The Headmaster's Hand and the Five Drops of Life
The next morning, as Roy was leaving the Great Hall, a small silver phoenix Patronus swooped down and circled his head.
"Roy, my boy, if you would join me in my office."
Dumbledore's warm voice echoed from the Patronus.
Roy sighed."Old man found trouble again," he muttered to himself and headed upstairs.
Entering the Principal's Office
The entire corridor outside the gargoyle statue was quiet.Roy raised an eyebrow.
"Sugar Quills,"
he said lazily.
The gargoyle sprang aside.
Inside, the Headmaster's office glowed with warm candlelight.Ancient instruments whirred softly, puffing steam and light.The portraits of former headmasters slept, snored, or whispered among themselves.
The moment Roy entered, half the portraits woke up.
"Look who it is!"
"Ah, the boy who roasted the pink toad!""Hahaha! That woman's face turned three shades of dragonfruit!""Good show, lad!"
Phineas Nigellus, leaning dramatically forward in his frame, smirked.
"Well done, Roy. You disgraced her more gracefully than most Slytherins ever managed."
Roy bowed playfully.
"What can I say? I learned from the best drama expert in this room."
Phineas puffed up proudly while other portraits burst into laughter.
Even Dumbledore smiled from behind his desk as he finished writing a letter.
The Blackened Hand
Roy took his seat.The moment Dumbledore dipped his quill, Roy noticed it:
A patch of dead, blackened skin under the Headmaster's sleeve.
Roy's expression turned serious.
"How much time do you have?"
Dumbledore froze.
The portraits went silent.
Slowly, the old wizard lifted his head, eyes widening behind his half-moon glasses.
"Roy… how did you know?"
Roy leaned back.
**"Because I didn't only master magic and swordsmanship.
I also learned medicine — magical and non-magical.Your hand shows signs of a curse eating away at your life force."**
Dumbledore blinked.
Then chuckled softly.
"Ah. I often forget how dangerously competent you are." Examining the Wound
Dumbledore extended his hand.
Roy took it gently and inspected it with sterile magical light.
Dark curse.A fragment of Voldemort's soul.Fluid, corrosive, lingering.
Roy sighed.
**"You touched the ring.
The Horcrux."**
Dumbledore nodded slowly.
"I destroyed it—
but the curse was faster than I believed."
Roy shook his head.
**"I can remove the curse.
But I can't restore the life you've already lost."**
Dumbledore's smile saddened.
"That is more than enough, my boy." Five Drops of Life
Roy reached into a small dimensional pouch on his belt and pulled out a crystal vial.
Inside were five shimmering green drops suspended like liquid emeralds.
Dumbledore's eyes widened.
"Roy… what is this?"
Roy placed it on the table carefully.
**"Life-Extending Potion.
Each drop adds ten years of life."**
The portraits gasped.
Even Phineas fell off his chair inside the frame.
Dumbledore whispered:
**"This is thought to be impossible…
How?"**
Roy explained:
**"After destroying Hufflepuff's Cup Horcrux,
I purified and kept its residual magical influence.The Cup belonged to Helga Hufflepuff — a master of growth, fertility, crops, and healing magic."**
The portraits nodded, whispering among themselves.
Roy continued:
**"I built a portable pocket dimension using runes and magic.
Inside it, I grow medicinal herbs and trees.The Cup's ancient magic enriches the soil and speeds the growth."**
Dumbledore stared, stunned.
"Even then… how did you convert lifespan?"
Roy tapped the vial.
**"The forest inside the pocket space creates 'life essence.'
I condensed that essence, drop by drop.Each drop takes months."**
Dumbledore slowly sat back, overwhelmed.
"Roy… you would use this on me?"
Roy shrugged lightly.
"Darius Valvas would beat me if I let his best friend die."
Dumbledore's eyes glistened with emotion.
"Your grandfather… he would be proud." The Ope-Ope No Mi's Gift
Roy rolled up his sleeves.
"Let's remove that curse."
Dumbledore extended his hand again.
Roy activated the power of the Ope-Ope no Mi, conjuring a glowing ROOM that filled the office.Portraits gasped and ducked behind their frames.
Roy guided the curse-laced magic out of Dumbledore's hand like extracting poison threads.
The blackened flesh turned pale.The corruption vanished.Magic pulsed cleanly again.
Dumbledore looked at his hand in wonder.
"Remarkable…" Fifty More Years
Roy handed him the vial.
"Drink all five drops."
Dumbledore's hands trembled slightly as he uncorked it and swallowed the potion.
Green light washed over him.His eyes shone brighter.His posture straightened.Vitality surged through him like a warm sunrise.
Dumbledore exhaled deeply.
"Roy… I feel…" "Fifty years younger?"
Roy smiled.
Dumbledore laughed — truly laughed — for the first time in months.
"So I have fifty more years to bother you, my boy."
Roy smirked.
"Just don't get cursed again."
Phineas shouted from his portrait:
"AND STOP TOUCHING DANGEROUS DARK OBJECTS!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
Dumbledore's Gratitude
As Roy stood to leave, Dumbledore placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
**"Thank you, Roy.
Not just for saving my life…but for remaining in this school when you could rule empires outside it."**
Roy shrugged casually.
"Hufflepuff needs me."
Dumbledore's smile was warm.
"And I suspect the world will need you soon as well."
Roy paused at the door.
"Let it come."
Then he left — the Headmaster behind him healthier, stronger, and more grateful than ever.