That night, Professor McGonagall returned to Hogwarts.
Perhaps because the term had not yet started, the night at Hogwarts seemed rather empty.
Professor McGonagall walked alone through the deserted corridors, accompanied only by the sound of her own footsteps and the murmurs from the portraits.
Stopping in front of an extremely ugly stone gargoyle, McGonagall said, "Iced pear juice!"
The gargoyle suddenly sprang to life upon hearing these words, jumping aside. The wall behind it split into two, revealing a spiral staircase.
Professor McGonagall stepped onto the staircase, and with a loud rumble, the wall closed back up. The staircase began to ascend, rotating like a Muggle escalator.
At the top of the staircase was a wooden door. McGonagall walked up and knocked on the door. With a creak, the door opened on its own.
McGonagall entered the room. It was a spacious circular room, with numerous portraits hanging on the walls.
The men and women in the portraits were each engaged in their own activities, but they all were subtly watching McGonagall.
Behind a large desk sat a tall, thin old man.
His silver hair and beard were long enough to tuck into his belt. His long nose looked slightly crooked, likely broken before. Behind his half-moon spectacles were blue eyes that seemed to hold immense wisdom.
"Professor McGonagall, would you like some cockroach clusters?"
"No, Albus. I took the child to Diagon Alley today," McGonagall replied, glancing at the so-called cockroach clusters and decisively shaking her head.
"How was it?" Albus Dumbledore asked, his long fingers picking through the clusters. "What kind of child is little Esmeralda?"
Professor McGonagall thought for a moment before answering, "A good child, very talented, but also very unfortunate." She then recounted Esmeralda's story to Dumbledore.
After hearing about Esmeralda's unfortunate childhood, Dumbledore remained silent for a while before saying, "Happy people heal their entire lives with their childhood, while unfortunate people spend their entire lives healing their childhood... We cannot choose our origins, but we can choose how to live. In this world, there are always those who can face life's misfortunes, unafraid of the thorns along the way, and bloom brightly in the storm..."
"Albus, I think she is a strong child. You asked me to keep an eye on her, and I have observed her over the past few days. She manages her life well, arranging her time very properly... However, when I officially met her today, her behavior was very much in line with the maturity expected of her age, but I could sense that she was always hiding something. She only showed her obedient and well-behaved side..." Professor McGonagall said, recalling the events of the past few days.
"This indicates that little Esmeralda is a clever child, who understands how to win others' favor. By showing her obedient and sensible side to a teacher, she naturally gains the teacher's approval. Like a cunning little fox," Dumbledore said.
Sometimes he wondered if he was being overly cautious.
After all, Esmeralda had not even formally started school, and he still had plenty of time to observe and guide her.
"Yes, she knows exactly what she needs," McGonagall said, recalling the scene at the second-hand bookstore.
Esmeralda had not chosen books randomly; she had selected them with purpose. The books she purchased would help her better understand the magical world. She was acutely aware of her shortcomings and was determined to find ways to overcome them.
"But, Albus, I still don't quite understand why you are so interested in her. She is just... Twist is just another child from an orphanage, like him..." Professor McGonagall struggled to comprehend why Dumbledore would be so concerned with a child who had not yet started school. Was it because she, like the one whose name couldn't be mentioned, had an unfortunate childhood?
"I want to learn more about Miss Twist, not because of him," Dumbledore said, reminiscing for a moment, then addressing McGonagall, "The reason is the Book of Admittance."
"The Book of Admittance?" Professor McGonagall was even more puzzled.
"On this land, whenever a child shows magical talent, a name is added to the Book of Admittance. Then, we invite the child to Hogwarts at the appropriate age," Dumbledore explained.
The Book of Admittance was stored in an unremarkable, locked tower at Hogwarts. If Dumbledore hadn't discovered this situation by chance, no one would have noticed.
The Book of Admittance and the Quill of Acceptance are ancient magical items whose purpose is to provide Hogwarts with a list of prospective students.
Whenever a child on the British Isles first displays their magical abilities, the Quill of Acceptance records their name in the Book of Admittance. When the child reaches eleven or twelve, they receive their Hogwarts acceptance letter.
However, not every child who has a magical outburst receives an acceptance letter. Some children's abilities are insufficient to become a wizard, or they are merely influenced by residual magical energy from their parents, rather than their own abilities.
In such cases, although the Quill of Acceptance still records the child's name, the Book of Admittance prevents its writing, rejecting the child.
