allendalepharm Chapter 16: Hogwarts is never short of exceptionally talented students!
Chapter 16: Hogwarts is never short of exceptionally talented students!
have to say.
Aside from being a bit sharp-tongued and having an unpleasant way of speaking and appearance, Professor Snape actually had many other merits.
For example, there were plenty of Galleons left for Ian.
Although today's purchase of various necessities cost a lot, my purse was clearly affected by the [Seamless Stretch Charm], and there is still a terrifying fortune of 150 Galleons left inside!
Don't underestimate this number.
It would probably take an ordinary civil servant in the Ministry of Magic two months to earn that amount of salary, even if they saved it all in Gringotts without eating or drinking.
To know.
Ron's family couldn't even afford a wand that cost seven Galleons.
Can be imagined.
One hundred and fifty Galleons is an enviable sum for both young and adult wizards.
"Hiss, even if I really did start with my parents sacrificing themselves, I shouldn't feel this guilty." Ian felt more and more that the situation was not simple. Could his mother really be a clone of Lily Potter?
Stop messing around!
It was only the 1990s!
This kind of technology doesn't exist in the Muggle or wizarding world!
"It's terrifying to think about! It's terrifying to think about!"
Ian was uneasy.
But he's currently focusing more on learning magic.
After moving all his things into the neat little cabin provided by Snape, Ian couldn't wait to take out his wand and pick up the Hogwarts textbook he couldn't avoid—"Standard Spells: Elementary".
At dusk.
The last rays of sunset had disappeared into the horizon.
Night falls.
Ian was given the simplest spell, which was also the one most frequently used.
"Fluorescent lights!"
Following the instructions in the textbook, Ian focused his attention, synchronized his thoughts with his wand, took a deep breath, and softly recited the spell.
next moment.
The tip of his wand then gleamed.
fleeting.
It went out very quickly.
This was clearly an unsuccessful attempt at a spell, but Ian was not discouraged at all; instead, his eyes shone with excitement.
In terms of learning.
Most people are hindered by various reasons, making it difficult to make progress or to perceive their own progress. This is the biggest reason why many people find it hard to consistently persist in learning a certain kind of knowledge.
however.
For Ian.
This is not a problem to worry about.
[Illumination Charm (Level 0): 3/50]
With each failed attempt, a new skill list appeared on Ian's panel information, a process Ian had experienced more than once before.
"Looks like my magical talent isn't bad at all!"
Looking at the information on the panel.
Ian was incredibly excited.
He can gain three points of proficiency with each attempt, and with no more than twenty attempts, he will master the spell and reach the most basic and simplest beginner level.
When skill learning can be quantified digitally.
Just as God reveals his own health bar.
"Fluorescent lights!"
"Fluorescent lights!"
"Fluorescent lights!"
Inside the empty wooden house.
The white light lit up and then went out.
Repeated attempts.
It was Ian's passion for magic.
There is also an expectation that magic will give rise to some kind of extraordinary characteristics.
……
Hogwarts.
Principal's Office.
As the most powerful wizard in the magical world today, Dumbledore sat behind a solid wood desk, dressed in old-fashioned floral pajamas, just like an ordinary old man.
The desk lamp was not connected to any wires, yet it steadily emitted a glow like an old-fashioned oil lamp. An open book sat in the center of the desk.
Aurora Grindelwald
Dumbledore's gaze remained fixed on one of the many names displayed in the book, his eyes, though weathered, shone brightly behind his silver-rimmed glasses.
"Tap~ tap~ tap~"
His fingers tapped incessantly on the table, as if he were deep in thought. Staying up so late at night, especially for an elderly person, certainly indicated some kind of trouble on his mind.
"Boom!"
The sound of the mechanism turning rang out.
Dumbledore did not look up.
A figure hurriedly walked into the main entrance of the principal's office.
"Albus, you didn't tell me beforehand that Ian was a born Legilimency!" Snape said angrily, looking like he was about to accuse someone.
Faced with the question that echoed throughout the office, the figures in the portraits on the wall covered their ears, but a few portraits moved closer to the frame as if they wanted to watch a show.
