A jolt went through Sol, his heart giving an unnatural lurch. He cocked his head, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion at Dumbledore's casual pronouncement.
Although he knew the System had granted him Yuno's bloodline and, in turn, the lineage of a highly magical and unique family, he hadn't expected it to draw such immediate attention.
Noticing the puzzled expressions on both Sol's and Hagrid's faces, Dumbledore simply offered a gentle smile before turning his gaze to his long-time friend and groundskeeper.
"My dear friend, thank you for bringing this child to my attention. I'll handle everything from here. Have a good evening."
Hagrid, hearing the gentle dismissal, nodded. His large hand came to rest on Sol's back in a comforting pat.
"Aye, not a problem, Headmaster."
He bent slightly, his voice a warm murmur. "Have a good evenin', lad. You're in good hands with the Headmaster here."
Sol watched as the half-giant strode out of the office, closing the heavy door softly behind him. With Hagrid gone, Sol turned his full attention back to the enigmatic old man seated at the desk.
Dumbledore gestured to the empty seat across from himself, his eyes slowly tracking the lost child as Sol settled down.
He tried to keep his voice innocent, small and curious. "What did you mean... I'm unique?" Sol ventured, a hint of genuine puzzlement in his tone.
Dumbledore hummed, stroking his long, white beard. "Ah, first let's begin with introductions, dear boy. What's your name?"
"Sol," he replied, furrowing his brows in thought. "I don't remember my last name, though."
"Memory loss?" Dumbledore murmured, a flicker of something unreadable in his thoughtful eyes. He tilted his head slightly. "How far back do you remember?"
"Uh... I just woke up in the forest outside this castle a couple of hours ago. That's all I can remember. Everything else is just... gone."
The room settled into a silence for a minute as Sol and Dumbledore regarded one another, each lost in their own considerations. The soft ticking of a clock hung in a shadowed corner was the only sound accompanying them.
"Nothing of your family, or even friends?" Dumbledore inquired softly, his voice full of a subtle understanding.
Noticing the shift in Dumbledore's tone, Sol realized he truly appeared as nothing more than a child in the Headmaster's eyes. Though his mind felt like an adult's, or at most an older teenager's, his small body and childlike voice would inevitably convey innocence until he grew.
Shaking his head in denial, Sol breathed in deeply.
"I don't remember anything. But for some reason, I don't think I ever had a family."
This wasn't a baseless thought, but an accumulated feeling he had since awakening, almost like the concept of having a family was foreign, or a bad memory he had forgotten. He theorized that the request he made to whatever being granted him the new life was to remove memories of a dark and painful past.
'No point in overthinking it though,' Sol thought. 'The person who died and the person who is standing in this room are two different people.'
Dumbledore's aged voice broke Sol's thoughts, bringing him back to the present.
"Well then, Sol," Dumbledore began, his voice taking on a gentle, almost storytelling cadence, "I am Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of this Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the very castle we are both inside of. The predicament we currently find ourselves in is quite unique, certainly, but not without its fascinating avenues."
Sol nodded, his attention fully focused on the conversation that followed.
"There is a major point I must make before we continue. The fact that you are able to see and enter this school means that you yourself, young man, are a wizard. A magical human who can use and learn magic." Dumbledore explained, his voice bright with a quiet sense of wonder, gesturing with a hand.
Sol nodded, though he didn't mention that he already knew about his newfound abilities. The more he kept to himself, the safer he would be in case the situation turned ugly.
"Okay, I have no memories and magic is real," Sol murmured, his words bringing a light chuckle to Dumbledore as he nodded.
"Straight to the point, and quite correct. Now, I do have a plan to help you, and perhaps even find your family, should one exist out there looking for you. How would you feel about staying in the castle tonight? Tomorrow, I can accompany you to retrieve information on your identity. That should help us fill in most of these blank memories."
Thinking to himself, Sol ran through a couple of ideas before answering. 'If he's taking me to Gringotts for an inheritance test, I'll likely come up empty. And the Ministry would be no different.'
"Okay, let's do that," Sol stated, a smile spreading across his face at the help he was receiving.
"Splendid! Now, onto your first question, and the very reason for our journey tomorrow. You, my dear boy, are far more powerful than should be realistically possible."
Tapping a finger to his own eyes, Dumbledore grinned subtly.
"There are many schools of magic, and I have been fortunate enough to have a keen eye. When I look at you," Dumbledore continued, his eyes twinkling with an almost mischievous intensity, "I don't see a child's magic; I see something... profoundly more."
"Much more? Is there something wrong with me?" Sol asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
"Merlin no, dear boy, quite the opposite. I dare say I haven't seen such magical power radiating off any living being in my whole life, and I've lived a very long time."
'Damn, Yuno, you really were broken, weren't you?' Sol mused. 'Even without training, refining, or growing my magic, I've already got enough power to shock the likes of Dumbledore, a man often compared to Merlin.'
"What happens if we can't find information about my family?" Sol asked. Though he somehow knew he'd be fine in the non-magical world, he hoped he had gained some plot armor and would find out he was some estranged child of a minor, long-dead family.
"Hmm?" Dumbledore murmured, his eyes looking at Sol but their focus distant. "Oh, nothing much, though I'll do everything in my power to ensure you are taken care of in the worst-case scenario."
'I knew from the books his greatest regret was leaving Harry at the mercy of the Dursleys.' Sol thought, noticing the lost look in the headmasters eyes.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Dumbledore coughed before he looked at Sol apologetically.
"I believe it's time for sleep. Fortunately, classes have finished for the year, so the school is quite empty, and you have your choice of sleeping locations."
Standing up, Dumbledore pushed his chair back with a soft scrape of wood and moved past Sol, his figure radiating a gentle authority as he opened the office door.
"Shall we?" he invited, his blue eyes holding a hint of warmth as they rested on the boy.
Sol rose, a nervous flutter in his chest, and followed the Headmaster out of the circular chamber and back into the castle.
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A/N: Fourth chapter done, I hope you enjoyed this one, it's a bit slow paced, but I want to build up the world a little before we rush into Gacha and kicking ass! Donate powerstones for 3 chapters tomorrow <3