Everyone stared as if they'd seen a ghost.
No, Dumbledore was already dead — they had seen a ghost.
The figure lying on the grass stirred, slowly turning over and sitting up. A dazed expression appeared beneath his half-lidded eyes. His weathered hands moved shakily to his chest and face, full of disbelief.
His voice, raspy at first, grew louder:
"I... I should be dead. What happened?"
"Professor Dumbledore!"
As soon as Malrick released the ntal restraint he had placed on the crowd, Harry Potter darted forward and wrapped his arms around the old man.
"You're alive... No, you were dead, but now you're back!" Harry said breathlessly, gripping Dumbledore's shoulders, nearly choking on his own emotion.
"It's really you. You're okay!"
Dumbledore had been more than just a ntor to Harry. Most of his family had perished at Voldemort's hands — and Dumbledore was one of the few constants he had left.
The shock of seeing him return, alive and breathing, overwheld him.
Despite his effort to stay composed, tears stread down his cheeks.
He looked into Dumbledore's now-vibrant eyes, wanting to say so much, yet all he could manage was a choked, "It's great... it's really great."
"Harry, it's alright. Everything's alright now," Dumbledore said softly, still disoriented but gently wiping Harry's tears away. He embraced the boy, then glanced around and noticed Professor McGonagall nearby, with dozens of stunned students behind her.
Their expressions ranged from awe to sheer confusion.
So whispered — though with their shock, few rembered to whisper quietly.
"Fred, did you see that? Dumbledore just ca back to life!"
"Of course I did! rlin's pants, George, what do you think that guy — the one hotter than Sirius — gave him to drink?"
"Shush! Don't bring up Sirius in front of Harry! Also, I bet that was Felix Felicis!"
"Felix Felicis? That brought him back to life? No way! That's gotta be dew from the Goblin Forest — I read about it in ancient scrolls!"
"You an the Goblin Forest? The one rlin visited?"
Their speculations got wilder by the second, and the whispers turned into loud chatter as they glanced from Dumbledore to Malrick.
Despite what he'd done — sothing bordering on miraculous — Malrick stood quietly, his calm presence sohow more intimidating than the spectacle itself.
He looked like soone who could command Death and expect it to obey.
Professor McGonagall finally had to raise her wand and cast, "Sonorus!"
"Silence, everyone! The Headmaster is alright. The funeral is canceled. Return to your dormitories at once!"
She turned to Hagrid: "Escort them back and return afterward."
Hagrid gave a reluctant nod, but the students didn't budge. Gryffindors especially refused to miss out on the biggest mystery Hogwarts had seen in years.
One after another, they insisted they had a right to know what had happened — even citing Dumbledore's previous death as justification.
McGonagall sighed and relented, but reminded them firmly to keep quiet.
Dumbledore, however, didn't mind. In fact, he seed to enjoy being surrounded by the students again.
"Minerva... what happened after I fell from the Astronomy Tower—" His gaze shifted mid-sentence. "Ah, it's you, Mr. Malrick?"
He had been about to question McGonagall but now turned to face the five unfamiliar figures who had stayed mostly in the background.
Tony Stark and the others, dressed in sleek modern attire, had stood out from the beginning — but Dumbledore's mind, still reeling from his resurrection, had taken ti to catch up.
"We et again, Professor Dumbledore. We did say we'd et again, didn't we?" Malrick said, hands clasped behind his back.
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed with realization.
"So it was you… You brought back, didn't you? I don't know how to thank you."
"It was nothing," Malrick replied evenly.
Dumbledore shook his head. "That can't be called 'nothing'. You used sothing precious on , didn't you?"
He opened his hand, revealing a small jade bottle.
"I can feel the magic in this. A potion like this isn't just rare — it's sacred. I'm grateful, truly. But using sothing so powerful on ... it feels like a waste."
The old wizard's voice trembled slightly. He knew he had been cursed by a Horcrux — a slow, unavoidable death. That was why he had arranged for his own demise at the Astronomy Tower. His death had been a strategic sacrifice ant to help defeat Voldemort.
He wasn't sure if coming back now was part of the plan — or sothing that would unravel it.
Malrick remained composed.
"That was Zeus Spring Water. As long as the soul hasn't dissipated and the body is still intact, it can bring soone back."
"A treasure like that..." Dumbledore muttered, brushing the bottle with reverence.
"It should be used on the most valuable people," Malrick said simply. "You shouldn't have died at the hands of Death Eaters, Professor."
Thankfully, Dumbledore's soul had remained undamaged — otherwise, more magic might have been required to restore him.
Dumbledore gave a faint smile and leaned on Harry's shoulder as he stood.
"Such a resource... I can't imagine it being easily replenished. So must be lost with every use. That's a sha."
"It's already used," Malrick replied. "No need to dwell on it."
Which was technically true — even though the original source was massive, every drop used still diminished it.
Dumbledore straightened, more lucid now.
"I haven't asked... are you from the Ministry of Magic?"
He paused, then chuckled, "Forgive — perhaps you're agents Gellert invited?"
Malrick blinked, montarily speechless.
Even after resurrection, Dumbledore still linked things back to Grindelwald. Typical.
"No. We're from Kamar-Taj. We ca to Hogwarts to exchange knowledge," Malrick replied clearly.
"Kamar-Taj?" Dumbledore echoed.
"It's in the Himalayas," said Wong, stepping forward. "We practice the Mystic Arts. Revered Malrick is our Sorcerer Supre."
This was the first ti Wong had spoken — but his timing was impeccable. He wouldn't let the Sorcerer Supre introduce himself like so unknown wizard.
"Sorcerer Supre..." Dumbledore murmured, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. "The Himalayas... the domain of the ancient mystics. I've read of it in fragnts, but never t soone from there directly."
He extended a hand: "It's an honor. Forgive — I've been so caught up, I forgot to introduce the Hogwarts faculty."
He gestured toward McGonagall, then to Professor Slughorn and the rest, giving brief but respectful introductions.
Malrick responded by introducing Tony, Mordo, Wong, and Bruce.
Tony raised an eyebrow now and then, clearly recognizing nas from magical texts he'd skimd through — but he stayed quiet, unusually respectful.
The introductions ended with a brief mont of silence before Dumbledore spoke again:
"You've co a long way, friends... and Hogwarts welcos you."
"But truthfully — you've arrived at a rather chaotic ti."
---
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