Hogwarts: Starting with full Unforgivable Curses

Chapter 104: Patronus Charm and Loyalty Charm Taught by Old Deng

"Professor Dumbledore, what time of year is it?"

"Summer Solstice, right?"

"So, do you think it will snow heavily at Hogwarts tomorrow?"

"Based on the laws of nature, I think that's unlikely."

Dumbledore stood by the window, his figure outlined by the warm sunlight, his eyes behind his half-moon glasses looking through the clear glass window at the blue sky in the distance.

At this time, the sunlight poured down without reservation, and the temperature in the air was gradually rising.

——After tomorrow’s year-end banquet, students will start to enjoy the wonderful time of summer vacation. It is very unlikely to snow at this time of year.

Dylan's mouth curled up slightly when he heard this.

"That's it. The temperature tomorrow seems to be even higher. How could it possibly snow?"

Dylan glanced at Dumbledore's back, but his eyes were completely unfocused.

"But shouldn't this also be considered as us predicting the future?"

"Oh? That's an interesting statement."

There was a flicker of surprise in Dumbledore's eyes.

Although he had never taught Dylan personally, he was always there for him, whether it was when he was arguing with Severus or communicating with Minerva.

He had heard so much about Dylan's various deeds.

In fact, he had long wanted to have a good talk with the little wizard.

The first time Hagrid came to him for help, just so that the little wizard could raise Shadow, he became curious about the little wizard.

He also asked Hagrid to tell Dylan that he hoped he could visit him when he was free.

——If you don’t want to say thank you, at least say hello, right?

As a result, the little wizard didn't take his principal seriously at all. After getting the license to raise Wuying, he completely forgot about the principal who had helped him.

Dumbledore was just a little surprised and curious about this, because there had never been a little wizard who would completely ignore him after getting his help.

——Most of the little wizards would be a little nervous and come to visit him like a group of timid quails.

In fact, no little wizard would have the chance to step into his office.

Dumbledore would not be angry about this.

And then, more and more things happened about Dylan.

He solved the giant monster alone again - this was a little hard to understand for him.

He studied very hard, and almost every professor was invited by him to have private lessons with him. Moreover, he had a very good reputation among every professor who taught him privately.

——Even Severus was willing to spend a large amount of time every week to guide this little wizard.

This made Dumbledore more and more curious about Dylan.

Because of his negligence, Hogwarts produced a Dark Lord.

This time, another extremely talented young wizard appeared, and he didn't want the other party to follow Tom's old path.

——Even though he had previously used the Mirror of Erised to reflect Dylan's true heart.

Even this time, he used the Philosopher's Stone to once again prove that Dylan was unlikely to become the same as Tom.

But he still couldn't help wanting to have a face-to-face communication with the little wizard.

He always believed that words are an important way to influence a person's thinking.

"Go on." Dumbledore looked at Dylan with a kind look.

Dylan didn't hold back: "I think it's pretty easy to understand what it means to predict the future."

"Just as we can infer from the morning glow that it might not rain today, we can also infer from the dense dark clouds that it might rain today, perhaps accompanied by a strong wind."

"This is the objective law of the development of things. By acquiring information and understanding the law, we will naturally be able to predict the future."

"So, isn't divination, to some extent, about leveraging a person's talent and magical powers to uncover information that would normally be difficult to detect, thereby predicting the possible future direction?"

Dylan directly told Dumbledore his most fundamental understanding of divination.

"In fact, Professor, in the Muggle world, those Muggles who don't know any magic and don't have any magical powers can also use their own methods to predict many things."

"To put it bluntly, they are idiots who know nothing about magic, but Professor, everyone has their own way out."

"Although Muggles can't do magic, they can do divination - weather forecast is one of them."

Dumbledore's chest vibrated when he heard this and he laughed out loud.

"For example, death, is it something everyone can foresee?"

Dylan pursed his lips and smiled slightly: "Of course."

"I have to say, Dylan, you have a very unique idea."

Dumbledore left the window and slowly walked to the bookshelf filled with magical objects, gently stroking an ancient and worn book.

"I've never really believed that divination is real, and I don't believe that tea leaves or crystal balls that look like they're just for show can influence a person's true destiny."

"In my opinion, divination is simply a method of predicting the future based on known information. Your statement coincides with my thoughts."

"It's just..." Dumbledore paused and withdrew his hand from the book, "I know that Divination is real."

This was something he had to admit.

His life and destiny have been verified by divination - or in other words, divination has had a great influence on him.

"Is it because of your friend?" Dylan asked.

Dumbledore's eyes were tinged with reminiscence, and then he nodded: "Yes, my former friend."

Dylan almost twitched his lips.

The statement is quite rigorous.

But he also wanted to see if he could pry some information about Grindelwald out of Dumbledore.