"I think some things are only truly surprising when you discover them for yourself. Just like I didn't tell Mr. Prince about the inseparable relationship between you and him."
Dumbledore finally raised his head, his voice steady yet gentle. With a natural, light flick, the books on the desk closed automatically.
[The Book of Admission]
This is the name of the book.
Every student who enters Hogwarts has their name written on the Pen of Acceptance. Hogwarts' admissions system has always relied on these two alchemical artifacts to function.
of course.
The books that Dumbledore has placed on his desk are certainly not the original Book of Admission; they are perhaps just copies connected to it. After all, the Book of Admission and the Pen of Acceptance have always been kept in a locked little tower that no student has ever visited.
"His condition is not normal!"
Snape stood in the center of the office, his expression showing a hint of lingering fear. "Occlumency was completely ineffective. I tried it with all my might more than once."
"He said he could only sense my emotions, but I felt he could do much more than that, Albus. I have never seen such an unreasonable act of Legilimency."
Snape's eyes were fixed on Dumbledore.
"As it turns out, some people are indeed more outstanding than imagined, Severus. I think you should understand that." Dumbledore's expression remained unchanged.
He had clearly noticed something unusual about Ian long ago.
"I've seen natural Legilimency users before, but none of them possess such domineering aggression. His talent is far too dangerous!"
Snape's expression was extremely serious and earnest, his voice carrying a hint of barely concealed worry, and his gaze never left Dumbledore.
The look in that eyes, which seemed to want to devour Dumbledore whole, made Dumbledore sit up straight, feeling somewhat uneasy.
"Being gifted is not necessarily a bad thing."
Dumbledore's voice remained gentle.
"We had a plan! He just needed to attend school normally, graduate, and live a normal life! Damn it! You're going to bring that guy to the school next year!"
"At this stage, the last thing he needs is extraordinary talent; he just needs to live an ordinary life like those mediocre students, without anything particularly exciting!"
Snape always seemed to be gritting his teeth when he spoke.
"I think Mr. Prince's life is not for any of us to decide for him." Dumbledore could understand Snape's slightly post-traumatic stress disorder reaction.
but.
He disagreed with Snape's arrangement, saying, "This is a right that even parents don't have. I know what you're thinking, but I advise you to give up that idea."
Dumbledore stared directly at Snape.
Snape remained silent.
After a while.
He will hate you.
Dumbledore spoke softly.
Do you think I would care?
Snape chuckled.
"Severus, if the long years have taught me anything, it's that you should never assume you're absolutely right. It's incredibly foolish to try to influence someone else's life with your own will."
"No amount of magic can change the evil consequences of such actions." Dumbledore's silver glasses reflected the lamplight on the table and Snape's figure.
"We are all losers, so what right do we have to decide what the right way to live is?" Dumbledore's words made Snape's expression change like a Sichuan opera face-changing act.
"You are no loser, the greatest wizard in the world, the headmaster of Hogwarts. Even now, many in the wizarding world fear your power."
"Albus, excessive humility only makes you seem hypocritical."
Snape snorted coldly, speaking without any politeness.
Dumbledore shook his head noncommittally.
"In fact, I'm telling you about his existence not so that you can change anything about him; on the contrary, I want to see you change because of it."
"Severus, it's you who needs him, not the other way around."
Dumbledore's words greatly annoyed Snape.
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
Snape raised his voice several octaves.
Dumbledore simply smiled in response.
"I don't need you to dictate my life!"
Snape stared into Dumbledore's eyes.
"No matter what you're up to, you need to swear to me, make an unbreakable vow, and tell me he's not part of your plan."
Snape clearly didn't particularly trust Dumbledore.
"First of all, you and many others have overestimated my intelligence. Secondly, if this makes you feel at ease... then of course."
Dumbledore shrugged helplessly and drew his wand from the side—in this magical world, an unbreakable oath is an important magical rule.
It requires two people to point wands at each other and recite their vows in the presence of a witness. Once the vow is spoken and accepted, it forges an almost unbreakable bond between the two. If the one who made the vow attempts to break it, they will pay a heavy price.
