Sullivan's Muggle Studies classes were actually pretty entertaining—especially for the pure-blood kids. To them, everyday Muggle gadgets seemed more magical than half the spells they learned.
Yuna was clearly enjoying herself too. The same material could land completely differently depending on who was teaching it.
The happiest person in the room, though, was probably Gemma Farley. After confirming through Hermione that Sullivan and Tonks were officially dating, she'd been buzzing with excitement. It meant the professor had no problem with girls more than ten years younger than him.
But then a new question hit her: if he already had a girlfriend, did she still have a shot?
Today, though, Sullivan had shown up with yet another woman. At the very least, it proved he wasn't as strictly devoted as he seemed. And if that was the case, Gemma decided she didn't need to feel guilty about anything.
The second class ended, Gemma marched straight up to him. "Professor Sullivan, who's this?"
"An old friend from America—Yuna Chen. This is one of my students, and sort of my apprentice, Gemma Farley." Sullivan made the quick introduction.
Gemma's eyes were practically sparkling with curiosity as she stared at Yuna. "Nice to meet you, Miss Chen. Are you really just friends?"
"Alright, alright, kid—stop fishing." Sullivan flicked her forehead.
Gemma winced, then huffed and stomped off when he looked like he might do it again.
"Your apprentice is pretty cute," Yuna said, half teasing, half probing. "Why'd you decide to take on a female disciple anyway?"
Sullivan answered honestly. "She's not the only one I plan to take. I'll introduce you to the rest later. Come on, let me show you my office."
Once they reached his quarters, Yuna immediately noticed the two connected bedrooms. "The teachers here have pretty nice dorms."
"Yeah, the castle has tons of rooms. Me living here alone is basically a waste of space," Sullivan said, trying to sound casual.
"That second room looks spotless. Does someone stay there?" Yuna finally asked the question he knew was coming.
Sullivan had his answer ready. He kept it light and truthful enough. "Oh, that? The house-elves keep it clean. You know how they are—always working."
Yuna nodded, satisfied. "Good. Looks like you've been behaving yourself in Britain. In that case… you deserve a little reward."
She flicked her wand and cast the same Quick-Change Charm she'd used before. In an instant, a strict-looking female teacher stood beside his desk—black-rimmed glasses, sheer black stockings, the whole package.
"Sullivan, is this the essay you turned in yesterday?" Yuna leaned over the desk, hips tilted at a perfect angle, biting her lower lip as she pointed at a sheet of parchment. "It seems you weren't paying attention in class at all, young man."
Zero to sixty. Sullivan swore Yuna got bolder every time they were apart.
He played along, stepping closer. "Sorry, Professor Chen. I didn't quite understand the lecture. Could you… give me some private tutoring?"
"Of course. Come with me, student. I'll explain everything." Yuna hooked a finger in his collar and pulled him into the bedroom.
---
At seven that evening, Sullivan Apparated Yuna back to Hogsmeade. Before she left he gifted her one of the new cars, cutting her drive back to New York down to five hours.
The Magic Phone factory was still brightly lit. Day shift ran eight to four; night shift went four to midnight.
As the boss, Sullivan made a point of checking on his people. He stopped by, chatted with everyone, and bought them all hot coffee.
While he was shooting the breeze with the crew, a message popped up on his phone. It was from Dumbledore:
Su, come to my office. Password: Cockroach Cluster.
Sullivan had no idea what the old man wanted at this hour, but he told Lupin and Teemo he'd be back soon and headed for the castle. When he reached the Headmaster's office, the place was already packed.
McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, and Snape were all there.
Sullivan couldn't resist a joke. "Professor Dumbledore, what's so important you had to call all four Heads of House? Adding me just makes the whole thing feel… out of place."
Dumbledore smiled. "You're being too modest, Su. Your progress this past half-year has surprised even me. Keep it up and one day you'll surpass everyone in this room—including me."
So his rapid growth hadn't gone unnoticed. Sullivan just shrugged. No point denying it.
Dumbledore picked up a letter from his desk. "I just received an urgent summons from the Ministry. They want me there immediately to help examine a mysterious artifact."
"Normally they give me two or three days' notice and wait for my reply before sending an official request. This is… unusual."
Sullivan caught on instantly. "So you think someone's trying to lure you away?"
"Given the current situation at Hogwarts, I believe that's very likely," Dumbledore said.
"Professor Dumbledore, I still don't understand why you're letting Quirrell stay here," Snape snapped. "This is reckless—for the school and for the students."
"Severus, Voldemort was only defeated because of the protective magic Lily left on Harry. Only Harry can make him disappear again," Dumbledore explained calmly.
"Not even you?" McGonagall asked, clearly unhappy.
"Minerva, I tried eleven years ago. You know I couldn't," Dumbledore said with a helpless sigh.
"Professor Dumbledore, are you saying Voldemort literally cannot be killed by normal magic?" Sullivan asked carefully. He wasn't sure how much the old man knew about Horcruxes at this point.