Dylan then asked, "Regarding your...former friend, did he predict anything?"

Dumbledore returned to his seat.

"Yes, he predicted great trouble—great trouble in both the Muggle and Wizarding worlds."

"In order to solve this problem and prevent the wizards of the magical world from perishing because of it, he devoted his entire life to it."

——Even he was attracted by the young man's high spirits at that time, and fell in love with him. He gave everything for him and worked hard with him to try to achieve this goal.

"That sounds like a rather dangerous and difficult prophecy."

"Yes, he is a natural fortune teller. Sometimes I wonder if he wasn't."

Dumbledore sighed, but did not intend to continue talking in depth. Instead, he changed the subject.

"Dylan, do you think the results of divination are necessarily correct?"

Dylan blinked. "That must be too absolute. The result of a divination is usually closely related to the fortune teller's talent."

"The more gifted the fortune teller, the more likely their predictions will align with what's likely to happen in the future, and the more accurate they are."

"Also, everyone has different talents for divination. Some can see images, some can hear sounds, and some can divine unknown information to predict the future..."

At this time, Dumbledore asked, "What about you? I heard from Professor Trelawney that you seem to have a strong talent for divination."

"I……"

What nonsense is Professor Trelawney talking about? She even brought it up in front of Old Dumbledore.

Dylan smacked his lips.

However, he also knew that this was most likely the result of Old Dumbledore specifically asking Professor Trelawney.

"My gift is quite direct, allowing me to foresee certain fragments of the future without having to know too many details."

"I've tried to change some of my thoughts and behaviors, and the picture of the future has changed accordingly."

"Obviously, the future isn't set in stone—at least not in my case."

Dumbledore nodded slightly. His long white beard made him look harmless and made people want to lower their guard.

But Dylan kept his eyes on the nose and his nose concerned, sitting obediently on the bench and answering old Deng's questions honestly.

"So the future must be changeable, right?"

"No, perhaps some futures are destined to be unchangeable—no matter how hard you try."

Dylan replied, "Some fortune tellers have the gift of making accurate predictions, predictions that cannot be changed."

"Whether you work hard or not, everything you do is driving the events predicted in this prophecy."

Dumbledore narrowed his eyes at Dylan's words. Exact words?
A very suitable example is Tom.

After the prophecy appeared that year, didn't Tom choose to believe that half of the prophecy, which eventually turned him into a broken soul?

However, this is what Tom did after he chose to believe the prophecy.

——What if he hadn't chosen to attack Harry back then?

"Prophecies of the future are merely supplementary to the present. If you don't trust prophecies, your present will naturally not be affected by them."

Dylan said: "For example, I will only choose to trust the predictions made by my own divination - after all, who knows whether what others say is true or false?"

Dylan smiled and said, "Maybe someone came out and claimed to be a great fortune teller, specifically to trick me."

Dumbledore chuckled again when he heard this.

"Although you are only in your early teens, your thinking is already more mature than many adults."

"This may also be related to the fact that I read a lot of books. I love reading and learning."

Dylan smiled shyly and then took the initiative again: "I wonder if I could ask you a few questions, Principal?"

"Oh, of course."

Dumbledore blinked and sat up straight. "I was the one asking you questions, and you should have asked me some questions."

Seeing that Old Deng agreed, Dylan spoke slowly with the mentality that since he was already here.

"I've been wanting to research the Patronus Charm, including the Fidelius Charm—Professor Snape recently taught me Legilimency, so the effects of the Fidelius Charm are of particular interest to me."

"It seems you are making good progress with your studies of Legilimency and Occlumency."

Dumbledore curled his lips and chuckled, looking directly at Dylan.

However, the latter did not respond at all and just looked at the heels of his shoes.

What a vigilant little wizard.

Dumbledore said, "You are now fully qualified to learn these two spells, and I will be happy to teach them to you."

"The first is the Fidelius Charm - if you want to learn it, then you must know who is truly loyal to you."

"This is an extremely profound and sophisticated defensive spell. It can hide a secret deep within the heart of a secret-keeper chosen for you."

"Once the spell is cast successfully, no one can touch the secret, no matter what kind of magic detection is used, unless the secret keeper reveals it."

Dumbledore's voice was like the ringing of a mellow old bell, steady and magnetic.

"Imagine, Dylan, that you have a most cherished secret that you don't want anyone to know."

"By casting the Heart of Heart spell, you can lock this secret in an invisible safe, and the Secret Keeper is the only one who possesses the key."

Dumbledore paused slightly, his eyes darkened, and his tone slowed.

"Back then, the Order of the Phoenix cast a Fidelius Charm on their address to protect Harry and his friends."

"Tom, Voldemort, and his minions, even if they were close, would not be able to find the house, let alone harm the people inside."

