The Wind and the Wings of Hogwarts

Scott thought for a moment and replied, "For me, there's no such thing as good or bad. Everyone has their own way of living, and you can choose the way that's most comfortable for you."

“You’re right, everyone is different,” Dumbledore said with a smile. “Yes, everyone can choose their own way of life, as long as it doesn’t harm others, right?”

Scott nodded again. "You're right."

Dumbledore seemed to be in a good mood, and he kept appearing cheerful.

He picked up his cup again and took a sip of the black tea, which was unusually thick, probably because of too much sugar.

Then he said softly, "It seems Severus's worries are unnecessary, and I don't need to say anything more to you, right?"

Scott nodded again. "Of course, I'll keep it a secret."

He paused, then said, "Although in my perception the magic that suddenly appeared on Professor Snape's arm was very evil, since you trust him, it naturally means that Professor Snape is not a problem."

“Thank you for your trust, Scott,” Dumbledore said in a cheerful tone.

Scott laughed. "Most people at Hogwarts trust you. You are Dumbledore."

“You used the word ‘most’,” Dumbledore said, his tone turning regretful. “It seems I haven’t done a good enough job as headmaster.”

Scott simply shrugged at his feigned ignorance, saying, "After all, education is a responsibility shared by both schools and families."

"Oh! I feel much better to hear you say that." Dumbledore became happy again.

Just as Scott was about to say goodbye and leave, he suddenly asked, "So do you know what the abnormality on Severus's arm means?"

Scott was about to put down his teacup when he heard this and paused.

He really didn't expect the old principal to suddenly bring this up with him again.

But pretending to be stupid in front of the old headmaster was not a good choice, so he answered directly, "It probably means that the Dark Lord... Voldemort has regained some power, I guess."

“Yes, we all know Voldemort hasn’t really disappeared; he created Horcruxes,” Dumbledore murmured. “He could come back at any time.”

Scott gently put down his teacup, listening to his almost soliloquy.

Dumbledore didn't ask Scott how he connected Snape's arm abnormality to Voldemort.

He then asked Scott with curiosity, "I'd like to ask you, Scott, what's your opinion on this?"

Scott glanced at the old principal with some surprise.

Dumbledore looked at him encouragingly. "As an old man, I want to hear what young people think, especially a smart young man like you."

Scott chose to speak the truth: "Although Voldemort has regained some of his power, what he should be most worried about now is Medea's covetousness of his soul."

“Oh? Lady Slytherin?” Dumbledore seemed surprised that he mentioned the name.

But Scott was certain that Dumbledore, as the headmaster of Hogwarts, knew about Medea's need for Voldemort's soul.

It all stemmed from the oath Medea made with Hogwarts Castle.

Before the real Ravenclaw disappeared, she had a conversation with the current headmaster, Dumbledore. The oath was signed by Ravenclaw on behalf of Hogwarts, so at least she would give future generations an explanation.

Scott didn't know why Dumbledore was discussing these things with him, but he didn't object.

Perfect timing! The news that Voldemort has regained some of his power can also be relayed to Medea.

He glanced at the wall beside him out of the corner of his eye and answered Dumbledore, "Yes, Madam Ravenclaw told me about the oath Medea made with Hogwarts Castle."

Chapter 312 The Old Headmaster's Education

On one wall inside the headmaster's office, several rows of portraits of former Hogwarts headmasters are neatly hung.

In Scott's peripheral vision, all the former headmasters in the portraits were dozing off, as if none of them were listening to his conversation with Dumbledore.

But Scott was certain that the former principals in those portraits were indeed listening.

Medea once revealed that she knew Scott had used arithmetic divination to predict Voldemort's Horcruxes, which means she had a way of knowing some of the conversations in the Hogwarts Headmaster's office.

Scott couldn't help but suspect someone from the start—Phineas Black, the most unpopular headmaster in Hogwarts history.

However, this is just speculation.

Scott couldn't be sure how Medea knew the information from the principal's office; he could only say that one of the portraits was the most likely source of the leak.

If a portrait could convey the message that Voldemort had regained some of his power to Medea, it would be a good thing for Scott.

Medea probably wouldn't want to see Voldemort fully regain his powers.

Once Voldemort is fully recovered, given his power, Medea might not be able to obtain his soul.

After all, without sacrificing Voldemort's soul, Medea could not be fully resurrected, and thus she would be weaker than a fully resurrected Voldemort.

Scott needed Medea to keep him busy, because once she was busy, she wouldn't have time for him, the underage wizard who hadn't yet grown up.

At this point, Dumbledore said to Scott, "Lady Slytherin, her activities may not be a good thing for the wizarding world either, don't you think?"

