December 25th Snow

Joey felt as though she were walking through a dream as she stepped out of the headmaster's office. Dumbledore hadn't demanded any compensation from her. Instead, he had comforted her, saying, "Don't worry, it's just a room. No one can find it, and no harm was done. No compensation is needed. Go back and rest!"

"Headmaster Dumbledore is such a kind man!" Joey thought, feeling as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She let out a long sigh of relief, grateful that her head was still intact.

Back in the headmaster's office, Dumbledore was muttering an old Chinese proverb to himself: "You can't live by yourself." Suddenly, the blue vase on his desk began to shake.

"Oh, I almost forgot. My apologies," Dumbledore said, tapping the vase with his wand. In an instant, the vase transformed into Cedric Diggory.

Cedric straightened his robes and immediately asked, "What is the Fiery Fire Spell? I've never come across it in any book. It feels... strange."

Dumbledore's expression grew somber. He hesitated, as if reluctant to discuss the spell, but finally explained, "The Fiery Fire Spell is a form of dark magic. It hunts down and consumes everything that can burn—including life itself."

"But Joey said the notebook taught it to her!" Cedric exclaimed, his eyes widening. "Could the notebook be... Voldemort?"

"If what Joey and Ginny have said is true, the notebook is highly manipulative and capable of casting curses. It's very likely connected to Voldemort," Dumbledore replied, rubbing his temples as he analyzed the situation.

"But Joey also mentioned that the notebook was burned back on November 11th. If the Fiery Fire Spell destroys all life, including Voldemort's, how was the Chamber of Secrets opened afterward?" Cedric's head was spinning. He only knew from his past life that Ginny Weasley had been manipulated by a notebook to open the Chamber. But now, the notebook had been in Joey's possession and was destroyed early on. So, who had opened the Chamber this time?

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and folding his hands across his chest. Cedric, recognizing that the headmaster was deep in thought, sat quietly on the pink sofa Joey had occupied earlier. He knew better than to interrupt.

After a long silence, Dumbledore opened his eyes, his expression unreadable. He looked at Cedric and asked, "You mentioned that in your previous memories, Ginny was bewitched by the notebook to open the Chamber. Harry eventually saved her and destroyed the notebook using the basilisk's fang. And that notebook belonged to Tom Riddle, correct?"

"Yes, that's what I heard at the time," Cedric confirmed. "But I didn't witness it myself." Most of his information had come from classmates' gossip, and Hufflepuffs were always eager to share such secrets.

"Now, I have two questions," Dumbledore continued. "First, if the notebook could be destroyed by the basilisk's fang and fire, it must have been an extremely evil entity. How could a mere notebook possess life? Second, the notebook knew the Fiery Fire Spell. If it wasn't Voldemort—or someone else—no, it couldn't be anyone else. He's trapped and can't escape... It must be Voldemort! But if the notebook was destroyed, how was the Chamber opened? Could there be another Voldemort? And if so, why are there two?"

Dumbledore's brow furrowed deeply as he spoke, and he pinched the bridge of his nose, lost in thought.

Cedric was stunned. "Two Voldemorts?" he thought. "Merlin's beard, how can one person become two? Did someone split him in half?" He accidentally whispered the last part aloud.

"Split in half..." Dumbledore's entire body stiffened, as if struck by a sudden realization. He murmured in a low, almost disbelieving tone, "I've heard of a very, very dark magic..." But he didn't elaborate. Instead, he reached into the pocket of his violet robes, pulled out a piece of candy, and popped it into his mouth.

Cedric waited patiently, but Dumbledore didn't continue. The headmaster kept eating candy—one, two, three... up to six pieces. Finally, as he held the seventh candy in his hand, he said, "I hope it's not what I'm thinking. I'll need to gather more evidence to confirm my theory."

Cedric understood that Dumbledore wouldn't reveal more about the dark magic he had mentioned. The headmaster always shielded his students from the darkest aspects of the wizarding world, ensuring Hogwarts remained a sanctuary.

Before leaving, Cedric said disappointedly, "If only I knew the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets..." Unfortunately, he hadn't been close to Harry in his past life, and the details of the Chamber's location had remained a mystery.

