"So, may I trouble you both to share some information with me? What exactly happened tonight, and why did Cohen suddenly leave the school?"
Dumbledore asked with genuine concern.
"And Mr. Xenophilius, why were you with Cohen?"
"I was kidnapped by a group from the Silver Key Gathering," Xenophilius quickly explained, making sure to distance himself from them so Dumbledore wouldn't mistake him for one of Cohen's captors. "They threatened me with Luna—my daughter. She's a student here. I assume you must know that, Headmaster—or perhaps you might not remember…"
"I remember every student, Xenophilius."
Dumbledore said calmly.
"Luna is a bright child—very much like you. If they used her safety to force your hand, I can understand why you had no choice but to comply. However, you have my word—so long as Luna is at Hogwarts, she is safe. There's no need to worry."
"The Silver Key Gathering is a cult of lunatics with bizarre beliefs. They were illegally raising a basilisk…" Xenophilius summarized what had happened to Dumbledore.
But his knowledge of the Silver Key was limited. Since he had been acting under duress, he hadn't been privy to their deeper discussions—like what exactly that "god" resembling a Dementor was, or what had transpired while he was unconscious.
"So… can I leave now?" Xenophilius asked hesitantly after recounting his ordeal. Dumbledore had already been headmaster back when he was a student, and even now, years after graduation, he still held immense respect for him. "Perhaps I could visit Luna while I'm here…"
"Of course. After everything you've been through, you certainly deserve a good night's sleep," Dumbledore said with a reassuring smile. "If you wish to see your daughter, I suggest speaking with Filius on the fourth floor. It would be far more appropriate for the head of house to arrange a meeting than for a parent to barge into the Ravenclaw common room."
Xenophilius hurried off.
Now, only Dumbledore, Cohen, and the small Thestral nestled in Cohen's arms remained in the office.
"If I told you I left to rescue this little Thestral, would you believe me?"
Cohen blinked innocently.
"I don't think so, Cohen." Dumbledore didn't look the least bit angry. "But rescuing a Thestral is still a noble deed. I'll award Gryffindor twenty points for it. However, we have a more pressing matter to discuss. I was quite surprised when you suddenly left school tonight. What happened?"
"It was because of a letter, Professor," Cohen admitted frankly. "They said if I went, they would tell me something I've been longing to know."
He handed Dumbledore the letter, which had been given to him through Hermione. The envelope bore the insignia of the Silver Key.
**[January 31, 1993, in the cave beneath the Sirius Star in the Cairngorms lies what you desperately seek.]**
Dumbledore scanned the contents of the letter, his brow furrowing slightly.
"May I ask what it is that you so desperately want to know?"
"I have no idea." Cohen answered truthfully.
"?"
Dumbledore tilted his head slightly, peering at Cohen over his half-moon spectacles, waiting for an explanation.
Going somewhere without even knowing why… That seemed a bit reckless.
"Well, that's exactly the point," Cohen said, perfectly at ease. "I don't know what they think I want to know. So I wanted to find out what they think I want to know."
"…That's… understandable," Dumbledore murmured, his beard twitching slightly. "Curiosity is important, but for a student, it can also be dangerous. You could have chosen a safer course of action—like informing me. You must have seen the reports—the Silver Key Gathering's kidnappings have been all over the newspapers."
A small noise interrupted them.
"Woo—"
The Thestral stirred in Cohen's arms, squirming until Cohen had no choice but to set it down on the floor.
"But what I'm more interested in," Dumbledore continued, "is what Mr. Lovegood just said—he lost consciousness after that 'god' resembling a Dementor appeared. Do you know what happened after that?"
"Yes, I was there." Cohen answered, showing no intention of hiding the truth.
Mixing truth with lies is the best way to deceive someone. By only revealing what he chose to say, Cohen ensured there were no inconsistencies in his story.
And it would also make Dumbledore think he was being completely honest—unlike Voldemort, who had spent his student years constantly answering with, "I don't know, Professor."
"I originally planned to sneak in and free the captives first," Cohen explained. "I saw Elvis—that colleague of my mother's. I had read in the papers that he had been kidnapped by the Silver Key. And then there was this little Thestral."
Dumbledore waited for him to continue.
"But Elvis got too excited when he saw me and spoke too loudly. That alerted the Silver Key members, and they discovered me," Cohen said. "I was afraid they'd attack, so I transformed into the thing I feared most."
"A clever move, Cohen." Dumbledore nodded in understanding. "But in the future, avoid doing that in front of ordinary people. It could cause unnecessary panic."
"I figured that out pretty quickly," Cohen admitted. "Elvis fainted from fright. But that wasn't the real problem—things got strange after that. The Silver Key members suddenly fell to their knees and started calling me 'Lord' and 'God.'"
"It's their belief system," Dumbledore speculated. "After the incident at Borgin and Burkes, word must have spread. The Silver Key members likely developed a new religious interpretation based on that. I've encountered people like them before—faith can be both terrifying and precious. Many dedicate their entire lives to it, and it is this very devotion that makes us all unique individuals."
"But then they ran into a bit of a problem," Cohen continued. "They were hatching a basilisk in the cave. But when it hatched… it didn't obey them."
Dumbledore's expression sharpened slightly.
"The basilisk ate them all," Cohen said. "That's when I found Luna's dad. I recognized him from a photo she once showed me, so I hit him with a Stunning Spell to keep him from looking directly at the basilisk—didn't want him dropping dead on the spot."
"You've studied basilisks?" Dumbledore asked, intrigued.
"Yeah," Cohen nodded. "Ever since something scaly crawled into my bed, I researched every single magical creature with scales I could find. Basilisks can kill with a single glance."
"…But I wasn't affected." Cohen paused. "I made eye contact with the basilisk, but it didn't kill me. Instead, it spoke to me."
Dumbledore sat up straighter, clearly more interested now.
"What did it say?"
"…It called me 'Father,'" Cohen said, pursing his lips. "And it wouldn't leave me alone. So I stuffed it in my trunk. That's not illegal… is it?"
"..."
Dumbledore stared at Cohen's trunk, opening his mouth as if to speak—then closed it again.
---
(End of Chapter)