He’d been summoned here for a reason he didn’t understand. A smoldering piece of parchment had appeared on his breakfast plate that morning, bearing only three words: RUN EUtil.DLL .

“The castle was sad, Professor,” he said quietly. “Someone broke its heart. I just reminded it how to love.”

He focused on the weeping phoenix. He thought of the first time the stairs had moved for him, saving him from being late to Potions. He thought of the way the library always had a warm nook when he was sad. He thought of the castle not as a machine, but as a home .