"Miss Twist's name is in the Book of Admittance, but what does that mean?" Professor McGonagall was even more confused by Dumbledore's words. She couldn't see any connection between the Book of Admittance and Eda.
"Yes, Eda's name is in the Book of Admittance, and her acceptance is unquestionable," Dumbledore explained slowly, seeing McGonagall's confusion.
"Esmeralda Jessica Twist—I don't know when her name first appeared in the Book of Admittance, but I do know that two years ago, her name disappeared from the book..."
"Disappeared?" McGonagall found it incredible. "Disappeared, and then reappeared? Has this ever happened before? Can you make it happen?"
Professor McGonagall, though having worked at Hogwarts for a long time, had never encountered such a situation.
The Book of Admittance had almost never been wrong.
For the first time, she wondered if she was truly getting old, and if her mind wasn't as sharp as it used to be.
"I can't do it, Minerva," Dumbledore said. "In fact, names disappearing from the Book of Admittance is not unprecedented. Usually, it indicates unfortunate news, such as the child losing their talent or passing away prematurely."
"But neither of these situations applies to her!"
"Indeed, the most common two cases don't fit her situation. At the time, I didn't think much about it. I merely thought it was a pity that her name had vanished. However, a few days later, I discovered that Esmeralda Jane Twist's name had reappeared in the Book of Admittance," Dumbledore said, showing a puzzled expression.
Professor McGonagall also fell into deep thought. A name appearing in the Book of Admittance was normal.
A name disappearing was also somewhat normal.
But a name disappearing and then reappearing a few days later was highly unusual.
"So, that's why you asked me to keep an eye on her?"
"That's the initial reason, but other events contributed to my decision. Minerva, do you remember the significant incident in London two years ago during the summer? Cornelius personally led the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes staff to the scene."
Professor McGonagall did recall that incident.
The scene showed strong traces of magical outburst, and half a street was blown away, causing quite a stir at the time.
Although there was no Dark Mark left at the scene, most people believed it was the work of Death Eater remnants.
The center of the accident left only a few collapsed buildings and two unidentifiable bodies. Apart from that, the Ministry of Magic found no useful information. Eventually, the Ministry, with no other leads, had to disguise the incident as a gas leak accident.
However, people who had enjoyed a few years of peace didn't buy this explanation.
The angry public lashed out at Minister Millicent Bagnold and Cornelius Fudge, the head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. But what was the connection between these events?
"These two events seem completely unrelated, even entirely disconnected. How could a young witch who hasn't even started school be linked to such an accident?" McGonagall asked, waiting for Dumbledore to clarify.
"During that period, I was busy with the preparations for new students and often checked the Book of Admittance. Unfortunately, I never saw it in action. When the accident happened, I was in the tower reviewing the list of new students. After Cornelius informed me of the bad news, I immediately left the tower for the Ministry of Magic," Dumbledore recalled. "When I returned from the Ministry, I noticed that Eda's name had disappeared. A few days later, when her name reappeared, I was just curious."
Dumbledore extended his long fingers, rhythmically tapping his forehead, and continued, "Until one day, I suddenly realized that the street where the accident happened was very close, very close to the orphanage where she lived!"
"That's a bit of a stretch..." McGonagall said.
"I know, it's almost impossible for a young witch to blow up half a street at the age of ten. I've privately observed Eda, and she is indeed talented, but this is not something she could do at her age. She doesn't seem like the kind of person who would do such a thing," Dumbledore said.
Dumbledore had secretly observed Eda several times. (A/N: Sus....)
She could beat up children who bullied her in the orphanage and take good care of the younger kids.
Her talent was indeed impressive, but Dumbledore didn't believe Eda could blow up half a street at the age of ten.
"The accident scene had traces of dark magic, something beyond young Esmeralda's abilities. However, she is the only witch in that neighborhood. From any perspective, I must keep a closer eye on her."
"Who have you mentioned this to, Albus?" McGonagall thought of some potentially harmful situations that could ruin this child.
Dumbledore pointed to himself first, then to McGonagall. "Only the two of us. This is just my conjecture, not even worthy of being called a guess. I can't destroy a child's future with baseless, even absurd suspicions, Minerva."
"I will keep a closer watch on her," McGonagall said, her gaze drifting to another table where a tattered, wrinkled wizard hat sat.
"I can't control the Sorting Hat, Minerva. But fortunately, she will soon be starting school..."
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