Hogwarts: This holy light is righteously evil

Chapter 169 You want me to work, right? I won't forget.

"Can."

Dumbledore walked slowly to the front of the Mirror of Erised, his gaze fixed on the mirror, his expression gradually softening, and a sense of almost intoxicating relaxation emanating from him.

"When I stand in front of this mirror, all I see are my family members who have long since left me, my old friends, my parents, and my sister. They have all left this world. Every time I see them standing vividly in front of me, I can't help but wonder what kind of ending it would be if I took a step and followed them away."

This loneliness is something that only grows after a long period of solitude.

The deep-seated attachments in one's heart are indeed a vulnerability that is difficult for others to understand.

Fred and George, who were standing nearby, felt a deep sense of unease after hearing these words.

If Dumbledore were to actually have the idea of ​​abandoning everything in the world, the entire wizarding world would lose its most solid barrier, and most of the order and stability would collapse.

Dumbledore's narration did not stop there; he slowly began to speak of his remaining family members.

"I have a younger brother who is still alive, but we are deeply estranged and our relationship has been strained for years. In reality, he would never greet me as gently as he does in the mirror."

After he finished speaking, he turned to look at the twins standing side by side.

"George, Fred, the way you two are so close is something I truly envy."

Puni raised one eyebrow slightly and casually posed a new question.

"Principal, haven't you ever seen a woman in the mirror who has caught your eye?"

This remark caused Dumbledore to burst into laughter, the long, resonant sound echoing softly in the empty secret chamber.

"Absolutely not. Perhaps I'm just not good at socializing. From childhood to adulthood, no girl has ever had any special feelings for me."

"Christmas is just around the corner, and I've been thinking about what kind of holiday gift to give you. Since I happened to meet you today, I thought I'd ask you directly what your preferences are."

The gaze that had been fixed on the mirror now shifted away from it, and Dumbledore turned to face Penny directly in front of him, his attitude very clear.

"I will not accept any gifts prepared by anyone in advance. The joy of holiday gifts lies in the surprise of opening the package. If you know the contents in advance, the fun will be completely lost."

He paused slightly before adding his true preferences.

"However, I can tell you one thing in advance: try not to send me any books. My principal's office is already full of all kinds of books, and there is no extra space to store new books. Every year, teachers and students solemnly present me with all kinds of magic monographs, but I don't really have any intention of reading them."

"The various snacks and treats you sent last time were exactly what I wanted; I really liked them."

Fred and George, standing to the side, silently kept those words in mind, already having made their plans.

When you get back, you must explain to your mother that you should not use the money meant for buying books to buy books again. Instead, you should buy a sweater that your mother knits by hand, which might be more to Dumbledore's liking.

After a brief chat, Dumbledore raised his hand and clapped his hands twice, signaling the three to end their exploration.

"Alright, young people, we shouldn't linger here. This secret chamber is not for students to enter without permission. I'm glad that the three of you were able to keep your minds focused and not be held back by the illusions reflected in the Mirror of Eris for too long. But most people, especially those who have hidden pain and regrets in their hearts, find it difficult to quickly detach themselves from the illusory images in the mirror and are easily trapped in obsessions from which they cannot extricate themselves."

After saying that, he looked calmly at Puni, Fred, and George and made his only request.

"I hope you can promise me that you will not reveal anything you have seen or experienced here today to any other student."

After hearing Dumbledore's request for secrecy, Penny, Fred, and George exchanged glances for a moment and nodded in agreement, promising not to reveal anything about the secret room and the Magic Mirror.

"Principal, I have another personal opinion. The illusion reflected in this magic mirror may hide another, deeper logic."

Upon hearing this unique insight, Dumbledore's eyes lit up with interest. He looked at Puni and encouraged him to continue.

"Why don't you speak your thoughts out fully, Ravenclaw student of the Lestrange family?"

Puni deliberately coughed twice.

