A year had passed since the final battle at the castle, and life in the magical world was beginning to resume its course. One rainy afternoon in Diagon Alley, as you sheltered under the awning of a potions store, you spotted a familiar figure in the crowd. Your heart skipped a beat - could it be him?

There, in the rain, with his soaked black cloak and stern expression, stood him . He looked thinner and tired, but unmistakably alive. His dark eyes met yours for a brief moment, and in that moment you knew it was no illusion.

You approached him slowly, unsure of how he would react. “Professor ...,” you said in a trembling voice.

He stared at you, his face unperturbed. “It seems the rumors of my death were exaggerated,” he murmured, a faint smile barely peeking through his lips.