In the pages that followed, Harry saw different things. He discovered that Merlin seemed to have been constantly searching for a method of transformation that would cause as little harm as possible to wizards and magical creatures. If the bloodline modification was successful, it could greatly shorten the time it took to practice becoming an Animagus.
However, the experiment was never successful in the end.
Harry didn't know what an Animagus was—they hadn't covered it in Transfiguration class this term yet. But he understood now that this was just one of Merlin's more dangerous research projects, and that he had always adhered to his initial moral principles.
At the very end of the book, Harry saw a section about Hogwarts. Merlin had also attended school here, and he had been a student in Slytherin House! This part of the content made Harry decide that he had to come back at least one more time tomorrow night.
The next morning, the snow had not yet melted.
"Want to play chess?" Ron asked. "This set Marcel gave me is brilliant. It's much more exciting than regular Wizard's Chess. The dragon piece is amazing!"
"No."
"Why don't we go down and see Hagrid?"
"No... you go."
"Harry," Ron said suddenly, looking at him. "You're not thinking of going again tonight, are you? Listen to me, don't go back."
"Why?" Harry looked up.
"Those books in the Restricted Section give me a bad feeling," Ron said with a serious face. "And you already ran into Filch last time. Last night when we were coming back, we saw him peeking around the library again. What if he sees you? What if he bumps into you?"
"You're starting to sound a lot like Hermione," Harry said with a weak smile.
"I'm not joking, Harry. Really, don't go," Ron said, seeming genuinely uneasy.
"Alright," Harry said, hesitating before nodding, seeing that Ron was serious.
But that night, as he lay in bed, he couldn't stop thinking about the contents of that book. The stories were as captivating as myths and legends—he was, after all, still a child. And his Aunt Petunia, who had never liked him, would certainly not have wasted money buying him any fairy tale books.
"Just one more time! The last time!" Harry secretly made up his mind.
He once again wrapped himself in the Invisibility Cloak, and while Ron was sound asleep, he quickly left the dormitory and hurried towards the library.
"Oh! He went after all?"
Harry had run too fast and bumped into the coat rack by the door on his way out. After he left, a coat hanging on it slipped off, startling Ron awake.
Ron turned his head and saw that Harry was, indeed, no longer in his bed.
Putting aside Ron's side of things for a moment, Harry was already nearing the library.
Just as he pulled out the large book again, preparing to continue reading, he inadvertently discovered someone leaning against the bookshelf next to him.
"Ah!" Harry was so startled he almost dropped the book. "Oh—P-Professor Dumbledore? I'm sorry, I didn't see you."
"Strange indeed, how invisibility makes you shortsighted," said Dumbledore. Harry saw him smiling and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"So," Dumbledore said, walking slowly over and sitting down on the floor with Harry, "you have seen the little autobiography Merlin himself wrote in The Book of Druids?"
"Er, I think so," Harry said nervously. Wandering Hogwarts at night was, after all, against the rules.
"And? Did you find it interesting?" Dumbledore said slowly. "I've read that part as well. King Arthur pulled the Sword in the Stone, but it was broken in a duel with King Pellinore. In the end, Merlin took him to a lakeside, where the Lady of the Lake presented him with a sword—the world-famous Excalibur, also known by later generations as the 'Sword in the Lake'."
"...Merlin was very fond of Muggles, wasn't he? Even the Order of Merlin, which he founded, was initially created to advocate for laws to protect Muggles and their rights. It was only later, for various reasons, that it became an organization for recognizing great magical achievements."
After speaking, Dumbledore sighed, then his expression became serious. "Alright, you've heard the story. Don't come here again. You, and Ron, must not randomly enter the Restricted Section again. The books here are dangerous."
"How did you know—"
"I do not need a cloak to become invisible," said Dumbledore gently. "Please remember, you are not yet at an age where you can casually browse books on the Dark Arts."
Harry pursed his lips and finally nodded in dejection. But just as he was about to stand up, he remembered something. He turned his head and looked at the silver-gray magic book.
Harry didn't ask Dumbledore why Marcel had also been here, or why he had written notes in the book. But with Dumbledore's sharp perception, he had already noticed Harry's gaze.
Dumbledore shook his head slightly. He didn't know if what he was doing was right. Would that exceptionally clever and likable boy turn into another Tom?
His intuition told him he wouldn't, but this was not something that could be judged by intuition alone.
