A grand revenge?
No...
Logically speaking, he should be thanking Lee, or rather Avery, for that Stunning Spell. Without it, he would never have returned to reality in this way.
Dawn steadied his thoughts and got to his feet.
Looking at George's carefree grin, he felt a slight sense of discomfort at this kind of interaction.
After organizing his thoughts, he decided on his next step.
First, return to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Wait for Avery to come out of the practical lesson.
Then follow the course of history and bring him to that tree.
"Come with me, George," Dawn said, waving him over. He suppressed the unfamiliar feeling and forced himself to say the name naturally.
George shrugged and followed.
The Forbidden Forest was lively.
Loud explosions echoed from all directions. From time to time, there were sharp screams and brief cries of pain from young wizards.
As they moved through the trees, Dawn narrowed his eyes and glanced at George's profile. After a moment, he let out a quiet sigh.
As expected, even after taking over Fred's body, he still could not use his ability to see the special patterns.
His expression remained calm.
He had already suspected this, so although it was disappointing, it did not affect him too much.
However—
As he looked away, he suddenly noticed something in George's hand. Or rather, something partially hidden in his sleeve.
His expression changed slightly.
"George... what are you holding?"
"In my hand?" George glanced down, then casually tossed the quill behind him and looked up innocently. "Nothing."
"…"
Dawn stared at the ink stains between George's fingers. Thinking back to George's earlier awkward behavior, he already had a good idea.
He reached up and touched his face.
Sure enough, his fingers came away stained with ink.
Dawn looked at George, who was still pretending innocence, and sighed. It seemed the days ahead would not be peaceful.
He cast a Cleaning Charm to tidy himself up.
At the same time, he carefully observed how it felt to cast spells with this body.
Compared to his original body, was there any difference?
The result was clear. The only noticeable difference was the total amount of magical power.
In terms of casting familiarity and fluidity, there was no significant change.
If that was the case, then perhaps the key factors in controlling magic, such as emotion and will, were tied only to the mind.
Dawn was still thinking when George suddenly leaned in close, his face filling Dawn's vision.
"Fred! Wandless magic! Merlin's pants, when did you learn that?"
"Recently."
Dawn internally complained about the strange wording. He was about to give a vague answer, then remembered—
He was Fred now.
There was no need to be reasonable.
"It's not that hard, George. If you sleep with a spellbook under your pillow every night, you'll be like me in less than a year."
"...Sleep with a spellbook?"
George frowned. "If you're going to lie, at least make it believable."
"It's a Muggle scientific study," Dawn said seriously. "Knowledge flows from areas of high concentration to low concentration."
He raised an eyebrow.
For some reason, he found this kind of nonsense oddly enjoyable.
George looked suspicious.
"Have you actually tried that?"
"...Yes."
Dawn's smile stiffened for a moment, then he nodded.
George rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He knew Fred was probably lying. But what if?
Maybe it worked.
He decided he would try it.
George fell into silence, deep in thought.
The atmosphere became much quieter.
Meanwhile, the practical lesson seemed to be nearing its end. The frequency of explosions around them dropped significantly.
Without George's chatter, Dawn looked at the endless trees and sank into his thoughts again.
What should he do next?
His main goal was clear.
He needed to separate his consciousness from Fred's body and return to his own.
In theory, if his intuition was correct and death of the mind was not true death, then he could simply kill himself in Fred's body.
That might achieve the goal instantly.
But the uncertainty was too great.
To be safe, he decided to go to the library first and look for information related to the mind before deciding on his next move.
And there was Voldemort.
Even though Dawn had eliminated the Tom Riddle inside Fred during the previous connection, there were still countless others in the castle.
Voldemort could return at any time.
Worse, Voldemort now knew that Dawn was inside Fred's body.
He would definitely target him.
Perhaps—
From now on, Dawn would experience what the so-called savior had gone through.
Constantly on guard, never knowing when someone nearby might suddenly turn on him.
After all, as Voldemort had said, this was far from over. In fact, their war had only just begun.
Dawn's gaze drifted toward George.
He still remembered that both twins had shown the name Tom Riddle on the Marauder's Map.
They were among the potential threats.
But thinking about Voldemort and mind possession, Dawn suddenly thought of someone else.
Avery.
Dawn had read his memories before.
From Avery's perspective, there had been no intermediate experience. He had simply closed his eyes and reopened them in reality.
Was that the difference between those who entered the liminal realm and those who truly died?
That was his only guess.
At the same time, having personally entered that realm, Dawn grew curious about the world of the dead.
Why did Avery have no memory of it?
Dawn narrowed his eyes.
Then again, Lee Jordan's situation was strange.
According to the Marauder's Map, he had not been possessed by Voldemort. Yet he ended up being replaced by Avery anyway.
Different cause, same result.
With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Dawn and George finally left the Forbidden Forest and arrived at the gathering area.
Many students had already returned.
Some were covered in dirt. Some boasted loudly. Others glared at their opponents.
The professors stood nearby, their expressions relaxing as more students returned safely.
Dawn scanned the area.
Avery was not there.
Given his ability, Dawn guessed he was still inside.
And he was right.
While Dawn, acting as Fred, dealt with familiar faces, a boy with dreadlocks stepped out from the shadows of the trees.
"Looks like Gryffindor takes the points this time," Professor McGonagall announced proudly.
She knew the lesson had another purpose, but she would not break her promise.
Snape's expression darkened as he looked at the Slytherins. Flitwick and Sprout clapped with smiles.
Dawn shook his head at the contrast.
After summarizing the students' mistakes, the professors dismissed them.
Dawn kept his eyes on Avery.
He immediately stepped forward, grinning like Fred, and grabbed his shoulder.
"Lee, you've got some explaining to do."
He dragged him aside to a corner beneath a large tree.
Avery frowned slightly.
But he knew the twins' personalities. He assumed it was just an act and did not resist.
"For Merlin's sake! Be honest, Lee. Have you been secretly training? There's no way I should've lost to you!"
Dawn pressed him against the tree, exaggerating his expression as he repeated the lines he had once heard.
As their eyes met, he felt a strange sensation.
They had been entangled before, and now they met again in different forms.
It was almost... fate.
Dawn pushed the thought aside and continued his act.
George chimed in beside him.
After a while, Avery gave a perfunctory response and left.
Then Dawn casually mentioned, during his conversation with George, that Lee had been acting strange after a dream.
Moments later—
Flap.
An owl took off from the tree above and flew overhead.
The scene had reached its conclusion.
Dawn let out a tired breath.
But he quickly remembered— There was no time to rest. The next act was about to begin.
His past self would soon realize that Lee had been replaced and would grow suspicious of the twins.
He would try to read their memories.
Dawn let out a quiet laugh.
So what should he do next?
He closed his eyes briefly, recalling memories that felt distant despite happening not long ago.
Right.
He needed to go to McGonagall's office and find a way to stay there. That would help him avoid the first round of probing.
"What a hassle..."
Dawn looked up at the owl flying across the sky and snorted.
"Stupid bird."
___________
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