"???"
Dumbledore and McGonagall exchanged glances across the office. Both detected unmistakable skepticism in each other's eyes.
They were well aware of Tom's origins. In fact, it had been their combined efforts that had convinced the Ministry of Magic to recognize this cat's legitimate 'student status'.
(Though primarily it had been Dumbledore having McGonagall communicate with the Ministry in his name, using his authority while she did the actual exhausting work of navigating bureaucratic nonsense—it still technically counted as his participation in the process.)
Precisely because of their involvement in establishing Tom's legitimacy, they understood better than anyone the credibility or rather, the staggering lack thence, behind Tom's 'bold declaration.'
The Lovegood family was indeed a wizarding household, that much was fact. But setting aside that they were merely an ordinary wizarding family, Tom was ultimately just a cat they'd adopted.
If Tom had been adopted and raised by Newt, Dumbledore might have harbored some hope, might have allowed himself to trust in this confident declaration.
Newt was arguably one of the foremost experts in the world on studying and understanding Obscuri—one of perhaps three living wizards who had successfully observed, documented, and survived exposure to an Obscurial.
But the Lovegood family...
It wasn't that Dumbledore and McGonagall looked down on the Lovegoods. Xenophilius was a decent wizard, and his wife was accomplished in her own right. They were good kind people.
But their expertise ran more toward conspiracy theories about non-existent creatures and speculation about magical phenomena that probably didn't exist.
They simply couldn't inspire the kind of confidence required when dealing with something as catastrophically dangerous as an Obscurus.
An Obscurus that had left the entire wizarding community feeling helpless for centuries, that had driven the greatest minds in magical medicine to despair, that had caused even Dumbledore himself widely regarded as the most powerful wizard alive to proceed with extreme caution...
And yet this ordinary…. Rather extraordinary cat was claiming he could solve the problem?
This was as ridiculous as hearing that the neighbor's border collie had claimed it could prove the Goldbach Conjecture.
"Brother—" Ariana's voice wavered with confusion. "What did Tom just say?"
As the only person... spirit present who couldn't understand cat language, Ariana looked toward Dumbledore with those translucent eyes.
She had just been drowning in dejection about not being able to attend school, about not being able to make friends, about remaining isolated for eternity the same way she'd been isolated in life.
But now everyone had suddenly shifted their focus. Her brother and that stern female professor had both fixed Tom with such intensely doubtful stares, eyes narrowed in the universal expression of 'I don't believe what I'm hearing.'
Had Tom said something shocking?
Moreover.....
'(;´д`)ゞ Why can't I understand what Tom's saying anymore after leaving that place?!'
This realization only deepened Ariana's sadness. The Obscurus within her began to stir, though ultimately it still failed to break free.
Dumbledore didn't respond directly to his sister's question. Instead, he turned his attention toward Tom, who was now wandering around the Headmaster's office poking his nose into things with curiosity.
In Dumbledore's view, since Tom had chosen to communicate in cat language rather than using his whiteboard, perhaps he didn't want Ariana to know about this matter. Perhaps Tom wasn't entirely confident in his ability to help and wanted to avoid raising false hope.
Furthermore, Dumbledore genuinely didn't want Ariana to know the details of Tom's claim. He'd learned through long, painful experience that hope was the cruelest thing you could give someone if you couldn't guarantee its fulfillment.
He couldn't bear the thought of giving his sister the brilliant light of hope only to cruelly snatch it away again when that hope proved false.
But clearly, Tom didn't understand his reasoning.
He noticed Dumbledore's prolonged stare. Understanding what information the Headmaster wanted, Tom heaved a sigh that sounded remarkably human despite emerging from a cat's throat.
He'd only been speaking in cat language because it was easier, more natural, required less effort than the dramatic production of producing and writing on the whiteboard.
But fine. If they needed the written word to take him seriously...
Tom rummaged in his fur and produced the whiteboard from somewhere.
He scrawled quickly:
[I said, I should be able to resolve the Obscurus inside you.]
"Really?!"
Ariana's entire body blazed brighter, as if someone had turned up the intensity on a magical lamp. Her eyes ignited with light. "Does that mean... I can come to Hogwarts and make friends too?!"
She gazed hopefully at her brother.
The logic seemed sound to her: if Professor McGonagall had previously refused her enrollment citing the Obscurus as the primary reason then if they could solve that problem, she'd have no grounds to refuse anymore, right?
Though Ariana still harbored psychological shadows regarding magic, she desperately wanted to make friends within this castle.
'Then even if brother chooses to be with Grindelwald—' The thought flickered through her mind. 'I won't be lonely anymore. And brother Aberforth won't have to quarrel with brother Albus because of me!'
"(;一_一) Indeed, Miss Dum—"
McGonagall caught herself mid-word: "Miss Ariana. I refused you earlier because as Hogwarts' Deputy Headmistress, I must consider the safety of the other young witches and wizards under our care."