He had already missed one opportunity to save his student, and because of it, that boy had walked a path of no return. He didn't want his own inaction to cause Marcel to get lost at his own crossroads in life.
So this time, Dumbledore had been watching Marcel carefully. He wanted to be there to guide him in time, should any problems arise.
Harry had already returned under Dumbledore's watchful eye, but Dumbledore himself was lost in thought.
However, when Harry returned to the dormitory, he saw Ron sitting anxiously on the edge of his bed. When he saw Harry's surprise, Ron pulled him over.
"Harry, I have to tell you—"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone without you," Harry immediately apologized.
But Ron shook his head.
"No, forget about that for now," he said. "I was going to sneak out to find you. You know, we've gone out without the cloak before. I mean, just now, when I was on my way to the library, you'll never guess what I saw."
"What?" Harry asked, puzzled.
"I saw Snape! He had Quirrell pinned against a wall, and he was saying something vicious like 'Have you found out how to get past that beast of Hagrid's yet?' It looked really scary!"
"You weren't seen, were you?" Harry asked quickly.
"No, I wasn't. I didn't dare stay for long. I came back right away."
Afterward, Harry lay in bed thinking for a long time, unable to sleep.
The next day, Harry decided to listen to Dumbledore. He folded the Invisibility Cloak neatly, placed it at the very bottom of his trunk, and didn't touch it again for the rest of the Christmas holiday.
The turmoil of Harry's Christmas holiday was more or less over, but for Marcel, it was just beginning.
"...What's that?"
Luna had asked this question many times over the past few days, but Marcel never tired of explaining the various things of the Muggle world to her. Although Luna still had her dreamy, absent-minded look, it was clear she was curious about everything around her.
Marcel hadn't taken Luna too far, as they had to return home every night. Although Xenophilius trusted them, he didn't trust them enough to let Luna stay out overnight.
Even so, just wandering around London was enough to leave Luna dazzled.
Christmas had just passed, but the festive atmosphere had grown even stronger. Outside Covent Garden, a giant reindeer stood in the middle of the street. It wore a Santa hat, a red-and-white plush scarf around its neck, and was covered in twinkling colored lights, looking particularly festive.
Inside the Garden, rows of small stalls were lined up, selling all sorts of warm drinks and small desserts for very cheap prices. Marcel was glad that he had saved some spare pounds when he had exchanged his Galleons. Now they were coming in handy.
He bought lots of delicious treats and fun trinkets, all filled with a strong Christmas spirit. Perhaps because the crowd was so dense, Luna took the initiative to hold Marcel's hand.
Marcel looked at her and smiled. He knew very well that Luna simply didn't want to get separated. For this innocent and ethereal little girl, everything was so pure.
Marcel, carrying a large pile of things, led Luna to a rest area for tourists by the side of the street.
"Try this," Marcel said with a smile, handing a cream dessert to Luna. "It's a Christmas specialty. It looks really good!"
Luna took the dessert and examined it with curiosity. Beside her, there were many other small Christmas decorations. She especially liked these little trinkets.
"Marcel."
Luna carefully placed the half-eaten dessert on the table, licked her upper lip, and her gaze fell on a Christmas tree not far away.
"What is it?" Marcel responded.
"Aren't you going home?" Luna asked, blinking her big eyes as she observed the decorations on the Christmas tree.
Marcel felt like she was asking the Christmas tree. Can't you just look at the person you're talking to?
"Mmm, no," Marcel said. In front of Luna, he always subconsciously avoided topics related to his own family, though he didn't know why.
Luna turned her head to look at him and said, as if in a dream, "Family is the only place in the world that hides a person's faults and failures, and it is also the only place that reveals them."
After speaking, she turned her attention back to the small ornaments in front of her, as if she had already forgotten what she had just said.
Marcel stared at her blankly for a while, then cast his gaze to the street in the distance.
Christmas in England was always so leisurely. Everyone was out on the streets, looking around, enjoying the wonderful Christmas holiday. It was easy to tell which were couples and which were parents with their children. But no matter the combination, their faces were all filled with happy smiles.
After a long while, Marcel came back to his senses. He gave a bitter smile to himself. He hadn't expected that he, too, would have moments of envying others.
Just as he looked back at the table in front of him, planning to pick out a dessert for himself, he suddenly noticed an unusual commotion in the surrounding crowd.