"Once students get sorted into the four Houses, they're immediately branded with a label. That's why, as I said before, aside from special circumstances, there's no real conflict between the young witches and wizards themselves. It's just that everyone else does it, so they follow along."
"Second, this system subtly hypnotizes every student, especially during the Sorting. It practically brainwashes every new student. They're told, 'You're not smart, so you're in Hufflepuff,' and that thought burrows into their minds the moment they arrive. But what if you're actually just an honest and loyal sort?"
"Or, you're sorted into Slytherin because you're cunning, ambitious, and strong-willed."
"And then you hear, 'Look, that one's a Slytherin, so they're naturally evil. We Gryffindors, being righteous and all, should teach them a lesson.'"
"'Professor Dumbledore, how many Gryffindors actually believe that?'"
"Just pick a fight, trade a few insults, and suddenly you have a full-blown rivalry. This is simply the blind obedience of Muggles—I mean, people."
"In fact, Salazar's dear friend Godric himself once described him as a 'just and righteous' person."
"The more you study the history of magic, the more ridiculous the whole House system seems."
At this, Snape nodded in agreement, though he was already planning to take points from Gryffindor later. A matter of principle, you see.
"'Are Slytherins truly born evil?'"
Dudley threw out another question.
"During my time in Slytherin, besides a bit of cheek, being nosy, and a tendency to suck up to the powerful, things were actually alright. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. Some of the older students, like Carro, were even quite reasonable."
"As for Slytherins being evil because they study the Dark Arts... well, you might want to ask that Dark Lord if he's as knowledgeable as the 'greatest white wizard' here."
"Of course, there are some truly rotten eggs, but they are a very, very small minority."
"And the whole Slytherin tendency to curry favor with the powerful? That's mostly due to their family and upbringing. A wizard's environment has a massive impact on their development."
"It's not that these young wizards naturally possess these traits; it's that once they're in a House, their minds gradually conform to its ideals."
"Stay in Slytherin, and then stay in Gryffindor for a few years, and the same person will come out completely different. The Muggle tale of Mencius's mother moving three times proves just how much environment affects a child."
Dudley's well-reasoned argument left the Headmaster and the professor completely stunned. They had never considered any of this before.
"And then there's Hogwarts's teaching philosophy. I don't know what you think, Professor Dumbledore, but I absolutely don't agree with it."
"The teachers at Hogwarts generally don't care about the rivalry between the four Houses. As long as it isn't too obvious, they simply turn a blind eye, ignore it, and never try to stop it. In other words, they do nothing."
"But doing nothing is just letting it happen! It's enabling it! This is a breeding ground for dark things like bullying, or what Muggles call 'school violence.'"
"Students come to Hogwarts to be educated. So what is the purpose of education? At its very core, it's about building a person's character! Teaching knowledge without teaching good behavior is a failed system."
"Especially since young wizards come to Hogwarts at an age when their values are still being shaped. They spend far more time here than they do at home, aside from the summer and winter holidays. You have seven years to build their character, and it's all just wasted."
"Look at Slytherin, it's become a waiting room for Death Eaters. One signal from a certain someone, and they all just fall in line."
"This is Hogwarts, the most famous magical school in Europe, which pretty much educates all of the young witches and wizards on the continent. Yet, the people who graduate from here are the ones who join the enemy, and in massive numbers, no less... does that seem right? Clearly, it's not!"
"Muggles would laugh their heads off if you told them this. It seems like Hogwarts teaches a lot, yet it does nothing at all. You point out that they're doing something wrong, but you don't teach them the right way to do it. Basically, these wizards are so culturally deprived that they don't know how to raise the next generation. They run a school that only teaches magic, not how to be a person."
"This leads to a generation of witches and wizards with all sorts of questionable values. Dumbledore, you might be a brilliant wizard, but when it comes to teaching the next generation, you're not very good at it."
Dudley's words had a profound effect, leaving Dumbledore deep in thought. At that moment, he saw a glimmer of another person in Dudley's face, and he couldn't help but ask, "So what do you propose we do?"
Dumbledore was completely captivated. He'd been curious from the start, but now he was truly absorbed. He'd thought Dudley was special the first time they met, but he had no idea he was this extraordinary.
If you were to ask Dudley, he'd tell you that he was just standing on the shoulders of giants. The ideas he was talking about have been around for ages.
"I have three plans: a high-level one, a medium-level one, and a low-level one."
"My high-level plan is to smash the rules, get rid of the bad habits, and forbid all discrimination. We would merge the four Houses, managing and teaching everyone together to get rid of the divisions."
"Education for all! Education doesn't distinguish between high and low, noble and common; everyone is treated the same! Every young witch and wizard is their own person, and we should get rid of these labels we've slapped on them!"
"We would teach them both knowledge and how to be decent people, truly devoting ourselves to raising the next generation properly."
His voice was firm and powerful. If this plan succeeded, the wizards they produced would surely become the pillars of the magical world.
Merging the four Houses of Hogwarts was a bold idea that not even the most radical thinkers would have imagined.
After a long silence, Dumbledore shook his head with a look of regret. "I'm sorry... I can't do that."
"This is a rule set by the four great founders of Hogwarts. I only have the authority of the Headmaster; I would need the authority of all four of them to do something like this."
Dumbledore was the Headmaster of Hogwarts, but that was all. It wasn't just a matter of authority; there were far too many restrictions on him.
"My medium-level plan: a reform of the school system."
The idea was the same: break the old rules and establish a new order.
"I'm sorry, Dudley, I can't do that one either..." Dumbledore shook his head once more.
The man they called the greatest white wizard seemed so limited in what he could do, and Dudley's brow furrowed. It made him wonder if this man was truly the most powerful wizard in the world.
After a moment of pensive silence, Dudley spoke again:
"I have a low-level plan..."
"We create a Disciplinary Squad!"
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