Hogwarts: A Chinese-Style Professor

Chapter 310 The Elder Wand

“If your club needs me to attend—Horace, I will definitely go.”

Dumbledore quickly learned about the vault and made a guarantee—given Dumbledore's current power, the fact that he could make such a guarantee shows how much he valued this news.

After Horace left in high spirits, he looked at Livy meaningfully and said:

"Leave this to me, I'll check it out."

"Give it to you—?" Levi gave Dumbledore a similarly subtle look. "Won't something go wrong this time? I'm actually a little scared to let you handle Horcruxes alone."

"."

Dumbledore was silent for a while, seemingly not expecting to be treated this way. Whether from the outside world or in the eyes of the children of Hogwarts, who wouldn't feel at ease knowing that he was responsible for something?

However, Li Wei's doubts were indeed well-founded, so well-founded that Dumbledore could not refute them.
“This time I will be extremely careful—and you know there’s only one Deathly Hallow.”

There was no way the two of us could fit into a cloak that big.

Dumbledore tried to make a lighthearted joke.

"What, you're not going to hide it from me anymore?"

From the moment he saw the Resurrection Stone on Gaunt's ring, Levi was certain that the Deathly Trinity in the trio's story was real.

“You’re not as foolish as most people,” Dumbledore knew what Levy was referring to. “You’re not interested in this power, are you?”

He didn't know if Levi knew about his past with Gellert, that time when they desperately searched for the history of the Three Sacred Treasures.
All he knew was that Levi hadn't shown any desire for either the Resurrection Stone or the Death Cloak in Harry's possession.

This further convinced Dumbledore that Levi was not a fanatical pursuer of power—he seemed to be constantly improving himself, but disdained to rely on external objects or so-called legends.

In other words, his approach was perfectly orthodox in Dumbledore's eyes—he relied solely on the power derived from knowledge and diligent practice.

The crown, which would be fought over by wizards in the outside world, seemed to become merely a symbolic item after he obtained it. Its main purpose was to reward students and increase their motivation for ranking.
The more Dumbledore understood Livy, the more at ease he felt towards him, but at the same time, this ease couldn't help but give rise to worry.

He himself despised this kind of thinking that kept wavering between two sides.

"Not necessarily—I'm just not interested in the Resurrection Stone or the Grim Reaper's Cloak."

But if it's the invincible Elder Wand—if I get utterly defeated by a wizard wielding it, then I'd definitely care about it, wouldn't I?

Yes—yes—

Dumbledore's heart tightened.

But after only a second of hesitation, he suddenly admitted to Li Wei:

"The Elder Wand is with me—it's a secret, and I hope you won't tell anyone."

Li Wei showed no reaction on his face, but asked curiously:

"So it's really as invincible and omnipotent as described?"

“Perhaps—” Dumbledore said ambiguously, “but you should know who its previous owner was. He ultimately lost to me in a duel, which is why it ended up in my hands.”

“You’ve said something truly remarkable in such a casual way, Dumbledore.”

Li Wei clapped lightly with his fingertips, seemingly without sincerity, but with a smile on his face.

Both expressed sincerity in a somewhat abrupt and obvious way, but Dumbledore's approach was indeed more appealing to Levi than Horace's.

Why is that? Is it because Dumbledore's sincerity is even more precious?
Li Wei pondered the differences between them.

"Stop teasing me—besides, if something really happens to me one day, I hope you can continue to keep the Elder Wand."

Dumbledore opened the cabinet under his desk—he had so easily placed a treasure that could cause turmoil in the wizarding world in his office cabinet.

Li Wei showed no surprise, merely glancing at it before nodding and saying:

"An elder wand? The design is alright, but it reminds me of a dead man's head. I don't like it." Dumbledore didn't understand Levi's meaning and looked at him with a mixture of confusion and surprise—was he really not tempted at all?

Li Wei sensed his meaning, but simply joked lightly:

"So you should keep it yourself—isn't it said that every Elder Wand owner ends up in a bad way? Don't try to get me into trouble."

“I absolutely did not entrust it to you for that purpose!” Dumbledore said, unusually agitated. “No one is more entitled to it than you, except me. That’s just what I think.”

"Is that so? Then you should keep it safe yourself. I'll say it again, you're only a little over a hundred years old, and we won't die at the same time."

Or are you saying you absolutely have to commit suicide with Tom? Is that what you mean?

Dumbledore remained silent for a long while, then said listlessly and weakly:

"Li Wei, I've noticed that you're much more lively in your speech now than before."

"Yes, I've noticed that too. Perhaps this is just my original personality?"

Li Wei stood up to take his leave, and, with his hand on the back of the chair, continued speaking to Dumbledore:

"You helped me rediscover this part of my personality, so Dumbledore, you must take good care of yourself and not let my future gratitude go to waste."

After saying that, he turned and left without waiting for Dumbledore's response.

And what about Dumbledore?

He simply sat alone behind the large desk, maintaining the posture of watching them go, without moving for a long time.

"Take good care of yourself?"

How long has it been since anyone spoke to him like that?
There was once someone who viewed him with such sincere, even fervent, emotions.

But in the end, their friendship was tainted and fused by ambition and domination, eventually becoming unrecognizable, turning into distortion and regret.

Suddenly, I heard children's laughter.

Dumbledore snapped out of his reverie, got up, and looked out the window—the April sun was warm, the Black Lake shimmered with captivating light, and several younger students, carrying books, ran and laughed across the grass; the vibrant energy of youth almost seemed to penetrate the glass and seep in.

Life.

This word suddenly struck Dumbledore at that moment.

For a century, he was always accompanied by responsibility and never let his guard down.

The regret in my heart is like a scar that never heals, constantly dripping blood from my heart.

"Screech." Phoenix Fawkes had somehow landed on Dumbledore's shoulder, lowered his head and spat out a perfectly packaged lemon sorbet into his palm.

"Oh—thank you, Fox."

Dumbledore picked up a lemon sorbet and put it in his mouth.

A familiar sweet and sour taste melts on the tip of the tongue.

It was only the first time.

The sweetness was not masked by the complex bitterness rising in my heart.

"Maybe after it's all over, I can really do what Gellert said, put everything down, and travel the world with him?"

Do you think we can do it?

Fox flapped its wings and nodded.

(End of this chapter)