"I understand."
Wade lowered his head in thought for a moment, then took a deep breath and said, "About the magic book he gave me… Professor… Do you have any advice?"
Dumbledore didn't answer immediately. He rummaged through a drawer and then handed over a box of toffee.
"Don't frown. Have a piece of candy, won't you? Sweets always help lift the mood."
"…Thank you, Professor."
Wade accepted it, unwrapped the candy, and found its surface shimmered with a faint golden hue, emitting a rich caramel aroma and sweetness.
He popped one into his mouth and realized this toffee was probably made by Maggie.
Unlike its appearance, the candy was rich in aroma but not overly sweet.
Sweet things that aren't too sweet, savory dishes that aren't greasy—that's the kind of flavor Wade liked. Among the house-elves in the kitchen, only Maggie truly understood this and would adjust the sugar levels according to his tastes.
—Probably one of the house-elves accidentally delivered the wrong box, Wade thought. Maggie must've prepared this for me, but it ended up with Dumbledore instead.
As the flavor satisfied him, Wade squinted his eyes slightly in contentment.
The house-elves at the Alliance Fortress were also skilled in cooking, but they preferred pickling and smoking, often paired with rich sauces.
One time they even served him a plate of raw minced beef mixed with pickles and raw egg yolk. When Wade saw that blurry mess, he thought it was some strange form of punishment. But when he went to find Wovilette, he saw the old man enjoying it with gusto…
Dumbledore sat behind his desk and watched Wade through his glasses with hands interlaced. His fingers tapped unconsciously and his gaze was deep and tinged with an unreadable meaning.
After a while, he asked, "Do you like that toffee?"
"Of course," Wade nodded.
"Excellent. Then take the whole box back with you. It's far too mild for my taste." Dumbledore then pulled out another box and asked, "Want a jelly slug?"
"I think I'll pass," Wade quickly replied.
Dumbledore said regretfully, "It's only shaped like a slug—the taste is actually quite good. Very popular at Honeydukes… Oh well, if you don't like it, never mind."
After a pause, he suddenly added, "As for those books… if you want to understand them, you can keep them."
Wade was stunned and looked up at him in surprise.
Dumbledore nodded with a gentle smile. "I won't stop you, Wade. Knowledge itself is not wrong—what's dangerous is human ambition and desire."
"I believe you've grown into a wizard with sound judgment. Whatever you learn, you'll be able to hold on to the light in your heart… And of course, if you ever feel lost, you're always welcome to come to me—I'm always willing to listen to your thoughts."
"Thank you, Professor," Wade said gratefully.
"Well then, go have lunch," Dumbledore said as he stood up. "I hope the kitchen has prepared cream cake for us today."
Wade hesitated. "Professor, I'd like to request a few days off… to go home and visit. My parents must be very worried about me. Is that okay?"
"Of course," Dumbledore said kindly. "Who could stop a child from visiting their parents? Oh, and I suppose you haven't opened your Christmas presents yet?"
"Not yet," Wade replied.
"Then you'd better sort through them properly," Dumbledore said with a mysterious twinkle in his eye. "There are a few things in there… I suspect they'll give you quite a surprise."
…
A flash of phoenix fire passed through the room. Though Dumbledore had just said he was going to lunch, he didn't leave. Instead, he stood by the window and gazed at the students bouncing and running across the lawn.
The portraits pretending to sleep on the walls all opened their eyes, and some even stepped into other frames, covering their mouths as they whispered among themselves.
Madam Dilys Derwent, a healer and headmistress from over two hundred years ago, said bluntly, "Albus, I thought you wouldn't allow your students to dabble in Dark Magic—especially a child who… looks like he could easily cross that line."
"I have faith in Wade," Dumbledore said calmly.
His predecessor, Armando Dippet, grumbled, "To be honest, I used to have faith in Tom Riddle too."
"I, too, once studied Dark Magic," Dumbledore said with emphasis. "Only by understanding it and mastering it can one better resist it—and use it by legitimate means. Dark Magic isn't as terrifying as people think."
