Harry Potter: I started checking in from Diagon Alley

It would be strange if one weren't surprised to arrive at Hogwarts for the first time.

Harry smiled proudly at Eric and said, "Welcome to Hogwarts, Eric."

Eric naturally responded with a smile.

Afterwards, Harry, Alfred, and Lupin reluctantly parted ways and headed towards the Great Hall.

Eric followed closely behind Lupin, heading towards the principal's office located at the top of the main tower.

Chapter 48 Dumbledore's Legilimency

The main tower of Hogwarts is a very large cylinder.

When no one is climbing the tower's stairs, looking up from below, all you can see is a magnificent stone pillar standing in the very center, surrounded by a circular outer wall.

The exterior walls and stone pillars are covered with various paintings that depict Hogwarts' thousand-year history.

As Eric and Lupin continued upwards, staircases kept appearing from the stone pillars.

It's as if these staircases have a mind of their own, knowing when to pave the way for the wizard.

Even Lupin, who hadn't returned to Hogwarts for a long time, missed everything around him.

Lupin, familiar with the route, led Eric all the way to the eighth floor where the principal's office was located.

Before an ugly stone monster, Lupin whispered the command: "Cockroach Pile."

The stone monster, which had been still, suddenly moved, nodded in satisfaction, then turned around, spun upwards, and cleared the way to the principal's office.

An old man with a white beard, dressed in a magnificent robe, was already waiting there with a beaming smile.

No introduction was needed; Eric knew perfectly well who the white-bearded old man was.

Albus Dumbledore!

The most powerful wizard of our time.

Even though he was old, no one could shake his prestige.

Fudge couldn't, and neither could Voldemort.

"You must be Eric, right?"

Like Eric, Dumbledore needed no introduction. Upon seeing Eric, he naturally recognized him and said his name, clearly having been prepared.

Seeing Eric nod with a smile, Lupin was speechless for a moment.

He was completely ignored by those two.

If that's the case, why is he still staying here?

Lupin shrugged, gave Dumbledore a questioning look, and after receiving a response, turned and left decisively, heading back to the Great Hall.

Only Eric and Dumbledore remained.

From the moment Eric first saw Dumbledore, he opened his mental stance.

In the gray world, Eric concentrated the white light representing spiritual power onto himself, forming a thin film.

Soul Barrier Activated!

Eric felt nothing complicated. He was used to the existence of the mental barrier. As long as the soul barrier was in place, no mental magic could affect him.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Dumbledore extended his hand to welcome Eric in, and looked at Eric with a smile, saying, "When I heard about Professor Flitwick, I thought I had developed dementia. I really didn't expect that someone your age could already use the Patronus Charm so skillfully."

Eric didn't stand on ceremony. He strode into the headmaster's office, sat down at the table as Dumbledore directed, and said, "Thank you, Professor. That was actually the first time I successfully used the Patronus Charm."

The headmaster's room was magnificent, consistent with the overall style of Hogwarts. The walls were covered with portraits of past headmasters. When they saw Eric walk in, they all looked at him, some even whispering among themselves.

Beside Dumbledore's table stood a phoenix.

Eric glanced around before finally meeting Dumbledore's gaze. He didn't flinch, but instead met Dumbledore's eyes firmly.

Dumbledore exclaimed with delight, "I'm so glad Hogwarts has such a talented student as you this year. I heard you're a Muggle?"

"Correct."

"That's amazing, Eric. Can you tell me where you learned magic?"

coming.

As expected, Dumbledore got straight to the point.

Eric chuckled: "Of course, actually, I had already been exposed to magic before I even enrolled in school."

"Back when I was at the Leaky Cauldron, I bought a spellbook. It contained a lot of detailed magic, including the Patronus Charm."

"I also experienced two magical outbursts in Diagon Alley. After that, I discovered that I seemed to have a talent for controlling magic, so after buying my own wand, I started practicing magic on my own."

"That's why I use the Patronus Charm."

"I think I'm pretty lucky."

After Eric finished speaking, he looked at Dumbledore with a smile.

Dumbledore sat opposite him, his smile even brighter than his.

Regardless of whether the others are true or not, the source of the guardian spell that Eric mentioned is true.

The book of spells that Merkel gave to Eric actually contained the guardian spell.

Eric only dared to choose the Guardian Charm as the reward for the quest because he saw the magic mentioned above.

Otherwise, it would be completely inexplicable.

Although Eric knew that it sounded absurd that a young wizard who had never been exposed to magic could teach himself the Patronus Charm and use it skillfully.

But no matter what, it's still possible.

The world is never short of geniuses.

Judging from the talent Eric has shown, he is the kind of genius.

What? You doubt me? Then show me the evidence.

You can't produce it, right? Then there's nothing you can do about it.

If the Guardian Charm wasn't recorded in the Book of Spells, Eric wouldn't dare use it in front of others even if you beat him to death.

That would be completely inexplicable.

A young wizard who has never been exposed to magic teaches himself and creates a Patronus Charm—this is just fooling people into thinking he's an idiot.

Who would believe that?

Therefore, Eric must at least ensure that his statements are not obviously flawed.

It is clear that Dumbledore and Eric are very much in sync in this regard.

Upon hearing Eric's explanation, Dumbledore's smile widened, and his eyes narrowed into slits.

He did not immediately refute.

Because Dumbledore knew that Eric was lying.

What about the book of spells, self-study, and magic rampage?

Dumbledore is a man of great experience and knowledge. He has fought two Dark Lords and is not an idiot. Why would he believe such a claim?

However, Dumbledore had no intention of exposing Eric's true colors to his face.

He naturally has ways to get the information he wants.

"The Book of Spells? You mean the book of spells that Miranda wrote? That's quite a coincidence. When that book was first published, Miranda even asked me to write the foreword for her," Dumbledore said, feigning surprise. "The contents of that book are indeed very rich."

As he spoke, Dumbledore fixed his gaze on Eric's eyes.

That's right, Dumbledore wanted to find the answer himself from Eric's memories and see who Eric really was.

As the headmaster of Hogwarts, Dumbledore would certainly not use magic on students unless absolutely necessary.

However, Eric's presence was clearly outside the rules.

Strictly speaking, Dumbledore had to ensure that a student who could skillfully use the Patronus Charm in their first year posed no threat to Hogwarts.

Capture the mind and seize thoughts!

Chapter 49 Dumbledore's Shock

Seeing Dumbledore's gaze shift towards him, Eric instinctively focused his attention.

He saw absolutely no hostility in Dumbledore's eyes.

It really felt like a highly respected wizard giving a casual glance to a student.

This feeling is mysterious.

Dumbledore didn't force Eric, nor did he let Eric notice anything amiss.

But sometimes it's just a logical judgment that leads Eric to believe that Dumbledore will definitely take some action against him.

Otherwise, why would Dumbledore have summoned him to the headmaster's office today?

He could have allowed Eric to attend the Sorting Ceremony as usual, and then decided what to do with Eric.

But he didn't. Instead, he broke with tradition and, while everyone was in the auditorium, took Eric to the principal's office and sent Lupin away.

Almost as Eric concentrated, he felt a jolt in his head, and a voice in his mind prompted him:

[Ding, Soul Barrier Interception: Mind Control Technique.]

really!

As Eric expected.

Dumbledore did indeed use Legilimency on him.

Eric was relieved to receive the system notification, which meant that even a wizard like Dumbledore could not break through the barrier of the soul.

If even Dumbledore's Legilimency couldn't break the soul barrier, then no one else would have a chance.

At the same time, Eric felt a chill run down his spine.

The activation of the mind-grasping technique was indeed completely unexpected, without any prior preparation.