The Wind and the Wings of Hogwarts

Scott didn't expect Ravenclaw to give him a push.

He glanced at the Ravenclaw in the painting again in surprise, then politely greeted Dumbledore and Professor Flitwick.

“Don’t worry, my apprentice.” Ravenclaw in the painting gives him another encouraging smile, implying, “No one in this office can reveal our secret.”

"Ha ha ha ha……"

In the corner of the painting, a bald wizard laughs loudly with a fawning expression.

"Ms. Ravenclaw is right."

As he spoke, he took a step to the side, revealing the person who had been hidden from his view.

Scott's eyes widened the moment he saw this person.

It was Phineas Black, the black-haired wizard with a grim face, who was bound with ropes and had a sock stuffed in his mouth.

"This guy's been snitching all along!" The bald wizard raised his massive hand and slapped Phineas Black on the head. "We've found out!"

As he spoke, he still seemed unsatisfied and punched Phineas Black in the face a few more times.

“This kind of beating isn’t punishment. We’re all portraits; we can’t feel any pain or get hurt,” said Delis Devante, making a sarcastic remark from the side. “Right now, all he cares about is his reputation.”

Then, the other former headmasters chimed in, hurling insults at Phineas Black and demanding that Dumbledore ruin his reputation.

“That’s not advisable.” Dumbledore didn’t heed their advice. “We can’t let the dead affect the living.”

His implication was that he didn't want this matter to affect Sirius Black, the survivor of the Black family.

Upon hearing his words, Professor Flitwick, who was sitting to the side, nodded in agreement.

Before the other headmasters could say anything more, Ravenclaw spoke up.

"Let's leave it at that," she said calmly.

Her words had an immediate effect, and the principals immediately shut their mouths.

"Now, let my apprentice have a good chat with Dumbledore and Flitwick."

After saying this, Ravenclaw quickly disappeared from the painting.

As she left, the other headmasters sprang into action, and the bald wizard even dragged the bound Phoenix Black along. The group quickly disappeared from the painting.

Soon, the paintings on the wall all became blank.

Scott felt inexplicably embarrassed by his Ravenclaw mentor's serious demeanor and was momentarily at a loss for words.

“Don’t be nervous, child,” Dumbledore said kindly. “Sit down. Would you like something to drink?”

Scott sat down as instructed.

Seeing the smile on Dumbledore's face, he suddenly relaxed.

"Black tea, no sugar, thank you," he said.

"no problem."

Dumbledore snapped his fingers, and a steaming cup of black tea immediately appeared in front of Scott.

Scott picked up his teacup, took a sip, and began to recount his interactions with Medea.

He didn't deliberately organize his words; he just spoke whatever came to mind.

Neither Dumbledore nor Professor Flitwick disturbed him; they simply listened quietly to his story.

After recounting his connection with Medea, Scott took the silver snake necklace Medea had given him off his wrist and placed it on the table. He then took out a box containing a small fireplace and Floo powder from his shapeshifting lizard skin bag.

Then he began to tell stories related to Savannah.

He began by recounting his first divination for Savannah and continued until he finished recounting what Savannah had written in her previous letter. Only then did he finally stop and wait for the two professors to speak.

Dumbledore spoke first, “That’s quite an experience. What do you think, Felius? We didn’t have this much when we were his age.”

His tone was still tinged with amusement, and he didn't seem surprised by what Scott was saying.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t even notice… leaving a young child to bear all this alone.” Professor Flitwick was clearly somewhat remorseful. “You should have told us about your difficulties sooner, Scott.”

Scott opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Faced with Professor Flitwick's sincere concern, he felt guilty and ashamed.

“I’m so sorry, Professor,” he sincerely admitted. “It all started because of my greed; I accepted Medea’s gift.”

Driven by greed, he concealed and accepted the gifts from Medea, and later had to conceal even more things.

Professor Flitwick shook his head, without even criticizing Scott.

He said, "I understand you. If I were fourteen or fifteen years old, I would probably have made the same choice as you."

“We were all young once,” Dumbledore blinked. “Children never like to share their little secrets with adults.”

The two professors did not comment much on Scott's concealment, but naturally began to talk about other things.

“Perfect timing, I need a way to communicate with Lady Slytherin.” Dumbledore reached for the cardboard box, placed it on the table in front of him, and opened it.

He reached for the toy-like fireplace and said to Professor Flitwick with a smile, "Isn't that an interesting idea? Using the Floo Network to build a secret communication channel."

Professor Flitwick glanced at the large fireplace in the principal's office and nodded.