Dylan blinked. He didn't expect that Old Deng would talk to him about what happened back then.

Although these things are not a secret, after all, those who should die have died, and those who should run away have run away.

But Dylan was still a little surprised that Old Dumbledore was talking about these things with a first-year wizard like him.

He continued, following Old Deng's words, "So if the secret-keeper betrays us, then the secret will be..."

Dumbledore sighed softly, a trace of regret flashing across his face.

"Yes, if the Secret Keeper betrays, the protection of this spell will instantly collapse, and the secret will be exposed without reservation."

"Therefore, choosing a secret-keeper must be done with extreme caution. This is a trust and the cornerstone of magic."

Dylan scratched his head, sat down on the chair, and leaned forward slightly: "Principal, I have another question."

"You said."

"Does a secret keeper have to be a human?"

Dumbledore was stunned for a moment, then the corners of his mouth turned up into a kind smile.

He folded his hands lightly in front of him and supported his chin.

"That's a very interesting question... Generally speaking, normal wizards wouldn't try to use the Fidelius Charm on anything else."

Dylan: (.)
Who are you cursing in a roundabout way?

Are you trying to say that his thinking is abnormal?

Thought is the forerunner of action, and theory is the guide to practice!
Without daring to imagine first, how can we break free from the reins of our thoughts and cross the fence in front of us?
You little old Deng!
Dylan's thoughts flashed through his mind, and he didn't dare to think too much about it.

It would be disastrous if Dumbledore could directly capture these emanating thoughts.

"Professor, why is this?" Dylan had an innocent expression on his face.

Dumbledore thought for a moment and said, "I wonder if you can understand me if I explain it in a more complicated way..."

"Just tell me." Dylan said seriously.

What a joke! When he was discussing the Transfiguration spell with Professor McGonagall, he often left Professor McGonagall speechless.

—For example, every time he wanted to discuss distortion.

Old Deng, how profound can you talk?

Aren’t you talking about language, but astronomy?
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and shrugged.

"Well, because humans possess more complex minds and stronger wills, the most basic prerequisite for achieving the powerful protection of the Fidelius Charm is that the Secret Keeper must be able to understand and uphold the secret."

"Only in this way can a solid magical link be established with the caster."

Dylan stroked his chin. "So, Professor, what you're saying is, if the secret-keeper doesn't understand the secret at all, or even if they do understand it but don't take it seriously, they're likely to accidentally reveal it?"

He suddenly thought of Hagrid.

——This is a guy who absolutely cannot be used as a secret keeper.

Instead of choosing Hagrid, you might as well choose a magical creature.

Dumbledore nodded. "That's right. Just like when you choose a magical creature, even if it understands the secret, its mind can be easily invaded."

"Then your secret will become untouchable and the most conspicuous one."

Having said that, Dumbledore paused, placed his palm on the table again, and tapped the table lightly with his fingers.

"Of course, if you can find a magical creature that is intelligent enough to communicate effectively with you and can hold secrets—theoretically, it could become the Secret-Keeper."

"I see." Dylan nodded slightly. "So... the Patronus Charm?"

Dumbledore's voice was like a gurgling stream, and it didn't feel harsh at all to Dylan's ears.

"The Patronus Charm is a very special and highly defensive magic. It is also our powerful weapon against darkness."

Dumbledore flicked his wand gently, and a silver phoenix flew out from the tip of his wand, circling gracefully around the room.

Dylan glared and looked straight over without even bothering to move his eyes.

"It allows you to summon a guardian spirit formed from your happy memories and strong will."

"This guardian spirit can help you resist attacks from dark creatures like Dementors, as well as other evil magic."

"—You know what a Dementor is, right? A creature that sucks away people's happiness and hope. Its existence plunges the world around it into endless darkness and despair."

"But when you summon your Patronus, it will be like a ray of light, dispelling the darkness and giving you strength and protection."

"The spell is not difficult to learn. The key is to focus on your happiness, love and hope."

"Think about the moments that make you feel incredibly happy, whether it's a warm moment with family, a genuine connection with friends, or the sense of accomplishment after completing a difficult task."

"When you recite the spell, you must pour all your attention and emotion into it. Then your magic will resonate with these beautiful memories and summon your own patronus."

Dumbledore raised his hand and gently touched the silver phoenix.

"Everyone's Patronus is unique, and its form reflects your personality, inner qualities, and deepest desires."

Dylan nodded.

He had some knowledge of the Patronus Charm and the Fidelius Charm, but his grasp of them was not profound, so his self-study progress was slow.

This time, thanks to Old Deng's detailed explanation, he gained a lot.

"Don't rush to try it. You can go back and experiment carefully."

Dumbledore smiled.

"Good professor."

(End of this chapter)