Dumbledore hesitated, then answered, "I have my suspicions. It may involve some extremely dangerous and twisted form of dark magic. But I have no proof yet."
So he knew something. Sullivan pressed on. "Can you verify the Ministry letter is genuine? Could it be forged?"
"It's real. I've already confirmed it," Dumbledore said firmly.
Snape caught Sullivan's drift and continued, "Which means Voldemort still has people inside the Ministry. They're just staying hidden."
"Who sent it?" Sullivan asked.
"Unspeakable Jack Avery, Department of Mysteries."
Avery. The name clicked instantly. The guy had been a Death Eater who slipped through the last big trial. Sullivan had always wondered if Avery was the one who'd drunk his little "gift" back in the day. Might be time for a chat.
"So why did you call us all here?" Sullivan asked the question on everyone's mind.
"I want you to keep an eye on Quirrell while I'm gone," Dumbledore said. "If he makes a move, guide Harry to the fourth-floor room and let him take the Stone."
"You're really that confident Harry Potter can get the Stone?" Snape challenged.
"Trust me, Severus," Dumbledore said simply.
Snape didn't argue further. He just muttered, "I will protect everything Lily left behind with my life," and swept out.
"I still don't understand your plan," McGonagall said, "but I'll follow your wishes." She left too, with Flitwick and Sprout following.
Once they were alone, Sullivan chuckled. "Professor, it doesn't look like everyone agrees with your arrangement."
"That's because they don't understand Voldemort well enough," Dumbledore sighed.
"By the way, what do you plan to do with the Stone afterward?" Sullivan asked. His dragon-egg research had hit a wall—one egg just wasn't enough material. He'd even reached out to Arthur Weasley and bought more eggs through Charlie in Romania, but progress was still slow.
If the Stone held the key runes he needed, he was eager to get his hands on it.
Dumbledore shook his head. "I haven't decided yet. I may have to destroy it. But I promised you a week with it, and I keep my promises."
Sullivan nodded. Even the leftovers from a destroyed Stone might be useful. At this point he was almost impatient for Quirrell to make his move.
He didn't leave right away. Instead he borrowed Dumbledore's Pensieve and reviewed the canon plot in his memory. A lot had already changed.
Malfoy never reported Hagrid's dragon. The unicorn was never killed. Voldemort had probably noticed Coal Ball patrolling the forest every night and decided it wasn't worth the risk.
All those small changes had one big effect: Quirrell's body was breaking down faster. Voldemort had to move up his timetable for stealing the Stone.
Sullivan opened the Marauder's Map on his phone. Quirrell was pacing back and forth in his office. Voldemort's name didn't show—probably because he was still possessing Quirrell.
Dumbledore leaned in, saw the live map, and his eyes sparkled with interest. "How did you make this? I seem to recall Sirius once created something similar. Very convenient. Any chance you could add it to my phone?"
"Uh… not right now," Sullivan said. He wasn't about to give the old man a tool that could spy on him.
"Pity," Dumbledore murmured, but he didn't push.
Sullivan steered the conversation back. "If that's the case, I have an idea."
He opened the family group chat and messaged Harry: Meet me at the third-floor staircase.
Okay, Professor. What's up? Harry replied almost instantly.
Teaching you a new spell, Sullivan typed.
Can I bring Hermione and Ron? They want to learn too!
Of course.
Dumbledore watched the exchange and his eyes lit up. "The moment I leave, Voldemort will head straight for the fourth floor. He'll run into Harry at the stairs."
Sullivan snapped his fingers. "Exactly. Knowing those three, they'll follow Quirrell the second they see him acting suspicious. Then they'll walk right into the little tests you set up for them."
Dumbledore gave him an approving look and pulled a phoenix feather from his robes. "Su, hiring you as this year's Muggle Studies professor was the best decision I made last year."
"While I'm gone, please keep Harry and his friends safe. If necessary, use this feather. It will summon Fawkes and let you Apparate once inside the castle without tripping the wards."
Sullivan took the feather. "I can't promise anything, so you'd better hurry back."
Dumbledore said nothing more. He placed a hand on Fawkes, and with a burst of flame both of them vanished.
Sullivan tucked the feather away and checked the map. The instant Dumbledore left, Quirrell stopped pacing and hurried out of his office.
Sullivan had no idea how the guy sensed it, but he kept watching. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had already reached the third-floor stairs as planned.
He quickly typed in the staff group chat: Dumbledore just left the castle. Quirrell is on the move. In about two minutes Harry's group will bump into him at the third-floor stairs. They'll probably follow him up to the fourth floor.
??? Snape replied first—a string of question marks.
Su, is this accurate? And how do you even know? McGonagall asked.
Trust Su. His information is solid. I'll return as quickly as I can, Dumbledore vouched for him.
Sullivan started a screen recording of the map and dropped it in the group. The others might not understand how the map worked, but they could clearly see the moving dots.
Snape was still the most impatient. I'm heading there now.
Relax. Let's see what Harry does first. Have a little faith in the kid, Sullivan typed back.
The game had officially begun.