Chapter 4: First Meeting with Albus Dumbledore
Ezio was ready to leave. Before his departure, he had already handled all necessary preparations.
He deleted the email, deleted the account, and destroyed the computer's hard drive. He erased as many traces of himself as he possibly could. In a world without highly advanced artificial intelligence, such methods of destruction were more than sufficient.
In addition to the broken spear the System had just awarded him, Ezio prepared other tools to carry on his person.
A pair of Hidden Blades, a dozen throwing knives, a miniature crossbow with matching bolts, several smoke bombs and stun grenades, potent poisons, tranquilizers, and other assorted items. He also had an assassin's cloak, a reward from the System, that significantly reduced his presence when the hood was raised. And, of course, there was an Ingram MAC-11 suppressed machine pistol, modified by a master gunsmith.
As a modern assassin, Ezio was not averse to using firearms. At the hidden training ground, he had fired at least thirty thousand rounds with precision, mastering everything from pistols to sniper rifles.
In certain situations, a gun was far more effective than a throwing knife or a hidden blade.
Retrieving two gas cans, Ezio walked with them through every corner of the house. He took one last moment to feel the remnants of Giovanni's smiles and laughter that lingered in the building. Unconsciously, his eyes grew slightly moist.
But he had to say goodbye. He couldn't let anyone find him. With his current strength, he had no confidence he could kill the enemies who might come after him.
His fight with Snape had been won largely due to the element of surprise. Against a prepared wizard, Ezio knew he would be at a severe disadvantage.
Destroying all traces was essential. After all, the person who killed Giovanni was very likely a wizard, and wizards could search memories.
Ezio was not a wizard; he was just an agile ordinary person, at most skilled in the refined arts of assassination.
Ten minutes after Snape's departure, Ezio had completed all his preparations. He dragged a trail of gasoline from the doorway to act as a fuse, then turned to look silently at the house filled with his memories and joy.
"You don't have to do this, my boy."
An aged but gentle voice spoke from behind him. Ezio, whose skills were now no less than his father Giovanni's, hadn't even sensed when the person had arrived.
But he did not spin around in alarm. Instead, he stood his ground, saying nothing.
After a long moment, Ezio silently took out a box of matches and struck one.
The flame instantly surged forward, burning along a fiery line dozens of meters long. Gasoline is highly volatile. There was a chance of a flashover upon contact with fire. Keeping his distance was a necessary safety precaution.
"You mean to say that you can protect me, is that right?"
Ezio turned. Behind him, in the distance, the fire was spreading with incredible speed. It wouldn't be long before the burning house was reduced to a pile of rubble.
Ezio saw the old man standing five meters away. His silvery-white beard was long and elegant, swaying gently in the breeze. Behind half-moon spectacles rested a pair of clear, bright blue eyes.
"Yes, my child. As long as you are a student at Hogwarts, I can guarantee that no one will harm you."
"But I will graduate eventually, won't I?" Ezio said calmly. "I will always need to be responsible for my future self. Isn't that right, Headmaster Dumbledore?"
"We can never guess what the future will hold. I understand how you feel, my child." Dumbledore nodded. He did not refute Ezio's words; he saw the simple, rustic truth in them. He knew better than most how perilous society could be.
"I came here because I wanted to ask you a question."
"Please, go ahead, Headmaster Dumbledore."
"If you find the person who murdered your father, what do you intend to do?"
"A blood debt must be paid in blood. Is there anything wrong with that?"
"But what if it was your father who first threatened them?"
"Then I will await their revenge upon me. Things must always reach a conclusion. That conclusion may be good or bad, but someone always has to pay the price."
This answer did not satisfy Dumbledore. He saw the boy's stubbornness, and he saw his resolve.
"If the most important person in your life were to die under mysterious circumstances, would you not want to find the answer, Headmaster?"
Ezio looked up at Dumbledore. His pure, clear eyes seemed to pierce Dumbledore's heart. He, too, had once had a cherished family member taken from him. Even after so many years, it remained a thorn in his heart, one that brought pain whenever it was touched.
'Ariana...'
Dumbledore said the name silently in his mind, his throat feeling a little dry.
"I don't know." Dumbledore slowly shook his head. He didn't want to say, nor did he want to think about it. Everyone's personality, experiences, and choices are different.
"But I know. I know what I must do. If Giovanni hadn't carried me home from the snow, I would have frozen to death on the steps of that orphanage ten years ago. He saved my life and gave me a happy, wonderful existence. But now, I can neither care for him in his old age nor place a bouquet of flowers on his grave."
"Then what if one day your birth—"
Before Dumbledore could finish, Ezio cut him off.
"Are you sure you want to ask me anything about the two people who tried to kill me ten years ago? Perhaps you didn't hear me clearly. It was winter, in the cold of December. They were determined to kill me, and they tried very hard to do so. They almost succeeded. I was less than six months old when Giovanni found me."
Any appeal to sentimentality was completely ineffective on Ezio. Even if Dumbledore somehow found his birth parents from this life, Ezio wouldn't spare them a single glance.
Dumbledore was at a loss for words. This was not the answer he had wanted, but it was one he could not refute, for it was a bloody, undeniable reality.
"So, are you here to ask me to attend your school? Or did you just come to watch the show?"
"If you came to watch, you can leave now. I need to get to London and find a place to stay."
"I did indeed come to invite you to study at Hogwarts." Dumbledore sighed faintly. "However, I need you to make me a promise."
"I will not attack any student at school. Even if they provoke me, I will only retaliate in a reasonable manner."
Ezio's answer was decisive; he knew what guarantee Dumbledore wanted. "My hands are clean. They have never been stained with a single drop of blood. Oh, except for Professor Snape. I mistook him for a bad guy."
"Ah, yes, Severus... He was furious when he returned." Dumbledore spread his hands helplessly. When Snape had come to find him, he had been grinding his teeth in a terrible temper.
"It seems we have a pleasant agreement." Ezio glanced at Dumbledore. "So, are we leaving now? Wizards can teleport, and you can take someone with you, right?"
"Of course. But before we go, I have something for you. You saw the acceptance letter, I trust? There is one detail not written inside. For students facing financial hardship, Hogwarts provides a bursary." Dumbledore handed him a small money pouch that jingled as if filled with coins.
"Thank you for your kindness. But if I may be so bold as to ask, does the wizarding world accept Pounds Sterling or gold?"
"We use golden Galleons, silver Sickles, and bronze Knuts. However, Gringotts Wizarding Bank offers a currency exchange service. Hogwarts students are entitled to exchange up to one hundred Galleons' worth of Pounds per year. The goblins are very fond of gold, so there is no limit on the exchange between gold and Galleons."
"Come, take my hand." Dumbledore extended his left arm. "We can go to Diagon Alley now."
Ezio whistled. Neil swooped down from the sky, and in an instant, the two humans and one bird vanished.