Chapter 69 Merry Christmas

"Well, you could look at it that way, I suppose," Roger said.

Dumbledore could sense that Roger was toying with something entirely unprecedented. If this new methodology actually worked, the entire world would undergo a cataclysmic transformation.

However...

After their extended exchange, Dumbledore continued turning the pages. It took a long time before he finally reached the end of the dictionary-thick notebook.

As the very last page was turned, Dumbledore drew a deep breath and looked toward the smiling Roger. "Are you certain your three-dimensional theory can... achieve that effect?"

Roger blinked and replied, "I cannot guarantee success for the ultimate goal of the final stage. After all, this path is still in its infancy, and many aspects are incomplete. It will require myself and other latecomers to patch and mend the gaps."

"Still, I have achieved a few minor phased results for the preliminary stages."

"However, I am not particularly fond of displaying this; it feels somewhat indecent." Although Roger had drifted further and further away from humanity in terms of his life level, he still retained some of his past mundane ethical perceptions.

Such deeply ingrained notions were not easily reversed.

"If—if you truly wish to see it..." Roger pondered for a moment.

He glanced up at the darkening sky and continued, "We can find a desolate, uninhabited place in a couple of days."

His achievements were hardly suitable for demonstration within city limits.

Following Roger's gaze, Dumbledore noticed that the sky had grown dim, with brilliant fireworks occasionally blossoming against the night sky, their multicolored sparks competing for radiance as if trying to pierce the gathering gloom.

Judging by the time, Hogwarts' Christmas feast was about to begin.

"Very well. We can discuss it after Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Roger."

"Merry Christmas, Headmaster Dumbledore."

***

Roger returned just in time, narrowly avoiding missing the festive feast painstakingly prepared by the Hogwarts house-elves.

Although this was a British magic school, its students came from diverse ethnic backgrounds, allowing Roger to sample delicacies from most of the world's nations right here.

A quick sweep of the Great Hall showed that all the staying students and professors were present.

Splendid.

Before the holidays, he had invited Harry and the others to his alchemy storeroom to select small trinkets suitable for Christmas gifts.

The gifts had been distributed to the children he was familiar with earlier in the day, and after a full twenty-four hours, no trouble had arisen.

It seemed Hermione, Harry, and Neville had done a commendable job selecting them.

"Roger, I couldn't find you all afternoon. Did you really go to the Headmaster's office?" Speak of the devil, Harry slid into the seat beside him and struck up a conversation the moment Roger came to mind.

He had searched for a while that afternoon before learning from Hermione that Roger might have gone to see Headmaster Dumbledore.

"Indeed. Is something the matter?" Roger set down the fried chicken leg in his hand and looked over.

"It's about... my parents." Harry then recounted how he had received a very peculiar Christmas gift.

Following a heartfelt conversation with Roger some time ago, Harry had made the resurrection of his parents his primary life goal.

Currently, only two people were privy to this: Roger and Snape. Dumbledore only knew that Roger was guiding Harry down the path of temporal magic.

Once Snape learned that his beloved might potentially be brought back to life, his entire spirit had transformed. Inspired by Harry and possessing newfound courage, Snape had chosen to share his entire past with Harry.

This was precisely why, during their joint showdown against Voldemort last night, Voldemort's psychological taunts had fallen completely flat.

Among the information Snape shared with Harry were not only the mistakes Snape had committed in his youth, but also far more detailed accounts of Harry's parents.

Lily's past went without saying.

Given that Lily had chosen James Potter, it was in Snape's nature to investigate the man down to the roots.

That very morning, Harry had received an anonymous gift: an Invisibility Cloak.

Initially, Harry hadn't thought much of it, too busy joining his Gryffindor peers in a snowy summit battle against the Slytherin snakes.

It wasn't until after an overwhelming victory in the afternoon snowball fight, while digesting his meal by playing Wizard's Chess with his good friend Ron, that a sudden memory struck him.

According to Snape's intelligence, the ancestors of the Potter family were the Peverell brothers recorded in the ancient fairy tale collection *The Tales of Beedle the Bard*. In the legend, the three brothers each possessed an artifact designed to evade Death's pursuit.

And the object belonging to the Potter ancestor, Ignotus Peverell, was precisely an Invisibility Cloak!

This led to certain suspicions: was this... merely a coincidence?

As the saying goes, when in doubt, consult the oracle. In Harry's eyes, Roger was a presence far more "omniscient" than the Miss-Know-It-All.

And true to form, Roger did not disappoint Harry.

"No need to doubt it. It is indeed the Deathly Hallow from the legends. As for who sent it to you, since they prefer anonymity, I shall say no more. At any rate, they are not your enemy." After listening to Harry's account, Roger replied.

"Then... will it help with my parents' resurrection?" This was Harry's primary concern.

After all, since it was named a Deathly Hallow, shouldn't it possess some extraordinary abilities related to that domain?

Hearing this, Roger rummaged through his memories.

"Perhaps somewhat, but it is unlikely to play a pivotal role."

This was Roger's comprehensive judgment combining memories of his past life with his current learnings.

This so-called Deathly Hallow was, in all probability, the handiwork of the "Materialist" faction—one of the three wizarding schools that sought to break through limitations by externalizing power, forging transcendent items through the collective will of sentient beings.

If that was indeed the case, this Invisibility Cloak likely possessed a degree of capacity to shroud "Death."

However, judging by the functions of the Resurrection Stone, that shroud shouldn't be overly potent.

Furthermore, the concealing capabilities provided by this Deathly Hallow as an invisibility cloak left something to be desired.

It could only mask one's physical form, failing to conceal scent, temperature, sound, or other traces.

In Roger's memories, several individuals had managed to pierce through Harry's invisibility.

As he ate, Roger took the opportunity to explain to Harry how the Materialist alchemists attempted to breach the upper limits of a wizard's power through external artifacts.

"I see," Harry said, a look of disappointment crossing his face.

Though only eleven years old, Harry possessed a grounded maturity far beyond his peers due to having established a firm life goal early on. He cared far more about whether something could aid his objective than the mere amusement invisibility offered.

"You needn't be too discouraged, however. Who knows, perhaps one day in the future, it might play a crucial role after all."

Roger suddenly thought that if his three-dimensional theory path progressed smoothly, this Deathly Hallow might just experience a second spring.