Hogwarts: A Chinese-Style Professor

Chapter 249 A Painful Past
"It might be a bit rude of me to say that."

Dumbledore stood up and placed his hand on Snape's trembling shoulder.

"But I don't think you can get the location of the Horcruxes from the Dark Lord—he's very secretive about it, he wouldn't even tell his most loyal servant, would he?"

Snape's body stopped trembling.

His voice grew increasingly firm:
"But having me as an inside man is definitely better than having no one at all, I think."

"Alright, with the two of us legends here, do we really need you to act as an inside man to take down Voldemort?"

Li Wei had recovered by this time, and said while rubbing his temples.

I didn't feel good just now.

Although Dumbledore's teamwork was extremely seamless, allowing him to almost perfectly adhere to the rules of the Time-Turner, the stronger the individual power, the more corrective the time will be when altering it.

A legendary wizard like him, even if he does nothing but simply travel back in time, creates spatial ripple effects that are tens or hundreds of times greater than those of an ordinary junior wizard.

Not to mention breaking the five-hour maximum rewind time limit and going back to two days ago to 'fight'.

Although only one Qilin was used, the altered celestial phenomena and the intense magical fluctuations at the moment the magic was activated must have interfered with things he hadn't observed to some extent.

However, this intervention was extremely minor, so he could use his control over time to forcefully suppress it, ensuring that the complete timeline did not go too far off track and create a second line, that is, a parallel world.

Li Wei neither accepts nor desires parallel worlds.

For him, if changing the world would create a second timeline, then everything would lose its meaning—he was already reluctant to give up everything he was experiencing and feeling at this moment.

"Li Wei."

Snape looked at Levi, who had spoken, and his resolve wavered even further.

Li Wei added fuel to the fire and continued:
"I've told you many times before, you're pushing yourself too hard—it turns out that the mysterious man will be resurrected one day, and you'll have to go back to his side as an inside man?"
So you're constantly using Occupy Central to shut down your thoughts, constantly thinking about fabricating memories and senses, and you've even distorted yourself.

Snape listened to Levi's words and fell into deep thought, not even paying attention to the other's comment that he was twisted.

Dumbledore stepped back to his seat at the opportune moment, leaving the two of them to talk—he felt that Livy would be more suitable than himself to act as the persuader.

Snape, of course, knew his senses and his thoughts.

But after the Regulus incident, Dumbledore gradually came to his senses and understood some things.

Snape's reason for seeking him out after James and Lily's deaths appears to be to protect their only offspring—Harry.

But in reality, he probably felt the same pain as Regulus did back then, right?
When loyal Death Eaters discover that the Dark Lord is so cruel and inhuman, and that it is so painful to have one's loved ones killed by him, those who still have a conscience will naturally think of turning back.

But he was a despicable man—he took advantage of Snape's guilt and pleas to push him back to the villain he feared and hated.
"Let's talk about this later—if you haven't collected all the Horcruxes by the time the Dark Lord returns."

Snape turned and left.

Seeing the intact oak door closed, Dumbledore subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed completely.

Now, only when he is alone with Li Wei can he feel comfortable exposing his weaknesses.

"I didn't expect you to be so bold."

Dumbledore suddenly said something out of the blue, but Livy knew what he meant.

"Everything is under control, isn't it?"

Li Wei leaned back slightly in his chair and said with amusement:
"Or are you going to take me to Azkaban for abusing the Time-Turner?"

“What?” Dumbledore looked at Livy with surprise and shook his head. “I’m not so senile as to betray someone who helps me.”

"..." Dumbledore pursed his lips, and Li Wei's image was reflected in his azure eyes.

He said with utmost sincerity and honesty:
"Thank you, Li Wei—I may have thought this more than once, but I may have always forgotten to express it—whether it's about Sirius, or about me, or about everything that happened at Hogwarts."

"I wanted to tell you that everything has been so much better since you came." "That's a bit cheesy."

Li Wei reached out to stop Dumbledore from continuing—it was too sentimental and didn't fit his previous confrontational relationship with Dumbledore at all.

The two of them seemed to get along very peacefully, but the internal ideological conflict had long been so intense that it was about to erupt like sparks.

“Oh—” Dumbledore responded somewhat sadly, “but I am truly grateful.”

"If you want to show your sincerity—"

Dumbledore's heart suddenly began to race—was there still no way to escape?
"Tell me why you got injured this time."

really.

Dumbledore suddenly felt a little uncomfortable sitting down and quietly adjusted his posture.

Li Wei was still attacking.

"I've investigated the Gauntlet's old house. Apart from the place where that Horcrux is stored, there's no other magical arrangement there."

Unlike that cave, which was filled with so many traps and could subtly influence a person's spirit, this cave was not like that cave.

Livy's words were self-evident—Dumbledore had consciously stepped into this trap this time.

At the very least, his soul remains unaffected.

"Okay—I've actually mentioned this to you before."

Even though his heart had sunk because of past wounds.

Dumbledore didn't hesitate much and began to recount—what Livy had done was worth it all.

Even if it meant he had to reopen his wound.
“I have a sister—her name is Ariana—she is an Obscurial. I told you about this last year, do you remember?”

Li Wei nodded quietly without interrupting.

"After graduation, I abandoned all glory and returned to that secluded valley to take care of Ariana."

It was there, during my most painful time, that I met Gellert Grindelwald. Those were the happiest days of my life—even now, thinking back, it all seems like sunlight filtering through leaves, shimmering and sparkling.

Dumbledore paused for a long time, so long that Levi almost thought he wouldn't continue.

"Then Gellert and I had a disagreement. Our differences grew regarding the future and whether or not to 'get rid of' Ariana, and an argument inevitably broke out. Wands lit up, spells flew, and chaos ensued. Then, my brother Aberforth joined in. A flash of light appeared before my eyes, accompanied by screams."

Dumbledore closed his eyes in anguish.

"A spell from an unknown source struck Ariana."

Dumbledore extended his trembling right hand and slowly released it, from which two black gem fragments fell.

“Gaunt’s ring itself held no appeal for me—but the gemstone set in it, called the Resurrection Stone, was something Tom probably didn’t know about, which is why he just left it there so carelessly.”

"I know it might be fraught with traps. But I also know it might allow me to see Ariana again. I want to apologize to her in person."

"Enough, Dumbledore."

Li Wei sighed, got up and went to the tall but hunched old man, gently patting his back.

"Feel sorry."

"Do not--"

The quiet office was filled with the whispers of two people.

(End of this chapter)