally lowered his head. He seemed to be reflecting, or perhaps he had just sunken into silent indifference.
No matter what was said, the deeds were done. It was all too late.
---
Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic, didn't come in person like last time.
Cabor Doric was an Auror he trusted, yet he turned out to be the culprit vampire. Such a plot twist felt like a slap in the face.
Dumbledore had handled everything; Fudge just needed to send people to take custody of the prisoner. For someone well-versed in politics, it was better not to show his face for something like this, especially since it was just a vampire.
Although the Minister didn't come personally, The Daily Prophet, having received the news from somewhere, sent special correspondent Rita Skeeter to cover the story.
In her flowery report, she ended with another sentence designed to whet the appetite: "A former Auror, now the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor—why did he turn into a dark creature like a vampire? If you want to know the detailed reasons, please keep reading The Daily Prophet."
Click... Click-click...!
Flashbulbs popped at the scene. Several photographers were taking pictures for Rita Skeeter's on-site report, capturing the numb-faced Doric for tomorrow's front page.
The dust had settled. The culprit was arrested. Next came the Ministry's judicial process. What awaited Cabor Doric was the Ministry's judgment.
Either he would be executed as a dark creature, or he would spend the rest of his life locked in the prison for wizard criminals: Azkaban.