"Just a guess," Dudley said with a nonchalant shrug. He knew his theories about Snape sounded outrageous, but after surviving a world where a man could become a woman—and a stunningly beautiful one at that—his definition of "outrageous" was considerably broader than most.
Amidst the lively chatter, the last of the desserts vanished from the tables. Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet, and a comfortable silence fell over the Great Hall.
"Now that we are all fed and watered," he began, his voice warm and resonant, "I have a few more words for you. As the new term begins, there are a few start-of-term notices."
"First-years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that," he added, his twinkling eyes sweeping over the Weasley twins, who grinned back unrepentantly.
"Furthermore, Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to remind you all that no magic should be used in the corridors between classes."
"And finally," his tone grew more serious, "I must tell you that the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
A wave of confused whispers rippled through the hall. The Forbidden Forest was a known danger, full of monstrous beasts. But the third-floor corridor? That was new.
"He ought to at least tell the prefects the specific reason," Percy Weasley muttered.
"Perhaps there's a secret hidden there," Dudley commented quietly. He knew that forbidding a place was often the surest way to pique a certain kind of curiosity.
"Hogwarts has many rules," Percy explained earnestly. "But for the Headmaster to give such a specific warning… it means the danger is real. We had best obey."
"Rules are meant to be broken, wouldn't you agree, Harry?" Dudley said with a low, conspiratorial smile.
"What are you planning?" Harry asked, a sharp note of alarm in his voice.
"Nothing. Just talking." Dudley's smile widened. "Besides, Harry, you don't exactly seem like the type who always follows the rules."
"That's because you don't know me well enough, my foolish brother," Harry retorted, though a smile played on his own lips.
Dumbledore then led the school in a rousing, if chaotic, rendition of the school song. As a hundred different melodies clashed in the air, Dudley's thoughts began to drift. The Black Emperor and Judge pathways… they both emphasize rules and Order. The twisting of rules, the utilization of Order, the creation of new laws…
As his mind wandered down these familiar paths, a string of words, an honorable name he hadn't thought of in an age, surfaced from the depths of his memory.
"You are the Supreme Emperor."
"The embodiment of Order, the manifestation of chaos, the source of all rules."
"You are Order, and also Disorder."
Buzz.
The world dissolved. The Great Hall, the singing students, the floating candles—it all receded into an insignificant pinpoint of light. Dudley found himself adrift in another space, a void of absolute darkness and twisted, shimmering light. There was no up or down, no concept of time or distance. It was a place of pure potential.
"Where… is this?" he whispered, his astral form flickering with shock. The honorable name had simply appeared in his mind, and he had recited it without thinking, a reflex born of a past life. The words, etched deep into his soul, had been triggered, and now he was… here.
He looked down at his insubstantial form. At the center of his spiritual body, a faint glow pulsed. Trunsoest's Brass Book. The Sealed Artifact was with him, even here. Streams of mercury-like script flowed from its pages, seeping into the surrounding void.
As the script spread, the void began to change. The formless darkness started to coalesce, to take shape. A stable order, a set of fundamental laws, was being constructed around him. Slowly, the chaotic space solidified.
A massive, ancient palace materialized from the shifting light and shadow. A long bronze table stretched before him, shrouded in a familiar gray mist. The Tarot Club. The memory of it, combined with the absolute power of the Brass Book, had recreated the space. But it was empty. The familiar figures of the other members were gone. And The Fool, the mysterious deity who had presided over their meetings, was nowhere to be seen.
Just as he was about to explore this phantom memory, a wave of intense dizziness washed over him. His spiritual power was draining at an alarming rate. He couldn't stay here.
His gaze followed an inner prompting, looking down. The floor of the phantom palace dissolved, and he saw Hogwarts below, a perfect miniature nestled on its cliff. His vision pierced through stone and magic, down into the Great Hall. He saw Harry. He saw Ron. And he saw himself, sitting at the Gryffindor table, his head bowed as if in thought.
Buzz.
His spirit snapped back into his physical body. The entire experience had taken place in the span of a single, silent instant.
Dudley took a sharp, gasping breath, a throbbing pain exploding behind his eyes. The spiritual exhaustion was immense. He instinctively reached a hand to his chest, feeling the solid, reassuring presence of the Brass Book beneath his robes. He always kept it close, terrified of it activating on its own.
The last, discordant notes of the school song finally faded away.
"Alright, now, bedtime! Prefects, please lead the first-years to their dormitories," Dumbledore announced, officially ending the banquet.
The students began to stand, their chairs scraping against the stone floor. Dudley tried to rise, but his legs felt like lead, his body refusing to obey.
"What's wrong with you?" Harry asked, noticing his cousin's sudden pallor. He quickly moved to help him up.
"Nothing," Dudley managed to say, his voice strained. "Just… a bit tired."
"You look awful," Harry said, a note of genuine concern in his voice. "You were fine a minute ago…"
"I'll be fine after a good night's sleep," Dudley insisted, though all he wanted to do was collapse.
"Ron, come help," Harry called out. Together, the two boys supported Dudley, half-carrying him as they followed the stream of students out of the Great Hall and toward their new home.
(End of Chapter)
***
(End of Chapter)
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