Dumbledore, now composed, smiled and said, "Don't be so hard on yourself. You know more than you realize. Even the portraits on the wall often say you'd make a better headmaster than me."

Cedric glanced at the portraits of past headmasters lining the walls. Some of them pretended to be asleep, but a few had their eyes open and nodded approvingly at him.

"Go get some rest, Cedric. I need to clear my mind," Dumbledore said. As Cedric left, he noticed the headmaster drawing a silvery thread from his temple with his wand, letting it fall into a stone basin.

---

Joey's grandfather had invited the entire family to spend Christmas in the United States this year. Luther had arranged for a Portkey early on, and in his letter, he'd even hinted that Fred could join them if he wanted. Joey suspected it was a ploy, but Fred had eagerly accepted.

"I've always been curious about your grandfather," Fred said as they prepared for the trip. "There aren't many wizards who've survived the Amazon rainforest! What do you think he'd like as a gift? How about this?" He held up a small, button-like object. "It's a Button Looking Glass we just developed. It looks like a normal button, but if anything suspicious is nearby, it lights up! Do you think he'd like it?"

"Grandpa will probably love it," Joey thought, "but Dad's going to give you a hard time, you silly boy." Out loud, she simply nodded and said, "He'll definitely like it."

"Then..." Fred fiddled with the Button Looking Glass, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Do you think he'd... let me stay with you?"

"What?" Joey asked, not quite catching his words.

"Nothing!" Fred laughed nervously, his face turning slightly red. He was clearly overthinking things.

---

Meanwhile, back at Hogwarts, Fred's twin, George, had gotten himself into a bit of trouble. During a potions class, Flami—had accidentally turned George's head into a green stone. The incident had sent Flami into a panic, and she'd dragged George to the hospital wing without even waiting for Professor Snape's reprimand. Snape's face had been as dark as the bottom of a cauldron, but for some reason, he hadn't deducted any points from Slytherin. Instead, he'd muttered, "A pair of idiots," before storming off.

"Our potions class today was supposed to be a simple demulcent," Joey whispered to Fred later.

Fred nodded. "Flami was messing around with her own concoction again. Do you think we broke her?"

But despite the seriousness of the situation, the sight of George with a green stone for a head was undeniably funny. Fred and Joey had burst into laughter, and even Flami had struggled to suppress a grin, though she was clearly embarrassed.

When Ryan came to fetch Joey for the train ride to America, Fred was torn. He couldn't leave George behind in the hospital wing, so Joey had to depart without him, leaving Fred with a reluctant kiss.

Fred spent the night in the hospital wing with George. The next morning, Professor Snape arrived, looking exhausted, with a vial of potion in hand. Without a word, he poured the potion over George's stone head, tossed the empty vial aside, and left. A minute later, George's head returned to normal.

"Snape looked terrible," Fred said, imitating the professor's scowl as Flami arrived with a small paper bag of breakfast.

"The dean stayed up all night brewing that antidote," Flami explained, setting the food on George's bedside table. "I couldn't sleep last night and saw the light still on in his office. I almost got caught sneaking around."

"You've taken up nighttime prowling now?" George asked, biting into a sandwich.

Flami frowned. "Can you swallow before speaking? I just needed some air. It's not the same as your pranks."

In truth, Flami had been upset after receiving a scathing letter from her parents about her decision to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas. She'd also been worried about Fred taking care of George in the hospital wing. But she wasn't about to admit that.

---

Fred's Christmas took another turn when Joey's letter arrived with her gift. He unwrapped the package to find a hand-knitted scarf, its pattern dotted with red and yellow stars. The letter read:

Dear Fred,

Christmas in America is amazing! Grandpa planted a huge Christmas tree in the yard, and it took Ryan and me two hours to decorate it with all the ornaments Grandma prepared. Grandpa loved your gift! He said Mom showed him your photo and called you a handsome boy!

The house is being remodeled, so space is tight. Grandpa said it's a good thing you didn't come, or he'd have had to put us in the same room.

Do you like the scarf? It's the first one I've ever knitted! (Dad's furious about it.)

Love you, 

Joey

Fred's heart ached as he read the letter. He wrapped the scarf around his face, lying back on his bed as silent tears streamed down his cheeks.

"This Christmas is the worst," he thought.