Are you satisfied now?
Put the wand away again.
Dumbledore, however, showed no anger whatsoever.
"I don't know what you're thinking, actually trying to put that guy in the school, but anyway, I hope you can do what the headmaster of Hogwarts should do."
"Protect the safety of every student."
Emboldened by the unbreakable oath, Snape's expression finally softened. However, he clearly harbored some dissatisfaction and doubt regarding certain of Dumbledore's decisions.
"That's my duty."
Dumbledore's voice was steady and powerful.
It gives people a sense of trustworthiness.
"I'll keep an eye on that guy after he comes in."
Snape tossed his robes, turned and walked away with a long face, his figure quickly disappearing from the office—Dumbledore looked down again at the copy of the Book of Admission on his desk.
"Dumbledore! Snape has really changed!"
"Indecisive! A disgrace to Slytherin! I feel he should have gone to Hufflepuff!"
"I'd really like to see that child. Severus's Occlumency technique has always been formidable, yet he has a natural-born Legilimency that even he finds terrifying?"
"No matter how talented you are, can you compare to me? Hogwarts has never lacked exceptionally talented students!"
……
After Snape left.
The group of former Hogwarts headmasters on the wall began a lively, chattering discussion. The noisy atmosphere, however, did not disturb Dumbledore's thoughts.
He gently raised his hand again and flicked it, and the books on the table quickly opened.
It's still the same name.
Still lost in thought.
Aurora Grindelwald
After seeing the name appear in the Book of Admission for the first time, Dumbledore went to Nurmengard to see an old friend, whose surname was clearly from the first Dark Lord.
Gellert Grindelwald.
The person in the Book of Admission is not a direct descendant of Gellert Grindelwald, but is a blood relative who, for some unknown reason, inherited Gellert Grindelwald's rare talent.
In fact.
Just a short while ago.
The lessons Dumbledore taught Snape were ideas that had been slightly altered and influenced by his visit to Gellert Grindelwald.
"Albus, our failures stem from our desire to change too many things and too many people, without realizing that we are merely more powerful wizards."
"Wizards can deflect fate, but they should not attempt to determine it... Right now, I only want this child to embark on her own path as a wizard, guided by my reflections."
This is Gellert Grindelwald's original quote to Dumbledore.
It even carried a hint of pleading.
It was really hard for Dumbledore to refuse.
however.
The reason Dumbledore is still hesitant and doubtful is that he really can't tell whether Gellert Grindelwald has any other purpose in his words.
Indeed.
Gellert Grindelwald might not lie to him, but he was certainly capable of doing things that misled him. Perhaps no one in the world understood the art of language better than Gellert Grindelwald.
Previously, he would say that he was not as smart as others imagined. This was not Dumbledore's modesty or so-called hypocrisy. He had many regrets in his life because of his own cleverness.
Therefore.
Dumbledore would only resonate with the two passages above from Gellert Grindelwald.
And that is precisely why.
That's why Dumbledore was worried about what kind of trouble Gellert Grindelwald was up to now.
It's no wonder he's suspicious.
Mainly.
After many years in Nurmengard, Gellert Grindelwald had changed far more than Dumbledore had imagined. Dumbledore remembered that Gellert Grindelwald's biggest change occurred that year.
"1979..."
It happened on a certain day of that year.
The dejected Gellert Grindelwald seemed to have rediscovered his former high spirits. It was the first time in many years that Dumbledore had been so surprised that he went to Nurmengard to see his old friend.
"Dumbledore, I hope you can witness this world change with me, rather than try to stop it from changing."
"You can stop me, stop many things, stop that clown named Tom, but, Albus, neither you nor I can stop the rise of a legend."
That was the year.
As if he had regained his vitality, he even decorated his living space and ate steak. Gellert Grindelwald, who seemed to be twenty or thirty years younger, gave Dumbledore a meaningful...admonition.
And this year.
It was the year the children born in 1979 started school.
"The legend you speak of, is it your descendant?" Dumbledore raised his hand and gently stroked the name on the Book of Admission, his soft murmur probably only audible to himself.