Witcher at Hogwarts

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"The portrait of your great-granddaughter appears to be possessed by some dark force, possibly a demon," Dumbledore said gravely to Phineas Black's portrait.

Phineas's eyes widened in shock. "A demon? What do you mean?"

"And what of my great-granddaughter? Is she safe?" Phineas asked, his voice tinged with nervousness.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Dumbledore replied solemnly.

From behind a cabinet, he pulled out the portrait that once belonged to Walburga Black and placed it before Phineas.

Phineas stared at it, his voice faltering. "This is... her?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, this is the portrait of Walburga Black as it stands now."

Phineas's gaze darted over the canvas. "I've never seen anything like this before," he muttered, turning restlessly inside his own frame.

"A terrible thing to happen to one of my own. Dumbledore, you must help her."

"I will do everything in my power," Dumbledore assured him.

As the conversation deepened, the voice of another portrait interrupted. Armando Dippet, the former headmaster of Hogwarts, opened his eyes from his nearby frame.

"I've seen something like this before," Dippet said slowly, drawing the attention of both Dumbledore and Phineas.

"You have?" Dumbledore asked, intrigued.

"At a portrait gathering not too long ago, I overheard discussions," Dippet explained.

"Several familiar portraits have disappeared under similar circumstances—vanishing from their frames, leaving behind only darkness. It mirrors what has happened to Mrs. Black."

"And what of those missing wizards?" Dumbledore pressed.

"They all had one thing in common: a mastery of soul magic," Dippet revealed.

A shadow passed over Dumbledore's face as the pieces began to fit together. Though he still harbored questions about the mysterious visitor from earlier, one thing was becoming clear—whoever had come to him was likely not human. He feared it could be something far worse: a demon.

"Armando, have you seen this before?" Dumbledore asked, pulling out a small, strange mirror and placing it before Dippet's portrait.

The old headmaster squinted, examining the object. After a moment, he shook his head.

"I'm afraid not, Dumbledore. I don't recognize this artifact."

"If I were still in the flesh, I might know more," Dippet added regretfully.

"But as you can see, I am merely a portrait."

Portraits in the wizarding world are peculiar. To create these enchanted portraits, the subject must be physically present during the painting process. The specially crafted portrait paint absorbs a great deal of the person's emotions and thoughts.

Once completed, the portrait "lives." It inherits part of the subject's memories and personality, though it is only a fragment. Portraits tend to be much stiffer and less dynamic than the original person's mind.

Because of this, portraits can easily handle simple, routine tasks, but they are unable to handle more complex matters.

"What is this mirror? Why do you care so much about it?" Phineas Black suddenly asked, his voice breaking the silence.

Dumbledore paused for a moment before deciding to share the truth with Phineas and Armando Dippet. He recounted the strange events of the day, his tone growing more serious as he spoke.

"My word!" Armando Dippet gasped after hearing Dumbledore's tale.

"A demon... another demon has surfaced!" he said with deep concern.

Phineas stroked his beard thoughtfully. "However, this demon sounds somewhat different from the one summoned by that mad wizard Rasputin."

"Exactly," Armando Dippet chimed in, for once in agreement with Phineas.

"The demon summoned by Rasputin reveled in chaos and destruction. This one seems far more calculated—rational, even."

"That's what worries me," Dumbledore replied, his fingers intertwined.

"We know nothing about him, yet he watches us from the shadows."

"Fear not, Dumbledore," Armando Dippet assured him.

"Though we portraits cannot interfere directly with the living world, we can help keep watch."

Phineas nodded in agreement. "Indeed, we'll do what we can."

Dumbledore offered them a rare smile. "Thank you."

At that moment, Dumbledore stopped dwelling on Gaunter O'Dimm's identity. Agonizing over it now would only waste his limited energy—an energy diminishing with age. He knew he had to focus on more pressing matters.

As his mind wandered, he couldn't help but recall his parting words:

"Not only is Wit beyond measure the greatest wealth, but so are envy and greed."

What did he mean by that? Was it another trap?

Dumbledore wasn't sure, but it was the only lead he had, and he had to follow it.

The phrase about "Wit beyond measure" struck a chord with Dumbledore. It was Ravenclaw's motto and a line engraved on her lost diadem. Though the diadem had disappeared with Rowena Ravenclaw's passing, Dumbledore resolved to begin his investigation there.

While Dumbledore found himself tangled in dark mysteries, Ethan's path was far less burdensome. Having handled matters with Cornelius Fudge, Ethan was preparing to leave England for Poland, where another task awaited him.