Fudge stormed out of the Headmaster's office in a fury. And Umbridge trotted after him with a fawning smile plastered across her face.
Wade couldn't help but feel a certain admiration for this woman. Even after being disliked and sidelined by her direct superior, she had managed to claw her way back up, seemingly regaining Fudge's favor once again.
Neither of them noticed Wade standing quietly by the doorway. Only after their figures disappeared down the revolving staircase did Wade lift the Disillusionment Charm and stepped out of the air.
The office door still stood open. Wade knocked politely on the wooden panel before walking in.
Dumbledore was standing beside the Pensieve, and his eyes were glinting with thoughtful light.
"Professor," Wade said softly. "Something strange happened in the Forbidden Forest."
Dumbledore turned, his gaze paused briefly on the toad inside the birdcage, before settling on Wade.
"What happened?" he asked.
Wade casually set the birdcage on the desk, skipped over the dream he had, and simply described the encounters of the day—
The restless werewolf Lucas, Grey Lady's warning, and the ancient lilies of the valley awakening in the forest.
Through it all, Dumbledore said nothing and merely listened in silence.
At last, Wade pointed at the toad. "And this is the 'uninvited guest.' For now, he seems unable to undo his own transformation…"
He paused briefly, then added: "But I don't know whose Animagus takes this form, nor what his purpose in sneaking into the school might be—so I brought him to you."
Inside the cage, the toad quietly exhaled in relief, grateful his identity had not been uncovered.
On the way here, Lucius witnesses Draco being harassed by Crabbe and the other students. After his anger, he felt that it might not be a coincidence, and he had been feeling uneasy and fearful that his cover might have been blown.
Only now did he feel reassured.
Although he suspected that Dumbledore would eventually reveal his identity, the old Headmaster—feared even by the Dark Lord, and once his own headmaster and teacher—was hardly someone before whom it was shameful to lose face.
Leaving Malfoy Manor and making the long journey to Hogwarts, Lucius hadn't come to seek his son's help.
He knew Draco's disgust toward toads was no less than his wife Narcissa's.
What he was counting on was that Dumbledore would neither deliberately humiliate others, nor let a cursed wizard die without aid.
As for what would happen after the transformation was undone…
Lucius was still a school governor of Hogwarts! Surely he wouldn't be killed on school grounds without reason?
And with Dumbledore's character, he would never gossip like some old fishwife about Lucius Malfoy's disgraceful state today.
In fact, as a Death Eater, Lucius Malfoy trusted the old Headmaster's integrity more than most ordinary people did.
But the toad, lying stiffly in the cage pretending, did not see the fleeting smile that crossed Dumbledore's eyes at that moment.
After spending so long in each other's company, and observing for so long, though Dumbledore still didn't fully understand Wade's special abilities, he could tell that Wade was lying now.
So Dumbledore drew his wand, blinked, and deliberately said: "Then let's undo the magic on him, and see what's really going on."
The toad instantly tensed up once more.
Wade stood up with a smile. "Professor, since you're handling this matter, I think I can go back to my studies with peace of mind."
"Don't you want to know who he is?" Dumbledore asked again.
Wade inclined his head slightly. "Witnessing another's embarrassment isn't much of an amusement. Whoever he is, I hope that the next time I see him, I won't have to recall the image of him as a toad."
He turned and left, even closed the office door behind him. Outside, the sound of the revolving staircase descending soon followed.
Inside the cage, the toad tilted his head up and stared at the Headmaster's flowing white beard swaying in front of him. He couldn't help letting out a weak croak.
"Croak—"
Stop looking. Just undo the magic already, won't you?
This toad—he didn't want to be one for another second!
"Oh, right."
Dumbledore shifted his gaze and said softly, "I imagine you have quite a lot you'd like to tell me, my unfortunate friend. It's been many years since I've seen a Transfiguration spell of this caliber."
He tapped the birdcage with his wand. The delicate cage instantly reverted to its true form—a forked branch.
Another tap, and a soil-stained golden ring fell from the toad's body with a clatter onto the desk.
Then, with a flash of golden light, the toad inside began to swell and contort—
Its limbs ballooned grotesquely, swelling here and there like overinflated bladders.
Tiny claws stretched into hands and feet, and an awkward, misshapen figure took form. Then the head suddenly expanded and pale-gold hair cascaded like a waterfall.
Surprise finally flickered in Dumbledore's eyes—at last he recognized the true identity of the unfortunate wizard.
Thankfully, the transitional form lasted only an instant. In the blink of an eye, Lucius's bizarre shape resolved into that of a tall, gaunt man.
Still unsteady in his restored body, he braced himself against the desk to keep from collapsing. His once-elegant silk robes clung to him in wrinkled tatters, and his whole frame trembled uncontrollably.
Even though Dumbledore privately felt a deep aversion toward men like Lucius Malfoy, in that moment his gaze softened with a trace of pity.
With a silent wave of his hand, a high stool slid across the floor, nudged gently against Lucius's legs, and allowed him to sit securely.
Dumbledore tapped the table. A teapot floated up, pouring a cup of hot chocolate for Lucius. Then four or five platters appeared, laden with that evening's feast prepared for the students:
Perfectly roasted steak, fragrant mashed potatoes, freshly baked buttered bread, and steaming savory pies.
Lucius's fingers tightened, then relaxed. He had intended to refuse, to maintain the proud dignity of the Malfoy family—but before he could speak, his stomach growled thunderously.
While trapped in his toad form, he had forced himself to eat for survival, but it had been nothing more than grim necessity. Filling his belly had never been possible—only staving off starvation.
And after a long unnatural hibernation, Lucius couldn't even fathom how his body had endured months without sustenance.
His pride crumbled quickly under the assault of gnawing hunger. Though he tried to hold onto the graceful manners of an old pure-blood family as he lifted his fork, the way he devoured the steak was more akin to gnashing down the fork itself.
Patiently, Dumbledore waited until he had swallowed the last bite of mashed potatoes. Only then did he speak slowly:
"I think we can talk now, Lucius. About your recent experiences—I imagine you have quite a lot to tell me?"
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