Phineas Nigellus Black nodded in agreement. "Exactly. The children of the Black family have been exposed to Dark Magic from a young age. But look at Regulus… and young Sirius… they were good boys."
Phineas paused mid-thought, torn over which of the two misbehaving descendants to exclude from his praise list. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to include both.
After all… though both were exceptionally foolish in their own ways, one was dead and the other was the last remaining Black. As their great-great-grandfather, he figured he could afford to be a bit more generous.
Dilys Derwent snorted angrily. "But the vast majority of those who come into contact with Dark Magic end up twisted and corrupted! Albus, you should firmly stop that child from studying Dark Magic—especially since he listens to you!"
Armando Dippet nodded in agreement. "She's right… You can't place too much trust in students. You never know what they'll become decades later."
"I warned you, remember, Dippet?" said Phineas gleefully. "I always said that Riddle boy looked like trouble, but you didn't believe me. You even told me to shut up!"
Armando Dippet pretended not to hear and turned his face away to avoid responding.
When it came to Dumbledore, the successor who had to clean up his mess, Dippet was willing to admit his past mistakes and advise him not to repeat them.
But when it came to Black, who constantly mocked him and dredged up old grievances, Dippet just wanted to kick that annoying fellow into a pit and bury him.
There was a reason why Phineas Nigellus Black was considered the most unpopular headmaster in Hogwarts history.
Another headmaster, Everard, spoke in a gentle tone, "I think they make a good point, Dumbledore. Why not take this opportunity to stop him from associating with those Dark wizards?"
Dumbledore was silent for a moment, then asked, "Phineas… if it had been you… if, when you were young, your elders had forbidden you from learning Dark Magic, would you have obediently listened?"
"Hm? Of course not!" Phineas replied smugly, completely unashamed in the face of the other headmasters' disdainful looks. "I would have agreed on the surface, and secretly studied it behind their backs!"
Eupraxia Mole couldn't hold back. "I've been wondering this since I was alive—Black, why didn't you go to Durmstrang?"
"Isn't it obvious? That place is too cold! And way too strict. Not a fun school at all," Phineas answered matter-of-factly.
The other headmasters quickly started calling him out:
"You were strict when you were headmaster too!"
"You didn't allow students to criticize how Hogwarts was run, remember?"
"You were totally biased toward Slytherin! The other Houses couldn't stand you!"
"So what?" Phineas said, casually pretending to clean his ear. "I am Slytherin! If I don't love Slytherin, am I supposed to love Gryffindor instead?"
"Dumbledore, do something about this Dark Magic-loving lunatic!" protested a red-haired headmaster.
Dumbledore smiled calmly and explained to the others:
"I actually understand that yearning and pursuit for the unknown. Even if I could stop Wade from touching Dark Magic this time, could I completely prevent Grindelwald from approaching him later?"
"If, in the future, Wade becomes curious about Dark Magic and learns things he shouldn't—things that damage his body or mind—under normal circumstances, he could turn to me for help."
"But if I take a firm, hostile stance toward Dark Magic now, there's a high chance he'd hide his condition from me… and instead turn to someone far more dangerous."
"So I can't be too harsh," Dumbledore said slowly. "Because I don't want to—someday—miss the one chance I might have to save him."
The Headmaster's Office fell into a long silence.
After a while, the headmasters finally began to speak—
"You're exhausting," Phineas Nigellus Black muttered, "Good thing I'm already dead."
"Since you've already made your decision, of course we'll support you," said Dilys Derwent gently.
"Let's hope that child doesn't let down your good intentions," Everard added, closing his eyes.
"Sigh… Albus…" Armando Dippet said with emotion, "Sometimes I feel that what a person becomes in the future might already be decided the day they're born."
One by one, the portraits of headmasters closed their eyes, and soon a soft snoring filled the room.
This time, they seemed to be truly asleep.
Dumbledore stood at the window with his gaze fixed on the distance—as if he were not just looking outward, but seeing through the scenery in front of him to some unseen place beyond.
…
After Fawkes dropped Wade off at home, he flew away. Wade stood at the door and peered through the window to see his parents sitting on the sofa, sorting through a pile of newspapers and letters.
