Chapter 184: A Second "Trip" with Dumbledore
At eight in the evening, Wade arrived outside the Headmaster's office. The grotesque stone gargoyle tilted its head, staring at him.
"Sherbet lemon," Wade said.
The stone beast moved aside, and Wade ascended the spiral staircase, which slowly rose. He then saw the oak door with a brass knocker.
Wade rapped on the knocker, and the door quietly opened. He stepped inside and saw Dumbledore in the room, bent over something. A large table was set before him, and the Sorting Hat sat nearby.
The walls were covered with portraits of former headmasters, and as Wade entered, he heard them all chattering loudly.
When the door opened, all sounds ceased, and the many portraits simultaneously looked at him.
If it weren't for the Headmaster's office being bright as day and the eternally burning candles emitting a warm glow, this scene would have been quite eerie.
Dumbledore's Phoenix stood on the brass ring from which the candles hung. Compared to last year, it looked ancient and sparse-feathered now, appearing close to death.
"Oh, Wade, you're right on time."
Dumbledore stood up and said, "Come see, I got a very interesting toy today."
"Good evening, Professor Dumbledore. Is this..."
As Wade spoke, he walked over, only to see several magical pets on the table.
Tiny Phoenixes, Dragons, Pegasi, and a Re'em—some were drinking water, some were playing, and some were resting. Each pet had an exquisite little nest.
A Wizard of the same size, wearing a pointy hat, lived among them, next to a whimsical mushroom house from whose chimney even delicate white smoke gently wafted.
They seemed to live in a real, miniature countryside.
The Wizard was arguing with the Dragon—
Dragon: "Move forward a bit, I don't have any room!"
Wizard: "I was here first, you go over there!"
Dragon: "How much space do you even need! Just squeeze in!"
Wizard: "Fine, fine, you can have all the space, alright!"
The thumb-sized Wizard huffily walked to the side, and the Dragon then giggled and came over to apologize.
The Re'em also tried to mediate: "Alright, alright, don't argue. It's just that the master gave us too little space, otherwise, we wouldn't have to squeeze like this."
"If I had money, I'd want a nest made of gold," the Phoenix said melancholically. "This wooden house always feels like it's about to burn down, so I don't even dare to move."
Pegasus: "ZZZ..."
"Don't make it hard for our master!" the Dragon said. "It's not his fault he doesn't have money; he's already working hard to provide a good environment for us. Master, don't be sad, I still love you!"
It looked up at Dumbledore, and then politely nodded at Wade: "Hello, Young Wizard."
Dumbledore couldn't help but smile. He stroked his magnificent beard, which was tied with a bow.
"Look at these adorable little fellows; they've added so much joy to my life," Dumbledore said. "I hear this is your invention?"
"Yes," Wade answered simply.
"Excellent, Wade... simply delightful. Fawkes and the Sorting Hat love them too; those two could chat with these little ones all day..."
Dumbledore said with a slight hint of exasperation, "It's just that they always hint for me to buy them things. Is there any way to fix that?"
Wade: "...I'm sorry, Professor. The pets' personalities are formed during their creation; it's not impossible to change them. But that would essentially be killing the current one."
At these words, the mini pets immediately hid back in their houses. The Re'em only left its rear end sticking out.
The Dragon and Wizard, who had been lying on the lawn, stopped arguing. They clung to each other, trembling, looking at the two with terrified, pleading eyes.
"N-no..." the Wizard stammered, "I don't want to die..."
The Dragon nodded frantically.
"In that case, never mind," Dumbledore said. "Actually, their current money-loving personalities are still quite amusing."
The pets all sighed in relief, and soon after, began playing again without a care.
"Ravenclaw is quite good, isn't it? I still remember you telling me you wanted to go to Hufflepuff."
The Sorting Hat suddenly spoke: "But I believe I placed you in the most suitable house, Wade Gray. You are simply a born Ravenclaw."
"Thanks," Wade said grumpily. "But I believe even if I were in Hufflepuff, I could still achieve great things. Knowledge doesn't differ based on the house."
The Sorting Hat immediately fell silent, its tip twisting slightly, giving the impression it was contemplating how to retort.
Fawkes suddenly let out a squawk, as if mocking the Sorting Hat. Then, several feathers fell from its tail. Wade smoothly caught them and placed them on the table.
"Keep them," Dumbledore said. "Phoenix Feather is very useful whether for making Wands, brewing Potions, or for Alchemy. Don't let Fawkes's appearance fool you; its tail feathers still contain powerful magic at this moment."
"Thank you, Professor. And of course, thank you, Fawkes."
Wade didn't bother with false modesty and put away the Phoenix Feather, a series of precious Potions or Alchemy products flashing through his mind.
"You're welcome," Dumbledore said. "I look forward to you bringing more surprises and changes. I imagine Terence feels the same way."
Terence was Professor Murray's name.
"Did you need me for something, Professor?" Wade asked.
He hadn't deliberately thought about what he'd been doing lately, but he'd prepared himself mentally before coming.
Since the burn marks in Little Hangleton village had made it into the newspapers, Dumbledore surely wouldn't have missed it.
The old headmaster had only recently taken Wade there for a tour, and shortly after, the Gaunt Family Home burned down. It was only natural for him to be suspicious.
Or perhaps Lupin had glimpsed the secret of the Horcrux from their two operations and, no longer daring to conceal it, reported it to Dumbledore.
Lupin had once been a member of the Order of the Phoenix, and it was only natural for him to trust Dumbledore more than Wade. Wade understood that perfectly.
Wade stood with his hand resting on the edge of the table, in a relaxed posture, awaiting an answer.
Dumbledore simply smiled faintly and said gently, "I imagine you still remember our last visit with that old friend, don't you?"
"Of course," Wade nodded. "Voldemort's rise was quite impressive. The most surprising thing to me was that he, a Half-blood, constantly emphasized Pure-blood supremacy."
"Because he detests the Muggle half of his bloodline within himself. At the same time, he needs it to attract like-minded followers and build his power," Dumbledore explained.
"Then why don't you publicly reveal his background in the newspapers?" Wade asked. "His followers are always advocating for Pure-blood glory. If they knew their master was actually a Half-blood..."
Wade didn't finish, but his meaning was clear.
Dumbledore couldn't help but chuckle, his deep gaze even holding a hint of indulgence, as if Wade were a naive and simple-minded child.
Wade pursed his lips unhappily, realizing he'd asked a very silly question.
Dumbledore said, "While few people know that Voldemort was formerly called Tom Riddle, in reality, he never specifically hid his background."
"His earliest followers, and the core Death Eaters, all knew that Voldemort had a shameful origin and a Muggle father, and they also knew he had personally killed his father."
"Voldemort himself doesn't shy away from mentioning these things. He relies on powerful magic to conquer his many followers. He believes he was born different and views Muggles as inferior beings, not considering himself to be the same species as them."
"This fact also hasn't shocked the Death Eaters. They never bring up Voldemort's Half-blood heritage; they even propagate that he is a Pure-blood descendant of Slytherin because they don't want their leader to have such a stain."
"Voldemort rules Wizards with the theory of Pure-blood supremacy, not acknowledging those born of Muggles; that is his ideology. And today, I want to take you to visit another old friend."
Dumbledore extended his hand.
"Ready to embark on another journey, Wade?"
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