Chapter 34: Aurelius Dumbledore

Watching the black mist gradually fill the corridor before him, Lived retreated slowly.

When facing a beast, the most dangerous thing one can do is turn one’s back to it and run. Lived feared that if he turned to bolt, that black mist would strike instantly. After all, what difference was there between an Obscurial who had lost their sanity and a wild beast?

Yes, the moment he saw those eerie shadows and sensed the immense magical power contained within, Lived had already guessed the identity of this entity.

The Obscurial Credence Barebone—or rather, Aurelius Dumbledore, as he should be called—was Aberforth’s own son. Lived only knew that around 1930, after the Qilin election incident, Aberforth had brought him home. As for his fate, Lived was unsure.

However, seven or eight years had passed since then. Given the short lifespan of Obscurials, even if Aurelius were exceptionally gifted, his condition was undoubtedly grim. After all, enough time had passed that even Nagini had gradually succumbed to her fate, disappearing from the public eye. That Aurelius, as an Obscurial, was still alive could only be described as a miracle.

Just as Lived was calculating whether to smash through the floorboards to escape or slowly back down the stairs, Aberforth’s voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Do not move. Do not panic."

Hearing this, Lived stopped in his tracks at once. Then, Aberforth’s figure emerged from behind him. He approached the mass of black mist with extreme caution.

"Stay calm... Aurelius, calm down. You can do it. I believe in you, don't I?"

Under Aberforth’s gentle persuasion, the black mist began to tremble. Gradually, the fog that had filled the corridor began to recede, eventually gathering in the corner and coalescing into a pale young man.

His body shook uncontrollably. "I... I can't hold on much longer... Please, just kill me. I won't last much longer anyway. Rather than staying here and not knowing when I might lose control and hurt someone, it would be better to let me leave this world now..."

"Nonsense! What kind of son forces his father to kill him? Besides, the attic is protected by wards your great-uncle set up; even if you lose control, you cannot destroy them. Rest assured, you won't hurt anyone."

"But I ran out without even realizing it this time, didn't I? Even Great-Uncle’s magic cannot contain me a hundred percent... Father, please just agree to it... Let it all end..."

Aberforth’s face was etched with sorrow. "Say no more! My good boy, let us go back. I will stay with you until the very end... You don't need to think about anything else! Please... do not force me any further..."

He helped Aurelius up from the floor. A bitter expression crossed Aurelius’s pale face as he turned to look at Lived. "I am sorry..."

He seemed to want to say something else, but his mouth opened and closed, and in the end, nothing more was said. Throughout this, Lived said nothing, merely watching them quietly until they slowly climbed the stairs toward the attic.

Lived finally understood why Aberforth had forbidden them from going to the attic. It was because Aurelius was still alive and living there, and because an Obscurial’s loss of control was so dangerous, many protective wards had been set up in the attic. If he wasn't mistaken, the sound he had heard earlier was the uncontrolled Obscurus battering against those very wards. Just as he had stepped into the corridor, the Obscurus had broken through the defenses and run straight into him.

Not long after, Aberforth descended with a heavy expression. He came to stand before Lived. "If you have any questions, ask."

Aberforth knew that because the boy had accidentally seen Aurelius today, he would undoubtedly have a mountain of questions. It was clearly impossible to tell him nothing. A child of this age was at their most curious; if they went off to find "answers" on their own, it might lead to disaster.

"What was that, just now?" Lived asked, keeping his question purely symbolic.

"That is an Obscurus... You can think of it as a kind of illness. The person who suffers from it is my son, Aurelius Dumbledore. Those who have this affliction can turn into an Obscurus at any moment and lose their sense of reason... This time was an accident, and I have already reinforced the protective magic," Aberforth replied.

Lived looked at Aberforth’s expression and decided not to press further. To continue questioning would only force this poor father to relive painful memories he wished to keep buried. Besides, he had already roughly guessed the cause and effect; there was no need to ask more.

"I have no other questions..."

Aberforth looked at Lived in surprise. If it were him, he would have had plenty of questions in such a situation, but Lived had asked only one and then stopped? Aberforth soon understood Lived’s intention.

"Very well... come find me if you have any other questions." Aberforth took a long look at Lived before turning to head back down the stairs.

*What a gentle child,* Aberforth thought to himself.

***

It was three o'clock in the afternoon when Tom woke up. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Lived practicing Transfiguration, turning a matchstick into various shapes.

*You bastard! You told me to sleep while you worked in secret? How shameless!*

Lived looked up and saw Tom staring at him with a face full of indignation and grief.

"How was your sleep? You look much more energetic."

"How was my sleep? You know that better than anyone, don't you?" Tom glared at Lived furiously.

"Fine, fine, I know you don't want to see me, Tom," Lived said, waving a hand. "It doesn't matter; I was just considering how to leave, anyway."

Tom frowned. "What do you mean?"

Lived took out a key and dangled it in front of Tom.

"As a wealthy person with five or six thousand Galleons in Gringotts, there is really no need for me to live under someone else’s roof. Isn't it wonderful to buy my own house? At the very least, I can find a place and build one myself! I have Toby to take care of my daily needs; why would I need to look for a guardian?"

Carrying a massive amount of Galleons and valuable gold bars, Lived certainly possessed the prerequisites for living independently. Most importantly, living alone would allow him to conduct many experiments he had been planning but hadn't had the conditions to perform. Those experiments were impossible to carry out while a guardian was watching over him.

Tom shook his head. "Dumbledore won't agree. If he doesn't agree, you will never get this done, so don't even think about it. You should know by now that he isn't as kind as he appears on the surface."

"You have a point, but I will definitely find a way," Lived said, frowning in thought.

"Also, don't forget, you said those thousands of Galleons and gold bars—half of them are mine!" Tom emphasized.

Back then, the work had been done by both of them, and the trouble had been caused by both of them; no matter what, he, Tom, was entitled to half the money!

"Oh, of course, of course, your share is safe," Lived said, putting the Gringotts key away.

After a long silence, Tom suddenly asked, "If... if you can find a way to move out... could you take me with you?"

"What?" Lived looked at Tom in shock. "Don't you hate being around me? Tom, don't you dare have any designs on me! I have absolutely no interest in men!"

"You bastard! What kind of filthy thoughts are in your head?" Tom’s face darkened. "I meant... we move out together, break free from the constraints of this so-called guardian, and then go our separate ways!"