Unconsciously, he quickened his pace and a smile formed at the corners of his mouth as he walked up and knocked on the door. He had barely knocked twice when the door was yanked open.
"Wade?!"
Fiona cried out in delight and threw her arms around him in a tight hug.
"I'm home, Mom."
Wade felt the warm tears falling onto his neck, and he turned his head slightly as he spoke softly.
Fred came rushing to the door just behind her. The moment he saw Wade, a surge of emotion overtook him—but then, his expression quickly shifted to a frown as he fell into thought.
Then, he gently pried his wife off their son and pulled her behind him, his eyes narrowed slightly as he examined the boy in front of him with inquiry and scrutiny.
"Wade… are you really Wade?"
Wade sighed and nodded. "Of course it's me, Dad. Do you want me to say two things to prove it?"
"Of course not. I could never mistake my own son!"
Fiona wiped her tears, then somehow produced a colorful, childishly patterned scarf and held it out, saying, "I knitted this for you—go on, try it on, see if it fits."
Wade was just about to accept it, clearly moved, but when he saw the ridiculously childish holiday patterns on it, he pulled his hand back and frowned. "Is this really for me? Couldn't you have used a simpler color scheme?"
Fiona burst out laughing through her tears, shoved her husband aside, and hugged Wade again with joy. "That reaction… It's definitely you, Wade!"
Wade: "..."
—Didn't you say you could never mistake your own son?
Even Fred couldn't stop the corners of his mouth from twitching into a smile. Yet his body seemed to have lost all its strength, and he leaned against the doorway and was unable to take another step.
Feeling the silent fear and worry from his parents, Wade sighed, raised his arms, and hugged his mother again. He repeated softly, "I really am home, Mom."
…
Once everyone had calmed down, the family finally sat together on the couch in front of the fireplace, listening to Wade recount his experience.
"…Grindelwald wanted to use the Streaming Mirror to spread their ideology, so he found an opportunity to take me away. Over there, aside from not being allowed to leave freely or contact anyone, I was actually treated fairly well."
Wade gestured at himself and said, "Look, haven't I put on a bit of weight? German food is better than British food in both flavor and variety. Though I don't like mustard, sauerkraut is alright."
Fiona laughed through her tears and gave him a light smack. "You silly child—you were kidnapped, and all you care about is what you ate… They didn't hurt you, did they? Did they use any dangerous dark magic on you?"
"No. Because…" Wade coughed awkwardly and said, "Because I was pretty cooperative. If they wanted knowledge, I gave it to them. If they wanted me to teach someone, I did it. So they didn't give me a hard time."
Fred nodded approvingly. "No need to feel embarrassed—that was the right call. Showing cooperation can help avoid greater harm, conserve your strength, and buy time and opportunity. So how did you get back? Did they let you go willingly?"
"This morning, Headmaster Dumbledore came to rescue me," Wade said. "He fought a big duel with Grindelwald. Grindelwald lost. To protect the others, he had no choice but to let me go."
As for the fact that Grindelwald had taught him dark magic, Wade decided not to mention it. Otherwise, his parents would probably lose sleep for nights on end worrying about it.
"That's wonderful. Headmaster Dumbledore really is reliable."
Fiona made a thankful prayer gesture, then said regretfully:
"Sigh, I should've sent him a Christmas gift too. Wade, does your headmaster like fine liquor? Or would a watch be better? Actually, I think books would be ideal, but I'm afraid he might already have the ones I choose…"
Wade thought for a moment and smiled. "Everyone gives him books, but Dumbledore might actually prefer a pair of wool socks."
"Wool socks?"
Fiona nodded hesitantly, half convinced, but ultimately decided to follow Wade's suggestion.
Although it sounded a bit ordinary, Wade had spent more time with the headmaster and surely understood the old man better than they did.
Fiona even quietly resolved that from now on, she'd send Dumbledore a pair of wool socks every year… maybe wool gloves and a cashmere sweater wouldn't be bad ideas either?
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
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