The Wind and the Wings of Hogwarts

"Some wizards believe that they only need to remain unknown, gather the wisdom of the masses and study diligently. When they have new knowledge that is beneficial to the overall wizarding civilization, they should spread it in secret and subtly promote the development of wizarding civilization."

"Another group of wizards believed that the advancement of a civilization required the best of people to step forward and guide the ordinary masses. They believed that the alliance of scholars, which brought together the wisdom of the masses and possessed profound knowledge, should step forward and become the leaders of the wizards."

Indeed, wherever there are people, there will be conflict.

Scott thought.

Even within the same organization, it is unlikely to have an absolutely unified ideology, especially an ancient magical society like the Scholars' Alliance.

Dumbledore stopped there.

He ate a few bites of cream cake and drank half a cup of black tea before speaking again.

He asked Scott with great interest, "I'd like to hear your thoughts, Scott. Which of these two schools of thought do you think is more correct?"

Scott thought for a moment and replied, "Their ideas are both right and wrong."

"Oh?" Dumbledore looked at him curiously.

Scott explained, "If their ideas could actually be realized, they could indeed promote the development of wizarding civilization. Their differences lie only in their methods of achieving their goals, so I would say that their ideas are both correct."

Dumbledore nodded slightly upon hearing this, and then asked him, "Then why do you say they are all wrong?"

Scott said without hesitation, "Because they take it for granted that they are superior to everyone else, looking down on everything and arbitrarily deciding how to promote the development of civilization. This is absolute arrogance."

Dumbledore looked surprised, seemingly not expecting Scott to say that.

He asked, "Do you think wizards who have the first idea are also arrogant? Even if they just want to conduct academic research quietly and subtly promote the progress of wizarding civilization."

Scott laughed and said, "If their research, which brings together the wisdom of many, can truly advance civilization, wouldn't it be better to publish it openly and be admired?"

He was genuinely puzzled by this, saying, "I think this is an honor, not something that needs to be hidden from the public."

Quietly and unnoticed... subtly and gradually... he always felt that this kind of expression was an awkward and pretentious thing to say.

as well as……

"What contributions did they make to the development and progress of wizarding civilization in the past? Without them, would our civilization have been unable to progress?"

“No.” Dumbledore blinked gently. “Ever since the members of the Scholars’ Union had their differences of opinion, they have been busy trying to persuade each other, which has caused them to neglect other matters.”

Scott was speechless.

This academic alliance is even more impressive than he imagined.

While Dumbledore's statement may sound a bit exaggerated, it is enough to show that the organization has now deviated from its original purpose.

Dumbledore sighed. "In the last ten years or so, Nico has stopped participating in the affairs of the Scholars' Union. He believes that once scholars' attitudes toward scholarship become impure, the organization established in the name of scholars is completely corrupted."

Scott understood.

He said to Dumbledore, “It seems you don’t think much of this ancient magical society, even though they possess a great [Knowledge Bank].

“Yes,” Dumbledore admitted. “Nicole isn’t worried that they’ll cause any trouble that’s beyond repair, because the magical device he helped build, not some wizard, is the one that holds the culmination of everyone’s wisdom.”

Scott understood again.

“Master Nicolas Flamel is not worried about the knowledge stored in the [Knowledge Bank] being stolen by some wizard.”

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Indeed, that was Nico's proudest work. He used alchemy to construct the core of the Knowledge Bank, which means that the great magical device is flawless."

Scott said, "That is to say, even the [great scholars] who lead the academic alliance today must formally exchange academic credits for knowledge in the [knowledge bank]."

Dumbledore nodded again and said, "Even Nico, who has lived for over six hundred years, does not possess enough knowledge to exchange for all the knowledge in the Knowledge Bank."

Scott understood completely.

“It seems I can indeed join the scholars’ alliance,” he said. “At least the knowledge transactions in the [knowledge bank] are equal and harmless.”

At this point, Dumbledore gave him another piece of advice: "Remember, don't let greed blind you."

Scott solemnly agreed.

Instead, Dumbledore spoke of the past, saying, "When I was young, I held different ideas than I do now. I even proposed creating a new world order dominated by wizards for the greatest good."

Scott kept his mouth shut and listened quietly to his story.

"later……"

Dumbledore's voice became somewhat low and hoarse.

"After experiencing some things, I began to recognize my arrogance and also began to acknowledge that the world has never needed anyone to dominate it. So I made a new choice and embarked on a different path from that of my youth."

He recounted his past in an extremely brief manner, but his tone conveyed a unique emotion and power.

Then, he quickly smiled again. "What's interesting is that after I fully realized what was going on, Nico showed me some things that could be redeemed with credits in the Scholars' Union."

At this point, he showed an expression of amazement.

“Some things are truly amazing,” he said. “I can’t help but feel glad I didn’t join them when Nico first invited me.”

He doesn't shy away from the mistakes he made when he was young, and is even glad that he didn't cause more serious consequences.