"From my observation, although the core power of this magic mirror is to project people's inner thoughts, its core criterion for selecting images lies in the word 'desire.'"

"There is an essential difference between desire and ordinary ideal. Ideal is a future we plan step by step and are confident of reaching, while desire corresponds to a vision that we know in our hearts is difficult to reach and even unlikely to be realized."

Puni raised his hand and pointed to the picnic scene that had just been reflected in the mirror, a vision that belonged only to him.

"I can say with certainty that a stable life with family and friends has never been part of my ideal life. I have made a complete plan for my future path and have full confidence in achieving it step by step. Therefore, the magic mirror will not show these scenes that are destined to be realized. What it reveals is what I am afraid of losing."

"Autumn, and the Regulus family, represent the peaceful daily life I long for in my heart, but I can never be sure whether the various storms that follow will completely shatter this stability and this fulfillment is something I am not entirely confident I can hold onto."

After saying that, he turned to look at his twin brothers beside him and continued to support his point of view.

"Let's talk about Fred and George. They always boast about their intelligence, but they always take things one step at a time and don't have a complete long-term plan. They keep saying they want to open their own magic item shop, but they haven't finalized any preparation plan yet. In my opinion, they know in their hearts that it is already difficult to stand on their own and establish a foothold, let alone achieve the goal of surpassing the shops under my name."

Puni looked directly at the twins and posed a question that struck at the heart of the matter.

"Answer honestly, are you truly convinced from the bottom of your heart that those magnificent scenes in the mirror can really be achieved by your own hands?"

Fred and George exchanged a glance and fell silent, unable to find a single word to respond.

Upon calm reflection, they realized they didn't have the absolute confidence to deliver on everything reflected in the mirror.

Next, Puni turned his attention to Dumbledore, dismantling the headmaster's illusions layer by layer.

"Now it's your turn, Principal. Your deceased family members can never return to this world, and you yourself have mentioned that your brother, who is still alive, is deeply estranged from you and will never greet you as peacefully as he does in the mirror."

After a moment's pause, Puni seemed to suddenly remember the principal's earlier remarks and muttered something to himself.

"I remember now, you just said that he wouldn't treat me this gently in reality."

"And your old friends who accompany you in the mirror."

Penny didn't flinch, looking directly into Dumbledore's eyes, and posed the final question, "Do you know in your heart that you'll ever have the chance to reunite with those old friends like in the illusion?"

A series of questions that struck at the heart of reality shattered the illusory beauty reflected in the mirror, each one hitting Dumbledore's long-buried regrets, bringing an impact far heavier than Penny had anticipated.

Dumbledore pondered quietly for a moment, admitting in his heart that none of these ideas were likely to come true.

He sighed softly, forcing a smile, and acknowledged Puni's conclusion.

"Perhaps your judgment is entirely correct. This deeper logic is something I haven't been able to decipher even after years of living with this mirror."

"If this is indeed the case, the danger lurking behind this magic mirror is far more serious than I previously realized."

Standing in front of a mirror for too long only serves to remind one of one's own powerlessness and to repeatedly confront the regrets that one can never fulfill in one's lifetime.

It is no longer a temporary solace to numb the mind, but a deadly poison that can constantly amplify the shortcomings in one's heart.

As Dumbledore recalled his many encounters with the Mirror of Erised throughout his long life, he increasingly agreed with Penny's analysis. He raised his hand and gently stroked the ancient patterns engraved on the frame, then spoke his thoughts aloud.

"Such an object should not be kept for long; it can only breed despair and has no positive meaning whatsoever. If I have time in the future, I will try to use magic to modify its operating mechanism."

"A truly worthwhile magical artifact should offer hope for moving forward during times of hardship, rather than repeatedly dragging people into the regrets of the past."

After saying this, Dumbledore signaled to the three to end their exploration and leave the restricted secret room as soon as possible.

Puni, Fred, and George did not refuse at all and turned to leave as instructed. When they passed the bronze female statue, George even raised his hand to wave goodbye.

