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That evening, Lynn practically charged out of the Principal's office clutching that notebook. As the door closed behind him, he even heard the portraits let out suppressed snickers.
Run—he had to run.
This was the first time in his life he truly understood the profound meaning of a "Principal's earnest teachings."
The verbal stamina Dumbledore displayed today was simply terrifying.
It all started this morning.
When Lynn accidentally let slip the word "Horcrux," Dumbledore's subsequent actions taught him exactly what it meant for "trouble to come from the mouth."
The old Principal didn't get angry, didn't interrogate him, and didn't even show any surprise.
He just slowly stood up, walked to the window, looked at the bright scenery outside the Castle, and let out a soft sigh.
"Child, I think we need to have a good talk."
Then, this "talk" turned into an eight-hour marathon of an ideological education class.
Dumbledore started from the origin of life—not in a biological sense, but on the level of magical philosophy.
Concepts like "Resonance with Life" and "The Uniqueness and Integrity of the Soul" were explained by the old Principal through one vivid metaphor after another.
"Imagine your soul is a unique painting, while a Horcrux is like a crude photocopy; every time you copy it, the colors and spirit of the original painting lose a bit of their essence."
Next was the meaning of life.
"Hufflepuff often says that integrity and loyalty are the cornerstones, but child, do you understand why these qualities are precious? Because they protect the complete self, a sincere embrace of life's journey..."
At first, Lynn sat upright, trying to maintain an attitude of "I am listening intently." But as the clock hand on the wall slowly crawled past one o'clock, his eyelids began to fight.
'Is it finally going to end? It's past lunchtime,' he grumbled internally; his stomach let out a growl right on cue.
Then he heard Dumbledore say,
"Ah, lunchtime is almost over. I think we won't go to the Great Hall; we can eat here while we continue our chat."
Continue?
Lynn watched as the old Principal waved his wand, and an incredibly lavish spread of dishes appeared out of thin air on the small round table in the center of the office:
"The House-elves have studied cuisines from all over the world," Dumbledore said with a smile as he pulled out a chair and sat down. "Child, we can taste these delicacies while exploring the relationship between 'power and responsibility'."
Lynn: "..."
He tried to struggle: "Principal, I have Professor Sprout's Herbology Class this afternoon, about..."
Dumbledore picked up a piece of roasted duck and waved his hand.
"I've already had Fawkes deliver a leave note to Pomona. She said she completely understands and even asked me to tell you to remember to find her for make-up lessons."
Lynn resignedly picked up his chopsticks.
Thus, Dumbledore began the afternoon session. This time, the theme was more specific:
"The reason the Dark Arts are dangerous is not only because of the harm they cause others, but more so because of the corruption they inflict upon the caster—it will twist your desires, cloud your judgment, and eventually turn you into a slave of power."
"And Horcruxes... splitting the soul to escape death, this is not only..."
Blah blah blah... The afternoon sun gradually slanted westward, and the light in the office became soft.
The House-elves cleared away the dishes and served black tea and lemon cakes. Dumbledore's topic shifted from the heavy Dark Arts to more metaphysical realms.
"People fear death, child—it is nature." The old Principal looked out at the sky turning golden-red.
"But fear often stems from the unknown. If you look at it from another perspective—death is but another great adventure, a journey that all life will eventually embark upon and from which no one returns—then does the obsession with immortality seem... narrow-minded?"
Lynn held his teacup and couldn't help but nod—he had to; he was almost dying of sleepiness, and besides, he really hadn't thought about making a Horcrux! When could he leave?!
When the Castle's evening bell finally rang, Dumbledore looked at Lynn, whose eyes were vacant and who was only staying upright thanks to Perfect Bodily Control, and showed his first truly relaxed smile of the day.
"Thank you for listening to this old man's rambling for so long, child."
He stood up and patted Lynn's shoulder.
"You may go back now. Remember—the Diadem of wisdom should crown a complete soul, not a shattered obsession."
Lynn felt as if he had been granted a great amnesty; he grabbed the notebook and prepared to run.
"Oh, and one more thing," Dumbledore added from behind him, "if you encounter anything similar to a 'Diadem' in the future, please be sure to inform me immediately. Of course, if you're willing to chat more, my office is always open."
Lynn acted as if he hadn't heard a thing, waved his hand without looking back, and rushed out the door.
Are you kidding? It's not even certain if Tom has any more Horcruxes, and even if he does, how could I possibly run into all of them...
Bang!
The dormitory door was once again treated roughly, slamming hard against the wall.
"I'm freaking back—!!!"
Lynn walked into the room, tossed the notebook onto the bed, slumped into his chair, and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Edgar, who was struggling with wizard chess, was so startled that his hand shook, and his knight smashed his own queen to pieces; William and Ollie both looked up from their books.
"Lynn?" Edgar was the first to react.
"Where have you been all day? You didn't answer when I called, and if the Professor hadn't said you took leave, we would have gone to the Principal."
When he noticed the notebook Lynn had tossed on the bed, his vision went dark.
"Wait, what's this now? Don't tell me you've brought back another 'Tom'?"
Lynn waved his hand.
"Don't mention it... I was in the Principal's office, receiving a whole day's worth of a deluxe three-in-one package of moral education, magical ethics, and life philosophy."
He sat up straight and rubbed his stiff face.
"As for this notebook—don't worry, it's not some creepy thing like Tom. This is 'compensation' from Headmaster Dumbledore because I handed over that 'artwork'."
"Compensation?" William pushed up his glasses and leaned in curiously. "The Principal gave it to you? What's inside?"
Lynn got up, took the notebook, and sat down at the desk. The warm lamplight fell on the dark brown cover as he opened the first page.
The handwriting came into view, recording some insights into basic Transfiguration.
"Wow," William said, looking at the notes, his inner top student instantly ignited. "This perspective is truly unique."
Lynn flipped through a few pages, his eyes gradually lighting up.
The further he went, the deeper the content became—and the more... unusual.
"'Firestorm'? I've never seen this spell in the library."
Lynn had a thought. [Record]
[Ding! Firestorm has been recorded]
Lynn's spirits lifted as he continued flipping pages.
"Water Prison Spell?"
[Ding! Water Prison Spell has been recorded]
For the rest of the time, the only sounds in the dormitory were the flipping of pages and occasional whispers.
"This 'Light and Shadow Weaving' is interesting, using light to weave brief, tangible creations..."
[Record]
"Eh? This 'Memory Replay,' projecting specific memory fragments as 3D images—and you can even adjust the perspective?"
[Record]
Lynn became more and more excited, almost completely forgetting his exhaustion from the day. If the Principal could give him another notebook, he'd be willing to be educated for another day.
Edgar and William also leaned in to watch, exclaiming in surprise from time to time—not at the notebook, but at Lynn.
Can you even see clearly flipping that fast?