Her voice had softened slightly. "If you're no longer an Obscurial, if there's no threat from an Obscurus, then I naturally wouldn't oppose your enrollment."
It was that familiar phrase again: they already had one ghost colleague, so one more ghost student wouldn't make much difference. Professor Binns had been dead for decades and still taught History of Magic with reasonable competence, even if his lectures could induce sleeping curses in the most dedicated students.
Besides, McGonagall had seen through it all the moment Ariana's name had been mentioned. Her headmaster's hesitation stemmed entirely from the Obscurus threat, not from her ghost nature or her age or the administrative nightmare her enrollment would create.
As long as they could eliminate that hidden danger, Dumbledore would absolutely override all objections, would leverage every ounce of his influence to ensure the Ministry recognized his sister's enrollment.
That being the case, why should she play the villain and bar her from entry?
Moreover...
A small, satisfied smile appeared at the corners of McGonagall's stern mouth, invisible to anyone not watching carefully.
'(￣ω￣) Last time when we enrolled the cat, I was the one haggling with the Ministry, spending weeks on mails and negotiations, explaining to incredulous bureaucrats why a cat needed a wand and a school trunk. This time, involving your sister, it should be the Headmaster's turn to step up personally and handle those delightful conversations, shouldn't it?'
Indeed. The catty professor serving as Deputy Headmistress while simultaneously performing half the Headmaster's duties because Dumbledore was always mysteriously busy with Order business or Ministry consultations or vague emergencies that required his absence—declared internally that she held absolutely no grudges about the workload imbalance.
Really! There were no resentment at all! After all she was a professional.
"As do I. If this is your wish, Ariana, as long as we can ensure the safety of the other students, no matter what occurs, I will see you admitted to Hogwarts!"
Facing his sister's expectant gaze, Dumbledore offered his promise without the slightest hesitation. Allowing a ghost to enroll as a student? What of it? As long as it didn't endanger the other young witches and wizards, he still possessed that much influence!
Moreover, the Book of Admittance had already recorded Ariana's name in its own hand. That was the will of Hogwarts itself, the judgment of the castle's magic.
If anyone still questioned it after that, they would effectively be opposing Hogwarts, challenging the four Founders themselves, disputing magic so ancient and respected that even the Ministry hesitated to interfere with it.
When that moment came, he wouldn't mind demonstrating precisely how he'd earned the title of 'the greatest wizard of the age.'
"However, Ariana—Mr. Lovegood has only recently been introduced to the magical world. He's only been learning magic for a few months. Perhaps he cannot fully resolve your Obscurus problem.
Why don't we wait a bit longer? I know an expert who specializes in Obscurus research. If he participates as well, the success rate might be considerably higher..."
Dumbledore truly couldn't bear witnessing his sister's hopes crushed. Therefore, to prevent her disappointment should the attempt fail, he added this precautionary disclaimer.
"That won't be necessary, brother."
Ariana's voice cut through his careful reasoning with a simple certainty of absolute faith. Her chin was lifted, eyes were blazing with determination.
"I believe in Tom!"
She understood Tom's miraculous nature better than anyone present.
That burlap sack that had appeared from nowhere and somehow pulled her consciousness from the Limbo of Lost Souls. That ability to achieve perfect invisibility with an ordinary bedsheet. That power to bring her into the world within paintings.....
Having personally experienced all of this, she placed complete faith in Tom!
If he said he could help with the Obscurus, then he could.
"If you say so..."
Dumbledore turned toward Tom, who was currently surveying the office with curious interest.
"Mr. Lovegood—I entrust Ariana to your care."
(Leave it to me!)
Drawing his attention back from the fascinating things he'd discovered, Tom positioned himself before Ariana and sat down.
He fixed her with an intensely focused stare, as if she were the most interesting thing in the entire universe and he was determining the exact mathematical formula that described her existence.
Though Dumbledore and McGonagall still had doubts about Tom's capabilities, they chose to retreat to a respectful distance, avoiding any interference with his 'treatment.'
Thus, the office fell into an eerie silence.
After a considerable time, just as Dumbledore could no longer resist asking whether something had gone wrong—Tom finally moved.
He... produced his whiteboard?!
[Um, does anyone know how to extract that pitch-black thing from inside her body?]
Upon reading Tom's innocent inquiry, the entire room plunged into deathly silence.
Ariana stared at the whiteboard, then at Tom, then back at the whiteboard. Her translucent face cycled through several emotions.
She even began questioning whether her trust in Tom had perhaps been... slightly... possibly... a touch too hasty?
'(╯°□°）╯︵┻━┻ I'm helpless here too!'
Tom wailed internally. This wasn't his fault! The situation had been misrepresented!
If the Obscurus voluntarily emerged, he possessed a thousand methods to handle it.
But the damned thing was hiding inside Ariana's body. Inside her ghostly, translucent, technically-not-physical-but-still-somehow-substantial body.
Finding things was one of his specialties—he'd been finding mice and cheese and Jerry for decades. But finding things inside people?
That was... that was particularly outside his area of expertise.