Stepping out of the sealed secret room and into the spacious outer corridor, George stretched out his body, his tone full of enjoyment.

"Tonight's late-night exploration was quite an interesting experience."

But the next second, the relaxed smile on Puni's face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold and gloomy expression as he turned to look at the twins.

"But there's one thing I'll never forget: the idea that you two were plotting to ruin my business and make me work for you. I won't forget that."

Fred and George felt a sudden tightness in their chests, secretly thinking that something was wrong.

Normally, Puni is kind and generous to others and rarely cares about trivial gains and losses, but once it comes to something he cares about, his grudge-holding ability is unmatched.

Seeing that Puni had already made a note of it, Fred and George quickly tried to salvage the situation, hastily explaining to dispel the other party's concerns.

"Puni, we've never even considered plotting against you! You just pointed it out yourself; we know we can't possibly achieve the situation depicted in the mirror, so why would we secretly scheme to suppress you?"

"Besides, you are now the person in charge of our collaborative project, and we have always regarded you as the person in charge."

""

Without saying a word, Puni reached into the inside pocket of his robe and pulled out two neatly bound written agreements, which he then unfolded and handed to the twins.

"If you truly approve of me as the leader, then sign these two documents on the spot. Without written proof, I cannot fully trust your verbal statements alone."

As soon as he finished speaking, he casually slipped a quill pen dipped in ink into the hands of the two brothers.

Fred and George, always quick-witted, immediately saw that the terms of the agreement were extremely restrictive, almost equivalent to binding all their item research and production indefinitely, which was tantamount to signing a contract that restricted their freedom.

The two exchanged a glance, simultaneously dropped their quills, turned and fled down the corridor, ignoring Puni calling their names from behind.

Puni watched the two figures disappear rapidly around the corner of the corridor and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

These brothers are meticulous and always leave themselves a way out. It's hard to imagine that the Weasley family's simple and peaceful family atmosphere could raise such calculating and evasive teenagers.

But his hearty laughter carried far through the quiet castle corridors, immediately attracting the attention of the patrol personnel.

"Who is making such a racket in this area?" Filch's shout came from the other end of the corridor, accompanied by the sound of hurried, light footsteps. Mrs. Lorris also rushed towards the sound at full speed.

Puni inwardly cursed his bad luck.

Dumbledore's leniency in letting them leave without pursuing their nighttime outing doesn't mean the castle caretaker, Filch, will be equally forgiving. If caught red-handed, points deductions and extra work are inevitable.

He absolutely cannot fall into Filch's hands.

He quickly took out his invisibility cloak and covered his entire body. Then he took out a bottle of scent neutralizing spray and pressed it around his body several times to completely eliminate his own human scent. Lady Lorris's search route based on her sense of smell instantly lost its target.

Filch, who arrived a step later, checked both sides of the corridor with the cat. The flame of the oil lamp in his hand flickered everywhere, and the scope of his search kept shrinking. Several times, the lamp head was only inches away from where Puni was hiding, almost touching his face.

After a brief moment of thought, Puni raised his hand and threw a bag into an empty, dead-end corner on the other side of the corridor.

However, the throw was mishandled this time, and the bag hit Filch's shoulder before bouncing to the ground.

The impact itself did not cause any pain, but it caused the already tense and irritable administrator to completely explode.

"Who's hiding in the shadows? Show yourself immediately and face the consequences!" Filch raised his voice, scanning the entire corridor with obvious frustration.

Puni remained quietly hidden under his cloak, showing no intention of revealing himself.

Showing up now would only confirm the mistake of sneaking out at night and disturbing patrol personnel, which is by no means a wise move.

Filch anxiously searched the corridor alone for a long time, but could not find a single person or clue. He could only sigh heavily and prepare to leave with Mrs. Lorris.

As a Squib who cannot cast magic, his means of searching for suspicious persons are already very limited, and the fact that he has found nothing is the best he can do within the scope of his ability.