Dumbledore arrived so quickly that Wade was genuinely surprised.
Barely a few minutes after the house-elf Disapparated, Dumbledore appeared.
It was clear just how anxious he truly was.
Wade welcomed Dumbledore into his room.
"Hello, Professor—"
"Wade… where is the item you mentioned?" Dumbledore asked the moment he entered.
Wade had never seen Dumbledore this eager before.
It wasn't hard to understand—after all, in the original timeline, when he encountered the Resurrection Stone, he had been so overwhelmed that he forgot it was one of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Without any precaution, he put it on and was cursed, leaving him with only a year to live…
"It's right here." Wade pointed at the Resurrection Stone lying on the table.
Dumbledore immediately recognized it as the gemstone that had been set in the heirloom ring of the Gaunt family—the one Tom had claimed.
"Tom and I wanted to see whether the ring had any sort of special magic, and… then I noticed the inscription. I happened to recall a story from The Tales of Beedle the Bard. So we decided to test it…"
"Peverell…"
Dumbledore picked up the Resurrection Stone, his fingers gently brushing over the inscription, his expression deeply complicated.
In truth, when Dumbledore first saw the ring at the Gaunt house, he had already sensed that the stone embedded in it was unusual.
However, since it was something Tom had risked his life to reclaim, he felt it inappropriate to ask to examine it.
But now, these two boys had discovered the secret of the ring on their own.
"Where's Tom?" Dumbledore finally noticed that the boy who was usually always around Wade was nowhere to be seen.
Wade pointed toward Tom's room. "He's in his room right now, trying to calm himself down. He… he also used the Resurrection Stone earlier. I think he saw his mother."
"He must have been happy, finally seeing his mother…" Dumbledore asked, assuming the best.
"No… he was heartbroken."
"What? But—"
"He asked his mother why she didn't choose to live for his sake. Why she gave birth to him only to abandon him in an orphanage… In the end, he gave me the stone. Said he didn't want to see her ever again." Wade leaned against the table and shrugged.
Dumbledore was taken aback. "Tom… sigh. I should have realized how much he was bottling up inside. I used to think… he didn't understand love. But now it seems… I was wrong. He simply hid that part of himself."
"I think he just lacks proper guidance, Professor. Don't worry—I'm here," Wade said with confidence.
"Haah.. yes.. With you around, I truly am at ease. In fact, I've seen Tom's transformation firsthand. His changes are undoubtedly thanks to you. I'm truly grateful he met you…"
"Professor, you flatter me... ahem, but let's get back to the stone," Wade said. "Do you think the story in this book is real? Is this 'Resurrection Stone' really something created by Death himself?"
Dumbledore studied the Resurrection Stone carefully, quietly sensing the traces of magical power embedded within it.
"In my opinion, the story may not be literal. Death, as a being, might not exist. I believe the three brothers were just three extraordinarily powerful wizards who each created a powerful magical item... Yes, even now I can feel incredibly strong magical fluctuations coming from this stone…"
He looked at Wade with a sincere gaze. "Wade, may I try it now? I… forgive my impatience, but I truly cannot wait any longer. Whatever questions you have, I'll answer them afterward."
"Of course!" Wade glanced around his room. "Mm… this place is a bit cramped. Do you want to go out into the yard?"
"Good idea…"
The safehouse came with its own courtyard, which—like the house itself—was protected by the Fidelius Charm.
This meant that as long as someone was inside the fence, people outside wouldn't be able to see a thing—even if they were leaning right against the fence.
Dumbledore now stood at the center of the yard.
He stared blankly at the Resurrection Stone in his hand.
Something he had once longed for with all his heart was finally in his grasp, and at this very moment, he found himself overwhelmed by something akin to the fear of returning home after a long time…
Wade quietly stood to the side without making a sound.
Normally, he should've stepped back and given Dumbledore some privacy to face this moment alone.
But Wade was far too curious… he really wanted to see what Dumbledore would say upon seeing his departed loved ones.
Besides… Dumbledore hadn't asked him to leave.
He didn't have to wait long.
Moments later, Dumbledore held the Resurrection Stone in his hand and gently turned it three times.
Then, Wade saw Dumbledore freeze in place—his sky-blue eyes instantly welling with tears.
Wade leaned silently against the wall, though he couldn't help but feel a little regretful.
If only he could see what Dumbledore was seeing… Tsk.. Watching someone talk to thin air just wasn't as satisfying.
Suddenly, Wade recalled his own experience using the Resurrection Stone—there had been a soft white mist that appeared around him. He wondered if Tom had seen it too…
Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that the white mist reminded him of the kind he saw when using Nightmare Magic to enter dreams.
Hmm.. let's try it!
With that thought, Wade subtly released a wisp of his Nightmare Magic, letting it spread over his eyes…
This was one of the functions of Nightmare Magic—originally meant for peering into others' dreams. By covering his eyes with it and looking at someone asleep, he could witness what they were dreaming about…
But now, Wade was using that magic in a completely different context.
Ah!
And what surprised him was—this small experiment actually worked!
In his vision, several figures appeared around Dumbledore.
Though still a bit blurry, Wade could indeed see them clearly enough—it was real.
Could it be… that the "souls" summoned by the Resurrection Stone were just another kind of waking dream?
Wade recalled that the highest level of Nightmare Magic was the ability to manifest illusions into reality and make others perceive them as real…
Could it be that the creation of the Resurrection Stone involved a principle similar to Nightmare Magic?
While Wade was still puzzling over this, one of the apparitions in front of Dumbledore opened its mouth.
Although the voice had a faint, ethereal echo in Wade's ears, he could still hear it clearly.
"Albus... you are.. Albus.."
"A-Ariana..." A tear dripped from Dumbledore's eye as he called in a shaky voice.
"Brother... you look so old now."
Dumbledore stared at the figure of Ariana, his younger sister, tears brimming in his eyes.
"Ha.. haha.. sniff.. Ariana, that's ..such a heartbreaking thing for a brother to hear."
He forced a smile onto his tear-streaked face.
"Heh~ But you still look just as handsome as ever," Ariana said with a sweet, innocent grin as she stood there.
Dumbledore had never seen his sister so cheerful before. For a moment, he was completely entranced.
"Albus… my child.. it's been a long time," came a deep, gentle voice beside him, breaking him out of his reverie.
"Huh...?" Albus was taken aback.
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