“At that time, my younger self might have been blinded by greed and, driven by the so-called ‘greatest interests,’ might have used the existence of the ‘knowledge bank’ to do something irreversible.”

Scott was somewhat moved.

Dumbledore is glad that he didn't join the Scholars' League when he was young, but he doesn't stop Scott from joining now.

This shows that he doesn't trust his younger self, but is willing to trust Scott, who is also young now.

Of course, from another perspective, it could be that he was fully aware of his own destructive power in his youth, but did not believe that Scott could cause any trouble.

But Scott decided to take a more positive view of the old principal.

After that, they started chatting, enjoying their food while discussing lighthearted topics.

After watching as the over 100-year-old Dumbledore devoured five seemingly sweet cream cakes without batting an eye, Scott took his leave.

After thanking and saying goodbye to Dumbledore, he went directly out of the headmaster's office through a side door on the eighth floor, walked through several corridors to Professor Flitwick's office.

Perhaps because he let out a meaty burp as soon as he entered, Professor Flitwick did not greet him with snacks as usual.

Scott sat down, supporting his slightly bloated stomach, and told Professor Flitwick the purpose of his visit—to explain Glapland's invitation and inquire about the Scholars' Union.

After listening to Scott's account, Professor Flitwick first asked Milton a few questions.

"How is Mr. Grevis?" the professor asked with some concern. "It seems that the boy has been regretting losing his musical talent."

Professor Flitwick, who is always sentimental, also has a strong sense of empathy, and he seems to understand Milton's feelings very well.

“I will talk to him,” he said.

He wasn't surprised by Grapland's true identity, which suggests he already knew about it.

“Oh, the Scholars’ Union,” he said to Scott. “I’ve received an invitation from that organization before, but I turned them down.”

Scott asked curiously, "Can you tell me why you refused to join them?"

“I don’t approve of them,” Professor Flitwick said, frowning.

He seemed to have absolutely no good impression of the scholars' union.

“I do not agree with their system of quantifying all knowledge and trading it as a bargaining chip,” the professor said. “I also do not believe that academic research needs any organization. I believe that I can find more, better, and more like-minded wizards to communicate with on my own.”

As he spoke, he looked at Scott again.

“Of course, I don’t object to you joining them,” he said. “Everyone has the right to make their own choices.”

He lowered his head, took a sip of hot tea, and then continued speaking.

"When I was young, I had a fiery temper, and I would often teach those who mocked me a lesson."

He spoke in a nostalgic tone.

"The wizard who wanted to recruit me into the Scholars' Alliance was a German wizard who participated in the dueling tournament with me. He was far too arrogant."

He began to calmly recount the things that had once angered him.

"I still remember his eyes and his tone. He invited me to join them almost like a handout, as if it were the greatest honor I had ever had. Of course, I firmly refused him and taught him a lesson in the game."

At this point, Professor Flitwick laughed.

“In the days that followed, I also came into contact with some other members of the Scholars’ Union.” He lowered his voice as he spoke, “and I even felt that some of the people in this organization were not normal.”

He looked at Scott again. "Just like Miss Grapland you encountered, the fact that she thought of using Mr. Grevis's matter to threaten you is undoubtedly a disastrous invitation!"

Professor Flitwick shook his head, his expression one of disapproval.

"The wizards of the Scholars' Alliance are always like this; they're almost driven crazy by the remaining credits on their cards."

Seeing that Scott didn't quite understand, Professor Flitwick explained to him, "In the Scholars' Union, credits are everything. Their credits are like a regular wizard's savings account in Gringotts; the size of the amount always causes them anxiety."

Scott nodded repeatedly, indicating that he understood.

He did understand.

In his past life, he had also felt anxious about the money in his bank account, so he understood that feeling.

Moreover, Grapland's way of extending the invitation was not exactly normal; it was downright crazy.

After talking with Professor Flitwick for half an hour, Scott left and went to the Room of Requirement.

He plans to discuss this with his Ravenclaw mentor as well.

Chapter 374 Scott's Final Decision

Ravenclaw has been gone for a thousand years.

The wisp of her consciousness that she left behind so that she could see her daughter one last time has been dormant for a thousand years.

Her portrait, of course, had no idea what the scholars' alliance, founded more than five hundred years ago, was.

After listening to Scott's story, the Ravenclaw in the painting said, "You can join them."

She looked at Scott, who stood in front of the portrait with a look of surprise on his face, and smiled slightly.

"Because of the prophecy, because of Medea watching you and Salazar hiding behind you, you need to grow up as quickly as possible. You no longer have time to carefully weigh the pros and cons, child. As long as it is beneficial to improving your strength, you don't need to refuse it."

Scott nodded in agreement.

He really doesn't have much room to be picky these days.

Although he should be safe until graduation, two years is not a long time and will pass quickly.

He must seize every second and not waste any opportunity to improve his skills.