Scott nodded.

Although Medea was more restrained than her descendants, she was still recklessly disrupting the stability of the magical world.

“Those Thestrals…” Scott suddenly remembered the stolen Thestrals and asked Dumbledore curiously, “Didn’t you think about going to get them back?”

"I'm also struggling with how to get the carriage moving when the next semester starts," Dumbledore sighed. "Unfortunately, I'm too old."

"..."

Scott remained silent on the matter.

He felt that the old headmaster was cheating. He was indeed old, after all, he was over a hundred years old, but he wasn't so old that he couldn't wave his magic wand anymore.

Dumbledore successfully evaded the question and then moved on to asking Scott questions.

He smiled at Scott. "You mean that even if Voldemort regains his powers, he'll be busy fighting Medea first?"

“This is what I think,” Scott said. “Medea needs Voldemort’s soul to regain his power, and Voldemort needs to get rid of Medea as a threat. That’s what’s most important to them.”

“I didn’t expect Tom… I mean Voldemort to face such a threat one day. I guarantee he wouldn’t tolerate it.” Dumbledore seemed to agree with Scott.

But Scott doesn't think so.

Sure enough, the old headmaster then changed the subject, "Perhaps... letting these two fight each other, ideally until they are both severely injured, and then stepping in as the righteous side to clean up the mess, is indeed the wisest course of action..."

However, Scott silently repeated the word to himself.

Dumbledore continued, "But we can't do that, do you know why?"

Scott remained silent.

"Because we're not the Ministry of Magic?" he thought to himself.

“You know, Scott,” Dumbledore said patiently again.

Scott certainly knew what he was trying to say.

If those two are allowed to fight, the entire British magical community will be thrown into complete chaos. Not only will society be in turmoil, but countless innocent people will also be caught up in it.

But Scott still didn't understand why Dumbledore wanted to discuss these things with him.

After all, he wasn't someone like Dumbledore who had the world in his heart.

At this moment, Dumbledore continued to look at Scott, and Scott continued to remain silent.

Scott knew exactly what kind of person he was; he was by no means a good person, and he believed that Dumbledore could also see some of his true nature.

Therefore, he could only remain silent in response to Dumbledore's words.

Is he going to hypocritically claim that he has learned his lesson and will change himself to become a kind and brave person?

There's no need to embarrass yourself by spreading such lies.

Even if he weren't that hypocritical, Dumbledore wouldn't believe him even if he shouted slogans.

"Don't you understand why I'm telling you this?" Dumbledore asked again.

Scott nodded; he was indeed somewhat confused.

He's not a "savior".

Dumbledore laughed again, and the atmosphere between the two became relaxed once more.

“I’ve been at this school for many years.” Dumbledore thought for a moment, then pretended to be senile. “...Oh, I don’t know exactly how many years.”

Scott looked up at him, wondering what the old principal was trying to say to him with all this singing and dancing.

“For many years, that is to say, I have seen countless students walk out of this castle.”

Dumbledore smiled slightly and looked up out the window.

"Most of these students just became ordinary wizards in the magical world, living ordinary lives. Of course, that's fine too..."

He seemed to be lost in a long memory.

"However, there are some special students. Some of them became Minister of Magic, some became animal experts, some became heroes, and some became the Dark Lord."

Then he looked at Scott and said, “In my opinion, you are also a special student, Scott, because everyone can see that you have that kind of talent.”

“Thank you, Professor, but I will not become a hero, nor will I become the Dark Lord,” Scott said.

Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "Perhaps you will become a scholar? Or a professor?"

Scott just smiled; he hadn't made any career plans yet.

“What you become isn’t really important, and of course, I’m sure you won’t become the Dark Lord,” Dumbledore said. “What I told you earlier about Voldemort and Lady Slytherin wasn’t meant for you to deal with, after all, you’re still a student.”

He took a sip of tea before continuing, "I noticed that you helped Neville Longbottom and Jacob Kent make changes, which is good."

He gave Scott an approving look.

"I have to say, sometimes the ingenious ideas of young people like you can inspire old people like me."

“It’s nothing,” Scott said. “Just some clever tricks.”

He genuinely felt that it wasn't a big deal.

"But what I regret is that you have never been willing to change yourself," Dumbledore said earnestly. "Many times, the smartest choice is not the best choice, and I hope you understand that."

Scott opened his mouth upon hearing this, but couldn't utter a word.

At this point, Dumbledore laughed again, winking at Scott. "I always thought stubbornness was a quirk of old people like me."

Chapter 313 A Profound Self-Analysis