Dumbledore's life was filled with regrets.
After getting hurt once, people always find ways to avoid falling into the same trap again.
As the saying goes, you can know a person's face but not their heart. After being tricked by Voldemort once, even though Harry Potter was someone he had watched grow up, Dumbledore still wanted to take extra precautions.
This was how Roger remembered the Mirror of Erised incident.
By reflecting Harry Potter's deepest desires, Dumbledore could confirm that his judgment was not wrong.
"Back so soon?"
Harry was once again lost in the mirror's illusion, while Roger turned around to see Dumbledore, who had appeared behind him at some point.
Dumbledore understood the meaning behind Roger's gaze.
But instead of answering directly, he asked, "Roger, what did you see?"
"A lot," Roger replied calmly.
In the Mirror of Erised, he saw countless beautiful things in the world. The only issue was that the images kept flickering—before he could fully take in one scene, another appeared.
The Sorting Hat was right. The best house for Roger was Slytherin. His heart was filled with endless greed, never satisfied, always yearning.
For the things he desired, even a hundred years was too short. So…
"Headmaster." The sound of their conversation snapped Harry out of his daze.
What followed was Dumbledore explaining the Mirror of Erised to Harry, announcing that he would be moving it, and advising Harry not to search for it again.
…In truth, Dumbledore had already achieved his goal the first time Harry looked into the mirror.
But seeing Harry, who had never experienced family love, standing before the mirror for hours, sometimes even shedding tears while looking at his parents, had made Dumbledore hesitate.
That's why he hadn't shown up until now.
But now, for the sake of his Quidditch teammates, Harry chose to reject the illusion of the mirror and embrace reality. Even if Roger hadn't been the one to bring him back, Dumbledore still felt it was time for the illusion to return to nothingness.
Taking one last look at the mirror, Harry clenched his teeth and walked out of the old classroom with determined steps.
Once the room was left with only the two of them, Dumbledore turned to Roger and said, "Not back yet, actually just about to leave."
This was his answer to Roger's initial question.
The situation was somewhat complicated.
Back when Roger's case was being debated, the Middle Eastern wizarding world had been arguing endlessly. Even after Roger returned to Britain, no one came to arrest him, so they left the matter to the British Ministry of Magic to handle.
However, even after the British side had made their ruling, some factions in the Middle East kept making trouble. The situation persisted even after Roger had already enrolled at Hogwarts.
So, Dumbledore decided to personally make a trip.
As the Chief Warlock of the International Confederation of Wizards and one of the greatest wizards of the era, he couldn't just apparate there unannounced.
The Gulf War had only ended earlier that year, and tensions were high. If he was misunderstood as starting a "wizard version" of the Gulf War, it would be a huge mess.
So, Dumbledore chose to go through the slow and formal approval process to show goodwill.
However, upon hearing that Dumbledore was coming, those who harbored hostility toward Roger due to his "religious prophet" identity got scared and backed down.
Dumbledore thought they had truly given up and canceled his trip.
If possible, Dumbledore was not someone who enjoyed conflict.
But then…
Once those people saw that Dumbledore had canceled his trip, they assumed he was only bluffing to pressure them and wouldn't actually take action for Roger's sake. So, they started stirring up trouble again.
Thus, nearly a month after entrusting the Philosopher's Stone to Roger, Dumbledore once again sent a formal entry request to the Middle Eastern wizarding community. In two days, he would set off—this time to show those stubborn fools what it meant to meet the greatest wizard of the century from Britain!
"…That sounds exhausting." Roger, unsure how else to respond, could only say this.
At the same time, he made a mental note—when he had the ability in a few years, he would personally take a trip to the Middle East.
Roger always repaid kindness, and as for enemies… they would be dealt with accordingly.
"It's nothing," Dumbledore said, unconcerned. "Though missing Halloween with the kids is a bit of a shame."
"When will you be back?"
"Not sure. Depends on how things go once I get there."
"Pfft—Roger, what's with that look?"
Time always passed quickly when one was focused, whether on entertainment or study.
In the blink of an eye, Halloween arrived.
The smell of roasted pumpkins filled Hogwarts Castle from early morning, and strange decorations were hanging everywhere.
Since it was a holiday, there were fewer classes than usual. Once lessons ended, students eagerly headed to the Great Hall.
Rumors said the professors had put together an impressive setup for the Halloween feast—1,000 bats flapping around the walls and ceiling, along with another 1,000 that hovered like low-hanging dark clouds, creating a spectacular scene like the enchanted sky during the start-of-term feast.
But on the way to the Great Hall, something else caught everyone's attention.
Roger's golden bangs were styled into a few neat strands, firmly fixed in place. Meanwhile, the hair at the back of his head had turned a peculiar dark red.
As he walked through the hallways, he ignored the strange looks from his classmates—until a familiar student finally asked him the obvious question.
At the start of the school year, people had feared Roger due to the rumors about him. But after spending time together, they realized those were probably just exaggerated stories.
How could their classmate be a murderous demon?
Roger was obviously a good person!
Once that impression shifted, some of the more outgoing students even became close with Roger.
"This?" Roger pointed to his unusual hairstyle.
Then he said, "Isn't Halloween meant for dressing up?"
Normally, kids would dress as skeletons, killers, zombies, mummies, or other fun costumes, going door to door for candy while saying, "Trick or treat!"
It was a tradition—how could he not cosplay a little? It wouldn't feel like Halloween at all!
"Uh, but… we're wizards." The student who asked the question looked confused.
Dressing as a wizard was already a Halloween costume.
And did Hogwarts even have a tradition of cosplaying for Halloween?
Usually, the students just enjoyed the feast and went back to their dorms. It's not like they could go trick-or-treating at Hogwarts—if they actually caused trouble, they'd probably end up scrubbing toilets as punishment.
Roger understood what they meant. "If everyone looks the same, that's too boring. Besides, I don't think there's a school rule against dressing up, is there?"
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