He agreed, saying, "This is a technology worth promoting, as it can effectively improve people's work and life efficiency."

“It’s a pity,” Dumbledore said, setting down the small fireplace. “Lady Slytherin doesn’t seem to be interested in promoting it.”

He glanced again at the silver snake necklace on the table in front of Scott.

"Is this the door key with special effects?"

He reached out and picked up the necklace, examined it carefully, and then handed it to Professor Frivi.

"It seems that the magical world still has many unknown and special inventions hidden."

Professor Flitwick also took a look with great interest, tested it with a few spells, and then returned it to Scott.

“Take it without worry, child,” he said kindly. “Although it doesn’t comply with the Ministry of Magic’s regulations, it will at least guarantee your safety. And Madam Slytherin hasn’t tampered with this necklace.”

Scott quickly reached out and took it, thanking him.

At that moment, Dumbledore opened the box of Floo Powder, scooped a spoonful of powder into the fireplace, and watched as the small green flame burst into flames.

In Scott's eyes, the old headmaster at that moment was like a child who had received a new and exciting toy.

“Number 001,” Dumbledore said with great interest, referring to Medea’s number.

The flames danced in the small fireplace, and soon, Medea's voice rang out from it.

“Scott?” She seemed a little surprised. “I didn’t expect you to contact me first.”

“Hello, Madam Slytherin. I am Albus Dumbledore,” Dumbledore said to the fireplace.

"Headmaster?" Medea's voice was even more surprised. "You found out what Scott was hiding?"

“No, Scott told me himself, madam.” Dumbledore said, glancing at Scott as he spoke.

This time, Medea remained silent for a while before speaking from the other side of the fireplace.

“I really didn’t expect that,” she said. “That’s not a child you can trust easily.”

Upon hearing her say that, Scott lowered his head.

At that moment, he heard Dumbledore say with a smile, "I know, I am honored to have his trust, so it seems that I am a fairly competent headmaster."

Medea scoffed at this. "Perhaps he had no other choice. Although I like his personality, I must say that what you gained may not be true trust, because Scott is a child who only cares about his own interests."

Scott looked up, somewhat taken aback.

“No, you are wrong, Lady Slytherin.” Dumbledore gave Scott a reassuring look, then looked down at the fireplace and said, “If you recall, the reason Scott first met you was simply to help his friend.”

Listening to the old principal's words, Scott felt his tense expression relax a little.

Medea merely gave a cold laugh.

“Yes, I remember,” she said. “But I also remember very clearly that the boy named Grevis didn’t get his musical talent back because his friends weren’t willing to make any sacrifices for him.”

Chapter 386 Dumbledore's Telephone with Medea

"This claim is absurd."

Dumbledore disagreed with Medea's statement.

“We cannot unreasonably demand that one person sacrifice something for another. From what I know, Scott did the best he could to help his friend.”

He paused, then continued, "Of course, I contacted you not to discuss these things, Ms. Slytherin. You shouldn't be putting a child in such a difficult position."

“I’m sorry, I’m not your student, Headmaster,” Medea said coldly.

Dumbledore did not respond to her sarcasm, but said, "I would like to speak with you about the current state of the wizarding world, madam."

"Oh?" Medea seemed somewhat interested. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I hope that you and the wizards who have joined your cause can truly focus on fighting for a better future for wizards, just as you have said."

"Dumbledore said earnestly."

"The Ministry of Magic is now on the verge of falling apart. Most people are fighting for the sake of fighting and have no interest in doing their jobs. I must say, this will not bring a better future for wizards."

Scott and Professor Flitwick were both somewhat surprised to hear him say that.

Because they knew very well that Medea's slogan was just a slogan; she wasn't doing it for a better future, but simply to change the predetermined fate recorded in the "Book of History" for more people.

Was Dumbledore just playing along with Medea?

"You're right, it's my fault."

What was even more unexpected was that Medea readily admitted her mistake.

Is it because the banner of "for a better future" cannot fall?

“You know very well what the factional struggles within the Ministry of Magic are all about right now,” Medea added. “So I have a very good suggestion.”

"Please speak," Dumbledore said politely.

Medea said, "Tom is the biggest destabilizing factor in the British wizarding world, isn't he? After all, he advocates pure-blood supremacy and cannot treat all wizards equally."

Dumbledore responded calmly, "Tom's presence certainly affects peace."

“Then let’s join forces to get rid of him,” Medea suggested. “Let’s remove Tom’s banner of pure-blood cult and completely suppress those stubborn forces that only care about bloodlines. Only in this way can the magical world usher in a better future.”